Astrid & Family (from Holland) visit Chicago

My cousin Astrid, her partner Herbert and their daughter Malu visited us from Holland for the weekend.  We spent the day at The Shedd Aquarium and saw a lot of fish, sea otters, penguins, beluga whales and dolphins.  The boys had so much fun hanging out with Malu, even though they didn't speak the same language.  Malu caught on to English very quickly and was very good at telling Grayson, "stop that" as he was pestering her like a true boy.  We hope to see our family from Holland again soon.  

Vegas Trip

We had fun visiting Mimi and Papa in Vegas.  Craig had his first annual company outing there so the boys and I came as well.  The boys stayed with Mimi and Papa at night while Oma stayed at a hotel right by their house.  It's so fun to watch the bond grow between Mimi, Papa, Oma and the boys.  They are so great with them and the boys love spending time with them.  We are very lucky to have such special family.  Grayson met his first love at the Mandalay Pool.  Her name was Alexa and he was head over heels in love.  She was very sweet and took a picture with him.  He is still talking about her months later.  Craig took Grayson to the shark reef at Mandalay Bay and they saw some pretty cool sharks.  We can't wait until the next time we come back to visit Mimi and Papa.  

 \

Liam ~ 20 Months

Liam is 20 months old!  It's amazing how fast time is flying with these two boys.  I've been studying for my Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation since the end of March so I'm a little behind in my blogging.  I didn't keep track of how many teeth came in and how many words he has said in the last two months, but he's definitely making progress.  This little boy is so sweet, shy and full of energy, but definitely has a dramatic side and a temper.  He is obsessed with his brother, loves coloring, swinging and doing Lil Kickers (soccer).  He loves to run around at practice, but isn't the best listener.  We hope to have a little soccer player in the future.  

Easter

The boys had a great Easter this year.  They went to Little Beans Cafe for an Easter Bunny Party with food, play at the cafe and pictures with the bunny.  Daddy and Ethan took the boys while Mommy was in New York for girls' weekend.  The next weekend the boys decorated Easter eggs.  The boys made designs on the eggs and then we colored them.  We also made Easter cookies with frosting and sprinkles.  On Easter day we went to brunch at Stella Barra with the whole family.  The boys had cute pink shirts with bow ties.  We read a lot of books about the story of Easter and hope the boys soon understand the true meaning of Easter.