My dad called us Friday night to let us know he just received four tickets to a Sox game.  He wanted to know if he could take the boys and me.  I hate making quick decisions, but I had no choice, so I said yes.  I knew D would have a blast.  N isn't really into baseball, but I would promise him snacks.    We had a good time.  D enjoyed it.  I couldn't believe how well he paid attention.  He always knew what was going on.  He is NOT that way at home!!  And N got his promised snacks.  They had peanuts, cracker jacks, and a brat.  There were some kids sitting across from us.  They looked maybe 12 or so.  They were back and forth with food every inning, it seemed.  I don't know how they didn't throw up.  My guess is that they had season tickets, because they seemed very comfortable there.  They never told their dad when they left.  They had their own money.  Back and forth.  It was crazy. 

We were in the 5th row in right field.  A foul ball came right by us, and the guy across the isle got it.  We made it on tv!  My hubby saved it on DVR, so when we got home we saw it.  And the two little ones were so tickled to see mommy on the TV.  hehe....

And since I can rarely post anything without a picture, here is D, grandpa, and N: 

I forgot to get a pic of the boys in front of the field.  Oh well...

Oh, and by the way, GO CUBS! 

We had a great time at the Creation Museum.  The first part of it was mostly for adults, but once we got to the Garden of Eden, the kids really enjoyed it.  Here is my goofball, N:

And here they all are reading a sign (exciting, I know).  In the background, right at the brim of my hubby's hat, you can see Adam:

Here is a sad picture.  It is of the people you didn't believe Noah.  As one lady at the Museum said, "Now they believe."

They had so many neat facts there about how the earth is only thousands of years old and not millions and how it can be proven and how scientists know that they are wrong but because they don't want to explain things using God, they only have evolution. 

I have been looking forward to going to the Creation Museum for a long while now.  I was so excited when it finally opened this year, and have been patiently waiting for a good time to go.  Now was just perfect!  We had just started our history program, which starts at the very begining.  So we just learned about Adam and Eve and were starting to move towards Noah.  The museum stops when they get to the flood because the point of it is to prove the earth was made only 6000 years ago. 

They did a really good job of showing the fall.  They had this which shows the agony on their faces over the first blood sacrifice:

And then after that they had a black and white hall with pictures of things like a toddler with some sort of bumps all over him and a woman in childbirth and a cemetery of soldiers.  It was sad to see what sin causes. 

On the way out to CA, we stopped for a bunch of letterboxes.  Those were fun, and it was nice to get out of the car regularly.  In total, we found about 7 or so, and didn't find 3, I think.  N found the first one:

And the second one:

For the third one, there were two possible places it could have been.  We split the boys up and sent N to the wrong spot, and D to the right spot.  Poor D really wanted to find one, and N is just too clever.  We let Princess C find some, too. 

Most of these boxes were in really pretty spots.  I wanted to spend more time in these areas, but we were on a mission.  California or bust. 

I hear rumors that I have been missed.  Yippee!!  Somebody loves me!! 

We had such a wonderful time.  I hadn't seen my brother and his family since Christmas and this was only the third time I was able to see Baby A who is now a year and a half.  We stayed at their house which is a million dollar mansion... well... maybe not mansion..... but he lives in the San Fransisco area and the house down the street from him sold for just over a million.  It just blows my  mind.  I can't figure out how people live out there.  They have million dollar homes, fancy cars, dress the latest styles, their kids have all the latest gadgets.  Oh, by the way, my brother is a youth pastor out there and lives in the churches' house.  He's not one of those rich (in debt) people.  And the groceries!!  They spend almost as much as we spend on our family of 7, and they have a family of 3.  I cannot believe how much the groceries are.  I can't complain about the gas, because it is actually more here....

I can't post pictures yet.  My mom's router isn't working and she has the land line upstairs on her computer, so I can't get on my computer.  Hopefully it will be up and working soon.  I have about 500 picuters to post!! HA!  The rest of the trip was not near as bad as that first day.  Baby B watched Signing Time practically every waking hour.  Everyone over 6 yo is sick of it now.  Although, there were times when even my 5 yo complained, "Not Signing Time again?!?!?" 

I tried keeping up with most of your blogs, but you guys just blog too much.    We left my brother's house on Sunday and spent 4 days in Yosemite and then 4 days driving home, so that's over a week of  blogs I have to catch up on!!  Oh my.  And me without a computer....

It is so warm here.  I set up the pool yesterday, so we will probably spend alot of time in there today.  So much for catching up with the blogs. 

Adios!!

On a whim, we decided to go to the Shedd Aquarium.  My hubby was off Monday, and it was discount day.  The special exhibit they currently have is Lizards and the Komodo King.  Awhile ago, we won a free e-book about komodo dragons by Melissa that the kids really enjoyed.  That got them really interested in the komodo dragon. 

(D has such a goofy look on his face... not quite sure why)

Did you see the claws on that thing??

Princess C was really fascinated by the dolphin show (which in my opinion was extremely boring).

(she is so funny!)

If you want to see more pictures, visit my mom's blog, Abiga51. 

My mom is back from Poland!  Yippee!  She will be posting pictures of her trip really soon. 

For my daughter's birthday we went to the Exploration Station in Kankakee.  (This was a month ago, but I am just now getting around to posting about it.)  We went with my mil, sil, and her 5 kids.  I asked my hubby, "Do you ever feel like a mormon?"  Here he is, walking in with three women and 9 kids. 

The kids had a blast.  D is almost too old for the place, but not quite.  Here are some pics.

For my birthday (the day after) we went to The Morton Arboretum.  We had a nice time.  The kids behaved wonderfully.  Baby B sat nicely in the stroller and the older kids obeyed.  It was amazing.  Here are some pictures:

There is a contest going on over at HsKubes Homeschool Haven.  The people who visited the most and least states wins.  Click on the link below to create your own.

create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

Last year we drove out to CA.  That's how most of those western states got colored in.  We did stop in most of the states to do something, though.  In Missouri there was a Precious Moments chapel.  That was neat.  In Oklahoma, we stopped to see the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing.  That was sad.  In Texas we saw lots of cows.  It is unbelievable how many cows they can sqeeze into those pens.  New Mexico was the best state.  There, in Tucumcari, we found the BEST mexican restaraunt - El Toro.  I have been wanting to go back ever since.  When my brother was moving out to CA, I told them to make sure they stopped there.  Boy, were they glad they did!  There was also a dinosaur museum we stopped at right before we ate.  It was nice because we were the only ones there.  In Arizona, there was the Petrified Forest and of course, The Grand Canyon.  If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, make a point to go.  It is breathtaking.  Once in CA, we did alot.  Lego Land, Sea World, the beach...We stayed at Camp Pendleton with my hubby's friends for a week.  On the way home, we didn't do as much as we had planned.  I was starting to get sick (I had found out I was pregnant shortly before the trip).  We did stop overnight in Vegas.  My hubby loves poker, so he got to play a little.  After that, I think we pretty much just pushed home.  I got really sick in Vegas and coudn't wait to be home again. 

Maine and was filled in because my mom, brother and I (pre-family) took a trip up there to go river rafting!  I just had to put that in.  Fun stuff! 

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here.  Gotta eat breakfast!

I forgot that after we saw the waterfall, we went to Manitou Springs.  ( for part one, click here.  To start at day one, click here.)  I wasn't sure what we would do there, but there was supposed to be little shops and restaurants.  There was also 7, I think, different springs feeding out of Manitou Springs - ah, there is meaning to names.  When we got to the town, the shops didn't look all that neat.  And the restaurants not that inviting.  And the first two springs we went to, weren't, well, springing... hehe.... The third spring was running.  I was so excited.  I filled my water bottle, to a slug, and ECH!  Tried not to make a scene.  Boy was it GROSS.  So, being the loving wife that I am, I went back to my hubby and said here, this one was working.  He took a big drink and he didn't care if he made a scene.  He spit it all out.  HEHEHHEHE.....   After that we left the town and headed back to Woodland Park.  There was a restaurant there that I had wanted to try out.  I had a hankering for ribs.  They were ok.  Now, I believe, that is the end of day #5......

In the morning, me and Abiga51 took the kids out to play in the snow.  They had a blast!  Especially Princess C.  This was the first time she was out in the snow.  She didn't do much but walk around, but she would not stop walking around!  She sure wore me out! 

The snow was so sparkly and bright white.  The boys searched for deer scat.  They found it... it looks like coffee beans... hmm..... 

We finally ventured out and about on day #5 of vacation.  We went to a Ghost Town, "frozen in time, and preserved indoors".  There was a piano that played all by itself, and my 4 yo was SO EXCITED!  Can you tell? 

They had alot of old time things.... buggies, newspapers, irons, washing machines.....

We enjoyed it.  After that, we wanted to go see Seven Falls.  It was supposed to be spectacular.  When we got to the entrance, the lady told us that most of the falls were frozen, it was a short walk to see them, and it was about 15 degrees colder there.  We didn't want to take the babies out in the freezing cold, so we decided not to go, but the lady was really nice and told us about a different set of falls nearby that were free, and you could pull right up to them in your car.  So we went there.  They were mostly frozen too, but that was neat to see.  Not too many people can say that they have seen frozen waterfalls. 

My brother and his family finally made it to the cabin.  They were a day late because of all the snow that they had to drive through.  Also, this was there first car trip with a baby, and my brother did not account for all the stops they had to make for nursing, and crying, and diapering, and such. 

My hubby and I had went to town to get some groceries.  Just as we were heading back to the cabin, it started to snow.  Thankfully, we all made it to the cabin before it got bad.  It doesn't take much to make the tiny, windy, dirt road slick. 

My brother was so anxious to get in the hot tub.  I, myself, was rather scared.  It was cold outside!  How could it possibly be worth it?  Well, I dared to do it, and boy, was it NICE!  It was chilly getting in, but the water was so warm, it made up for it right away.  And it was so pretty sitting there, watching it snow.... and I don't like snow. Mountain snow is so much more beautiful than Chicago snow! 

Here is my brother in the hottub. 

Click here to start with day #1.

Yeah!  We finally reached Colorado on day #3!

We didn't get to see any mountains until we reached Denver.  I drove through Denver, and it was stressful!  All those curves!  Lots and lots of cars, but no trucks, which is odd to us.  Where we live, there are mostly semis driving on the highway.  When we got just outside of Denver, I exited so that I could relax and let my hubby drive.  Here is the view from the Walgreen's parking lot:

How strange to do your shopping and see mountains!  Do you know what I get to see when I do my shopping?  Bleckyness.  (a word found only in the dictionaries of Illinois.. hehehe)

My mom and grandma had reached the cabin about an hour before we did.  Boy was my mom glad to see us!   She was so excited, she was jumping around and grabbing me and shaking me!  She was yelling about the cabin being so beautiful and how she would finally have someone to talk to that could hear her!  hehehe....  Here is a picture of the beautiful kitchen I got to use: 

Here is the view from the deck:

To see more pictures of the cabin, click here. 

Me and hubby left the kids with my mom and grandma and went out to eat at a mexican restaraunt, yummy.  We were expecting my brother and his family to get there that day, but because of lots of snow, and traveling for the first time with their baby, they didn't make it in until day #4.......

Click here to start at day 1. 

Our second day of vacation was spent, well, driving.  The boys played with their leapsters and worked on the notebooks.  I copied pages of the states we planned on going through.  They were from Highlights.  They had all sorts of information about the state.  We learned all the capitals of the states that we drove through.  We also had some fun playing Dora's car bingo, printed out from NickJR.com  I also put in some info on St. Patricks day in my oldest's notebook, along with some detailed info on wolves.  My 4 yo only got coloring pages. 

Princess C spent most of her time playing with her foot. 

We would put on some videos for them to watch.  My daugher's favorite was her Signing Time DVD.  I am going to get her another one in her Easter basket.  All the kids love learning the signs. 

In the afternoon, my mom had called to let us know that there were a whole lot of cranes a couple hours west of us.  (Her and my grandma had left about 10 hours before we did).  The reception was bad and I thought she meant contruction cranes.  I was thinking, "You are wasting my roaming charges to tell me that??"  Then I realized she meant birds.  I still didn't think it was a big deal.  As we were driving, we kept making fun of all the birds we were supposedly going to see.  (sorry mom)  Right around sunset, I looked in the sky and saw an enourmous amount of birds.  It was crazy!  I didn't get any pictures, but here are some my mom got.

Apparently, from York, NE on westward for few miles, every year about this time, the cranes migrate over.  It is a huge event.  People come from all over to see it.  I wish I could have seen it daylight. 

  Day # 3....

We had planned on leaving for vacation the 9th after my husband got home from work - so around 4.  Well, the night before, my husband had to run to the store to buy a clam shell roof top carrier.  We had a soft one - cloth? vinyl? - but our stupid cat peed on it.  He doesn't like change, and he must have sensed that we were leaving.  Before we left, we needed to put the thing on our car.  Oh, what an ordeal that was!  It took us 3 hours to put it on!  First we didn't have the right drill bit, then we thought we broke the roof  rack.  Finally, it was all on, we were packed and starving and out the door we went.  We drove about 3 hours and stopped when we reached Iowa. 

Here are some pics of the kids in the car.

The adventure did not end when we got to the hotel. We arrived around 10 pm.  We unloaded the kids and the bags and headed in.  Princess C was scared because she was in a new place.  She would not sleep in her bed.  So she sat in bed with us watching tv (she has never been interested in tv before this).  Baby B didn't realize that it was bedtime.  He was awake and wanting to play.  Around 12:45 my husband fell asleep and C followed shortly.  I was awake walking around with baby B until 1:30.  He was up again at 2 ready to eat, and again around 5.  And then, of course, about 7 AM the older boys woke up.  Boy was I tired.  And that starts day #2.......

Oh boy did we have a wonderful time!  I so want to move to Colorado!  Or any place other than here, really.  We got home last night about midnight.  Today was spent cleaning and doing plumbing.  Our house was a filthy mess from the 4 cats and 1 dog having free roam of the house.  Hair everywhere.  Gross.  And then we noticed that the sink was leaking.  From somewhere.  Who knows where.  My husband took apart the faucet, couldn't get it back together and then lost a piece.  Oh brother.  Now we have no water in the kitchen.  We ordered a pizza, he went off to bowling, and I went back to cleaning.  Oh the joys of vacation.  It really makes you hate your real life. 

I can't wait to tell you about the trip, but not right now.  Prison Break is finally a new episode!  And then 24!  My favorite!  I will leave you with this...