Naperville.

On Sunday, Kelly & Rob took us to Naperville to walk on the Riverwalk.
Naperville is a beautiful little town with a shopping area centered around the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk is a project undertaken by the city in the 1970's with the vision of taking an eyesore and making it into a tourist destination. Some of the stores that can be found here include the Pottery Barn.

Hunter & Grace....

had a lot of fun hanging out and playing with their American Girl Dolls.
On Friday, Kelly dropped us off at Target for some shopping for a few hours, and then we went to Geneva for a few hours to look around.
We enjoyed incredible locally made ice cream at a place called Grahams. I was in heaven since they had peppermint ice cream which is not an easy flavor to find.
Then we browsed in the toy store with the kids for awhile.
I made the mistake of leaving my cameras back at the house, so I have no pictures.
I did not make that mistake again!!

Meeting Baby Nathan.

Hunter & Tyler were very excited to see the girls and meet baby Nathan for the first time.
Such a gorgeous baby. At two months, he can smile, talk and almost laugh.
Nathan remained the center of attention for our visit. My kids don't have the opportunity to be around babies very often.
This little guy was truly adorable.

Chicago.

Thursday, August 10, 2006 turned out to be a very interesting day to fly, as it was the first day that the liquid ban went into effect.
We managed to clear security in Halifax with everything intact, but by the time we landed in Montreal, we had to give up our water bottles, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, deodorant and polysporin. It was all just a little disconcerting when the vendors in the airport were prohibited from selling any bottled drinks. I was really worried that the kids were going to be thirsty.
We ate lunch at Burger King and I filled up huge glasses from the soda fountain for us to drink. Hunter was miffed that an airport in Montreal did not have any poutine to buy.
Our plane was delayed 45 minutes, but overall the day went quite smooth.
When we arrived at Kelly & Rob's house, we ordered out pizza for dinner and then Kelly surprised me with this beautiful, elegant birthday cake!
How sweet!

View of the Valley.

from the "Look Off".

Hall's Harbour.

Our last day in N.S., so we decided to go to Hall's Harbour, which is famous for it's breathtaking scenery and lobsters.
We ate lunch and then hung out on the beach and let the kids do some beachcombing.
Hunter found some beach glass, and Tyler had fun tossing seaweed at us.

My birthday lunch..

My cousin Michelle organized a birthday lunch for me at "Between the Bushes" restaurant, which specializes in fresh, local ingredients with the spotlight on fresh blueberries.
My aunts Zelma & Geneva, Michelle & Gemma, Hunter & I, Mom, Grammie and Eleanor and Amanda enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
Michelle and I both chose vegetarian lasagna made with a layer of spinach, sweet potato, mashed potato, layered in tortilla with sauteed julienne vegetables in a spicy lentil sauce. It was incredible.
Then we ordered blueberry explosion for dessert. A blueberry pastry smothered in creme anglaise with whipped cream and lots of fresh blueberries. Sooo good!
Tonight, Kirk & Pat came over with Madison and Haydie for birthday cake. Mom made me a "cream cheese brownie" cake. It was delicious.
Hunter was invited for a sleepover at Rebecca's tonight, so Dad and I drove her over to Canning in the NEW set of WHEELS. Loved the camera on the back bumper which feeds to a screen on the dash the WHAT and WHERE you are backing into. The perfect "angie" car. Thanks Dad for letting me drive!
Tomorrow is our last day here in N.S. We have had an amazing vacation!!!!!
I talked to my cousin Kelly this afternoon in Chicago and now I am excited to see her!
Chicago here we come!