Birthday Parties

I have been a little behind on blogging as of late; with the move and so many fun things to blog about, I can't keep up! Here are some photos of some very special birthday parties we have attended in the last few months.

Early in August, we celebrated one of Chris's old college friends, Chris Lussier's, birthday. We had so much fun hanging out and celebrating. William had a blast with all the children. He loves being around people; the more the merrier ;)



Cuties



William had fun playing wiffle ball!



We also celebrated our little niece, Claire's, 2nd birthday in August. It was very special to be there and celebrate, we were lucky to be at her first birthday party too!

The sweet birthday girl showing me the plane flying by.



Birthday Party Kiddos



William going for the piñata, which was beautiful. Good work mama Laura!



Claire with her uncles and Daddy.



This month we also got to celebrate Dane's first Birthday. First birthdays are so special and such an accomplishment for the parents. At least this is what I recall from William's first birthday!

X's & O's for the Birthday BOY!



Having fun with Uncle Matt!



William really enjoyed hanging out with his cousin Claire, or as he likes to call her, Clairie. He really likes her. Sometimes he will say, "Guys, I really like Claire, she's my cousin!"



Cute little girls are too much fun! Allie is a natural with the camera!



She is so stinking cute! Gotta love Cutie little Allie Sue!

Apple Fest

Here are some photos from the Apple Fest in Long Grove a few weekends ago. Chris, William, Pamma, Grandpa, and I all went together. It was yet another gorgeous day! We did not get any apple donuts that day because the line was a little long.



William got to pick out his first pumpkins of the season!



Enjoying some delicious corn.



After the Apple Fest we headed to the country club to watch the Bears Game. We have been enjoying being around so much family, William can literally not get enough of it!

Here is a photo of the crew, not the best photo, I am fading into the light and Pamma is not in it :( Still fun to get a photo of most of the family on gameday.

Top Down

We had a fun garage sale at our new house a couple weekends ago. It was a beautiful Indian summer day, and at one point Grandpa brought his convertible. William could not resist and asked him if he could get a ride as soon as he got to the house. Grandpa was nice and agreed to take William for a ride in the convertible. William was psyched, it was his first ride with the top down.

William doing the "shaka" as usual as they head out for a nice drive.



And they're off...

Fun in the City

Last Friday night, we had some family fun in the city of Chicago. First, we went to the 96th floor in the Hancock building. It was a beautiful day and we got to see a gorgeous Chicago sunset at the top of one of the world's tallest buildings. William liked looking down from so high above the city.





After our skyscraper adventure, we headed to dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Frontera Grill, where we enjoyed a delicious meal together. It was a great night spending time together in our new hometown city.



William was so well behaved yet again at dinner, so he got a scoop of homemade ice cream. Yumm...

Read for the Record

Last week, we had a fun family evening. First, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for William's first time. It was a fundraiser for William's school, Christ Lutheran Preschool. We saw his teachers and he had a blast putting coins in the machines, playing fun games, and collecting tickets for a prize. He got an orange slinky!

Afterwards, we went to Read for the Record at the Ela Library in Lake Zurich. This fun annual activity is designed to get as many kids and parents as possible around the country to read "Llama, Llama, Red Pajama," by Anna Dewdney. He read the book, did a craft, and had goodnight snack. Then, he got to play his favorite thing in the world: cars with some other children.





He got stamped for the "record" ;) He also got an official certificate for attending.

Happy Birthday GG!

"Belt Power"

William loves belts! Daddy and William came up with "Belt Power!" Whenever they wear belts, they both are proud of their Belt Power.

In this photo, he is wearing some new jeans we got for school. They are size 4 but are too big around the waist, though the length is fine. Here he is showing off some much needed Belt Power! You can also see he is in the middle of saying, "Belt Power!"