Shed Aquarium

The boys had a school in-service day in October, so we thought that was a god opportunity to check out Shed Aquarium. We got a great deal for our hotel on Priceline and we were off. It was very spontaneous, and we surprised the boys with the trip the night before. Fun!

We stayed in Schaumburg, and took the train into downtown. This made the favorites list for the day. We had to sit on the second floor per Isaac's request. It was a pretty and relaxing ride into downtown. From the train station, we took the bus to the aquarium. It was fun to travel like a real Chicagoan.

The boys are being silly in the rainforest exhibit. This was one of our favorites. They had many fish from the Amazon River, and I think we were all extra interested because some of the exhibit was about Brazil.

A highlight was the jellyfish exhibit. They had an entire room filled with different types of jellyfish. Who knew there were so many types? They are so calming to watch float around. Here the boys are looking at some that grow upside down.

There was a playground in the penguin area. Ethan and Owen had fun pretending to be penguins.

Here are they boys checking out the baluga whales. They are cool and different looking.

Isaac waiting for the aquatic show. It was a neat show based more on the care for the animals and how they are trained rather than just the cool tricks. The whole aquarium was very educational about environmental and animal conservation. I learned a lot.

Here are the boys getting ready for the 4D movie. At this point we were wondering what was the 4th dimension. It is touch. The movie was about sea dinosaurs. Isaac and Ethan were on the edge of their seats while Owen was scared. Scott covered his eyes and he fell asleep. At one point a dinosaur ate another one and the seat poked you in the back. Everyone screamed a little. I asked the boys what they thought, but they didn't feel it because they were on the edge of their seats. The next time I look over, Isaac is sitting up straight perfectly with is back on the back of the chair. He was not going to miss another poke in his back.

Ahhh...Owen took a little nap while we walked to pizza.

The aquarium is right on Lake Michigan, so pretty! We walked about a mile to get to our pizza restaurant. The boys only complained a little. I love walking in downtown.

We treated the boys to Chicago Style pizza. Here they are working on their crossword puzzles.

Owen's little cat nap did him lots of good, and he was excited to drink some root beer.

We went swimming in the hotel pool, which the boys may have enjoyed more than the aquarium. After the train ride back to the hotel we were all pretty tired, but the boys perked right up for the pool. They played hard, and we had fun playing catch and having races.

 

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Pumpkin Patch

Mom and Dad, Traci and Kyle all came over to spend the weekend. The main attraction was the boys' soccer games, and we also had a fun day at the pumpkin patch.

We took lots of silly pictures.

Mom and Dad had to get on the bus, too!

Traci was fast to hand out coins for the goat feeding contraption. Here is Isaac feeding the goats. My little frugal boys also discovered that there was a bunch of food on the ground they could pick up for free.

Traci and Kyle make some adorable pumpkin faces.

Ahh...a classic.

We all were able to solve this maze.

The wiggle cars were a big hit. It was hard to convince Traci and Scott to move on, just kidding.

Hay rack ride pics.

Cute!

Here we all are on the hay rack. I love my boys.

It is an important decision. There were lots of big ones to choose from.

Ethan has his pumpkin.

Kyle picked about 5 pumpkins, and every time he picked a new one it got bigger.

Grandma helping Owen.

It was a busy visit. We also tried our first corn maze.

Scott and the boys led the pack.

Owen must have been tired to fall asleep with kettle corn in his lap!

 

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Soccer

Isaac and Ethan joined soccer leagues this fall. They were excited about it because they got to play with kids from their elementary school. They both were lucky to have great coaches. Isaac's coach taught them a lot. Isaac really likes soccer. He and his friends play it at recess every chance they get. This is cool. Soccer is very fun to watch. Maybe the rest of the world is on to something with their love for soccer. Ethan had fun too, but he still thinks basketball is way better.

Here is Isac's team. All the kids either go to Cody or Bridgeview. They are in 3rd through 5th grade. His BFF Scottie is front row second from the right.

Here is Isaac playing goalie. He likes defender a lot, and is really good at bombing the ball away from his goal. Isaac improved tremendously over the season. It was his first time playing on a soccer team. The first game he maybe touched the ball twice. The second game Scott gave him an incentive if he kicked it 5 times. By the last game he was right in their dribbling and passing with the whole team. He did not make a goal yet, but he wants to play spring soccer and I am sure he will get one then. was so fun to watch!

Here is Ethan's team. They re so cute! Ethan's team were all 1st and 2nd graders from Cody. There were only 2 first graders on Ethan's team, Ethan and Clark. Ethan had the bright yellow shoes that everybody loved.

Ethan really improved over the season. He is a speedy little runner. He also needed some incentive to get a little more aggressive and go after the ball. After the second game we went out to Peachwave Frozen Yogurt because Ethan touched the ball 5 times (and we were very generous in counting the kicks). By the end of the season he was all over the field.

 

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Halloween Fun

Halloween is always such a fun time with fun traditions. We were really glad to get back to enjoying those traditions here.

The boys carved their pumpkins Wednesday, the night before Halloween. We had a really fun time and they turned out cute. Isaac's pumpkin was super hard and a big one. They love getting all the seeds and "guts" out. Isaac also has to save all the seeds to toast. He is a boy after his mother's heart.

Here's the final product. Ethan wanted his to say boo. Isaac's has a tiny nose and huge front tooth. Owen's pumpkin was supposed to have two teeth, but they broke off during construction.

Here's my little minions. They are adorable! I had to chase Isaac and Ethan down to get this picture. They were off and running the entire time. Their goggles are made out of PVC pipe. I had to saw, drill and paint. At least I gained some confidence with the power tools.

Owen had to catch a ride so we could catch up with the rest of the crew.

Owen did not want to trick-or-treat at first, but once he found out what it was all about he was off and running. He ran to every single house in the cul-de-sac. It was adorable.

When I asked the boys who wanted to be the minion who had one eye, Ethan said right away that he wanted the one big eye. He is always up for being silly. The boys got so much candy. Ethan said, "I got so much candy somebody had to give me a grocery sack because my pumpkin was full."

When Isaac got home he said that he went to "every single house with their light on!" He, Scott and Ethan also went over to one little street with three houses. We have never covered that much ground.

I love that's we always trick-or-treat with our whole neighborhood plus some. Here is the crew this year.

Ethan had a little project for school. He had to decorate a pumpkin like a book character. It worked out great because we had just finished reading Pippi Longstocking. She made a great pumpkin.

 

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