2011 Summer Review

It has been a year and a half since I last posted.....I really want to go back and catch up.....but I won't.  I am just going to post a few things from the summer and we will go from there.  I miss blogging and would really like to start it up again ;-)

The first week in May, Steven and I were blessed to be able to go back to Punta Canta again.  He worked very hard last year and was rewarded for his hard work.  My FIL has cancer and was just preparing for his first chemo treatment so a good friend of ours offered to watch Emmaline for us while we were gone. Here we are with Steven's boss and his wife as we are waiting to get on the airplane to come home.  It was an incredible trip. 

 Due to the 15 snow days that Emmaline had, she did not get out of school until June 3rd.  We decided that she would just come to work with me for the summer.  I have to say, I loved having her here with me. She played, watched movies and did some "summer schoolwork".  She figured out You Tube and became an addict to Strawberry Shortcake and The Berenstain Bears. ;-)

We decided to just spend the summer at home and not go on a big family vacation.  So we splurged and got season passes to our local amusement park which also has a water park.  It was some of the best money we have spent!  We all loved it and a lot of our friends (and some family) also had passes, so we were able to enjoy going with friends.  They have a great lazy river and I am still hearing it call my name.......Ahhhhhhh......

My parents moved to a suburb of Chicago and were finally able to get into their new home the end of June.  We decided we needed to go see them for a long weekend and check out their new house.  Emmaline was so excited to see where her Mimi and Papa lived.

It was rainy and hot the first couple of days, but we managed to find plenty to keep us occupied and Emmaline happy. They have a wonderful place for kids called The Treehouse.  I really wish we had one here at home.  It is a great place for kids to play, they have lots of comfy furniture for the adults to sit on and plenty of tables and chairs so you can sit and eat some of their delicious sandwiches, salads or wraps.  It isn't expensive - $10.00 per child and there is no time limit. The food prices are incredibly reasonable too. 

We also managed to hit the local festival in my parents small community.  

She was smiling here.....but once she realized how high up she got - and that it would stop, she was not smiling by the time she got off.

 



Yet this one did not phase her and she would have gone on it again......and again.....and again!





See.........I was on this trip ;-)



We did spend one full day in Chicago and took Emmaline to the Science and Industry Museum.  I'm still not sure who had more fun.....Emmaline or her Daddy.  



When I first saw the building I thought "Wow, that's fairly small.  This shouldn't take too long."  WRONG!!!







Papa helped Emmaline understand how her toy was being made.  This section of the museum was right up his alley!

 

See........told you he was having a good time ;-)



 We ended the day by walking around Navy Pier and getting Emmaline some Garrett's Popcorn.  She LOVES their "cheesy" popcorn. 

We had some awesome food while we were there, great company and lots of good times! 

A Beautiful day for a Wedding - Part 2

After the wedding we went outside to take some pictures and wouldn't you know the wind picked up, the rain started and the temps dropped.  But we were all so happy, so we smiled and said cheese!!! 

Now it was time for the reception.....

The wedding cake...

After the bride and groom were done taking pictures up at the chapel I went outside to get a picture of them coming into the reception.  I found Emmaline and Sophie outside waiting for them also....

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.  I shows how well they got along so quickly.  I so wish we lived closer so they could see each other more often.

My parents :-)

My dad and his sister, two of my favorite people.

Caroline and her Nana.  I grew up calling her "Auntie Ruth" even though is actually no relation to me.  She is a wonderful woman and I have been very blessed to have known her.

All the little girls enjoying a snack of prawn crackers and lemon bitters.  Hettie, as the oldest, was taking care of everyone.  Emmaline had run out of her lemon bitters, so Hettie would go up to the bar, get some more and pour it into her glass.  It was soooo sweet!!!

Me with my beautiful cousin Caroline.

The girls sitting outside coloring while the party was going on inside.

Time to cut the cake :-)

The music started up as the sun went down and the girls had their own little dance party outside.

Daniel and Elizabeth dancing.

Elaine was determined to dance with her husband....so she did.  My dad had to take pictures because I was busy crying. 

Emmaline had to come in and get in on the action. 

I had never seen her dance so much...not even in dance class.

One last piture of the night.

A Beautiful day for a Wedding - Part 1

The main reason for our trip had arrived.  It was wedding day!!!  The wedding was at 12:30 and we had to drive to Mt. Tamborine so we got up and got busy getting ready.  It was raining again, but we were all in a great mood.  It was going to be a wonderful beautiful day!

The clouds rolling in over the mountains...

We stopped before we got there to get a bite to eat and a "spot of tea" at a little cafe.

We were waiting for our food and who should walk in....Daniel and his groomsmen!!!  He looked soooo handsome in his tux. 

We snuck a few minutes to take the opportunity to have some pics taken of just the two of us with the beautiful rainforest behind us.

The grooms parents, my aunt and uncle, looking pretty spiffy!

Daniel with his Mum.

Ross, Abbey, Elise, Sofia and Elaine

There is a story behind this picture....

When I got married, Daniel was only 12.  He was not happy wearing a tux and told everyone he was going to take it off.  He was sent up to talk to me.  At that stage in his life, he was shorter than me (obviously, he outgrew that!), anyway, I was talking to him, explaining that he WAS going to wear his little tux and he WAS going to be happy about it!  I bent over and was holding his little tie and the photographer snapped a picture.  It just looked like I was straightening his tie.  It became one of my favorite pictures from that day ;-) 

So the family thought that I should once again "straighten" his tie.  He and I had a hard time doing this without laughing, because I had a hard time reaching his tie :-)

Checking the minister's watch to see how much time till the bride was to show up....

Here comes Caroline.  She looked gorgeous!!!

Elizabeth was a beautiful bride!

Saying their "I do's"

It's official!

Sofia, Emmaline and Hettie (Elizabeths's little sister) trying to figure out the bubbles

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Leggatt!