Sweet Home Chicago

*
Last weekend Lee, T and I made the trek back up to Chicago to visit with the Reuter family. I am amazed at how much that city has changed since I left 3 years ago. I guess a lot has changed in our two families as well. We went from two couples of newlyweds to new parents to now, the proud parents of (gulp) toddlers. The last time that the girls met neither was even able to crawl, so this was really the first time they were going to get to PLAY!

When we got there Sam was taking a nap. Taryn was amazed at all the toys lying around. I think she was thinking Michelle and Andy were awfully nice to stock their apartment for her visit. She was pleasantly surprised when Sam woke up. Sam was a little drowsy still. Meanwhile, Taryn tried to break the ice by offering Sam some crackers.
Sam let Taryn try on her new cowboy boots. Taryn couldn't walk in them though. She looked like the tin man.

We took the girls over to the park nearby with some brewski's in the cooler. The park was awesome and I was so impressed with how many kids their age were there. Down here it seems most the kids at the parks are quite a bit older than T and Sam. While I think some of the parents might have questioned our not-so-well-disguised beer cans, I did hear one mom say "Now that's my kind of play group." Awesome!

Andy tested the durability of some of the playground equipment. It survived. On the way back, we nearly got arrested for having open containers... Ok, not really. A cop just looked at us for a long time. I think he was trying to decide whether they were in fact open containers or not. In the long run, I think he figured 5 adults with 2 strollers probably wasn't that much of a threat.

Sam gave Taryn quite a few hugs... Which turned into more of a tackle. Which usually ended up with Taryn falling on Sam. The hug part was adorable though.

Taryn and Sam spent a good 10 minutes comparing bellies. They're both awfully adorable and round.

Sam was a wonderful hostess, as were her parents. It is always nice visiting a house that is already stocked with all the baby necessities!!

Sam even shared her books and her rocking chair with Taryn. And lots of laughs.

They even shared... Whatever this is that they are doing here. It involved wearing random pairs of shoes and hats... And blankets. Goofy little girls!

Thank you to the Reuter's for being such hospitable guests! And thanks to Fubar for drinking with us at the playground!! I'm still cracking up at his phone call with Kari, "I'm here tailgating at the park..."

We had a great time and hope we all can hang out very soon!

Isn't it ironic?

Is there anything funnier than a chubby toddler in skinny jeans?? I seriously laughed for like 5 minutes when I put them on her. Then Lee laughed. Then when my mom saw her SHE laughed. It was a comical sight.
I saw some pants just like them in my size at Target... Somehow I think people would laugh at me wearing them almost as much as we laughed at Taryn.

Rambler Homecoming

This week was Attica's homecoming. I'm not sure who the genius was that scheduled homecoming for a short week, but I'd really like to punch that person in the face. We had so many events crammed into the week, eek. It was busy. Tonight, though, our fam decked out in red and headed over to the football game against the Rockville Rox. (Yes, that is seriously their mascot.)
Taryn was ready to cheer on the Ramblers! Actually, she doesn't even know there is a football game going on. She just thinks that there are a bunch of people to smile at and entertain her. This is her little Attica shirt that the other cheer coach made for her. It was a big hit at the game.

I wish I had gotten a better pic of this. This week, instead of making floats like the old days, each class decorated a shopping cart. Then we did a food drive along with it. This was what I assume was the winning cart. They turned it into a large outhouse and had a "player" sitting on the toilet and it said "Flush the Rox". It was awesome.

We stayed until almost the end of the third quarter. When we left, Rockville had unfortunately just taken a 1-point lead. I'm hoping that Attica comes back to win. But, unfortunately, we couldn't stay to see as we had one tuckered out little fan!

Tomorrow, we get to cheer on another team... BOILER UP! And then Sunday... GO COLTS! Wow, I am so pumped that football is back!

This Sums Up Our Week

*
Taryn has had an asthma flare-up over the last two weeks. When this happens, we take her to the allergist and each time he puts her on prednisone. Prednisone does good things for her lungs, but not such good things for the rest of our lives. Prednisone causes Taryn to NOT SLEEP. It also makes her a TOTAL BLUBBERING MESS. Here is our week in pics.

Pacifier, my only friend.

Oh, and Darby is nice too.

Woman, can't you see I am in misery? Put that #*$&% camera down.

I miss this. It's a fake smile, but a smile nonetheless!