My family and I had such a fun and action-packed weekend visiting the Windy City. It was a great way to end a very stressful week - surrounded by family. I don’t have tons of time to write tonight but thought the camera-phone shots I snapped might bring a smile to your face. As good as it was to get away, I was really ready to be back in Indy by the end of the weekend! (I’ll explain a little later)

cal-suit-jacket.JPGHere’s my 5-year-old, Calvin, showing off the new suit jacket, tie, shirt, and shoes he BEGGED me to let him go shopping for. I took him to a second-hand clothing store to spend the $24 dollars he’d saved up in $2 bills from my mom. (It’s her little tradition to include 2 bucks in every Valentine, b-day card, etc.)

He used every dollar to create this look -and was SO PROUD that he woke up before the sun on Saturday asking if he could get dressed yet for the “party” at Grandma’s house. He wore this all weekend long. He couldn’t seem to stay away from mirrors.

kim-anna.JPG
At my parents’ house (in the ‘burbs of Chicago) we saw all the aunties and uncles, and very importantly, my kids’ two baby cousins. 1-yr-old Jackson was pukey and sick so I’ll do him a favor and save his photos for a time when he’s feeling better! But here’s the newest member of the family, Anna, looking as sweet as can be with her mom, my sister-in-law Kim.

clara-mer.JPGSunday we spent the day downtown Chicago where we linked up with Ian’s younger sister, Meredith, and her boyfriend, who were visiting from Ontario. Here’s “Auntie Mer” with my 2-year-old, Clara, in a fantastic Cuban-Mexican restaurant where we all had brunch.

ian-joel.JPGWe also got to see my husband Ian’s cousin, Joel, who lives downtown with his family. Their dads are brothers. I see the Shepherd resemblance - do you?

We talked ourselves into visiting the Shedd Aquarium downtown. Awesome facility. Enormous cost and crowd. As fascinating as the place is, I found myself yearning for the Children’s Museum in Indy, where it’s free to park, the crowds aren’t quite so thick and aggressive, and you don’t have to spend a small fortune to have a great time! The kids were honestly more fascinated with the guy in the scuba suit than the fish.

clara-cal-aquarium.JPGWe also spent a ton of time staring at lizards in tanks.

And sticking our tongues in and out to try to look like them.

cal-downtown.JPGIt was a weekend of memories, for sure. And as much as I love Chicago, it really felt good to be going home - to our new home, here in Indy, when the weekend was done. Ian’s band (http://www.thenadas.com/) plays a song about a place that “feels like home to me “. The song was written about Des Moines, Iowa, and the video was produced for a city fundraising event, but if you close your eyes, listen, and picture the place you call “home,” I think it stirs up a nostalgia and appreciation that rings true almost anywhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SS-CQi5VE

Home is to me is a feeling, not a place. I think after a series of major moves and up-and-down transitions, our little family has found it again.

Have a great day and don’t be shy about writing.

Trisha