Cram in that summer fun!

Can't believe we're already mid way through July!  We had another fun week filled with swim lesson and other cool (and hot) activities.  We went to an outdoor kids concert in Schaumburg with several friends which was fun.

 Baby Leo slept through most of it.  I think he likes being out of solitary confinement in the womb.  STRETCH!

 We pushed naptime a bit, can you tell?

 The boys are all about helping me in the kitchen.  This week we made some banana bread.

 The week culminated on Friday with a trip to Pirate's Cove with the Worst brothers.  It started pretty fun, but the heat was intense!

 Fred and Noah waited so patiently in line for the paddle boats!

 You can see the sweatiness didn't slow down Fred and Sam as they took a ride in the caboose of the safari train.  Calvin and Noah took a turn in the engine.

 It was fun to see Noah and Fred running around much more independently.  They did the big slide with burlap sacks all by themselves.

 The carousel was also a big hit.  We did lunch there and then escaped the heat.  Fun times had by all.  Tune in next week for Sam's 2nd birthday!

Happy 4th!

So, you might not consider this first picture all that exciting, but I do.  We got a new fridge!  Woot.  Now our entire kitchen is stainless steel.  We were holding on until the old white fridge died on us. The freezer went out, so then we bought this beauty.  I know, thrilling stuff.

 Also probably considered mundane to most, Noah went to the eye doctor.  He did really well with all the vision tests and charts, etc.  The dilation drops were NOT well received, nor was waiting another 20 minutes (when you are STARVING) for the drops to work.  But we survived unscathed and the end result was good (no eye patch for lazy eye for now), although Noah would tell you it was disappointing that he did not get the Nick Fury look he had been hoping for.

 There was a trip over to see Leo and Evie at home.  Noah is now a professional baby holder.  

 Could it be?!  A picture with all 4 kids, eyes open, somewhat facing the camera!  Wow.

 Perfection.

 We headed up to the lakehouse for the pre-4th weekend of festivities.  The local Amish restaurant that we love was hosting a family night complete with pony rides.

 We got some quality Uncle Josh time, which is always good.

 On Saturday, the Island folk hosted the annual parade.  This year's theme was Star Wars.

 Jedi warriors wear crocs, right Apryl?

 Noah was able to spent the better part of the morning helping construct and paint the rocket ship float. Sammy had to nap, but maybe next year!  The kids all dressed up for the theme or for the 4th, so it was a fun combo of Star Wars meets Space Creatures meets Patriotic.  It all worked.

 Jeaneen walked with the float and reported that Noah repeated "May the force be with you" to all the parade watchers.  And CJ kept saying "I'm your father!"

 The parade always ends with candy and popsicles.  How can you pass that up!?

 Saturday night they had the fireworks.  We made 12 batches of well buttered popcorn and pulled the pontoon boat up to the Benhart dock and got ready.

 Bats or Birds?

 Sibling love and the sun goes down.

 Staying up 2 hours past your usual bedtime makes some people a little manic.

 Noah and CJ sat together on the dock to watch the show.  Too Cute.

 I messed around with my camera settings to try to get some different shots.

 Apryl brought some cool wish lanterns that we released back from the mainland house after the fireworks.  Purple of course!

All in all it was another great weekend.  We were able to come home and spend the actual 3rd/4th with Daddy, which was wonderful, and went over the Papa's pool!  Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday week!  

Leo arrives and another busy week!

We had another busy, exciting week!  The boys made Father's Day cards for the grandpas, and they turned out nicely.  Noah's is the first, and daddy drew some spiderman figures and had Noah trace them.  Sam LOVES markers and was happy scribbling on his card for what seemed like hours.

 We went over to Papa's pool again for Father's Day.  The ice cream truck now knows to make frequent stops by papa house, so everyone got a treat.

 Yep, messy is an understatement.

 Aunt Philie introduced us to this new app where you can take pictures with dinosaurs.  It's pretty cool.

 Mike was out of town for a couple days for work and the boys were really missing him.  So we filled the time with some fun.  We went to the Schaumburg Oberweis where you can play in a splash pad right outside the ice cream store!  Noah was all over it.

 Sam declared the water too cold and was happy to watch the older kids and holler at them.

 There was a trip to Abt to find a new fridge.  The older boys found some chairs just their size, too cute!  And we did find a new fridge, excitement!

 The biggest excitement of the week was the arrival of baby Schwantz!  We stopped by the morning of the scheduled c-section for one last visit.  Here's Michelle just a few hours before having a baby!

 And here's big sister Evie, all geared up!

 And voila!  The next day, Noah and I were able to spend some time with Mr. Leo Arthur and he is perfect!  So adorable!

 Noah was so excited to hold him, he pulled the boppy pillow right up in his lap and held out his hands.  He was very gentle and very happy to see the newest buddy!

 He gave Leo the full inspection of fingers and toes and marveled at how little he was and how cute he was.  He did a great job!

 Welcome to the bunch, Leo, you are very loved!

 Friday we hit up the zoo with my girlfriend, Ryane, and her girls Piper and Meryn.  It was fun to have a trip with "big kids" that wanted to walk most of the way and actually kind of posed for pictures.

 The petting zoo is still a favorite of Noah's.  He still loves those goats!

 Sam is warming up to the goats now, previously was not a fan of brushing them.  But was much more interested this time around.  

 A few cookies before lunch while waiting for the dolphin show, why not?!  The kids had a blast and it was great to catch up with Ryane.

 The brothers are now sharing a room beautifully in big boy beds!  They also share the iPod and lots of other fun toys.  Cannot believe how big they are getting and how well the get along (most times!).