Visiting Baby Michael

We are really going to miss Baby Michael (who will be 1 in just a few short months!), and his parents Karen and Chris! Michael is the best little baby. He rarely fusses and is happy to play with just about anyone! Thank goodness for the wonders of technology to enable us to keep up with everyone so easily!

Jacob's Birthday Party

Jacob's birthday party was a few Saturday's ago at GymQuest and the kids sure did work up a sweat!

K9 Cops

Alex's Cub Scout Den was treated to a presentation by the Joliet cops about police dogs. Two dogs and their handlers were on hand to demonstrate how K9s help the police solve crimes. The boys were also given a tour of the armored SWAT vehicle and got to try on the heavy bulletproof vests/helmets that SWAT members wear. We will miss Den 2 and are optimistic about our new Pack in Virginia!

Silly Sleeper

All his animals got a good night's sleep too!

Sandbox

Alex and Jaydon playing nicely in the sandbox.
They squeeze so much stuff in there with them, it is amazing to me that they find room to sit down!

If I remember right, Gigi (Brad's Grandma), purchased the sandbox for Alex back when he turned 2 and we had just moved to IL. This Step 2 box is the best sandbox money can buy. The lid never blows away, it blends in with the deck, and it is built to last. I'm not sure how our big six year old still fits in there with at least one other child, but he does and they still love to play in there. Sometimes Alex asks to play in there by himself with just that pirate ship. This toy will definitely be making the move with us to VA!

A Beautiful March Day!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Downtown Plainfield is such a quaint little town chock full of festivals, parades, holiday activities, farmers markets, and classic little shops. We have lived here almost five years and had never made it to a parade through Plainfield. Given the beautifully warm weather on Sunday, we ventured over to the St. Patrick's Day parade. Luckily our neighbor Cheryl went prepared with bags for the kids to collect all their goodies because there were plenty of beads, sweet treats, and campaign stickers to be had!

Adorable Smile

Alex lost yet another tooth, the night we returned from Florida. He looks so adorable without one of his front teeth! It was a wiggly little tooth that took weeks to finally bite the dust.

Family Vacation 2012, Disney World

We took the kids to Disney World last week for a family vacation. It was good to get away, warm up, and be distracted by careless fun for a few days! Watching the kids' faces light up with enjoyment was priceless and we did our fair share of sitting by the pool, vegging out too. That's not to say that our days weren't still relocation driven whether by email, phone or fax machine.

We visited the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios on this trip. We'd hit a park in the morning, have lunch, then swim/relax in the afternoons. Most nights we had dinner at a different park then hung out there for a few hours. The illuminated boat parade came through the lagoon by the hotel each night at 9 and we were usually back for that.

Brad took Alex on Space Mountain, and as much as Alex likes to recount his adventure on that ride, I don't think he really enjoyed it. Abby was "wowed" by the Winnie the Pooh ride and both loved Peter Pan, It's A Small World, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Soarin' and Spaceship Earth topped their lists at Epcot and Toy Story Mania and Muppets 3D rounding out Hollywood Studios.

Really, there was little they didn't like. Abby fought a brief illness but luckily it only lasted one night. The various means of transportation were "rides" in and of themselves! The kids were on excellent behavior thanks to there being PLENTY to do!