McRady Invasion!

In June, we got a visit from Brady and McCall.  The best part: Brady's work paid for the trip, since they ran out of free trips to Hawaii!  We did our best to make Chicago a good substitute for Hawaii.  Here's what we covered:

We started off the visit with a bike trip along the lake front.

Blake enjoyed the bike seat, while Sam and James fought over snacks in the trailer.

It was the last day of school for Henry and Ellis, who couldn't have been more pleased with their new-found freedom.

We celebrated with chocolate cake shakes from Portillo's, at Brady's request.

Then initiated James on the tire swing - an integral part of the Iverson park experience.

James' favorite Chicago activity was discovering that we have a vacuum!  James is totally obsessed with vacuums, and getting to use it is the ultimate reward for him.  Our floors have never been cleaner.

We got talking about Chicago donuts and how amazing they are, and then Brady made the mistake of claiming that Dunkin Donuts are just as good as any other donut.  We accepted the challenge and collected donuts from five different donut shops, then had a blind taste test to crown a champion in each category: best old fashioned, best frosted, best specialty, and best overall.  Dunkin Donuts came in dead last in every category, and Stan's Donuts was the clear winner.  Take that, Dunkin.  

The next day we took a trip to the Botanic Garden, and the boys all loved the model railroad exhibit.

While at the Children's Museum on Navy Pier, we couldn't help but notice that Sam and Blake, and Ellis and James, are total look-alikes.  It's a real joy to navigate two double strollers through a crowded museum.

Here are the boys in the pretend car wash, practicing for what is hopefully not their future career.

Sam the fisherman!

Ellis the fireman!  Sam the dog!

A key part of this visit were daily soccer games with Uncle Brady.  The boys couldn't get enough soccer time...and Brady was happy to oblige.

We found time for a date night at the Cellar.

Speaking of look-alikes...yikes

No trip to Chicago is complete without seeing the Bean! Inside the Bean is basically a giant fun-house mirror, which would be hours of fun if it wasn't so crowded.

 What a great group of boys!  We we so glad they came to hang out with us!

Latergrams: In which summery things happen

First day of summer vacation: tagging along with the Severson bunch and their Chicago donut taste test adventure! We hit five different donut shops and, um, only ate one or two. My favorites were Firecakes, Do-Rite, and Stan's, to name just a few. #mindblowingdonuts #chicagofoodrules #fivepoundslater... 

 My king and three princes. #happyfathersday #stickercrowns #lovemyboys

 Ellis could not be more proud that he is old enough to play soccer at camp this week, with real shinguards and cleats. It also helps to have your best friend on the team and your little brother cheering you on. #aysosoccercamp #proudboy #soccermom

 I am starting to understand why one little boy would choose not to have his dad be his soccer coach in the fall. He absolutely worships coach Stuart from Scotland. Sometimes it's more fun to have another grown up as your coach. #aysosoccercamp #benisworkingonhisaccent

 Words cannot describe this day with my dear friend. #bostonldstemple #stephanie #holiness #spiritualrush

 Boston, you have the truest pizza I have ever met. #aftertempleparty #stonehearth #thincrustwithdrawals #ricottabythedollop #bostongirl

Just a walk by myself through the most beautiful place in this country. Perfect for this very spiritually awakening trip. #solitude #angels #mountauburncemetery #theplaceimissmost #nothinglikeit

 There are way too many people not pictured here, but it was such a rich day for me, full of happy reunions, laughter, tears, meeting new babies, scheming, planning, reminiscing, and contemplating how lucky we are to have been able to share part of life's journey together. I also couldn't believe how many times I got confused, thinking I was in Utah...because this place feels so much like coming home. #bostonfriendsforever #tendermercies #lifeisbeautiful

 Also, this girl melted my heart when she said, "Jenn, it almost feels like we're more than just friends...it feels like we're family, and like Henry and Ellis and Sam are my cousins." I feel the same way, Tabi! #friendsthatfeellikefamily #ourexpandingfamily #loveisgood #lifeisbeautiful

 Haircuts by Ellis: the latest thing. I woke up to all three boys happily drawing together, each with a chunk of hair missing right smack-dab in the front of his head. #firsttimeever #cutyourown #timeforabuzz

 Of course they're all mine. Isn't that totally normal to take six boys (8 and under) across a parking lot, through revolving doors, and up an elevator? #mylife #thethingswedo #kidswap #OTsportsgroup #BFFs

 Just in case Ella and Ellis get married someday, and we can joke about how she used to beat him up. #threeblondegirls #meetthreeblondeboys #bostonfriendsforever

 So glad that Eliza was able to stop here on her huge road trip from Boston to Utah! Her visit was way too short! #bostonfriendsforever

 This is happening. #iversonsgocamping #willingly #wishmeluck

 It appears that these three could occupy themselves all day long at the lake, while Ellis is fishing with the dads and Sam is asking, "What can I do???" #dayatmirrorlake #bffs #happyboys #iversonsgocamping

Boys. Each attempting to win the "daredevil contest" while their parents have mild panic attacks. #iversonseversonboys #wouldbebrothers

 The boys, all six of them. #iversonseversonboys #iversonsgocamping

 Family time is good. #hiking #familyphoto #iversonsgocamping

 The best part of this trip for me has been discovering how beautiful Wisconsin is. We have loved driving through the gorgeous hilly farmland, and the hiking trails were lovely. Can you tell who was ready to go home at this point? #wisconsin #pryingopenmynewenglandheart #iversonsgocamping

 Kind of surprised when the GPS said, "Turn right, then board ferry." #firsttimeforeverything #merrimackferry #headedhome

 Working on our skillz. #swimcamp #bigblue #wecandohardthings

 Is everyone else's basement flooding? #hugerainstorm #waterwatereverywhere

 Finally had a good reason to buy the dehumidifier we've been needing for a year. #dryingout #mustybasementsmell

 Ellis is more patriotic than you'll ever be. #stillknowseverypresident #justsayin #happy4th

 I was kind of hoping our basement would flood again while @beniverson is out of town. I didn't get my fill of this stuff last week. #dreamscometrue #basementflood2 #dejavu #houstonwehaveaproblem

 Sam appointed himself to teach the family night lesson tonight...and then proceeded to spend the next hour "getting ready for my lesson." This is the pile of supplies he gathered. #shouldbeinteresting #allbymyself #samsfirstlesson #theboywholovesgettingready

 Preparations for "Newsie Group," the activity Ellis has been dreaming up all week. As you can see, he has printed scripts, assigned roles, and roped a few friends into playing along. When I asked why Sam's assignment got erased, he said, "Shhh! I don't want Sam to feel bad that he got released...but he wasn't singing very well." #released #onlymyellis #newsieboy #meetsconferenceboy #lovehim

Business is booming on Grant and McDaniel. Or at least we hope it will be! #lemonade #summerjob #henrysfavoritethingever 

2 hours + 45 cups + a big batch of cookies = just over $43 profit. I wonder if their success had anything to do with Sam stretching out his hands and saying, "Just give me your money." #lemonade #bigmoney #quittingmydayjob

Pretty proud of this boy who hated coloring and refused to do any art projects (up until a year ago, when he found his calling). #colorbynumber

 Four boys, eight well-rehearsed songs, one epic production. #newsiegroup #directedbyellis

Couldn't resist the 7/11 Free Slurpee day!