Our New Home

This fall we said Goodbye to Chicago, the city Zeb and I have called home for 11 years and where Zander and Zaiden began their lives with our family. It was a very bittersweet decision. Zeb took a new position at work in the Spring and we are beginning to prepare for Zander to enter kindergarten which caused us make this big decision. We have loved living in the city (3 different neighborhoods) and exploring many more. There is so much the city has to offer, but we were ready to move to a more family friendly area. We decided to move to Park Ridge because it is still close to the city, has a small town feel, and has an amazing school system. We spent a lot of time getting our house ready to sell and although there were a few bumps along the way, our city house sold quickly. It was a lot of work to pack up our house and even harder to say goodbye to the home that has so many memories. We were also sad to leave a fun, expanding neighborhood, leave aunt Nellie and uncle Chris behind and say goodbye to Zander and Zaiden's friends at school. But...we are so happy with the house we moved into and are so excited to be in Park Ridge and are already taking advantage of the many things it has to offer (parks, library, downtown, etc). The boys are doing very well and already have a lot of friends at their new school. We are ready to make more memories in our new home.

Zaiden's old room 

Zander's old room 

We moved in just in time for Halloween

We love our new home 

The boys have grown along with our tree, Murry the Maple

The boys were so sad to leave their old school. They have grown so much there!

Zander's last goodbye in his room (he was so sad to leave  his "fancy paint")

Zaiden saying goodbye to his room 

Fall Fun 2017

Although we were very busy this fall getting ready for some big changes, we still managed to have a lot of fun. We love to go out and explore the city and continue to love to travel to visit family and friends. Zander and Zaiden are both growing in so many ways. They love to play together (and fight just as much!). With these two boys, the fun never ends!

We made our annual trip to the QC for a family road race. Zander ran his whole 1/2 mile race! 

We attended Cheese Fest in Wisconsin with grandma and grandpa- Zander was so excited to win the milk the cow contest 

Midnight Circus in the Park was worth staying up past bedtime for on a Friday night 

Some warm fall days allowed us to have a late trip to Maggie Daley Park 

We continue to enjoy exploring the museums and the Museum of Science and Industry is now one of our favorites!

The boys were getting their pumpkin ready for Halloween

We attended a Halloween carnival with some friends 

Zander the Penguin

Zaiden the Polar Bear 

Best Summer Yet!

We have had an awesome summer so far. We love getting out and enjoying the city, being outside and visiting family and friends. It has been so much fun to watch Zander and Zaiden as they grow. They are truly best friends (and best enemies at times)! They love to play together and make each other laugh. Zander loves to teach Zaiden all he knows. Luckily, I (mom) only work 3 days/week which leaves a lot of time to get out and have fun. Our summer started with a yoga class, many trips to the library and once the weather began to get nice - spending most days at the parks. We love to try different parks and bring our own picnic lunch to finish it off. We have also had a lot of fun outings including trips to the zoo, beach, pools, spash pad, Day out with Thomas, downtown to Maggie Daley park and the Adler planetarium. We also made a trip back to Wisconsin to celebrate the 4th of July. We hope to finish off the summer with some more trips to the pool and beach and are looking forward to all things fall.

getting ready to play kids games at the 4th of July fair 

beach day

Celebrating dads birthday at the zoo 

bike trip hike

we love the zoo!

picnic at the lake

getting our garden started

astronaut potty at the planetarium 

4th of July parade with cousins 

celebrating mom's birthday at the pool 

Thomas train ride with Grandma

day trip to the lagoon 

picnic with friends 

our backyard pool 

Day out with Thomas

heading to 4th of July fireworks

Zaiden said the fireworks "scared him" but he ended up falling asleep!

Zander and dad at the Cubs game

Zaiden turns 2!

Zaiden is such a big boy with a big personality. He continues to have the best smile and is a total charmer who knows how to flash his dimples or his cheese face. He can also be such a sweetheart at times and gives the best kisses. He is talking a lot and now uses 2 word phrases ("tv on" "that one" "dada home"). He loves to sing songs and read books. He sings some of his ABCs and counts past 10. Zaiden is very active and strong. He loves to run, jump, climb steps and play ball. He also has a mischievous side and loves to do exactly what he is not supposed to do just to wait for a reaction.  Zaiden loves to play with his brother (which often involves stealing his toy and having him chase him around). Zaiden loves to eat and some of his favorite foods are hamburgers and popcorn (he often requests popcorn for breakfast). He weighs 29 pounds and is 33 inches tall. We look forward to another big year with our "baby bean."

wild man at his birthday party

We celebrated his birthday with a grill out with family and friends
the theme was his favorite book "The Little Blue Truck"