Thanksgiving at Timber Ridge Lodge

Because of the new baby, 

and our recent busy schedules,

we decided to take a little family time 

for the four of us over Thanksgiving.

We headed up to Timber Ridge Lodge in 

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

It's normally less than two hours away…

but leaving the city during rush hour, 

the day before Thanksgiving, is another story.  

After that drive we were even more excited 

to relax in the countryside.

Our room overlooked a horse pasture. Perfect!

Timber Ridge is part of the
Grand Geneva Resort,

which holds a special place in our hearts as
the place where Mommy & Daddy got engaged.

The indoor water park isn't as impressive as those in
The Dells, or even Key Lime Cove,

but it was perfect for our tiny bathing beauties.

Grand Geneva is a huge operation,
 and offered plenty of activities
 we could have partaken in...

…but hanging poolside was our main agenda.

The rooms at Timber Ridge have
kitchens, fireplaces, big Jacuzzi bathtubs,
balconies and a separate bedroom for Mom and Dad.

On Thanksgiving Day we swam

 and watched the parades on TV
before heading to the main lodge 

for a fantastic buffet lunch.

The lobby was bustling and beautiful, 

it even "snowed" inside.

The buffet took place in a banquet room,
but we had our own small table.

Mommy loved the snow crab legs, lox
 and peel & eat shrimp,

Daddy stuck with cheese, sausages and traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Mila went for seconds (maybe thirds) on the cinnamon rolls. 

Mila has been such a great big sister. 

She loves to kiss and cuddle Willow.

It was relaxing to just spend
family time together, 

without the distractions of home.

Arguably the sweetest part of the trip:

Two sisters all tuckered out,

no sounds except for the fireplace crackling 

and the occasional happy sigh from Mommy

 when she peeks over to check on them.

Track & Field aka "Race Class"

This week Mila finishes her fall track & field class through the Chicago Park District.

She took it at Smith Park last spring and loved it so much we signed her up again. 

For an entire hour Coach Frank keeps kids ages 3-5

running relays and obstacle courses around the gymnasium.

 Mila tries VERY hard. 

She has quite the competitive streak 

and wants to "be the leader" all the time.

Though it reportedly can be tough to get into the Park District classes,

we haven't had a problem. Mila has also taken

art & abc classes, soccer, tap dance, swimming and summer camp through CPD.

 Most classes are a small fraction of the cost you'd find 

in privately run businesses around the city.

 Sometimes you get what you pay for,

(one of Mila's arts & crafts classes was a total bust)

but overall we've been more than happy with her teachers and instruction...

…and especially with what she calls "race class!"

Picture Perfect???

Sometimes I feel guilty of "fake booking" --

 We don't tell lies on Facebook or this blog,

 but obviously life isn't always as perfect as our status'

and our photos may suggest.

Telling the world about the 

bratty, annoying, "Lord, get me out of here"

parts of our day...

…just isn't that exciting, even if they do

often outnumber the beautiful moments.

Here I was trying to get a nice picture of 

the sisters together…

but Mila wouldn't stop singing the Scooby Doo theme song

and Willow looks like she's DESPERATE to escape!

Last month Mila plopped down and pouted for a good 10 minutes

on a walk home after her Track & Field class 

because a 5 year old boy ran faster than her.

A cute little picture of Mila riding a kiddie train??

Kinda hard to get when she refused to open her eyes.

This is the only "smile" she'd give

when Mommy wanted to take 

a picture of her in new "big girl boots."

Over the summer Mila visited her cousins a few times. 

Her sweet cousin Henry put some candy under her pillow 

and said it was from a "Lucky Fairy."

 The above video is Mila sobbing her eyes out

when she came back home and discovered the Lucky Fairy doesn't visit here.

Oh the many joys of parenting!

Cousin Party

Mila just ADORES hanging out with her cousins in Michigan.

She had a riot spending the night at 

Abby, Henry & Johanna's house last Saturday.

When we saw her the next morning, 

she clearly had not missed us one bit--

we could barely get a hug out of her, 

she was so wrapped up in hanging with the kids. 

On Sunday we celebrated with family 

at Josh's 5th birthday party.

It is so wonderful to see the cousins together, 

they really are a great group of funny, strong-willed, adorable kids.

Sweet Willow slept in Aunt Rebecca's arms during the party. 

She was passed around and gushed over 

for much of the weekend--

what a lucky little girl to be loved so much!

Halloween & Kiddie College at Humboldt Park

Mila insisted on being a "scaaaary witch" for Halloween.

She had lots of opportunities to wear her costume,

including the Spooky Skate at Smith Park,

trick-or-treating and parties.

Daddy was a pirate with Willow as his little parrot...

…which she did not like very much.

We went to a great party at our friend's house, the Rileys.

They had crafts for the kiddos, lots of ghoulish decorations

and an awesome Wicked Witch piñata.

Here's some of the food we brought to the party--

we tried to stay healthy since 

candy was EVERYWHERE that week. 

Mila goes to a preschool program through the 

Chicago Park District at Humboldt Park. 

She really loves it--here she is with her friend Francis.

Mommy drops her off at 10am Tuesday thru Thursday, 

and picks her up at noon.

 

The parents were invited to stay and join the party. 

It was adorable to watch Mila interact with her classmates.

The little fireman is named Jack and he puts up with lots of hugs from Mila.

She is definitely a leader (aka a little bossy).

She does NOT like it when the other kids aren't listening. 

Miss Nellie said Mila helps her keep the children in line. 

Mommy was working with Mila on her letter tracing because we saw the worksheets Mila brought home and they weren't just right. When Mommy got a look at the classmate's work she realized maybe she needn't be so hard on Mila as her tracing was by far the most on the mark. 

Yesterday on Mila's worksheet, Miss Nellie put a big star and wrote, "Concentrates all the time".

We are so proud of our sweet little witch!

Growing Girl

Willow has been a wonderful baby. 

She sleeps very well at night--
yesterday she went down around 9pm

 and didn't wake up until almost 5am!

 

She was 9 1/2 weeks at her last doctor's appointment.

She weighed 11lbs 9oz and was 22.5 inches long.

Her stats are all average for her age...

...but this sweet girl ranks far above average with us!

Ahhhh, Atlantis!

We were lucky enough to go to the Bahamas last week for Grandma Lynn's wedding! We stayed at the enormously impressive Atlantis resort and could not have had a better time. All four of us (along with the rest of the group) enjoyed ourselves beyond expectation. Mila keeps saying she wants to do our vacation all over again. Us too!

We didn't take many pictures of the wedding because there was a photographer. We'll be sure to post some good ones from that night once we get them. Here are some photo highlights from our trip:

 Dr. & Mrs. Anthony Pedela

 Celebrating with a big dinner at Luciano's 

after the wedding.

 Mila and Daddy dancing in the hotel lobby.

 We all took a sunset cruise around Paradise Island on a catamaran.

 Mila had her face painted at the Atlantis Kids Adventure

(a little break for Mom and Dad and a lot of fun for her).

 Good times in Marina Village.

 Willow's first dip in the water!

 The ocean was just as clear and warm as the pools.

 Willow loved looking up at all the beautiful scenery.

 Mila was Daddy's Girl for most of the trip.

 Thanks for watching Willow, Grandma Lynn!

 Here's Daddy as he dared take this STEEP plunge down the scariest slide…

Mommy did NOT. 

 Baby girl was so great during the whole trip.

She even slept during all the plane rides. 

 Good thing we brought Mila's Puddle Jumper...

 Grandma Lynn on her wedding day about to open

"Something old, something new, 

something borrowed, something blue".

 The pools and slides at Atlantis are awesome!

 Willow enjoying the view off our balcony.

 So glad Daddy got a waterproof case for his phone!

 The lazy river wasn't so lazy…

there were rapids, waves and slides--the river goes on for nearly a mile!

 About to go down "The Drop" slide in a double tube…gulp!

 "Why do we have to go back to Chicago? Why?"

 The aquarium at Atlantis is beyond compare. 

 Look closely! That is Mommy on a slide 

that goes through a shark tank!

Sandy Vandy rolling around on the shore.

We had such a wonderful time together…

great memories filled with family--old and new, sunshine and seawater…

We miss you already, Atlantis!