a break from vacation posts...

While my gorgeous Kid3 (he's usually a lovely and helpful boy by the way…) was doing THIS...

His sister, Kid4 and her best friend were doing THIS….

AND…. Max was doing this….

So I did a lot of cleaning this weekend… WOW… next time Im going to make sure I ask him to stay AWAKE when he babysits! MY GOODNESS! :(

Saturday...

Have a GREAT Saturday

We're headed to the zoo!!

PERFECTION!

Here I am just chillin' with Vincent! I LOVED the art museum! I have so much more to tell you about it… but Kid3 and I have been working in the yard and Im exhausted. I'll write more tomorrow. Seeing these paintings in person was a life long dream of mine. There was one piece in particular that was I have dreamed of seeing in person all of my life. It was literally a dream come true. I could have stayed all day… Kid4 found it a little boring though. I would have loved it even at 6. What a perfect way to spend a day…. the Art museum in Chicago… PERFECTION!

hard to find the right words...

*ASTOUNDING*

*SUPERB*

*STUPEFYING*

*PHENOMENAL*

*REMARKABLE*

The field museum is truly nothing less than mind-blowing. I really can't put This amazing place into words. I could have spent all day there easily, maybe all week. I hate to admit it but I was so exhausted that I barely saw any of it. I probably saw half and even then I paid attention to maybe a quarter. It was the first thing we did when we got to Chicago after traveling for two sleep deprived days. Kid4 soaked it all up running behind my parents, learning everything she could. I was just happy to soak in my Dad and see his face. I adore my dad, have I mentioned that before? At one point I sat for a minute and before I knew my dad was shaking me awake, I have no idea how long I slept in a cozy chair among fossils and tourists… I was too tired to care. I wanted to take in every single bone, every single animal and fact but I was just too tired.

eating on trains with girls...

Breakfast on the train with this little cutie was absolutely perfect. The conductor walked around and announced breakfast at 6 am and she was ON IT. She said it was a MUST do. She was up and ready. She decided the night before that we NEEDED breakfast in the dining car… we sat with a man who was traveling and was thrilled to sit with a 6 year old and her mom. He asked us about our travels and our plans. She drank juice from a wine glass, the food was FANTASTIC! We had such lovely conversation. We watched the sun rise in the observation car, we hugged each other and waited anxiously for our arrival in Chicago! She was excited to see my parents, meet her new doll Kanaani at the American Girl doll store and experience the museums that awaited us there. I more than anything wanted a nap, but also anxiously awaited our Chicago adventures!

D.C.

Let's get a few things straight; when you ride the train, Washington D.C. IS on the way to Chicago! AND the Capital building IS NOT the White house! This needed to be clarified for Kid4 and I. Yes, Im embarrassed, but I was confused for a second too! I didn't think it was and she kept saying "it's the white house…… right?" I led her astray… I did correct her, don't worry.

I was exhausted! If it wasn't for this breathtaking girl I would have sat in the train station for the whole SIX hour lay over and never even taken a look outside. I DID NOT want to carry our bags another inch. Once she talked me into it, it was worth the heavy lugging, aching arms and throbbing head for the view and her face. She was thrilled. She filled me with facts about D.C. She was enamored with the thought of being SO close to the Obamas, her favorite first family. She was thrilled to be near the "ancestors of Abraham Lincoln". D.C was thrilling to my little birdie pie, which made it thrilling to me too!

She was in love with the idea of being near the capital. She begged to go to the capital and knock on the door…. I declined. it was REALLY far, and I didn't see us being able to tour it with ALL our bags! Not to mention my arms were literally about to fall off!

The train station was SO busy. She had pizza and I tied her to me and took a little nap. The train station in D.C. was like a mall. There was so much to do and I couldn't do a single thing. I was exhausted, my bags weighed 5,000 pounds and I felt like I hadn't slept in days. I rested and she ate… we had the time of our lives, enjoyed our time together and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it. It was wonderful.

amazing Chicago, memories to cherish

This picture pretty much sums up our trip but I will tell you more, MUCH MUCH more!

1. I packed too much

2. We used most of it

3. we were very comfortable

4. our stuff was VERY HEAVY

5. Kid4 was helpful but not as strong as I had hoped

6. we shopped and brought home more if you can believe it

7. I would do it again in a heartbeat

8. time with my goosey pie was heaven on earth

9. waking up on the train was not heaven

10. Chicago, museums, art, shopping, and Kid4 was amazing.

another birthday thought..

my mind races as you keep turning seventeen today….

I woke up and your STILL seventeen today.

When the Dr. handed me beautiful you he never mentioned that you would one day turn seventeen, he never said that you would grow up. I don't know why they leave all those details out? Seventeen feels so old to me. I haven't seen you yet today, you went out to breakfast with Weezy this morning and I just know when I see you I'll melt inside. I know I ask myself all the time; "how did you get so_____" but this time it's different….. I can't put it into words. Maybe it's because at seventeen I was married, settled down in to my life and I am thankful you are still mine, I am so thankful that you are still growing, changing, free to be you, free to grow and be a teenager, free to make choices and free to get to know yourself still.

Im so proud of you, I know I don't tell you enough how amazing you are. Your so beautiful, I know I don't tell you enough how breathtaking you are to me and always have been. You are so brilliant, I know I haven't told you that you are brilliant like I should have. Please know that you are all these things and more! Please remember that you are exceptional my seventeen year old girl, please never forget that no one compares to you. Please remember that I am so thankful that you are mine and even when I am frustrated you are second to none! I love you MISS SEVENTEEN!

Happy Birthday my first baby girl…. how is 17 possible?

Dear amazing beautiful SEVENTEEN year old girl,

OH MY! OH MY! How can you be seventeen? I distinctly remember the very second you were born. I plainly remember the very minute you were placed into my waiting arms. I can see your little face as we waited for the Dr. to say "it's a girl". You were our one and only surprise! We wanted you to be a surprise, we didn't care if you were a boy or a girl and your dad knew all along you were a girl! The Dr. covered your privates and made us guess…. I was dying! I secretly hoped for a girl, I wanted to drown you in pink… I wanted to buy an ocean of everything pink and swim in it forever and I did.

You were born running. You were born successful. You were born an amazing going somewhere girl and you have been nothing less than perfect. I want you to remember to never change a thing. I want you to remember than when you feel like you should sway with the winds to stand tall my beauty. I want to remember that when you are asked to conform to the worlds standards to look deep into your own heart and soul and follow your rhythm, follow what your heart knows it wants. When the tide pulls you out to swim against it; your strong enough. Be yourself. I have always loved who you are.

Be genuine.

Happy Birthday dear first girl. Happy birthday to the girl who made me fall in love with pink. Happy birthday to the one who showed me how to be strong, to the one who showed me how to be independent. Happy birthday to the strongest girl I know. Happy birthday to the most amazing, most impressive, most independent girl in the world.

YOU are beautiful, YOU take my breath away. I can't believe your mine. Thank you for being my daughter, thank you for loving me everyday. Thank you for being YOU!

Happy seventeenth birthday my daughter.

I'll love you forever.

Momma

dinner for 4 please?

My birdie pie and I stopped in D.C. on our way to Chicago and although it was an absolute NIGHTMARE (or "nightmarer" as kid4 likes to call it) to haul our bags around it was worth the look on her face when she saw the capital building.

As she walked out of the train station there is stood right in front of us and although she thought it was the white house at first, she was in awe. She dropped her bags and screamed in excitement. She was totally overcome with excitement. Kid4 knew more facts about Washington D.C. than I could ever have imagined… she begged to at least try to visit the Obama's. She just wanted to at least "give them a call" and just "ask if they might want to have dinner". You know because I always call Michelle when I go to Washington :/

Lovely exhaustion is the best way to describe this day with Kid4 in Washington D.C.