Campers of the week!

Alex and Reed went to CBHS sports camp together this week. Alex went last year, but this was the first year that Reed was old enough to go, too. They both had tons of friends in their groups, and I think they had a blast.

At the end of each week, they choose a few kids to be "camper of the week". Alex informed me that these were not the best athletes, but the kids who had the best attitude and listened the best. I'll take that!

I'm so proud of their hard work and good manners, and it makes me feel even better to know that they use those skills when we are not around. They were pretty proud of themselves, too.

We had popsicles to celebrate!

Kids golf

We participated in the kids golf event at the Hole in One for the first time this year. On Saturday afternoon, they move the tees up closer to the hole and give the little ones a better chance of landing it on the green. Reed hit some good shots but none far enough to reach the green. Alex hit one or two on the green that rolled off and hit a couple more completely over the green. They had a great time.

Chicago - Day 4 (and the 'burbs)

On our last day in the city, we went ALL the way out to the Planetarium. It was worth the hike and the boys loved the 3D movie and the super cool space play area. After a quick rest, we went out to Navy Pier, rode the Ferris Wheel and walked all the way to the very end of the pier. It was a cool view and a relaxing afternoon.

After all the fun in the city, we were ready to relax with the Mindermans in the 'burbs! We walked the riverwalk in Naperville on the way out and had a quick picnic in the park. We were so excited to get to see our friends and enjoy all six boys! We had a super fun time and can't wait to visit again.

All in all, Chicago was an amazing trip. The boys are SUCH good travelers and we managed to squeeze a ton of activities and a ton of fun into our vacation. I think they learned a lot and had a blast. I know I did!

Chicago - Day 3

Our third day in the city may have been my favorite. We drove down to Hyde Park to visit the Science and Industry Museum. The boys loved the big tractors, circus mirrors, a model train of Chicago and a giant submarine. Alex even got to help out with a science experiment.

After lunch, we took the "L" through the loop and went all the way to the top of the Sears (Willis) Tower. The boys were super excited about this and didn't hesitate at all to go all the way out on the ledges.

After the Sears Tower, we walked back through Millennium Park, played in the fountains and saw the bean. We topped that all off with dinner in the room - we were exhausted!!

Chicago - Day 2

On our first full day in the city, we headed down to the museum campus and visited Shedd Aquarium. We saw a dolphin and whale show, some cool fish and walked on top of a stingray pool. We grabbed some Chicago Dogs from a cool hot dog vendor and then toured the Field Museum. Finally, we had deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Due and went for a little dip in the hotel pool. Whew!

Chicago - Part 1

We had such an awesome trip to Chicago!! The boys did great on the long car ride and we hit the ground running when we arrived. We took a walk down Michigan Ave. and saw the Water Tower and a couple old churches. We stopped for dinner at Portillos -yum- and then hit up Garrett's Popcorn for dessert. They boys were tired and loved having their popcorn in bed!

Bubble party

We went to Tyler's first birthday party this weekend and had a great time with bubbles! I had to share a few pics that Cami took of the boys - she always seems to capture them perfectly.

Golf tourney

We had the BEST time at the golf tournament this weekend. We all went Saturday morning for a bit and watched a few golfers, played mini golf and had some lunch. Then Brian and Alex went back on Sunday and followed the leaders for a while. It was so much fun and the boys really surprised me by how well they did being patient and quiet. So fun!