Patio Fun

So the Easter Bunny brought sidewalk chalk, but because it was so cold outside no one was able to use it outside. We even colored our concrete basement walls to take up time. Anyway, on one of the first days Nate and Elin asked if they could color the patio. Hmm, children happy spending hours outside. Go right ahead!

Here are some beginning shots.

First circle was done.

Nate actually got up one morning at 5:00 am and went and finished the rest of it. Here is the finished product (Through the screen) :)

In Mourning

Today there is great grief and pain in our home. The Oprah Winfrey Show is airing for the last time. It's by far April's favorite show (imagine that), and I'm not sure how she's going to get through folding the laundry from now on.

I do admit, on the off occasion I happen to be in the room with April, I have watched and even enjoyed a few episodes (only a few... really). There's certainly no denying her role as a philanthropist in this world, and I don't suppose, fortunately, that role will cease just because her show will. But I think it's about time the king/queen television talk-show torch is passed on to a new heir. After all, 25 years is long, long time (and she's not done yet, of course, with her new "Own" network). And besides, it'll be interesting to see how this gap gets filled, if at all... but more importantly, how April is going to fill her extra hour every day!

Chicago- Shedd Aquarium

As part of our road trip, we spent a few days in wonderful Chicago. You would need a month to go through all the museums thoroughly... we only had 2 1/2 days. Our first visit was to the Shedd Aquarium. It was a Saturday, so a bit crowded, but we started early so it was fine.

Outside the Shedd on Lake Michigan.

April's Mom, Janet, joined us for a day... it was great to have her company (and have an extra hand!)

Chicago Skyline (note Nate running around).

April's handywork with her camera- cool stuff!

One of the cool things about the Shedd is that it is really geared toward children- there are a ton of nooks they can play in or on.

Nate the penguin (I don't think he's supposed to climb this high, but that's never stopped Nate).

And Elin the penguin.

Love the 3-D glasses. This was for a 4-D show... not only a 3-D picture but we were pelted with wind and rain as well (and our seats jiggled).

Their whale and dolphin show was really something.

Elin and Nate checking out some of the cool exhibits.

I thought this guy was pretty cool.

Check out the green eel- I think it was eyeing Elin as a tasty morsel.

The glowing jellyfish were pretty cool, too.

Bring, Bring

Yesterday Nate got his first phone call from someone other than a relative. He was walking around the house using words like "that is soooo cool," and "wow, awesome." He is getting so big! I can't quite wrap my brain around it all.

Surprise!

The other day when the snow starting coming down I was a bit hacked off as many of my bulbs had just started blooming. If figured I better take pictures of them now. This is what I saw.

Yesterday it was all snowy white. I figured my blooms were probably dead or dying under that white coating. But today I walked out and found an awesome surprise! We may see spring after all.

Seriously???

Really, I understand that we live in a wintery climate and all, but this is getting to be a bit ridiculous.

Oh-well, I guess if you're going to have snow, you might as well have fun in it! We all had a snowball fight before school.

Spring! Spring! Where art thou???

Elin Speaks

The easy exit to get to our house is currently closed. We have to take the back way to and from all sorts of places. Elin still hasn't quite gotten used to this. She asks from the back seat - are we close to home, where are we. You get the pictures. So yesterday after several of these questions she pipes up. "Oh I know where we are, we are almost to our red riding hood." The car is silent for a second. Nate looks over at her and says - "Elin, I think you mean neighborhood."

Hiking at Starved Rock

There is a beautiful hidden gem in central northern Illinois called Starved Rock, if you ever get the chance to visit I would highly recommend it. On our "road trip" we stopped by a nearby waterpark for the kiddos, then went hiking the next day at Starved Rock. This conserved land seems to have been missed by the glaciers that flattened the rest of the midwest, so it's full of cliffs, small canyons and waterfalls. While the kids have been hiking on flat trails before, they really liked the variety of the land and playing in the canyons.

Nate and Elin on the boardwalk on top of the huge "Starved Rock" that once held a militia fort.

Nate found this stump as a perfect place to "pose" as a statue... he thought he was pretty tricky.

"rollin' rollin' rollin'..."

Elin mystified by a creek.

Nate thought it would be cool to do balancing acts by the cliff edges... his Mother almost lost it a few times.

This is one of the canyons with a small waterfall (not much water right now).

Nate, of course, got a kick out of climbing all the big rocks.

Elin wanted to climb like her big bro, but just wasn't quite big enough to do it on her own.

If you squint hard enough, you can see me in the dark crevice of the canyon.

Our gang did a great job hiking, and actually wanted to do more if we had the time. Oh-well, more next time!

On our way to the city, we stopped by the kid's Great-Grandpa Sikich's home to say Hi. Our kids don't get to see him much, so we try to take any chance we can get. We showed them his WWII medals and went through some fun old pictures, and of course the kids had to play on his exercise equipment (he's 95 yrs old and still exercising!).

Great visit- thanks Grandpa!

Nauvoo/Carthage

Here are a few more pics of our Nauvoo/Carthage trip. The Nauvoo Temple is beautiful, and April tried to capture some shots when we happened to be there at dusk. We all had a nice stroll around the Temple, which also brought up some good conversations about the Temple with the kids.

Our next visit was to Carthage jail, where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were kept behind bars and eventually killed. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go inside the jail because the floors were being repainted. But we did get to walk around the outside and went in the visitor's center. At least it was a nice day!

Nate and Elin with Joseph and Hyrum.

The jail itself.