Snow Day!

Simon was so excited about the snow. He couldn't wait to go outside and make snowballs.

Owen was sick with the flu and slept the day away!

Melissa's pregnant belly...

Here is a photo of my pregnant belly for all who are interested to see!

Simon's Camp Program

Simon attended summer camp this year. On his last day, they had a program for the parents. He sang REALLY loud and kept on telling us how happy he was that we came.

Simon's summer camp friends

Simon's class picture. He is the one with the Cub's hat, of course!

Go Cubs Go!

We took Owen to his first Cubs game this year. We all had a good time, but in true Chicago fashion, it was freezing weather and they lost!

Ready for the trip!

We drove down to Belleville to visit with family for two days in September. We wanted meet our new nephew/cousin, Wyatt, for the first time. The boys were excited about the trip and having their own backpacks.

Simon and Wyatt

Simon holding his new cousin, Wyatt.

Wyatt and Owen

Is this what our new baby will be like?

Owen's potty training attire

Owen potty trained this summer and spent most of the time running around in underwear. He found these boots and thought they were a real fashion statement :)

Simon's first day of preschool

Simon started going to preschool two mornings a week at the park district. Owen, not to be left out, had to pack a lunch, too :)

Scarecrow Fest!

This year were able to take the boys to the Scarecrow Fest. The boys had a blast going on the rides, eating snow cones ( yes, it was REALLY hot that day) and getting generally worn out.

An afternoon of fun....

The boys received some money as a gift and went to the Dollar store to buy what they wanted. They came back with a box of bandaids and proceeded to plaster themselves with them and laugh their heads off. :) Here are the results.....

Owen with Bandaids

Our Tennesse Vacation

On June 17th, we took our first family vacation to Tennesse. Owen was less than thrilled with the drive and after 15 minutes on the road was screaming "off highway." We knew it would be a real adventure and a VERY long drive down!!!

On Sunday, we stayed in the Wigwam Village in Kentucky. After a long day of travel, we were thankful to have a place to get a good night's sleep! ( For all who are wondering, the room was square instead of round.)

On Monday morning, we visited Dinosaur World in Kentucky before heading to Tennesse. Owen was freaked out when he realized how big the dinosaur was. Thankfully, we got the photo beforehand.

One of the best parts about our trip was being able to relax at our hotel and swim. Although they normally don't sleep together, after sightseeing all day, they were wiped out.

We were able to swim several times in the hotel pool. Simon was happy to squirt us on the edge and occasionally climb in for a dip.

Owen loved the pool and being able to kick in the water!

On Monday, we arrived in Chattanoga and stayed there for three days. The next morning, we visited Rock City. It is a fabulous garden built among the rocks on the side of a mountain. We had tons of fun exploring the area. Here they are looking out at the main lookout area.

Simon and Jeff are going down one of the many pathways through Rock City. Some of them are very tight squeezes!

We also visited the Incline Railway on Tuesday. It is the steepest train in the world. Here is the view of the train going down the mountain.

Although Owen looks terrified in this picture, he in reality, showed absolutely no fear. I was scared and wished I was braver than my 2 year old son!!!

Jeff and Sy on the train.

We visited a train museum on Wednesday and were able to take a 45 minute ride through the countryside on a refurbished train.

On Wednesday, we also went to Ruby Falls. (a cave) It was a great tour and Simon walked the whole way. Owen, on the other hand, needed a lot of help :)

On Thursday, we drove to Pigeon Forge from Chattanoga. We looked around the town a bit and then found a place to ride go-carts. Simon was slumped over the whole ride so we aren't sure how much he enjoyed it.

Since Owen couldn't go on the go-carts, Jeff took him on the train instead.

On Friday, we went to Dollywood for the day. We stayed for eleven hours and had loads of fun going on the rides. Here is a picture of them sitting together on the duck ride!

The boys loved the antique car ride the best. They thought they were really driving. We went on it three times and had a blast!

Simon and I went on a water rafting ride and we got drenched. He held on for dear life!!!

After a LONG day at Dollywood, Owen was still smiling. We had an exciting day and it was the perfect ending to our road trip. We have lots of fun memories to share and will NEVER forget our Tennesse vacation!!!