I.Love.Summer! The absolute best part is having Bree home, and not having to rush to get breakfast, morning chores, and off to the bus every morning. We have had so much fun!! The kids have played so well together and we have really made the most of our time. Some highlights:
~Nauvoo


~Trip to Utah!
 



Ranch fun...Grammy and Grandpa's...4th of July Race...Uncle Taylor and Aunt Sarah...Idaho with grandpa Ralph...visiting Opa Rollie and Granny Phyllis...hiking Timp and over night in SLC with my love...we loved every minute of our trip to Utah!!

~"Field trips" to Ravinia (fulfilling McKay's dream of playing a real cello like the Piano Guys), Capanari's Ice-cream Shop, the Jelly Belly Factory, the Farmer's Market, and Mingle Juice Bar. Beach days at Kanosha beach were our favorite. ("Beach" being next to Lake Michigan.) Only 40 minutes North, just across the Wisconsin boarder. The water is pretty chilly, but the kids don't care! Quinn could play in the sand all day!



















~Visit from the Evans...my cousin Kristin and her husband had a little anniversary get away and we got to play with their three children! We took up the whole swing set between our two families! The kids had a blast! Marshmallow races were the fav :)































~Fun at the pool, "school time" (working on summer workbooks), piano practicing, Splash and Spray, backyard "water fun" as the kids call it (throwing water at each other :), BBQs with daddy, rain storms, Yogurtland, Chipotle, family baseball, soccer and kickball in the backyard, play dates, and trips to many parks in the area have made for some fun memories. And I don't think a day went by without the kids going down in the basement to play "ninja spies." Not 100% sure what that is, but they loved it!

I am honestly sad it has come to and end. But it makes me excited already for next summer!! 

As I pulled up our family blog tonight and saw that my last post was the birth of our sweetest little Quinn...9 months ago...I was not really surprised :) Life has been an absolute whirlwind, or shall I say snowstorm, since then! Two days before she was born Robbie was offered a job...in Chicago. The offer came unsolicited, but it felt SO right. When our house sold in four days our feelings were confirmed that this was indeed the right move for our family. So with our four children in tow, the tiniest just two months old, we made the move halfway across the county to join the Midwest.

At this point I feel like a short list will describe the next 7 months:

-Drastic change in weather...from intense heat to intense cold!
-Bree successfully acclimating to a new school. She loves everything about it. Gym, lunch, friends, teacher...
-Robbie transitioning into his role as a Regional Vice President at Surgical Care Affiliates. He loves it. They love him. Perfect fit.
-Bree, Gabe and McKay loving the snow.
-Quinn growing and being overwhelmed with kisses and adoration by her five biggest fans. Getting her up in the morning and after naps is the HIGHLIGHT of her siblings' day!
-Learning why they call this the "Windy City"...I don't think it stops! (Which is great on a warm day though!)
-Getting to know members of our new ward (congregation) and loving how wonderful our church is at making people feel welcomed and loved. We are meeting some wonderfully amazing people!
-Joining Lifetime Fitness has saved us this winter! Have made some great friends and love having such a fabulous place to work out!
-Surviving being a mother of four. While it has been wonderful and so rewarding watching how sweet these children of mine are, the planning, laundry, meals, dishes, siblings fighting, cleaning, teaching, listening and lack of sleep have almost put me over the edge a few times. Ok, several times :) But I am learning so much and honestly am loving this motherhood thing more than ever.
-Celebrating birthdays...We are now at a nice 32, 7, 5, 3, and 9 months...my favorite ages so far!
-Missing family...my parents serving in Australia, my little sis serving in Taiwan, my other siblings in CT, TX and UT and my in-laws in UT and CA...too far away! We are realizing just how much we LOVE being around family and hope that someday we can be closer! BUT, even if this isn't "where we are going to settle," it is the perfect place for the Harmon Family right now. Spring is coming and we could not be more excited.

Each month here we have only loved it more, so let the Chicago adventures continue...hopefully with better documentation of our journey!