4th of July

As we have for the past few years, we headed out to Geneseo for the 4th of July.  "Windmill" grandma and grandpa usually throw a party on the 3rd when Geneseo has their fireworks, and we can watch the fireworks from their driveway, so it's ideal for people like us with little kids.  Gav had a great time playing with all his cousins and other young family members, and Declan got in on the fun too.  Like last year, Gavin loved the fireworks.  Declan was asleep last year, but this year he managed to stay up for them.  He wasn't too sure about them, and you'll see in the pics what happened as the night went on!

 

I love this pic because clearly we asked Gavin to say cheese and take a pic, and although he obliged, he wanted to make sure he didn't miss the start of the fireworks!

 Gavin can't contain his excitement over that firework!

 We have found that blankies are key for the first few firework watching experiences!

 A good artsy shot by Daddy showing Gav and grandpa watching the firework display.

 And he's out.  I can't believe Dec fell asleep during the firework display!  The boys were so tired the next morning that after waking up at their normal time (6am, sigh) they both knocked out for an almost 3 hour morning nap.  Unheard of in our house!

 Great shot of 4 of the 5 Gillespie cousins and our friend Jonah!

 Normally on the 4th we go to Pork in the Park for lunch.  We tried that this year but the line was insanely long and we quickly and wisely gave up on that and headed to the Dudas for a bbq and pool party!  Here Gav is enjoying the kid's pool (after a little convincing to get in and try it!)

 A cool shot of Gav walking under the waterfall.

 Declan and I hanging out in the kiddie pool.  Dec actually loved swimming too and he and I spent most of our time in the adult pool.  I think he currently prefers me holding him in about 3-4 feet of water because that's what we do for swim lessons.  On this day I sang Wheels on the Bus to him about 30 times (while doing the motions geared towards "swimming").

 Gav's other favorite game in the pool this day: piling toys on the water fountain!

 

 

Gavin and Declan spent the next few days with windmill grandma and grandpa while Ry and I spent some time at a casino just outside Iowa City.  As they always do, grandma and grandpa took great care of the boys and did tons of fun things with them.  They went to the Niabi Zoo, Happy Joes, played in the inflatable pool, trips to the park and outings to watch baseball games.  They are such lucky boys (and so are Ry and I to have such awesome babysitters!).

Summer 2013 weeks 2 and 3

We've been having a very fun summer these last few weeks!  2 weeks ago Ryan and I took the boys on their first trip to the movie theater to see Monsters University! (Gav has been to the movies a few times with Miss Jeanne, but this was our first trip as a family).  The boys were so good at the movies!  The boys loved watching the previews (Declan would turn to me after each preview and say "watch that!") and they sat quietly and watched the entire movie!  Neither of them wanted any popcorn, so I ate enough for the both of them :)

 

3 cute boys waiting for the movie to begin!

 Booster seats and blankies are all you need for a successful movie watching experience!

The next day the boys and I headed down to the Exploritorium at the Skokie Park District.  This was a new place for all three of us, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a total hit!  Gavin told me as we were leaving that the Exploritorium is his new favorite place!  It's basically another small children's museum, but it's gated off so the kids can't escape (major plus!) and small enough that I can let Gav run around and do what he wants while Dec and I play together. 



Dec using his net to try to catch a fish.

 Gav loved the water play area, especially catching marine life with his net.

 Picasso at work.

 "All praise the giant Lite Brite!"

 I was amazed at how well Declan traversed this net bridge.  I would have had all my appendages tangled up in no time flat.

 Building some 3-D shapes with magnetic blocks on a light up table.

We've had some crazy weather this summer.  Sweatshirts one minute, tank tops the next.  Downpours in the morning and sunny, cloudless skies in the afternoon.  Still, I'll take it over the oppressive heat of last summer!  On one of the hotter days in the last few weeks, I got our inflatable pool set up in the backyard while Gav was at camp, and we enjoyed a post-lunch swimming session. 

This was Declan's first time as a walker in the blow-up pool.  I think he overestimated his mobility because he almost immediately tripped and fell face first into the water, completely soaking himself.  Luckily he was stunned for a second but shook it off and still had fun!  It's clear that Gavin is still skittish in the water, as he wouldn't even sit down in the pool, but at least he gets in!

A happy Declan right after his big splash down!

 Playing with the beach ball.  I set out all our new pool toys to entice the boys to get in the pool...it worked! :)

 My cute little crabby

 Gav picked out his swim suit and rash guard himself this year, I think he did a great job!

 When I was taking pictures of the boys, Gavin politely suggested that I set the timer on the camera so that I could be in the pictures with them!  I was stunned that I hadn't thought of that myself and that Gav even knew that the timer was an option!

Swimming lesson buddies!

 

Another one of our outings in the last few weeks was strawberry picking at Stades Farm.  This was another first for our family, but I had heard great things about Stades and I love me some strawberries, so it seemed like a great idea.  "Train" grandma and grandpa joined us on this excursion.

Gavin was really into picking strawberries for about 1 minute.  He then decided it was too much work.  Declan was never really into it, so it was looking like a bust of a trip.  Luckily Grandpa loved picking strawberries and picked enough for both of our families!

 Two pouty boys who wanted nothing to do with picking strawberries.  After this we paid for our strawberries and bought some apple cider donuts for snack.  That seemed to cheer up everyone, so then we decided to check out the rides and attractions at the farm as well.

 Gavin loved this ride and Declan did too until his hat fell off.  Then he had to be rescued from the ride!

 I could not get my timing right to catch Gavin coming down the slide.  This is a fun tractor that the kids can climb up to and sit in the cab, or slide down the side.

 Giant slides in the background (we didn't try those, although I think they would be a blast).  In the foreground is Gavin jumping on this giant inflatable thing they have there.  Gav loved this thing and grandma and grandpa had to drag him off.

 Dec and I got bored of watching Gav jump so we went to check out the petting farm.  Here Declan is quacking at the ducks.

Mommy had a wonderful girls weekend with her friends in Milwaukee, and while I was gone, the boys had a fun trip to the mall that Ryan documented:

Daddy and Dec hit the road (Gav too!)

 No trip to the mall is complete without a food court meal!

 Checking out the fish at Bass Pro Shop.

 Dec getting up close and personal with some kind of fish.  Every time I take the kids to Bass Pro Shop, for a second I think, I'll bet camping and fishing is really fun.  And then I change my mind when I look at the all the stuff you need to do it!

 I wonder what his wish was!

Before heading out of town for the Fourth, the boys and I hit up Lambs Farm.  This is a summer tradition for us, and this was the first year Declan could really enjoy it.  Lambs Farm has a farmyard, petting area, and a few rides/attractions.  It's low key, local, and easy to keep track of the kids, so that's a win for me.

Riding the carousel.  Gavin loved it, Dec wasn't so sure.

 Brushing the goats and sheep.  Gavin and Declan both enjoyed this activity, although Declan spends most of his time working up the courage to reach out and pet the goats, and by the time he's decided to go for it, the goat has moved on!

 Gavin probably spent a good 15 minutes playing on this old wooden cart that is just sitting out by itself.  It baffles me because there isn't really anything to do on here, but whatever works!

 Dec trying to escape!

 Declan wasn't nearly as interested in the old cart as Gav was, so he and I spent a lot of time visiting with the horses next door.

 Dec especially loved this horse, Hunny.  Here he is trying to give Hunny a kiss!

 My attempt at a "selfie" with Dec.

 We seem to take this pic every year.  This year Gavin specifically asked me to get a pic of him with Paul Bunyan.

 Waiting patiently to start our game of mini-golf.  Mini-golf is included with the package we bought, so I decided to go for it.  It was the first time golfing for both boys.  Declan wasn't into it at all and I carried him the whole course, but Gavin LOVED it.  He played all 18 holes and never once got frustrated (which is huge for a 3-4 year old).  Gav is already talking about going to play golf with Daddy soon!

 Lining up his putt.

 Using the tried and true "drag it to the hole" method.

 Since Gav also likes to play golf on the Wii, I had to quickly remind Gavin that this wasn't that type of golf when he started to wind up into a swing that is normally reserved for a 250 yd shot with a driver!

 I couldn't believe how patient Gavin was.  There was a family of four in front of us so we had to wait on every hole.  Here we are waiting it out at a picnic table.