Chicago Trip

At the end of February we took a trip to Chicago (thanks to Grandpa Doug and Grandma Karen!) for a few days, so I thought I would post some pictures of our adventures.

Here we are enjoying the train ride from Ann Arbor to Chicago. In my opinion, it's the only way to travel. There's plenty of leg room, you can roam about the train when the kids get antsy from sitting, the bathroom goes with you (enough said) and you don't have to do any of the driving. I love it!

We stayed down town, a block from the Magnificant Mile, so there were plenty of things to see and places to eat. The kids, of course, were most taken with the pool in our hotel. In fact, they chose to swim over going to the Aquarium!

We did manage to spend the day (and I mean the whole day) at Navy Pier, playing at the Children's Museum. Here's a few choice pics from our time there.

Everyone had a great time, seeing the city, riding in taxis, taking the train, and swimming in the pool. I hope we'll be able to it again sometime.

Getting Older....but not wiser

I have to face the truth...

I turn 30 in less than two weeks and I admit, I can't decide how I feel about it. Thirty years, I realize, is fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of life, but it seems like it should be a big deal.

It seems like there should be a huge party or vacation that announces to the world that I've achieved...something. Though I don't know what that would be.

I have a great deal already. I'm well on my way to an average life. I married an amazing man (almost 7 years ago now) and have two crazy children who keep me on my toes day after day. Mine is a blessed and happy life.

So why does thirty feel like it should offer something more?

Maybe it's the fact that I won't be twenty something anymore. Thirty means I'm well past the carelessness of my youth, but it doesn't necessarily bring with it the wisdom or perspective of being older.

Maybe turning thirty is nothing more than another day of the year. Maybe turning thirty is just about getting older and nothing more.

Welcome 2010

Hello family and friends,

I hope this New Year finds you all well. We survived the holidays despite a lot of time in the car. It was such a blessing to see a lot of our family this holiday season. The Brain and I are both thankful for the time we spent with everyone. For those of you we weren't able to see, we missed you greatly and thought of you much.

I, personally, am overjoyed to be back to the grind of A2. The Chief went back to school today, the Brain to work, and Zu Zu and I tried to reclaim the living room as a living space (instead of a present holding zone.) It was a tediously slow process that I relished in. Every once in the while cleaning can make me smile and today was one of those days.

I'm also greatly looking forward to not having anything immediate on my "To Do" list. We have only one thing on the calendar for this month so far, and that's a child-free night out for the Brain and I at the end of the month. *Loud sigh of satisfaction*

On a final note, I want to share my top five New Year's Resolutions.

5. Stay in side during the extremely cold Michigan winter.

4. Build the ultimate Lego vehicle with the Chief.

3. Paint a masterpiece with Zu Zu.

2. Nag the Brain less.

1. Live a healthier holistic lifestyle (better food, more exercise, more reading, more writing, etc).

Cheers!

The Difference in Kids

Every once in a while I'm completely amazed at how different our kids are. Here are a couple head scratching moments where I wonder, "Who's child are you?"

Snack Time

The Chief (laying on the couch): "Mom, I'm hungry. (long moan) Mom, I'm hungry!"

Me: "What do you want?"

The Chief: "What can I have?"

Me: "You can have crackers or fruit or yogurt."

The Chief: "I can have crackers or fruit or yogurt?"

Me: "Yes, what do you want?"

The Chief: "Um. Um. I don't know."

....wait five minutes....

The Chief: "Mom, I'm hungry. (moan)"

Me: "What do you want?"

The Chief: "What can I have?"

....smack head in disbelief.....

The same situation with Zu Zu

.....hear fridge opening.....

Me: "Zu Zu, what are you getting?"

Zu Zu: "I'm just hungry."

.....hear fridge close.....

Zu Zu: "Mom will you open this?"

Me: "Sure. Here you go."

Zu Zu: "Thanks."

While Brushing Teeth

Me: "Time to brush teeth everyone."

The Chief: "Mom, will you brush my teeth?"

Me: "No."

The Chief: "But I want you to do it."

.....eye roll.....

Me: "No. Zu Zu, can I help you?"

Zu Zu: "No! I'm doing it all by myself!"

.....sigh......

Greenfield Halloween

For those of you not in Michigan, let me say that the weather recently has been unfortunate. It rained all day yesterday which wouldn't have been a big deal, if we didn't have tickets for Halloween in Greenfield Village. Of course the tickets were non-refundable, non-exchangeable. So, despite the cold and the wet, I prepped us for going out last night to do some tricker-treating. Everything was going fine. I had dinner ready early, for once, and we had plenty of time to get there by 8:00 - the time for our tickets. The speed bump in the road came when the power went out and didn't turn back on. So, we got everyone ready by flashlight and candle. In the darkness, we lost time trying to find the Chief's clone mask and when we finally rushed out of the house we, of course, forgot the camera.

So we're driving through the pouring rain to Dearborn in hopes of making it on time. However, the traffic is as crazy as the weather and we show up a little late. In order to make sure we get into the Village, the Brain drops us off, taking a ticket for himself. Unfortunately, in our franticness, we forget to set a place to meet. I walk in with the kids and he goes to find a parking spot.

Immediately upon entrance, Zu Zu announces she has to go the potty ("Right Now!"). So now, I'm towing 2 kids, a purse, a bag holding Zu Zu's costume, and treat bags to the restrooms in the middle of Greenfield Village. Sigh. We made it, thank goodness. But then, we can't find the Brain and he didn't bring his cell phone. Nice. The next 20 minutes were spent chaotically searching the crowds, hoping to randomly find him. Finally we managed to get together again. The weather cleared and actually warmed up a bit, allowing us to really enjoy an evening of tricks and treats. Here's a couple of okay pictures I managed to take with my phone.

The Chief's favorite part was seeing the Mad Scientist in Thomas Edison's workshop whose creation escaped. Zu Zu's favorite thing was the Headless Horseman. Although, she said, "I think it's pretty hard to have a sword with no head." She and I agreed that he probably needed to find one, though we were unwilling to offer our own. We all like the dancing Skeletons playing the xylophone with bones and I personally liked the Scarecrow that came to life.

All and all, it was late night, but everyone had a great time.

Picking Perfect Pumpkins

We had another great weekend, enjoying the fall weather. Saturday we tooled around Ann Arbor, running errands and stopping at a great playground. Sunday we headed out pumpkin picking with some friends. We had a great time searching for the perfect pumpkin for each of us.

For those of you that have never had the pleasure of living in the midwest, I'll tell you this. There is no better place to be in the fall than Michigan. The trees burst with color as they display mother nature's fireworks. The weather is brisk and refreshing, just the right temp for jeans and a sweater. There's apple picking (which equals apple pie at our house) and pumpkins for carving. And football, which is a must in my family since all of our blood runs blue and gold (except for the Brain who always cheers for the underdog).

I can't think of anywhere else I want to be during the fall. And for those of you who are taken aback because Michigan Fall gives way to Michigan Winter, I say to you....learn to dress in layers.

Other than that, we're getting ready for Halloween around here. This year we'll be filling our baskets with candy twice. Once, this Friday, at Greenfield Village Halloween Nights and once on the 31st. It should be quite the adventure since I'm making Zu Zu's costume this year. I"ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Cheers!

A Good Day

Nothing particularly exciting happened today. But, sometimes that's just what I need. Zu Zu and I took the bus downtown to have lunch with Clay. It's become a bit of a tradition since school started. With the Chief gone all day, we thought it would be nice to do something special just the three of us. So Thursdays are our special days.

Now for those of you who think the Chief is getting the short end of the stick, let me assure you that the Chief is never on the short end of anything. He can wheel and deal better than anyone I know and his gift ensures that he gets his way more often than I care to admit.

We also made cookies, which means we got to eat cookie dough, and who doesn't love that? Cooking with Zu Zu is always an adventure. She tried to convince me to let her eat a piece of cookie dough the size of a golf ball. Even after I told her no, she got down from her stool and tried to grab it off the counter. Hilarious. Needless to say, she needs the Chief to give her some pointers on how to get her way.

The day ended on a cheery note when Clay put the kids to bed, so I could work on my story. I'm on page 40 now, which isn't significantly father than I was before. But it feels great just the same, like I've crossed another milestone.

Think I'll go to bed while everything is still good. Who knows? Maybe it will carry into tomorrow.