Spring with my men

Spring in Chicago got off to a quick start, but summer took a little longer to make an appearance.

It was important for me to take advantage of any opportunity I could get, to spend time outdoors with my little Xander man.

Helping grandma in the garden

 We visited numerous parks and playgrounds all around the suburbs

We visited the Brookfield Zoo for the first time, but got there pretty late in the afternoon and only stayed for about an hour and a half

This is his first mold-a-rama experience, which would eventually lead to a future addiction..

We went up to Milwaukee and spent some time with dada during the week.  Got to go to AJ Bombers, where they have the best peanut delivery system I've ever seen....

Oh.. and they have POUTINE

Officially my favorite restaurant in all of Milwaukee ;P

 While up there, I took Xander to the Milwaukee Zoo where he got to see a lot more animal friends

More mold-o-rama fun, and four less dollars in my pocket

Back down to Chicago.  Bri started playing in an outdoor soccer league, so we would go to cheer him on (and to kick a ball around in the open fields)

We visited the Graylsake flea market at the Lake County Fair Grounds, just a 5 minute drive from our new house

A couple weeks later, we headed back up to Milwaukee to soak in the rays at the beach...

 Aaaaand to celebrate THIS guys THIRD BIRTHDAY!

 How lucky is Xander?! The staff at the aLoft hotel made him a little birthday package :)

Enjoyed a fun date-night with the hubby at Just for Laughs in Chicago - got to see some talented comedians and laughed our asses off

We were delighted to receive an invitation to a birthday party for our friend's son Carter.

Xander got to make PIZZA! at California Pizza Kitchen in Oakbrook.  He had so much fun and made some friends along the way :)

Playdates are always fun when it involves these two kiddos:

We met with our friend Lucille and her girls Ryler and Baya, for a fun day at the Buffalo Grove splash pad.  

 It was a little cool that day, but this was no problem for little X -- he figured out that the cement was warm, so every time he got a little chilly, I'd find him on the ground like this:

So this was just the beginning of our adventures... Spring stretched itself out as long as it could, and Summer eventually showed up to the party --  that's when the fun REALLY started!