Around town

Since visiting my parents that very first summer (and every subsequent visit since) I've said to Jason how amazing it would be to live in Naperville. Truly the sole reason that actually brought us was to be closer to family, but I can't say that the area itself didn't have a certain lure. There is a beautiful downtown shopping area with unique restaurants and shops, a scenic Riverwalk along the West Branch of the DuPage river, one of the best library systems in the country offering plenty of children's activities, an in-demand public school system, plus the pool, Arboretum, Children's Museum, plenty of playgrounds within walking distance... all making this a very family-friendly area.

Though we haven't been out to explore these offerings as much as I would like, in between unpacking we've definitely been out and about having fun. I already shared pictures from our day at the Arboretum, but check out some of our other Naperville adventures:

The DuPage Children's Museum is about 5-10 minutes from our house. Its goal is to develop creativity, curiosity, thinking, and problem-solving in young children. Drew got a year-long membership from Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday, so we will definitely be spending plenty of time here.

Mirror maze

He spent at least an hour here watching the "contraption"

This past week the DuPage County Fair was in town. They had a little area called "Ag-venture Land" where children could learn all about different aspects of farming. We saw chicks hatching, a sheep being sheared, and yarn being spun. We used old machines to de-kernel cobs of corn and then to grind it into corn meal. We rode tractors, saw all sorts of different farm animals on display, and we even watched a pig race. Of course we rode some rides and enjoyed some oh-so-bad-for-you-but-oh-so-delicious fair food, but it was fun to explore the other side of the fair that I've always tended to ignore.

Watching chicks hatch

Petting zoo

My mom with a red-tailed hawk

Merry-go-round

On the Ferris wheel

Drew's first roller coaster. He was only slightly terrified. :P

Centennial Pool and beach, also about 5 minutes from our house, is an old rock quarry that was turned into a pool in 1932. It is a huge pool with a large deep end with diving boards, slides, and little islands you can swim to, but the part we enjoy is the sand sloping down to the zero-entry area of the pool. Though the weather has been beautifully cooler than home, we've still had some warm days, and this particular Sunday was one of them so we figured a dip in the pool would be perfect. Both Jason and I forgot our phones at home that day, so no pictures until we got home, but I had to snag one of my boys in their adorable poncho towels.

I am sure there will be plenty more adventures to come, but I do have a specific one in mind for this week that I hope to post about soon. It includes some history about our town AND our house!