Father's Day

Returning from the north, we made it just in time to the stadium of the Kane County Cougars to catch a game and spend some time with family. For Father's Day, they had some special activities. One of them was the chance to go out on the field before the game to play catch.

Meg and her Uncle Brad toss the ball to each other.


Ball players in skirts = Very cute


Lia shows some good form.


Family picture!


The girls, their second cousins, and Ozzie.


Lia and Papa


After the game, fans could run the bases. Among our group, there was a bit of trash talking beforehand about who could run them the fastest. Cruising around the bases was an excellent way to end a really memorable time at the ballpark.

Heading North

During a short trip up to Minneapolis-St. Paul to see some good friends, we made a couple stops to make some family memories.

The first stop was the Wisconsin Dells where we stayed at a hotel with some fun pools and a waterpark. We all had a crazy good time.

As there were very few people there, we could have a pretty intense game of dad attempting to chase down and capture the girls. High-pitched squeals and screams reverberated throughout the waterpark area, and in the end, dad was completely exhausted.


We couldn't pass on the opportunity to check out the Mall of America. We had no idea the amusement area was so large. And the girls loved the Nickelodeon themed rides. Besides the occasional scream of a rider, the park was fairly - and strangely - quiet. And clean. We could have stayed longer.

More U.S. Travels

A few days were spent in Pennsylvania visiting more family. The girls were especially excited to see their cousins. We're incredibly glad they all get along so well. But we're not so glad from the fact of how tall these five are getting. Slow down!


On our way back to Chicago, we stopped in Muncie to spend an afternoon with some dear friends. These five are definitely buddies! [The four parents are buddies, too.]

To Ohio

On the way to Lori's hometown, we stopped in Indianapolis for some meetings and to see friends. These friends were special because they had visited us overseas.


One of the first things to do there was to get out the bikes that Grandma and Grandpa had borrowed. After some practice, Val and Meg are now two-wheel bike riders. Going down a significant hill, Lia experienced her first cycling 'rite of passage' as she had a major wipeout. Her abrasions on her arm and leg were well cleaned. (Her dad has some experience with this from his mountain bike days.) Then Lia was soon back riding. 'Atta, girl.


And here's proof that the girls' in-line skates made it to America. [After fitting six skates into our suitcases, I'm fully expecting a "World's Greatest Dad" t-shirt this Father's Day.]

Time to Celebrate

After many hours in the plane and after many months away from U.S. soil, there were ample reasons to celebrate. To begin our time Stateside, Valerie and Megan turned seven! They loved celebrating in America!


Fun with icing!

Easter Activities

Last year at our market, the only white eggs that we could find were goose eggs. They were a bit larger than what we're used to but worked well. Apparently, someone got the memo that foreigners like regular white eggs this time of year and so they were very plentiful in the market this year. Eggs-celent!

We colored 59 eggs. We were expecting a crowd for Easter so we went to work.


On Easter, we had a fun egg hunt in our apartment complex.


Some locals participated as well.


And some just watched with curiosity.

Newest Thrill

In-line skates are the current thing in our home. From our window, we can watch the girls cruise around the complex. They've gotten fairly confident on them. Now they want to bring them back to the States ... they're a bit bulky and heavy, but we'll make it work. I think the grandparents would enjoy watching them.