To Catch You Up...

I just posted a few new pictures of our kids that we took a few weeks ago at the park. That morning we rode our bikes into a neighboring city and had breakfast at a mom & pop restaraunt before we went to the park. It was the first time we'd taken all five of the kids to a restaurant, as Scott and I are still haunted by the memories of how the boys behaved in restaurants as toddlers. We were so surprised at how easy it was! I don't know if it's because we sat in a corner booth so the kids were trapped on either end, or just that girls seem to be SO MUCH easier at this age than boys, but they stayed in their seats, didn't scream or have tantrums, and only spilled 2 glasses of milk. Relatively speaking, it was actually enjoyable! So much so, that we've gone out to eat with them all a couple times since. Some of you may be calling us weanies for living as recluses for the past 2 1/2 years, but those of you who have endured a family meal with us understand. You're probably amazed that we take them out in public at all.

We had a blast in Chicago, and Walk America was a great experience. We had PERFECT weather which allowed us to do a lot of walking around the city and down by the lake. We really stood out from the young and trendy crowd pushing our quad stroller, and I'm pretty sure served as a birth control reminder for some of the horrified onlookers. As soon as we got to the city we met our friends Tommy and Ginger for lunch. From what Scott tells me, they're doing well. I wouldn't know, as this was an "unsuccessful" dining experience with the kids so I didn't get to sit down much. Actually, the kids were great. We were at a bar so the kids were having fun just running around and practicing their "Heely's" (modern day skates), and we were in the middle of potty training so there was always someone who had to "go". I'll never understand the novelty of public restrooms for kids. Yuck. From there we checked into our hotel then walked around for a couple hours. My favorite memory from that afternoon was when Shayla, Ty and I were walking a few yard behind Scott, Cam and the girls. We were admiring some of the great homes in the Gold Coast area and Shayla and I commented on one big, gorgeous house that stood out. Ty, holding my hand, looked up to me and said in his sweetest voice "Mommy, when I marry you we're going to live in that house, and we won't have to go on vacation because we'll already be here." Aaaww. I can't believe I ever get mad at that little angel. He's given me a much prettier picture of what it could be like if he were to live with us as an adult. My previous image included him with long hair, living in our basement watching MTV all day.

More to come in a little while. It's time to get the kids up for school.