Mini Indy

Today was the Mini Indy. Joey and Andrew's bike race/rally. It was super hot, but they as well as Jillian and Emma handled the heat really well. The park district had a Mini Indy that consisted of several stations for the kids (3-6 year olds) to take their bikes as well as some races. They started off with a bike wash, where they grabbed sponges and washed then rinsed off their bikes. Here is where the girls decided it would be coolest and they pretty much played with the water the entire time. A staff member brought over a chair for them to wash and they were very content. The boys went to a bike safety talk, then out some "bling" on their bikes with streamers, bells, spoke noise maker, and more. After that it was time to decorate a license plate and get their race numbers. Joey was excited about his race number I think from the bib number he got at his last running race. They also participated in an obstacle course and then they stopped at the Pit Stop for a quick snack before being led to the races. Joey and Andrew raced each other and you were supposed to zig zag between the cones, but Joey cut across the course to chase Andrew. They both finished at a tie, noting that Joey didn't really do the course correctly, and Joey in a deja vous moment went splat on the pavement. He is getting much better at his dramatic finishes and didn't cry or whine one bit. He got up, looked at his knee, and moved his bike to the side for the next race. By this time I had made my way down to the end and Joey was totally fine, just concerned about his bike...it was a little out of whack from the fall. So I adjusted it as best I could and he hopped back on and was fine. At the end Joey and Andrew got trophies for "winning" the whole race! All the kids got trophies, but Andrew and Joey were hugging each other saying they beat all the other kids and won it together. I'm good with that!. On the way home Joey said "me and Andrew won the race and I crashed them all!" Hmmm...I hope he doesn't think the finish of a race is supposed to be a sliding finish!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

Friday we headed out to another Schaumburg Flyers game (this time with Nonna and Grandpa) to wrap up their baseball season. The Flyers did not have a good record, but the park and atmosphere are still a lot of fun. It was really cold and windy, but we bundled up since it was Sesame Street night and Jillian and Joey did great! Joey got a ball from one of the players on the other team, and while all the other kids kept theirs Joey threw his back. So another player started playing catch with Joey. Joey was in heaven. He had a huge smile on his face and kept throwing the ball back and forth. He was much more unsure of the Sesame Street characters, but Jillian shook Elmo's hand.


Saturday we were home in the morning while the basement was being worked on. Joey knows our contractor by first name (Mike). Mike made it to buddy status quickly by bringing Joey a doughnut last weekend! Since it was a nice day we left Daddy and Mike to work on some basement details while we went to the 2Toots Train Whistle Grill in Glen Ellyn for lunch! Joey and Andrew loved watching their lunch delivered to the table by the train. Joey doesn't know Thomas the Train, but loves trains in general, and was happy to see Thomas on one of the tv's by our table too. The diner was decorated like a 50's diner, and the atmosphere was perfect for the boys. Emma loved looking at the lights and decor, and Jillian loved the cupcake that Joey got. It came with a train whistle that Joey likes, but Jillian tried getting her hands on the cupcake...go figure!


Sunday we did our annual apple picking. Last year we went fairly early as well, and this year it was opening weekend and a perfect day. The weather was great, the kids were in good moods, and we all had a fun time. Joey liked the tractor, but was a little clingy with the hayride itself. Jillian had a fun time playing in the grass and trying to eat an apple. She wasn't terribly successful. She would get mad if we tried to start an apple for her, but she still has no teeth so she can't quite bite into an uneaten apple on her own. Emma seemed to enjoy and have better success at getting a little taste. Still she had a lot of fun. Joey insisted on carrying his own bag of apples no matter how heavy they got. Joey and Andrew had a great time picking apples and then playing on the tractors!

Oops, I did it again...I slacked on my blogging! We've got a lot of pictures to update here. First off, Jillian's 6 month birthday was June 30. Auntie Christy and I celebrate the half birthdays, and I am so glad that we do since that was the only time Josh had us sing "Happy Birthday" to him. When we do our half birthday celebrations, we make a half-cake. For Jillian Auntie Christy made a half cookie cake, and Jillian was trying to dig right in! Go figure! Later in the evening Jillian proved her big girl status sitting with the boys while they ate their popcorn. She put her arms around them and enjoyed a little Mickey Mouse.


Northlake Days was another fun night, but mostly for Joey. We visited Auntie Steph and Uncle Don's house before heading over to the carnival. Joey loved riding the cars, and was very serious and determined. He liked the blue car the best, and didn't want to get out or go into any other cars. He picked his car out watching the ride before, and when it was his turn to go in he picked his car out and didn't get out until we ran out of tickets! I was proud he picked the Blue Bug (just like Mommy's first car!) and when I tried putting him on the Dumbo ride with me he wasn't as excited and just looked over at the cars.
Earlier that week we visited Nathan, Uncle Mark, and Auntie Miya. Joey plays with Nathan's picture all the time and says his name, but started out a little shy when we got there. He loved all of Nathan's toys, and has been talking about Uncle Mark a lot! The other night at dinner out of nowhere Joey said he wanted to see Uncle Mark. Auntie Miya made a great lunch with lots of food, thank you!


Here are some of the pictures from Joey's birthday party. We didn't take pictures of it, but we had 4 blue balloons, and 1 white at the party to remember Josh. And earlier in the day Joey and Jillian signed a balloon that we had at Assumption for Josh. Joey had a blast with his Mickey bouncy and playing with everyone. It was a hot day, but it didn't stop him at all! Happy Birthday Joey!


The day after Joey's birthday was Abbey's birthday party. Abbey had an Elmo themed party...Joey's next favorite! It was a lot of fun. Abbey got some adorable girly gifts and you could tell Daddy can't wait until Jillian is old enough to get some of the baby dolls, tiaras, and dress up clothes! He couldn't hold himself back from putting Abbey's tiara on Jillian and taking a picture. Of course Ben was being a goof and put it on too!
The 4th of July was on a Sunday, and Grandma had mass said for Joshua at her church (also the church that Mommy and Daddy got married at, and said by Father Tony, the priest who baptized Josh). It was a beautiful mass with a very poignant first reading regarding an infant and his mother, and later a song was sung that was also at Joshua's funeral mass. Afterwards we went to Grandma's house for a little while before heading out to our yearly party of another aunt and uncle (sorry no pictures, and we forgot our suits!) from when we were kids playing softball. Before we left for the party Jillian and Emma were playing together on the mat and Auntie Christy had her arms full of kids.


Here are some random pictures of the kids playing outside, at the pool, and then last night at the Riverwalk with Auntie Pam. Joey had a blast eating al fresco, having gelato, going for a walk on the Riverwalk, feeding the ducks, playing at the park, and then Auntie Pam wetting his feet in the fountain! Joey keeps talking about the ducks and the fountain, and Jillian had a good lip smack with her first taste of ice cream/gelato!


And finally, the dog days of summer...poor Java has been beat with the parties, fireworks, and kids crawling over her.

Flyers Game

At Just Play Daddy got some free tickets for a Schaumburg Flyers game, so this past Friday night we went to the ballpark for a lot of fun. Joey and Andrew did really well. I have a feeling we'll be visiting again soon!