Thanksgiving 2009

We had a very nice, very low-key Thanksgiving this year! We spent most of our day at home, and then had a nice dinner with friends. The plan for next year? Thanksgiving at home, we will be starting our own stay-at-home tradition, with hopefully a visit from Emme and Papa (hint, hint!)

Today while Jay was working, I took the kids for a ride (aka a nap in the car) to drop off payroll, then out for lunch at Culvers! The kid love having the days off from school! Tomorrow it's down with the fall decor and up with the tree. Carter and the girls totally "get" the whole Christmas thing now, so they are very excited to put up the tree.

I worked at the school on Tuesday with another mom to prepare the kindergarten "feast." I was able to "dine" with Carter and it was so cute. All the kids using their table manners, was adorable!

Big City Fun!

Emme came to visit this week, and we've been on the move! On Friday, when Jay was working, we took the 4 big kids to the Shedd Aquarium! So much fun! We saw the "Fantasea" show, looked, touched and loved all the exhibits we could! Cooper kept up with the big kids, and we actually went sans diaper bag and stroller (who would have thought that was possible?)

Then, on Saturday, we headed back downtown to the Lincoln Park Zoo! This time with Finley and Dad with us! It was BEAUTIFUL and warm and not crowded at all! We checked out all the animals, and then headed to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. It's a bit of a tourist destination, but the kids loved it!

Halloween Night!

We had a great time on Halloween! We had some friends over, I made a nice dinner, and then off to trick or treat in the cold! The kids rode in a trailer that was all decked out with hay and blankets. The guys took the bigger kids, and the ladies stayed back with the babies (we each had one under 1, so it worked out!) Jason of course had his hands full because managing 4 kids under 5, and having to carry some was a bit nutty!

They made it to our friends the Wagner's house first, where the decor is really cool and spooky. Our kids love the giant mummy and all the spooky stuff, they aren't the scared babies that they used to be (although don't get me started on Carter and watching Marley & Me, that's the kind of stuff that's upsetting to him, poor guy!)

We capped off the evening diving into the goody bags (thankfully our friend Becky had some non-candy related items) and each had 3 pieces of candy before everyone practically put themselves to bed.

It was a long, cold, but very fun night!!! It's so nice that they really get the whole "Halloween" thing now, it's so much fun to see them having such a great time, it's almost (minus all the work and clean up) like being a kid again!!