the Second City {our 2nd visit}

We returned to Chicago again {a last minute visit}.

Uncle Joel and Aunt Brigitta came to Illinois for a bitter-sweet celebration: the life of Captain Thomas Heitmann. He was Joel's best friend. a Marine. a helicopter pilot. a brother. a son. an uncle. some one who will be dearly missed. {we did not go to the funeral; but we did see pictures.} it brought tears to my eyes. many tears. all flags flew at half-mast in the state. school children lined the streets waving flags. to honor him. to honor his sacrifice. so i can have freedom.

then we met in the big city.

the zoo is free. enough stuff to do for a whole day.

we went to the farm area.... we're kinda country like that!

she was equal to the weight of two chickens!

rode the train.

rode some hippos.

looked at giraffes.

smiled for the camera {this is rare}

all right in the heart of the city!

then we went to Navy Pier.

being in-laws is always the most fun.

we walked the streets of chicago {grandad and nana came too}.

took a boat tour.

some of us took a nap.

and had fun... but don't be confused.
if you think these kids look more like
my brother and his wife,
you're not the first to think that!

Fun places, silly faces!

We took a lot of picnics this summer to nearby parks. It was lots of fun {and because we no longer live at the Ranch, we have no dining hall entertainment} therefore, we needed to come up with our own meal time gig, the park was sufficient!

this was the favored park, you can see why!

always fun to show off the food in your mouth!

this sweet girl spent a lot
of time observing from here!

We're in to silly faces these days... I guess that happens at about 3.5 years of age... it makes taking pictures very very hard and is just annoying FUN!

We also like to dress our self, which is a big help {and she gets to choose every other day}, so if you see us out and about and she is wearing eight different shades of pink from head to toe... just know it was HER and not me ;-)

I do permit costume wearing outside
the house, as long as they don't
 interfere with seat belts
{this one did not meet that standard}
 But it sure is cute!
{Thanks Grandma Heimer}

This guy also LOVES to laugh and make silly faces, most of his requests these days involve taking pictures of things... he poses or finds something he likes and he says, take a picture!

his scowl reminds me of his daddy!

we're giving him long hair... at least for a while!

this was his costume of choice,
he loves to attack everyone with the alligator head!

This sweet girl gives of lots of fun faces. Mostly all smiles these days!

this is her chubby cheeks picture!

what we've done

I'm playing catch up right now, so when I do my blog book this year I will have all the other random things we've done documented... so for all those readers out there {I know who you are} this is a wonderful reflection of my inability to be consistent...

at Wonderlab

the best water works table

a little to nervous to put her face on it, just stick with the feet!



the dinosaur that will "eat me" - Pierce



golf ball maze, a favorite

A little bit of IU Law School!



future student, sitting at her daddy's desk
{the creepy pic is of a past professor}


























gazebo on campus or a castle to the kids!



the stain glass is gorgeous in the background

Justin's fellow brotherhood

The house of Pi...
I'll send this pic for her RIF legacy letter some day;-)

waiting, waiting, waiting................

5 o'clock!

And Nana came!

Since beginning Law School, Nana Dee has come to visit every six weeks! It makes the weeks more fun, bed time less stressful, and we eat out {we're on a student budget right now.... imagine that... with 3 kids}, so Granddad Ken sends Nana with instructions to eat at all the fun places... and that we do!

Pierce, our future pilot!

 We went to the Children's Museum in Indy, again, ridiculously cool! Here is the Egypt exhibit, the first time we've been in it since going. You take a simulated airplane ride and land, then when you "get off" you are inside a market place, you see the Nile River, ride in a taxi, its all quite amazing!

on the sphinx

driving Nana in the taxi

riding a crocodile




and then there's the race car

























of course we needed some souvenirs
from the museum store,
and Pierce chose dinosaurs...
they are what he is into right now!



























We went to a local winery {Oliver Winery}, it was amazing! They had a store where you could buy sandwich stuff, and then walk around on their manicured lawns with a lake! It was lots of fun, and it was the first time Pierce said, "mom, its like the Ranch" {this is where I teared up a little}. It indeed was  {of course minus the wine}. But this little boy played for hours wandering around the trails, throwing rocks in the lake, and feeding the fish!

this is what our pics look like now..
no one actually wants to look at the camera!

he is SOOO happy right now!

we ate a picnic on the dock!

fed the fish... they were huge!

Ran... A LOT!

admired the giant frog!

And bought a case of wine!

Okay, now I'm not a wine expert, but this winery makes their own Blackberry wine, and I don't think I have ever had anything like it! It was amazing! So, if your a wine person and have a few bucks to shell out I would recommend looking up www.oliverwinery.com and ordering a bottle. You WILL NOT be disappointed!

we went shopping...
rides were a reward for good shopping in the store!

Thank you Nana for a great week! We couldn't do many of the fun things with out you! Can't wait to see you again!