Spring Soccer in Chicago is not for the faint of heart...

Back in April we signed the girls up for Spring Soccer. 

They were SO excited about their soccer shirts and cleats and shin guards. 

They even slept with their soccer balls that first night.

They were going to be "real" soccer players.

We were going to be "real" soccer parents. 

Everyone was excited!

Because their games and practices were all during Cam's nap, 1-3:30 every Saturday, Taber became the designated Soccer parent and diligently went every week to cheer on the girls.

 This meant braving the elements since "Spring" in Chicago isn't exactly beach weather.

In fact, for the first few games poor Taber sat freezing for hours on the sidelines while the kids played in full winter gear.

The initial excitement about soccer started to wear off as the reality of the time commitment and physical strain of being out in that weather started to take it's toll. Still, Taber the super soccer dad remained undaunted and after a pep talk with the girls they all committed to see it through till June.

The freezing weather let up a little in May but then they faced hurricane winds that almost blew them off the soccer field.  

And then, overnight, the weather turned from freezing cold to burning hot. No nice breezy "Spring Soccer" weather for these little troopers. The weather only deals in extremes out here I guess.

Luckily Taber packed the snack cooler with plenty of drinks to keep them hydrated and even brought popsicles, because he's awesome like that.

Finally in June they had their last game and were even rewarded with lovely weather.

 Soccer wasn't easy, but they learned to persevere and stick with something even when it was hard.

 They learned that you start what you finish.

 And that you should always do your best, and try your hardest. 

And in the end, they most definitely earned those trophies!

(Although really I think the biggest trophy should've gone to Taber, for spending 3 hours every Saturday for 3 months, in extreme weather, supporting his little soccer players)

It was all worth it for these smiles :)

 (although next year I think we'll try indoor soccer...) :)

Camping at Starved Rock State Park IL: August 2013

Back in August we got the camping bug. The kids and I had given Taber a 10 man tent for Father's day and he was dying to break it in. We decided to take it for it's maiden campout at Starved Rock State Park, about an hour and half from where we live. 

We decided last minute, as usual, so there were no camping spaces available except for 2 walk in spots that were first come first serve.  It was a huge gamble, but we decided to pack up everyone and everything anyway and cross our fingers we'd get a spot. The gamble paid off and we snagged the very last spot open that weekend. Boomshaklaka!! (If we hadn't gotten a spot we still would've camped out on the side of the road because I  put way too much work into packing to drive back!)

The kids were so excited they were literally bouncing off the walls.

The first night we just set up camp, ate dinner then made S'Mores by the fire. 

We tried to put Cam in his Pack and play but he wasn't having it. He missed his white noise machine and his crib. We didn't get much sleep that night but who really sleeps when they're camping anyway, right?;)

They still woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed

Daddy made a hearty camper's breakfast of pancakes and eggs, then it was off for some hiking!

The trails and hikes at Starved Rock are BEAUTIFUL! I didn't realize Illinois had such pretty scenery. The kids loved it!

View from one of the lookouts

When Cam got tired he rode in the backpack, which is like his favorite mode of transportation, even though he probably exceeds the weight limit because he's HUGE!

We hiked all morning but then Mommy and Cam were wiped out so Daddy and the girls dropped us off for a nap and went on exploring.

They hiked their little tails off and saw so many beautiful things!

Lots of gorgeous rock formations, canyons and caves to explore

Brinley was especially excited about the giant centipedes she found. She loves buggies!

 That night Uncle Kevin and Brooklyn joined us! (Naomi and Lily were in Utah) The girls were so happy to have Brooklyn there!

Cam didn't want to sleep in the pack and play the 2nd night so we let him sleep on Teya's sleeping bag. he actually did pretty good and slept there half the night. 

In the middle of the night he got cold so he crawled in the blow up bed with Mom and Dad. He has never cuddled us or slept with us like that so even though his huge head was cutting off the blood circulation in my arm, I totally let him sleep there because it was soooo cute! (Taber took this picture after we were both passed out, and even though it's not super flattering, I just love seeing me and my little snuggle bug ;)

 Meanwhile Kevin decided to go all Bear Grylls and sleep outside in the open with the raccoons. Pretty sure he didn't sleep much with those guys constantly on the prowl right by his head!

The next day it was off for more adventures!

 So many great hikes and trails to explore!

 The trials were very well groomed and the hikes all had stairs so it made it very doable for the kids.

 My cute little rangers 

 And the Cam man 

 Cave people

 The girls and uncle Kev

 Awesomeness!

It was a great and very full day of hiking and exploring. We ended with some yummy fudge, homemade ice cream and cinnamon almonds from the gift shop then said goodbye to Kevin and Brooklyn and made our way back home. Loved Starved Rock and will definitely be making that a yearly tradition!

Indianapolis Mini-Marathon Running Get-Away: May 4, 2013

What is more romantic than a weekend getaway, exploring a new city whilst running 13.1 miles? 

I'm telling you, that is where it's at. 

On May 3rd we left the kiddos with my sister Naomi and drove 4 hours out to Indianapolis for the 500 festival mini marathon.

It is the largest half marathon in the US, with more than 35,000 runners. The expo was amazing and so well organized. It had all the feel of a full marathon, without actually having to run a full marathon.

After picking up our bibs, checking out the expo and carbo loading we headed back to our hotel for some sleep.

 The starting line is surrounded by hotels so it was the most convenient thing ever to wake up, eat breakfast, go to the bathroom in a real toilet (not a port-a-potty), and then walk right out to our starting corral. I loved it!

 Me and my bearded man at the starting line. This race was just a few weeks after the bombings at the Boston marathon so they had a lot of extra security measures, no backpacks allowed and a strong presence of police officers. Before the race started they had a moment of silence for the Boston victims and then they blasted "Sweet Caroline" in honor of Bean town and everyone sang along. It was pretty awesome. 

The course was great. Over 80 entertainment acts along the way made it so I didn't even need my head phones. One of the coolest parts was that we got to run on the Indianapolis Motor speedway for miles 6-9. Totally awesome!

 Taber taking a running seflie on the track. It was really cool running there.

 Since it was May 4th, there were plenty of Star Wars fans proudly celebrating (May the 4th be with you) with signs and even this funny little yoda backpack. Totally had to take a pic. 

 I didn't train well for this race and clocked my slowest half marathon yet at 2:01:06. But I had a ton of fun and just really enjoyed the ride. 

Taber finished in 1:48:29 like a champ. I was proud of my runner boy.

 Afterwards we celebrated with big fat juicy burgers, cause that's how we roll.

It was an awesome weekend and always fun to have some time away with my man. :)