Last weekend of the summer

Next week the school year officially begins for us. Julia is starting second grade at Holy Family on Wednesday and, a week from this Monday, Elisabeth will be starting at her new school Marshall Middle School (more about that later).

So, we decided to take a day trip and do something fun yesterday-- go to Lake Michigan!!

Before we got to the lake we made a stop in Libertyville, IL at Marytown where the National Shrine of St. Maximillian Kolbe is located. St. Maximillian's feast day was on Friday and he is Elisabeth's favorite saint. Since it was on our way, we decided to swing by and check out the museum, the chapel and the gardens.

What we didn't take into account is that Marytown would be very busy because, you know, his feast day was the day before, so there was no one available to give us a tour because it was also the feast day of the Assumption of Mary. Plus we got there right as Mass had started and we probably should have just gone to Mass, but we were dressed like beach bums and the kids were borderline hangry.

So we just decided to check out the gift shop (so many books!!!) and tour one garden since the humidity was so thick we choked on it everytime we stepped outside.

We've decided to go back in the fall when the weather is nicer and definitely plan on attending Mass. Then we'll also be able to tour the gardens a little more thoroughly without sweating ourselves into puddles.

We decided to try out the beaches at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, IL. It was all free and only about 2 hours from Rockford. Turns out we (and a bunch of other people) picked a perfect day to spend at the lake. It was hot but the humidity vanished as soon as we got to the water. We had packed a picnic lunch to keep the younger two girls quiet about how hungry they are all the time (I am officially a snack time referee which is a thankless job).

We were kind of surprised at how short the beach was from the parking lot. But, it fit us and all our gear so no complaints. Plus, the girls just loved it sooooo much. 

This is how David and I spent our beach time-- under our giant umbrella in the shade napping and reading, respectively.

Of course, Vivian brought her trusty dump truck.

The girls found this guy with the metal detector fascinating and got really close to him to watch. 

And now it is back to the school year grind. My calendar is already filling up super fast. It's like a sharpie pen has bled all over the end of August. In a good way, of course.

When Vivian Goes On A Bike Ride...

She supervises the loading of the bikes. 

 She stops to exercise.

Tries to wake up the ducks.

 Watches the trolley go by.

Digs in the dirt.

Throws sticks into the river.

Rides way ahead of Mommy and Elisabeth.

Crosses the train tracks.

Skeptically looks at the swan.

Says hi to her statue friend.

Leads David.

Gets passed by Julia.

Gets so excited when Daddy rides next to her!

A Day with Trains (aka Vivian Explodes with Delight)

Yesterday we ventured over to Union, Illinois to visit the Illinois Railway Museum. I don't remember how we had heard about it, but if you at all have met Vivian, you know we have a train junkie in our house. We figured that she'd enjoy spending a few hours looking at real life trains and it's only about 40 minutes east of Rockford, so a super easy trip to make. 

What we weren't expecting was this museum to be so hopping! There were a lot of people there, lots of things to ride on, and so much to visit. Even for those of us who aren't really into trains (aka: me and Elisabeth) we ended up having more fun than we anticipated.

Evan won major points for finding us a Groupon so that we were all only $4 each to get in! Gotta love a deal. We rode on an old commuter trolley first that was bright red. The conductors came and punched your tickets, which the younger two girls found exciting. 

Why can't my third child just nicely smile for pictures?! Siiiiigh.

I'm really glad we chose to go yesterday because the weather was PERFECT! Low 70s, sunny, and I didn't melt into a 35+ week pregnant pile of sweat. I hate sweating. Plus, there was no fast walking and lots of places to sit.

There was a picnic area and a little park for the kiddos. Next time we will totally bring a lunch.

Besides the working trolleys (three total), the old 70s accordion bus (we did not ride that this time), and the steam train, there were a lot of barns filled to the max with tons of different trains.

Vivian totally loves talking about how trains are coupled. Every time she saw two engines coupled together she made us all look.

I was partial to the yellow trains or trolleys. Obvs.

This trolley went directly to the zoo!!! Best one ever!

The steam engines were unanimously the favorite of the trains we saw.

Vivian was super cute because she kept using her shirt as a reference point with all the steam trains she saw. She'd see if the train had the same parts as her shirt. "There's the funnel...and the bell...and the whistle..."

Another red trolley! This one took you all over the grounds and dropped you off places. It was a uber pregnant lady's dream.

There were a few old train cars they'd turned into gift shops and book stores.

Vivian was so excited to see THREE play train tables. We hung out there for a good twenty minutes.

We ended up eating lunch at the diner.

Time to ride the actual STEAM TRAIN!!

This was the last thing we did and Vivian was so excited that she couldn't function normally. She laid down in her seat while she waited for the train to start moving. This was her face when she heard the whistle:

Passing the trolley on the tracks:

After the ride you could go up and look inside the control room.

In August they are having Thomas and Percy come and all three girls agreed that it would be worth it to come back that soon so Vivian could ride her favorite trains. There really was so much to do and see that we didn't get to it all in the 5 hours that we were there. It was a fun day!