Labor Day Adventures

Monday was a day off for Rob from work (obviously) and we decided to do something different with the morning together.

We dressed the kids and put them in the car right when they woke up, and drove to Geneva for breakfast at Nosh, which turned out to be an adorable restaurant that was perfect for our little family. Laid back environment, tasteful but low key decor, and fabulous food.

I got the eggs benedict, and it was the best I've ever had anywhere. I also nabbed some of the kids' pancakes and they were amazing too! I have a feeling everything on the menu is good.

This one (below) is in a challenging phase (the 'tricky two's', as my friend Becky calls it!). I find the tricky part right now to be going anywhere and doing anything without a complete fit, screaming, and begging to drag along her lala and blankie. Her favorite phrase right now is "I don't WANT to..." paired with a look typically reserved for 13 year olds and a stubborn pose.

Turns out, the little gal was coming down with the stomach flu, which I didn't realize until this morning when she threw up upon drinking her milk cup. (Yeah, this morning's been fun...)

Back to our awesome day yesterday! We planned to send Rob and Robbie back home on the Metra train so we had a little bit of time to kill after breakfast before the next train came through. We found a courtyard with a stream and the kids dug for rocks between stepping stones and threw them in the water. We stopped by a little shop that had a train table on our way to the actual train as well.

Shocker - at different points, both kids almost fell into the water when they stumbled or simply lost their balance while sitting. It's a small miracle we all went home wearing dry clothes.

Cozy in the Ergo! So cozy she took a cat nap, which was my favorite.

Very proud of her rock collection.

Robbie was excited to get on the train but it was laced with a little bit of worry over when he would see me again, even when I assured him that the girls and I would be at the station to pick him and Daddy up when they got off. I took this picture before they walked up to the station in Geneva to get on, and I love enlarging it because the expression on Robbie's face is precious. (Click to enlarge)

His second train ride with Daddy.

When they got off the train, they stood together until it pulled out of the station. Robbie talked for the rest of the afternoon about how loud the engine was. He had to cover his ears!

Daddy took pictures during the ride... they rode on the upper level.

A boy on a train! Best day ever.

When we got home, we put the girls down for naps and then Robbie and I went to the gym together. His second date with one parent by himself all in the same day! He was feeling pretty special and old. When I picked him up after my work out from childcare and asked him if he had fun, he said yes but that he had missed Ellie. Aww. They are such buddies.

We ate an early dinner and then tried a new place called Yogli Mogli. It was great frozen yogurt, but the sugar hit the kids' systems right away and they were a mess until we got them back to the car. Nothing is ever easy with 3 little ones but we had a great day and made fun memories!