Town Mouse/Country Mouse Part 2

The weekend after Chicago, we put away our city mindframes and headed out for a different kind of fun.  We finally had a beautiful day, and Matthew and I both woke up with one thing on our minds, Turkey Run.   We quickly got everything together and headed out the door with two sleepy boys. 

They perked up quickly when we arrived at the park.  It's hard not to get excited when you see the natural wonders that Turkey Run has to offer.  

In case you were wondering who was up for "Parents of the Year", I can inform you that we won't be on the list.  Who leaves home for a 3 mile hike without their child's shoes? 

Us.

We do. 

 Fail.

   Fortunately for us, he HAAATEESS shoes, and probably wouldn't have worn them if we'd have brought them.  That boy loved feeling the mud squish between his toes. And he had a cow if he saw any "wawa" and Matthew didn't set him down to walk through it. 

Owen scampered up those ladders like they were nothing.  Eli even climbed every one of them by himself- with a very watchful daddy ready to catch him.

Remember what I said about "Parents of the Year"?  Yeah.   Here's my kid sitting in a creek. In the first weekend of April.  Awesome.   This is nothing compared to what Owen looked like after he tried to jump into the "Punch Bowl" like his dad, slipped, and ended up soaked from the neck down.   It was 85 warm degrees on this day though- so I promise they weren't going to catch hypothemia or pneumonia or the plague or anything.

We had an AWESOME day, and Owen decided that he likes that kind of fun even more than cities and museums.  (That's our boy!)  Although, I'm not sure that even this beat that darn train!

Town Mouse/Country Mouse

At the end of last month, we were invited to spend the night in Chicago with our Walroths.  Owen was on spring break and we were excited to get away for a couple of days to do something fun with the kiddos.  We parked the car in Hammond and the train into town.  This train ride was a serious highlight of the boys' trip.  So much so that Owen declared that the $4, dirty train ride was the best part of his trip.  Never mind the $70 in museum tickets, or the amazing architecture, or the cool landmarks, nope- the train ride trumped it all! 

When we arrived in the city we had a short walk to the hotel.  They were staying in the Hilton on Michigan Ave. Which is pretty much one of the coolest hotels that I've ever stayed in.  It's old school Chicago elegance and luxury.   And check out this view from their window. 

Not too shabby, eh?

After dropping off our stuff, we (Gessners+Sar&Allie) made our way to the  Field Museum.  Actually we made our way to the aquarium, discovered that there was a line that stretched from Chicago to the moon and back... twice- and decided that we'd go to the Field instead.  It was an excellent change of plans, and Owen declared it the "Coolest museum he's ever been to."  (Not to be confused with the coolest thing that we did in Chicago- which was obviously riding the stinky train.)

One of the boys' favorite exhibits was the Underground Adventure.  We went through a shrink chamber, and then emerged into an underground world at about 3/8 of an inch tall.  

Huge, scary, robotic  bugs were everywhere, and the boys loved every second of it. 

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Another favorite was the dinosaurs.  The Field Museum is home to the most complete T Rex skeleton that has been found.  They named her Sue, after the scientist that found her.  We watched a 3D movie about her discovery and what life might have been like for her when she was alive.  It was fun, and Owen loved the "scary" parts of the movie. 

Sue, Gessners.  Gessners, Sue.

After the museum, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for dinner.  It was a teensy bit of a fiasco (on the restaurant's part), and needless to say, we had some tired kiddos on our hands before the evening was over.  

Now you'd think that trying to house 4 adults and 3 kids in one hotel room might be a bit of challenge, but after the early morning, the late night and the miles of walking, there were nothing but snores in that room by 10:30 pm.

The next morning, we had an amazing breakfast- and then we headed for "The Bean".  Real life occured there, and our photo op didn't go as planned, but we still enjoyed getting to see it.

Real Life Happening.

Back bending toddler. Check.

Sobbing four-year-old, being kept from running away by his dad's iron grip on his skull. Check.

Strollers & baby carriers. Check

 Four best friends doing the best they can with this thing called parenthood. Check.

All of the above reflected in a gigantic, bean-shaped mirror. Check.

And in case you forgot what cute looks like- here it is.  Two handsome boys loving on their sweet little Allie- all while rocking their Sue shirts. 

All-in-all, it was a super fun getaway with our favorites!

Casa de COLD

Monday night into Tuesday we got another healthy dose of snow. This was that perfect, wet, dense snow that packs like a charm. A very rare snow indeed! It was also a perfect day for playing outside since it wasn't so cold. We made the most of it and bundled the kiddos up and spent the better portion of the day doing something really productive-- making an igloo!

Matthew and I can both get a little exuberant making snow structures. (Gessners-- remember the 10 foot long snow tunnel a few years back at Christmas?? Case and point.) Once we realized how well the snow was packing and how quickly we could roll giant snow balls, the idea became more and more realistic.

The finished product is a wonder to behold. An igloo with vaulted ceilings that all four of us can fit inside of. It even has a slide that wraps around the side!

Those of you coming here for Christmas will get to appreciate this beauty in all of its glory! Need a place to stay? We're considering putting it up for rent- I'm sure that the local Inuit population will jump right on it!

Row, row, row your boat

Q: Who would take two toddlers out on a river for a 6 mile canoe trip?

A: Us.

We did indeed. A couple of weeks ago, we drove up to sugar creek and went on a 1/2 day canoe trip. It started out a little rough because we forced Eli to wear his life jacket. He was totally unimpressed with not being able to sit down without a life vest squeezing up around his neck and face. I guess that I can't really blame him. We finally gave in and let him wear his water wings since the waters of sugar creek are anything but raging. After that, both boys were happy as can be.

We were pleased to learn that we're a family with excellent "river legs". As other people floundered around, sideways, backwards, and upside down, we paddled right on down the river. Even with two toddlers walking around the whole time, we never came close to tipping.

The boys even took their turns at paddling.

We did get back before dark, but it's good to know that had we not, there was a full moon to light up the night sky.

The boys' favorite parts of the trip were when we let them get out and walk around in the river. It's so calm and shallow that it's an excellent place for them to play.

We had an awesome time and actually want to buy a canoe... Renting canoes is for the birds!

Cow Appreciation Day

For one day each year- a beautiful, amazing, WONDERFUL thing happens. It's a national holiday (almost)- and it's one of my new favorite days!

Cow Appreciation Day!

On this one day, you can get your silly on and dress up like a cow to receive free food at Chik-fil-a. I don't just mean free waffle fries (although, I'd dress up for those waffle fries- man they're good!) You get an entire free combo meal- for dressing head-to-toe like a cow! For just a cow accessory, you can get a free entree. It's a pretty sweet deal if you ask my frugal-hearted self! So, on Friday the 10th, my boys and I donned are cow attire and enjoyed a completely free lunch at our local Chik-fil-a! It was so fun and entertaining- and the boys really enjoyed it.

This is one of those things that people far cooler than me, roll their eyes and say something like, "You dressed like a cow just for a free lunch?" To which I respond, "Absolutely!"

There's something about letting go of caring what others think about you to be totally silly with your kids in public. It's letting my kids know that they're what's important to me- and I'm not above getting weird looks from strangers to have fun with them. Sure, I could have just dressed them as adorable little calves and called it a day- but I did it with them. And guess what, it was FUN!

Try it next year. Get your "moo" on, paint some spots on a white t-shirt and go to Chik-fil-a with your family. It's definitely a fun way to make a memory-- not to mention get a free meal :)

P.S. I made our cowstumes from the cow print fabric that I bought as a table cover for Owen's birthday party. No really, I did. Go back to Owen's birthday post and you'll see that very same fabric adorning the cake table!