Chicago getaway

Russ had a business conference in Chicago, so I decided to tag along. We stayed at the Downtown Hilton across from Lake Michigan. GREAT LOCATION!! Chicago has a beautiful downtown area. We had so much fun walking around seeing the sights. This cool thing in the picture above is called the Cloud. We loved how you can see the Chicago skyline reflected in it. Then we took a picture of ourselves reflected in the Cloud.

The river runs right through downtown. There are so many cool buildings! When the weather is better I want to come back to Chicago and take a sunset cruise.
We went to the Chicago Temple one evening. This picture above is on our way in to the temple.
When we came out there was snow! It was so pretty!

When we got back downtown we had to stop and get a photo by my favorite spot. We had a fabulous time in Chicago. The museums are wonderful! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Judd for taking care of our children so we could go on this trip!

MORMAL

Emily was asked to Mormal by Nathan Swainston. They went in a group that included Rachael Hunt and Alex Starkey. Everyone first met up at our house, and then joined a few more couples for dinner at BJ'S.
Emily was not feeling well. She had been sick with a cough for two weeks prior and the day of Mormal it seemed to get worse. She took her antibiotics and tylenol and managed to have a great time with her friends.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben knew exactly what he wanted for dinner. Sloppy joes, tater tots, peas and watermelon. Since Ben does not eat sweets, he chose a bagel cake for dessert.
Ben LOVES money! He brings his wallet to school everyday. He likes to have $10 in it at all times. He goes to an after school program three days a week, and they do various activities where Ben can spend money. Each day when he gets home I ask him how much money he has left, and he tells me how much more he needs to equal $10 for the next day. So, you can imagine how excited he was to open a birthday card from Grandpa and Grandma Sullivan which had a 50 dollar bill inside.

CHA CHING!
Ben is such a loving person who brings our family a lot of joy. He has a funny sense of humor. Ben loves to dance and go to Condors hockey games.

A week before his birthday he told me that he was nervous. I asked him what he was nervous about and he told me that he was nervous about going on a mission. I gave him a big hug and told him that he had a special mission at his school to be a good example for all of his friends, and that he would not have to leave home to serve a full time mission. He seemed very relieved. He met with the missionaries and they gave him some pass along cards to carry in his wallet.

Ben loves the families that he home teaches. When he sees them at church he always says hello to them and either shakes their hand or gives them hugs.

Happy Birthday Ben, We love you!!!

Disneyland

Hannah opted for a family trip to Disneyland instead of a party with her friends this year for her birthday. So, off we went.....
We had an awesome day together!! The weather was nice and those "fast passes" really came in handy! We got right on to Space Mountain and California Soarin'. The Aladdin show was fabulous!!! Well worth the long wait in line.
Gotta love the Astro Blasters!
The children had fun putting on a free concert inside the "Innovations" exhibit.
being silly in Toon Town...
Russ took the children on the tea cups. They wanted to spin really fast. Ben wanted to be in his own cup so that he could control it himself. Big smiles were had by all!


While waiting in line for The Tower of Terror, Hannah decided that she really did not want to go on it. Emily volunteered to go out with her and wait for us. We convinced Haley and Ben to stay in line and go on the ride. After it was over Ben wanted to go again, Haley did not!
California Screamin' is the best roller coaster around! Hannah was holding on tight to me and began to cry after the first big drop, but by the time it was over she had recovered. After a few hours she was ready to try it again. This was our second time riding, and you can see that Hannah has her eyes open and there is a smile on her face. Ben's eyes are closed, but he LOVED it!

Happy Birthday Miss Hannah!

Can you tell what Hannah loves to play with these days?! Legos. Hannah was thrilled with her new books, but what got her even more excited was the little book light that G & G Judd sent!
Chicken Parmasen, pasta and broccoli was the meal of choice, with angel food cake and strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. YUMMY!
Dad made this funny hat for Hannah. She picked out the glasses at the dollar store. Gotta love it!
Hannah is so excited to be "double digits" now. Wait a minute here, does that mean my baby is 10? Hannah is such a joy to have in our family. She has a twinkle in her eye, and a spring in her step. She is so loving and kind, smart and funny. She enjoys doing art projects, and creating "stuff" out of nothing. She is a collector and saver. The proof is under her bed! Hannah goes through books like nobody's business, and she always gets her homework done right away. Hannah, YOU ROCK!!

We were big winners!

Russ and I got all dressed up to attend the Annual Cancer Society Fundraiser. It was held at the Petroleum Club. We invited my brother Brian to join us for the evening. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon and steak. The real fun came with the silent auction. We put our name down for a few items, and ended up coming home with our favorites. We won a chocolate matterhorn cake from Sweet Surrender, and we also won 4 tickets to Sea World. The other prize was the centerpiece from our table. That was ours for being the highest bidder. We were so excited to get home to show the children our loot! The best part was knowing that we were helping out such a great cause.

We did it, but it wasn't easy!!!

Just to get this down in writing in case it never happens again.....

Russ and I ran 10 miles! Both of us were pretty sore at the end, BUT WE DID IT!!!