Samantha: 110 Months, Week 3
Aedan: 77 Months, Week 1
Owen: 34 Months, Week 3
After a busy couple days of traveling, and the kids sleeping in a new place, everyone was a bit tired on Sunday morning. In fact, Aedan was especially tired and having a hard time not being overly emotional. He had trouble sleeping in the room with Madeline and Matthew because they are used to falling asleep to a music CD and having a brighter nightlight on, so those things were keeping him awake. We decided to have him take a nap on Sunday afternoon to try and catch up on some sleep. I read to him and tried to lay with him for awhile to get him to fall asleep, but he kept telling me to leave, so I decided to just leave the room. However, Ben went back in the room to check and see if he was actually asleep, which he wasn't, so he decided to stay in there and lay in the bed next to him until he fell asleep. I was going to do that, too! Nevertheless, the little boy finally fell asleep, and he is so cute with Happy Bear, or Happy Teddy, tucked up under his chin. He sleeps with his little bear every night, and he has ever since Christmas when he was 2 1/2. He got this special bear from Samantha for Christmas that year from her Santa Store at school. Especially when he stopped using his pacifier, this little bear became even more important to him. I love how much he loves it, and so does Samantha.
When it was almost 4:00 and Aedan was still sleeping, I went in the room to wake him up so he didn't sleep for too long and impact his ability to go to sleep that night. He was so cute, fast asleep, laying on Happy Bear, with his arms tucked in between his legs. I love this little boy so much. He is growing up so much, but at times like this I realize just how little he is still.
When we visit the Mosers, we never have too many plans other than just spending time hanging out, talking, and letting the kids play together. Their new house had a great big basement, so the kids had a blast going down there to play (and make a large mess). It was almost like we didn't have to be parents because the kids were having so much fun playing together in the basement, and it was so wonderful that our kids are finally at this age where they can go off and play together, giving us time to talk with our friends. We went to a playground near their house on Sunday before lunch, but other than that, we just enjoyed good friends, good food, and good company.
They always make amazing food for us when we come visit. Sunday morning was huge apple pancakes and sausage. Monday morning was breakfast casserole. I took these pictures of Owen and Matthew talking at the end of the table because it was so cute to see how well they were getting along this trip. They insisted on sitting next to each other, and who knows what they were talking about, but it was very important! It was so fun to see Owen with someone his age to play with.
And here are the rest of the kids on the other side of the table. It's fun to get together at least once a year, if we are able to pull it off, and to watch how the kids have grown and changed in their looks, behavior, but also in how they interact with one another.
After mostly staying around the house on Sunday, we decided to go a couple places on Monday, even though it was a little chillier than we expected it to be at the beginning of August. We went on a little trail at the library near their house, just to do something different and get the kids out of the house. They had these storybook pages put up along the trail, and the kids thought it was fun to run from one sign to another to read the story. Samantha and Aedan took turns, and Melissa was really impressed with how well Aedan was reading. You can see him reading in the video.
Getting outside that morning was good for the kids to just have a change of scenery. We had plans to go to the free zoo in Madison that afternoon after nap time, so we ate an earlier lunch so I could put Owen down for his nap earlier and give him a greater chance of sleeping. He was tired and ready to sleep, as this was just a couple minutes after 1:00, and he was already asleep. He was doing such a good job sleeping on his new air mattress, and I think he kind of liked it. I love watching this sweet boy sleep, with his trusted and well-loved monkey by his side. There's just something so peaceful and serene in watching your children sleep.
While Owen napped and Samantha had some time to herself reading, Aedan and Madeline played with play-doh together. I forget what it was that they made that he asked me to take a picture of, but they were having a great time and he was proud of his creation.
That afternoon, once Owen was up from his nap and we got everyone around, we went to the smaller, free zoo in Madison. We had to borrow sweaters from Melissa and her kids because we didn't bring any with us, and it was a little chilly that day. It's not a huge place, and you couldn't go in any of the indoor exhibits, but it was fun to just get out and do something and feel like life was normal for a little while, even though we all had to wear masks and we used lots of hand sanitizer as we walked around the zoo. Here are some pictures from our time at the zoo.
I love these pictures of all five kids lined up, waiting for the seals to swim by. They really enjoyed this part, and we spent quite a bit of time here watching the seals swim around and around.
And here they are watching the seals from up above the exhibit.
We walked around the whole zoo, seeing all the animals that were out, and still getting back in time for dinner. Since it was our last night there, they built a fire so we could roast marshmallows for s'mores. Ever since the first night didn't go to well with Aedan being in the room with Madeline and Matthew, I had him just move into the room with Samantha since they are used to sleeping in the same room together. However, on the last night Madeline was really wanting everyone to have a sleepover in her room. I debated a lot in my mind what to do, and ultimately decided to say no. With all the traveling we had ahead of us, I really just wanted Samantha and Aedan to have a good night's sleep, and I knew that if they were in a room with two other kids that had different sleeping habits, they wouldn't sleep well and would enter the next leg of our trip already overtired. She was mad that I said no, and I felt bad, but I really just wanted to help everyone sleep better, and I knew keeping everyone separate would be easier to achieve that goal.
However, even though bedtime was challenging, after the kids were in bed, the adults got to go out and enjoy more time by the fire. We talked for a long time, and it was so refreshing to have this time with some of our "oldest" friends. Melissa has known Ben and me since our semester in Ireland in the Fall of 2003, and Brad and Ben lived on the same floor all four years of college. We have no other friends that we have this much history with, and I am so honored to be able to have this friendship with Melissa over all these years. No matter how much time has passed, we always pick up right where we left off. She knows me well, knows my past and my history, and the perspective I have coming in to things, and it's so refreshing to have a friend who just knows me so well. Plus, she is super encouraging in my role as a wife, mom, and Christian. I love Melissa so much, and it's always so hard to say good-bye, and oftentimes I wish we could just move to Wisconsin to be closer to them. However, we know that we will make it a point to see each other whenever we can, and I cherish this time we get to spend together.
Tuesday, August 4th was our last morning in Verona. We ate breakfast, and then Ben and I got things packed back up in the car while the kids played for a little longer. Here is Owen dressed up as a cute, little knight.
And we were off to Aurora to see my family! We got to Aunt Christy's house a little after lunchtime, got the kids some food for lunch, and then they went right to playing in the backyard and jumping on the trampoline. Owen and Aedan had actually both fallen asleep in the car on the way there that morning, so we didn't make Owen nap that afternoon. The kids always have fun playing together. Aedan and Owen loved playing with different toys, and it was a beautiful, warm day to spend some time outside.
Later that afternoon, there were some men working on the driveway across the street. Well, Owen and Oliver are both big fans of trucks, so they went over to stand on the fence and watch them work. They stayed there for quite awhile just watching them, and it was cute to see how much more Owen and Oliver had in common from the last time they were around each other.
After eating dinner and hanging out for awhile, we went back to the hotel to get the kids to bed at a decent time. We got a Kidsuite room the Holiday Inn Express that we usually stay at because with the little bunk bed room that is attached to main room, we have plenty of room for us all to sleep comfortably, especially now with Owen sleeping on his special air mattress and being old enough to sleep better when we are away from home. I read books to the kids that night, and Ben was on the bed waiting, and he was able to snatch a few pictures and a video of me reading to the kids. I am usually the one that remembers to take pictures in our family, so I am often not in any pictures, but I'm glad he was able to capture this moment that I had with the kids.
They are all getting to big now, and even Owen is growing too big to fit all cuddled up on my lap like he used to. There is always this strange tension within me as our kids are growing up. I am glad they are getting bigger and smarter and more independent, but part of my heart feels sad to know their little years are behind them and even though I was home with them for these younger years, they really won't remember much about that time with me. However, my mind is full of all the wonderful memories I have of caring for and spending time with my babies. I don't want to go back to that time because I know I sentimentalize it and forget about the struggles we had, too, but there are moments I wish I could just experience one more day where Samantha would back herself up into my lap so I could read book after book to her or to stop and play dolls or tea party with her. Part of me wishes I could experience just one more day where Aedan falls asleep in my arms with his pacifier in his mouth before nap time. Part of me wishes I would not have longed for Owen to be able to sleep on his own for so long (because of all his trouble with ear infections), and just enjoy a quiet afternoon of holding him, listening to him breathe, and watch as he slept peacefully on my shoulder. Sometimes it's so very difficult for me to live in the present. I like to plan and think toward the future. Sometimes I just want hard phases to be over, but then I look at pictures like this when I realize just how fast our kids are growing that I just wish time would slow down, just for a little while.
Wednesday, August 5th was our only full day in the Chicago area before we headed for Bloomington, Indiana for one night, so we decided to take advantage of the good weather to spend some time outside. Staying at the hotel was different than normal because the pool was closed and they didn't have the hot breakfast buffet like normal. But they did have food you could pick up to bring to your room, and it was much more than we anticipated. There was a breakfast sandwich you could heat up in the microwave, yogurt, and a granola bar. It was definitely enough breakfast for what we needed, but it was strange eating in our hotel room.
Anyways, we met Aunt Christy, Brielle, and Oliver at a place called Waterfall Glen that looked like a fun place to hike and play in the water, while still staying socially distant from people. We got there around 9:30 and then walked back to the trail that led to the main waterfall. We stopped to play in the stream for awhile, but had to go down a pretty steep embankment to get down there. Nevertheless, the kids had fun wading in the water, throwing rocks, and noticing the little fish and crayfish down in the water.
After spending some time there, we walked over to the main waterfall to let the kids play around more there. We didn't bring the kids' bathing suits, but we did bring a change of clothes, so they had a great time wading around in water, climbing up the rocks, and getting quite wet, especially Aedan. We didn't let Owen get off too far by himself because we didn't want him to fall and get hurt, and we also didn't have ear plugs in his ears, so we didn't want him to fall in the water.
Aedan made his way to this log floating in the middle of the water, and he just sat there for awhile. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, just sitting. He is definitely my contemplative one. He doesn't need to always be doing something, and sometimes just sitting, thinking, and looking around is exactly what he needs to be doing.
Samantha, our little adventurer and explorer, was walking and climbing all over the place at the waterfall. As we spent more time there, more and more people came, making us feel more and more uncomfortable due to COVID. We told our kids they needed to keep their masks on, even though most people weren't wearing them. We already felt like we were taking a risk with going on this long trip and visiting several different states and families, so we wanted to take the proper precautions and be as careful as possible while we traveled.
Once the kids had their fill of wading in the water, and Samantha actually cut her foot on a rock, we decided to get out, dry off, and find a good place to eat our picnic lunch. We helped the kids change into dry clothes and sat around my Young Living picnic blanket to eat. Grandpa and Grandma met us there while we were eating, and then were able to spend the rest of the time there with us as we finished eating and hiked the trail back to the cars. Then, we all went back to Aunt Christy's house for the afternoon.
We were able to keep Owen awake in the car on the way back so that way we could have him nap back at the house. He was tired and definitely needed to sleep. Ben took him up to Oliver's room to have him sleep in his bed, since Oliver doesn't nap much anymore. Ben said it didn't take too long for him to fall asleep, and he took this cute picture of him fast asleep.
Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Matt all came over to hang out that afternoon with us and the kids. Uncle Matt brought a couple Blackhawks items over for Samantha, even though she doesn't really know who they are, she looked cute wearing this sweater.
Aedan dressed up like a super hero and went outside to pretend play, climbing up and down this ladder with his super hero cape on. I love that he still wants to play dress up and pretend. It makes me smile to see him acting out super hero stories.
We spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and hanging out at Aunt Christy's house while the kids played. We got deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's, my favorite place, for dinner, and then Ben lovingly took the kids back to the hotel to put them to bed on his own so I could stay and talk to my family for awhile without the kids around. It was interesting with it just being the five of us. I don't even remember the last time that has happened. It was good to spend some time with them like that.
Thursday morning we woke up, got ready, and then got all our stuff packed up again. We drove to Bloomington, stopping in Lafayette for lunch, where we got Jimmy Johns to eat in the car. Owen took a really long time to eat lunch, so by the time he was done, we were already close to getting off of 465 and onto 26, which meant more stopping and traffic, so he ended up never taking a nap that afternoon. There was nothing we could do about it though, and we decided to just make the best of our situation.
We drove around for a little while since we were waiting until it was time to check into our hotel. We saw the school I taught at, Lighthouse Christian Academy, while we lived there, and even our old apartments that we lived in, where we were able to point out to Samantha where her first room was and where we brought both her and Aedan home from the hospital.
Once back at the hotel, we checked in, brought all of our stuff upstairs, and get settled in a little bit so we would be ready for bedtime when we got back to the hotel that night. The cool thing about this hotel is that it had a robot named Archie working that you could request things from. The man at the front desk said we could request cookies from Archie, so that is what we did. The kids waited with nervous anticipation for Archie to deliver them cookies. They were so cute with how excited they were. Aedan especially thought it was so awesome that there was a robot that could do something like this. They still talk about this hotel that had a robot deliver cookies!
After eating our cookies and getting the adjoining rooms set up, we headed out to check out downtown Bloomington. It was so strange driving around a place that was so familiar, yet so different. We hadn't been back since 2015 when Ben defended his dissertation, and things were quite different in certain areas of town. I forgot how big of a city Bloomington is. We drove through the downtown area, even though Samantha didn't remember anything about living there. We parked on campus to walk around and see where Ben's old building was, to take pictures at the fountain, and to walk on the red brick sidewalks around campus and through the woods that we walked so many times with Samantha. It was so strange to be back here and so many memories flooded back. In fact, as we walked around the forest area, it was almost as if it smelled familiar. Part of me really misses being in a large college town like this and all the cool opportunities and experiences that it offered, even as we were a small family living on the budget of a graduate student and Christian school teacher. Here are our pictures from our walk around campus.
And of course we had to get pictures taken at the Sample Gates!
A stop in Bloomington wouldn't be complete without a trip to Mother Bear's for pizza. We frequented this restaurant many times while living there because they had such a good "Early Bird Special" which is what we got when we went there or got carry out. We sat in a booth where we could overlook campus, and we shared our bread sticks with cheese sauce along with our half Divine Swine and half Big Cheese. It was delicious, and just how I remembered it. We were excited for pizza, as you can tell in these pictures.
After eating dinner, we went over to one of our favorite local playgrounds called Lower Cascades. We didn't find this one until later in our time living in Bloomington, when Samantha was older and could handle climbing and sliding on bigger equipment, but I knew the kids would enjoy this playground, especially with the tall twisty slides. I even climbed to the top of the rope tower with Samantha and Aedan!
I took these pictures and video of Owen playing on this slide because I have a distinct memory of Samantha playing on this playground, and it just seemed strange to come full circle and now have our youngest child playing on the same slide six years later.
Here are some action shots of the kids climbing and playing that they wanted us to take of them.
And here are a few videos of the kids racing down the big slides. We had a blast at the playground and stayed until past 7:30, which only felt like 6:30 to us since we were used to Central time, but we knew we needed to get the kids acclimated to Eastern time again, and everyone needed a good night's sleep, so it was time to head back to the hotel for bedtime for the kids (and hot tub time for Ben and me. Don't worry we took turns going in, we didn't go at the same time).
We didn't plan on staying in Bloomington for very long, just enough to see our old stomping grounds and share some of our memories with the kids, for although Samantha spent her first three years of life there, she doesn't remember anything about it. On Friday morning we took the kids down to go swimming at the hotel pool, but the water was too cold for the boys and me. Samantha and Ben swam around for awhile, but we all ended up in the hot tub after not much time. After getting everyone showered and dressed, and getting everything packed back up in the van, we decided to eat a late breakfast/early lunch at a restaurant called Runcible Spoon. We went there a few times when we lived there and were always impressed with their food. Plus, we knew the atmosphere would be very typical for Bloomington, and that we would be able to sit outside and eat.
After eating breakfast, we went to Bryan Park, another place we frequented a lot with Samantha and to meet up with friends when we lived in Bloomington. Ben went out to a store to get some anti-itch cream and allergy medicine for Aedan because he had a rash that seemed to be spreading around on his face. However, all the kids were tired from not sleeping all that great in a hotel for three nights in a row, and since they were tired, they were not playing well together, so it was time for us to just hit the road.
Our next stop was Oxford, Ohio to stay with the Chagdes family, our best friends when we lived in Oxford, even though we really only knew them the last year we were there. They graciously opened their home to us and were willing to have all five of us invade their space for three nights. We arrived around 3:20 that afternoon, and again, Samantha and Aedan didn't remember anything much about our time in Oxford, even though they were both friends with their son, Isaac. It didn't take long for the kids to warm up to each other though, and they were off playing Legos together, exploring new toys, and Owen was excited to get his bathing suit on so he could go play in the water with Anna. Just like in Wisconsin, it was fun watching Owen play with someone his own age, and he and Anna really enjoyed each other. They went down this little slide into the water over and over and over again.
Our first evening in Oxford we spent time just hanging out with each other, catching up, and watching our kids have such a blast playing together. At first I thought it might be awkward staying with the Chagdes family because we have stayed in touch somewhat over the last four years, but not a lot. However, it was very natural for us to talk, and it didn't feel awkward at all. In fact, it was refreshing for me to talk to Stephanie again because we had become good, fast friends. She was always so easy to talk to, and she was always up for hanging out and doing things together.
That night for bedtime we tried to come up with an arrangement that would work for sleeping. Isaac moved into his sister, Anna's room. While our three kids kind of took over his room. However, Isaac and Anna weren't used to sharing a room, and it wasn't going very well. They both were up out of bed for quite awhile after being put to sleep. Owen was also being silly in the room with Samantha and Aedan because he wasn't used to sharing a room with the two of them, and it was again a new place to get used to sleeping. It took quite a while to get the kids settled down to sleep that night, leaving us parents quite exhausted and ready for bed ourselves.
On Saturday we decided to get out of the house for awhile and go for a hike at Hueston Woods State Park. It wasn't a very long trail, but it was a good way for the kids to get their energy out while still talking and hanging out with each other. After our hike, it was almost lunchtime, so we decided to just pick up lunch at Skyline in Uptown Oxford. Here are Isaac and Aedan holding hands as we got ready to cross the street. They were so cute together, I couldn't resist taking a picture. They certainly bonded during this trip, especially over their love of building Legos.
Unlike Bloomington, Oxford really hadn't changed at all. It all looked so familiar to me, and it brought back so many memories. Even though we didn't quite live there for two years, it was a place where I really enjoyed living, and I felt like I actually was making good friends there. Even though we knew that Ben's job was just a two year visiting position, I know that I hoped it might turn into something more somehow. There was part of my heart that felt sad that we ever moved away, wishing that we were in this area of the country, close to a bigger city but also in a small town, and especially when considering the close proximity to our families in Indiana and the Chicago area.
Owen's nap schedule has been haphazard for most of the trip, so we decided to make a point for him to nap that afternoon. He slept on the air mattress Ben and I were using at night, and I laid down in bed next to him until he fell asleep because I figured he would have a greater chance of falling asleep that way. He fell asleep facing me with his arm draped over my neck. It was so sweet to be able to lay there and watch him slowly drift off to sleep with his arm across my neck. Then, I carefully moved his hand so he was resting it on the pillow instead. I love how he has Monkey tucked up under his arm. I think he sleeps that way most of the time.
However, even though I got Owen to fall asleep, he didn't stay asleep for very long. He was up making noise, maybe only fifteen minutes after I left the room. We took the opportunity of him taking a short nap to go drive around Oxford a little more, to show the kids the townhome we rented out in the country and what rooms they had, as well as the driveway where Aedan took some of his first steps. We also drove around Miami's campus and Ben pointed out his old building to the kids, as well as a few other landmarks like the Goggin Ice Center, and the aquatic center where we would go swimming when they had free weeks or for Samantha's birthday party just a couple weeks before we moved away. As we were driving around campus, we saw some baby deer with their mom. The kids loved seeing them so up close and personal!
