Big City Adventure

We've been planning it for almost a year, and it finally happened.  Our whole family on a big city adventure to Chicago!  Why?  Well, why not – Chicago is awesome!  But why now?  Chris has an annual conference for work and it is often held in Chicago.  And since Uncle Matt and Aunt Kate live there, we were all in. 

We stayed in a hotel on Michigan Avenue, which was awesomely convenient.  But get this- I didn’t shop at all.  Really, the only store I even stepped into was a chocolate factory.  Boo!  But we could walk or take a bus to Matt’s condo in River North, get a bus straight to union station or the museum campus from across the street.  Nice!  Of course when Chris and I went, just the two of us 5 years ago, we were upgraded to a fancy suite.  This time no deal.  Oh well.

A big city is like a wonderland to small children.  Especially boys.  Riding on planes, L trains, commuter trains, cabs, buses, and watching everything out the windows of these vehicles, is fascinating.  And then there were all the “things” to do.

Sam woke early on our first morning, so he and Chris did a little sightseeing before heading to the condo.  That day we found a really awesome playground around the corner from their place that they barely knew was there – different perspective on life, for sure!  The kids christened Matt and Kate’s place with matchbox cars and doll strollers; we walked to lunch, and settled in for the OSU/Notre Dame game.

Day 2 we visited Matt and Kate’s church and rewarded Sam’s attempts at sitting quietly through the whole service with a trip to Dunkin Donuts.  Mmm.  We walked off our calories at the Lincoln Park zoo, where the adults awed at the baby monkeys and the kids were awed by the giant tractor in the farm exhibit.

 Day 3, my dad’s last day there, my parents and I drove the kids out to Glenview to visit a children’s museum.  It was a cool place!  Annabelle had a fabulous time, and if you ask Sam he will say the same.  In reality the boy melted down and made a scene numerous times.  Deep breath.  Papa was heading back to Ohio from there, so the rest of us rode the Metra train back into Union Station. 

 

Day 4 was a long time coming.  Last Christmas some friends of ours finally got the opportunity to move closer to family, a new job in Chicago.  I mentioned in passing that this conference would be there this year, and both Sam and my friend Sarah grasped onto the idea of a visit.  And we made it happen!  I was actually a little proud of the three of us – we got up, got dressed and ate in the hotel room, walked across the street and onto our bus, where Sam stood with me most of the way to the train station (seriously, and woman alone with two small children and not ONE commuter even offered Sam or me a seat!).  We bought our tickets, found our platform, boarded our train and settle in for the journey.  And then we had a lovely day in Naperville.  Sarah showed us around and we lunched at Chick-fil-a, the “big” kids played and the little ones napped.  The mommies chatted.  And then too soon it was time to go.  Sam fell asleep on the 10 minute car ride to the train, and then sobbed when it was time to say goodbye.  Dinner at the Rainforest Café made everyone feel better.

Day 5 my mom and I took the kids to the Field Museum.  The grownups found it fascinating, the kids not so much.  Even the dinosaur bones, the primary reason we went, were only minimally exciting.  Oh well.  We checked out of the hotel, said good-bye to Gommy, and settled in for a night with Matt and Kate.  Chris finished up a little early, so he and I actually enjoyed some time in the beautiful 73 degree sun on the balcony while the kids rested.

We didn’t see Chris much while we were there, they kept him pretty busy!  It was great that Gommy and Papa were able to drive over to spend time with us, and Matt was even able to take an afternoon off of work.  We hadn’t seen their place yet and it felt good to see how they live there.  I just hope my kids didn’t leave any scuffs or scrapes on their walls!  I left thinking that I really could live in Chicago, even downtown, with the kiddos.  But I also left thankful for my suburban-sized home!

As I prepared mentally for this trip, I asked my bible study group to pray for smooth logistics.  They must have prayed hard, because so many aspects that I was worried about went off without a hitch. 

-Airplanes: No delays.  Reasonably behaved children.  Snacks.  Friendly, helpful flight attendants.  And on the return flight, the bulkhead seats.  That's right, leg room, space for Annabelle to play on the floor, and "cool trays" to entertain Sam.

-Hotel Sleep: Everyone slept through the night every night.  Sam woke up early, but he always does.  What's amazing is that Annabelle continued to sleep - for some days up to an hour - after Sam woke.  We all know that silence is not a skill that Sam possesses, even in his sleep.  She must have been exhausted!  I even left the trip rested, maybe because I fell asleep with the kids 2 nights.

-Public Transit: The kids were so fascinated with it all that they paid attention, followed directions, moved quickly

-Trip to the suburbs: After several back and forths on the best way to get us there with the complications of traffic, car seats, preschool schedules, etc, Sarah bought a minivan.  Long story short, our commute was seamless.

A Weekend With Mr. Owl

Sam's teachers have decided on an Owl Theme for their classroom this year.  One element to this theme is the class pet, Mr. Owl.  Mr. Owl participates in some class activities and spends a lot of time watching over the class.  Each Thursday he picks someone to go home with for the weekend.

Last Thursday Sam's bag came home with one extra passenger on board, along with a note that read, "Your child has been chosen to take Mr. Owl home for the weekend!  Mr. Owl has been watching over our class and has spotted your child following the rules and being a great student!"

He was the first one to be selected.  Color me floored, and proud.  And Sam was pretty excited about it, too.

We took Mr. Owl everywhere with us that weekend.  I can't say that we took him on any terribly thrilling adventures, but we did our best.

On Monday we printed out some pictures, Sam dictated a summary, and he cut and taped it all together.  We turned in the first page in Mr. Owl's adventure book on Tuesday morning.

I can totally get on board with this kind of homework!

New Year, New School

Sam finally – FINALLY – had his turn to go back to school!  With a September 10 start date, I think it’s pretty safe to say that he was about the last child in the state to go back to school this year.  And let me tell you, we were all ready for him to go back!  We did a lot this summer, but Mommy was out of ideas and we are all a little bored with swimming every day.  

Sam has been concerned with the idea of a new preschool since last spring.  I can’t blame him, Zion was like a second home for him and the new school held nothing but unknowns – hard for an adult, even harder for a young mind.  We visited a couple of times over the summer, and by the last week he was just so ready to be back in school that he was finally excited.  Hooray!

I learned through the grapevine that “meet the teacher” gifts are a “thing” in our new neck of the woods.  As much as I feel this practice is primarily for the purpose of winning the teacher’s affection early in the year, I would also be mortified to be the only one showing up empty handed.  So this happened:

The morning of the big day.  I wanted it to be full of excitement rather than fear or nerves.  What is more exciting than sprinkle pancakes?  Not much when you’re 4.  If only it were this easy to bring such joy to everyone in my life!

Sam walked into the new school with purpose and enthusiasm.  I was so proud of him!  He saw his name on a shelf with a few other lunches already on it and quickly asked for his so that he could put it in the right spot (putting your own lunch away was a big deal starting in the 2’s class at the old school!).  He walked back to the door at the teacher’s suggestion to give me a hug and then he was gone.  It was fast and it didn’t feel like I settled him properly, but I walked away.

And then I spent all day missing and thinking about the boy that I’d been in need of a break from for the past 2 weeks straight.

We were first in line to pick him up that afternoon.  He seemed to have a good day, but he said that “some things made me boring and some things made me nervous.”  Upon further digging it was all a combination of the unknown and a more formal learning environment (which would have come this year regardless of his school).  He loved the playground and is much fonder of the Spanish class at this school.  He has been singing little songs to me and slowly I am hearing more about their classroom.

Of course I heard plenty at Parent Orientation night.  Although his teachers are technically new this year, Miss Erin used to teach elementary school (before staying home with her baby) and Miss Jackie has taught here in the past.  I am excited about them and I think they’ll have a great year.

And finally, a story.  I told Sam that this year he will start to learn to read at school.  This really excited him and helped motivate him for the first day.  On our way to school on day 1 he told me, “Maybe I can read a story to you at bedtime tonight!”  On our way home he said, “I didn’t learn to read today.  How am I going to learn?”  If only it were that easy buddy…practice makes perfect!

Florida Trip

Because we had Chris's family at our place for Thanksgiving last year, it had been 15 months since we had been to Florida, (well, technically it was 13 because we DID stop at the river on our way home from Hilton Head last summer, but that was for about 36 hours, so...) this years trip turned into quite a long one!  We left on a Thursday night and returned on a Sunday morning, but that length turned out to be a good way to break up our last month of summer.

 

We spent Friday through Monday morning at the Hunnifords' house in Sarasota.  The kids played a lot of "pool table" and swam a bit in the pool.  Mommy and Daddy went on a date.  We played in their cul-de-sac and visited Great-Grandma Nordin at the nursing home.  That was interesting, because everyone there knows who we are "because of all the pictures" in her room.  My children certainly bring a spirit of livelihood when we visit - hopefully its a welcome one!

On Saturday evening Dave and Debbie hosted a family get-together (26 people from every branch of the family tree!) at their home.  Pizza for everyone!  I loved watching Sam play so well with all of Chris's cousins, who range in age from 4-12 (well, there are tons more, but that was the group playing in the pool that day).  It continued the rest of the trip, but that night we saw how well he plays with bigger kids!  It was great to be able to catch up with so many people at once!

Monday morning we all headed north to the river, where we met up with Becky and Benton, as well Aunt Val and Uncle Mike (whom Sam now calls "Uncle" or "Unc"), and their sons Nathan and Alex, and Nathan's girlfriend Gina.  Good thing we stayed at the borrowed big house again!

The river was high this year - the highest that I have ever seen it in person.  Most of the docks along the river were under several feet of water.  This definitely made for a different dynamic in the water than we are used to - with the water so high, there is virtually no current.  Usually you have a hard time standing in one place and things float away quite quickly.  "Runs" were taking twice as long as they usually do, and much paddling was required to make it down the river.  The kids didn't quite have the attention span for sitting in the tubes that long, so Chris and I actually only went on 2 or 3 runs the whole time we were there!  Sam did enjoy stopping by the floating docks to jump from them to a grown-up's tube - fun!

But we played in the water off the dock A LOT - so much more than usual!  Debbie bought a huge float that Chris anchored off, and we hung in tubes and stood on the dock (under water!) and swam.  Sam worked his way up to swimming back and forth between the dock and the raft, but the cold water temps (generally in the 70's) was hard for him to get used to.  Annabelle actually really enjoyed being down by the water.  She was NOT a fan of her life jacket, but fortunately the slow current allowed us more freedom to take it off of her.  She liked to be held and dipped in the water and tried to jump off of my tube right into the water more than once.  Silly girl.

The slower current also allowed me to try another new river activity: kayaking!  Chris and I took the double kayak out one afternoon during a chilly on-and-off rain.  I could never paddle upstream under normal circumstances, but it was a really fun way to see the river a little bit differently.  


Speaking of exercise, I have now decided that there is no better way to end an early morning run is by plunging yourself into a cold, still, quiet river, swimming for a bit, and then returning to a house filled with family and coffee. 

The playing was not limited to the water!  The kids made sure there was plenty of playing during all of their waking moments.  Sam made rounds through all of the adults, building Lego's with Nathan, making music with Alex, planning a scavenger hunt with Gina and Val, running around with Papa, golf cart rides with Benton, etc etc etc.  Annabelle stole a few hearts herself, loving on her new vet kit (animal obsessed - she excitedly touched a frog at some point!).  That girl love the golf cart!

 

I MUST mention the scavenger hunt - they took several days to plan it and it was awesome.  Detailed puzzle clues that made you think, made you run.  Nathan and I (team Poop Deck!) won, but don't tell Sam.  He still think that he and Papa won.  The grown ups enjoyed some awesome games after bedtime, too.  A good game group!


Lots of relaxing, lots of laughing, lots of eating.  And then it was time to go home.  Sam wasn't himself the last afternoon, so neither of us were surprised when he threw up in the car on the way home.  And then the next day we pulled a tick out of his head.  And then the next day he had a cavity filled...but I digress.  Another good trip, our third week-long trip of the summer.  And I think we're all ready to be home for awhile.  We are definitely ready to get back into a fall routine!

18 Months

Once again, Annabelle's age has completely caught me by surprise.  I think that there is a part of me that wants her to stay a baby forever, so I pretend.  But here we are!

According to the pediatrician, she is right on track.  She weighed in at 20lbs 10oz (23%) and 32.5" (74%, although I think they may have over-estimated by an inch).  

She isn't talking much yet.  She has about 10 words that she uses consistently, and that is beginning to frustrate all of us more and more.  Including her.  She communicates a lot through points, grunts and head nods, and that's part of the problem.  We do understand her.  But words would be so much more efficient!  She blabs a lot, so there is a chance that she thinks she has more words than we are hearing.  I think she and I are going to work on it a bit, because I can't wait to hear what's inside that little head of hers!

She does, however, say Hi and Bye to everyone and everything, with a wave.  So friendly.

She is, of course, still absolutely adorable.  Most comments center around her cheeks and hair.  I like the cheek comments, cause those are ALL mommy!  But her hair is truly awesome.  Tight spiral blond curls - so much lighter at the end of summer.  She gets the craziest bed head, and her hair will stay in place even after you take out a rubber band.  She already has product - she has a spray on conditioner to control the frizz.  Its fun.

I am also happy to report that we almost have 4 teeth!  Last week we felt the top right tooth and the top left is right there, too.  Some of her peers have a mouth full of teeth!  Her world may open wide up when she has both top and bottom teeth with which to bite!

We are starting to hear "NO!" a lot more out of her.  I think she should have to wait until she has a vocabulary before she moves into this stage of stubbornness, but she appears to believe otherwise.  Most of her no's are directed at her brother, but she isn't shy about letting her opinions be known with anyone.  She is also dipping her toe into the world of disobedience - I ask her to come, she'll look at me and walk away.  Which means that my easy-going, go with the flow girl is also entering the world of discipline.  I can't believe she is just now getting there - Sam was in time outs before his first birthday.  This is different though - she knows what I'm doing (she sees Sam do it all the time).  Here we go!

It may all be good timing, though, because she is also acting very toddler recently.  Emptying book shelves, pushing buttons on electronics, etc.  She is old enough to understand she shouldn't touch, so we get to enforce it. 

She has never been much of a fan of books, much to my dismay.  But finally, FINALLY, she has a favorite.  She wants to read "Where's Spot" every night, and love to open the flaps.  She kisses the monkey every time, only the monkey.

She is cuddly and sweet and loves us all - its clear.  Other than us, here's what she likes right now:

Likes:
-Animals (obsessed)
-Swinging
-Quinoa and Couscous
-Remotes
-Pens/Coloring
-Baths

Dislikes:
-Having Dirty Hands (she prefers utensils and asks to have her hands wiped mid-meal)
-Most Meats
-Not being immediately handed a smoothie upon waking in the morning.

Last Day - A Bond

 **I was going through old pictures tonight and realized that I'd never done anything with Sam's "Last Day Of School" pictures from last year.  So here you go!"

I wrote last spring about how much the school meant to us, so I won't recap all that for you.  I will show you the pictures:

 

Mrs. Zwahr

 

 Mrs. Stoerner

 

Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Weistruck

I will tell you this - some people in this world are meant to be teachers.  I am not one of them, but Mrs. DeLuca is.  All the kids adored her, Sam was no exception.  Look at the difference in their pictures from the first and last day of their school year - I'd say they bonded!

A Week At Gommy's

Immediately after VBS ended - no really, our flight was schedule to depart 3 hours and 30 minutes after we dismissed children, and I was "working" until 15 minutes after we dismissed - the kids and I were headed to Ohio.  Ok, so the flight ended up being delayed by over an hour, but we were still there in time.  I know I know, two young kids by myself on a delay in an airport?!  Good thing Hubby gave us passes to the United Club, where we enjoyed snacks, drinks, TV, room to move, and a concierge who told us when to head to our gate.  We left when instructed, walked down the hall and I could see first class boarding.  We didn't even pause in line - kept walking until I handed the agent our boarding passes, directly onto the plane.  Smoothest delay EVER.

Why, you ask, would you schedule a trip under such tight time constraints?  Easy: because a dear friend scheduled her wedding for the next day.  She and I went to church together from first grade through, well, I've seen her once or twice at Christmas eve as grown-ups!  So on Saturday night I celebrated with one childhood friend as she pledged her life to another while another lifelong friend babysat my children in the home that I grew up in.  It was a strange childhood-meets-adulthood day that made my heart happy.

That babysitter was none other than Miss Kristen Ferguson.  She lives in Columbus now working as a PA in the ER, which is totally awesome because now I get to see her whenever I visit my parents.  And see her I did, several times throughout the week.  So awesome to sit and chat, eat desert together, etc.  I miss her, and her whole family.  Important note: I was preparing Sam for who the sitter would be, "Her name is Kristen, but not Aunt Kristen.  Not Molly's Mommy.  This is Mommy's Special Friend Kristen..."  Sam now calls her "Special Kristen."  Quite the upgrade from "Little Kristen!"

The rest of the week: Sam is not big on going to class when out of town, so he hung in Big Church the whole time.  Not perfect, but I'm proud of his growth in ability to sit through it.  He actually really likes the singing part!  One day we went to the mall and played at their "indoor park," and we visited a few outdoor playgrounds as well.

Of course we hit up the Zoo.  The Columbus Zoo is the reason I only tolerate the Houston Zoo.  I mean, really, there's no comparison.  Their special exhibit this summer is a Dinosaur Boat Ride, and that was a big hit with both kids.  Sam actually needed to be reassured that the animatronic dinos were pretend (see recent VBS post!).  We hit up the playground, and Annabelle experience her first carousal ride.  Don't let the picture fool you, she cried through the whole thing.  Poor nap-less girl couldn't process it all.  No surprise she was asleep in the stroller by the time we made it to the train, so Mommy and Sam rode alone.  Oh, we saw animals, too!  Annabelle, my little animal lover, spotted, pointed to and greeted with wave and "Hi" ever animal that I saw.  My word, we saw Mama Tiger with her 4 little cubs - I kid you not she was playing with them exactly the way I wrestle with my own kids.  Fellow zoo patron: "Cutest deadly thing I've ever seen!"

Another morning we went to play at a swing set show room.  No really.  Ingenious!  Company sells high end swing sets, trampolines and basketball nets.  You can pay $5 to go play on all their floor models.  Sam mostly wanted to play basketball, but was tricked into the trampoline when I showed him the hoop mounted to the cage!  He and I had a lot of fun bouncing together!  Annabelle got in on it a bit, but that girl is all about the swing. 

Sam also played really well with the neighbors' 5-year-old boy.  He went out several times hoping to find his buddy in the yard.  On the last day, Sam even got to drive his jeep!  True story: a few days ago, about a month after we left, neighbor rang my mom's doorbell asking if Sam could come out to play. 

We finally made it to the pool (Gommy's neighborhood pool is very kid friendly) on Thursday afternoon.  Not gonna lie, it was a chilly experience.  Once we were wet, no one wanted to get out of the water.  Sam wanted to swim over to the diving boards because walking was too cold.  Annabelle splashed for a bit, but was content to be wrapped in her towel after a few minutes.  I shouldn't complain, one reason I wanted to spend a week there was to escape the overbearing summer climate here, and escape we did.  The kids and I actually wore sweatshirts when we went out to play first thing in the morning!  I nice break, but weird for July! 

So yes, we played a lot, and I ate desert a lot.  Both children were spoiled horribly by their grandparents, and mommy enjoyed the extra adult support as well.  It was a great week and Sam is already asking to go back!

Sam asked to peek in the cockpit on our flight home.  He was invited in by the pilots, but wouldn't go.  This was the closest he would get.  Turns out, he was worried because there were soooo many buttons and what if he hit one and the plane started moving or something?  So sweet.

So what was Chris up to while we were all gone?  Mostly cleaning out the garage, actually.  3 months in the house and we could finally get both cars in the garage!  Yes, it is a 3-car garage but there is no length - just enough for my car.  I know see that we will never park 3 cars in there!  He also checked a few other items off of the never-ending house to-do list.  And enjoyed a laid back last week at his old job!

*I can't believe I almost forgot to document Annabelle's love for the cat, Danny.  Obsessed, fixated, fascinated.  Every time she caught a glimpse of his fur she started waving and calling, "hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi..."  She was not afraid, but gentle.  She would sit in Gommy's lap while he ate, she would pet him, and search for him.  The girl is animal obsessed, and having one live with her was like a dream for her!