Quoteable

"Momma, I have some spinach?" Eva asked me excitedly while we were reading stories last night.

"Spinach? Why do you want spinach, babe?"

"I have spinach! Uno, dos, face - and roho!"

"Oh - spanish - you want to count in spanish. Good work - you said one, two, three in spanish - and then the color red."

"Yeah, I have spinach. ROHO!!"

(Apparently she loves the color red. :) And btw, this foray into bi-lingual skills is brought to you by the television program, Dora.)

Summer Fun List '10

We've had a busy and fun start to the summer. So much so that I am not taking photos, blogging or reflecting much about it lately. But that is a good problem... I will update photos and other fun snippets for grandparents soon :) - but in the meantime, I thought I'd quick post the "fun summer list" that has been in my head this past month. I finally jotted it down last week and its been kinda fun to see what we've already accomplished and what we hope to still make time for this summer. I am in a phase of needing to write down details, plan ahead, and make good use of intentional time and relationships - hence, a summer fun list! (Plus it doesn't hurt for me to see things crossed off and associate some accomplishment with a jumbled up summer schedule.) Here is what we're doing - or hoping to do - this summer in the fun category (I also have some impressive "to-do" lists, but those aren't as, you know, "fun.") If you want to help make our fun list come true, lemme know and we can have fun together! :)

Fun Stuff for Summer List:
 Visit the Library
Fly a Kite
Visit the Beach
 Go to the Zoo
Go to the Children’s Museum
Go Camping – with Eva? Without?
Visit a State Park/go Canoeing at park or in the city
Take a long bike ride and picnic
 Play Nerts - lots
Play an outdoor lawn game we haven’t played before
 Plant flowers on deck/backyard space with Eva
 Take a (big) boat ride on Lake Michigan
Find a friend with a (small) boat on Lake Michigan
See fireworks
Go to a new discount/thrift store
Go to garage sales in our hood or Evanston
 Make homemade popsicles
 Do crafty-something-super-mom-ish with Eva
Play softball
Go to Ravinia
Do something at a Covenant Camp
Go to Chicago Fire Game and/or Cubs Game
Visit Shedd Aq
Go Dancing at Night
Train for and/or run a 5k (by October do the actual run)
Do Karaoke
Go swimming in a pool for first time with Eva
Do gymnastics with Eva
 Take Eva to dance/music class
Pick fruit/veggies from a garden
See at least two movies in the theater
Date night seeing a play/musical/performance/downtown
Paint one room in our apt.
Find great salsa/pico de gallo recipe – make it
Make at least 2 kinds of cordials/liquor for the fall
Visit somewhere new that is nearby – MI vineyards, or WI somewhere…
Go bowling
Play mini-golf
Watch Mary Poppins, Music Man and/or Sound of Music as a family
Go to Farmer’s Market
 Volunteer at church event/community event as a family
Try one new neighborhood restaurant
Read (at least) one great fiction and one great non-fiction book
Find new devotion/reflection book to use ongoing
Record something for fun with friends (singing, piano, etc.)
 Have fun grandparents weekends planned with both families
 Pick out fabric/clothing design for handmade Eva outfit
Spend quality time with a friend from out of town who I don’t see enough
 Spend quality time with a friend in town who I don’t see enough
Enjoy a campfire/backyard fire
Go to street festival/neighborhood carnival
See the view from the Sears Tower
 Take Eva on the el/bus ride

Eva Quoteables

"Be very quiet, I lookin' for elle-fints. Shhhh..."
(whispered while peering around bushes from her stroller to 'look for elephants' on our neighborhood walk; this happened after her dad told her that we might see some elephants, but only if she was quiet. Silly dad. Also awesome dad. :) )

"Faster daddy, faster... FASTER!"
(yelled from her bike trailer behind her dad who was hauling his daughter - along with her two dollies, a purse, 'phone,' sippie cup and bucket with shovel - on our bike ride.)

"Look, here is Annie's dress, and here is Annie's shoes, she walkin' (said while animating her Raggedy Anne doll like she's walking.) Oh no, something is in her shoe - what is it Annie? Oh, its a sock, that's okay, keep walkin.' Oh, something is on her legs - what is it Annie? It's stripes, she has stripes. She is going climbing now - see bruthah? (now Anne - who Eva insists on calling Annie - kicks her brother Andy in the face.)"
(her very imaginative story at bedtime tonight when she was fascinated by the clothing of her Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls and made up both sides of their conversation.)

Eva Being a Chicken (!)

Because it's too funny not to share... here is a peak at our two year-old's favorite afternoon pastime from a few weeks ago = pretending to be a chicken. The video snippets don't do justice to the reality that had us laughing all afternoon, but they give you a little taste. If you're having a bad day - just check these out. Oh Eva - you crack me up!



"Momma - make me a beak! Want to be birdie! Want to be chicken!"



"See - Eva is a chicken! Tweet, tweet.... tweet, tweet."