FYI

Just FYI, family, there are a slew of new photos online in our smugmug account, a new photo collage here on the blog header, and a few new ones on fb...

Also, for your evening funny: Eva pronounces the word, popsicle, "Pock-a-sill". :)

Good night!

Bringing the Summer Fun

This long weekend has been a really fun exploration of trying new stuff, enjoying everyday things, and celebrating a long holiday weekend with four days of family time in a row!

Just today, we got a huge bag full of clearance items from a neighborhood thrift store for under $15.00, then took the el downtown, had a Ghiradelli's Ice Cream treat and visited with the carriage horses on the magnificent mile, before heading back home for naptime. In the last few days, we've camped out by the lake in Evanston to see fireworks (and saw 0.2 minutes of the show before Eva got scared and we went back home), flew a kite by the lake, swam at the beach and collected shells, and swam at two neighborhood pools (where Eva has successfully jumped in, rode on my back, put her whole head under once, and blew bubbles twice!) We've also hit the nature center to see animals and shoulder high plants, set up Eva's new sandbox, watched Mary Poppins (and then sung songs from it almost every day since!), had dinner out and saw a movie with some friends, and taken a bike ride and trips to the park. I happily crossed a bunch 'o things off my summer fun list today - and the long weekend isn't even over yet!

Most of these events have cost us little or no money, have taken minimal planning, and have been very fun for all three of us. It has been a good reminder for me that I can feel "accomplished" in these fun, everyday and family ways - not just through homework or sending work emails. :) It has also been a good reminder that motivating ourselves to try some things that are new, being ok with activities that may take time to get to, or patience to park at, etc. makes this city a great place to enjoy the summer and enjoy each other. Also, we've taken a lot of naps after our time in the hot sun and galavanting around town - that also helps!

Pictures will be coming sometime soon... happy Fourth to July weekend to all!

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