Some Chicago news

My Uncle Don's Model A Ford - what a ride! (click image to view larger, then click back button to return to blog)

Roasting marshmallows our last night at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Nikki cozying up with her Aunt Rachel whom we missed last March in Chicago because she was doing a semester in Greece! We're glad she's back!

(Pictures are out of order - sorry!) Backyard fun at Grandma & Grandpa's:

Nikki pushing Oliver on the swing

Caroline getting her second-ever haircut! Only 1/4" off please!

Love the haircuts!






More backyard fun at Grandma and Grandpa's (before haircuts):

After our brief weekend in Ohio, we continued on to Chicago. The girls and I were there through Friday, but Doug went home Thursday morning. Unfortunately his vacation days get used up too quickly. I had my surgery to open up my airway again (every 5 years or so!) and the good news is I can breathe again! And that I didn't wake up during the procedure again! Because I was having this done by the only doctor I trust near my vocal cords and he happens to be in Downers Grove, IL, I was busy that week with a pre-op visit on Tuesday, surgery on Wednesday, and a meeting with a new rheumatologist in Libertyville, IL on Friday. Therefore, I wasn't able to do as much visiting as I would have liked.

But my girls and their cousins, Evelyn and Oliver, got to see eachother just about every day! We went to a mini children's museum, Grandma took my girls mini-golfing, Grandpa took them to see "The Bee Movie" showing outdoors in the park one night, and we got to visit with a few other family members. My uncle Don has a Model A Ford and he took the girls and me, sitting in the back trundle seat, and Doug's mom (aka Grandma) in the front, for a spin around town! The girls loved it! They've never been in a convertible before and loved the breeze, the horn that goes, "Ah-oooo-ga!" and the feeling like we were riding in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! The girls also got to go to the salon and get a haircut. Nikki got 5" taken off, and this was Caroline's second haircut ever, even though she's 4! Those curls just keep her hair up by her neck no matter what their real length is.

Highlights for me that week were spending time one-on-one with my grandmother for a few hours, eating a Portillo's Italian beef sandwich, and eating an Edwardo's stuffed spinach pizza. I can't believe it, but with all the Italian's in New Jersey, I haven't been able to find an Italian beef sandwich. The closest we got out here is a Philly Cheesesteak and it can't hold a candle to a real Italian beef sandwich. Maybe we should franchise it out here... And I'm not even going to talk about New Jersey pizza. It's so sad.

Then it was off to Michigan....