Like NO Other Retail Store on Earth!

We are not much of the Outdoorsman Family but today we ventured out to East Hartford with Mom, Dad and Valerie to battle the crowds at Cabela's . It was a bit crowded bit it wasn't as bad as we expected. The store just opened yesterday. It was an awesome store. Just as they advertise, it's "Like No Other Retail Store on earth!" The 185,00 square foot retail showroom is rather educational and quite fun! The store includes museum like animal displays, an aquarium (that Christopher loved!) and trophy animals that are quite realistic in their natural habitats. It's overwhelming with a Restaurant inside that serves Elk, Ostrich, Wild Boar, Bison and other food that looked and smelled yummy! Definately a fun place to shop and walk around! We will be back!!!!

Saturday Morning Swim

Here are a few pics of Christopher and Anneli at swimming lessons. They have swimming lessons every Saturday morning at the High School pool. Christopher is in Level 2 with kids in 1st and 2nd grade. Anneli is in Water Bugs which is a pre-level one class. Today her one-on-one teacher Jeff let her try to swim on her own; since she is "Little Miss Independent". She did pretty well moving her arms around and kicking her little legs! We are so glad they can swim all winter!

Beware of Soldiers, Ninjas, Robots and Puppies!

Last night was our annual Karate Halloween Party at Universal School of Karate. Sensai always throws a great party. Everyone had a blast!! Christopher & Anneli were both very excited to go. Christopher created his own Robot Costume and Anneli of course was Lady from Lady and the Tramp! Everyone at Karate LOVED Christopher and Anneli's costumes!! Thank goodness they were a hit because Shaun abandoned me and I had to help Christopher create the Robot myself!!! UGH! I'm definately not the creative one! Thank goodness for Christopher's creative genes! :)

Happy Birthday Meme!!!

Yesterday was Meme's Birthday! The kids bought her an Ice Cream Cake and they made her a special Green Train Cake too! :) They bought her balloons and were so excited to spend the evening with her! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEME!!!

Thanks for watching the kids last night while Shaun and I met with Mrs. Hooper for Parent Conferences!

ahhhhh...

The kids watching TV and having a little rest time together.

Anneli the Mermaid!

Today Anneli and I read a new book she got from Christopher's school Bookfair last night. We read "Dora Saves Mermaid Kingdom". She still loves Dora the Explorer! Then we made her a Mermaid Crown--the same crown Dora and the Mermaid wear in the book! She also made pretty matching mermaid Bracelets and Necklaces too! She had so much fun being a "Mermaid Princess!" Fun, fun, fun! Hopefully Christopher had as much fun at school! :)

Is Lily wearing shoes???

Christoher says if you look quick it looks like Lily is wearing Pepe's shoes!

Random Pics from Christoher & Anneli's Columbus Day Weekend!

A picture he drew on the erase board.
Pepe & Chris eating at the Berlin Fair
Sleeping!Swimming outside in October!??! (Anneli does have a swimmy on and Chris has underwear on!)

Probably watching baseball! Go Red Soxs!


The number on one of Christohper's race cars!
Anneli sliding down the slide
Meme talking on the phone to Mom & Dad (US).
Anneli sleeping on her bed in Aunty Valerie's room!
Kids playing on their bed.

Pics from the "Windy City" (Chicago, IL)

The Chicago skyline from a super fast speed boat ride on Lake Michigan.
Another view of the Chicago skyline and the boats on Lake Michigan.
A picture of me on the speedboat in the "windy city" on the Lake.
The "corn husk" buildings in Chicago. If you look carefully you can see that the bottom is a parking garage. We thought that was a unique building.
The Wrigley Building--I think...
Shaun & I in our hotel room on the 34th floor before the CMAA Industry Recognition Dinner.
The view from lying on the bed in our hotel room out the 34th floor window--CONSTRUCTION of course!! :)
Darth Vador in the LEGO store! One of Shaun's highlights of Chicago! :)
Shaun working away answering e-mails!
The view from the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building.

Photos from the "Brew city" (Milwaukee, WI)

Shaun back on campus at good old Milwaukee School of Engineering.

The two of us in Racine, WI with Lake Michigan behind us. It's a bit windy but very warm!

Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Santiago Calatrava! One of my favorite buildings!

Shaun & I with Lake Michigan in the behind us.

Another view of the Milwaukee Art Museum! I love this building!!

Way to GO!!

The reason we went to Chicago!

On Tuesday evening Shaun and his UCONN Student Union Project team was presented with a "Project Achievement Award" from the Construction Management Association of America at their 2007 CMAA Industry Recognition Dinner at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago. They received their award for Buildings, Renovations or modernization constructed value of more than $20 million for the University of Connecticut Student Union. Way to go--the Student Union was a tough project at times but it is a very beautiful building!!! :)

The Award

GO RED SOXS!!!

At the moment we are watching a bit of the Red Sox and Angels game! GO SOX!!! The score is BOS 9 LAA 0! Hopefully the Yankees loose tonight agains Cleveland. GO INDIANS!!

Just the two of us in Chicago!

We are now in Chicago on the 34th floor of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. Tonight we are going to Shula's America's Steak House here at the hotel. Today we drove down to Chicago from Milwaukee. We stopped in Racine, WI to have lunch or should I say Sunday Brunch on Lake Michigan. It was beautiful but very windy on the lake. We will post pictures of us together when we get home. On Lake Michigan in Racine really looked like it was on the ocean--with sailboats, lighthouses, fog, sea gulls and the works. It was beautiful. We saw a bunch of new condos going up and the area is being built up big time. We'll have to come back and see it again sometime. We then followed a road along the Lake south toward Chicago. We drove by the Chicago Temple in Glenview. It was all locked up tight because it was Sunday--General Conference Sunday actually. It is such a beautiful building--as all the temples are. We then returned our Toyota Prius downtown Chicago. The Prius was an awesome car! Other than it being a little small and a little bumpy, it was a great car. We got 56mpg and it was fun to drive. We then walked about 2 blocks or so in downtown Chicago to our hotel. Now we are getting ready to head to the Club Level for evening appetizers then off to dinner.

Chris, Anneli and Meme & Pepe

Today Meme & Pepe took the kids to the Berlin Fair while we were gone. The kids, mostly Anneli, were soooo excited and have been talking about this for weeks because they get to ride a bus from the parking lot to the fair!

Pepe & Christopher on the bus heading to the Berlin Fair.

Meme & Anneli on the school bus too!

Christopher sitting in a race car!

PIGS!
A sheep eating hay!
Anneli checking out the cows!
You've got to ask Christopher about the dragon fly he rescued from the window!
Anneli sitting in a race car too!

GREAT PICTURES CHRISTOPHER--my little photographer!

As you can see, the kids are having fun with Meme and Pepe while we are away in Milwaukee and Chicago for a long weekend. Okay, maybe it's a super long weekend from Friday until Wednesday! Luckily Monday is a holiday and Pepe has Tuesday and Wednesday off so he can watch Anneli and Chris! THANKS!!! :) HAVE FUN GUYS!!!