an impromptu adventure

We woke up Sunday morning wanting to do something fun, so we all got up and around and set off for Chicago. It was great to be back among the tall buildings for a day and to watch the boys marvel at everything. We decided to be pure tourists, so our first stop was the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). Up at the top, we took in all the views, and even ventured out on to the new glass-enclosed ledges built off the side of the building. You stand on the glass and look straight down 103 stories to the ground below. (Liam: "It's like you're falling, but you're in a window!") I found it disorienting but fun. Mike did not share my opinion. He went out for one picture and then declared that he was never doing that again.









After we returned to ground level, we walked around for a little bit, then we all spotted the river taxis and decided to take a little ride. We paid for tickets (surprisingly cheap!) from the Sears Tower to Michigan Avenue, but for some reason the boat went all the way to Navy Pier first, then turned around and headed back to Michigan Avenue, so we had a nice, long, very hot ride. We all enjoyed the sights along the way.






At Michigan Avenue, we checked out the Tribune Tower and formulated a plan. I taught the boys how to hail a cab, and off we went to that pinnacle of children's dining, the Rainforest Cafe. The boys were instantly enamored by the animatronic alligator, gorillas, and elephants, and they particularly loved the fake thunderstorms that broke out every few minutes. Most of all, we loved getting a respite from the searing temperatures. Henry in particular was pretty hot by then, and welcomed the chance to enjoy plenty of ice-cold water. After lunch, my little pros hailed their very own cab, and off we went back to the parking garage, where we retrieved the people mover for the long drive back. We definitely had a trio of hot, tired, and VERY happy boys when all was said and done!

liam "solves" the rubik's cube and other news

Apparently, Klaudia told Liam a couple weeks ago that she could solve the Rubik's cube pretty quickly and easily. It was a lesson he didn't forget.

So, it's been another busy week around here. Last weekend, we had ambitious plans to go to a beach or something (since our community pool is closed for the season already), but all that fell through due to a small-person rebellion. Instead, we spent most of the weekend trying to confine out-of-control kids to their room (Note to self: I've REALLY got to get that door refinished and put back up to corral them!) while simultaneously trying to console the little one, who had an ear infection and roseola making him miserable.

Luckily for our sanity, the week has vastly improved. We haven't done anything terribly exciting (though there's still hope for the weekend!) but we're working on settling into a routine. Since he's a big bad first grader now, Liam has homework four nights a week. Combine that with the homework Charlie gets from dog school, and I feel like I'm a student again ... you know, except for the part where I can't sleep all day and order pizza every night, and that other pesky part where I have actual responsibilities beyond just turning in a good paper now and then. Sigh. Where was I again?

Max's preschool has started up in a more formal way again, too, so both boys come home every night exhausted and fractious from the new demands on them during the day. But once the dinner is eaten, the bodies are washed, and the teeth are brushed, we all congregate upstairs, and Liam reads to us. This week, we've been reading one of Mike's childhood favorites, Harry and the Lady Next Door. The first night, we read two chapters, then decided to save the dramatic conclusion for the next night. But it turns out that Liam does have a little of his mother in him: He stayed up late reading ahead, racing to finish the book because he couldn't wait until the next day to get to the end. Which is exactly what I did last week when I had a few days to recuperate after my surgery -- I plowed through three pretty long books in a series, one each day, and couldn't rest until they were all done.

So far, Henry isn't showing much sign of wanting to read with us, so he mostly plays with puzzles or blocks, or whatever forbidden items his brothers have left carelessly out within his reach (this week's victims: painted pet rocks and a Star Wars LEGO ship). But he seems happy enough just to be there with us. And that kind of seems to be the theme lately for us all -- no big plans, but we're happy enough just to be together.

let me play too!

Henry will not be denied. If he wants to find a way to, say, bust into his brothers' Candy Land game, he will. First, he'll try the charming route. And when that doesn't work, a more direct approach might be called for:







Once order has been restored, Max draws an unfavorable card and instantly becomes the most unhappy kid ever:


This leaves Mike and Liam to finish out the game. The game is taken very seriously.


Finally, a victor emerges!



And yes, in case you're wondering, we do sometimes play Candy Land using Mario and Princess Peach instead of the little gingerbread men the game comes with. That's just how we roll.

your burning question answered

This summer has really flown by. For me, it's been bookended by surgeries (had my gallbladder out last week) and filled with work, kids, and dog school. I can hardly believe that the pool is already closed for the year and I didn't go a single time. It's still hot and all, but school started for Liam yesterday (first grade!) so officially, the summer is over for us. I haven't blogged as much as I've wanted to, but the truth is that I haven't done anything as much as I wanted to. So now that we're trying to get settled into a new routine, I'm going to set some new goals. Kind of like a New Year's resolution, only not, because I hate those. Anyway, things I want to accomplish:

1. Get Henry moved out of our bedroom (it's time, right?)
2. Find a little bit of time to carve out each week to do things I want to do, and to do them by myself (currently, this stands at 0 hours per week)
3. Train Charlie to walk next to me so that every outing isn't such a nightmare of tangled leash and stuck stroller

Simple goals, right? Well, you would think so anyway. I'll let you know how they go.

preaching on the burning shore

hey there. recently, liam and i went on a long, strange trip during which we actually TRAVELED BACK IN TIME. i'm not kidding. we boarded an airplane at 9:25 in the morning forticus time, but after disembarking after 4 and a half hours, it was only 10:35 in the morning. freaky! where did those extra 3 hours go? we may never know. it's TIME TRAVEL, BABY!

i'm sorry? time zones? you must be some kind of crazy person.

anyway, king gorilla and i took a trip to san diego to visit my brother matt and liam's cousin gabe. you see, i finally got tired of liam woefully lamenting, "i never get to see my cousin gabe!" so we planned a trip, crashed at johnny and erin's for the night, and got a convenient ride to the airport from erin (they live a short drive from midway).

the plane was on time, liam got his window seat, and after a minimum of fuss, we were on our way to the left coast.


the view out the window had liam transfixed for a while. then he remembered he owned a ds, and that transfixed him for a longer while.



we made it to san diego with no complications and were met by matt and gabe. we first drove to matt's house in nearby el cajon. fun facts: el cajon (translation: "the box") is located in the big box valley. back in the mission days, the padres (not the baseball team) utilized the valley as pastureland, as the surrounding hills both prevented cattle from straying and gathered the minimal rainfall to irrigate crops at the valley's center. now you know something you didn't know 1 minute ago, unless you already knew that (and if my fun facts are wrong, blame the city of el cajon's website, not me). after dropping off our gear and making a phone call, we went out for quesadillas and burritos, then journeyed to the fantastic san diego zoo. that's right, people: we had lunch around noon and before going to the zoo. nutty, but that's southern california for you!

some weird facts about san diego: people there change lanes with the frequency of a ham radio yet never appear to check their blind spot, they find philip rivers to be a person to emulate and respect, a lot of them remove the grass in their yards and install astroturf (honest), and they take urban sprawl to such a ridiculous extreme that it makes carpentersville seem like plymouth. but lordy, do i wish there were hills like that around here.

here's a pic of liam and gabe, taken during a brief stop on our drive:


so we made it to the zoo. animals were viewed. liam liked the pandas and polar bears, while gabe favored the yellow boa (python?) and meerkats. both loved watching the monkeys that chased the otters around their shared habitat, and the koalas were a big hit. and that weird thing that looks like a zebra on the bottom is called an okapi.








this pic is cool, as gabe looks like he's patting the submerged hippo on the nose. well, i think it's cool, and i can post whatever pictures i want. deal with it.


some other pics: liam is a harbor seal, the boys fly a helicopter, the boys ride a smilodon, and the boys sample some tiger language.






after that, we went back to el cajon to grill and put two exhausted kids to bed. the next day: the beach!!!!!1!11!!1!eleventyone!!






liam has been to the beach a number of times, but that beach is on lake michigan (previous posts). he's never experienced salt water before, and when a wave dumped him and he got a mouthful of water, he was shocked. "the pacific ocean tastes awful!" after a while i heard his teeth chattering, and i realized the kid was BLUE. so i took him out to warm up, and that's when the sand castle construction began. well, to be more accurate, it wasn't really a sand castle, but a series of raised roads, ramps, and bridges connecting numerous rocks. the construction occupied the boys (and adults) for a couple of hours. it might be kinda hard to see in these pics, but take my word for it that it was IMPRESSIVE.




neat: the coastal amtrak line passes through the estuary just to the east of the pacific coast highway which borders the beach. see the cool wooden trestle bridge? then it proceeds under the pch and up the coast on tracks set right up on the cliffs.


after traveling back to el cajon, lunch, and naps, matt had to go do his radio show, so the boys got some serious purposeless hanging-out time. they spent it playing liam's ds. shocking, i know. then gabe, liam, and i took matt's 4-runner to the radio station (matt had driven his sti). the trip took much less time than anticipated, so the boys killed some energy playing football and other games outside the building housing the studio.



we then went out for pizza and beer. man, did those kids drink a lot of beer. then home for sleep. the next morning was spent playing soccer, wrestling, taking some brotherly/cousinly pics, eating a late breakfast/early lunch, and shopping. then it was off to the airport for the journey back.




on this flight, liam and i traveled forward in time. so strange. but the plane was on time, johnny gave us a ride to his house and our car, and we were back to plymouth in a couple of hours. a quick but exciting trip, and one i hope liam doesn't forget for at least a few weeks. thanks to j&e for helping out, and especially to matt and gabe for being such welcoming hosts.

oh, and dolores and charlie say hi.