Quick Trip to the Zoo

The weather on Saturday was beautiful, so we made a quick trip to the zoo between our morning of lounging around in our pajamas and an evening of princess partying.  We took the jogging stroller so I could get some exercise, and so we could make quick work of all of our favorite exhibits.  First stop was our favorite: the giraffes!

After a trip to the far north side of the zoo to see the penguins and crocodiles (both recent additions to the must see list), we went by the fountain to see the giant dinosaur.  Last year it was BUGS! and this year it is DINOSAURS ALIVE!  We didn't have time for the special dinosaur exhibit, but Will was very impressed by this one that moved and roared.  I was shocked he wasn't afraid.  Lots of kids walking by were afraid. . . .

Near the end of our trip, we got the urgent request for a stuffed seal for the birthday girl, so we headed over to the gift shop outside the dolphin arena.  We checked out the dolphins from the underwater viewing area before completing our shopping and racing home in time to get showered and changed for our Princess Sofia Party. 

Princess Sofia Party

Will had another princess party this weekend with the regular crew.  Birthday girl Hannah was SO EXCITED by the whole event.  She was in love with every single one of her presents and announced that very expressively when she opened each one up!  It was great!  Will and I were able to save the day by locating a stuffed seal (her newest, most favorite animal EVER!) at the zoo that we could pick up on her grandma's behalf and deliver before the party.

There were actually three boys at this party since our friends Julie and Chris were able to make it with their two boys this time. Although Will doesn't mind the usual 6 girl to one boy ratio, the 6:3 ratio worked out great this time.

Life After Taxes

We have survived yet another tax season!  This is my (and Jason's) 12th year and Will's 4th year.  Will was lucky enough to have Grandma Joni come stay and play with him for the final week leading to the filing deadline as Mommy was working crazy hours and Daddy was traveling abroad for his work.  Thanks to the deadline falling on a Monday, I was actually (mostly) done before the weekend.  On Sunday the weather was beautiful, so we hit one of our favorite parks.  Will looks so big here thanks to brand new shoes and a fresh haircut.  (Interesting (horrible?) side note on the shoes:  this is at least the fourth pair of the same Target shoes we've purchased.  The last three all had the left shoe - always the left - velcro strap break.   But, they're cheap and meet my requirements of no characters or lights, so we just keep buying them every few months. . . )

We drove to this particular park at Will's request.  Ironically we ran into my co-worker and her daughters in the parking lot as soon as we got there!  The girls were riding their bikes around the trail for most of the time, but we did have some shared rock climbing and swinging time, so I did get to chat with my friend while pushing Will "really high and really fast."

When we got home it was dinner time, but we couldn't resist taking advantage of the sunshine for a few more minutes to play in the sandbox.  I can't wait until it is consistently warm (and dry) here so we can play in the sandbox and grill on the patio. 

The wet weather really got out of control today.  The rain started yesterday and never stopped!  Schools in our district were cancelled due to the flooded streets; trains were delayed; and parts of the expressway between here and downtown were closed. That meant I got to work from home today.  My office ended up closing at 2:30 as well, so it's a good thing I didn't try too hard to get there after I encountered the flooding just trying to leave my neighborhood.

Easter Sunday

We had a lovely Easter at my brother's house.  As always, he put together a fantastic meal (check out the butter lamb!), and we love getting to enjoy some spring sunshine in his yard after the meal.  

After a rousing game of horseshoes that Will won (of course he did; he makes the rules!), we went back inside for the cake that Will and I baked on Saturday.  I decorated it myself on Sunday morning while he hunted for Easter eggs in the living room.  He did choose purple as the accent color though. 

Will was very impressed with the contents of his Easter basket.   I was excited that his summer Old Navy order arrived in time, and I could put new character t-shirts that he was already going to get in his basket as gifts!   He also got Walt Disney World maps that I ordered on the Disney website for our upcoming trip.   (Note to parents: complimentary maps available every six months!)   He had such a good time last night looking at the maps for his old favorites (Tomorrowland Speedway and Astro Orbiter)  and new-to-him attractions (Toy Story Mania and Lights, Camera, Action).   After our discussion last night, I may have to tweak some of my daily park plans to make sure we see the things he mentioned.

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.  This is the third year we've gone, but the first year we got our quota of 12. Maybe other parents contributed more than 12 (like we did), or maybe Will was just quicker this year.  Speaking of quick, we were almost late!  We got there with about 2 minutes to spare.  It took us longer to walk from our house to the park than it took to finish the hunt!   It was a little chilly to start the morning, but we were warmed up by the time we finished our brisk walk to the park and did our hunting.  We enjoyed a few donut holes before walking across the greenway to the playground.  Will ask his daddy to push him "really fast and really high."  Daddy was happy to oblige!  Ah, how I love going to the park with my boys!

Surveying all the goodies as we left, I saw that among our dozen was one of "my" eggs.  Will didn't pick that one to eat yet, so maybe he'll share the Reese's peanut butter egg with me!

Breakfast Date

This little cutie and I had breakfast together before school and work today.   He picked a cinnamon roll because Mommy thought his first choice (chocolate chip cookie) wasn't an appropriate breakfast.  Joke was on me!  After he ate that entire thing he borrowed my spoon and scooped the leftover icing from the bottom of the box.  Smart boy.

Teeth and Trains

Will had his second visit to the dentist today.  As with the first, he did a fantastic job.   He got an A+ for his behavior in the exam chair; we got an F for home care.  The hygienist was taken aback by the amount of plaque on his teeth.  I didn't bother to mention he didn't brush his teeth this morning AND that he finished his breakfast in the car in the parking lot before we came inside.   But, I agree, we don't enforce morning brushing regularly, and his evening brushing is hit or miss, as is his bedtime routine.  The one thing he does enjoy is us flossing his teeth (weird, huh?), so we'll just have to make sure the brushing is as thorough as the flossing.

This weekend was tons of fun for Will since Grandma Hilary was in town to see him.  They played in the frozen sandbox on Saturday and on Sunday took the train to a neighboring town for lunch (hot dogs!) and snacks (Starbucks!) and toys (toys!).  Pretty much Will's perfect day.   We're thankful to have Jason's parents and my brother nearby for quick visits like this to give Jason and me some free time.   We even had a nice dinner out on Saturday night and caught up on Survivor episodes. 

Today marks an interesting milestone:  21 days since my last day off, and 21 days until busy season is over!  And only 55 days until our family vacation!  Not that I'm counting. . . .

Date Night

Almost a year ago, Jason and I went to a Cubs game on a blustery April afternoon. We watched part of the game in our seats; then watched more of the game from the Captain Morgan lounge.  That day we bought Will a Cubs jersey and a Blackhawks sweater.  Yesterday the tags finally came off the hockey shirt when Will chose to wear it.  He put it on after his bath last night, wore it to bed, and is still wearing it today.

 

After work last night Jason and I got away for a dinner and movie date thanks to Uncle Ryan's baby-sitting services.  We had a quick dinner at a newer restaurant near our house called Eddie Merlot's.   Since we didn't have time for a full dinner, we ordered a bottle of wine and an assortment of appetizers.  It was all delicious!  Then it was off to see Oz in 3D.  I'm not sure we needed to see the 3D version, but it was a pretty movie, and I liked the story.  I definitely wouldn't take young kids.  There is nothing cute or funny for a little kid (there is no Munchkins Lollipop Guild song. . . ) and there are some dark and scary parts.

Work Travel

I've spent each of the past two weeks (Monday-Thursday) in Connecticut at a client.  This week was particularly exhausting; I just don't have the endurance for business travel!  There were a few cute things that have happened these past few weeks that I wanted to document:

Week 1:

• I brought Will home some wafer cookies with a hazelnut filling from the airport gift shop.   He was very happy to have one for breakfast on Friday morning.  I bought him some "week two" candy the same day and just hid it in the kitchen until today!  White Plains doesn't have the same selection of cars and planes as La Guardia.  White Plains makes Wichita look like a big airport!  But I do love that it only takes 7 minutes from the time you show your ID to the time you're putting your shoes back on and exiting security.
• After work on Saturday night, I met the guys at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  This is Will's favorite place for dinner out.  He ate his entire kids meal AND an appetizer that we had to order him after he polished off his food.
• Will went with me to get a pedicure on Sunday evening.  There was only one other occupied chair, so he could have had his own and watched the ipad.  But he snuggled on my lap and rested for most of the time on my shoulder.  I couldn't believe how tiny that chair got with an almost 4 year old on my lap.  Anytime I moved in the chair he was certain I was going to drop him into the foot bath.   He also asked lots of "what's that?"as the nail tech was working.  He picked me out a lovely shade of purple, after I talked him away from the bright pinks he really wanted.

Week 2:

• I was worried when I woke up to snow on Thursday morning, but it turned to rain and my flight left on time.  It was the last flight out that night and full of commuter travelers.  There were 9 passengers (including me and my two teammates), so we each had a row to ourselves and a row for our roller bags.  Normally you carry your bag plane side and they gate check it.  But this time they brought our bags up into the plane and said if they didn't fit under the seats (the overheads are very small on this plane) that we should seatbelt them into a row.
• My car was in the shop for scheduled maintenance while I was gone.  The dealer loaner was a red, and Will insisted that Jason drive them in that instead of Jason's car.  On Friday Jason picked up my car right before getting Will at school.  Will was very disappointed to go back to the black car.  When they picked me up from the train, Will told me that when he's 16 he's going to get his own red car.
• We went out to BWW (again!) last night and ran into one of Will's classmates and her family who was already there.  After dinner they came by to say good-bye and she gave each of us a hug. That's a first!