Stroller Strides

Lilly and I had Stroller Strides this morning. I'm still a bit sore from Monday's lunges & squats (which we do often, but somehow did a number in me last time). It's awesome to be having class outside now! I try to remember to dress us in layers because the first couple of minutes can be a little chilly still, more so if it's windy. By the end of class today, everyone was shedding layers! (I may consider actually having Lilly in a stroller instead of wearing her when it gets hot...)

	Lilly and I just enjoyed the calm of blowing bubbles while the boys were a blur around us. Springtime and bubbles just go together like...

Shawn was beyond excited to have 2 neighbor boys come over after school. He's been asking them to come over since the new play set arrived, but they've been busy, sick, or the weather's been crummy. They tossed their backpacks to their mom and came running over right off the bus when she said it was okay. In the hour they played before the brothers had to leave for lacrosse practice, they played on the play set, climbed a tree, explored nature-made 'forts' under trees and shrubs, played a few rounds of hide & seek.

Busy day in St. Charles

Holy shmoley! What an afternoon. We had our Gymboree friends over for a playdate. One family was out of town, but we had 3 moms (plus me) and their 6 kids (plus Shawn & Lilly) come over. We basically stayed in the basement, other than a stray who'd wander upstairs occasionally. The moms have gotten used to being able to have a chance to chat while the kids play and burning energy. Today was a bit more challenging! Exhausting as it was for everyone involved, I'm really glad they came over. It was equally wonderful to say goodbye at the end! Phew! Moments after our last friend pulled out of our driveway, Shawn jumped into his karate uniform and we rushed to class. Lilly passed out in the car (lucky girl!) as we pulled out if the driveway. In class, the kids got into partners to practice front kicks. It's the first time Shawn's practiced moves with another child - they've always practiced with instructors and assistants before. They also practiced ax kicks in partners. Later, they circulated around the room doing high blocks, inside blocks, and hammer punches with the instructors and assistants. After class, Shawn wanted to watch the brown belts' class, but then decided he was too hungry to watch. While I got dinner ready, I also made a call to the Orkin Man. During our playdate, Shawn discovered an infestation of ants in the basement bathroom, which we've never noticed before, but were hard to miss today! There were more than a do-it-yourself job could handle and more were overtaking the bathroom as the evening went on. Since then, I've found a couple on the main floor in the hallway and mudroom. Luckily, Orkin is sending someone over tomorrow afternoon. Raj was disappointed that they couldn't come immediately, but I'm happy that they should be able to fix the problem tomorrow. I know they'll want to do repeat inspections/treatments, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'm also glad their treatments are pet-safe and child-safe. I don't want to bug-bomb us out of the house! That's enough excitement for one day. I plan on sleeping well tonight!

Doodlebugs and more

We started the day with a play date with a new group called Doodlebugs. The idea behind the group is to get kids outside playing in local preserves and other green spaces. I love it! I do wish there were more of the get-togethers during times we could attend, but it's fun to find other families who value playing outside.

From the Meetup.com website:

"This is a group for families who want to wander through the woods once a week. We'll conduct bug hunts, climb trees, dig holes, splash in puddles, look for flowers and wildlife. Let's get out there and explore!"

Today we met the Blackwell Forest preserve in Wheaton, which Lilly, Shawn, and I have never been to.

"Let's meet at the North Shelter. From there we can access the Egret trail (.6 mile) loop. It is a nice grassy path through the prairie and the woods. Following our ramble, we can lunch at the shelter and explore the edge of Silver Lake. We might have some light rain, so bring rain ponchos and galoshes for all. Let's get out there, Doodle Bugs!"

It was supposed to go from 10 AM until noon, but by the time we got out the door and found our way through some construction detours, it was after 11. We were pleasantly surprised that we were actually only the third group to arrive out of five families! The kids entertained themselves / each other for about half an hour while the moms got reacquainted with each other. Then we went on a short hike exploring bugs and interesting plants. Then had a picnic lunch back where we started.  The weather was absolutely perfect for our outdoor adventure today. (Upper 70°F, blue sky, & Sunshine). Good thing too - I didn't come prepared for rain as the event description had suggested!

If we had gotten to Doodlebugs on time and if our adventure had started on time, we possibly could have made it to Gymboree in time for either Lilly's Level 1 baby class or Shawn's music class (depending on which we were in the mood for when we arrived). That was not the case. Plus, we were having too much fun exploring, so I didn't push the issue. We ended up missing all of Music & the babies' class as well as Open Gym and eventually arrived partway through School Skills! Normally, while Shawn is in class, another mom or two hang out with me in the waiting area and we chat until class is over. I guess everyone thought we weren't coming because when we arrived, the doors were locked and the kids were having class in the back room!  Luckily, Mr. Brian saw us through the window and let us in so Shawn could join the group. Within minutes, one of the other moms arrived and soon a couple of us were busy chatting away for the last few minutes of class as usual.

When class was over, we were supposed to meet Kristin, a Mothers & More friend, and her two school aged children, who Shawn had a lot of fun playing with on a previous outing to the Arboretum; however, those plans changed as well. Kristin sent me a message saying that her son was home sick from school with a sore throat and was hoping we could reschedule. At first Shawn was really disappointed to miss Wyatt and Sydney, but then a large storm cloud rolled in and unleashed a late spring rainfall. Not good for a zoo trip, but we were pleased that it waited until so late in the day to arrive so as not to interfere with our earlier plans!

It was a full day - even with one less activity!

Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm and Garden Center

After a late night with the Puri family last night, it was really nice to sleep in this morning.  At least, that is, until Raj woke me as he was leaving to watch a football game with some friends/cousins.  It was a sore subject and not a good way to start the day.
Shawn and I leisurely got ready and had breakfast before we picked up a stack of children’s books (including Curious George and Little Bear) and a Sansaveria (or ‘Mother In Law Tongue’) plant from Freecycle.  Then, the two of us went to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm and Garden Center in South Barrington.  The parking lot was incredibly full and we ended up in a spot on the far opposite corner from the entrance to the farm!  Oh, well.  It’s a great day to be outside (~68°F), and the walk will be good for us.

When we eventually made it to the entrance, there were vast displays of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes for sale.  Scattered throughout the pumpkin fields were wooden cut-outs of various children’s characters:  Peanuts, Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story… just to name a few.  Shawn would pose at one and then run to the next when he’d see another exhilarating character.  I had to click the shutter quickly!  He also found a fire truck among a meadow of climb-able structures.  He was trying to avoid being climbed over by a group of bigger kids, when Raj caught up to us after the football game.  We figured out which attractions we wanted to visit, so Raj and Shawn got in line for tickets, while I held a spot in line for a camel ride.  That’s when Shrenik, Heena, and Veer found us for an impromptu playdate.  By that time, we had made it close to the front of the very long line, so we offered to take Veer with us so they wouldn’t have to get in line themselves.  Veer rode with me, Shawn with Raj, and Heena and Shrenik took pictures from the ground.  It worked out very well.

Next, the kids rode ponies.  Then, we went to Animal Land.  We started by climbing up ramps to a lofted platform that brought us to eye-level with two giraffes!  A very different perspective from way up there!  We also visited with some piglets before touring three very large tents that housed 55 different types of animals.  It was a mini-zoo!  Somewhere along the way, Veer decided he had had enough and they ended up going home, but Shawn was enjoying the day, so stayed to see what else was around.

The highlight was when Shawn, Raj, and I got to have our picture taken with a 12 week old white Bengal Tiger.  The handler worked tirelessly to get the cub to look in the direction of the camera for a good picture.  (I thought it was hard to keep my own focus on the camera instead of on her or the adorable cub laying just inches away from us!)  Afterwards, she explained that when the barometric pressure changes, her cats get very excited and have a hard time paying attention and cooperating, part of their instinctual nature to find shelter before a storm.  With rain in our forecast, it made sense.

Are Shawn and the cub wearing the same expression?

I had hoped to watch the pig race, where a group of piglets race around a track for an Oreo cookie.  The description of the races said:

Come cheer on your favorite pigs. “Kermit the HOG”, “Miss Piggy”, “Hillary RodHAM Clinton”, and “Kevin BACON” are all here to race for that Oreo cookie. We are sorry but, Arnold SchwarzenHOGGER will not be competing this year due to a pulled HAMstring.

But, we spent too much time in the tents looking at animals and didn’t realize that we missed it.

Raj vetoed the corn stalk maze after he and I got lost in one a few years ago at the other Goebbert’s location in Hampshire.  Instead, Shawn and I ventured through a straw-bale maze that had an old west, kiddie-town façade.  Every once in a while, a dead end would actually be a photo-op for the friends and family outside because the kids would look through windows, which turned out to be funny props with holes for faces.  Shawn had a great time running through the maze and deciding which path to take… Until, three girls came from around a corner and bumped into him.  He was startled.  He was knocked down.  He bumped his cheek on a straw bale and got a little welt.  The maze fun was over. Luckily, I was tall enough to see over the bales, so we found our way out quickly and looked for other fun things to do.

We saw a pumpkin eating dinosaur demolish a couple of pumpkins and then belch smoke from his nostrils.  (It didn’t have any arms, legs, hands, or feet – it was just a head, neck, and small body.  It looked a bit like a small construction crane, which was draped in orange cloth to cover the mechanical workings inside.)  It would position its head over a pumpkin, open its mouth wide, then reach down to pick it up.  Then, it would lift it high over our heads and crunch its jaws until bits of pumpkin came crashing to the ground.  Sometimes, very large hunks would fall and splatter at its ‘feet.’  The ‘man behind the curtain’ must have had fun at the controls because he’d pick someone in the audience for the dinosaur to interact with.  At one point, he picked me!  I’d wave, he’d bobble his head from side to side.  I’d shake or nod my head, he’d mimic.  It was fun, though Shawn wasn’t too sure what to make of this huge creature with very large teeth, jerky movements, and growling roars.  We kept reminding him that it was just a pretend dinosaur, but even after we left Animal Land, he’d occasionally ask, “Where’d the dinosaur go?” and look around nervously.  It’s a good thing there was plenty to see and do to keep him distracted!

 

We ran out of time to go on the tractor pulled wagon ride, but Shawn played on some more on the fire trucks and a train before the staff made their rounds to announce the farm was closed.  On our way out, we picked up two large pumpkins.  (Hopefully, we’ll decorate or carve them in the next few days!)  Then, we headed back to our cars.  By the time Shawn and I hiked back to the minivan, Raj had already left the property!

I told Raj that we should get dinner before going home – partially because I knew Shawn would fall asleep on the drive home and I wanted him to eat first, but also because I simply didn’t feel like cooking!  So, we met at Chili’s for an easy dinner.  Sure enough, after filling his tummy, Shawn fell asleep on the way home (~8:00 pm).  Luckily, I managed to transfer him fairly smoothly to bed.  Later, I went to bed as a thunderstorm was starting.

I guess the Bengal cubs’ internal barometers were right!

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America

This morning, we drove to the Glencoe Metra Station (actually taking the Metra would’ve been fun, but incredibly inconvenient for this particular trip).  We parked a few steps from a waiting trolley, which carried us to the Chicago Botanical Gardens.  In addition to being a fun ‘adventure’ for Shawn, the trolley saved us money, too - $4 for two adults (Shawn was free) versus $25 to park the van in the Gardens’ parking lot.  (Though, we didn’t actually know that until we were already there.  We just got lucky!)
As we walked through the Visitor Center, I found a free Bingo Board to play with as we explored the grounds.  Shawn had a lot of fun placing the provided stickers on the pictures when he’d find the various objects.  When he found the very last item, just before we were leaving, he ran over to show me his completed Bingo Board and asked for a “Surprise Fruit Snack!”  How could I resist rewarding all that hard work?  (Though, I’m not sure how much of a surprise it was then…)

We sat at the edge of a pond and admired a water fountain, a rainbow in its mist, and very large fish that were inches away from our toes.  We dabbled our fingers in another water fountain for a little while before finding our friends, Shrenik, Heena, and Veer.  Then we made our way over to the Model Railroad Garden exhibit – the real reason we were there in the first place!

The Chicago Botanic Garden has a temporary exhibit (May – October) that has returned for the past few years called the Model Railroad Garden:  Landmarks of America.  The website’s description was:

The 7,500-square-foot Model Railroad Garden features 17 garden-scale (G-scale) trains on 1,600 feet of track. The garden-scale trains are 1/29th the size of life-sized trains. Train and garden enthusiasts, young and old, return year after year for the delightful sights and sounds of the miniature trains traversing high and low through tunnels, across bridges, and around buildings — all intricately handcrafted with natural materials, including twigs, bark, leaves, acorns, and pebbles. More than 5,000 tiny trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and flowering plants of close to 300 varieties re-create the topographical landscape of America. Vignettes of tiny people and animals give the exhibit a storybook feel, while sound effects and a working geyser capture visitors’ imaginations.

It also had two very cool videos about it:




It was a lot of fun. The train exhibit was a little smaller than Raj and I expected, but they packed a lot into the space. The attention to detail was amazing. There were landmarks from all over the country represented. (Shawn can now indentify the Statue of Liberty and when we saw the Liberty Bell from Pennsylvania, he pointed out that's where Oma and Opa live!)

(A video might be coming... if I can edit it better!)

By the end of our ‘adventure,’ my pedometer had recorded that we walked for a total of 2 hours 27 minutes 44 seconds, covering 4.247 miles, had taken 8961 steps, and burned 242.5 KCAL.  (Unfortunately, it’s a cheap pedometer and it doesn’t always register all of my steps correctly, but it at least gives us an idea of how far we walked.)  Here’s a map of the gardens to show just how big a place it is – we did a pretty good job covering most of it, too!

While we were waiting for the trolley to take us back to our car, Raj entertained Veer and Shawn.  While they sat in an empty tram that had been parked for the evening, Shawn surprised him by pointing out, “There are two bicycles on the right, Dadda!”  Raj was impressed that in fact there were two and in fact they were on the right side of them!

What a great day to spend at the Chicago Botanic Gardens with great friends!  The creativity and handiwork behind the Model Railroad Garden alone was well worth the trip, but I'm so glad we saw the other gardens and made a whole day of it.  Not many more days left like this in Chicago this year!  But, this was had another 80°F day (and 30° swing from the low to the high).  I don’t think we saw a cloud the whole day.

Back at the car, Raj drove quickly to grab dinner before Shawn fell asleep.  (He didn’t get a nap and had only snacked all day, so I didn’t want him to fall asleep before having an actual meal.)  Raj got us to Bucca di Beppo in Wheeling just in time.  I was able to hold Shawn’s interest on the way there by giving him a portable fire truck & station toy that he doesn’t get to play with very often.

For dinner, we had cheesy bread Florentine, baked rigatoni with spicy sausage, chicken stuffed with prosciutto, all served family style (and had plenty to take home when we were done).  While we ate, we tested Shawn to see if he really did know if right from his left.  He correctly identified his left and right hands, ears, eyes, and cheeks.  Just to see if he was paying attention, I asked him where his ‘left mouth’ was – he giggled, said, “Nooooooo!” but pointed to his mouth anyway.  Not bad for a two year old!

On the way home, he started off a bit wired, sang songs, and made lots of goofy noises, but when I put the toy away and out of sight, he fell asleep almost immediately.  I wasn’t able to transfer him to his bed as smoothly as I had hoped, but after just a few moments of very tired and frustrated crying, he settled down, gave me a goodnight kiss, and fell back to sleep.  The best part – it was only 8:00 pm!

After spending a gorgeous day outside, it’s an early to bed night for all of us.


Sweet dreams.

An Adventure to Sonny Acre Farm

Spanish class focused on body parts.  Our friend, Gavin, wasn’t in class again, but a little girl, named Mia, joined us for the first time.  (I’m not sure if she’s in our class now or if it was just a one time deal.)  Shawn loves the opening song, Buenos Dias, Amigos!  Though he only chimes in to reply, “Muy Bien!” he does it with gusto!  Abby sang along with the ending song Hasta Luego, Amigos! including hand motions, of course!  Our project was simply a coloring sheet, but we had more fun singing and dancing to Mi cuerpo hace música / My Body Makes Music:

Mi cuerpo hace música (track 10, Around the World with Language Stars) Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo hace música. (2x) ¡Mis manos hacen clap, clap, clap! (2x) ¡Mis pies hacen tomp, tomp, tomp! (2x) ¡Mi boca hace la, la, la! (2x) ¡Mi cuerpo hace cha, cha, cha! (2x)

My Body Makes Music (track 10, Around the World with Language Stars) My body, my body makes music. (2x) My hands go clap, clap, clap! (2x) My feet go stomp, stomp, stomp! (2x) My mouth goes la, la, la! (2x) My body goes cha, cha, cha! (2x)

After class, we headed for an adventure in West Chicago at Sonny Acres Farm with Mothers & More for a Mom and Tot Outing.  The newsletter said:

Let's enjoy the day at the pumpkin farm. At Sonny Acres you'll find everything relating to Halloween, fall and harvest time - including huge mounds of pumpkins! They also have hay rides, haunted barn, amusement rides, pony rides, and a Kiddie Koral where little ones can run and play.

What a day for an outing!  It was 80°F without a cloud in sight!  (This is October, right?  In Chicago?  Really?)  We met the other moms and kids in the Kiddie Koral.  It was a fenced in area with lots of things to explore: tunnels, a tractor, slides, fun Halloween props…

When we left the Koral, Shawn and Abby were drawn to some rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, and llama (or is that an alpaca??  I really don’t know.)

Suddenly, they realized there was a mini-train ride right behind them and the animals were no longer exciting enough!  I restocked my supply of tickets and they eagerly hopped aboard.  …Until it started moving, then Abby didn’t think it was such a great idea anymore.  She finished her ride, but was sure to be the first to get off.  On the other hand, Shawn loved every moment of the ride and would have stayed on all afternoon if he could have!

After revisiting the animals, we went on a 15-20 minute wagon ride pulled by a tractor through a ‘haunted’ forest.  Though it was set up to be scary for nighttime visitors, in broad daylight, without spooky sounds, lights, or animatronics, it was perfectly suitable for little ones.  They even had child-friendly characters hidden among the ghosts, goblins, and skeletons, like a cardboard cut-out of Big Bird perched in a tree!

 We finished our outing wandering through rows and mounds of pumpkins.

It was a great way to spend the day!  When we got home, Shelley was home early from work.  So, Shawn and I said goodbye to Abby and headed off to a well deserved naptime.

All day long, Shawn was having a pants problem kind of day.  Not just pants, but a pull-ups problem too!  Every few minutes I’d notice that he was imitating a plumber!  Oy!  A very (overly) concerned (read: nosey) mom from our group actually asked me if I’d stopped dressing Shawn in diapers when she saw his pants slipping down.  I tried to explain that we’re potty training and done with diapers, but that he wears pull-up type diapers when he sleeps and when we leave the house.  When he’s running around as much as he was this afternoon, his little wiggly waist just doesn’t have enough girth to keep the darn things up very long.  And, when we’re at home, it’s even more of a struggle with underwear… but there’s rarely an audience there, so it’s not a big deal.  And, really, is a little toddler butt that big of a deal anyway?  Who doesn’t like toddler butt??!?!

Speaking of potty training, Shawn filled out another Potty Paper with stickers this afternoon.  He pulled an ice cream truck out of the toy surprise bag.  It’s fun to watch him pick his surprise toy because he knows he’s not supposed to look inside and can only put a hand in.  (I’ll try to remember to catch it on video next time.)  Since he’s not familiar with what an ice cream truck is, I tried explaining it to him, but realized it’s something that’s better seen in person to really understand.  Oh, well.  It’s a new truck to add to his fleet.

Note:  Steve Jobs, of Apple Computers, succumbed to pancreatic cancer today.  It’s interesting to hear, read, and see people’s reactions to the passing of such an influential man.

Easter Egg Hunt at Loretto Convent

We slept in until 9:30 today - WOW!  When we did wake up, we couldn’t believe how warm and bright it was already.  Raj had the wonderful idea to go out for breakfast, so after quickly getting dressed, we headed to The Brunch Café for… brunch.  It’s the first time we’ve been able to get in because our other attempts have required an hour (plus) long wait for a table.  Though it seemed pretty busy this morning, we only had to wait for fifteen minutes.  Our food was fantastic.  Raj had stuffed potato pancakes with a side of sausage.  Shawn had a bowl of mixed berries (can’t go wrong there!), a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, and bites from our plates.  And, I had a huge Mediterranean omelet with feta, spinach, and sundried tomatoes, with a side of pancakes.  Everything was delicious.  We will definitely be going back… next time we get out in time for brunch!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today.  It was a perfect day to be outside at the Easter Egg hunt at the convent where Mona works.  (Although, it turned out Mona had a family emergency and wasn’t going to be there this year.)  Actually, it was even a little warm - the thermometer in my car read 86 F!

In the basement of the convent were two rooms set up for the festivities.  One room had various prizes for a silent auction as well as dozens of gift baskets for raffles.  There was also a table of pizza and salad and cookies, but most of that was already gone by the time we got there – it’s a good thing we ate a big breakfast! Down the hall was a room of activities for children.  A series of Easter themed games wound around the room (putt-putt, buckets, ring toss, dig for prizes, etc.) and the Easter Bunny was set up in a corner for pictures.  Shawn was a pretty reluctant about going near the Easter Bunny.  Each time we reached for his hand to encourage him to move closer, he’d duck out of the way.  So, Raj held him and they took the picture together.

Outside, the children lined up by age groups so the youngest ones could have a few moments of a head start so they wouldn’t be trampled by the bigger kids.  There were hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic Easter eggs scattered across the yard of the convent.  The plastic eggs had candy inside, so of all the chocolate ones had turned to mush after baking in the sun for an hour or so before the hunt started.  Any attempt to handle them just resulted in the chocolate seeping out of the wrappers.  Though I suggested putting them in our fridge, Raj didn’t think they’d make it all of the way home without turning to puddles in the car first, so all we brought home were a couple of lifesavers and Tootsie Rolls.  I was disappointed to see the chocolate wasted, but it’s probably for the best.

A little girl, who looked not quite a year old, lost interest in collecting the Easter Eggs when she found a mud puddle created by an old tire track to be much more exciting.  Taking no notice of her mom in the distance making desperate pleas for her to stop, she ran right to the juicy puddle and kicked her feet about making fantastic, brown, sludgy splashes all over her brand new Easter dress.  In her puddle splashing merriment, she lost her balance and toppled over, landing with a great splosh! in the middle of the puddle, covering any remaining inch of her Easter dress with brown goop.  The little girl’s mom was completely frozen with dismay, while she giggled with delight in her glorious mud bath.  Seeing her mom virtually distraught, all I could offer her was a partial pack of wipes that I had in my purse.  I wanted to get her a towel and some clean clothes for her daughter to change into, but my well stocked purse wasn’t quite that accommodating.

After the East festivities at the convent, Shawn napped in the car on our way to Melissa, Tom, and Blake’s house for dinner and a playdate.  We hardly ever see each other since I’m not at Blackhawk anymore, but we’re trying hard to get together when we can.  (It doesn’t help that we live 30-45 minutes away from each other now either!)  Shawn had a great time playing with Blake – and his toys.  Raj and I had a great time catching up with Melissa and Tom.  And, dinner was delicious.  Sure wish we could do it more often!

At bed time, Shawn and I traded places and he "read" me one of his favorites stories, Happy Man and His Dump Truck.  Obviously, he was just looking at the pictures and remembering a few key phrases, but he even read some of it with the same expression that I do.  It was really cute.  I’m hoping to catch it on video sometime!

April Fools!

Hmm… was that today?  No jokes or pranks or anything exciting happened.  I’m quite okay with that!  Maybe when the kids get older, it could be fun to do something for April Fools, but I don’t think they’d really understand it yet.  Again, I’m fine with that!

In the morning, Abby, Shawn, and I went to a Mothers & More  Toddler/Preschool Playgroup at one of the moms’ houses.  As we were getting ready to head over there, I caught Abby and Shawn on camera demonstrating their fantastic climbing ability.  When did they get so independent?

After the playgroup, we went to Gymboree for Family Gym.  There was a farm theme, which was pretty cute.  The kids pretended to be pigs and roll in ‘mud’ as they rolled down ramps and they put ‘hay in the cows’ troughs’ by putting scarves inside an inner-tube.  There were lots of activities, including a story, that Shawn and Abby really got into.  Of course, Abby’s favorite was riding the rocking horse and shouting, “Neigh!  Neigh!  Neigh!”

It was a busy day!  Full of excitement and (as my sister, Jennifer, would call it) adventures.  Unfortunately, Shawn wouldn’t unwind enough for a nap while Abby slept, but wasn’t acting cranky either, so he and I played quietly on our own.  However, after she went home and I explained that we couldn’t play with her anymore and that we needed to go to the grocery store, Shawn got very upset and demanded, “I want to play with Abby!  No grocery store!”  Then, he quickly fell asleep in the car on the way to Target.  Of course!  I was sure he’d wake up while I was getting him out of his car seat, but, luckily, he even stayed asleep while I did some quick shopping.  The cashier, who gushed when she saw him sleeping on my shoulder, asked if he’d stay asleep now for the night.  Doubtful, though with our jam-packed day, it’s possible!  Minutes later, as we were leaving the store, his little head popped up and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  I thought he might go back to sleep in the car, since he’d only napped for about an hour (and his usual naps have been between 2-3 hours lately), but no such luck.  Curse that check-out clerk!  He stayed fairly quiet on the drive home and even was subdued while he played and I made dinner… until Dadda came home.  Then life was exciting again!  Just as I was hoping to get him ready for an early bed time - naturally!  I still managed to get him to bed a little early, but not as much as I had hoped.  It turns out that it didn’t really matter… it was a rough night and neither of us slept much as a result.

Hmmm... is this Shawn's prank for April Fools Day?  I am not amused.

Dinner at 2Toots

Shawn did not sleep well last night; therefore, I did not sleep well last night.  Ugh.  This morning came much faster than I was ready for it to.  Rats.  As Raj was leaving for work, he suggested that we skip Shawn’s swimming lesson so that we could both sleep in, since Shawn was sleeping soundly now.  Though it was tempting, I knew that would throw off naptime and probably tonight’s sleep too, so I rolled out of bed and braced myself for the start of the day.

Once I was dressed and ready, I went in to wake Shawn, who I found sitting up in bed with a giant smile.  “I had a good nap!” he announced.  Well, it’s a good thing, because Momma didn’t!  He saw our gym bag in my hand and said, “Shawn and Momma go swimming pool!”  With that, we got him out of bed and out of his pajamas.  Before I put his swimming gear on, I sat him on the potty seat… just to see what would happen.  It must have been good timing because after just a few seconds - SUCCESS!  Shawn peed in the toilet!  YIPPEEEEE!!  Despite my rough night, today’s starting look not so bad after all! 

We got to the YMCA half an hour early.  The lifeguard on duty let us get in the pool even though our teacher wasn’t there yet.  Shawn did great.  The water was slightly warmer than last week, but he still shivered.  I helped Shawn practice climbing out of the pool and then scoot back in.  His arms were much more relaxed today and he was more willing to climb out and “jump” back in again.  I was hoping that being more active would help warm him up and stop his shivering, but no such luck.  Gradually, a few other students arrived and Shawn grew more and more observant.  Our friend, Tanner, and his mom, whose name I still don’t know, were back to class today.  However, there was still no teacher.  A new lifeguard on duty came over and asked us if we were a part of a class, “Because all the classes are cancelled this week for Spring Break.”  What?!?!  Our teachers told us that Spring Break is NEXT week!  I guess that explains the small class size and no teachers!  Arg.  Luckily, the lifeguard didn’t make us leave; instead, he brought over a crate of toys and encouraged us to take advantage of the unintentional “open swim” time.  So, we did.  The parents joked that aside from acting out a few nursery rhymes in a big circle, we’d probably be doing about the same thing even if the teachers had been there.  We agreed that it was nice to get an extra day of swim time out of our class membership.  Shawn and I finally needed to get going because Baron had an appointment at the groomers, but I think we’ll try to come early next week and see if we can get in the pool early again!

We rushed home, grabbed Baron, and rushed back out to the groomers (practically the same area as the YMCA was).  While “Baron taking a bath,” Shawn and I visited a thrift store down the street.  We found a couple of outdoorsy toys and two shirts that I think/hope will work as smocks, if I can get up the guts to have Shawn and Abby do some artsy-crafty projects.  With the hopes of finding some “foodrink” to snack on until Baron was ready to be picked up, we stopped at a deli that I had never noticed before.  It turned out to be a Polish grocery store, with nothing we could munch on there (mostly dried and canned goods); however, I found the mother load of KinderEgg Surprises!  Like a kid in a candy store, I grabbed a handful of them to use at Easter.  (We’ll see if I can hold out that long!) 

When we got back to the car, I got the phone call that Baron was done.  Then it was home for lunch and then naptime.  Just as I was sitting down to read Shawn a story for naptime, Raj came home.  So, we came back downstairs and played with Dadda for a little while before trying for a nap again.  This time, though he had been running around like a hyperactive squirrel moments before, Shawn fell fast asleep. 

We went out to dinner to celebrate Raj’s birthday, though it was really with Shawn in mind.  The 2Toots Train Whistle Grill was on Main Street in Glen Ellyn, steps away from the train tracks.  (It was really much more of a greasy diner, but food isn’t what they’re known for.)  Each table in the diner was situated alongside the tracks of a model train, which delivered the diners’ meals!  Shawn was in awe from the moment we walked in.  Raj was able to feed him while he focused on the trains that surrounded us: on the model train track, on the wall décor, on the small tv in the corner, on the real tracks just outside window, everywhere!  Shawn was so enamored with the place that I’m actually not so sure he even realized he was eating!  We’ll definitely have to go back, even though the “old fashioned comfort food” wasn’t very impressive.

When our meal was over and Shawn regained his ability to blink, we headed home.  Mona was on her way over to spend the evening with Shawn, while Raj and I enjoyed a simple movie Date Night on our own.  Nice!

Woo-Woo! Wow-Wow!

Shawn, Raj, and I spent the day at the High Wheeler Train Show at Harper College in Palatine, IL.  Veer, Heena, and Shrenik joined us to see the 20+ “spectacular operating railroad layouts”, which did not disappoint!  There were model train sets of all sizes, “from the tiniest "Z-scale" up to the popular garden sized "G-scale" - and every one in between.”  There were vendors and hobbyists with everything train related on display.  There were a few sightings of Thomas the Train, but it was much more geared towards the model train enthusiast.  The artistic talent and attention to detail that we saw in the models was incredible.  These were much more than toys, though I do think that many of the people who were involved in these incredible displays would admit to a combination of many hours of hard work with blood, sweat, and tears and a tad-bit of childish delight from “playing” with a hobby they loved. 

As mere spectators, I’m sure we didn’t comprehend all there was to offer at the show, but it was impressive to see the handy-work that was exhibited.  I’ve got next year’s show on the calendar… just in case  Shawn’s still interested in trains.

Not Just Books at This Library!

I joined a group called Northwest Suburban Families as a way to find fun things to do with kids and families.  Today, NWSF sponsored a playgroup at the Elk Grove Village Public Library.  The host was a mom, who was originally from Germany, and her two boys.  Being the only ones from the NWSF that showed up because of the cold weather, we talked and got to know each other until she had to pick her older son up from preschool.  It was a shame that we were the only ones there, but the Elk Grove library has an amazing youth “wing”.  In addition to the enormous room dedicated to children’s books, there’s a large corner that serves as a play room.  There was a puppet theater with a whole cast of animal puppets, a wooden castle and house, tables with magnetic toys built into the table tops and magnet wands attached to the underside, a small kitchen complete with dishes and pots and an entire pantry of play food, shelves of dinosaurs and trucks, a table full of Legos… I’m probably leaving things out, but there was such a selection, it’s hard to remember it all!  Abby and Shawn had lots of fun playing in the pretend kitchen.  Shawn didn’t even notice the dinosaurs or trucks until we were there for about an hour.  Abby met another little girl, who was extremely bossy – to kids and adults.  But, Abby played with her very nicely for a little while before she lost interest and rejoined Shawn.  We’ll definitely be going back to see what else the library has to offer little ones.

(And, I'll take pictures next time!)

My Smiling Heart

Shawn had a great night’s sleep last night! He was out from 8:30 pm – 8:30 am with one quick wake up – phew!

Shawn and I met Heena and Veer in South Barrington for a free event sponsored by WTTW Kids: Readers are Leaders (a PBS television station).  Miss Lori’s Campus was presenting “sing alongs, reading, and engaging activities for kids 3-8.” AND, the first 200 kids would get a free children’s book.  Heena and I agreed that even though Shawna and Veer are still a little young for the intended audience, it wouldn’t hurt to see what it was like, especially since it was free.  There was a lot of dancing and singing, which our boys did not participate in, and Miss Lori preached the importance of being healthy by eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep.  The show was highly energetic and, although the venue could have held more people, it turned out to be a little overwhelming for both of the boys.  Shawn went into people-watching over-drive and Veer started climbing up Heena with tears in his eyes.  They stepped outside about half-way through the show so Veer could take a break and get a snack from their car.  Even though Shawn wasn’t exactly involved in the audience participation, we stayed the whole time and even went through the line at the end to get our free book, Judy the Elephant by Laura Gates Galvin, and a few other freebees on our way out.  (Oddly enough, almost of the coupons that they were giving out were expired and not just recently, but by a few months!  Oh, well, I probably wouldn’t have used them anyway.)  We also got to meet Miss Lori when we got to the end of the line.  She gave us a postcard with her picture on it and the autographed it for us.  Some families were taking their pictures with her, but I knew Shawn wouldn’t go for it, so I thanked her for the great show and we headed out the door.  We met up with Heena and Veer in the parking lot and told them about the giveaways, but Veer was content in his car-seat eating his snack.  Perhaps the event was still a little too much for our boys, but we can’t complain too much about a free afternoon out!

For dinner, we went to Shaw’s Crab House to celebrate Raj’s best month EVER at his office!  The meal was wonderful, but the best part was when Shawn got compliments from a woman dining nearby.  She stopped by our table as she was leaving the restaurant and pointed out how rarely people take the time to tell others how nice their children are and that she wanted to let us know how much she enjoyed sitting by us and watching him smile and play.  Though I don’t remember most of her exact words, one line has stuck with me:  “He made my heart smile!”  Raj said he didn’t know if I could smile any bigger or have my eyes light up any more after she said that.  Though we have had people stop by our tables at restaurants to smile at Shawn before, it never gets old.  This woman knew exactly what to say.  It made my night.