A Short Trip to See Great Friends

We couldn't visit Nonni and be that close to our dear friends, the Austins, without planning a visit. So we headed out for a few days for an extended play date and to meet the newest Austin member!

Aile's photographic attempt:

And Chaeli's:

I think this was also Aile:

I don't think they really wanted to wake up from their nap... So much fun together and they are tuckered out. :)

Brookfield Zoo

One of the main reasons Brenner wanted to go to Nonni's house (ha!) was because he wanted to go to "Nonni's Zoo." It is by far the largest gathering of animals he can fathom (our zoo is not much bigger than their petting zoo!), so he was quite excited!

A favorite thing, as it turned out, was to take pictures by all the fake animals. :)

Grandpa Jim was quite a trooper with Caelum on this zoo excursion! They were buddies this day, as Aile and Brenner dragged me and Nonni all over the place!

Calling the info line in the ape house so he could learn about the animals and hear their various calls.

The Hamill Family Play Area was the coolest. We could've spent hours in there. The kids had a blast. Who wouldn't want to dress up like a Lemur and play with them?!

Face painting:

Here they can build their own zoo:

And the ever popular animal hospital. Aile's favorite since she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.

Civil War Re-enactment at Naper Settlement

We wanted to do something a little different with the kids one day, so we ventured forth to Naper Settlement, a whole city block or so that continues to live in the 1800's. When I've been there before, we visited the blaksmith shop, the livery, the mercantile, the school, some homesteads, etc. But this time we hit on a weekend celebration that involved a Civil War re-enactment, and the kids were intrigued.

This is the Union Army Fort, with the soldiers preparing for battle.

Starting the battle off with some cannon fire. VERY LOUD! (We were also standing within 50 feet of some of the cannons.)

The soldiers lined up on the battlefield, facing the their Confederate enemies. The Confederates were lined up very similarly maybe 100 feet away.

Our Adventure at Nonni's House Begins

After we were done at 3ABN, we headed up to Nonni's house for a couple weeks of fun! We spent much time relaxing and playing and doing fun things...

Bath time is always a hit, no matter where we are! Here you can see Caelum's curls coming out in full force as he enjoys his splash time!

Aile loved the tree in Nonni and Grandpa Jim's front yard! She spent quite a bit of time in her treasured hang out.

Caelum was not at all scared of his big furry friend, Daisy. It's a good thing Daisy is very laid-back because Caelum was constantly climbing all over her!

From the moment we arrived at Nonni's house, this bunny was our fast friend. She lived in the bushes right next to the front door and did not seem frightened of us very much at all. She sat and watched us almost every day. The kids named her Sunshine.

The kids had a great time bonding with Nonni! They even had a sleep-over with her one night, which was a great hit! I caught them snuggling in the morning before they got up! Nice bed hair, guys! :)

At the mall play area:

Caelum exploring Nonni's "under construction" kitchen floor:

Aile showing Caelum how to stand on his head. He was a quick learner and kept doing this throughout the vacation. Pretty funny!

One of the kids' very favorite spots--the swing out on the deck!

Caelum's head-stand skills: