For our last week in the US, we headed back to my mom's house from Michigan (Sunday evening.) We stayed with her until Tuesday morning, and then we headed back to Morton.
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| The kids had piano lesson with Mrs. Witzig in person. We still Skype lessons with her each week, so it was nice to be able to sit beside her and end the lesson with a big hug. |
After piano, we were off to the Kieser's new house. Holli and I have been friends on FB since I moved to Europe. It was suggested by Morton friends that we should connect because Holli had lived in England and then France and would be a good resource on living in Europe. We would chat on FB and Instagram, like each other's pictures, and message about life in Europe. It wasn't until this summer that we were finally able to meet. We just kept giggling. It was so crazy because I felt like I knew her so well already! We also shared our lunch with my dear friend Amy Jo. We had the BEST time!
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| The kids hit it off too! |
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| Holli and Me…She is just as sweet in person as she is online. I'm pretty sure we'll be spending a lot more time together when we move back. :) |
I wish I had a picture of my friend Meghan! We have followed each other's blogs for a few years now. She recently moved back to Morton, and we carved out some time to meet. It was great! Again, I felt like I knew her so well, and she was darling. If only I had remembered to take a picture. Ugh!
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| We got to catch up with the Johnson family. I adore them! But of course, the time always goes too quickly. I can't wait to see them again in December. There will be two babies added to the family by then. It's going to be such a fun visit!!! |
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| Breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Laura, Kathie, Molly, and the kids. |
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| Molly is shrinking! |
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| There was more swimming at the Morton Pool where the kids enjoyed their day with Connor. |
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| A trip to Morton would not be complete without a stop at Pumpkin Place to see Miss Chris. :) |
Wednesday night, we went to the Westercamps new home. They moved back to the states in January. It was so good to see Scott and the kids. We were disappointed we didn't get to see Lisa and Josh. Bonus, we got to catch up with Chad and Amy and their kids as well. They moved home a year and a half ago. I LOVE Belgium reunions in the US!
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| After the Westercamps, we relaxed at the Phillips household. Jeff opened up some salsa. That was a really tight jar. LOL! |
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| Vastine, Phillips, and Stephens kids! |
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| Molly's drinkin' buddy! |
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| I HATE leaving these two! They need to come visit me. |
Thursday morning, we were headed back to Moline, but we couldn't leave without goodbye hugs from the Knepps.
Back at my mom's house, our family from Iowa came to visit for the day. It was so good to see them!
Thursday night, I had the honor of photographing my sister and her beautiful family.
No rest for the weary! Friday morning, we were in the car bright and early to head to Chicago to visit the Chicago Vastines. First stop was Great America. It was awesome to spend the day with Aunt Amy and the cousins, but the Great American part was a fail. We waited for one ride for about 40 minutes. The ride was great. Thomas sat that one out with Aunt Amy. The boys rode the pirate/boat ride after lunch. Then we got in line for another ride. We waited about an hour, and the ride broke down. The girls and I were the first ones on after it was fixed, but just as the boys were getting on, lightening struck. Ride closed. We decided to wait the weather out back at the Vastine house and head back for the evening. Back for some night rides, we waited for about 30 minutes to ride Superman, and lightening struck again. There was no end in sight, so we left. The kids were so disappointed. Vastine luck strikes again….
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| Soaked |
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| On our way home, we stopped for ice cream. That helped with the disappointment. |
Saturday morning, we headed to Wisconsin for our nephew Mike's wedding.
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| Mike and Erica are such a beautiful couple. Proud aunt here! |
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| The Chicago Vastines looking all snazzy for the wedding. |
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| Cousins! The Sommerfield and Malone cousins were busy with pictures. |
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| Mary, Jerry, and Jeanne |
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| The Lowells! Just missing Meghan. |
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| Me and the kiddos! |
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| Is this midwest living or what?! Love it! |
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| Allison and Grammy V. |
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| We wish her could see her more often. |
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| Grammy V. and a portion of the 21 grandkids. |
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| Gorgeous! |
Fun at the reception!
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| If you wanted the bride and groom to kiss, you had to be creative and show them how. Here's Allison and Thomas demonstrating (or getting ready to demonstrate) how you kiss cheeks in Europe. |
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| Well done you two, but I'm pretty sure you would rather go for the lips. |
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| First dance |
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| This boy has some moves. Yes, that is the garter on his head. |
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| This family is crazy and so much fun! That's why we love them. |
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| Allison caught the bouquet and Thomas caught the garter. Too funny! |
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| My precious cargo on the way back to Chicago on Sunday morning. |
Back in the suburbs, we spent the afternoon on Jerry and Amy's boat. It was so much fun and so relaxing! Really, it was the perfect way to spend our last day in the US.
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| Oh you know…just a little house on the lake. I'm thinking about this size and layout for when we move home. Hahaha….yeah right. |
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| The last supper at The Cheesecake Factory. |
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Monday evening…we were off. Time to head back to Brussels. Thank you so much to all of our friends and family who took such good care of us while we were home. Thank you for the wonderful dinners, beds to sleep in, and precious time spent with all of you. We had a terrific time and can't wait to see everyone again at Christmas. xoxoxo
Now, let's get back to Belgium, so you can see the fun we had before school started.
Until next time,
Wendy |
