Hamilton Family Party of 4

Saturday, July 31, 2010

A SWEET visit to the Windy City!!!!

This past week, the kids and I tagged along to Chicago with Jared. Jared was there to work for 4 days and the kids and I were there to HAVE FUN!!!! Have fun? Indeed we did, we had LOTS. We spent the entire day outside from 7am-5pm!

I could not have asked for a better trip with the kids. We had beautiful weather, well rested kids, lots of snacks, lots of smiles, lots of giggles which lead to a TON OF FUN.

We spent our days at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Millenium Park, Farmers Market, playgrounds, bus rides, Navy Pier, meeting up with friends, and LOTS of good food!!!

For the kids being so good, I rewarded them with one special item each. Bryce choose to get some Legos from the Lego Store and Sadie chose to make a Bear at Build-A-Bear (which she named Ballerina)!

Jared and I actually got 2 date nights. One was impromptu as the kids fell asleep on the way to a kid friendly restaurant, so we ate Wildfire while they slept in the booth! Our friend, Anna, watched the kids one night and we enjoyed dinner right on the Chicago River.

This was such an enjoyable week for all of us. We really love going back to the city and visiting, but still wouldn't trade our Indy life for downtown Chicago living.

Enjoy the pictures from our trip...

Monday, July 12, 2010

Our Trip to Tampa

Mid June we packed our bags and flew to Tampa, FL. My dad’s family was having a family reunion at my Granddad’s house in Lakeland, FL. Jared had a fishing trip planned to Minnesota for the same time, so he was unable to join us.

My parents flew down with me and the kids which was a HUGE help for me!!! My brother, Eric, flew in from San Francisco. My oldest brother, Aaron, and his fiancé, Ashley flew in from Appleton, WI. The last time we were all together was in December with our trip to Wisconsin Dells! I am so fortunate to have such good relationships with my brothers despite the distances we live from each other.

It was nice to visit with my cousins and their kids at the reunion. Things were a little bittersweet as my Granddad was packing up to leave his home to live permanently in Owensboro, KY with his wife, Ruth. My dad was going to drive him to Kentucky, so we bid goodbye to everyone. Lots of good memories and laughter were shared by all.

As the reunion drew to a close, we packed our bags again and headed over to Tampa. We went to the Florida Aquarium. We all had a GREAT time. They even had a splash pad/water park that the kids LOVED and was nice for all of us to cool down with the 95 degree temperature!!

Aaron and Ashley had to head back to Wisconsin, but the rest of us did some relaxing by the hotel pool and then a day at Busch Gardens! Boy was it a HOT day, but the rain that came cooled us down, thankfully!

This was such a fun trip for all of us. As the years go by, I am thankful to know that I have such a great bond with my family. We enjoy the quality time we have together, even if it is a short amount of time. Until the next family trip…