Clear Lake

One Sunday a couple weeks ago we were ready to do some exploring, so Kyle suggested going to a lake nearby that he had heard about called Clear Lake. It was a beautiful (almost) fall afternoon, so we decided to pack up some lunch and have a picnic there. The best part? We were the only ones there so we had the whole area to ourselves! It felt like we were on a mini vacation away from everything which in our minds equaled perfection :-)

Picnic time! We ate on top of a big hill that overlooked the lake.

Brett had so much fun running up and down the big hill, exploring, and throwing rocks into the water!

"CHEESE!"

And guess what?! After trying all summer to catch a minnow with the net, Kyle finally succeeded..TWICE!

My two favorite boys :-)

Brett's pants got dirty and wet so he did what any kid would do...stripped them off! I love his little underwear butt :-)

It was a happy day :-)

Brett's First Day of Preschool!!

Brett had his FIRST DAY of preschool on Monday!!! Our whole family was so excited for this big day, an event we had been preparing Brett for all summer. And really, Kyle and I had no idea how it would go. Other than grandparents and our neighbors, Brett has never been without us, especially when it was time to  try something new. One of the great things about the Chelsea Co-op, the preschool we chose for Brett, is that the first week is actually an orientation where the parents come too. A co-op works a little different than a traditional preschool in that it is a non profit organization run by parents (along with the certified teachers). Each class has one teacher, one teacher's assistant, and two parent assists for the day. That is why an orientation is necessary, so that parent's have a chance to learn about the preschool and what their responsibilities entail when it is their turn to assist (which is about once a month). On top of assisting, each family is on a committee to help out with during the year, such as Fund Raising, Ice Cream Social, Holiday Events, etc. I was asked to be the Session Representative for Brett's class, so that is our "committee" this year. I am responsible for  typing up the calendar each month, making sure the assist spots are filled each day, corresponding with parents, and taking any concerns or suggestions to the board. I'm also in charge of organizing "session coffees" for the parents of Brett's class. About once a month all the parents are welcome to meet up to talk about upcoming events, our kids, and just about anything we want! It's a great opportunity to get to know the other families of the co-op and bounce ideas off one another. That's one of the things I love about the co-op - it has the feeling of a little community :-)

Brett ended up doing amazing his first week of preschool! Brett's class was split in two and half of the families came on Monday, and the other half on Wednesday. I helped run the orientation, so since I had to be there both days, Brett got to as well. While the president and I ran the orientation with the parents, the teachers went about a regular school day with the kids.  On Monday, Kyle came along to help with Brett since I would be busy. Brett was a little bit anxious at first, and wanted Kyle right by his side. Towards the end of the day though, he was much more comfortable and didn't mind at all when Kyle had to leave to get back to work. I was so proud of him! After Kyle left, while I was finishing up the orientation, I kept expecting to hear Brett crying in the background, or see a teacher coming my way to tell me Brett needed me....but that never happened! I even got the chance to spy on him a few times, and he was happy as can be :-) On Wednesday Kyle had meetings so he couldn't join that day, so I was a bit anxious myself on how Brett would do the whole time without either one of us. And guess what? He did great! Some of his favorite activities were making salsa, painting with "kitchen tools" and playing with all the cars and trucks. Oh, and during gathering time, when his teacher, Mrs. Aldrich was talking about making salsa, Brett blurted out, "are we going to make popcorn?!". So cute! I think this is going to be one great year, and I can't wait to get to know all the wonderful families that will be at the co-op with us :-)

CHICAGO!

A couple weeks ago we headed to Chicago to visit my brother and his girlfriend Amy, and we had such a great time!!! Amy was so sweet and let us stay at her cute place while she stayed with Matt. She has an apartment in an old house in a quaint neighborhood, and the architecture and woodwork there were beautiful! We spent most of our time with Matt and Amy, but it sure was nice to have our own space at the end of the day. Thank you for being so generous, Amy!!!

We arrived at Matt's place Friday afternoon, quickly freshened up, and then we were on our way to the Shedd Aquarium. Brett has always loved going to the pet store to watch the fish swim around in the little tanks, so we were extra excited to take him there.Traffic was slow on the way there, but for once we didn't mind at all because the Blue Angels were practicing overhead!! Brett was captivated, as were the rest of us! I've never been a huge airplane fan, but after watching what these guys could do, I changed my mind! I could've watched them all day!! They did all these twists and turns and dives and seemed to come so close to the cars and buildings. It was seriously so cool! 

We parked right by one of the harbors so we got to check out all the boats as we walked by. Brett was loving it! And, on top of that,we could still see the Blue Angels flying overhead! It was pretty awesome! None of the pics of the Blue Angles really turned out, but here is a pic of the harbor with the city in the background. 

After walking through the harbor we came to a sidewalk that led us to the Shedd. We had a great view of the city and lake!

You aren't suppose to use a flash while in the aquarium, so not many pics turned out well - but here are some that did :-)

The Jellyfish Exhibit was one of my favorites. They are fascinating to watch!

One of my best friends from college, Elena, joined us at the Shedd too. It was so great to see her and spend time together! I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the two of us! Next time for sure :-) Elena is always so good to Brett and loves to spoil him, so of course she insisted on buying Brett a couple surprises from the gift store :-) After looking at many of the exhibits we stopped for a snack, and Brett got his gifts. He was one happy little boy!!! Thank you, Elena!!

Brett sure does love his Uncle Matt :-)

Lastly, we went to the dolphin/whale show. It was awesome and Brett really got into it! I am so intrigued by the mammals of the sea, and sometimes wish I lived by the ocean and was a Marine Biologist. I seriously thought about this career choice, but was quickly deterred when I realized how many science classes were involved! Maybe in my next life.

After visiting the Shedd we drove back to Matt's place where Amy cooked us an amazing dinner of grilled sweet potatoes, pork tenderloin, and a salad. It was seriously the best meal we had all weekend!! She is such a talented cook!!!

Chef Amy in action :-)

We had so much fun hanging out on Matt's balcony. There is an airport near by so Brett loved pointing out all the airplanes!

Matt has a great view of the city from his place!

The next day we slept in a little and then all walked from Amy's to this cute little neighborhood full of shops and restaurants. There is a super cool toy store in the area that Uncle Matt really wanted to take Brett to, so that was our first stop. Together they picked out a playmobile boat. Brett was in Heaven getting spoiled by his favorite uncle! :-) Brett really wanted to play with his new toy so it was the perfect opportunity for a nice lunch. Brett is so good going out to eat these days, especially when he has a cool new toy from his uncle :-)

Later in the day we we ventured to Lake Michigan to catch the end of the Air Show. The weather could not have been more perfect!

High Fives!

Matt knew of a great look out area to watch the boats and airplanes, so he took us through this beautiful path to get there. 

Of course, once we finally reached the spot, the airshow was just about over. We couldn't complain though because the view was awesome, and we had already seen many planes that day!

Brett loved checking out the boats and being the center of attention all weekend :-)

I love this picture of our family!

Our little model :-)

Who knew there were such scenic areas in the middle of a big city!

On the way back to the car, we stopped for a rest. Matt and Brett got quite comfortable :-)

That evening Elena met us all for a late dinner at a cool brewery. The food was amazing, especially the mashed potatoes! I definitely want to go back next time we are in town! We brought an airplane sticker book and some legos for Brett to play with during dinner, and he was a total angel. He was so happy and content, we could've stayed all night if bedtime hadn't gotten in the way :-) After dinner, Amy and I took Brett back to her place so we could put him to bed, and the boys went out for a couple drinks at, get this, a convenient store down the street! Yes, you heard that right....apparently in Chicago you can find a bar almost anywhere! When they got back, we had some drinks together and Matt attempted to teach us a new game that he didn't even know how to play! Good times! Overall it was a great weekend and we hope to do this every year!