Autumn

A few updates:

- Claire had been regressing in swimming lesson.  She moved down from Level 2 to Level 1 and her teacher had to call me and ask for "my help" which I learned meant that we should be more firm about our expectations that Claire listen and participate, with consequences for not doing that.  So we tried that, it didn't result in any magic improvement, she still wouldn't put her face in or do what she was supposed to do (what she had been doing all Spring!).  She didn't seem to care about the consequences we administered.  We were sticking with that anyway, but then Isolene tried bribery, which worked like a charm....Claire got $3 to spend at Hobby Lobby when she did well in swimming lessons.  Oh well, whatever works!

- At night I lay with Claire for either 6 or 7 minutes (a negotiation every night) and it is still so funny that Claire mouths the music and conducts the symphony with her hands

- Luke has started to sing along to songs he's heard only a couple times and seems to have a sponge memory, he knows all the words and even when nobody's paying attention and he's playing or looking at something else he is subconsciously singing along and dancing a little bit to the beat.

Matt and I joined my friend and her husband for a Kellogg Alumni dinner river cruise, the city was beautiful

Me and Corinne

I came to Luke's classroom to help make blankets for needy children.  Luke picked out Paw Patrol and Cars fleece to make the blanket with and was a great help cutting and tying the pieces.

Suzy Gowski's outdoor camping themed 4th bd party, so cute.  

Ryan McCarney's 4th bd party the next day 

Cinderella balloon princess was a hit

When our grass seed never really took the way we wanted it to due to the hot, dry summer we had, we ended up biting the bullet and ripping it out in favor of sod.  The sod looks awesome!  It was unseasonably warm, so the kids helped Matt water the new sod and got soaked in the process.

Looks great!

Love how our new addition and new landscaping looks.  Can't wait for the plants to mature.  

Went to Six Flags Great America Fright Fest on Sunday and went to this funny "cemetery of past rides".  Luke got upset that some of the rides he liked were now in the cemetery.  Sensitive kid, love him!

Loved Rolling Thunder myself, sniff sniff!

This was a good ride too.

Annual Fall colors boat ride

can't get enough of those beautiful leaves!

Who's driving this thing?

Matt tried something new and "docked" us on the break wall at Fort Sheridan beach

Matt making sure the boat was tied down ok down there

playing on the sand dunes

Love the view

Writing messages in the sand

Fishing

Blue water, blue sky

Fell asleep on the way back in my lap, feel like these moments are going to be gone before long.

IL-->UT-->ID-->MT-->WY-->ID-->UT-->IL

Well, this is the farthest behind on the blog I have been since I started it over 6 years ago, but I am hoping to get back at it and get caught up.  As I write this post for our mid-October trip, it is December 29th!  So let me tell you a story about a time back in the Fall when the Baranko family took a trip out West to see Ben and Linda, it was amazing!

We flew into Salt Lake City and then drove up to Idaho, then decided to do a trip to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole!  Ambitious itinerary, perhaps, for a glorified long weekend but definitely worth it.  Such amazing sights everywhere we went.  I hadn't been there since I was a pre-teen I think, and I can say that I definitely appreciated it a lot more this time around.   Thanks so much to Ben and Linda for being wonderful hosts and tour guides.

And we're off!

Claire wanted to bring a backpack like Luke, but immediately lost interest in wearing it.

On the drive up to Idaho Falls, we stopped at a rest stop with a volcanic rock field/hike to stretch our legs.

We made it to Uncle Ben and Aunt Linda's house!  Straight outside to see their garden and their neighbors' horses.  Ben helped Luke pick fresh carrots to feed to the horses.

The guest rooms were all made up for us complete with toys and stuffed animals.  

Snuggles with Uncle Ben

Playing with fun trucks and sawdust pellets

The next day we hung out around Idaho Falls all day.  Luke was dying to rake leaves.

Aunt Linda helping him pick apples

Feeding apples to the horses

Checking out the empty swimming hole, in the summertime this is all filled up

Claire got to ride a horse bare back!

Hot cocoa time

Having a fun time at the Idaho Falls Artnasium, sort of like a Children's Museum for art.
 

Matt spied the cool music store that Ben and Linda shop at.  

Late lunch

She couldn't stay awake for her food to come.

Ran into the World's largest Idaho potato (it isn't real, but sure looks real!)

Can't go to Idaho Falls without a visit to the Candy Cottage

Or the Dairy Farm for the BEST ICE CREAM EVER!!  And I fell in love with this sweet calf.

Movie night by the cozy fire

Headed up to MT the next day to enter West Yellowstone.  Stopped at Mesa Falls on our way, our second time there and it was just as amazing!

The last time Luke was here he was 3 months old.  We took a picture similar to this one with the three boys.  

Now there's another person in the party.

Love that Luke is taking a picture of Matt taking a picture.  He was quite the shutterbug with our camera on this trip.

Now just the girls.

Lunch at the Slippery Otter restaurant in MT.

Ham!

Entering Yellowstone

Checking out the river and the fly fishermen

We saw so many bison, it was so cool!!  Loved the steaming ground from the hot springs, the bison, the green trees and the blue skies.  'Merica!

Up close and personal

Super steamy boardwalk - we were soaked when we finished walking the loop

Watching Old Faithful erupt

Then we were lucky enough to see a Grizzly Bear, pretty special!

At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Losing our light, but couldn't leave without seeing these waterfalls!

We made our way all the way back around Yellowstone Lake down to Jackson Hole where we were staying at the gorgeous Signal Mountain Lodge.  It was their last night open for the season, so we got this big suite with an amazing view for a song!  Even in the dark the Tetons were magnificent.

A great purchase I made at the gift shop that we enjoyed in Jackson Hole that night

Morning cartoons while the adults enjoyed coffee and the views

Breakfast at Signal Mountain Lodge

Out and about around Jackson Lake.  This is the lake that Ben and Linda sail on.  It it huge, with the most gorgeous views all around.

Making cairns

At the harbor in Jackson Hole where Ben and Linda keep their sailboat all summer.  It was already put away for the winter in their garage back in ID.  

Not a bad view here either, is it?  

Making "forts" with the wood on the beach

Our fearless pig navigator

From one national park to another, Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park

Seeing the Amish homes at Antelope Flats

Famous painting view

Stopping off in Jackson for a little bit

Driving through the mountain pass back to ID

Linda gave Claire a special jewelry box with jewelry from her family and her own childhood, including this beautiful necklace.

Playing with toys during our last night.