Happy Birthday Ethan

11 years ago a new person entered our world and I am lucky enough to be called his mom! For 11 years I have watched him grow and blossom into the boy I love today. At 11 he is still a boy and yet at times I see glimpses of the man he is becoming!
When we went back to Chicago I remembered that when Ethan was only 2 years old I had taken his picture at the Brookfield Zoo and it has become one of my favorites. So, while we were at the zoo this time, I decided to replicate the picture again, 9 years later. I thought I had remembered the pose correctly but I had him facing the wrong way. Oh well!
In honor of Ethan's birthday I wanted to share these pictures on here with all of you! Look at how my little man is growing!
Happy Birthday Ethan! I LOVE YOU!!

Chicago

Well we have been busy, busy, busy! Summer is going by waaaaay too fast! For our big trip this summer we made the trek back to Chicago! After being away for over 3 years I think it was a little bit past time! We started off by going to Greenville first to pick up daddy and to help break the trip up a little bit. Only 3.5 hours to Greenville and the kids have gotten used to that trip.

The next morning we climbed into the Suburban for the long haul, Greenville to Chicago! It was a beautiful drive, going through the hills and the mountains, you forget how pretty a bunch of trees can really be!

Once in Chicago we split the trip up and spent 2 days with Jason's family and then 2 days with my family. It was the PERFECT amount of time! While with Jason's family we spent one day with his older sister, Susan, where we took the kids to the pool...even though it was freezing outside! (okay, so it was 80 degrees but after GA weather....it was cold!) hehehe! :-)
The next day we took the kids to Brookfield Zoo and packed as much into one day as we possibly could!

Sunday with my family was an all out cookout. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and great grandma all came out to my parents house to spend the day with us. It was a great day of just hanging out and a chance for us to relax. The next day we took the kids downtown and to The Museum Of Science And Industry. It was a lot to pack into one day but it was so much fun. After the museum we went back to Kim's house and hung out while eating Giordano's pizza! YUM!
We went ahead and left Chicago on Monday night and drove to a hotel in IN just to help break up the trip again. Back to Greenville the following morning where we stayed until the weekend and daddy could come back home to Savannah with us!

It was a great trip all the way around! The kids were real troopers and it just seemed like the perfect amount of time! So, here are a view pictures and highlights from our Chicago trip....ENJOY! :-)