Chicago with the Crew

We took the crew to the Windy City for some Christmas season fun, and it was just that. We surprised the kids and picked them up early, they were so confused about what we had in store and were thrilled with the announcement. We swung by to grab Lor and off we went... two hours later were were stuck in Chicago traffic :). After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at the condo we rented, which exceeded our expectation. We were on Lake Michigan overlooking Millennium Park. 

We settled and immediately took off to the Navy Pier for Giordano's pizza and a downtown walk. It was so fun showing the kids and Lor the big city at night. 

The next morning we hit the road running, Greta was adamant that we take a bus ride, so we did. We bussed down to the Museum of Science and Industry, all 26 stops. It was a great experience for all of us. We explored and had lunch at the museum, the highlight for all was the mirror maze. We bussed back and got off at the park and took some photos near the Bean before going home to regroup for Frozen, the musical. The show was really great, a familiar story for the kids with a few fun additions. Lor was so impressed with the talent, it is really something. 

We woke up on Saturday morning and immediately went ice skating at Millennium Park, it was the one request Sully had for the weekend and it was a hit for everyone. Something about being outside, enjoying the festive feeling in the air, snow flurries, free space, it was a great morning. We grabbed a snack and then attempted to shop with the kids on Michigan Ave. They aren't quite old enough to appreciate this part of life yet, and we paid for it. We found lunch at Nordstrom, took the kids and Lor home for quiet time and then met Jill and Jim for drinks at a nearby spot. It was great to connect with Jill, it had been far too long. Drinks turned into nachos and nintendo at their place, the kids played, we visited, its as a great way to finish our trip. 

It was equally as enjoyable sharing the magic of the city with the kids and Lor. We've talked a lot about the differences between Colombia and the US and one of the big ones is how we celebrate the holidays. Because of this, it was especially fun to show him the City dressed for the season. It is a weekend we will always remember fondly.

P for Piper! 

Family bus ride. 

MSI 

Mirror maze. 

Family photo at the Bean. 

The crew.

Frozen! 

Ice skating smiles. 

Sneaking in one more glass of wine. 

Jill 😍

Thanksgiving Season

Thanksgiving was slightly different this year. Most of our family was gone and Dave was on call. I feel like I have been compensating by making the holiday last for multiple weeks and for multiple gatherings. I'm sad to say I don't have photos of each of the occasions, but its been really fun and the holidays are here in full swing. 

We started with an amazing Parisian themed surprise 30th birthday party for Sarah, our niece who actually turned 30 on Piper's birthday, they share the special day. Lauren, reached out to the group with this amazing idea and I jumped at the opportunity to host. It went off without a hitch and she was so surprised and felt so loved. We followed that up with an intern Friendsgiving and then the actual Thanksgiving with my family at MCC and then a long weekend of call. We wrapped it up with a neighbor Friendsgiving this weekend and I'm officially spent. Lots of prep and recovery and friend and family time, I love every single moment. I've mostly recovered from it all, but the basement hasn't ;). We are so thankful for our family of actual family and our family of friends, what a life we live. 

New game fun overload. 

Sarah's birthday celebration. 

Tea party at Grandma Banana's. 

Pinkys up, Grandma! 

The tree has arrived! 

Handcrafting ornaments. 

"Mommy, Lor needs his very own!" 

63 degrees in late November = bike rides! 

Heart bursting. 

Connelly family Thanksgiving. 

Family Photo

Lor's first Thanksgiving, he loved it! 

Girl's Weekend to the MEGA MALL.

Maggie and I took our girls on our first annual girls trip and had so much fun. We even skipped a day of school in order to maximize our time. We stayed at the Radisson Blu and enjoyed all the MOA had to offer ;), including the Rainforest Cafe, Crayola Experience, Rides, Nordstrom happy hour, hotel room spa session and more. We did sneak away for a little Galleria shopping, but otherwise we were mall bound. The kids had a blast, and truly shopped until they dropped, Piper may have dropped a few times. Every time I ask Greta to describe the best day of her life, she describes the MOA...uh oh! 

We shopped until they dropped, literally! 

Everyone loves and Anthro photo op. 

Spa session. 

While the face masks set. 

Halloween, Birthdays, and Vaccines (and GG, oh my!).

Late October brings so many forms of fun. We have birthday and Halloween to look forward to, oh and how could I forget the Great Gatherings fundraiser which happened to fall on Greta's birthday this year. Unfortunately, Piper came down with a tummy bug the day before her birthday, so I had to pick her up from school early. It wasn't all bad though, it forced us some quiet family time in an otherwise very busy time of the year. She slowly came around her on her actual birthday and was in perfect shape in time for Halloween (thank goodness as last year we spent Halloween in quarantine since I had COVID). We had celebrated the girl's bday with family the weekend before, so we did all of her favorite things and showered her with love on her day. 

Halloween was on a Sunday this year, and it was clear and dry, but pretty cold. The kids lasted an hour or so, but then returned to hand out candy with Virginia and I. Its always so fun to see all of the neighbors and have brief chats, its been too long since we have seen many of them. Sully was a dino, Greta was a Candy Queen (home made by her, awesome!), Piper was a rainbow pegasus and Lor was Oscar the Grouch. 

Greta's birthday was perfect, she went to school and had an early dismissal before going for dinner and a movie with the rest of my family and Maggie and Anna, the extra guests made it extra special. They went to Golden Bowl for her favorite meal. 

I spent Greta's birthday at our annual fundraiser for my PASI board (Parent Advocates for Spanish Immersion). We had a goal of $50k and made over $60k! I was so proud of our group and their hard word. It was a virtual event again this year, but we are excited to bring it back in person next year, which also happens to be my president year so I'm really hopeful for a successful event. 

Now...onto the holidays! 

Sweet Pip is 6.

The final harvest bouquet is always my fave. 

 Birthday salsa lessons. 

Things are getting wild ;).

PASI fundraiser, full steam ahead!

Sisters, love to match, most of the time.

Urgent Care on her bday. 

Lor as the Grouch! 

So excited! 

Some saw a witch, some saw Amy Winehouse.  

Our dino, candy queen, pegasus, and grouch. 

Candy cigs for the win! 

First dose! Whoop!

Greta girl is 8!

Proud they are mine.

My parents were honored with an award from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation for their years of service and philanthropy to our city. They were both so humbled by the recognition and even more humbled by most of my family being present for the ceremony and my dad's speech. He really honored my mom and her dedication to beautifying our community, and ended it with a poem he wrote probably 20 years ago. He talked about how he was able to get my mom to stay here when they first met rather than moving to Colorado, and how their view from their Riverview Heights deck is the best spot in the world, and for me, since it is home, I felt those words in my heart. I love how they compliment each other and as a team they set such good examples for all of us. Way to go, mom and dad! 

Cool as a cucumber. :)

Paul's Poem

Heart eyes.

Muncestream.Adventure: Lake Herman State Park

We were lucky enough to sneak in one final camping trip in mid October. We had two amazing weather days and one terrible one. Regardless of it all, fall camping is camping at its finest. The temps are mild, its cozy in the camper, campgrounds are relatively quiet, and the colors are incredible. We had a four day weekend and Lor went with our partner family, so we had some time to get away. We went to Lake Herman State Park and it was incredible, our campsite was right on this quiet pond. We had campfire nachos, hiked, biked, went into town for dinner one night, and had daily happy hours at various lookout points. We packed up the camper for the season and have quickly started planning camping weekends for 2022, it was a great inaugural year with the camper. 

Campfire nachos by flashlight.

Blindfold drawing competitions. 

The setup. 

The first of many hikes. 

A nearby lookout/happy hour spot. 

Sweet G. 

This is where her hike ended. 

She's back! Remember to bring the soccer
ball every time! 

I love this photo of the kids and I. 

Nature crown crafting. 

Happy hour soccer match. You can barely make out Dave's
image on the bench, but he's there, enjoying every minute. 

Nature crowns for all three.