The Sugden Kids: May 2012

Monday, May 28, 2012

Family Fun At Navy Pier, Chicago!

Happy Memorial Day!

And a big 'ol Thank you to the brave men and women who serve and/or have served our country!
There is a long list of them in our very own family and I for one, am so very proud of them!

We decided to spend the day yesterday in the city of Chicago, on Navy Pier!
Evidently, we were not the only ones! It. Was. Packed!!!
The 100 degree heat didn't keep anyone away! Not even us!
Thank goodness for the splash pad and a big thanks to my girl, Kristin for reminding me it was there so I could pack swim suits for the kids! It was the perfect way to start the hot day! The kids had a blast!

Click the triangle on the video below to see the kids splash and play! :)

After, we dried off and got dressed and rode some rides... including the famous Navy Pier Ferris Wheel that goes up 155 feet high and is nearly one hundred years old!

Jeff and Jack were not so keen on heights, but still rode it twice! Troopers! ;)

We walked the Pier, took 125 pictures total... drank some beer while the kids enjoyed some chocolate and we all danced our patooties off to the live band that sang all the old school goodies!

Our kids are now very familiar with House of Pain's... "Jump Around!"

Poor Maddie, jumped and spun so much she fell and skinned her knee! :( Just too much FUN! :)

Check out Jack's rad dance moves! AJ was too cool... he sat and just listened. :)

Check out all this candid loven I caught, warms my heart!

Arrrrrrr, Matey!

The two best 'Play-Mates' I know!

(That's Austin's Pirate Face!)

We enjoyed a nice sunset, dinner, and VIP seating with discount at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. thanks to Daddy Jeff's hook ups!

After dinner, we went back to the amusement rides where the kids enjoyed a Carousel ride and their first game of Mini Golf! The kids were naturals! ;)

The kids are so much fun now, able to do so much and participate!

It was one of those days that will go down in the memory books as just plain, perfect!

Maddie fell asleep before we got out of the parking garage... but she hung in there til' the very end!

All tuckered out!

Can I just zoom in on those adorable, little pink toes?! So Yummy!

Jack's 5th Birthday!

I can't believe our baby boy is 5 already!? Where does the time go!? He will be in Kindergarten in the fall and the Early Intervention Pre-K he received through the school district for his speech and fine motor skill delays was far superior to the private preschool we paid to put AJ in. Jack is already reading! We loved the kids teacher's this year, they were both new so they were so happy and excited to be there!
We hope they get great one's next year too!

Jack celebrated his 5th Birthday this year with his friends at the park, it was a beautiful day!
He wanted a vanilla spongebob square cake with pineapple, pudding and cool whip frosting...
and Mom did her best to deliver!
He enjoyed all the cards and presents from you all, his family and friends!
Thank you so much for making our little boy's day so very special!

We hope you enjoy the pictures and video!
We love and miss you all back home, see you soon!
XOXO

Click on the video below to hear us sing 'Happy Birthday' to Jack and see him blow out his candle!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Quickly Catching Up!

It's been 4 months since my last update! Eeek! So sorry I've become such a slacker on the family blog here! I've been completely distracted with my new blog and training for this 15k I'm running in July.

To be honest, you haven't missed a whole lot... a lot of sickness, school and a fairly mild winter!
I think all that needs updating is Easter... and we took the kids to the Chicago Children's Museum recently. Other than that it's been dare I say, uneventful?!

Things are about to pick up here though shortly with summer vacation just a month away!
We'll be heading back out west for the first time in 2 years to visit our families and celebrate the union of Chris and Amy, Jeff's cousin and his soon to be new bride! We can hardly wait to get there and see everyone! I'm thinking of staying a few weeks to soak it all in! Who knows how long it'll be before our next visit? Hopefully not so long next time!

The kids are all doing great! Getting so big, so fast!

Austin will be turning 7 this year, already... man that went fast!
He's so sweet and helpful.... and an excellent reader! A natural really! He's also very good at geometry and has decided he wants to be an architect when he grows up and he's going to live in the city and not get married or have kids or own a car! OK! :)

Jack will be 5 in just 15 days! He's nearly the same size as Austin! If they looked more alike they'd be confused for twins easily! Jack is such a love! SO sweet and cuddly, I hope he always will be! He is exceptional at numbers and math! He's doing great at school and there's not a doubt in my mind at this point that he is definitely ready for Kindergarten next year!

Madison will be 3 this year! :( I can NOT believe my baby will be 3!?!? Where does the time go!?
She is so cute, so sweet and SO sassy! She has mastered the 'baby talk' and wrapping her family around her finger! She likes to take her binky out just long enough to stick her tongue out and spit, laugh and put it back in. She's smart as a whip! Shy and quiet at first... until she warms up. She is right there right along side her big brother's and is lost when they're at school!

They're all a joy, together and individually. There little spirits, personalities and love for each other inspires me every day! I am lucky to be their Mom!

Here's a quick photo run down of the few events we've had in the past 4 months! Hope you enjoy!
Good to be back! I've missed ya! I'll be updating more frequently now, pinky swear! ;)