Bye to Kye. . .

Every time we see a picture of our cute dog Kye or see the black lab that lives across the street we are so sad to think we won't be getting him back. We have decided to leave our Kye in Scotland permanently. When we moved back to the US we decided that we would leave him there temporarily until we found a place to live. We left him with his groomer and she ADORES him. I am sure after living with her for a few months he wouldn't have been happy to come back to life with us anyway or maybe that is just a good way of making myself feel better about leaving him behind. We just feel like he is really settled where he's at, he goes on more than one walk a day, plays at the beach, lives inside and even has some other dog mates living with him. We feel he is happy there and well looked after and we have no doubt our Kaiser will be loved!!! We all miss him so much but it is nice to think we have left a little piece of us behind in a place we loved and that means so much to us. WE LOVE YOU KYE!

I'm a big kid now. . .

Kalem is totally growing up these days. He's potty trained, has a 'big boy' room, enrolled in pre-school, rides his bike like he's 5, reads (well pretends) books to his baby sister, gets dressed and undressed all by himself and I think he even has his first crush on his 5 year old friend Kate!! We love to watch him grow and develop but at the same time it just goes by way too fast. He really is only 3 which to me is still so little. Luckily he still does things that make him seem so small and innocent at times. . .he still has a dummy(binkie), still sleeps with his blankie (hankie), he still requires kisses for the owies, he still takes a nap and he still loves to be held- THANK GOODNESS for these things that will keep him my little boy for just a bit longer!!!

Time for a double stroller. . .

So I haven't bought a double stroller because Kalem is 3 now and I didn't think I would use it all that much now that we are back in the US. But the truth is Kalem still LOVES a nice leisurely ride in his pushchair. Last night on our evening walk he jumped right in with Quincy for a stroll which got me thinkin. . should I invest in one or is it a ridiculous and expensive thought?

4th Festivities. . .

I love the 4th of July. It is my favorite holiday. I love the red white and blue, the parades, the yummy food, the fireworks and I love living in this amazing Country. We had a great 4th this year. We hung out all weekend with our new adopted family the Rays. Thank goodness we have them here to play with or we would be so lonely. On Thursday evening we went to the city for the Taste of Chicago and then enjoyed an amazing fireworks show- probably the best we have ever seen. The crowds that night were IN SANE but it was fun to be a part of it all. Then Friday we met up with the Rays at their beach in Glencoe, ate some good grub, played in the sand and watched some more amazing fireworks. The kids had a great time as well- Kalem pretended he didn't like the big bang in the sky but he really did. I refuse to have a child who doesn't appreciate a good firework show. We are missin our fam and friends back home- hope you all had a fab 4th.

All The Way From Scotland. . .

My dear friend Sheila and her little boy Jamie came to visit us last week. It was so fun to see them and the boys had a riot together. It was so sweet to see Jamie and Kalem reunited at the airport, it was like no time had passed. Sheila and I met in hospital in Edinburgh after delivering our first babies. We exchanged numbers as we checked out to go home and then decided to meet up a few weeks after the boys were born. Ever since then we saw them on a weekly basis and oh how we miss those times. I was so excited when Sheila phoned me a few months ago to say- we have booked our flights and will be there the end of June. We talked about them coming every day and then those 5 days came and went WAY TOO FAST!!! I hope they enjoyed their visit here as much as we enjoyed having them. We miss you guys so much and can't wait for our next visit!!!!!!!!!! Here are some pics of our fun week together. . .

A day at Lincoln Park Zoo

Jamie offers a helping hand (cute boy)

Saying Goodbye. . . (sniff sniff)