Milestone Birthdays

Happy 40th to this handsome guy!

We’ve celebrated some major milestone birthdays over the past two weekends.  Last weekend, we tore it up with our friends at the Emporium Logan Square to celebrate Mark’s crossing into his next decade of life. (And by “tore it up,” I mean drank beer, ate pizza, and screamed over music that “was too damn loud!”) It was a low-key affair for a low-key guy—no singing, no speeches, just all our friends in one spot. Mark was very happy and that is all that matters to me! But, I failed miserably at taking any pictures!!! I used to be the one who got all the snapshots to commemorate an event, but in recent years—when it’s easier than ever to have a camera at the ready—I’ve really fallen off my game. Luckily the birthday boy thought to at least get a shot of the two of us. 

The old guy and his much younger wife

Thursday was the official day and we celebrated Mark’s 40^th at home with tacos and rhubarb pie, which I let the kids help prepare—which took a lot of will on my part. I had to shove my hands in my pockets, while I let them have a go at crimping the edges and was beyond tempted to reshape it after they left the kitchen. But, I didn’t. And, yes, I want recognition and congratulations for this accomplishment.

But, it was made with love...

Saturday we loaded in the car and headed to “the heart of it all” (aka Ohio) to celebrate Sharon’s 70^th with a surprise party. We had a hiccup in our travels when, as we entered the Sky Bridge, the car jerked and the engine indicator light popped on. Not knowing what the issue was, we turned around and headed back home to switch cars, putting us almost 2 hours behind schedule. But, we made it to Greenville and, with Chris’s help, managed to get into our hotel room, change clothes, and get over to the party in time for the big surprise. And it was a BIG surprise—she had no clue! 

SURPRISE!

Sunday morning, we had breakfast with some of my cousins, whom we hadn’t seen for ages before jumping back in the car and headed home. Lots of driving, but well worth it for a very special lady!!!

We’ll just about be getting settled in from this weekend, when it will be time to pack again and head to Lake Geneva for our final trip of the summer!

Do you want to draw a snowman?

Yesterday morning, I was greeted at the bottom of the stairs by a bright and perky Lainey, who asked, "Mommy, would you enjoy drawing a snowman with us?" I was a little confused at first, a) by the formal wording of her invitation b) because it's August c) it was 6:30am. But, sure enough, Lainey had set-up four chairs around her art table and placed blank pieces of paper in front of each. And so, the four of us sat together and started our weekend by drawing snowmen. No bouncy houses, no water slides, no sugary treats--just us, our markers, and smiles--a breather and moment to connect amidst the melee of our busy world. For once the time didn't go "whoosh" past us.  It was such a simple activity, but I want to remember it always. Thanks, Lainey! I would enjoy drawing a snowman with you anytime!

The Next Chapter is Upon Us

After our trip the Dells, it was hurry back to Chicago to attend an informal gathering at the school's playground for incoming Kindergartners. We weren't sure how it was going to go, because Lainey was overly tired and was feeling super shy. Mark held her outside the gate, while she looked in on the bustle of children running and jumping. And then magic happened...little Lucas from her daycare ran over, threw his arms wide, and yelled, "Lainey! Come give me a hug!" Lainey beamed and scrambled from her dad's arms into Lucas's. With the confidence of a friend by her side, Lainey joined the fray and eventually allowed me to walk her over and introduce her to her teacher, Ms. Stankus (who Lucas also has--YAY!).

The school was unlocked to allow bathroom access, so as the play winded down outside, we decided to take Lainey in for a mini tour. Watching her walk down that wide, shiny hall, lined with lockers, I got a huge lump in the throat--which surprised me. I didn't expect to get overly emotional about the start of school. After all, Lainey has gone to all-day daycare since she was 12 weeks old. We're used to the separation. No big deal, right? But, daycare is small; the school is big. There's less than 40 kids total at daycare; Lainey will have 25 kids just in her classroom this year and the school has grades K-8. Watching her skip down the hall, the girl, who is usually "so big for her age," seemed so very tiny to me. Certainly not old enough to navigate the busy and choppy waters of this school! But, the time has come--and it is both exciting and terrifying to think of what this next year will bring. A new teacher, new environment, new rules, new things to learn, and new friends, which will bring all new social drama (and trauma) and joy and heartbreak and pride and embarrassment and success and failure. That's a lot for a parent 5-year-old to navigate!

Thank goodness we have such a brave girl, because I'm going to need her to hold my hand and tell me everything will be alright...

Let's do this, kid!

Elaine Rae Brandi - Age 5
photo credit: Ford Photography

Splash!!!

Well, hey there, Thursday--why'd you go and steal Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?  I know I sound like a broken record talking about how fast the days are flying by, but time feels like it's simply disappearing right now. I could swear we just got home from the Wisconsin Dells a few hours ago...

Speaking of...we had a blast with our great pals the O'Gradys this past weekend during a quick getaway to the Dells.  Nick took a bit to warm up to things at the water park, but managed to amuse himself for quite sometime by just rolling himself up in one of the mats meant for a water slide. The kids ended up finding their groove in the wave pool and that's where we spent the majority of the afternoon, before hitting some of the amusement park rides. Lainey refused to ride the roller coaster, which was a bummer because she loved them so much at Disney before she got over-confident and rode Expedition Everest. But, while coasters may no longer be her thing, she totally rocked the go-carts! I gotta' say, I was pretty impressed watching her zoom around the track. We had some yummy pizza and video games that evening before plopping the kids in front of a movie, so the grown-ups could drink a few beers and catch-up. After a yummy breakfast Sunday morning it was back to Chicago! Super fast...super fun!

Thanks for making some great memories with us, O'Gradys!

Zoom

Summer Nights, Summer Days

This weekend kicked-off our party-until-you-drop then get-back-up-and-party-more August. Saturday whizzed by in a flurry of morning errands to service the Toyota, buy school supplies, and get the kids’ haircuts and then be back home before the babysitter arrived, so Mark and I could head to an appointment with a kitchen designer (YAY—new kitchen is in the works!)—all before the start of our annual block party! Whoosh! In all the hustle and bustle, Nick managed to escape the house to go on an adventure of his own. As we were shouting his name and scanning the immediate area, Lainey yelled, “there he is!” His little face was pressed to the window of the hatchback of the CR-V, which was sitting in the direct sun on an 80-plus degree day, and he was wielding a pair of scissors in his hand. I aged about 10 years in five minutes…and then it was time for the block party (and a drink)!

The block party gets better every year as we all get to know each other better and our kids get older and less dependent on us for supervision and entertainment. I got some good intel on what to expect this coming school year and met a few new parents in the neighborhood. Nick won a raffle prize the second year in a row, and Lainey allowed her disappointment at NOT winning for the second year in a row to be soothed with a cupcake versus a having a meltdown. The kids managed to stay up for movie time and watching all the little ones huddled on the driveway with their popcorn made me fall in love with our small town in the big city all over again!

Better than a drive-in

The late night out bought us an extra hour of sleep from the kids Sunday morning, and we decided to ditch the chores and opt for a long excursion to the beach. The weather was perfect, the kids were well behaved, and Mark and I actually found ourselves relaxing. Aaah! A nice refresher that we both needed.

Engineer dads build the best sand castles...complete with running water

Next up on our August party plan…the Wisconsin Dells with the O’Gradys, followed by Lainey’s first official school event to meet all the incoming kindergarteners!

This little beach bum is kindergarten-bound