Lions, Tigers, Bears & Skyscrapers... Oh My!!

Jeff is on 'stay-cation' this week... off for 9 days straight!  So we've done a whole lot of nothing and it has been nice!  Well, maybe not nothing... we attended Church for the 3rd time, we really enjoy it!  We've eaten out way more then usual, gotten the house clean, had friends over, hired a sitter and went out for green beer on St. Patricks Day... watched a lot of basketball... and most exciting, we visited our own city as tourists! 

What a blast we all had!  We started the day at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago!  Can't even believe it's FREE to get in, it was so nice and right on the lake with great views of the city!  We all loved seeing the animals!  Maddie loved the BIG kitties.... Austin's favorite were the Polar Bears... Jack's favorite thing at the zoo was the Popcorn!  Well, you can't win 'em all! :)  The coolest was there was a spot you could look through to see the Lions up close and we were eye to eye with a lion, with only plexiglass between us!  Amazing experience!  The only negaitve is that the zoo closes at 5pm, which puts you right in bumper to bumper traffic heading home... so instead, we walked... almost 3 miles to the city!  (For the record, it looked much closer)  Jeff is still gimping around and declaring the things he does for his 'lovely wife!' :)  It was a gorgeous walk!  Lots of space for the kids to run in Lincoln Park and along the shore of Lake Michigan was gorgeous!   We did a little shopping and had dinner along the Magnificent Mile, before I took a cab back to get our van and came to pick the zoo crew up in the city!   It was one of the best days I think we have ever had as a family!  I loved it!  Hope you enjoy the pictures and video!  LOVE!

Tigers!Polar Bear

 
Penguins!

  Humans!

Lions!

Monkey's

White Lipped Deer

 A Ride on the Carousel

My Kind of Town!

Land of Lincoln!

Lake Shore

Dad & his Zoo Crew!

The Drake, overshadowed by the Hancock

My Trooper!

Maddie's 1st trip to the American Girl Store!  (she ooooed and awed throgh the whole store!!  So cute!)

Blogging Breakthrough

I know I'm slow, but I've just figured out how to download videos onto the computer and then onto our blog!  The trick I find is keeping them short so I don't have to figure out how to compress them... anyhoooo...
here are the first two videos of probably many more to come, hope you enjoy!!

                                                                  Musical Maddie

                                                        Two Boys and A Bedtime Prayer

March Madness

But there's nothing mad about it!  Day one of March and I'm already feeling happier than I have in months and so are Jeff and the kids!  Lots of great things this month!  But first let's recap the last two (where we disappeared)  We've been battling more sinus infections, bronchitis and colds... this year has been a real doosey for colds and flus, our worst ever... we were sick all winter!  We also experienced the biggest blizzard in my lifetime.... the big Blizzard of 2011 leaving us with more snow then we knew what to do with!  up to 5 feet of snow, trucks had to come in and haul it off to make way for the next storm and couple feet of snow, it was crazy!  BUT, today... the sun was out, for longer than usual... the snow, although still lingering in many spots is melting slowly but surely!  The geese and the ducks were flying back today as I drove Austin home from school, we could literally see the sky painted black with birds, all flying in from the south!  So exciting, the promise of Spring!  You can smell it in the air!

The Blizzarrrrrrrrrrrrrrd of 2011

We celebrated 7 years of marriage, Jeff and I did... this last month!  We have done so much in that 7 years, it's hard to believe it's only been 7!?  It hasn't all been a cake walk, but we're still chugging along, in a lot of ways stronger then ever!  I heard on my Christian radio station today that it's the boulders in the stream that create it's music!  With out the hurdles, life wouldn't be as sweet.  Or at least we wouldn't appreciate or recognize it's sweetness. 

Also in February, we enjoyed a visit from some old friends of my family,Don and Angie!  Wow, what a treat it was to have them here!  They flew in on business but were able to spend the weekend hanging out!  We haven't been able to truly catch up in about a decade, so it was so nice to have the time together!  For those that don't know, Don and Angie, and their boys have been friends of my family for many years and even stayed with us for a while after a bad boating accident back when I was in High School.  Hearing Don and Angie's laughter fill the house made it feel like home!  And they were so great with the kids, the boys are still talking about Miss Angie and Coach Don! Thanks for the visit guys, so good seeing you!!

Angie and I outside Howl at the Moon Piano Bar in Chicago...

Madison meeting Don and Angie for the first time!

I am pleased to announce that today was Jeff's very first day as the General Manager... not the first time he's done the job of course, just the first time he's been given the title and some business cards, something about having the title in writing makes it more official!  He has been working towards this goal now for 8 years, as many of you know... it's the reason we moved to the midwest!  It really should have been his 3 years ago, but things being what they've become with the economy and stores closing, it's taken twice as long to get there... but hey, in these times it's a wonderful thing just to have a job and a miracle to get a promotion!  So we are feeling very grateful, very lucky and blessed!  Thank you, in particular to you Grandma and Papa for all of your prayers on our behalf!  His staff is lucky to have him.  I can say this because I too was once an employee of Jeff's and I know that he is a wonderful manager and a great mentor.  He really sets the tone of the restaurant and it's one of fun, lighthearted... enjoyment, but precision.  He's good, really good at what he does... and it shows in the way his staff adores him... even getting him this cookie to celebrate!!

Jeff is looking forward to taking a week off for St. Patty's day and for March Madness!  Should be a good time!  I am looking forward to getting the kids out of the house, and myself.... for some much needed sunshine and fresh air... it's a little early yet to declare it Spring, but the promise of it ... the grass getting greener, the birds flying over... the snow and ice melting... all have me positively giddy with anticipation!!  Winter House Arrest/Cabin Fever is almost over!!!  Hurrah!  Sending our love!!
~ the Sugden's