The older the girls get, the more I have a feeling of wanting to do it all. I just want to cram every fun activity out there into our days. They seem to grow up so quickly and I don't want to look back and think I wish we had done ____. (even though I'm sure I will-lol!) So when summer rolled around this year, I looked at it as an opportunity to have a lot of fun with the girls and plan as many adventures as we could. And boy did we have fun! When I look back on our summer, I smile and have a heart filled with joy. I hope they grow up to remember the fun that we had and that we took advantage of all of the little and big things that add up to an awesome summer!
I wanted to make a post full of all of the photos that tell the story of our day to day adventures. Of course the big events like family trips and vacations got their own big posts, but the every day little things that add up to a very busy, fun summer never made their way to the blog. This blog isn't just to share pictures and stories with family and friends, it's also used as a reminder and a memory saver. A place to look back on fun times, to document events that took place, and a place to be able to come back to when you just can't remember- "hey when did ___ happen?"
I looked back through my photos from Memorial day to Labor Day and pulled out my favorites. I didn't spend a lot of time organizing or editing, so please forgive the randomness to the order of them. Here is our summer of 2014:
Anabelle and John went on a special trip to Houston to visit Grandma Sue and Grandpa Ken, so Charlotte and I had some special time here at home. Here we are with Grandma at Blackberry Farm- a wonderful place to visit.
We also got in some parade watching...
One of my favorite photos of Charlotte this summer!
With Anabelle back, we were ready to have some fun! This was just the 1st of many popsicles eaten on our back step this summer- cheers!
Here is little Charlotte reading books at the Naperville library, we love going to story time and also picking out new books.
One of our favorite things to do during the summer is to go to Kane County Cougars baseball games. We get lawn seats, the girls run around and play, we eat yummy ball park treats, at the end of the night they do a fireworks show that is fantastic, and then they let the kids run the bases. It is one of the least expensive, fun things you can do with the kids and we love it! Here Charlotte is getting a lesson on how to wear a glove from Daddy - love this!
Another favorite activity we did a few times this summer was to go to Six Flags Great America and ride the roller coasters and rides. This year we got season passes, we found that it worked best for us to go on week nights when it was less crowded. Charlotte was able to ride a lot of rides this year and really liked going. Of course we already knew Anabelle loved roller coasters, she had been going to Six Flags since last year. She made us measure her many times this summer to check her height for the bigger roller coasters- and we are getting there :)
Such a good sport- Daddy in the tea cups :)
The girls took swimming lessons this year at the Naperville Tennis Club, they went every day for 5 weeks and had a great time.
John and his brother Joe had some adventures this year, they bought season tickets for the Cubs. Here we are all enjoying a game together
One of our favorite places to visit is Peck Farm in Geneva. They have a butterfly house that is so cool, there are tons of butterflies and they fly all over and will even land on you if you sit still enough. They also built a new playground this year that is amazing! We love to visit, bring a picnic lunch and explore.
Something I love to do with the girls is to come up with fun themed meals and snacks. They get so excited when I tell them it's a special snack, and have even started requesting some of their favorites. Sometimes they work out and taste great, sometimes they bomb. Sometimes it gets them to try new things that they might otherwise not try. Here is Charlotte building an American flag out of toast, cream cheese, cereal and blueberries.
Another day at the pool.
On the 4th of July we went to Aurora, they have a huge parade that we love.
We visited Centennial Beach, the girls loved digging in the huge sand area that they have.
Patriotic pudding with raspberries and star marshmallows.
John is so great about always making me feel loved and appreciated.
The Morton Arboretum is the absolute best and most used membership we have. The girls love the children's garden and can easily spend the whole day in the little creek that they have there building dams and moving rocks around. We spend many summer days there eating picnics, and playing!
We got to spend some time at Lexi, Scott, and Elizabeth's house this summer! It was a great day filled with laughs, yummy food, and lots of time in the hammock-here Aunt Becky gets in on the fun too!
Love this!
While we were in the neighborhood, (near Lexi and Scott's) we had to stop at Rainbow Cone. A family favorite- John's grandmother worked here around 1945, we try to go every year.
We took the girls downtown Chicago to see the Crown Fountain and The Bean. Anabelle loved the fountain and playing in the water- she has gone every year since she was born. Charlotte wasn't such a fan of it and didn't want to play in the water this year- maybe next time :)
Afterward we watched Daddy's softball game with some friends.
Anabelle played T-ball this summer, and she had a really fun time. Her coaches were great and really made every practice and game fun. They focused more on enjoying the sport, being a part of a team and having fun than on the rules and regulations-very age appropriate.
We finally spotted Tweety Bird!! A favorite at Great America.
Our last day of swimming lessons, the girls did great and had fun too!
As a treat for our last day of swimming lessons we visited the hot dog cart in down town Naperville and had a Riverwalk picnic. So much fun!
Always have to stop and throw pennies in the fountains.
One of my all time favorite musicians, Billy Joel, came to Wrigley Field. Darcy and I before the concert, it was fantastic!
Enjoying a bar-b-que dinner out on our patio, a fun thing to do when it's not too hot.
Another favorite summertime place is Ravinia, an outdoor concert venue where you can bring your own food and spread out on their beautiful lawn under the stars. We made it to a few shows this summer, some with the girls and some without. Here Joe and Kari joined in on the fun!
Watching t-ball practice, I think this is the cutest picture of all time!!!!
At the end of the season, Anabelle got a trophy and a cupcake and declared this the "best day of her life!" She was beyond thrilled with her trophy :)
Charlotte's treat of choice for the summer anywhere we went was cotton candy- this girl loves sugar!
Running the bases at Kane County Cougars game.
sailboat sandwiches!
On one of our many outings to different neighborhood parks, we found a nest of baby bunnies living under a slide. This shaped lots of our pretend play and also led to stopping at the park every day for a week to check in on the bunnies. They were so cute and fun to watch.
During the summer months the library does story time and puppet show along the Riverwalk, on this day we got to dance with some friends and then go for a treat afterward.
I know this may seem like a bad picture because it's blurry... but you know what?! Life with little kiddos is blurry :) In order to get this I had to run backwards in front of them, because they were JUST SO EXCITED to be running, holding hands, and going to get ice cream :) I love this picture!
We can't go through the summer without a trip to the Wisconsin State Fair. The cream puffs alone are worth the drive- but we manage to find a few other fun things to do :)
I took a very fun and much needed relaxing trip to Lake Geneva with Amanda and Chris, where we enjoyed the sunshine, sights, and yummy meals- all kid free :)
Dinner at Baker House, where they encourage you to wear crazy hats while you dine.
Beautiful Lake Geneva, the view from our balcony.
While I was gone, John had a great time with the girls, we reunited at the Renaissance Festival. The girls loved the royal tea parties and chatting with Mother Goose.
A fun day with Grandma, making paper boats and testing them out at the Arboretum.
Charlotte and Mommy selfie
John took a weekend away too, and while he was gone the girls and I kept busy. We visited the splash pad park in Glen Ellyn.
And saw the Kratt Brothers at the Brookfield Zoo.
When we ran out of places to go-ha, ha! We turned to our own back yard for fun. Still perfecting the art of the slip and slide, we had fun trying :)
Blue Jello water, graham cracker sand, twizzler raft, teddy bear cookie, and gold fish crackers, with a beach umbrella.
Wait a minute.... is that a shark in my water?! yep :)
I love the look on her face.
Perfecting the art of ice cream cone eating at Ravinia.
Over Labor Day weekend, John and Charlotte had their turn in Houston with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Ken. While they were gone Anabelle and I had some special time. Here we are at the Dupage Children's Museum. Anabelle loved being able to go here without her sister so that she could be in charge and choose all of the things we did. We had a great weekend together!
The Growing Place is a local nursery that not only sells beautiful plants, they also have a ton of things for the kids to enjoy. We like to go there just to play! They have a large area full of fairy and gnome things, and also a wonderful sand play area.
Charlotte in her "relaxing" pose.
Shucking corn, for a yummy corn on the cob eating day- so good!!!
Anabelle and Mommy selfie!
Anabelle learned the YMCA at the Kane County Cougars games this year, she thought it was such a fun idea that you can make letters with your arms.
Ozzie the Cougar.
On one of our last days of summer we went to Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn to walk around the park, feed the ducks, and just enjoy the sunshine!
We couldn't leave Glen Ellyn without a stop at 2 Toots Train Whistle Grill, a restaurant where a train delivers your food.
Another nearby splash park, the best way to stay cool this summer.
Finally, Disney Princesses on Ice, what a great way to end the summer.
