spring break in mis-wok-ee

It wasn't until about two weeks before spring break that I realized Leah had a neurology appointment in Chicago smack in the middle of our free time during the break. With me getting home from Salt Lake on Tuesday, we only had the end of the week to play...and her appointment was on Friday afternoon. These aren't just appointments you can reschedule - unless you're okay waiting six months. And we're not. I was a little bummed seeing as we wanted to go somewhere new (Chicago is lots of fun, but we've done it a few times and wanted to explore!). Ryan suggested Milwaukee and I wasn't over the moon about it, but figured it was better than nothing. Just a short drive north of Chicago, it was the best option for the amount of time we had given her appointment. 

We arrived a little later than we would have liked, but still took some time to explore the area near our hotel. We ran into the Fonz and Leah loved the elevators they had for her stroller on the river walk. Kate apparently had a rough day and relaxed by drinking a late night glass of water from a wine glass. 

The next day we explored Discovery World - an innovation, science and technology museum with hands-on exhibits. It had a music factory, an aquarium, an enormous exhibit of the Great Lakes and surrounding regions, a Les Paul exhibit and so much more. We spent hours exploring inside and out with a great, windy view of Lake Michigan...where we got a perfect family photo. (And, thanks to the reciprocal pass from our local museum, it was FREE!) 

That night, we walked over to the Milwaukee Public Market to eat. It was a hoppin' (read: crowded, notably so with a large special needs stroller) place to be on a Saturday night, but lots of fun. We ate some great food and bought some local popcorn to take home. We spent the night in watching a movie as a family. 

The next morning, we decided to hit up the Harley Davidson Museum on the way out of town. It was incredible! SO many Harleys from the first one produced in 1903 to current day. I loved the Harleys through history - especially the wartime effort, the wall of engine covers and, of course, all of the posters and ads. i can only dream of designing that well. We learned all about engines and tires and so much more. And we learned Kate was born to be wild. 

What a fun, quick weekend getaway with our girls to (ask Kate calls it) Miswaukee. It's fun to explore new places and learn new things!

february in an instant

February brings a chill to my bone, literally. 

Iowa sure knows how to do winter. With a high of 42 for the month (not accounting for wind chill - I can assure you it felt like 42 exactly one day of the entire month and we spent it playing outside) and a low of -19 (still not accounting for wind chill - I can also assure you it felt much colder than -19 at many points during the month), and 15+ inches of snow (I know, we've got nothing on Boston in that department, but the WIND, I tell ya), it was miserable, on most days, to go outside. 

My front entryway was a snowy, salty mess of coats, boots, hats, mittens and scarves. There were tissues scattered throughout the house every single day. And Ryan happened to be out of town (in very warm places) during each major snow storm. With the exception of one fabulous friend on a particularly snowy Sunday morning, I single-handedly kept our driveway and walks shoveled (and burned a lot of calories doing it!).  

Luckily our time inside was well spent celebrating birthdays, valentining, reading good books, exercising, snuggling up to movies and eating yummy food to keep us sane. And we had one picture-perfect snow day that we spent sledding in our backyard with friends. 

Some good times were had, but I'm ready to put this chilly February in the books.