Trip recap......Chicago!

I love how our children are going to have such different experiences of where their grandparents live. When we go to Iowa, life just settles down and you don't have an endless list of things to do, but it is such a rich experience because of that. You play games, ride tractors and 4 wheelers, eat home cooked meals, explore the outdoors, and just visit with friends and family. I find it really funny that this time, a few of my high school friends saw Kurt and they immediately asked if we were home and where I was. That is when you know you come from a small town, when your husband who didn't even grow up in the area gets recognized!

On the flip side, we have the benefit of having family in a big city, so we can explore the endless possibilities of things to do there. There are restaurants galore, activities regardless of weather, traffic that continues to remind us why we don't live there!, and stores that we do wish we could transport to our area.

So, what a blessing it was to be able to enjoy time at both places. In Chicago, we were able to attend a birthday party, spend Easter with Kurt's side of the family, and then have some good quality grandma and cousin time. Here are some pictures of how we enjoyed our time there.

A picture of the Aichele cousins

Uncle Keith and Nathan

Our family on Easter day.

The Aichele cousins on Easter day

Grandma Aichele with grandkids

A fun Easter egg hunt we participated in

Silas showing off what he got

Abby enjoying walking around on the grass

Nathan loves guitars, so he got to enjoy some time with Uncle Keith while Daddy and Uncle Keith played piano and guitar together.

We had a wonderful time at Lego land with all of the cousins

Nathan checking out the lizard made out of legos

Daddy being scared by the big lego spider

Hanging out with Bob the Builder at Lego land

Trip recap...........Iowa!

After DC, we flew to Chicago and then rented a car and left immediately for Iowa. The car ride was uneventful (thankfully!) and we made pretty good time. We had such a nice time in Iowa, although the weather was not in our favor.....but I guess that is Iowa in the spring!

Anyways, we got to see some family friends we haven't seen in awhile and catch up. We had a nice visit with my sister and her children who were able to come up for the night and also my step sister and her children. All the kids are growing way too fast! Then a very nice visit with my grandparents and an aunt and uncle who live in the area. All in all, it was a quick trip, but well worth the time. The boys got to ride on the tractor and 4 wheeler with Grandpa and Daddy along with decorating eggs with Amma and participate in the freezing cold Easter egg hunt. What more could you ask for???????

Grandpa Shippy and Silas on the 4 wheeler

Nathan and Grandpa Shippy

Daddy and Silas enjoying exploring the farm on the 4 wheeler

Nathan and Grandpa driving the tractor around

Silas enjoying some cousin time with the twins.

Silas and Isabelle doing puzzles with Great Grandma Conklin

Nathan giving "big hugs" to Great Grandpa Conklin (can you believe he just turned 90)!

Silas and Great Grandpa

Abby and Great Grandpa

Abby and Great Grandma Conklin

Decorating eggs at Grandpa and Amma Shippy's

The freezing cold Easter egg hunt in Hawkeye, IA. The boys enjoyed it at least!

Our two week vacation recap

Our two week trip started out flying to DC so we could see where Kurt works part time. This also prepped us for family DC trips two times a year so Kurt can work in that office and have our family there for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. Other than the flight (over 3 hours long...) I think it will be fine.

We were also able to meet up with my sister and her family from Pittsburgh. They made the trek to DC so we could spend some time together. Thankfully, we got to spend a night in a very nice hotel (The Gaylord), so there was lots to do and good family time together. I wish it could have been longer, but thankful for any opportunities we get! After my sister left, we spent some family time by exploring Alexandria, VA by taking a boat ride and just enjoying some nice weather and swimming. Kurt had to work the day before we left, but I had a nice time playing with the kids at our motel and just enjoying some time together. Here are some pictures of our DC part of the trip.

The cherry blossoms had peaked the week before, but we still found a few trees to enjoy.

Daddy and the boys on the boat ride

Here was the fountain show inside our hotel. The boys really got a kick out of it.

Outside the hotel in the downtown area.

Cousins watching the fountain show together.

Enjoying some time outside although the weather was still a bit questionable.