Diving Board

We unintentionally had the best day ever!  I didn't know until late Saturday night that I wouldn't need to work on Sunday, so we had no plans.   Will, Ryan and I were out picking vegetables in our garden on Sunday morning and were chatting with our neighbor, Lori, who said she was on the way to the subdivision pool.  She has told us numerous times that we were welcome to her guest passes, so I spontaneously asked if we could have some for that day.  Ryan was on his way back to the city for a barbecue, so just the three of went.  Will rode his bike and we walked.  It was our first time there, and Will's first time seeing diving boards.  He just had to jump!   The lifeguard and pool manager said he could go with his Puddle Jumper on as long as he could swim to the ladder and get out himself (i.e. we couldn't "catch" him).  He did!  I think he went about 8 times over the course of our 2 hours there.  Ironically, Lori was leaving just as we got there, so she didn't see the jumping, but Vanessa our neighbor on the other side was there with her husband and adult kids, so she was the one to take these pictures since I didn't take my phone.

Before we left for the pool, Will and Rachel were playing.  A very patient Rachel not only allowed Will to put his safety googgles from his tool box set on her but then posed for a photo.  Multiple dog treats, little boy giggles, and hugs were her reward.

After a few hours in the sun and playing in the pool, we went home and put on our pajamas (at 3 p.m.) and relaxed the rest of the day.  After dinner we went to Baskin Robbins to get the ice cream of the month (Oreos with salted caramel and peanuts) that we saw advertised.   We tried the one closest to our house but they were out of both the special AND regular Oreo ice cream.  We went to one a few miles away and they were out of the special but had regular Oreo ice cream.  Whew!  I wasn't sure we wanted to try a third or fourth store! 

Multi-tasking

This boy is so clever.   We were watching TV last night but he wanted to play with his Play Doh, too, so he just nicely asked if I could move his table in front of the TV.  Well, why not?  Everybody's happy! 

New York

Work brought me to New York again this week, and for once I actually had some tourist time built into my schedule!  My friend Emilie met me at my hotel in Midtown where we picked up Citibikes and took out for the west side.  We have "rent-a-bike" in Chicago, too, (Divvy bikes) but I've never used them.  This was a fun and easy way to get around the city -- especially on the streets with bike lanes!

We parked our bikes in Chelsea and walked along the High Line: a mile long walking path along a former rail line that serviced the warehouses along the river.  (www.thehighline.org) The foilage is just growing up between the rail and ties.  I think in this picture I was trying to get a picture of what looked like blueberries.

We strolled along the path and took some cool pictures.  With my back to the river, I could see the Empire State Building.   We also stopped for a snack of "shave ice."  There was a giant block of ice and the barista (for lack of a better word) took what looked like a woodworking tool and shaved off pieces to make our treats.  I got Peach Basil and Emilie got Yellow Plum.

 Check out that sunset!  We were up there from around 7-9 so we got to see lots of beautiful views, including this one looking over to New Jersey.  We had dinner at a "boat bar" called the Frying Pan.  A really fun night out in the city!

On a sad note, I figured out the reason for all the emergency vehicles and hovering helicopter when I went to my meeting on Tuesday at 30 Rock.  (I'm so used to the noise of the city that it didn't really faze me to see all of those things as I walked by. . . .)  A cab jumped a curb and ran into a British tourist which took her leg.   A horrible result from road rage apparently.   

Bike

In case you've noticed, most of my pictures these days are of Will's back.  That's what life is like with a four-year-old:  always running to keep up!  It's also just fun for me to stand back and watch him experience the world.  I took this picture right before he said, "Hey, watch this trick!" and he took his feet off the pedals and careened down the hill.  At the end of the hill is the school playground and bike rack where he dutifully parked his little bike and stored his helmet.  He's really excited about riding his bike to kindergarten next year (a full year from now). 

Yesterday was the first day that I saw Will ride his Lightning McQueen bike with the same vigor and confidence (i.e. flat out crazy fast) that he used to ride his tricycle.  He fell off multiple time when he steered into the grass, but he didn't whine.  He just got back up and jumped on again. 

At the playground we did his favorite super-high, super-fast on the baby swings while having a wonderful conversation about all sorts of things.  Then we swang on the big kid swings.  He prefers to launch himself on his stomach and then drag his feet through the mulch.  I did get him to sit on his bottom for a few minutes and attempt regular swinging.  But he didn't love it since I wouldn't push him much, and I certainly wasn't going to push him super-high or super-fast and have him fall off. 

We went back to the school later in the evening when Will's new best neighbor buddy, Dylan, went.  Dylan took his sand toys so they mostly did that while we moms chatted.  It's going to be fun to have another family with boys in the neighborhood. 

Zoo Break

We took advantage of the beautiful weather today to make a quick trip to the zoo.  Will chose to go to Tropic World ("the monkeys") first.  However, he was distracted by the dinosaur at the fountain on our way there.  I knew he hadn't forgotten it was there, because we were talking about it yesterday.  We still haven't spent the money to do the Dino Alive exhibit.  I'll have to see how much longer it's there.  He was also sure to point out the "giant geyser" in the water.  Since our stay at Wilderness Lodge he has started calling big fountains geysers. 

The gorillas (like most of the animals) were trying to take naps.  We had a good view of this one stretched out on a limb.   The other little monkeys in this exhibit were fun to watch as they were busy grooming each other.  Since we had brushed Rachel right before leaving the house this morning it was a good comparison.  (Side note:  Will thinks unloading the dishwasher, feeding Rachel, and brushing Rachel are all great fun!  Let's hope this lasts for a few years so I don't have to start a chore chart!)

After Tropic World, we worked our way over the playground/picnic table area for a snack/light lunch that we packed.  First we stopped to see the bison roaming. 

Snacks and playtime, a trip through the Great Bear Wilderness where the polar bears were enjoying their pool, and then finally to his favorite giraffes.  I was shocked that he chose monkeys for our first stop today.  It is usually always the giraffes.  They have another new baby, but we really enjoyed watching this adult bend down for a drink of water. 

Another stop for ice cream and to finish lunch and then it was time to head home.  The zoo was warming up by then, and I needed to get to work.  A fun morning with the guys!

Carrots

Our crop of carrots from our garden were pulled last week.  I was surprised how many of them had three legs!  I don't know if they were separate carrots that didn't have enough space to grow so they fused together, or if this is just what organic looks like!  The ones at the farmer's market are smaller and only have one body and no legs. . . .

We're starting to get a good garden.  The snow peas are done. The basil and cilantro did well.  The grape tomatoes are doing great, and the full size tomatoes are starting to turn red.  I just need to figure out how to make my own mozzarella so I can make caprese salad!  I do have the ingredients for pico de gallo since Jason has several jalapeno plants on the deck. 

In the interest of full disclosure for those of you who think I have accomplished more than I have, I do not actually do any gardening! Jason maintains a nice deck garden of jalapenos and herbs, and our next door neighbor maintains the larger vegetable garden in our yard.  We provide the space, and she maintains our shared garden.  It works out deliciously!

My Birthday

I celebrated my birthday on Monday with tremendous fanfare: now in addition to sharing my birthday with Bob Dole and Alex Trebek, I also share it with the new royal baby!  

 

But the only little boy that matters in my life is this one.  Look how cute he is ready to cut into that ice cream cake for dinner! (Yes, that's what we ate for dinner.)   His daddy did a great job ordering it.  It's Oreo ice cream (Jason's favorite) with M&M decorations (Will's favorite).

I had a great lunch date, too!  Ryan treated me to lunch and a bouquet of flowers.  I cut a small portion of them to put into my Mother's Day 2012 vase that I keep at my desk.   The rest I put in a water bottle since I couldn't find a vase in the office kitchen!

One more picture of me and my favorite four year old!  My birthday present to myself is the green jade necklace that I'm wearing.  At least that's what I told myself when I bought it in India last month!

 

New Bed

Will goes through phases where he likes to make a bed on the floor of his room instead of sleep in his big, comfortable bed.   This is one battle I have never found worth fighting, so I help him lay out the blankets for his campout on the floor.  I had to take this picture the other morning when I was leaving for work and I saw this adorable sight.    At least he seems to be sleeping well! 

Swimming and Racing

Jason took Will to his first NASCAR race today at the Chicagoland Speedway.  They made it through about half the race before the little guy tired out.  After Will woke up from a nap on the couch at home, he gave me a recap of the race, including his impression of how the race cars went "really really fast."  He also came home with a coveted new little race car decked out in M&M logos.  Since it's his favorite candy, of course it's his favorite car.   Not sure if race day was as big of a hit as Jason was hoping it would be.  He seemed satisfied if not thrilled with how the afternoon went.   

Saturday night we took Will to the gym to go swimming.  This was our second trip this week (we also went Sunday evening), because I have been so impressed with Will's new found enthusiasm and confidence for the water.  He has never been a particularly fearful swimmer -- especially with his puddle jumper on -- but his favorite water activity is to go down a slide over and over and over again.  Our gym pool doesn't have a slide that Will can ride and only a part of the pool is shallow enough for him to stand, so mostly we float around working on kicking,  play catch with a ball or have races to the wall.   (They actually have a slide, but it's restricted to very short operating hours and 48'' tall riders - both of which are lame and not part of their marketing pitch on facility tours. . . .)  Starting on Sunday he seemingly out of nowhere starting jumping in without coaxing; flipping himself onto his back to "swim backwards" and putting his face in the water voluntarily.  We even progressed to the topic of dive sticks and goggles last night.  So excited to see him getting comfortable in the water!  Swimming is a very important skill for a person to acquire, and it's an activity our family loves.