Chicago 2008

I recently returned from an amazing trip to visit Jared and Jake in Wisconsin. I went with Melanie and Dallin who were very pleasant traveling companions. Dallin really did pretty well considering he is 8 months old and just starting to sit up and scoot around and crawl. He doesn't really love being held and has strong objections to holding still. We arrived at O'Hare International in Chicago on Wednesday and headed straight for my favorite restaurant in Greektown (I can say that now that I've been there two times). They have this most amazing flaming cheese that is breaded, lit on fire, and then doused with fresh lemon juice. It is honestly ridiculous - I can't even tell you how good it is. We stayed with Jared and Katelin and their darling kids, John and Sara, that night and enjoyed a nice walk down by Lake Michigan (pictured above). It was cold but really pretty, and that lake is amazing - so huge! It is hard to really grasp how big it is. Jared managed to win three straight games of Scene It, so clearly I don't see enough movies. However, I did a lot better than Melanie who only answered one question right, and it had something to do with Teri Garr (seriously has she been in anything since 1985). Way to go Mel.

That is the Sears tower behind me. We decided not to go to the top of it this time, as we were coming up on a traffic nightmare, so we headed to the amazing cheese place instead. I stand by that decision.

The next day we took the Metra into downtown Chicago with Jared and Katelin. It was so cold, but we had a really fun day anyway. I'm sure passers-by loved watching Jared and his three "wives" and one baby running all over Chicago in the rain and snow jumping in and out of taxis. We went to the Field Museum for a while. That place is amazing. It is a "right out of the movies" museum with the big T-rex right in the front lobby. I can't wait to bring my kids there - they would have loved it! We could have spent a lot longer there, but we were starving, so we headed to my other favorite place in Chicago - a love I inherited directly from Dave (who served his mission in Chicago) - Giordano's pizza. It is the best pizza ever, and really nothing else even compares. Of course, I sent Dave the above picture on my cell phone while we were waiting for our pizza. He didn't think that was funny. I ate way too much, and enjoyed every minute of it.

In honor of Jake, who works for Harley Davidson, we took a tour of the Harley plant near their home in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. I'm not sure how, but it ended up being Me, Melanie, Katelin, and Nicki on the Harley tour and Jared and Jake at home with the kids (I'm sure Jake is still laughing over that one). However, we did get to do a little shopping before the tour since we found out we couldn't wear heels or open-backed shoes on the tour (I don't even own any closed-in flats, and apparently neither does Nicki), so we went to Target. We couldn't find any cute shoes that we wanted, so Nickie ended up with running shoes, and after Nicki's great idea, I bought a pair of shoes for Austin since our feet are the same size (HE'S IN THE THIRD GRADE!!!). He was happy about the new school shoes when I got home, and I only had to wear the "boy" shoes for a little while. They didn't exactly go with my outfit, but we made it work. We took a minute for a photo op (above), which will likely be my only contact with a Harley Davidson motorcycle in this lifetime. It was fun. On the tour, the guide is going over their safety record on the factory floor, and just then two ambulances with lights flashing pull up at the entrance to the factory. There goes the 114 days (or whatever it was) without an accident .... oops.

Mostly we just had an amazing time with Jared and Jake and their families. I miss seeing them all the time, so maybe I need to take more vacations to see them (I like that idea). I have been blessed with amazing sisters-in-law, and I am so grateful to have them as family and as friends. Their kids are growing up so fast and talking so cute. It was really fun to spend time together. We stayed up late playing games and eating junk food and laughing till we were crying (literally). I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. Our little group got funnier and funnier as the night went on. Apparently pretty much everything is extremely funny at 1:30 in the morning. I can't wait to go back and see them again .... maybe this summer?

Dressing up

My kids have always had a thing for dressing up (see photos above and below, and keep in mind that none of these were taken on or around Halloween or any other "occasion" to dress up). Honestly, most days, they have all or at least some part of a costume on at some point during the day. They get this propensity for costume wearing from their father who anxiously awaits Halloween rolling around each year so he can "legitimately" wear a costume, and honestly, he has had some good ones. The picture above was taken during London and T.J.'s daily routine of watching Curious George while I get ready for the day. Note T.J.'s shoes (and do it quickly before Dave insists I remove this picture). There was a little snow on the ground this morning (never mind that it is April 10th!!!!!), so London, being the practical child that she is, quickly donned her winter hat.

My theory on Halloween costumes is that once Halloween passes, and the costumes have been kept in good shape for parades, parties, and trick-or-treating, they are free game. My kids have really taken advantage of this costume-wearing freedom, and any day at our house might look like Halloween.

The Leatherwoods

Hi my name is Melissa and I'm a blogging addict

I am going to leave this scary picture (and title) as my first blog entry in honor of my official blog tutor. I know, I know, you're asking "What kind of a moron needs a blog tutor?" Well, you're looking at her. Seriously, Paula found this picture on my computer and posted it while giving me blog lessons because I couldn't figure it out. In my defense, I was having legitimate technical issues that we solved by switching browsers, but still, a blog tutor? Really? How embarrassing. So, you'll have to be patient with me (and my tutor) while I figure this out, but under heavy peer pressure, I've decided to start journaling through a blog. Since I'm on this computer so much anyway, this will be something fun I can do on here, and it's free (unlike my other favorite online activity ... Ebay!). Feel free to make comments at your leisure. The first person to comment on that picture dies.