April 2019 - Lulu is TWO and a trip to AZ

Happy 2nd Birthday Lulu Bug!

So cliche, but so true - the time has flown by with our Lulu bug! All the sudden she is two years old! How on Earth did that happen?? I feel so darn lucky to have the Bug as my daughter - she is funny, talkative, loves to sing and swim and dance and run and do big jumps, she loves food nearly as much as I do, can't get enough of her grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles, she thinks choo choos/trucks/airplanes are the bees knees, she thinks going to the Costco grocery store and eating cheese pizza is one of life's simple pleasures, she loves to read books, make yummies in her kitchen and help me in the big kitchen. Life is so different with Lulu in it, but it is, in so many ways, so much better.

This one is so funny, sitting on the same couch but 19.5 months separates the top photo from the bottom! Nevie was brand new on the top, Lulu was 4.5 months old, and H was 2.5 years old. Such big kids in such a short amount of time!

We took a trip to Scottsdale, AZ to revisit the place where Neva was born and enjoy a family spring break-ish vacation. The entire trip consisted of sleep, eat, swim, repeat! We went to the Old Town Scottsdale Farmer's Market (I would HIGHLY recommend - it was a great market indeed) and the Four Seasons for lunch as our only 2 adventures outside of the rental house!!

We continued to celebrate with friends & family at home after we got back from AZ. How lucky is our Bug to have so many people who love her so much?!? Happy 2nd Birthday to my biggest, best Bug!

She tried valiantly to blow out the candle :) She ultimately needed a bit of help!

Sunday summer time blog catch up - ready? set? go!

Enjoying a sunny, cool, summer morning

Darn my New Year's Resolution of blogging once per week. The wheels certainly came off of that one :( But here I am, back in full effect, ready to play catch up on the last few months that I've been silent!

It is blissfully cool this morning, after 2 weeks of heat & humidity. I am, for the first time this summer, enjoying the tree house feel our sun porch gives me. So we majorly need to have our trees trimmed......but it is glorious to have them cocoon me in the porch, potential roof damage aside!

We've had a busy summer so far between traveling to NV for baby Pearl's birth & adoption (hooray for a new niece!), spending time up at the lake, and hosting and attending a bevvy of wonderful parties for my best friends. This week was our chance to stay home & recharge/reset before the next round of Airbnb guests, travels and adventures begins. This morning is the first time in a long time that Chris & Lulu are spending their morning together - I love that they do their weekend morning thing - it is fun for them and feels vital to me. It is so nice to have the house to myself (technically Owenn puppy is home - but he is lurking downstairs like the grade A creeper that he is) and take a bit to do things like catch up on this blog; which I have neglected for far too long!

Today marks 28 weeks of pregnancy with Baby K #2, a great milestone indeed. Hoping to play blog catch up & get back in the habit before the baby arrives and throws us all into a top notch love filled tail spin :)

Happy Sunday morning to you, I hope you are finding some quiet moments to do what makes you happy this weekend!

Sunday Fun Day - 3/24/19 - Lent, Swim "Graduation", Spring!, Garden Bed

Oh dear. I'm falling down on my renewed New Year's Resolution of blogging weekly! Darn it! Oh well, time to play some catch up!! Giddy up!

1. Lent
So it has become customary within Catholicism (and maybe Christianity more broadly? I can't really speak to anything other than how us crazy Catholics roll) to "give up" something during the 40 days of Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. As I understand it - you take this period to make sacrifices (not of the fatted calf variety - this is not Biblical time for goodness' sake) to keep you connected to the sacrifices Jesus made to save the world. Whoosh. Heavy stuff, right? Side note- you more learned Catholics- please inform me of the "real" reasoning behind Lenten promises- as with so much of my life - I fear my understanding is at approximately the 3rd grade level!!!

Either way - I read an article written by a Jesuit priest a few years ago which encouraged "taking up" something for Lent, rather than  "giving up". Prior to reading the article, I would go without Diet Coke (as I said this was years ago when I was in the thick of that habit), chocolate, dessert, or meat. I have appreciated the "taking up" side of this coin much more - and I think, have become a better version of myself in the process. 

So this year, I decided to "take up" a kindness every day. Whether a random act of kindness or something that took more planning doesn't really matter, the goal is to do something thoughtful/helpful/useful/connecting/kind for a friend, family member, neighbor, or my community. So far I have done A LOT of litter pick up. It doesn't take any planning, but litter is (sadly) everywhere. Now that the snow & ice have melted, a whole winter's worth of litter has been revealed :( Lulu will sometimes get in on this one, which makes me quite glad. Also - some days I am the poop fairy. I try to look at these abandoned piles of dog shit without judging the dogs' owners - hoping that they forgot a bag or their dog pulled a fast one & pooped twice on 1 walk. I hate to admit I resent the dog poop more than general litter.....although it could be said that all litter is created equal! But poop. Ugh. More fun stuff has been baking treats, writing notes, sending all the good vibes I have to people going through hard times or great times. 

I'm really enjoying it so far this season. I think it makes me a happier person to do something positive for the world each day. I'm open to ideas and welcome them in fact! Send me an email or comment below if you have random (or not) acts of kindness suggestions!!

2. The Bug's Swim "Graduation" 

Test day in coat & boots

Test day in sweater & shoes

Whoosh! We started this 4 week session of swim lessons back at the start of February.......for reasons too many (& too boring) to list - we didn't finish until March 19!!! But, we are done for now! I love that we have committed to ISR for teaching Lulu to be safe in/around water, but the closest instructor works out of Lake Forest :( So it is an hour of round trip driving every day (M-F) for 10 minutes in the pool.

Congrats Bug!!

So I'm relieved to be done - and SO SO SO proud of our Bug for working so darn hard at learning to swim and practicing her float.  

Donut to celebrate!!

3. Spring!

In the span of 2 short weeks we went from this huge ice/snow pile at the water's edge

to this - no ice/snow on the beach at all! Still in snowsuit & hat - but it was only 8am :)

Owenn thinks this is the perfect season for swimming in Lake Michigan!

Its coming! Or is it here?? The calendar says it is here- I am not entirely convinced :) But it is certainly coming! As I type this, the birds are chirping outside - loudly, insistently, seem to be telling to me one of Lulu's fav lines from "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman "Get up! It is day! Time to get going! Go dog go!" 

Thank goodness our trusty spring bulbs are popping up in each of our garden beds around the house. I'm excited for the bursts of color to come forth - purple & white alliums, brilliant yellow daffodils, tulips of several colors. The tiny bits of green forcing their way toward the sun are encouraging enough for now - but oh it will be lovely when the yard/garden start to be awash with color.

Spring means our 1st family bike ride of the year!!

4. DIY Raised Bed Garden

My DIY dream husband!!

Chris took a 10 week long woodworking class this winter and it has really reignited his interest in this hobby. I am beyond excited that he gave me an early Mother's Day gift of a handmade cedar raised bed garden for our backyard!! He was incredibly efficient at making it - I think was done with it in less than a day! I was also grateful to my brother & Dad for helping move the bed from its building location on the patio to its "final resting place" along our back fence. 

Finished product - in place!! My first little weeds are growing so fast!

I ordered seeds to start from The Seed Savers Exchange, I figure if nothing really works I can always buy seedlings (which is what I've done in the past). But I'm looking forward to the seed starting too. It feels exciting to try new things - lots of learning I have to do - but thankfully some family & friends are more experienced than I am in this regard - so hoping to glean some knowledge from them!!

So much possibility!

Friday Round Up 3/4/19 - Technically a Monday Mash Up

Things have been kind of wild & crazy around our house during the month of February. And unfortunately, not in the most fun ways :( Some snow, then rain, then freezing temps, then ice, then do it all over again has left us feeling a bit, shall we say, under the weather. Like the February weather was a horribly wet, icy blanket we all wore around endlessly! I am pleased that this longest shortest month has come to a close & am doing this one mash up to account for the whole month!! Here we go!

1. Article to read/podcasts to check out

5 Ways Lawnmower Parents Hurt More Than They Help

Some takeaways I had from this article - none are rocket science or really even new to me - maybe I appreciated this article because it reaffirmed the way I try to parent?? Struggle is good. Dealing with life's little difficulties & discomforts prepares kids to be high functioning adults. Natural consequences are some of life's best teachers. 

NPR's new series of podcasts called LifeKit

So far they've produced episodes on Health, Money & Parenting  - I listened to all 3 in their "Eat Your Way to a Healthier Life" series in one nap time & loved them. Admittedly, I could think/talk/hear about food all day long - so its not too much of a stretch for me. But it was a lot of good reminder type information. A good reminder that white/refined carbs are processed by our body in the same way as refined/white sugar. A good reminder that 1/2 of my plate should be filled with fruits & veggies every meal (man I have a long way to go on this one :( A good reminder that not every diet is created equal & not everyone should try to follow the same diet. I look very forward to listening to more of what they have to offer!

2. Visiting an old friend

Man, there's nothing like visiting an old college roommate to make you miss your college days. The days that were almost wholly unplanned/unstructured, the days that left hours for chatting over coffees, meals, drinks. The days that melted into late nights without anyone seeming to notice. I miss most of all that time to just "be" with my close friends. Not a girls night out, not a book club, not a coffee date, but just time to be. Literally just hanging out. 

The closest I can come to recreating that feeling is a weekend away visiting my friend Lauren (& her lovely husband - also a Chris & their beautiful daughter Kate - who is near in age to the Bug) on my own. I had a 5.5ish hour drive with nothing to do but listen to music and catch up on podcasts. And eat all the snacks. Whats a long drive without all the snacks??

We enjoyed a lazy weekend together of just hanging out. Lauren & I had the luxury of time alone together (eating out, shopping, getting coffees) to really talk. And, in my case anyway, not have to spell out the bevvy of swear words I use. It was a delightful weekend & I am quite thankful Lauren & Chris did not balk at my inviting myself :) Thanks guys!!

3. Skating on the golf course

Despite the fact that Chris ended up mildly concussed on this adventure (see above re: my overall happiness at February's conclusion!) Lulu & I had fun skating on the glassy ice that covered the public golf course near our house.

See above re: how over this strange weather I am...... but in this case -the cold snap came without any wind & the puddles froze over as smoothly as a freshly Zamboni-ed rink!! 

Our neighborhood has many perks - one of our most favorite is the golf course. I must admit I didn't expect it to ever offer us a nearby place to ice skate!!

4. Bobo & Lulu laughing

This happened the night Lulu & I arrived home from our week in Colorado. Chris got stuck on a delayed train, so wasn't able to come & pick us up from O'Hare at the time we'd planned on. Thank goodness my parents were willing to come for us.........and then let us stay for dinner with them :) Lulu now asks to watch this video by saying "BoBo DuDu ha ha ha" yes, you read that right - Lulu doesn't have her "L" sound nailed down quite yet :)

How was your longest shortest month? Were you hoping it was over as quickly as I was?? Or did you & your family have a better month??

Friday Recap - 2/1/19 - The Mountains Are Calling & I Must Go - several days late!

I am a couple days late in posting this - our travel plans went slightly off the rails due to the polar vortex which descended on Chicago last week. Snow and extreme cold did not make for easy air travel! Our time in Colorado felt like a tropical vacation in comparison! One day Marg & I snowshoed up mountain only wearing long sleeved t shirts and leggings- so hats/gloves/coats! So yeah, pretty much the beach.

So this week's post is dedicated to fun with Chris, Marg, the Bug & her cousins!