Little C

Happy Birthday to this cutie patootie! She turns 2 today and what a pistol she is!!! I love how she has to wear my shoes whenever I am around and how she yells my name "Ciiiii tiiiii" to come and get her. And that smile...well, it just melts my heart...and "little C" - Ben nicknamed her this because he swears she looks exactly like her daddy!!! Happy Birthday, Reese, we love you LOTS!

Sights of Spring

First Track Meet

Track is new to us but we were excited that Gabi decided to join her team at the school. She did the softball throw (came in last this time but you should have seen her competition! Can you say, "giant?"), 70 meter dash and the 200 meter. She placed 2nd in the 70 and placed 4th (out of 6) in the 200. We were soooo proud of her. Thanks paw paw, Tyler and Uncle Dave for coming to cheer her on! She loved the fact that her school actually won the meet (against Liberty and LaSalle)!!! A far cry from the basketball season.

Earth Day and 10-10-10

Happy Earth Day! I have tried to teach my children much about the importance of recycling and it seems with the combination of Gabi's love of manatees and the boys' love of fishing, it is easier to explain why we should recycle and keep things from hitting the waters that kill our animals on this earth. It is for our future...for the next generations.
And check this out...One Day on Earth...a documentary set to include people of this world. I checked it out and it got me really thinking after watching the trailer. VERY COOL IDEA! I am excited to see how it all turns out.
And today is Gabi's first track meet...she had the opportunity to join the track team after there were not enough 5th and 6th graders. At first she was not really thrilled, but she has come to enjoy it I think. She is set to run the 70 meter and the 200 meter. More info on that to follow :)
For now...enjoy the beautiful day!

Out with the old, in with the new...

Tyler had his wisdom teeth removed (2) on Friday and he is slowly recovering with just a tad bit of swelling on his left side from where they got close to the nerve. He and Ben had plans to fish on Lake Erie yesterday with Dad R. and David but the weather had changed those for them unfortunately. So, Ben and I decided to go and get some of the "honey do list" items at Menards. Leave it to that place, they had one person working about 5 departments at a time so we couldn't get any questions answered, etc etc. We packed up and headed for Lowes. Our plans...to replace both garage doors...the door coming into the garage from the side and the door leading into the house. Well of course, we NEVER start projects around here without minor setbacks...the door leading from garage to house was put on back wards so it would swing out rather than in, which in turn messed up our trim on the inside when putting it back together. And we can't start one project without thinking about another. While at Lowes, we decided to check out the paint for the living room and the vertical blinds which needed replaced in the living room as well. Found a heck of a deal we couldn't pass up on those...a clearanced pair, regular $68 for $17! And we found some paint that we liked. Fresh Linen is the color and it looks beautiful! The blinds are gorgeous and I am SOOO happy I powerwashed the deck last weekend so it looks refreshed from the living room. So, thus far, living room painted, door on (needs new trim though...only setback to this project), blinds up...only thing to do is the door from outside to garage. Looking good and I couldn't be more happy with the progress. The weather can change my man's plans anytime ;)

Dad Reinoehl

Happy Birthday to Dad Reinoehl!!! I know he has enjoyed being retired and certainly makes the most of it. He is lovin fishing right now...especially with Ben and Dave and I love that about him. He LOVES to be a part of his childrens' lives and is always willing to help with anything they need! We hope you had a great day and we LOVE you lots!

Last day of our mini vacay...

We were up and around by around 9:30 am or so and headed for North Central to visit with Trenton some more before heading home. Stopped in at the bookstore and talked to the Head Wrestling Coach a bit before going to Trenton's dorm room. Trenton had plans to go fishing with his buddies after we left so we didn't stay long...just talked and let Tyler take on Trenton, Gabi, Max (Trenton's buddy), me and Ben in Call of Duty...his favorite video game. Of course, Tyler remains the champ. We decided to swing into Bass Pro Shops to pick up a few birthday gifts for a certain dad (Dad R) :) and ate lunch at Panda Express before heading on. So now, we are home...sad our mini vacation is over, but happy we got to do most everything we wanted to do and also happy the weather is so beautiful! Our get away was fun while it lasted and definitely have another day trip to Chi-town planned soon...next time, by train!

Day 2 of our Mini Vacay

Started the morning off with a visit to the Willis Tower...aka Sears Tower. Went up to the 103rd floor and actually got to stand outside the tower and look down in glass!!! Yes, I mustered up the courage to do it! I have to say I was very nervous and couldn't look down while in the glass, but I can say I did it!! It was VERY cool reading about the facts of the Tower as we wound around in line to the elevators. A 60 second ride to the top, ears popping and all! And did you know you can see 4 states (Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan) from the top on a clear day such as today????!!! AWESOME!! I can now say I have been in the tallest building in U.S!

Next up, a walk to Millenium Park. It was a little chilly...probably in the 50's but sunny outside. The artwork was very cool and I loved the cloud gate. We had a good time taking pictures until we stumbled upon a movie in progress of being filmed! We had to see what actors/actresses were there and what movie it was...ended up being Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan from a movie Source Code to be out in 2011! They had the whole area roped off and told us all to be quiet when they started to film. Needless to say, it was pretty cool. We decided to head back after watching the filming and playing at the cloud gate for a while.

Headed to North Central College at that point to see Trenton. He had just gotten out of his last class and was ready to get something to eat. We dropped off some goodies to his dorm room, added some money to his laundry card and headed to Features for a burger. Trenton had mentioned that Gabi would enjoy a store called Marbles downtown so we took a stroll there to check it out. He was right. Gabi had fun exploring the different games and fell in love with Square Up, which she HAD to get!!! She loves it and it keeps us all busy trying to dethrone Gabi as champ at it!

Took a walk over to the wrestler house where we met Loppy the bunny and dropped Trenton off to a buddies house for the evening. On the way back to the hotel, we decided to check out Chicago's Premium Outlets, did some shopping, grabbed some Starbucks and headed back to the hotel for a soak in the hot tub before a Square Up round and bedtime. It's been another fun day...I'm pooped.

Mini Vacay - Day 1

Spring break brought us a few days to get away for a mini vacation. We left around 9 am this morning and headed West...to Chi town. Our plans for the day were to get Trenton and head to the Shedd Aquarium. Unfortunately, our plans had to change slightly when Trenton slept in a bit longer and we couldn't get a hold of him before changing direction straight for the Aquarium. He had told us that if he didn't answer to go on without him so we did. Only minutes after our change in direction, though, he called. It was okay though. I think he really wanted to rest from being sick and after waiting in line for an hour (in the 40 degree weather) to get into the Aquarium, I had a feeling it was the right decision for him to just stay back and sleep. Yes, the Aquarium ended up being a bit of a disappointment because of waiting in line for so long in the cold and when we got up to the desk to get our tickets they told us the Dolphin Show...our MAIN REASON FOR COMING...was sold out!! WHAT! I was NOT happy. NOT. BUT, Ben kept our spirits high and we went for it and saw everything else that we could. The crowd was horrendous. I was actually surprised they allowed that many in the place at once, but we fought our way to the front of the different displays throughout the day. We also saw a 4D special of Planet Earth, which was enjoyed by all. I was soooo thankful I had packed those turkey/cheese lunchables in our cooler for a time we just needed them...and the time was now. The lines for any food in the Aquarium was terrible, so we just waited till we were finished and ate in the car. So glad I decided to do that! Afterward, we headed to Naperville to check into our hotel for the evening, take a swim and get some dinner (at Buffalo Wild Wings). Can I say we were all pooped and we feel like the day has been about 60 hours loooong!??? Trenton got out of class around 9 pm ish and we told him we would just see him tomorrow. Some faves for the day included...the newborn Beluga Whale (born in December 2009 nursing from its mom), the sea otters, the HUGE Anaconda snake and all it's skin hanging from the trees in its exhibit, the little VERY colorful dart frogs, and seeing first hand the Sea Dragons we learned about on the show life a few Sundays ago!! The males actually get pregnant and have the babies!!! Some more faves of the day...picking up a GREAT deal on a firepit (over half off) at The Sports Authority we have been wanting for our back yard - to make s'mores at home in the summer time outside! And seeing Gabi's face when she found "guppies" at the Buffalo Wild Wings!!! Yes, she calls them Guppies...little animals that are pencil toppers that come out of the coin machine in Meijer at home. Recently, the machine was emptied out so she has been unable to get anymore. Who knew a $0.50 item could make a girl so happy! :) So Day 1 was okay...one thing learned...buy tickets ahead of time. SOOO worth it.