#77. Fun Fall Part 1: School, Camping, & the Park

As many know, we had quite the busy fall!  Little did we know a few months ago that we would be buying, selling, and moving into a new house before Thanksgiving!  Despite the chaos created throughout that process, we managed to have a healthy dose of fun fall moments.  The next couple (to keep them each on the 'shorter' end!) of blog posts will display some of the highlights.

Cheers to a great summer but it's time for some fall fun!!

Before fall officially began, the twins commenced their 15+ years of schooling when they started preschool at St. Matthias Elementary School in Chicago (despite our move, the twins will still attend for the remainder of the school year).

Wait, these two are 'school aged' already?!?

'Looking forward' to a great year!!  (I wasn't there for the first day send off, but I'm dying to know what they were actually thinking in this photo.)  

Of course...both Clare and Luke are already showing signs of being honor students!

In September, we took our annual fall camping trip.  This year, we visited Harrington Beach (and, boy, would we need that beach!) State Park in Wisconsin.

This year, they helped set up the tent!!

In our two attempts at family camping trips this far, we have managed to select weekends where the weather did not cooperate AT ALL!  Last year, it was a rainy weekend...  

...which made us ponder if there would be a 'this year'!

This year was HOT (95 degrees to be exact), making fun at the beach near our campsite... 

...and relief in the water of Lake Michigan helped us survive this year's adventure!

All that summer time at Foster Avenue Beach paid off...Clare & Luke felt right at home on the beach!

Trips to the bathroom (sans diapers) were more interesting this year.

Many ended in failed attempts (don't know many adults who like pit toilets...try being a 3-year old shorty!!)...

...while this guy just decided to do his business in public!

As is usual on our camping trips, there was plenty of food.

Whether it was pb&j...

...or tacos, these two filled up!!

Papa ran a marshmallow roasting clinic...

...and Clare took over from there!

Yummy, yummy...these two novice S'more makers are already hooked!

Despite the warm conditions, family camping trip 2017 was a success!

As the weather started to turn cooler, we made sure to enjoy fall trips to the twins' favorite spot, Winnemac Park.

It won't be long before these trikes will be put away until next year!

The twins are much better at self-transportation (thankfully!) this fall

The years may change, but the park and playground agenda (albeit with larger bodies) remains the same...

...with swings...

...and slides being the most popular activities in the park!

During this visit, we decided to do a re-enactment of last fall's photo shoot.  

So, we trekked down one of the Winnemac Park nature trails...

...in an attempt to recreate last fall's 'look'

Much like last fall, it took quite a few tries,...

...but we eventually achieved a nice fall shot!

#76. Summer Wrap Up Part II: Final Summer Adventures

The last few weeks of summer break were filled with some fun times.  First, we made a second attempt to visit the Crown Fountain at Millenium Park.  (The fountains weren't in operation on our first outing.)  

Back on the Brown Line...hopefully this time won't be a big bummer!!

It sure wasn't!  Shirts quickly came off and frolicking in the fountains began!

The twins 'danced' in the water,...

...they crawled,...

...and posed for some pretty spectacular photos!

These two had so much fun, they had to change clothes for the L ride back north!

Summer in Chicago always comes with street fairs, farmers markets, and special weekly events.  This year, we checked out the Argyle Night Market in the Uptown neighborhood not far from our townhouse/neighborhood.

Clare & Luke found this mural outside of the market on Broadway fascinating!

Argyle Street in Uptown is sometimes called 'Little Vietnam'...so these Thai-born twins were feelin' the vibe

Walking the Argyle Night Market (Daddy trailing with camera closely behind!)

Eating some yummy Asian food and finding good photo props

The rain was coming down, but that didn't dampen the twins' spirits

Back at the townhouse, we took advantage of the great summer weather to enjoy our rooftop deck.  You can actually see the skyline in the distance (7-8 miles).

 Both the twins and Trig enjoyed the deck

Papa planted a garden on the deck with chives, basil, tomatoes, peppers, and more.  The twins enjoyed helping water the plants...

...and watching them grow (and sampling the results)!

Two successful tomatoes earn two funny faces 

A lot of fun times were had up on the deck this summer

As we did last year, we took many 'summer strolls' through our neighborhood.  We thought it would be fun to re-create some of last summer's photos to show how much the twins have grown.

That rusty chain is hanging a little lower this year!

There's not as much lamppost to climb for Clare this summer!

Looks like Luke can almost touch this water pipe with his head now!

The summer stroll strides are much longer and faster these days!

One of our final summer city adventures took place when Grandma Steffie came to town.  On a sunny summer day, we hopped on the train downtown and traveled the Chicago River via the Water Taxi.

The train ride never gets old!

Look at all of these tall buildings!

Wow, there's so much to see down on the Chicago River...

...and looking down on it!

We sure had a fun summer with these two in the city!  Looking forward to making more memories in Summer '18!