2013 - Week 39

This week...was back to REALITY. No more vacation and no more secrets. Whew! The week started off pretty normal...complete with soccer pictures and kindergarten applications..WHAT! However, it ended with some sickness that was far from fun.

We got off to a late start Monday, after our late night and airport adventures. The girls were super excited to see us this morning though, which is just beyond heartwarming. Christian decided to just take the day off and stay home. Worked out well, he did some cleaning up, cut the grass, watered the gardens. So, that was a bonus to him being too lazy to get up and going. Meanwhile, I dropped the girls off at school just in time for breakfast, and made my way to work. HOLY MOLY was it a loooong day. But, I toughed it out, and made it through. I did have a bit of excitement today when I realized that Christian and I both won tickets to Sever's over the weekend. Our FAVORITE fall activity...it's fairly expensive, but, luckily, this is my 4th year winning tickets, so that's exciting. Since we both won, we'll be able to share with our friends so they can get in free too, which I love. Yes, the streak continues! After work, I picked up the girls and we made our way home. Christian ran over to visit with his parents for a while, so he arrived home shortly after. We had dinner and just spent the night relaxing.

The animals always miss us when we're gone...

Tuesday was another pretty low key day. Christian was back to work...lazy boy. After work, we were off to soccer...they took their soccer pictures tonight, so they decided to just reschedule practice from last night, and have a short one tonight after pictures. OMG, watching a bunch of kids take "formal" pictures has got to be one of the funniest things I have ever witness in my life. These kids CRACK ME UP. All of the different "smiles" and expressions, the short attention spans, the chaos - it was hilarious, and I loved every minute of it. Of course, Olivia has had a camera shoved in her face every day since about the day she was born, so she was in and out, but it was a blast watching everybody else go. I could never be a professional photographer...it's too funny. After a quick practice, we grabbed some drive-thru for dinner, ate, and spent a little time together before bed. Olivia was so funny tonight, just saying the craziest things, and everything made her laugh like crazy...like full on, toddler belly-laugh. I LOVE nights like that, definitely brings you back to reality after a few days away.

Wednesday was a crazy day. I filled out Olivia's kindergarten application. Yes, KINDERGARTEN! This kid was JUST born, and now we're starting preparations for kindergarten. I almost died. Technically, we're ahead of the game here because we're trying to get her into one of the local magnet schools, but still, CRAZY! The pre-application process ends in November, and we'll hear by mid-January if she's in or not. FINGERS CROSSED! Honestly, I know our attendance area school is just fine, and I'm very happy with our school district as a whole, so I would be OK with her going there, but I'd really love to give her a headstart in the STEM program, so I'm hoping she gets in. Other than that...typical day. Work, school...we played outside for a while after school, dinner, baths, and bedtime. Just another day!

Just a girl and her dog....poor Chuy.

Thursday was kind of a rough day. I wasn't really feeling well all day...nothing too serious, just overall lethargic and crappy. I suffered through the day at work though and got through it. But, we had a quiet night at home. The girls and I did some glittery manicures and I kicked up my feet with some trashy gossip magazines for a while. Christian helped me get dinner ready and we just spent the night watching some TV and relaxing. Between this week and next, pretty much all of the fall shows are going to be starting up, so it's pretty exciting. My HULU queue is filling up fast, that's for sure!

Manicures and Magazines

Friday was DEFINITELY a rough day. I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst stomach cramping, it was horrible. It would come and got every 15-20 minutes or so, and then this horrible pain and cramping would commence for a minute. I got up, got ready and made my way to work, hoping I would feel better as the day went on. But, it just seemed to get worse as the day went on. It didn't matter if I ate, walked, sat, laid down...it was bad. I finally called it a day and went home to rest. I picked up the girls from school and had an episode on the way home...the girls felt so bad and were so worried about me. My little sensitive babies. I spent the night laid up on the couch and did nothing. Christian picked up some dinner on the way home because I was useless. I spent the night on the couch, not doing a whole lot. Not good at all. By the end of the day, I was convinced that I had a touch of the stomach flu I had earlier this year...I was having a lot of the same symptoms, and there wasn't much other explanation for it all. Ugh. I did suffer through a movie with Christian, we watched "Seven Psychopaths" before we crashed. And, I do mean suffered...it was not very good and way too long. Not recommending this one, and it wasn't worth the late night. LOL

Saturday was another tough day. Christian had to work, so it was just me and the girls. I was still feeling pretty bad. Not AS bad, but I definitely wasn't better. But, the show must go on. We were off to soccer...only, it was raining. All day. Our first game in the rain, and it was quite an experience. Olivia did pretty good...as long as they were running and playing, she was OK. Otherwise she was miserable. Of course, half of our team didn't show up, so the kids that were there were stuck playing the entire time. Poor things. They did end the game fairly early, which was a good call.We made our way home, had some lunch, and the girls were off for their naps. Christian came home while they were napping and we just rested and watched some TV for a while. When Olivia woke up from her nap, she started complaining that her ear hurt...just what we need. I was miserable enough, now she wasn't feeling well. Poor thing. We spent the evening watching some movies and relaxing, and she seemed to perk up as the night went on. Christian went to have dinner with a friend, so I caught up on some TV and went to bed fairly early. Hoping for a better day all around tomorrow!

Sunday was a better day indeed. I was not 100%, but WAY better than the last few days. So, I got a ton of cleaning and chores done around the house. Laundry, dishes, sweeping. The usual. Olivia seemed to be doing well, and wasn't complaining about her ear, so that was good. We got them down for a short nap, watched the beginning of the Vikings Game and got ready for the day. First, we were off to meet my BFF Kari and her family at the Apple Orchard. It was an AMAZING day, perfect for a fun fall activity, so that worked out great. She's super pregnant now, and super cute...it was fun getting to catch up for a while. From there, I was off to do our weekly Target shopping quick. Then, Christian was in charge of putting everything away and cleaning up, while the girls and I were off to swim class. Amelia's VERY FIRST class, and Olivia's first Level 2 class. Amelia has such a blast, and was so excited to be in the water. She was pretty angry when class was over and she couldn't go back in the pool. What a life. Olivia was the only kid in her class, so she got a lot of attention, which was great. They spent the class pretty much recapping the basics and making sure she remembered everything from Level 1, and she did great. So fun. After class, we picked up Christian, and stopped as his parents house quick for dinner. His nieces were over, spending the weekend with his parents, so the girls got to play with them for a while and hang out. It was a LONG day, and I was happy to finally get home, kick up my feet and watch a little TV before bed. What a weekend!

With that, another week comes to an end. Hoping no more sickness like that comes around! And, hoping it doesn't pass on to either of the girls now! Here's hoping...

Until next week!

2013 - Week 38

So, the big week finally arrived! The surprise anniversary getaway I'd been planning the last couple of months was finally coming to fruition. YES!

Monday started off COOOOOOOOOOOOOLD! I swear, they still have the air conditioning on at work too, making it that much worse. (I know, 1st world problems, but come on, who wants to sit in a freezing office all day?!?). I did give Christian some hints about our upcoming weekend this morning. I told him not to make any plans this weekend, because we're busy, and that he doesn't work on Friday. I figured, I better make sure he knows that just in case there's anything he NEEDS to get done before the weekend. That left him pretty sufficiently annoyed, and intrigued. I did leave work a tad early to do our weekly grocery shopping, and pick up a few things we needed for the trip. The, the usual Monday routine...soccer, dinner, baths and bed. Luckily it warmed up a tad by soccer, but it was chilly still. Monday nights sure fly by though, that's for sure.

Some Soccer Pics

Tuesday was a busy day at work. I finally feel like I have a good handle on my workload, and don't feel like I'm constantly drowning like I was for so long, so I'm doing my best to really stay ahead of the game. Plus, short weeks (while they tend to drag) always seem so much busier work wise. I finalized the last of our weekend plans for vacation...our friend Sara, that lives across the street, will be keeping an eye on the house for us, my mom is keeping the girls all weekend - and bringing them to soccer Saturday, my father in law is driving us to the airport and picking us up and my in-laws are taking the dog for the weekend. I have all of the carry-on luggage guidelines memorized and in the back of my head, I found out I can pre-check in on Thursday and print our boarding passes, I have our Cubs tickets printed and ready to go and our itinerary finalized. I can't wait! Our evening was pretty standard, we hung out around the house, played in the yard for a bit, had dinner. The usual.

The girls picked me some flowers at school today, and hid them in their cubbies all day long. LOL

Wednesday was another pretty typical day at work. After work, the girls and I were off to my in-laws to meet Christian there for dinner. They asked us to come over, but I had no idea it was a little early anniversary dinner for us, so that was really sweet. My mother in-law made taquitos and a Mexican soup for dinner (I don't eat that, but the taquitos were delish!). The girls played for a while and watched some movies while we hung out and chatted for a bit. She surprised us with a little cake from work, which was OMG so good. Of course, Christian no my in-laws eat sweets, so the girls and I each had a piece...the rest will be going to work tomorrow, or I will devour it all myself. What a fun night!

YUM!

Thursday was a busy, busy day. I finalized everything up at work and got as much done as I could. Then, left early to get my weekend started. I made one last stop at the store for a couple travel size things we needed, then made my way home. I had to do some quick cleaning (dishes, vacuuming and general picking up) because my mom has decided it will be easier to just stay at our house with the girls this weekend. It really is too...now she can keep an eye on the house and all of the animals can just stay there, and be fed regularly. Then, I dug out a couple of carry on suitcases, and started packing. Finally, I picked up the girls and started dinner. When Christian arrived home, still completely in the dark, I directed him to the bedroom to see his "gift" (of course, he's a guy, and things turned dirty for a minute there). He found the suitcases and I think it really started driving him crazy. At this point, I was pretty sure he just thought we were doing "up North" for the weekend or something, so he was still pretty much in the dark. We spent the night packing up, hanging out with the girls for a bit, and finishing up our housework. TOMORROW IS THE DAY!

Friday finally arrived. I was up and showered at my usual time. Once ready, I got the girls up, ready and off to school while Christian showered and got ready. My in-laws picked us up around 8:00 and we were off. He now knew we were heading out on an airplane, so it was all starting to come together. While in line for security, I gave him his boarding pass and he finally knew where we were heading. He seemed successfully surprised, so that was exciting. We made it through security...he REFUSED to follow my direction of taking his ziploc of liquids out of his suitcase, and sure enough, he was pulled off to the side for inspection. Come on man, I did my research! Once we were set free, we grabbed some quick breakfast, and made our way to the gate. Our flight took off at 10:00, as planned, and the flight went off without a hitch. We arrived, made our way through the airport and took the train downtown to the hotel. We were able to check in right away and drop off our stuff. Then, we were off. We walked to the Shedd Aquarium and hung out there until it closed. I couldn't believe how HUGE it was, it was VERY cool. Once we were kicked out, we found a Mexican restaurant within walking distance, had a nice big dinner, and made our way back to the hotel. My feet were KILLING me by this point, so it was a loooooong, painful walk to the hotel, but we made it. We settled in for the night, watched a movie and relaxed. Ahhhh, vacation!

Ready to Go!

Saturday was a busy, fun-filled day. We were up and at em' pretty early. Showered, got ready, and we were on our way. We walked back up to the Museum Field, and caught a water taxi over the Navy Pier. We had lunch, walked around, rode the Ferris Wheel, did a little Window Shopping and relaxed by the fountain across the street for a while. Next up, we caught a taxi to Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs. Braves Game. Our seats were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY at the top, but we were pretty sheltered from the wind up there (it was sunny and nice out, by the wind was very cold, and picking up as the day went on) and we could see everything, so the seats were actually pretty good. And, the Cubs won, so that was pretty exciting! We left the game and walked down to a pizza place down the road - which was delicious. After dinner, we caught a taxi and took it back downtown to a Dueling Pianos bar, Howl at the Moon, that our hotel recommended. We used to LOVE going to see some local Dueling Pianos, so it was fun to do that again. And, they were actually really good. We started getting a little work out and took a quick taxi ride back to the hotel. We were sufficiently exhausted again, and hopped right into bed. Party animals indeed!

Sunday was 1) our actual anniversary, and 2) another busy day, of course. After were showered and got ready for the day, we packed everything up and made our way out. We checked out and were able to check our bags at the hotel for the day. We grabbed a taxi and made our way down to the John Hancock Observatory building. We spent some time in the observatory checking everything out. It's crazy how HUGE the city really is. We picked up a gift for the girls at a gift shop in the building (some My Little Ponies, of course) and grabbed some lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (our official anniversary meal). We took some time and walked back to the hotel after lunch. We walked down Michigan Avenue, so we got to experience the "Magnificent Mile" - though no shopping actually took place. We walked through Millennium Park and took in all of the sculptures and scenery. Finally, we stopped and sat at Buckingham Fountain for a while before calling it a day. I couldn't believe our trip was coming to an end already! Time sure flies. We walked back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and caught the train back to the airport.

Now, throughout the day (starting at about 9:00AM), I started receiving phone calls from the airline that our flight had been changed. Originally, we were leaving at 5:10PM...the time kept going up and down, and we finally decided to just head to the airport at the same time, just to be safe. Still, the time kept changing. We checked with the airline before going through security, and the "host" for our flight happened to be there...he informed us that the plane was having mechanical issues in Minneapolis...just what you want to hear when you are about to board said plane. So, we went through security and made our way to the gate. Throughout the day, our flight time changed EIGHT times. Our 5:10PM flight home ended with us actually boarding around 9:15PM. We each got a free dinner from the airline, but we were pretty miserable. I was exhausted, and I was SO hoping to see my babies before the went to bed. But, we finally made it home, safe and sound, and that was all that mattered at that point. My father in-law picked us up...my mother in-law had relieved my mom from kid duty, so she was there waiting for us. We finally got home around 11:30...I gave the girls each a big hug and kiss before passing out. Work is NOT going to be fun tomorrow, that's for sure!

Nevertheless, it was a great vacation, an awesome break from real life and an anniversary we'll definitely always remember! 6 years, I still can't believe it's been 6 years! Life has definitely changed in those 6 years, that's for sure!

With that, another week comes to a close. A very exciting one indeed! Now, back to real life! But, I sure do love that life, so I'm definitely OK with that.

Until next week!