Chicago - Sunday

We were all ready for our first full day in Chicago.  So much so, that the girls woke up at 4 AM ready to go!

 Ryan asked the girls to give him a pose before we headed out for the day.  These just made me laugh!

 We met up with David and Jan and headed over to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Ryan and I couldn't believe that this awesome zoo was right in the middle of the city!

 Right inside the entrance was this cute little train for kids; the girls loved it!

 Waving as they passed us by.

 We also checked out the seal lion and cheetah which were both really cool.  After a quick water break, we headed into the bird house which the girls thought was awesome.

 Trying to look through the binoculars.

 Mia needed a little lift; this little one did a lot of walking on this trip!

 The giraffes were beautiful.

 Maybe a little hippo ride...

 Our favorite part of the whole zoo was the amazing polar bear.  She just kept swimming laps; she was so graceful, and we all enjoyed watching her.

 Before leaving we enjoyed a little snack, and then headed to the gift shop on our way out.  Mia and Lily both fell in love with two stuffed animals.  Lily picked an adorable seal lion that she named Lincoln (and calls Linca as a nickname), while Mia picked a huge gorilla that she calls Rainbow.  They both loved these animals and insisted on sleeping with them from then on.

After the zoo, we headed back to the hotel for nap time; I think we were all exhausted.  After our nap we went over to David and Jan's for Nick's birthday dinner.  We hung out on the tower's balcony on the 16th floor where David grilled us a delicious dinner, we all got to catch up with one another and the girls made a new friend named Livy.  They had a great time playing with one another!

 Just relaxing.

After enjoying some delicious chocolate cake that Jan made, we headed home and went to bed.

Chicago - Saturday

So last Friday was the last day of school and then it was time to let summer break begin!  We were all excited for Saturday morning to arrive because we were packed and heading to Chicago!  The girls couldn't wait because this was their very first plane ride.  Here we are on the tram at the airport.  Mia appears a little unsure.

 Waiting at the gate.

 Checking out the plane.

 I sat by Mia and Ryan sat in front of us with Lily.  Mia kept asking when we were going to "blast off."

 Super excited!

 The girls couldn't believe that a nice lady would come by and offer them cookies and juice; they gladly took her up on it!

 Both girls enjoyed playing on our iPads pretty much the entire flight.

 Mia preferred to keep the window shade down for the flight, but Lily enjoyed looking out.  She told me several times "it was so cool because you couldn't even see the ground!"

 Once we landed, the girls were so happy to see Grandpops.  He drove us to the hotel which was only a few blocks down from where he and Grandma Jan live.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites so there was a living room, kitchenette, bathroom and bedroom.  The girls immediately climbed into our bed and asked "where are you going to sleep?"  They couldn't believe how lucky they were when I said "You don't know?  You get to sleep on the coolest bed ever.  It's hidden right now.  Do you know where it is?  Inside the sofa!  Can you believe it?"  They were ecstatic!

After we settled in for just a few minutes, we headed down the street to David and Jan's place.  They met us outside and we walked across the street to Navy Pier.  The girls were already having a blast.

 We were heading to Navy Pier because one of my favorite restaurants is there.  I LOVE the fried shrimp from Bubba Gump's (or "Bubble Gums" as the girls call it).  It was delicious as always.  Mia was enjoying herself.

 Lily was looking forward to a yummy meal too.

 After lunch we headed over to David and Jan's to enjoy some time together.  The girls loved reading some of Nick and Brock's old books with Grandma Jan.

 The girls loved standing on the window ledges, mainly because it allowed them to stay above Taz, the sweet little dog David and Jan own.  He was a little hyper for their tastes.

 One of the great views from their apartment.

 After lots of fun times hanging out, we headed back and started to get ready for bed.  It took the girls awhile to settle down; they were thoroughly enjoying sharing a bed!

Last Day of School!

I can't believe Lily's first year of school is over.  What a fantastic first year!  Lily has grown so much, and we have loved watching her.  We are so proud of this sweet girl!

Getting ready to leave for her last day.

Ryan and I attended the year end chapel service where they handed out several awards and each class performed.  Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade all performed together.  Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoX0PHJLHAE&feature=youtu.be) is a link to some songs they performed; such cuties!  Lily is on the front row, third from the right.

Showing how "the rain came tumbling down" during one of their songs.

 "The wise man built his house upon a rock."

 After the chapel service, there was a school-wide picnic outside.  Liz and Mia joined us for this part.  Lily changed clothes, and then had fun playing with Mia and other friends.  They enjoyed a picnic on the playground, running all around and sliding down the big hill behind the school.  Ryan and I enjoyed chatting with friends too; we'll miss seeing everyone over the summer.  Unfortunately, the pork being grilled triggered Liz's allergies, so she stayed in the car most of the time and watched from afar.

What a great first year!  We are so thankful for ACCA.  See you all again in August!

Field Day at ACCA

During the last week of school, ACCA hosted their Greek Olympics field day.  It was so much fun!  Since this is a smaller school, all the classes were divided into different color teams, so kids from each grade were on each team.  Lily was a little nervous about being on a team with "kids from big kid grades," but she did great.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Worrell starting out the opening ceremonies.

 All the kids started with a warm up lap around the parking lot.  Lily ran with Ashlyn Kelly who was so sweet to her.  Ashlyn is finishing up 3rd grade, and she took Lily under her wing.  When I walked in, they were holding hands, and Ashlyn was making Lily smile and totally relaxing her.  Lily told me later that Ashlyn made her "not nervous" anymore.  I sent Ashlyn's mom an email later on telling her how much I appreciate her efforts.

 Lily and Ashlyn after their run.

 Coach Meilstrup led the kids through warm-up stretches.  Here's Lily and her team doing jumping jacks.

 One of the events was a three-legged race.  Here's Lily and Taylor doing their best; they did really well!

 We didn't get to take pictures many pictures because Ryan and I were both in charge of events.  Ryan showed everyone the discus throw (how far can you toss a frisbee) while I did the javelin throw (who can throw a pool noodle the farthest).  Other events included an egg toss, long jump, water pitcher relay, hole in one and shot put.  The kids had a blast!

Towards the end, each team had to get a hula hoop around their circle.  It looked pretty tricky but like lots of fun!

 Tug of war!

 Lily with her best friend Jill during the day.  These girls always have fun together.

 Lily showing off her Olympic certificate.  She loved field day!

Gymnastics Shows

Lily and Mia have thoroughly enjoyed their gymnastics class at The Little Gym this past year.  Their skills have improved so much, and they have had a lot of fun.  It's been really neat to watch them progress.  Yesterday was Lily's year-end show, and Mia's was today.  It was during their regular class time, and I think they were excited to show off!  Here are a few pictures.

Lily doing a back bridge.

 Ta da!

 Lily really likes being on the uneven bars.

 Handstand on the beam; I was impressed!

 Showing off her medal.

 Mia's class does a lot of noodle work.  Look at the happiness on her face!

 Her class made a giant snowflake with their noodles.

 Ta da!

 Mia loves spinning around the bars too.

 Practicing her arabesque on the low beam with a friend.

 Mia was so thrilled to get a medal.  After she got down from the podium, she ran over to us with a huge grin on her face.  She said "I'm so proud of my star medal!"  When you ask why she got it, she replies "Because I did my very, very best!"  I love the enthusiasm in Mia!

 The Little Gym instructors are just awesome.  They have an amazing amount of patience, and they are so good at teaching these skills to kids with a wide variety of skill levels.  It's fun to watch.

Mrs. Maria and Lily

 Mia with Mrs. Maria and Mr. Patrick

What a fun gymnastics season!

Best Day of Lily's Life

Lily has been counting down the days to Monday, May 14th for almost two months.  Why you might ask?  Well, towards the end of March, her school put on a fundraising gala.  It was a wonderful and fun evening.  One of the items we won was a play date with Mrs. Worrell.  Lily absolutely adores Mrs. Worrell.  She comes home from school a lot of days and wants to plays school where she is Mrs. Worrell and Mia becomes Lily.  I remember Mr. Taylor (the Head of School) telling us before school started that Mrs. Worrell is the woman you want your daughter to grow up to be like.  That's a bold statement to make to the mother of two girls!  However, the more we have gotten to know her, the more our whole family adores her.  I would love for Lily to grow up like her!  She has a heart for God, and she is amazing with these kids.  All the kids (and their parents) love her.

So, we decided our play date would actually be an evening at the Braves game.  This past Monday worked well for all of us.  Ryan, Lily and I headed down and hung out for a few minutes while we waited on Mr. and Mrs. Worrell to arrive.  Lily thought the huge baseballs were really cool.

 Lily loves her Daddy!

 A picture with Mrs. Worrell before the game started.

 I'm not kidding, I don't think Lily stopped talking for the entire nine innings.  She wanted to soak up every single minute of her time with Mrs. Worrell.  Before we left, Ryan bought Lily a Braves hat and a tomahawk.  However, Lily was most excited that Mrs. Worrell bought her a baseball.  It's pink and silver and says "Braves" on it.  She loves it.  As we were leaving, I asked Lily what her favorite part of the evening was; she replied "Getting my baseball."

We are so thankful that Lily's first true experience with a school has been in Mrs. Worrell's class.  We could not have asked for a better teacher.  PreK has been fantastic, in large part due to her.  Thank you Mrs. Worrell!