Friday 4/27/12: Zoo and Downtown

Spent time at the zoo in the morning. Liz painted Henry's face and he returned the favor.
Nick was home from his trauma class just after four so we all headed downtown and had pizza at Pizzeria Due and visited the very tacky Marilyn statue. Henry's favorite part was riding the train. We ended the night with Chocolate Cake Shake from Portillo's.



Facepainting

Heard lots of people talk about how cute these two were.

Riding the train home.

Thursday 4/26/12: More MSI

Liz didn't remember she had been here before until she saw the submarine. She thinks she went inside the sub on her 2006 visit, but I am incredulous.

Wednesday 4/25/12: IKEA Madness

We took Liz to the true suburbs to meet with her friend, and decided to make IKEA the meeting place. When I pulled in, I immediately noticed my friend Lindsay's distinctive car. It ended up two of my friends were there and we got to have lunch with them.

Tuesday 4/24/12: Preschool Field Trip

Graue Mill is an historic site, a little similar to Nauvoo. It was a water-powered grain mill that is now a museum with docents demonstrating traditional skills like spinning, weaving, and milling grain. Liz bought some corn meal so we can try their cornbread.

Monday 4/23/12: Henry and a Poodle

The black piece of fluff is actually a tiny poodle. We are watching her while her person is in France. She is a bit of a nervous dog, but is adjusting and getting to like the kids more. She's fondest of Henry when he is asleep.

We cleaned today. Liz is making me figure out what to do with my stuff, five items at a time.

Sunday 4/22/12: Liz is in the House!

Liz is here for a week. Gigi is wearing her Easter dress. It also has a little sweater. It was the only girl clothing items I bought when i was pregnant with Henry. I suspected he was a boy, I had purchased several boy items, but this dress was cute enough for me to buy it and hold onto for a few years.

Saturday 4/21/12: A Forced Study Break

Nick has been studying for Step 3, but we made him stop for at least a few minutes. When Gigi calls out "dada," he can't tell her no.

Friday 4/20/12: She Helps with the Paperwork

Thursday 4/19/12: Stickers on Chest

Georgia woke up and 3:00 AM, and by 4:00 the whole house was up. Later we all took a morning nap, but Henry stayed awake a bit longer than I did. When he woke up, I discovered he had covered his chest in Cars stickers.

Wednesday 4/18/12: Goodbye Sims

We spent their last day here at the zoo.
It's been such a fun week. Henry already misses "skella" so much.

Tuesday 4/17/12: Samurai Topknot

It's a topknot, not a pigtail.

Monday 04/16/12: Frank Lloyd Wright the Wrong Way

Henry outside Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio

Henry "enjoying" the tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's House, Photo by Josh Sims

We went on the tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio.  Josh is a particular fan of FLW's work, and was excited we got to go on the tour.  We had three adults, but there was a slight problem- we also had three children three and under.  Going on the tour was hard work with this group.  Henry was the worst.  How to you keep a three-year-old quiet and not touching anything for an hour-long tour?  You can't.

However, the tour was still great.  I loved several elements of the home that still feel modern 100 years after it was built.  Other things about the house are less awesome, like a single bathroom for a family of eight.
The funniest thing we learned was the FLW designed his wife's clothes, but they were all brown so that she wouldn't distract from the home furnishing and decor he had also designed.


Our next stop was Eli's, a Chicago food landmark.  It turns out their factory tour is on hiatus due to construction, but they did a fun video and live presentation, which actually worked better for our meltdown-prone children.  Part of the "tour" is decorating a cheesecake, and tour members are entered into a drawing to win it.  Since we were the only tour members, we won a cheesecake!

Final stop on our tour was the famous Hot Doug's.  It's a hot dog place (like thousands of others in Chicago), except that you can get gourmet offerings like Fois Gras Dogs.  Josh taught Henry to ask for Fois Gras for lunch, but in the end we all ordered pretty ordinary hot dog fare.

Henry enjoying fries at Hot Doug's

Josh and Henry at Hot Doug's

Sunday 04/15/12: "Twins" After a Long Day

 

Saturday 04/14/12: More Shenanigans at Naptime

 

Friday 04/13/12: Going Trucking, Preschool Style

 

Thursday 04/12/12: The "Twins" at Lunch

 

Wednesday 04/11/12: Brookfield Zoo with Sims

My friends, The Sims Family, is staying with us for a week.  It's going to be lots of fun.

Tuesday 04/10/14: After Not Napping in His Bed

He spent his entire naptime fighting sleep, then immediately fell asleep on the bean bag and floor.

Monday 04/09/12: Naptime and Other Naughtiness

He likes to sneak into her crib.

Henry liked to climb in there when he was this age.

 

Sunday 04/08/12: Easter Sunday

Candy for Breakfast

Henry took Georgia for a high chair ride.

Nick worked.  The kids and I had dinner at my friend Lindsay's house, which helped
the day to feel like a Holiday. 

Saturday 04/07/12: Our Easter Celebration



Henry did very well in our one-kid Easter Egg Hunt.  Lot of eggs, each with only one jelly bean inside.



 

It seems the only way to make her wear the ears is to pin her hands down.

 

 

Friday 04/06/12: I Told Him This Was His Birthday Party

 

This was actually the play group Easter party and egg hunt.  But if you throw in some cupcakes, three candles, party hats, streamers, and one round of "Happy Birthday to You", you can convince a kid it was all for him.  Special thanks to Lindsay for her help and hostessing.