We can check off another thing off of our summer list! Last year we had taken a trolley ride downtown Milwaukee and had stopped at the art museum. I will be honest....it wasn't a pleasant experience. I was 8 months pregnant and it was very hot that day. The trolley dropped us off at the art museum and we did some exploring. The kids wanted to go into the fountains....they got all wet. The trolley that was supposed to come back in 15-20 minutes didn't come back for 2 hours. We had packed no drinks or anything to eat. When the trolley FINALLY came back, it was super crowded. There were some "shifty" people on the trolley and the ride back to where we had parked took FOREVER!
Fast forward a year. We knew what NOT to do this time and what would work better. On a whim yesterday, I called Dan at work and we decided we would meet him after he got done working. I packed some "sides" for a picnic and then we picked up $5 foot longs from Subway. ( I much prefer Cousins....but they are too expensive!) We met Dan by the zoo and we headed to the lake front. It took us a while to get down there. There was a Brewer game that let out and an accident. These are the times I am thankful that we have a DVD player in the van. The kids started to get very antsy when we finally hit the downtown area. We found street parking, packed the stroller up, and headed to the Art Museum. If you have never been there, I would highly recommend it.
We, of course, had to do a "test" shot on Gavin while we unpacked our lunch. Just another one of his many faces! (oh and by the way....he made me laugh so hard today...I will try to post about that later! I know he gets a bad "name" sometimes with me....but I just can't tell you how much I love that little stinker!)
The kids parked themselves on a bench and started on their subs. I broke down this time and let them each get a 6" sub. Usually, I cut a foot long sub into 3rds. That just isn't cutting it anymore. They each ate their entire sub and were still hungry!
"Chubs" and daddy sat on a towel on the ground. Lanie is a good eater. (can you tell?) We couldn't keep it coming fast enough.
She is not a fan of plates. She prefers to always dump her plate. Today was no exception.
Then some of the meat and cheese didn't come off the plate. So, there she sat, licking her plate. Are we bad parents that we laughed and took pictures of her doing this? Maybe....but we still did it anyways!
We told the kids we wanted a few pictures before they put their suits on! Yes, I had actually planned ahead this time and brought their suits. We were hoping they would be able to play for a bit before the sun went down, but the traffic situation kinda put a stop to that.
The pictures were quick. We got some good shots of each of the kids alone, but I just can't post 100 pictures. Maybe I will do those later! Lanie was way too fascinated with the fountains. She wasn't in the mood to look at us. Again, we have to take what we can get. (although it is so easy for me to keep trying to take " just one more"-but then Dan snaps me back into reality! He told me he wanted to cancel the blog....he says I take too many pictures! One day he will thank me...one day!)
Ok, so I think a "back" shot is super cute. Dan thinks this is the dumbest idea in the world. What do you guys think? Too bad Lanie isn't walking yet...well, actually not....I am glad she isn't walking! What you can't see is that Kenadie and Gavin were hitting each other while walking. Gavin was trying to hold her hand, Kenadie thought he was hitting her, she swatted back at him, he swatted back at her. Good thing I took a picture and didn't catch that!
We headed down to another fountain and let the kids play in there! The water was COLD. Very cold. They didn't seem to mind right away! Lanie loves the water. I put he in and she didn't even flinch.
Then she sat down. Did I mention that the water was freezing cold? I love how it looks like she doesn't have half a body! Oh and don't you love the pig tails today? First set of many pig tails to come for her!
It was hard to get them all together for a picture. They were having a blast running around and playing!
Probably one of my favorites....I love that we now have a crawler. However, that means she can actually move on her own and she doesn't want to sit and wait for a picture!
Zoom out and she is still crawling away.
Daddy took this awesome picture of the Abbie and Molly. He was trying to get the art museum in the back ground. There was a couple getting their engagement photos taken there too! It really was a gorgeous night!
Dan made, oh I mean, told Molly she should try to go in the middle of the fountain. She braved it and went in. Sadie gave it a shot too. I think this is Molly right in the middle of the fountain!
While they were being dangerous and looking over the edge, I kept myself busy taking pictures of Lanie. I got a bunch of good ones, but I thought this was one of the best. I love how her pig tail has moved to the top of her head now and the other one has moved to the side!
Then I asked for the world. I wanted another picture of the kids together. I may have promised them ice cream again! We couldn't get them to all look, we couldn't get them to all smile. So in the middle of the art museum, Dan started doing the crab walk and acting crazy. See? It can be fun taking pictures. The kids had a good time watching Daddy be crazy and got some good laughs!
Some of my favorite pictures are of when I can catch the kids interacting together and being "themselves." I just love how Gavin and Molly are having a "moment" in this picture.
Still having fun and laughing at Daddy!
Have you met my very "sweet, handsome" son Gavin. He was actually asking to have me take his picture.
Ok, do you think he could totally model for some place? I mean, come on! Well, then again, it would all depend on what kind of mood he is in! I am sure he would get fired at his first photo shoot and it would be all my fault!
The bad thing about taking pictures is that you don't ever get a family picture. The good thing about taking pictures is that I always get out of being in them! One day....when I am not pregnant and have a better self esteem....I will be. One day.....one day.
There was a fancy white statue outside of the art museum. The kids wanted to explore around it. So, there were no signs that said you couldn't and no one came out to yell at us.....so we did!
Here you go, Hanna Andersson.....put this in your catalog.....see how many dresses you sell then? You are missing out!
Lanie is a "waver." She LOVES to wave. She waves almost at anyone. She really loves to wave at birds. There were lots of birds to wave at and she took full advantage of that. Sadie even helped her wave.
The kids planned this all on their own. They each had a spot....they wanted to do this. Dan even joined in on the fun! Have I mentioned how awesome my husband and kids are?
Notice Lanie is still waving? After this we headed back to the car. Another successful Wilke adventure. Best part? It was FREE! Sometimes making the best out of what you can is the way to go! Please don't think our life is all fun and perfect and matching dresses. Someone may have not listened a few too many times and had to walk with their hand on the stroller. Someone may have not listened and gotten themselves wet and then had to sit out for a bit. Someone may have fallen in the fountain and gotten a very huge bruise on their leg from not listening. However, that is where forgiveness falls into place. Lessons have to be learned and consequences for actions have to be given. But, then we move on!
We moved on to ice cream! We stopped at Kopps and got an ice cream. Everyone chose chocolate. We asked Gavin to take his shirt off...he didn't want to show off his awesome body to everyone.....someone is trying to bleach a white shirt today....
Anyone and everyone is welcome to come along on an adventure with us! The more the merrier! Next adventure begins bright and early tomorrow morning.....we will be battling the crowds in Downtown Chicago for Saturday and Sunday! I am praying for a calmness to help us get through the weekend!
Oh and I will be picking a winner today! There is still time to enter! Leave a comment or send me an email!
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