Summer fun Part I

As summer comes to an end I thought I would post some photos of all the fun we had during our first summer back in Chicago.....

It seems like we have been nonstop on the move these past few months probably since living in Chicago we only get a few months to be outdoors so we really take advantage of it. The weather has been beautiful this summer & we have been enjoying every bit of it. From going to the zoo to celebrating Birthdays and everything in between. We have had so much fun this summer :-)

In July Olivia performed at the Park Ridge Fest with her ballet class so we decided to make a whole day out of it. We went to her performance along with our families that came & then we enjoyed tasting food from all of the local vendors & shopping. They had entertainment for the kids including a fire truck, train, bounce houses & slides.

On July 10th we celebrated my little brother turning 13 @ Dave & Busters.

Family trip to Brookfield Zoo with GG & Papa.

Olivia has no fear....she is petting a hissing cockroach!

At the end of July we went to the Journey concert with Brian's family-they are long time fans of the band.

At the beginning of August my mom had the family over to celebrate my Grandpa's Birthday & see my sister off to her second year going away to college.

In August, we went to the zoo with my cousin Shannon and my sister Katie & we had a great time. The day we chose was the absolute perfect weather for a zoo day:-)

Family Vacation

When Brian got home from OCS we decided to go on a family vacation. While he was away I planned a little road trip to Ohio. We drove the 5 1/2 hours to visit Kings Island, an amusement park that has an entire Peanuts Gang themed children's section. Olivia has always been a big fan of the Peanuts Gang (even her third Birthday party was a Lucy theme) & I couldn't wait to take her there. On our way to Ohio we stopped in Indiana at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It worked out great, because the museum was the half-point between home & Kings Island so it gave us a chance to get out of the car for a couple of hours. The museum was made up of four floors and had tons of fun hands-on exhibits for the kids. It was so big that we spent the entire afternoon exploring it.

Family photo inside the entrance of the Children's Museum of

Indianapolis.

The girls posing in the dinosaur nest.

Olivia the Archaeologist!

Inside one part of the museum the kids were able to play with water, sand, and all kinds of other fun things.

One of my favorite parts was the Barbie exhibit. They had a bunch of dress-up clothes for the girls to put on and then a runway complete with paparazzi photographers. Of course, the Giaretta girls rocked that runway!! lol!

Aye Matey! Olivia especially loved the Dora & Diego exhibit; that was right up her alley.

And on the top floor we rode a carousel that was from 1917 & still worked today.

We arrived in Ohio & checked into our hotel the first night & then went out for dinner at a local steak house. The next two days we spent at Kings Island where we rode the rides, met the Peanuts Gang, watched shows, & had so much fun :-)

I loved that the girls could go on rides by themselves & Brooklyn was so brave she rode all of the rides she was tall enough for.

The only unfortunate part of the trip was that we chose the hottest few days of the summer to be at an amusement park. The weather was in the 100's & hot! Olivia was thrilled to see all of the Peanuts Gang so it was definitely worth it. She even got to take home her very own Lucy Van Pelt doll while Brooklyn chose a Sally Brown doll. We had a great time on our road trip & I look forward to many more summer vacations.

Daddy comes home!!

On July 8th we flew home from Quantico, Virginia. My sister Katie watched the girls while I was gone and they couldn't wait until Mommy brought Daddy home!! The girls missed him so much while he was at OCS for 6 weeks. It affected them more than I even imagined it would with them being so young and all. Olivia had a really hard time with Daddy being gone so long "doing his Marine thing" (as she called it) and couldn't wait to smother him with hugs & kisses. While Brian was gone Brooklyn would often walk around the house from room to room calling "Da-da." We wrote him a letter everyday and he wrote us too. And Olivia absolutely loved getting his letters. We even made a countdown on the chalkboard in our kitchen that Olivia changed the number to everyday until the day Daddy came home. And when we got home and they saw him for the first time it was such a sweet moment that I will remember forever.

After seeing him for the first time in 6 weeks the girls couldn't get enough of their Daddy:)

OCS Graduation

On July 6th I flew to Quantico, Virginia along with my Father-in-law Scott to attend Brian's graduation from Officer Candidate School. On July 7th we went to Family Day at Officer Candidate School (OCS) and we saw Brian for the first time in 6 weeks!! We were able to spend the whole afternoon with him so we decided to go to lunch & then to the Marine Corps Museum. The museum was so awesome! It was filled with tons of historical pieces & even interactive exhibits. Then, we had to take Brian back to his barracks for the night. The next morning (July 8th) we attended Brian's graduation from Officer Candidate School. The ceremony was held on the parade deck and it was a beautiful morning although Virginia is one hot state (who would have thought that it is so unbearably hot there). We are so proud of his accomplishment & all of his hard work and dedication.

Outside of the Marine Corps museum....

Inside the museum....

Me trying on a full pack that the Marines carry on their

backs during hikes, which is around 80lbs!!

OCS graduation pictures....

Here is a clip of them marching out at the end of the graduation....

After the graduation....

4th of July

We spent 4th of July weekend @ my Mom's house this year! It was so much fun just hanging out & relaxing with my family. Olivia mastered swimming all by herself & we spent a lot of time at the park next door to Nana's house. On 4th of July we celebrated with a family BBQ and fireworks :-) We ate delicious hot dogs with every topping you could imagine! We also celebrated my brother's 13th Birthday with the extended family (since his Birthday is July 10th). It was a great weekend and the girls and I were so excited that it was the last weekend with Daddy gone @ OCS.

Olivia showing off her patriotism

Little Miss Independent

Mommy & the girls

Aunt Kate & Olivia

We thank God everyday for the freedoms we so easily take for granted living in America. And we are so proud of Brian serving our country as a United States Marine. We missed you Daddy & hope to spend the next 4th of July with you!!!!

Mall of America

Over Father's day weekend the girls & I went on a little road trip with my family. Our destination: Mall of America :-) We drove the 6 1/2 hours (7 1/2 with stopping) to Minnesota to the famous gigantic mall! The girls did so well in the car for such a long period of time; they really surprised me. The mall is absolutely enormous! It is 4 floors of shopping, restaurants, and activities all centered around an indoor amusement park. We had so much fun!! We went to as many stores as we could fit into the three days we were there. I made sure the girls had fun by taking them to the Lego store, The American Girl store, & Brooklyn even had her first trip to

Build-a-bear.

Here are some pictures from our trip....

The girls & I shopping.

Olivia was thrilled to meet "the real Dora the Explorer"

& her best friend Boots!!

The girls love the Wonder Pets, but Brooklyn preferred them at a distance.

Aunt Kate bought them the Wonder Pet capes @ the Mall of America

& they dress-up as these two characters (Olivia is Linny the "ginny pig" as she calls him & Brooklyn is Ming-Ming the duck) all the time!! It's adorable!!

Olivia really enjoyed the amusement park.

Brooklyn & Nana watching Livie on the rides.

Brooklyn with the dog she made @ Build-a-bear with Aunt Kate & I while Olivia went to the amusement park with Aunt Taylor & Uncle Denton.

The whole group @ Mall of America.

(We missed you Brian)

Mommy & the girls.

Thanks Mom for planning such a great family vacation!! We can't wait for the next one!!