Anabelle's 3 year portraits

I took Anabelle to get her photo taken today.  She enjoyed posing for the camera.  Enjoy a few highlights here . . .

Halloween and other fall fun

It's hard to believe that it is November! We've been spoiled this fall with some really nice weather, but now the days are getting shorter and colder too.  Below are some pictures of some of our outdoor fall fun, including a harvest festival at one of our neighborhood parks and some shots from Milo's fall soccer season.


We enjoyed another great series of Halloween festivities this year, with most of our celebrating taking place the weekend prior to Halloween.  We took the kids to see Click, Clack, Boo! at our neighborhood theatre, attended a Halloween party at Milo's school, and then celebrated with neighbors in our building on Sunday.  Milo had two more parties to attend on the actual holiday at school and his after-care program.  As for costumes . . . Danny made multiple visits to Michael's craft store to purchase supplies for Milo's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shell.  This costume was truly a team effort between the two of us and we both put our sewing skills to the test.  We are quite proud of our craftsmanship and were glad Milo was able to use the costume several times.  Anabelle, as you will see in the photos, was a bit undecided about her costume.  She started off as a pirate, but decided that was "too itchy" and ended up going as Cookie Monster instead.  We all had a great time and, due to the generosity of friends and neighbors, will have candy and snacks to munch on for MONTHS to come!


Now that the weather is cooler, we decided to sign the kids up for an indoor activity.  So, today Anabelle started ballet and Milo began hip hop dancing at the Y.  See pictures below . . . Anabelle was a little unsure, but gradually warmed up and joined the group.  Milo was a real trooper - he was the only boy and the youngest kid in the class, but he says he enjoyed it and is looking forward to returning next week.

Apple Orchard

We took a little road trip up to Wisconsin today to visit Harvest Time orchard.  We picked Honeycrisp, Empire, and Gala apples, and brought home a pretty large load.  I think applesauce and pie are in our future . . . It was a beautiful fall day, and we all had a great time.  Danny took one for the team by waiting in a hour-long line for fresh baked donuts.  Delicious!  Below are some pics from our outing.

Anabelle's 3rd Birthday!

Anabelle turned 3 today!  We had a great day, and celebrated with a Minnie Mouse themed pizza party out at the lakefront.  Thanks to all for the birthday wishes!

Summer 2013

Hard to believe that only a few weeks of summer remain.  We've had a great summer visiting family and spending time outdoors.  Highlights include the annual trip to LBI and a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Leitao in July.  Looking forward to the long weekend ahead!

Kindergarten!

Well, it's official - we have a Kindergartener!  Today was Milo's first day of school.  All went well.  He was very excited to wear his uniform, just like the big kids.  He likes his teacher, and recognizes many kids in his class from PreK.  Looking forward to a great school year!

Milo's PreK Graduation

Our little guy finished PreK!  The students performed various nursery rhymes for the end-of-year show.  Milo had to recite Humpty Dumpty and did a super job!  Now time to enjoy the summer and get ready for Kindergarten!

Christmas in Winnipeg 2012

I am a little embarrassed to be posting Christmas photos on Memorial Day weekend. Well, better late than never, I suppose! We spent Christmas 2012 in Winnipeg with the Leitao side of the family. It was great to have everyone together and the kids especially enjoyed spending time with their cousins. It was cold and snowy, and we took advantage of the winter weather with tobogganing, ice hockey, and skating.  Thanks to Darren and Michelle for hosting!    

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

We are enjoying the long weekend here in Chicago, despite the fact that the weather isn't as warm as we'd like.  We didn't plan anything major for the weekend, which has been nice since our schedules have been so busy these past few months.  Today, we took the kids to a local nature preserve, went for a short walk, and played at the park.  It was a fun and relaxing day!  Looking forward to an extra day off tomorrow!

Milo's 5th birthday!

Milo turned 5 on May 3!  To celebrate, he wanted to make a trip out to Legoland in Schaumburg, so we told him he could bring one friend.  Of course, he chose his best bud Ayani.  We had a great time! Year 5 definitely seems to be the year of the Lego for Milo.  Happy birthday!