10 years of us and them and them

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A very important part about us going on our 10 anniversary trip to the Catskills, was Jim and Julie coming to Chicago to chill with the kiddos! We got to have an awesome weekend together in addition to our time away. Double treat. This is Grandma unwrapping our thank you gift, a Halloween dino yard inflatable to go with their collection from the Lawnozoic Era.

 

Julie has seemed to make friends with a very cute and colorful rat while strolling the alley. But more likely, Alice has adopted Brock's Murray costume, but the stroll in the alley remains the same.
 
One of our adventures was going to Great America! Now, Alice is not on board with roller coasters like the rest of us, but kiddie rides with Grandma? For sure.

 
  
Mini tea-cups with daddy is ok too. Sooooo not ready for Daddy and Brock's big boy tea cup ride. And neither is mommy ever ready for that ride. That is only a ride to the nearest trashcan or vomitorium.
  
Ice cream is mandatory of course. Children chose the somehow tantalizing tiny pebbles of perhaps dairy material under the pseudonym, Dippn' Dots.
 
 Such a desperate reach. For what? More Dippn's? A nap? A sip of mommy's beer? WHAT DO YOU WANT?! And Grandpa is now accepting tips.
 
Here is a sample of the power of the daddy teacups. The horror! 

One of the highlights of the trip was a journey in the Gypsy Wagon to Starved Rock State Park. It has some lovely trails but no wire coat hangers. Which was too bad as we managed to lock the keys in the car and poor Jim had to MacGyver (omg, while looking up the spelling of that name, I see they have a remake with a new young modern hunky MacGyver) into while the rest of us enjoyed the outdoors.

So proud of this little one, she stayed a-foot all 4 miles. I think it was because she had to show that she could keep up with Grandma the super-walker (+2,800 miles and counting. WOW. Alice has some catching up to do).

 
Or maybe she was just carried the whole way, that's possible too.
 
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We found our way down to one of the waterfall gorges Starved Rock is known for.
 
Jim back with us. Or with us in the beginning? I forget....

 

 

 

 

Same waterfall gorge as before. Off to the left you can see the small ledge the selfie was from. I should have put it after the other for a better narrative flow, but cutting pasting, blogging, meh. 


 Is this the end of their wonderful visit? I guess so judging by the pictures. But we had a blast and as ever, we have more memories (for now) then our blog images do justice to. We feel so incredibly lucky to have the G's of Omaha be both the brave adventures, and role-model child rear-ers in the same 7.5-hour-away package. Thank you thank you thank you!!  And so many more of these wonderful visits and incomplete blog posts to come!

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