Happy Easter!

Our Easter weekend consisted of a crazy mad-dash easter egg hunt with Tyler & Ryan and a gazillion of our best friends (our kids weren't totally into it, but it was pretty entertaining to watch), easter egg decorating, a delicious brunch, and much to Isaac & Brooke's delight, the Easter Bunny even found us in Naperville!

 Silly Uncle Kevin

 

 

 

 Easter morning after finding all of the eggs!

Big Bro, Little Sis 

The Cousins...what a crew!



Early March...playing in the snow & Peoria

Our flight to Chicago was delayed due to snow, and a week or two later we got dumped on again! Go figure:) It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but being cooped up in a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 kids and a 100 lb dog is NOT the place to be, let me tell you. So, when a couple days later the sun came out and the blustery winds died down, we went for a hike in the forest preserve a few minutes from where we are staying. So funny though, the kids aren't used to this winter sun, so they immediately cover their eyes with their arms when we walk out the door! It doesn't take them long to request their sunglasses!

 

We went to Peoria to see Gramee, Granddad & Aunt Jenny. It was great to see everyone, but it quite a circus with 3 dogs...we successfully introduced Morris to Bella (Aunt Jenny's doggie, who is the sweetest dog known to mankind) and attempted to reuinite "best buds" Morris & Wrigley, which turned into a mild disaster. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but they certainly didn't pick up where they left off! Maybe next time...

 

 

 

Since the move, we have attempted to keep things as "normal" as possible, but constantly moving back and forth from a 2 bedroom apartment, Nana & Papa's on the weekends, and heading to Peoria makes it feel like we are living out of suitcases. It's tough without a routine, but it could be worse and we feel very fortunate for all of the support we have had from our family. Somewhat surprisingly, the kids have handled it extremely well and have been very adaptable. I think sometimes they actually like to share a bedroom!

What's new with Isaac?
He is obsessed with time...constantly asking things like, "what time is it, how much longer until we get off the highway, how many more minutes until we get there, how much longer until we do something...?" He continues to be very particular - he needs to be able to see the clock when he goes to bed and definitely has an opinion about what to wear. His favorite? The same Seahawks shirt and "cozy pants", and loves his spiderman jammies. He is interested in spelling and likes to read books and frequently asks, "what does that say?" He is starting to really use his imagination when playing; like pretending we are on a boat or a plane, complete with instructions on where we are to sit and what we are supposed to do. He is interested in playing his legos, organizing his toys, says, "love you, see you soon" when you leave, he loves watching Tom & Jerry on the tablet, and last but not least...has been holding "new-bee" in the neckline of his sweatshirt ALMOST everywhere we go. I think he has been his buddy and a sense of comfort for him throughout all of this transition.

What's new with Brooke?
She is quite the mama's girl these days, but also works really hard to keep up with her brother, who she calls "I-o". She sings the alphabet and knows her colors...her favorite is purple. She is starting to talk much more, putting 3-4 words together. She says, "I do" all of the time and copies Isaac. She is still a SUPER picky eater, loves to wear her "owl boots" and her "owl at", and is a snuggler right after her nap. Speaking of nap - we have a very specific routine prior to nap or bedtime. While holding her, I sing the alphabet and then twinkle twinkle little star. Then, she lies down and I repeat the alphabet and twinkle twinkle. She then has to be covered with 2 blankets (pink on top) and have pink bear, panda bear, frosty, and "brown-b" with her head on blue puppy blanket...phew, I think I got that right!



A new chapter

It's so hard to believe that a month has already passed. With a heavy heart, we have said farewell to life as we know it in Washington state, our many friends, and our beloved "Seattle family". While our memories will never be forgotten, we look forward to being closer to family and moving on to new adventures in Chicago...

 

The movers packed up in 2 days...amazing. 

"Nanny Nancy" & her kiddos

The moving truck was all packed up, so we "camped" for our last night in our home.

 Isaac making funny faces in his empty room

 

All packed up and ready for our flight!

 Isaac, Brooke, and I flew back, while Morris accompanied Mike & Bryan for a drive across country. As luck would have it, a snow storm hit Chicago on the day we planned to leave, so we were delayed by 1 day & spent an unexpected night with the Stones prior to really heading out on February 27th. Thank you:) We officially closed on our house February 28, 2013.

 

And the housing search begins again. Stay tuned to find out where we land....

Catching-up

Mid-January

 

We got a little snow and all of us (including big brown) got out to play in it. Isaac & Brooke were climbing on the tower of cedar rounds in the back yard.

 

 Brooke loves "walking" with her balance bike...she hasn't quite gotten the hang of scooting around, but it's only a matter of time. She wants to hop on anytime Isaac is on his scooter. Isaac loves his scooter and shows off his gliding skills across the driveway and rides it all around the neighborhood on family walks. 

Late January

 



 We all headed to Naperville to spend a week with family and check out the area in preparation for our upcoming move to the midwest. Our goal was to try to determine where we would focus our housing search once we made the final move a month later. Wouldn't you know...we timed it perfectly for snow and c-c-c-old! We spent some time walking around on the frozen lake while the Geers-clan showed off their hockey skills on the "rink" that was cleared off, complete with hockey nets! We put our house on the market the day we left, and fortunately we had an offer the next day. When we returned to Woodinville, we had about 3 weeks to take care of some issues on the house and prepare for the movers to come.  

 

Tyler

Brooke posing with her "gasses" and "owl-at"! Love this girl.



 

Early Feb

 

Brooke playing ball with Morris