Weekend Getaway!

As of last Friday morning our weekend plans consisted of going to Chase to get info on municipal bonds and checking out the latest saving opportunities at Costco. Then Grandma P came over to visit the Ky Ky Man and let us know that she and Grandpa were going to stay at the Timber Ridge Lodge and Water Park - located in Lake Geneva, WI - Friday through Sunday and that they had two extra tickets to the indoor water park. Since Chris and I will have been married two years on the 10th, I pretty much convinced him that we needed to celebrate early, and we needed to celebrate in the water! I L.O.V.E. the water. If there's one thing I've been missing this summer, it's water. And what better way is there to spend a 100+ degree July day than in an indoor water park?! So we canceled our plans and backed our bags (well, Kyle's bags) and headed north. As we crossed the border, we realized that Wisconsin is now the second state Kyle has visited in his mere four weeks here with us. What a world traveler we have!

Timber Ridge Lodge was pretty impressive. We really enjoyed the super fast yellow water slide, as well as the slower green tube slide, the relaxing lazy river, and the indoor/outdoor hot tub. The first thing we did when we got there was take on that yellow slide. Grandpa, Chris, and I were shocked when we shot out that tube into the pool below. SOOOO fast! SOOOO dark! SOOOO exhilarating! We loved it. By the third or fourth time we went down, the slide did sort of start to pinch our backs, but it was still worth the little bit of pain. No pain, no gain, right? After some hot dogs, fries, nachos, and pink lemonade (there is just something special about pink lemonade that screams summer), Kyle, Grandpa, and Chris took a dip in the kiddo pool. How fun for the three of them! Kyle really enjoyed getting his toes wet. First time in a pool! What a big boy. Kyle and Grandma hung out while we enjoyed the outdoor pool and caught a glimpse of  Rob Johnson (the CBS news anchor who was there with his family before heading to the Dave Matthews Band concert at Alpine - or so his twitter account reported ;)).

ENews!

Every morning Kyle and I like to catch up on the latest news ... the latest ENews that is ;)

Oh TomKat, I hate to say this, but we sort of saw this coming ;(

Diaper Duty

Kyle - AKA "Our Little Gassy Gus" - has about 4 standard faces he makes during any given diaper change. They look a little something like this ... 

Umm, Houston? I think we have a problem here ...

We do, we do!

Ahh, that feels better!

I'm EXHAUSTED! Too much work for a hot summer day ;)

My First 4th

After a late night Tuesday, we packed up our bags (all 3 of them plus the pack-n-play!) and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa A's to celebrate Kyle's first 4th of July. The temperature reached a whopping 102 degrees!! This ties an Illinois record high, set over a hundred years ago back in 1911. Since it was such a scorcher outside, we spent most of the afternoon chowing down on burgers, fruit salad, and corn indoors. Chris and I did brave the heat for a bit as we managed to take a late afternoon stroll around the block. So unusual to see hardly anyone out on an otherwise beautiful day.

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa P!

My dad, born 7-4-52, reached a BIG milestone yesterday, turning the BIG 6-0! As usual, we celebrated his birthday, along with America's, on July 3rd with fried chicken and beef, bags and horseshoes, and fireworks and family. This was Kyle's first official holiday, and first time celebrating Grandpa's bday. He got a little fussy here and there with the heat, the crowd, and his typical Gassy Gus issues, but other than that Kyle had a super time. He enjoyed the new vibrating chair Grandma got for him to use anytime he wants to chill at her place, and loved seeing everyone decked out in their finest red, white, and blue apparel. Thanks to tummy time, Kyle knows that red and blue are both primary colors, America's colors, and most importantly, CUBS colors! He hasn't officially learned about white yet, but is definitely intrigued. We used the Ergo Baby for the first time and walked Kyle down the block to watch the Maine East fireworks show with the rest of the family. The noise didn't seem to bother him as much as it bothered Mommy! A few minutes before the grand finale, I got nervous that the noise might cause some damage to my little guy's eardrums - even though the Ergo liner pretty much provided the greatest sound barrier ever - and so we decided to head back to the party where we stayed until 11 pm. What a night owl we have!

I love my new vibrating chair!

Headed to the Fireworks!

And now back to my chair :)

Family Photo

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy 60th!

Smile Kyle :)

Busy Bee

Kyle's schedule was pretty much jam packed this past weekend. His social calendar has definitely been filling up rather quickly these days. On Friday, Grandma and Grandpa A visited for some tummy time. Kyle, taking after his daddy, had a little trouble waking up for this early morning workout and did a little more snoozing on the pillow than lifting his head gracefully. We read a little bit about water babies. Unfortunately, this was the third time we've attempted this adorable book, and every time we get to the jelly fish, Kyle starts crying uncontrollably. It's understandable. After all, jelly fish are pretty scary creatures. On Saturday, Uncle Kevin came over to hang out with Kyle while mommy and daddy worked out for the first time in a VERY LOONNNGGGG time. The two K boys chilled on the couch and watched part of the Sox game (sorry Kyle). After mommy and daddy were done working out and had time to shower up, they gave Kyle his second bath. It was just as much fun as his first bath. No tears what-so-ever! Later in the afternoon, the three of us headed straight for the dead zone that was the Edens (you couldn't move a muscle it was so jam packed!) and inched our way downtown. This was Kyle's very first trip into the city and he handled it like a champ! We were invited to a bbq hosted by our friends Jim and Sylvia. Kyle loved seeing Baby McHugh's nursery coming together, starring at the cool lights, hanging with Ryan, and watching in awe as all of the big kids played a fun fishing game. Kyle couldn't believe what rock stars Ellie and Elin were at catching all the colorful fish, especially since they moved so quickly around their little tank! Wowzers. He sure can't wait to play that game when he's a cool, big kid too. Saturday night, mommy and Ky popped in at Grandma and Grandpa P's while daddy hung out with Uncle Rob. Kyle loves being held by his grandparents. They have very soft couch pillows. He also liked being able to test out the neat new pack-n-play Grandma got for when he visits. It's pretty sweet. For Sunday Funday, mom, dad, and Ky hit up every store imaginable. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Home Depot, Michael's, the AMC Theatre, and Target searching for new things for our home. We got some letter magnets to help Kyle learn to spell Abplanalp on our fridge (unfortunately there were only 2 A's so we had to improvise and use an upside-down V for the third A), some frames to hang the new professional pictures we ordered of Kyle, a curtain to block out the sunlight in Kyle's nursery, and even new trash bags for his diaper genie. When we got home, Uncle Dave and Cousin Amanda came to visit. They were both very good at holding Kyle so that he could look at every light and fan in the room, just what he'd hoped for! Thanks for hanging out with me :)

Sleepy Boy

Too Tired for Tummy Time!

Bath #2

Uncle Dave

Cousin Amanda