Blizzard!

So Madison, Wisconsin is where we really got to experience winter... 18 inches of snow in less than 24 hours!!  It was insanity!!  Most of the city was closed down that day.  People came out to shovel and play in the snow.  And the kids LOVED it!! 

The moring after / of the blizzard. 

Nearly 18 inches of snow in less than 24 hours!!

Josh and Stephanie's back yard was a winter wonderland!

We're not in San Diego anymore!

Davie really wanted to ride his car in the snow!

Kyle, Davie, Emily & Ben posing in the snow.

Kyle stops for a snow break before rolling more of the snowman body

Working on the snowman

Frostine the snowgirl! Emily and Stephanie found Frostine's features together. Her eyes are made of the plastic Easter eggs. Her nose, a carrot. Her ears are leaves. Her arms, tree branches. A scarf and a hat. And don't forget a necklace!  She really was quite an impressive snowgirl!

Cracker Barrel mmmmm

On the way home from Madison, we made a great meal stop, Cracker Barrel!! The kids and I had a great time playing the peg game, eating eggs, bacon, apples and hashbrowns in the middle of the afternoon. And it was good for them to get out of their seats and move around a bit.

Madison zoo

We had quite the trip up to Madison, Wisconsin to visit with Josh, Stephanie, Ben and David.  First, we visited the Madison zoo during the early stages of a blizzard.  Well, it wasn't full blown blizzard yet, but was snowing quite a bit. We had the zoo to ourselves.  I think we saw a total of 5 other people. 

Emily and Davie.  Note the lion on top of the rock behind them in the middle. 

Checking out the monkey house.  It was indoors though they did have an outdoor playground for the warmer temperatures. 

Snow!!!  Not sure if the kids were more excited about the snow or the animals...

They ate a lot of snow that day, though not as much as the next day... see below...

Our snow picnic.  Yes, we had a picnic outside in the snow!  If the Eskimos can do it, so can we!!  No, it was really, really cold!!  After our snow picnic we went into the bathrooms to warm up under the hand warmers. 

Everyone was very content!  Even Kyle and Emily didn't mind it being 60 degrees colder than they are used to in San Diego!

Davie, Ben, Kyle & Emily checking out the otters.  They got such a kick out of them.  The otters came up to the glass and did flips for them.  The kids all squealed with delight at them. 

More tricks!

Winter, part 1

Most people seek out warmth in the winter.  We, on the other hand, head north to the cooler climes, much, much cooler...

And we got a little taste of winter and snow in Elgin on December 7th. There was about an inch or two of snow on the ground. The kids were excited as can be at the sight of it. At the time we were thrilled with so much snow. If only we knew what we were about to experience with snow in Madison, Wisconsin the following days...

Bundled up and ready to go outside...

Sears Tower

We have often told the kids how Jeff and I were married in the Sears Tower several years ago before they were born.  This winter in Chicago, we had the chance to take them downtown and show them the Sears Tower.  It was pretty special to take them to the top of the Sears Tower and show them the city from above and tell them how we were married up there (well, on the 66th floor, not the 103rd floor).  And now on the SkyDeck, they have these walk-out windows where the floor is a window and you can see straight down.  Needless to say, it was pretty terrifying.  Well, at least for me.  Jeff and the kids had NO fear!!  They walked right out as if it were no big deal.  I couldn't do it.  Kyle and Emily both held my hand to get me out there.  It was so sweet how they were telling me that "It's okay Mommy.  We've got you."  I know the pictures below are a lot of the same, but I thought the shadows were pretty neat.  Maybe I needed to bring my Deedee, Ellie (Emily's blankie & elephant) or Miko (Kyle's monkey) with me like they had! 

Quite the view

The four of us over Chicago

What do you see down there Kyle?

 Looking down

The kids over the city

Miko & DeeDee & Ellie

Toddlers minds

This morning the kids were checking out the map of the US on the door and telling me which states were which. They know quite a few of the states.  A few favorites - theirs and mine: Avocadorado (Colorado); Georgia peach (Georgia, courtesy of Spike); Country Roads (West Virginia - from the John Denver song - yes they can sing that song, at least the beginning).

Later on in the afternoon, while I was making dinner, Kyle was teaching Emily how to play chess. Emily asked Kyle which one of the pieces is going to be the Mommy and Daddy and princesses after learning about the king and queen.

Sundaes on a Friday

Today we remember my dad. We started off the day with an apple pancake for breakfast. I remember having breakfast with him at Walker Brothers many times and he loved their Dutch Baby and apple pancake. I learned how to make it recently and it's quite delicious. So we honored my dad this morning with a delicious apple pancake.

We followed up gymnastics class with a picnic up at Cabrillo overlooking the city, ocean and mountains. We watched planes and boats. We heard the sea lions, planes, helicopters and people walking about. We checked out the lighthouse.  The kids love the lighthouse for the phones in there.  They always pick them up and call Daddy (there is a recording playing on them with information about the lighthouse history).  My dad always loved planes and peaceful, beautiful scenery. Cabrillo is so beautiful because you get the city, ocean, and mountains all in one place.  He would have loved it. 

And after dinner, we went out for some ice cream. He sure did love his ice cream. Whenever we would travel, he would make sure we had ice cream in each city. So we went out and had hot fudge and caramel sundaes for him.  Now to finish off the evening, I am watching Pinocchio, his favorite Disney movie, while posting this.  We love you and miss you Dad!

Conversations with a tiger and a sausage

Two conversations from this morning that were quite cute!

As I was doing Emily's hair before preschool...
Emily [holding her little plastic tiger and looking him in the eyes]: Tiger, please don't growl.  I don't like it when you growl.  It scares me. 
Sets the tiger down next to the sink, looking at her.
Emily: Tiger, remember, I told you not to growl!
pause
Emily:  Good tiger!

Kyle at breakfast, having a heart to heart with his veggie sausage...
Kyle gobbles a bite of sausage.
Kyle then picks up the sausage again, looks at it with the bite taken out of it
Kyle: Sausage, can I please put you in my belly?
pause
Kyle: Okay, good!  Ready, set, go!
CHOMP!

Boston

We had a great trip to Boston this fall to see Uncle Eric, Aunt Stephanie, Jadon & Brennan.  Uncle Adam, Aunt Daniella, Max, Papa, and Kari came in as well!  So not only did we get to see a lot of family, we also got to experience the beauty of fall foliage and moderate weather. 

Playing in the leaves at the park

Jadon & Kyle tackling Uncle Eric at the bottom of the slide

At the Boston Science Museum in the butterfly garden.  The kids correctly identified the butterfly as the Blue Morpho Butterfly.  Watching Diego sure has taught them about a wide array of animals, bugs and nature!

And Halloween in Boston.  A few years ago, Stephanie told us about Halloween in Boston on Beacon Hill and how amazing it is.  And she sure is right!  They block of the streets in the area and everyone is dressed up for the festivities.  The houses are all decorated and these are some pretty spectacular houses.  Anyhow it's a lot of fun.  As you can see, Emily and I were ladybugs (she chose our costumes) and Kyle & Jeff are monkeys (Kyle chose their costumes).