A Visit from the Vlachs!

We were SO excited to have our great friend Megan and her 2 kids (Madeline, 3 and Charlie, 15 months) come to visit us a couple weekends ago! They were back in town for a whirlwind trip to spend time with friends and family that they haven't seen as often since moving to Nashville. We squeezed a lot of fun into our 24-hour visit. We spent some time at our neighborhood playground and stopped by our friend Mandy's house for a playdate with her 2 boys (6 kids under 3 was pretty comical - but they kept each other busy!). I love this picture of the 2 girls - they look like a couple of teens sharing some good gossip or checking out a cute boy. Ha!
The boys had their share of fun too. They are so busy that I never actually got a photo of the two of them together! We played in the backyard, on the swing and in the sand table. The boys toddled around the house looking for trouble, trying to mess with the plans of their big sisters. At one point, we found the girls trying out Cassidy's new big girl bed - perfect for jumping! Meg and I also enjoyed a dinner out with a glass of wine or two, and we were sad to have to say goodbye the next morning. But luckily we have these blogs to check out each week as a way to keep up with each other! If you haven't yet checked out Meg's fantastic blog, click from my list onto "The Vlach-Tastic Four" and give it a read. She's a really gifted writer - so much so that at our dinner out, my other friend Meg (who joined us for dinner, it was so fun!) and I were brainstorming all the different ways that Meg could turn her natural writing skills into a cool new profession. The options are endless! Anyway, we're so thankful to the Vlachs for coming all this way to visit and we hope the rest of their trip is going wonderfully!

Gillson Beach

One of the things we were excited about when we moved to Wilmette was living so close to the beach! We ventured over last weekend for the first time this year, and the kids had so much fun. They toggled between splashing their toes in the lake water and playing further inland on the sand in the tot playground. We brought some snacks and laid out beach towels to relax and enjoy the morning. Even though the summers always seem to get fairly booked up with activities, we're hoping to get over to the beach and enjoy it as often as we can.

Field Trip to Wagner Farm

Cassidy's preschool took an end-of-the-year field trip to Wagner Farm, one of our favorite local places to visit. Cassidy was very lucky to have two special people join her as chaperons on the trip - Grammy and Grandpa Brown! I stayed back with Gavin and got some things accomplished at home during his morning nap. Meanwhile, Cassidy had so much fun showing Grammy and Grandpa her classroom and introducing them to her wonderful teachers. They all rode the big yellow school bus together and spent an hour or so getting within a nose's reach of the horses, piglets, cows, chickens, geese, and sheep. The kids also got to make homemade butter and shuck corn to feed the animals (Cassie's favorite part). Even though we visit the farm often, it was nice for Cassidy to go with her classmates and also to have the special guided tour from the great staff there. It was also very special for her to go with her Grammy and Grandpa!

Memorial Day 2010

My whole family got together in Rockford for Memorial Day weekend. It was a weekend to be outdoors! We took walks, spent time at the playground, and of course had lots of fun in the backyard pool. We'll all be together again for the 4th of July. Already looking forward to it!

Gavin's First Haircut

Actually, it's Gavin's third haircut rather than his first, but we won't count those first two trims by mommy. They weren't too great. It became time to enlist the help of a pro!

I was so surprised at how still Gavin sat for his haircut. The couple times I did it at home, his head was spinning from side to side trying to grab my shiny scissors. But they've figured things out - they put on a movie and gave him a tiny plastic radio to hold and press buttons, not to mention he got to sit in a shiny blue speedboat chair that went up and down when the nice lady stepped on the pedal. So the distractions were a big help. He didn't seem to mind the misting water bottle, scissors, comb, even the electric trimmer was OK. Cassidy would really like these haircuts to happen often, because she got to roam around and play with toys, eat lollipops and try on hair accessories. We left with balloons and a certificate for Gavin's baby book that included a little lock of hair. Here's the "after" pic!

Time for the Wading Pool

The temperature hit 90 a few days back so we decided it was a perfect day for the baby pool. The kids had so much fun. Cassie never actually made it into the pool since there were too many "yuckies" in the water (our cottonwood and maple tree droppings are just everywhere!). But she had a great time tossing all her toys in for little dips and Gavin had the time of his life splashing away in the cold hose water. We have also been having lunch "picnics" out on the back deck. We're so glad the warm weather has arrived! Here are some photos of our recent backyard fun.

The Return of the Nap!

Cassidy's afternoon nap has returned! Ahhhh, such a wonderful thing. We went through a spell for about 2 months where she dropped her nap completely. Some days, she really didn't seem tired, and other days she was exhausted but just refused to let herself wind down to fall asleep. We tried quiet time in her room with little success, so the days just became marathons - 13 hours of non-stop toddler play, and an early bedtime of 7pm. Then about 3 weeks ago, we encountered a day when she was just miserably tired by noon - so she willingly (which just means a minor tantrum rather than a major one, ha) laid down to take a rest. She slept for 3 hours. The next day, as naptime approached, we just acted as if naps were always a regular part of her day and she pretty calmly took yet another nap! Since then, we've hardly missed a day, and it makes both of our afternoons go SO much more smoothly. Even Gavin, who was showing signs of dropping his morning nap, has gotten back into a daily routine of a 2 hour nap in the morning and another 2 hours in the afternoon. The nap angels must be watching out for me!