On Saturday the boys and I went with my parents up to Cantigny Farm near the Chicago area to meet up with the Bourke relatives. Cantigny is a historical site with a neat war museum, tanks, an old mansion, beautiful floral grounds, and often Civil War reenactments and camps. The Bourke side of the family has met here since I was a little girl. This was the first time that I brought the boys.

Hunter loved that I sat behind the boys in the van for the ride up, because he had somebody to look at since he faces backwards. :) He took a nap and was entertained with his "chew toys," as I refer to them. It sounds like he's a dog or something, but that's what he does with them! I guess the human term would be "teethers."

Holden wearing his pained, "don't take my picture I'm busy" look. He was very engrossed in his movie. God bless the person who invented portable DVD players!

We arrived to an EXTREMELY cold, windy day. I had debated bringing warm coats "just in case," and thank goodness I did! Hunter wore a fleece jacket, a winter coat, a hood, a hat, and it was still cold enough we kept him wrapped in blankets! He looked like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story;" he couldn't move his arms! Ha! We are lucky that he is so laid-back. Holden could have cared less and was thrilled with the place immediately. He found this huge stick within minutes of arriving and began collecting acorns and digging in the dirt. Such a boy!

My Uncle Dave was worried about Hunter's feet since he just had socks on. He stuck his thermal gloves on his feet, and it cracked me up because he looks like a rooster or some kind of creature!

Despite the chilly weather, it was great to see everyone! Beside Aunt Mary and Grandma, the family hadn't met Hunter yet. He was showered with attention and of course ate it up. Chuck and Susan brought Dunkin' Donuts donut holes and a big box of hot chocolate with a spout on it. Perfect for a cold day! Holden loves seeing all of his great uncles because they are like big kids with him.

Yeah! Uncle Eric! Holden couldn't WAIT to see my brother. Hunter got a lot more holding time with his uncle now that he is a little more durable. ;)

This just makes me laugh. Chicken fries on the grill, courtesy of my Uncle Dave who loves Holden a whole lot. My spoiled little picky eater!

While Dave fired up the grill, we headed over to the museum grounds for awhile. This picture reminds me of the one from our St. Louis trip with the back of my parents and the boys. Same people, different season, more layers. :) Yes, my dad is wearing a winter coat and hat and shorts. It is a running joke among my family members that he wears shorts year-round. I think his legs are made of steel.

Holden loved Cantigny! It is such a neat place for a little boy. Papa really got a workout climbing up on all the tanks with him.

The Civil War era brought to life. We had a close encounter with Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln. I didn't get any pictures of the battle, but we did get to watch one. Holden thought it was the coolest thing ever and loved the canons. Hunter would jump and blink every time they went off (they were LOUD!) but amazingly never cried. He'd look at all of us and when we smiled, he'd shrug it off and look around again. I did put my hands over his little ears each time. My dad and Eric took Holden through the museum while Mom and I fed and changed Hunter. When we caught up with them, Holden wanted to be the tour guide for Mom, Hunter, Aunt Mary, Uncle Joe, and me. I could tell he'd really been paying attention and taking it all in. He was so cute! When we went through the first section (I think it was the Revolutionary War), he announced, "It's very sad. A lot of people died here today." in this serious little voice. But then he reassured us, "Don't be afraid! It's just pretend in here." Later he pointed out a case of guns and said, "Unfortunately, there are a lot of guns in there." Crack me up! He especially liked Normandy Beach and then walking through the jungle for Vietnam. My little history buff.

We had an awesome lunch with all kinds of yummy food. Aunt Mary made a spice cake with cream cheese frosting to celebrate my birthday and Uncle Bob's. We both have October bdays. It was delicious!

We had a wonderful day with family but were glad to get inside and warm up at the end of the day! I put the boys in footie pj's and then realized they were very similar. Holden's had dogs and Hunter's had lions, but they were the same colors. They were so cute and cuddly! These pictures show just how close in size the boys are now, even though they are 3 years and 2 days apart!