Well, the Christmas season is in full swing!  How do I know that?  Well, it's because I feel like I never get to sit down.  This weekend was a prime example.  Kate had three Nutcracker performances, which she did amazingly well in, and she and Jack both participated in the St. James Christmas Pageant.  Jack was a very handsome shepherd and Kate was a very loving Mary.  Peter did not participate, much to Jack's chagrin, as he was slated to be a sheep and Jack wanted to be his shepherd.  The decision for Peter not to participate was made after he tackled Jack on the alter during the children's sermon at the early service.  We were proud.  Anyway, our crazy weekend has come to an end.  Here are some pictures from the pageant .

Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Ernie the donkey.

Mary decided to go sans glasses.

Mary and the cutest shepherd.

Downtime before their call to stage...

An inn without a room...

Their song.  Don't worry, we have video too.

She looks very motherly, she must have a good role model.

A singing shepard.  We could hear him above all.

Places everyone...

The final song...

Another picture of the singing shepherd.

Autumn Trip to the Hesston Steam Museum

After a morning of soccer and dance, we packed up the car and headed to Valpo for a quick visit this weekend.  The weather was gorgeous, for the middle of October.  It was a double-bonus weekend.  We got to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and head a bit northeast into Michigan and back into Indiana to take in the Hesston Steam Museum.  They had 3 sizes of trains powered by steam engines to choose from, the largest being the Ghost Train that wound through the woods, which were in peak fall color.  It really wasn't that scary...until the guys with chain saws from the "logging camp" ambushed us towards the end of the ride.  Kate about jumped out of her Batgirl costume.

Jack chose a ride on the 14" train for his next ride.  14" is the width of the track.  The cars are tiny and you are warned that if you lean from side to side it will derail.  But, it too, was a beautiful ride through the woods over and under a few bridges.  These are the same trains the E. Donnelly had on his estate in Lake Forest.  Donnelly donated quite a few to this museum.

Kate, Peter, Grandma and Grandpa all boarded what we called the "medium sized" train, the same size at the Milwaukee County Zoo and Kiddleland.  This was a little safer for Peter because he was able to be contained.

They also had a steam powered saw mill and a lot of old engines and tractors to climb on.  Lots of fun on a beautiful October afternoon.

Spider!

The Ghost Train

Batgirl and Grandpa

Daddy and Captain America

The Whole Gang!

The spider is smiling!!

Checking his ticket...

Beautiful Ride

Spider and Grandpa on the mid-sized train...

Steam from the Ghost Train 

A special bridge we encountered on our tiny train tour

The Terrific Three

They'll save the day...

...or look good trying!

Sawmill

Spider on a caboose.

Lake Forest Beach

I took the kids to Lake Forest Beach last Friday. I like to go in the late afternoon on a weekday as there is less of a chance of getting arrested by the local police.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, one would not get arrested, but would likely get a stern talking to at the least, or a ticket at the worst, for not having a Lake Forest vehicle sticker.  And honestly, the cops don't even care, it's really the community officers that like to wield their power.  Regardless, I leave the doors open on the van or even the engine running so we can make a quick escape if need be.

We lucked out on Friday, as they had apparently just "combed" the beach so our foot prints were some of the few in the sand, plus the water was super calm.  But there was something brewing in, what seemed to be, the middle of the lake.  The sky looked ominous, which is what I told the kids and then had to explain what that meant.  Kate, being the weather queen, was watching the clouds like a hawk, but even she was caught off guard when the storm made landfall.  Jack still had sand stuck to his face when we got home from the haboob that hit us before we made it to the car.  I got some good pictures, mostly of the weather, but thought I'd share.

Even Peter looks concerned...

You can just make out the sailing class in the distance.

Milwaukee County Zoo Ala Carte

We blessed with such beautiful weather during the last week of summer vacation.  Upper 70s, low 80s, just perfect.  This isn't really beach weather so we had to dig further into our summer options to make the most of our remaining free-time as a family.  So, on a lark, I suggested that we head up to the Milwaukee County Zoo last Friday night to take part in their Ala Carte Night.  I equate it to what would be Taste of Milwaukee with bears.  There were dozens of Milwaukee food vendors spread throughout the zoo along with six music stages.  I think we arrived around 6:30, a late night for Sweet Pete, but more on that later.  There was a line backed up on Blue Mound Road leading into the parking lot.  Our Zoo Pass got us in for free, but didn't help us with the back-up.  But, in true Doug fashion, we arrived in this terribly crowded parking lot, turned the opposite way of all to the lemmings and ended up with a space 100 yards from the entrance.  Peter got loaded into his stroller and we were on our way.  Our main goal of the evening was to see the dinosaur exhibit and eat some yummy food, which is exactly what we did and it was the perfect plan.  The dinosaur exhibit was an extra charge so not many people had it on their agendas for the evening.  Therefore, it was not very crowded and Peter got to roam rather than ride.  What a treat!  He is so much fun to watch when he is free to do as he pleases.  He stopped at every dino, pointed and squealed!  And when I asked to take a picture, he would stand and look at me with his hands folded in front of him.  So very formal.  

After the dinosaurs, it started to get darker and the animals were harder to see.  We grabbed a little food, sat down with the bears as they took their evening dip in the pool and listened to Los Lonely Boys for a bit.  It was then on to the famous zoo train.  We made it in time for the last ride of the night and it was pitch black out.  And as the zoo normally closes at 5:00, the track is not lit very well, so it was extra spooky.  Let's just say everyone was pointing and squealing, so much fun.

After the train, we used our remaining tickets to get some dessert and then back to the Land of Lincoln. It was about 9:30 so I put Peter in his pajamas anticipating a nice sleepy ride home.  He fell asleep when we hit 132 in Gurnee.  I don't think the other two made out of Milwaukee proper.  Oh well, best laid plans...

So here is the photo portion of the photo blog.  Lots of Dinosaurs...

Did I mention that they all move and roar?

Pointing and squealing....

Brachiasaurus

Properly posing...

This little girl was roaring and Peter was fascinated.

Jack and one of his faves, the Stegosauarus.

ROAR!!!!

Peter and the T-rex babies

The T-rex, the main attraction

Side view, huge!

The famous Moldarama - T-rex, of course.

Sleeping bear listening to Los Lonley Boys.

The Midnight Train...

Passengers A

Passengers B

The Carousel at night a great sight to close the evening...