After church photo shoot

Sunday was in the 70's and sunny, so the girls wore their summer dresses knowing it was most likely the last time until spring and who knows the way these two grow... if the dresses will be long enough come spring!

They are beautiful girls on the inside (most of the time) and the out. Kirk and I are really blessed to call them our daughters! It is hard for me to look at these photos because they have grown up so quickly, to think that Emily will be a teen in just 7 short days! Where did 13 years go? I ask myself that almost daily, except when she is making me nuttier! (is that a word?)

Larry Huffer....

Kelly and Emily both cried this time when we left Indiana, they were shocked how their Grandpa lived his life.... counting down until it was 2pm so he could have his beer. He has set himself up with some "rules" so he won't drink before 2pm or after 6pm. But that didn't stop him for drinking 8 beers in one sitting. His life style is so different from ours. It was good to see him again, but also very difficult. Kirk doesn't share much of his times growing up and sometimes I wonder why, then I spend some time with the man who raised him then I no longer wonder!

After a swimmeet....

This is what could happen to you if you mark on your arm for a swim meet, then drool in your sleep and put your arm under your face! She has sharpie on her face!

Kelly's party

Kelly had her party at the local skating rink, it was loads of fun, but really loud. The kids that got to attend sure seemed to have a great time. Even cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents stopped by!

Most of these girls are on the swim team with Kelly and Emily. This is after the party when they are all sweaty! But at least they all could smile! No one got majorly hurt.

Best part of the trip for Emily.....

Emily got to meet her pen pal Tennie! After a few notes, emails and phone calls we all got to meet Tennie and her family. She is just a few days younger than Emily, yet is taller! She likes to run, play basketball and volleyball, from the looks of her she is a fabulous athlete. She has one brother Ryder, he was quiet and just hung out since it was all girls and parents.

It was a delight to meet and get to know her family a little better. Emily and Kelly for that matter were very nervous when they first arrived but Brenda Tennies mom helped by suggesting that they go check out Tennie's room. Once they got away from the adults you could tell they were having a great time. Kelly and Emily both loved their huge Great Dame dogs, that was also a special treat!

SHE IS TEN..... 2.27AM

Day 2-- Activity number 3

These were a few of our favorite photos from the Chicago Art Institute.

2 for 1 Tuesday...

So when Katy dropped off Riley for the day she said, "today is 2 for 1 Tuesday!" I had no idea what she was talking about then I saw Sophie, Katy's pug. Riley LOVES Sophie, in fact she often tells me she is "Sophie's' mommy!" Aren't they sweet!

Day # 2 part 2 of 3

This is the actual head of the T-Rex, Sue. It is too heavy to put on the actual skeleton, it was amazing to see up close, she had new teeth growing in!

Okay if you don't know this Huffer Family fact by now, this will help prove it, Kelly loves rocks. She loves the pretty ones, the cool ones, the bright ones, the big ones, the ugly ones, the little ones, you get the point, she likes all ROCKS. I let her use my new baby Rebel, and she took over 100 photos of rocks, I had to laugh and be thankful that it was on REAL FILM!

So the T-Rex, Sue was so great, I used to watch "Land of the Lost" as a kid and the whole dinosaur thing made me crazy scared, imagine that thing chasing you!
Okay so we saw most of the Field Museum and this was the girls second favorite picture. They just loved this silly pirate.

The Tower--- Day #2 September 3, 2009

The girls had no fear of stepping out unto the glass, infact they would have stayed there a long while if others were not waiting for a turn! I am thankful that we were there by 10 am so we didn't have to wait in a very long line, some days I guess it can take over 2 hours to make it to the top! 103 stories high, and only 5 inches of glass between you and the street, it almost made me cry. I do have a photo to prove that I stepped out unto it!

So this is where we had famous stuffed pizza, it was so delicious, Kirk was only able to eat ONE piece, Kelly and Emily should have shared a piece. One thing that was very different was the actual top, it was not cheese but sauce! YUM!

Here is the second half of day one

Some of the fabulous marine life we got to see, pictures just don't do it justice! But I will share anyway!

Girls just watching the wild life go by, it was amazing!

This Beluga Whale was funny it came up out of the water just to check out the people checking her out.

This is a great photo of my three favorite people in a great city, what a beautiful time we had.

I still had plans for everyone, the day was young, but the girls were worn out. They needed to rest, so we walked for about another mile to catch a bus, good times spent together!

A few more.... pics from our vacation

So this was the first full day of our adventure... any guesses?