Greg partied while we were gone!

You are probably wondering what Greg during the time Kai and I were in Chicago? Well, he took off with friends Dr. Bob and Kitty in a small aircraft to Bend, Oregon. Then he spent time with the Conger family there (whom we had just seen less than a month ago). Rick Conger recently came back from a trip and was successful and summited Mt. Shasta in northern California- so Congrats Rick! That's another notch in your belt!

Dr. Bob's plane.


Lava-land near the Three Sisters in Oregon.


Greg and Dr. Bob with the Three Sister mountains in the background.

We've been back home since Wednesday. I wanted to die on the airplane ride back. It started off with a sore throat to loss of voice the day after we visited the Taste of Chicago- now my joints hurt. The day I left, Cohen had a 103 degree fever and Adira had night sweats with bouts of chills in this humid weather. I was just dragging my feet and didn't even have the strength to walk that morning.

I had my turn of night sweats and chills, and I've been coughing so hard- I thought my head would fall of my neck. My voice is not entirely back (my family says I sound like Marge Simpson) and I'm not 100% normal (not that I was ever normal).

I was just informed that 378 people got sick from the Taste of Chicago, with 9 confirmed salmonella poisonings. However, I ate safe food there- it was too hot to eat anything hot, so I stuck to fruits and vegetables. However, I'm convinced I may have gotten sick from playing in the water at Millennium Park, as did Adira and Cohen- we were totally soaked from it, and Kai and Cheri weren't.


OR maybe it's this boy that gave me his virus from a week ago. Poor baby, you can tell he isn't well. He was just getting over his fever and was spending a day at work with daddy while I went to work with patients.

Party in my room. Taste of Chicago event.

Meet our family!
June 7, 2007 Saturday

Cohen and Kai lay there checking each other's face out. Playing with a pig ball that oinks.

I hear the bedroom door opening, and a little voice shrieks-"Adira!...Baby! Baby!" multiple times. And then Kai gets all excited and starts to jump on my bed. Cohen enters the room and joins in on the bouncing also. By now, I am awake (not willingly) as I have to catch the boys should one go tumbling off.

In no time, family members enter the room one by one...

Kai's cousins Cohen and Adira. Daddy Matthew and baby Hope.

We evenutally make our way out the house to catch a train to Chicago. Great that it's walking distance; bad when we are running late and are rushing with strollers to catch it.

The platform was already packed with people. I could guess that the majority were going to the Taste of Chicago to try foods from all around the world. I struggle with 2 toddlers who try to escape their train seats and who terrorize the women behind us. Kai got good at putting on a show by drooling on the seatback for them.

My sister Cheri and her family with Kai.

We get off at the Van Buren Station and head to the Taste.

Sears Tower to far left. One of the tallest buildings in the world.

We met the Chicago Police,

saw the Buckingham fountain,

and were entertained by street perfomers.

We also got to eat some great foods...and get this- we travelled far just to eat...

Cherries!

Well, it was just too hot to try the hot foods there. Everything looked great- but we kept thinking we'd just get hotter in this searing heat eating something hot. So we went for watermelon, fried ravioli, cheesecake on a stick, and grilled corn- washed down by gatorade and water.

I couldn't resist buying this shirt for Cohen. I should have gotten one for Kai also. That's mama Cheri with baby Hope. Hope did really well in this outing today, especially with this heat. She barely made a peep.