CH-CA-GO!

We made it! Chicago was a lot of fun, I'm glad that we got to go and experience what Chicago has to offer. It is a great vacation spot, even with kids. I would go again next year!.... if we're invited :) Get ready for a whole bunch of pictures......

First, the hotel did not disappoint. It was great. Very roomy, kind staff, clean, new, modern, and a wonderful view. Oh and an awesome shower, with separate bath tub (great for the kiddos), and really yummy smelling soap and shampoo!

(I think this is the only time Eli has ever looked small... on our king size bed! :) This bed served us well, every night but the first, all four of us slept cozy in this big bed!)

This is the view out of our hotel window. It does not do it justice. It was really pretty, an amazing view of the lake and a great park down below. We were on the 36th floor.

Giordanos. Yum, yum, yum. We ate there three times. Delicious pizza. Thanks for the recommendation Lori!!

While Scott was in an all day meeting, I braved a taxi and took the kids to the children's museum. The museum was great, the taxi not so much. First of all, I wasn't sure the driver knew where I was going, then we was ticked off because I was only going a mile and a half. So, the entire way, which he took the LONG route, he was cursing that some other taxi should have taken us. Yes, he ripped us off, but I didn't care, I just wanted to get out of there. Why didn't we walk if it was so close? Well, remember the "windy" city? That's Chicago. Not only is it crazy windy, it is cold wind, blowing right off the lake. I'd been out walking a bit in the morning and knew there was no way I could walk both kids to the museum, so we opted for a taxi. 8$ and 1 mile later, I probably should have just sucked it up and pushed through the wind..... now I know. Oh, the above picture is Will in the fireman's ladder....

This was Will's favorite part of the museum, these weird ramp thingies that he would move around and run all over them. I was glad he was getting out some energy.

In the dinosaur section of the museum. Will really liked digging up bones and sticking his hand in the dino's mouth. It's right up his alley, sharp teeth, bones, and dinosaurs.

This is Eli. This is how Eli saw Chicago. He's cute.

The Children's museum is at Navy Pier. Outside the museum is a big amusement park-like place. On the upper floor is a really pretty conservatory with fountains that have water spurting everywhere. We stopped to see the fountains and enjoy a little sunshine, inside, out of the wind. Will really liked the fountains. He liked going to the museum toy store even more. Then he liked the squishy snake (of which he already has 100's) and just had to have it.

Day two. Yes, Eli is very tired in this picture, but he was such a good baby the entire time. Just looked around and smiled at people, all the way up Michigan Ave and back. I hated to just hang out in the hotel when Chicago has so much to do and see, so I took the boys and we walked up Michigan Ave. Saw lots of fun shops, restuarants, and weird people. Will was a trooper, oh was I ever proud of him. He only complained about being tired a few times. When we were pretty close to our hotel, I told him I would let him ride in the stroller and I would carry Eli. So, I took Eli out and we started back up the street. Well, have you ever tried to push a stroller and carry and 18 pound baby at the same time, weaving in-between people and crossing streets? It is not easy. So, then I thought maybe Will could hold Eli on his lap for a minute to let my arms rest. That worked great for about a block. Then I was worried he was going to slip and fall out, or something, plus people were staring at me (which wouldn't be the first time). So, I made Will just walk the rest of the way, which he hardly complained about. I'm pretty sure we walked a good couple of miles all at once. What a great 4 year old!

The next few pictures are of downtown while we were walking around. I really liked Chicago, it is easy to get around and you can stay within a few blocks and have lots of great stuff within walking distance. Plus, it is a very pretty city, I thought.

Will was really into making funny faces for the camera. Here's one of my favorites!

Chicago day three! Scott had most of the day off. We had a yummy lunch, and then we headed to Shedd Aquarium. We had a great time, and in true Will fashion, he thought it was great!

This is Eli again. He's cute. He's still in this blasted stroller, poor child. By the end of the trip, he was practically rolling over trying to not get put in there.

"We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine...."

Planet Earth in 4D. I wasn't exactly sure what 4D meant until I got sprayed in the face with water.... Will wasn't too fond of that, neither was Eli, I think he got it more than I did. He's pretty cute in his shades though, and look! He's out of the stroller! Oh, and Will is hilarious in this picture, especially since he is staring at a blank screen because he didn't want his picture taken.

Outside the Aquarium. Beautiful view of Chicago and lake. And cute boys.

"The BEAN!" My namesake! :) Here's Will's funny face again. And Eli, in the stroller.

The bean is actually really cool, we had some fun taking pictures by it.

After a long day of site-seeing, he's pooped. IN the stroller, for the first time, he fell asleep.

Chicago day 4. Before we headed to the airport, we had some time to do a little more sight seeing. We headed up to the Hancock building. The view was awesome, even though it was cloudy. It made me dizzy though. And the lake is so pretty. Our pictures really don't do it justice. It is really blue and pretty.... good adjective use, huh?!

Well, until next year Chicago! We had a lot of fun, I'm glad we got to go and enjoy some time as a family. It was also great to not have to cook or clean up the kitchen for a few day! :) Will thought the hotel was awesome and our boys both did great traveling all over the place and eating in restaurants every meal.

sweet dreams

Isn't this a great picture? I think it is one of my favorites so far. Will asks almost every night if Eli can sleep by him in his bed. He thought it was great that they got to "sleep" by each other for a few minutes. Last night as they were going to bed, Will was singing. When Will would stop singing, Eli would start screaming (not crying, just talking). When Will would start singing again, Eli would be quiet. It was cute, they are becoming great friends.

We're on our way to Chicago today! We get to tag-a-long with Scott while he goes to conferences. I'm super excited, our hotel is beautiful and there's so much to do in Chicago. I hope I can find my way around! :) I'm going to attempt to take the boys to the Children's museum while Scott is in meetings all day..... we'll see how far I get.

Wish me luck! I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share in the next few days.

spring has sprung

Or at least I feel like it is time for Spring to spring! I'm hopeful since ALL our snow melted in about 24 hours. I'm not kidding. One day I had snow in my backyard as high as my waist and then it seemed like the next day it was gone and we were out playing on our soggy grass. I don't mind one bit, we had SUNSHINE almost everyday this week and it was wonderful. We went on walks and tried to soak it all in. Will is loving it, and Eli was excited to see the sky for the first time ever! :)

Here's a few pictures of late.....

Eli is ready for Spring and this is his cute hat someone gave to us. Isn't it cute? I think so, it's a little tight though, I'm not sure how much longer he'll be wearing it. I can't wait to put this boy in short sleeves and shorts, his little arms and legs are to die for, and SO soft and squishy, I love it.

I love this picture (above) because this is E's signature look. He checks everyone out from the corner of his eyes, like he's not quite sure about you yet, then he breaks into the biggest smile you've ever seen. It is so funny. Sometimes he'll just watch me, without moving his head, his eyes just go back and forth checking everything out. Maybe it's too hard to move those big cheeks around?
Eli start solid foods this week! Yipee!! He LOVES to eat.... nothing new, we already knew that. However, when I started feeding Will he took a few bites, acted like it was okay and then he was done. That's how he always was with baby food. With Eli, I popped open a jar of carrots, and in about 8 minutes, he had downed the whole thing and was frantically looking for more. AND, I had just fed him an 8 oz bottle only about 1 1/2 hours earlier. He's going to eat us out of house and home! I think it is great he's eating so well, Will never really liked baby food, so this is a good change.
We babysat our friends 3 girls last night. They are such cuties. Will really loves having them for neighbors and friends, they have a great time playing together and play really well. This little girlie is Jane. She is Eli's friend. They are only 4 days a part! Eli is only slightly bigger, but Jane is SO mobile, I can't believe it. She rolls everywhere and is so strong. I think Eli is just chubb and can't move because of it. I think we'll have to get him on an exercise routine.... ha! Just kidding.

Babies are so fun, I think I need about 6 more to be satisfied..... okay, maybe I shouldn't put that in writing. Maybe just one or two more? Who knows, I'll take any and all that come my way! One thing for sure, babies are miracles, no matter who they come too, and we feel so incredibly blessed to have our sweet boys. We love Eli more than we could ever have imagined, he is already a very important part of our lives and we can't imagine our family without him. I'm especially proud of the boys for doing so great sharing a room together. I love putting them down together in the same room and knowing they have some company. Sometimes Eli talks before he falls asleep and we can hear Will through the monitor talking to him, I love it. Will is so sweet with Eli and gets so excited when Eli does all the those cute baby things, like learning to hold a bottle or eat his baby food. I'm so lucky!

my angel baby

I forgot

I forgot I had a couple more pictures from our parents visit. We left the kids with our neighbor and went out to eat the Cheesecake Factory. It was delish and we were all stuffed for days after!

Here's all the wonderful men in my life! Okay, that sounds a little weird, but seriously, I'm blessed. I've got an amazing father and father in-law, a wonderful husband, and two beautiful boys.

lately....

We said good-bye to my parents this week. It was hard to see them go! The house feels much more quiet and lonely without them, and we've been missing their company and helping hands! Will wanders around saying "Who's going to play with me now?" We had a great visit from them, as well as Scott's parents! My parents were here for three weeks and Scott's parents came and stayed for a few days in between.

Here are a few things we did:

-drove along the lake to downtown, to Scott's work and took a tour of the clinic

-had dinner at the clinic where I had the yummiest grasshopper cake ever!

-visited Kirtland, in the pouring rain! It was awesome as always. The boys did amazing, I was so proud!

-My dad went to work and: built me a table, made me several frames, fixed every door knob in my house, put a new bolt lock on our door, did some awesome framing in my bedroom, and helped me get my food storage organized, moved boxes, and fixed my metal shelves that I keep my cans of food on. He was busy!

-My mom shined and cleaned all the door knobs in my house, changed several diapers, did my dishes the entire time she was here, and did ALL our laundry the WHOLE time. It was great.

-We drove out to Hiram to the John Johnson Farm and took a tour

-We drove to a fun little town called Chagrin Falls, saw the water falls, and ate at a quaint little Italian restaurant.

-We watched the olympics from beginning to end, played games, and tried to get warm by our fire.

-We went out to eat and some very delicious restaurants!

Overall, we had a great time and it was so fun to have my parents and Scott's parents here with us and see our life here in Cleveland. I can't wait for them to come back again, hopefully in the Summer so they can really see how beautiful it is here and so we can get outside to do a few more things.

On to some pictures!

My boys just keep growing and growing. Will continues to be the best big brother on the planet and Eli continues to be the best baby on the planet. He's just huge and content. Will is so fun right now, he's in the question asking stage and I love it! He is so chipper and happy most of the time, he's fun to be around!
When I took my parents to Kirtland it was during the week. The temple is not open for tours during January and February except on the weekends, so on Saturday I left the boys with Scott and my parents and I went and toured the temple. It was a blizzard, but still great to see the temple and enjoy the morning with my parents. Of course we had to make a stop at Costco on the way home and had a fun afternoon doing errands!
The last day my parents were here we decorated sugar cookies. I found some really cute Easter cookie cutters at TJ Maxx and we had to make cookies with grandma before she left. We had a great time decorating! Will put about 100 chocolate chips on his cookies, and since then has eaten every single one but left his cookie for someone else. What a funny boy.

I think they turned out pretty cute! We are trying to get back into our regular routine of life, but sure do miss our parents! It just reminds us how far away we are from family and how much we miss them. But we've got lots going on in the next few months.... a family trip to Chicago, a trip to Utah to finalize the adoption, and to seal and bless Eli, a visit from my sister in May, and WARM weather headed our way!!