#84. Another Fabulous Fall

What an amazing (and crazy busy) fall for the twins!  Here are some of the highlights.  

Twas a fun fall for these two 4-year olds

In early October, we made a trip to central Illinois, where the twins found lots of fun.  Clare & Luke went apple picking for the first time.

These two were ripe for the picking!!

Wheelbarrow rides were in order before the picking commenced

Ok Jonny, er Luke, it's time to get picking!!

They figured the process out fast!!

Showing off some of their collection

Ten apples up on top (they like to read this book at bedtime)?!?  Maybe one is enough!

We had hoped to squeeze in some camping downstate, but wet weather put a damper on our plans.  Fortunately, we were still able to get out to Grandpa's campsite for an afternoon/evening for dinner.

Despite a wet campground, there were still plenty of smiles...

...'plenty of food'...

...unending hugs from Grandma...

...fun with Eureka cousins...

...and marshmallows cooked over the campfire!

The twins had a nice visit with great grandma Knapp in Eureka...

...enjoyed having Uncle Jason around (home from Germany)...

...and, of course, time with Grandma & Grandpa Knapp!

After returning home from central Illinois, the twins enjoyed seeing their cousin Keira (also visiting from Germany).  Special thanks to Uncle Jason and Aunt Leia for these wonderful German lederhosen and dirndl outfits!

Drei cousins!!

Daddy's 'Halloween costume' for this year

Speaking of Halloween, the twins had a GREAT one!!  Papa had fun putting up Halloween decorations around the yard.

What a spooky house!

Yard decor included a zombie tree...

...a (friendly) hanging skeleton...

...a buried skeleton...

...a row of tombstones...

...BIG pumpkins,...

...and tiny pumpkins too!

Clare & Luke were officially a 'witch' and 'sorcerer' this year for trick or treat (though many called Luke a wizard, which he quickly corrected, saying 'ACTUALLY, I am a sorcerer!')

One of the perks of our Evanston location is its proximity to Ryan Field where the Northwestern Wildcats play home football games.

This season we bought season tickets...

...and the twins came with us to one of the games

They lasted the first half...next year we will try a full game!

As fall rolled on, things sure turned pretty at the corner of Walnut and Hartzell.  

We never grew tired of watching the leaves change colors

Speaking of leaves...there were a lot of them!  So a trip to the park across the street meant it was time to break out the rake...

...to collect, run, and...

...jump into the leaf piles formed!

Full leaf burial followed soon after!

The fall also saw weekend visits from various friends and family.

Cousins from Bloomington visited for a weekend...

...and cousins from the south burbs came over for a fun pajama playdate!

Who knows what winter will bring, but it sure was a fabulous fall at 2302 Hartzell!

#83. The End of Another Fun Summer

Another fun summer in the books!

As another summer draws to a close (insert sad faced emoji with tear), a quick reflection confirms summer 2018 was a huge success!  Here are some of the highlights from the rest of the twins' summer.

Running For Pride

Earlier in the summer, the twins attended their first running race.  Daddy came 'out of retirement' (from half/marathoning) and ran his first ever 10K at the 'Proud to Run' race in Chicago.

An aging body and the patience of youth made us all happy this was only a 10K!

These two helped make some of the pain go away at the finish line

Annual Whitewater Weekend

As is usual for us in the summer, we found our way north to Wisconsin a couple of times.

The twins enjoyed boating in Whitewater...

...and even took turns...

...driving the boat!

Family Reunion in Door County

Papa's family all got together up in Door County for a fun, family weekend.

All 20 of us took the Door County Trolley tour

Luke and Clare love spending time with their cousins!

There was plenty to do in Door County.

Clare and Daddy...

...took on Luke and Papa...

...in a good old fashioned Go-Kart race!!

The twins 'took' a bike ride (as in enjoyed being dragged in a cart behind!) in Peninsula State Park

The ride provided great stop-off points to take in some nice views...

...pose for some nice photos...

...throw rocks into the lake...

...and hang from trees (note: no trees fell during this photo)!

Luckily, someone was stopping at the same point and offered to take this family photo

We continued on to other great lookouts...

...and cooled off from a hot bike ride with slurpies

Door County also provided another opportunity for the twins to celebrate turning 4.

There was cake...

...presents (yay!)...

...goofing around...

...and fun with cousins!

Before heading back south, the twins raided the Yum Yum Tree (candy shop!) and we took in one last lunch at Baileys Harbor on Lake Michigan...which, of course, meant another scenic spot for photographs!

Individual shots (with that rope...what a great prop!)...

...grandparents shot...

...cousins shot...

...best friends shot...

...and family shot...we sure had a great time in Door County!!

More Family

The twins had a special visitor in August.

Auntie Kip came to town...

...and showered the twins with lots of attention (and maybe some presents too)!

Chicago Adventure

On the last week of summer vacation (for all of us), the twins enjoyed a day in Chicago.

This summer we tried out Maggie Daley Park downtown

There were boats to ride...

ships to steer...

...and giant swings built for twins!

The location of this park offers some spectacular views...

...with skyscrapers just a tad taller...

...than the twins (Luke 'Skywalker')!

Two towering right in front of Papa's old work building

Things got a little goofy in the mirror maze...

...but we found our way to this pretty space just outside of the park

At that point the twins decided to retrace their steps from a trip downtown last year.

So, we stopped by 'the bean'...

...and the fountains...

...where it was time to get wet!!

Shedd's Aquarium

Speaking of getting wet....for our final summer adventure, we took advantage of free museum month in Chicago and made a trip to Shedd's aquarium.

These two were excited to head into the aquarium...

...to look at fish...

...and dress like them too!

After another fun summer, the future continues to look bright for these two!