Sears Tower and Wedding Dinner

Hank's favorite thing in Chi-town was the Sears Tower. Max and I sat this one out because his nap was far more important than waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours. I know my kids limits.

This is Randy and Hank standing on the sky deck which is a glass enclosed case that pops out of the side of the Sears Tower. They are 1400 feet up in this picture!

Apparently the heights weren't bothering Hank much. I would've been terrified.

For all you nerds out there, The Sears Tower is actually called the Willis Tower now. On a clear day you can see 4 states from here...Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. The idea for the sky deck came from millions of tourist pressing their heads against the glass like Ferris Bueller did in one of my favorite movies of all time "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". I wanted to pretend I was in the movie our whole trip but no one would play. I know Sarah and Kate would have!

Later that day we enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Tasting Room hosted by Rusty and Collette. It was a great atmosphere to eat, sit, and get to know everyone. This is the best picture we could get of my family. Why is it so hard to get a good picture of all of us?

Our first attempt at a family photo--The boys weren't having it...Randy looks cute though

Dyson and Hank enjoying their drink of choice, a Shirley Temple.

Max's drink of choice was pretty much anything he could spill.


Hank LOVES Dyson! Dyson is such a good sport, but I'm pretty sure there are times when Hank drives him crazy.

Mino was really patient with all the adult conversation.

Why wasn't Collette in this picture? Max was saying " I wan dadeee!"

Hank crashed about halfway through the party, just in time to miss Colby's collision with the corner of the bar. He had to go to the emergency room and get four stitches. Poor little guy!

Annie, Susie, Erica, Collette, Lindsey, Terese, and Kelly
Jenni was at the hospital with Colby.

Miner, Rick, Randy (who is 5 years old and can't keep his shirt tucked in), Rusty, and Landon

Since Hank slept through dinner, we ordered room service. There is nothing better as a kid!
Randy went with Rick and Rusty to hang out for a bit so the kids and I ate pizza and ordered a movie to our room. We had to get our beauty rest for the big day!

Go Cubs Go!

After a life-long love for the Cubs, Randy finally had the chance to watch them at Wrigley Field. I am so happy I got to share that experience with him. Collette's mom, Claire, agreed to watch Max for us which made the game much more enjoyable. He would've been so bored. Hank on the other hand was loving every minute of it. We are walking to the train in this picture.

It was raining when we got there...we were pretty nervous it would get rained out. How would that have been for bad luck? Luckily there was only an hour rain delay and then the sun came out.

Rick, Hank, Randy, Rusty, and Annie (Collette's brother Adam was also there, but busy buying us poncho's when we took this picture.)

I'm so glad the groom could take some time out from his wedding duties to join us. Rick was feeling a little sick for the first part of the game, but snapped out of it in time to see D. Lee hit a 3 run shot to center field.
Hank was very inquisitive. He was learning all about the game from his daddy.

I had to include this picture to show our sweet seats! We were on the highest possible row in the entire stadium. The tickets weren't that great but we still had a blast. It's not every day you get to see a future hall of famer (Albert Pujols) hit a homer...even if it was for the other team. Yes the cubs lost, but the atmosphere didn't disappoint. We had a great time.

Max was a little angel for Claire and Jimmy. Apparently he really liked following Jimmy around. He kept saying "where's Jimmy?"

We headed back to Claire and Jimmy's house for pizza later that night.

We had Chicago-style pizza...delicious! I'm surprised my bridesmaid dress fit after all the food we ate.

This picture captured Rusty's mood perfectly. Let's just say he was a little on edge. Collette and Rusty spent months planning every activity for the weekend. They were a little stressed but everything ran smoothly. I was so glad I wasn't in charge. I just got to sit back and relax.

Suzie and I had a great time conversing!

The picture was suppose to be of Collette and her best friend Lindsey...we thought we were so funny in the background.

Randy and Rick were still on a high from the game!


Terese and Adam (getting married in Jamaica 2011...see you there!)


Karen and Claire having a good time.


The kids managed to keep themselves entertained. One of the neighbors brought out some toys for the kids to play with. Max loved his pinwheels.

Hank loved the trike.

I'm not sure what possessed Jimmy to give it a spin, but I decided to help him along.


My favorite mother-in-law

Good times were had by all but we were exhausted by the end of the night. The kids slept much better that night. Sears tower and wedding pictures up next!

Pre-wedding Chicago

Since I took three hundred pictures this weekend (no exaggeration), I will be documenting the trip in a few different posts. As you will see by the pictures we had a fabulous time in Chicago. What an amazing city. It's definitely a spot I want to revisit. We left on Thursday afternoon, right around Max's nap time which turned out to be a life saver. He took a nap on my lap for about an hour. Hank didn't make a peep. He just played his Nintendo game and watched a movie. He's such a great little traveler.

Hank is waiting for the security check. He knew exactly what to do when we got there. He's only flown once but he grabbed the little bin, threw his backpack and shoes inside, and proceeded through the scanner like a seasoned traveler.

Max wants nothing to do with me when his Dad is around. Maybe because they look like twins?

This smile is thanks to the announcement that a snack and drink cart would be coming soon.


Rusty, Collette, and Rick picked us up from the airport and took us to Claire and Jimmy's house (Collette's parents). They were so hospitable. They let us stay at their house that night and treated us to dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant, Tufano's. The food was incredible.


Hank and Jimmy enjoyed a cool drink...no worries, Hank's is root beer! Hank really loved Jimmy. Anyone that knows Hank, knows he doesn't really open up to people that quickly, but he opened up to Jimmy instantly. It may have had something to do with Jimmy introducing Hank to his friend "George". Meaning "Washington", in the form of a crisp one dollar bill.

He even got Hank to try fried calamari. I told Hank it was Squidward and he said he had to try it. Max was entertained with the butter on the table. By the time we were finished, he had it smeared everywhere.


This is Terese, Collette's future sister-in-law. She is engaged to Collette's brother Adam and works at the restaurant. My boys loved her! She was so great with them. We had a sleepover that night in Claire and Jimmy's basement with Collette, Rusty, Rick, Randy, Hank, Max, and I all in the same room! Needless to say, Max slept about 4 hours that night. We had the Cub's game at Wrigley to wake up to, so we were fine the next morning. That post coming up next!

Fourth of July Weekend

Our weekend began early since Randy didn't have to work on Friday! It is always such a treat for the kids and me to have him home. Hank and Randy went to the firework stand and selected quite an amazing display. We decided to do fireworks a day early since we were going to be gone on the 4th. We had my whole family over to witness the beautiful fireworks. Hank is making sure he doesn't get too close to that sparkler! Safety First!

Max was mesmerized by the fireworks. He didn't venture far from his spot on the blanket. Hank on the other hand was very involved in picking the order of the fireworks. He liked to stand with the guys. I guess he's too cool to sit by me anymore. As things were wrapping up, Hank ran to the front door only to be greeted by a SKUNK! Everyone thought it was probably just a cat but Hank was right, it was definitely a skunk. He ran into the house through the garage and was shaking with excitement and fear, warning everyone "Don't go out the front door!". What the skunk on our doorstep? Where do we live?

On Saturday, Randy played golf with the brothers-in-law and my dad at Riverside. This has become somewhat of a tradition but I'm thinking it needs to change next year. I think I need to be put in the mix somehow. I haven't played golf once this summer, totally lame! After they finished playing we met them at the pool. Hank was so excited to show Randy what a great swimmer he is.


Max was happy as can be in his towel with nothing on underneath! He had a mischievous grin on his face the entire time. He is really liking the water much more as he gets older, however, I think he's just as happy sitting at the table with a treat.
We hurried home, packed up a few things and headed up to Scott's cabin, or "cavin" as Hank calls it. Dinner was served right when we arrived, what service! It was so beautiful up there. Hank got some one-on-one time with Dyson which pretty much made his life.
The kids were entertained by popcorn and a movie for a few minutes so the adults could play poker.

Oh Colby! Apparently Max and Colby were the only one's ready for the picture.


Max had a great time feeding the chipmunks and throwing rocks. I can't stand how cute he is sometimes, hence my TMJ troubles. Too much clenching my jaw around him.

I especially love when he chews gum.

Grandma Jeri just bought this 4-wheeler and it was a hit. You know my kids and 4-wheelers. Randy's face says it all in this picture, "Another ride, really?". We had such a great time, we need to stay longer next time. I have to include Hanks newest obsession. I suppose it's also Max's obsession since he starts to cry every time the song is over.

Make it STOP!!!! How come kids can listen to the same song over and over and over again and never get sick of it? I suppose Randy is the same way, so they come by it naturally. Hank's favorite game is for him to sing the boy parts and me to sing the girl part (I can totally channel my inner Fergie). My next posts will include Wrigley Field, and the boys in tuxedo's! Chicago here we come!