our trip to Chicago & Indiana Dunes

Over Labor Day weekend (which was ages ago!) we took the boys for a long weekend up north. We spent a day in Chicago and two days near the Indiana Dunes National Park, about an hour outside of Chicago. It was a short and fun vacation and I'm glad we had a chance to explore another fun area near us!

We took the train into Chicago which was so simple and saved us the trouble of driving into the city and paying for parking plus hello, its a train! Much more fun for the boys than the ole van. The ride was just over an hour but we brought fun things to do, plus Deric is pretty entertaining!

We got off at the station right downtown by the Bean and all the fun touristy parks, which were really our only planned stops for the day. We purposefully didn't really plan much for the day, opting instead to bookmark a couple sights to see and then go with the flow. We started off at the Bean (of course!) and then wandered through the park and over a pedestrian bridge to probably the coolest playground I've ever seen! I sadly forgot a picture of the playground in its entirety but it was so fun and I would have been flying down those slides if not for that pregnant belly. ;)

This bridge was on the second 'story' of the playground and surrounded by a bunch of slides built into hillsides!

Near the main playground was a collection of little playgrounds that each had a different element for the kids. So fun and a great way to break up what is probably a very crowded playground!

After playing we headed just a block west to Shake Shack for delicious burgers and the best milkshake I've had in a while. We should have gotten one for the boys and one for ourselves but we were gracious and shared with them. ;) It was so tempting to get a second one when the first was gone!

After lunch we decided to walk a few blocks north to check out the Lego store. Reid started to nod off in the front seat of the stroller and we had the *brilliant* idea to slide him under the stroller so he could really nap. I wasn't sure if it would work, but he napped for over an hour under there! He missed the Lego store completely but his nap did wonders and he was up and ready for the rest of the day shortly after.

We finished off our day in the city with a few more sights on the way to get deep dish pizza! We asked around for the best recommendations and it was a fairly even tie between a few pizza joints so we decided to just pick one and try it! We chose Lou Malnati's and got thin crust for the boys since deep dish takes about 45 minutes to cook and they didn't have the patience for it. More deep dish for us that way too!

After a busy day in the city we took the last train back to the Dunes area, where we had booked an AirBNB apartment for the rest of the weekend. The apartment was walking distance to the beach, so that next morning was spent playing by the water! The water itself was pretty chilly still so we waded but mostly spent time on the shore which was fine because it was a warm but not hot day!

Reid could have played ball with Deric all morning! They played for quite some time while Jake built a tunnel in the sand and used a bucket to pour water down the tunnel and back to the lake.

Our last day near the Dunes was our busiest. After breakfast overlooking the lake, we spent the morning hiking the Dunes trails which was an adventure! The trails are fairly steep and completely covered in sand so it seemed like we were walking up stairs made of sand. It was a fun change from typical trails and we agreed that it would be fun to camp at that campsite sometime in the future.

Later that day we met up with friends from college who live in the area to play putt-putt. Our golf-loving boys have never played because there's no putt-putt around us so we knew they would have a blast and they definitely did! Add in three more little friends and it was a chaotic afternoon but so fun!

Now that we've had a taste of Chicago and of the Dunes, we want to plan more trips again soon and check out more of the city! There's so much to do in the city and as the kids get older, more options like the museums will be perfect!

hiking at Turkey Run

We've been making an effort lately to explore more of our area--especially before winter hits-- and we'd heard great things about Turkey Run State Park both from friends and online recommendations. So we took off to explore one Saturday in July that wasn't baking hot, and we loved it! The landscape is so different from the rest of Indiana. We chose the most difficult hike because it winds through the ravines and even has ladders to climb, which piqued our interest. We didn't totally realize just how tricky the ladders would be, especially because the direction we hiked meant we had to descend the ladders which is harder than climbing up in my opinion! I wish I had a photo of the ladders but I was definitely focused on keeping everyone from falling while we climbed down. There were two ladders, each leaning against the side of a rock wall, so that you were essentially scaling about two stories altogether. And it was slick too! It was quite the adventure, and once we got through it and I could breathe again I could appreciate how different this hike is from typical hiking trails. That said, Deric and I decided that next time we'll take the opposite direction so we climb up the ladders instead of down.

Reid rode in the backpack for most of the hike since he would have had a bit of trouble in spots...and obviously he didn't get to attempt the ladders on his own. ;)

It was so fun to hike through these ravines! So different from typical trails through the woods.

Jake loved this hike! He conquered all of it with no problem and would run ahead to explore little paths off to the side of the trail. It was so fun to see him work hard and enjoy the hike. He and Reid both talk about going back to Turkey Run and I would love to go again as well!

Checking out a cave towards the end of the hike!

Muscles...or their best attempt at it!

You know Jake got tired as we were walking from the trailhead back to the parking lot, so Deric got a little extra workout in right at the end. I love how content Reid looks just relaxing in his seat!

With baby girl coming so soon (!) I'm not sure we'll all make it back to Turkey Run this fall but who knows?! It would be worth it. We look forward to exploring more of the trails at the park and even re-hiking those ladders!

a trip to Charleston

The boys and I flew to Charleston at the end of April to visit the Netherys, and we had such a great time! That sunshine and warm air did wonders for all three of us, especially since Indiana was still fending off winter. And seeing their cousins is always a blast! Well-- except for Reid and Eli this time. They had some trouble sharing with each other but they'll grow out of this stage and hopefully be good buddies! Jake and Joel can't get enough of each other and played from morning until night.

The first day we were there, it rained hard all day so we had a relaxing day inside, playing with new-to-us toys and watching the rain fall.

All that rain made for an even better trip to the park on the following day-- there were so many puddles, the boys were soaked by the end of the morning. They had so much fun playing that Sarah ended up grabbing lunch at a grocery store nearby and bringing it back to us at the park so we could play even longer. I was jealous of the boys-- swinging on the swings with water underneath looked so fun!

This is what we ended up with eventually-- all four nearly naked and having the time of their life!

We ventured to Isle of Palms to enjoy the beach the following day, but the wind was pretty chilly so we spent most time with towels around us, digging in the sand. Of course the boys didn't mind one bit that it was on the chillier side, but Sarah and I were freezing! We grabbed smoothies on the way home and spent a good bit of time sitting outside the store, watching the boys run around and come back for sips of smoothies occasionally.

Our last day was my absolute favorite day. Every day had been fun so far but downtown Charleston is one of my favorite cities and we didn't plan to go until that morning, but we're so glad it worked out! At first we thought it might not be a great idea because window shopping isn't high on kids' list of fun ideas, so we decided to run around the Battery and get lunch at a restaurant built on a pier.

After lunch, we took the kids on the water taxi that stopped right next to the restaurant and we rode all around the harbor to see different sights! I had just read about it that morning and it was a really good experience for the boys. The taxi takes four stops, two on each side of the harbor, and the full circle took about an hour so it was a perfect amount of time for us to ride and watch the other boats. We even saw two dolphins in front of the boat! Very briefly, but still exciting. Reid talked about it for quite a few days after our trip. 

It was a fast few days with the Netherys but we were so glad to make it happen! That warm air and time with cousins was so good for all of us and we were sad to leave so soon. Thankfully we'll see each other in just over a month at Port Hope!

Thanksgiving in Port Hope

We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Port Hope this year with (most of) my family and I'm so glad we could swing almost a full week in Michigan! Just like this summer, we traipsed back and forth between the house and the Mercantile a few times and I loved seeing the Christmas display in the front windows!

Jake had a great time as usual, playing with Cana and running around the house. Those two are always glued at the hip when they get together and I love watching them play. Jake got to watch The Grinch (Jim Carrey version) for the first time and he loved it. I'm so excited to expand his repertoire of Christmas movies over the next few years!

Poor Reid, however, got sick with just enough cough and congestion to feel miserable and sleep terribly, therefore no one in our family got much sleep during the trip. But two naps during the car ride home and some major naps in his own bed these last few days, and he's much more like his normal self. This is how he spent the majority of his days-- pinned to Deric's legs:

He did manage to spare some energy to climb onto the chairs and try to "help" with the jigsaw puzzle. 

Reid and I got a few early mornings to ourselves thanks to his coughing so we took one for the team and made pancakes for everyone to fill the time!

I saw flurries for a bit during the first day we were there but nothing came of it, sadly. Each day got a little warmer so we ventured outside occasionally to run off some cabin fever.

Thanksgiving dinner did not disappoint, not that I was expecting it to! Along with the turkey, Dad smoked a ham all day and oh my gosh, I've never had a better ham. I actually didn't have any turkey at all because the ham was so good. Add in sweet potato casserole, pineapple casserole...I'm just sad we didn't bring a cooler with us to steal some leftovers for the ride home.

A little backgammon with Grandad before Thanksgiving dinner!

On our last night we all went over to a friend of my parents to check out her Christmas light display and I was blown away! So many displays outside, but the inside of her house was like walking into the North Pole! I didn't count how many (full-sized) Christmas trees she had up, but I would guess five!! It was beautiful. The kids were in awe and had it not been so cold, they could have run around the property forever.

Like usual, I forgot to get a picture of our family and our extended family, but we'll make up for that with Christmas photos! We had a great Thanksgiving and we're grateful now to be home, cozying up for Christmas and looking forward to seeing our family again soon!