Chicago

Our last day in Illinois called for a special outing to downtown Chicago. Thankfully, the Gee's have a mini van that we can all fit in so we headed into the city. Lucky me, I get to sit between these two handsome guys.

Once we got parked (a feat in itself) we made our first stop at a gourmet doughnut place called "Glazed and Infused".  Tom is checking out the maple bar with bacon? Yep! And delicious blueberry lemon cake ones, too. Sweet!

          Time to ride the L train which the boys absolutely loved, even Avery was squealing

It was a beautiful sunny day for a walk downtown through skyscrapers and historic buildings. We arrived at Millennium Park and had fun taking pictures at the amazing BEAN. What an interesting perspective and reflection of the Chicago skyline!

 Here is Pritzger Pavilion, an artistic outdoor arena that looks like a wonderful place to catch a concert on a warm summer night. Maybe next time?

Now for the part the boys have been waiting for, the splash zone. 

Taking a little breather and enjoying the scenery before heading back to the L train. 

Loving every hug and squeeze I can get with little darling Avery in our matching shirts. 

  Oh my, am I ever gonna miss her!

Then we wrapped up our time downtown with a delicious burger before heading home. 

Thank you Brian and Monica for sharing your favorite city with us. Brian, you were a champ to navigate through and deal with the traffic ride home. We all fell asleep but you got us home safe and sound. Thanks so much, we appreciate you and love you.

Good Times in Glen Ellyn

       Our week with the Gee family flew by but not without enjoying every day to the fullest. Park days, water play, baseball, backyard fun and even spa massages for the ladies. We will be leaving for home with so many great memories with each one of you. Precious and smiley Avery Jean, 6 months old. Snuggly hugger Nolan, 2 years old. Cheerful and inquisitive Parker, 4 ½ years old. We loved spending every minute with you. Thank you Monica and Brian for your hospitality and for sharing your life with us.

We had great weather for backyard time with lots of sunshine, running through the sprinkler and enjoying being together. What adorable kids!

                                                        Choo Choo,  All Aboard for the Gee Train

Porch time is always a great way to hang out together and watch the world going by.

           

It is especially exciting when the workers come to jack hammer out the curb and then the cement truck comes to fill it.

                                   






       












                                                                                   


A trip to the splash park was a great way to cool down.

 We had a fun outing to Peck Farm where they have a silo to climb up inside, a creek to wade in, a rope course to scramble through, a giant play structure for climbing and a butterfly farm. Perfect for boys!!

And now it's time for Baseball.
Parker is playing T-ball for the Nationals and got a hit every inning. He played with great sportsmanship and was a joy to watch. Go Parker!!

Well, it looks like Lorraine was the only one who got the memo about doing a crazy photo, 

but then, she was rather excited to have a date night with the Gee's. 

It looks like a mini Lorraine was photo shopped in. Hehe

We really enjoyed our evening out with you two at the lovely Water Leaf Restaurant.
Beautiful people, beautiful scenery. We are so thankful that you are our kids!

 We have many cherished memories of our week together with you and your precious children. Thanks for making it so easy to be proud parents/grandparents. We love you very much!

Rock and Roll and the Tribe

We had a fun morning at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located on the water front in downtown Cleveland. The museum's architecture is very New Age looking and designed to look like a giant record player. It's a tribute to great rock and roll performers from the past with collections and exhibits of their personal belongings. It was quite interesting and entertaining but the best part was shopping in the gift store. Well, except for getting to be on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. HaHa

A tribute to Elvis kicks off the tour, after all, he is the King 

I'm sure you all recognize who wore these outfits.

 Some momentos from Woodstock, the iconic music festival that took place at 

Yasgur's farm in upstate New York

Janis Joplin's psychedelic porsche

The Blue's Brothers made this guy and his Hi-De-Ho song famous

 This is Johnny Cash's motor home which he personally designed and toured in all over America with his family. He dearly loved his "cocoon" as he called it and cherished the comforts of home it provided while on the road. We can definitely understand how he felt.

     New T-shirts! Sweet!!!

While in Cleveland we were able to catch an afternoon Indians game at Progressive Field. It was a great time hanging out with the "Tribe" 

 We had some fun seats at field level. It was definitely foul ball zone. Heads Up!

                               Sampling the ballpark fare is always an important aspect of the game.

                                  Yay Indians!!! They gave the Rockies the one/two punch and won!!!

 Our last event in Cleveland was attending a Sunday service at Parkside Church. The head pastor there, Alister Begg has been one of our favorites to listen to on podcasts so it was really nice to get to hear him in person. What a great way to wrap up our time in Ohio.