Chicago 2014

I love the city of Chicago.  It's probably my favorite big big city.  It is clean, there is great shopping, my awesome friend, Anne, lives there, Starbucks is five steps from every corner, and you can find yummy food wherever you go.  We made our annual trip to Chicago last week and it was a calm and relaxing few days.  Kevin did his thing at the conference he was attending and Luke and I explored the city and spent a lot of quality time with Anne.  

Being the pregnant lady that I am, I took advantage of having every possible food option available to me at all times.  I gave in to pretty much every craving that came upon me and it was good.  Biscuits and gravy, doughnuts, decaf lattes, Nutella, pizza, gelato, Ghirardelli chocolate, shrimp risotto...I did it all.  I'm not sure our unborn child knew what to think, but if Momma is happy, baby is happy...right?!  The three days of splurging on delicious food was good for my soul, but I came home ready to get back in the kitchen and eat some good old fashioned peanut butter and jelly (we eat a lot of those around here) and burgers on the grill.  

A huge thank you to Anne for taking so much time out of her days to come and visit us.  We were able to catch up and chat about everything as well as see her new apartment and go out to a delicious dinner (the risotto was perfect).    

Until next time, Chi-town...

Playing in the fountains at Millennium Park

Family photo opportunity

At the bean (Cloud Gate)!

Super-Luke loves water.

Luke crawled right up on Anne's lap and barely left her side every time we saw her.

Luke likes pretty girls that like to cuddle.

Luke's 1st Cubs game with Daddy.

Luke rode the 'L' train.

Luke absolutely loved playing at the Lego store.

Family photo at the Cubs game.

Random Picture Friday

It has been a stormy week on the Trail.  Our area encountered some weather that devastated crops, houses and buildings, cars, and trees.  Kevin, Luke and I are currently in Chicago and missed the dangerous storm.  We were so happy when we got word that friends and family were safe.  When menacing weather like that occurs, it is obviously terrible to lose crops and undergo damage to property, but it is also amazing to hear that friends, neighbors, and family members are safe.  Today I am thankful to God for keeping so many people safe that were in harm's way.  If you get a chance, please pray for the people of our area as they clean up limbs and trees as well as repair windows, cars, and buildings.

The pictures from this week are mostly from last weekend and the beginning of this week.  I will post pictures from Chicago soon.  Have a blessed weekend everyone!

7th Anniversary Date Night

Luke wasn't interested in taking pictures, he just wanted to play with Grandma and Papa.

Our dessert course at dinner.  A beet candy bar.  The chocolate was good.

Luke and his first sprinkler experience.  Classic.

Amelia came over for a swim.  

Best friend wagon ride.

 Take 1...typical Forristall men picture...eyes closed.

Take 2...much better.  Love my boys!

Memorial Day

We were blessed to have Kevin's sister's family come visit over Memorial Day weekend.  Hillary, John, and sweet Baby Kathryn came over to eat and play and eat some more.  Having family in town gave us a reason to sit back, relax, and enjoy the quiet, country living we so often take for granted. 

Saturday evening we made it back from Ottumwa just in time for pizza night.  Diane had homemade pizza dough ready, as well as various toppings for us to try.  Each couple made a pizza and it was fun to sample the combinations everyone tried.  We even learned how to 'officially' stretch the pizza dough with our knuckles. 

Use those knuckles

Yummy toppings

Hillary getting her dough ready.

Luke enjoyed pushing Kathryn around in her walker.

Sunday we watched church online and had brunch at our place.  Kathryn and Luke played with Luke's toys and they both entertained us.  Pete Hise was the speaker at church and his message titled, 'What Life Are You Waiting For' was not only inspiring, but really funny.  If you click on the link above, you can watch it from your computer.  

The guys smoked a brisket all day, while doing various chores around the farm, meantime, the girls played with the babes and might have snuck in a nap or two.  We figured out the kids had matching bib overalls, so we jumped at the opportunity to have a cousin photo shoot.  They were quite cute.

We feasted on a BBQ style meal of smoked brisket and ribs, coleslaw, beans, corn casserole, and rhubarb crisp for dinner.  Yum! The rest of the night was spent entertaining ourselves with Luke getting himself wet with the hose...oh how things change once you have kids!

These two.

Best part of our weekend.

We always head to the Macedonia cemetery on Memorial Day to put flowers on graves and attend the ceremony to honor the veterans.  It was a crisp summer morning and turned out to be a beautiful day for a potluck at Gary and Diane's.  There was more food than any of us could eat and we all headed home stuffed and ready for a nap.  It was a fun-filled weekend and one I look forward to every year.  Cheers to the start of summer! 

Both Luke and Kathryn love Brown Bear!

Grandkids and Great-Grandkids with Grandpa Gerald and his tractor

The Forristall clan 

Such a cute little family

Random Picture Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  We are having some unexpected showers on the Trail, so it gave me a reason to stay inside to post some pictures.  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, so please excuse my two weeks worth of pictures.  I'm planning on catching up on our Memorial Day pictures, as well as Tot School, sometime in the next few days.  Enjoy and have a blessed weekend!

Swimming Lessons at DiVentures in Omaha, Daddy came to watch (and take pictures)!

At his last swimming lesson, Luke went under for 5 whole seconds.  He is such a little fish!

The 21-gun salute at my Grandpa's funeral last week.

Luke has never had candy and I'm not sure if he even knows what it is, but he loves the sound of the packages and he makes piles with them in check-out lines.

Luke loves reading his Bible.

Pretty flowers Luke and Kevin picked me for Kevin and I's 7th anniversary on Monday.

Whenever it's quiet in the house, Luke is either getting into something he shouldn't be OR reading the Bible in his room.

Luke and his soon-to-be-babysitter, Joslyn.  I don't know if Joslyn knows what she's in for once she's old enough to be with Luke on his own.

Remembering Grandpa

Grandpa Hasley was a Jesus-loving, card game playing, sand castle building, generous and frugal guy.  He was many things to many people, but he was my Grandpa.  My Grandpa Hasley passed into heaven last Wednesday.  Although I'm going to miss him more than I can even imagine now, I know he is at peace with Jesus. 

I want to honor my Grandpa today as it is Memorial Day.  Not only was he my Grandpa, but he was a war veteran serving here and in France and South Korea in Military Intelligence.  He will forever be a hero to me and my family.

Who was my Grandpa?

My Grandpa Hasley always made time to play a game of Up and Down the River or Dominos with anyone (I mean anyone) who wanted to play.  He was a war veteran that served both overseas and at home for our great country.  He loved his wife, children, and grandchildren and taught us all how to be a family.  He enjoyed donating to various charities, receiving calendars from those charities, and then passing out those calendars to every one of his kids and grandkids at Christmas every. single. year.  (I'm going to miss that.)  He loved to save a dime anyway he could, but was generous to all who knew him.  Grandpa always asked about his grandkids' lives and what they were up to, he loved to hear about our grades and if we were receiving 'A's'.  Grandpa loved his little 'puppy dogs', even the mischievous ones.  But, to sum up my Grandpa in a few words, he was a man of God.  His best friend was Jesus and because he knew the incredible love of Jesus, he was able to love others like Jesus every single day.  His relationship with Jesus was a shining example to all who knew him and there is no doubt in my mind that he is with Jesus now, probably playing a game of Up and Down the River.

I love you, Grandpa, and I look forward to seeing you in heaven one day!

San Diego

Last week Kevin and I were Luke-less for a few days while we visited sunny San Diego.  Kevin had a conference and we decided it was the perfect opportunity to have a few date nights and spend some quality time together.  As much as we missed our little man, we enjoyed every single minute together.    Carving out some time to be 'just us' is exactly what we needed and I am so thankful for the opportunity to do so.  (Did I mention it is a breeze to travel without a toddler???  We didn't know how easy we had it before Luke!)  

Kevin's parents took care of Luke while we were gone and that made the trip that much more enjoyable....not having to worry about a thing and knowing he is in loving, capable hands.  We didn't Skype or talk to Luke while we were gone (which was super hard), but we knew it would be difficult for him to understand if we did.  So, we checked in with Diane daily and she was so sweet to update us on all the fun things Luke did that day.  

Since Kevin had a conference, we weren't able to do much together during the day, but we definitely had some great meals at night.  Since we didn't have Luke with us we pretty much just enjoyed ourselves and didn't get the camera out much, but here are a few we managed to get...

Modern Times Brewery.  Kevin has been dreaming of going to this place for awhile now (it's the #7 brewery in the world or something, Kevin knows everything about this place).  We rented a car for the half day we had before the conference started and Kevin was able to try some brew he has been dying to try, as well as check out the cool interior of the brewery and 'talk shop' with some of the staff.  I have to say, it was pretty darn cool and I'm pretty sure we weren't cool enough to be in there.

My 'office', while Kevin was at the conference.

Sunset in San Diego.

Our pedi-cab ride I begged Kevin for...a one-way trip cost almost as much as our rental car for a day.  Oops.

Chocolate cake from Extraordinary Desserts.  My pregnancy brain was definitely making the decisions this evening.

I walked 1.2 miles to get this donut and 1.2 miles back.  It was worth it.

A big ship going through the bay, this was part of my entertainment from my 'office'.

The day we rented the car we also checked out Coronado Beach.  It was beautiful!

Heading home from San Diego.  We were really excited to see our little man at this point.