October, 2015 - Babies and Baseball

It was good to be back in the midwest especially when the Cubs were doing so well.  Watching them beat the Pirates to make it into the playoffs was incredible and then beating the Cardinals so easily led me (once again) to BELIEVE that this was the year.  Losing to the Mets in four games was painful but I really do believe that we will be in the World Series soon.  They are making all the right moves and the team is so young that they can only get better - right??  We will be in Chicago every October until it does happen. My favorite memory of this year's post-season is when Sue and Matt face-timed me from Wrigley Field for the last out against the Cardinals, it was almost as much fun as being there.

Easton James

Jaiden Joseph

Our month went quickly with visits to see family and friends and all the new babies in our family.  We have five new babies this year; Ava Mae was born in January, Emily Rose was born in February, Easton James was born in June, Jaiden Joseph was born in August, and Annaliese Katherine was born in October.  We traveled the suburbs from Naperville to Lindenhurst and were able to see them all.  It's strange to think that the next time we see them they will all be walking!

Ava Mae

Annaliese Katherine - only 3 weeks old and she's in the Stanley Cup!

Emily Rose

 Of course we didn't just visit babies (as much fun as that was).

Marty and his sister, Amie

Mark on his 15th birthday with his mom and all his aunts

We arrived in Elgin on September 26th planning to stay in Earl's driveway until baseball season was over and then head south.  Unfortunately, Elgin has silly laws about staying in driveways and when Earl got a warning letter we moved to the Paul Woolf Campground a few miles west.  That campground closed on October 31st so, with nowhere else to stay, we headed south. 

Halloween day was spent driving about four hours south, thru the rain to Springfield, IL where we spent two nights at the state fairgrounds campground.  We got the winter rate of $15.00 - Yay!  On Sunday we visited the Abraham Lincoln Museum, the Abraham Lincoln Home and Abraham Lincoln's tomb.  We also walked over to the state capital but had just missed a tour and didn't want to wait an hour for the next one. 

If you've never been to Springfield, IL we highly recommend it.  The museum is amazing and it's just a short walk to his home (the only home he ever owned). The old and new capital are both within walking distance.  We were there on a Sunday and were amazed at how uncrowded it was.

Inside the Illinois Capital Building

We left Springfield on Monday (11/2) and drove about 200 miles west to Dr. Edmund Babler State Park in Missouri (near St. Louis).  We got one last baby fix in on Tuesday as we visited Katie and Emily in their new home.  Katie gave us a quick tour of Forest Park (which is larger than Central Park!)  We walked around and had lunch at the Boat House before heading back to their house for Emily's nap.  

Forest Park Boat House

This bridge shakes when you walk across it - YIKES!

It was nice being back in the midwest visiting family and friends and watching baseball but the weather is changing and it is time to head south.  We are currently in Moore, Oklahoma through the end of November helping my brother and his wife get her recently deceased stepmothers house sorted out and prepped for a garage sale.  The garage sale will on Friday, 11/27 and Saturday, 11/28 - come on down!