Step Up For Kids

This morning, Brad and I, along with our good friends Karen and Chris Sabados, climbed all 80 floors (that's 1643 steps) of the Aon Center in downtown Chicago. This is the second tallest building downtown and I don't think we had a full appreciation for just how tall it was until we got to the top and looked out the windows! We participated in the Step Up for Kids fundraiser to benefit the Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital. They have several of these stair races in the skyscrapers of Chicago (and other cities I think) to benefit various charities. We were assigned a start time and waited in line for our turn to race up the stairs. There were a few water stations along the way up and volunteers cheering us along. We honestly didn't know what to expect but the stairwell was not crowded and it went by pretty quickly. We look forward to doing more races like this as we really had a great time! I think the fastest person completed the race in 9:54, which is unfathomable to us. It took Brad and I 21:13 and 23:23 respectively and honestly we were just thrilled to make it to the top :)

Creativity

Alex loves to make up stories with his toys and create these dramatic play situations on his own. Today he set up this mountain play area with the entry rug and drove his cars up and down the hills. I love the way he "plays quietly" while Abby takes naps :)

He Sure Does Like His Computer Games

We've been playing a lot of games. Sometimes I have to shower though, so computer games are a good option for Alex :) This is a Mickey Mouse game but he really likes pbskids.com. We have really enjoyed to playing UNO, dominoes, crazy 8's, and Sequence for Kids this week. Each week we've been breaking out different board games to pass the afternoon indoor time. Tomorrow morning is Creative Movement class, which he counts down the days each week until it is time to attend.

Homework

Doesn't she look so much older today? I think so.
Alex finishing his homework.


Alex's preschool gives the kids 1 month to get their homework done. He used to love sitting down and doing the coloring/cutting/pasting. Lately , however, it has been a struggle to get it completed, mostly because he doesn't want to do the coloring portion. So, after 3 arduous days, it is complete. My guess is they'll send home February's tomorrow as well. The fun starts all over again! I hate to tell him, but this is the easiest homework he'll ever have!

Tasty Snow

How tasty is snow? Just ask Abby! I'm not sure what possessed her to pick up snow that we trudged into the house today, but she did and she kept licking her fingers. Eww.

We had a lovely weekend and spent yesterday afternoon up at the Children's Museum again. It is a great place for the kids to run around and exercise their minds a little bit. We haven't seen the sun in a looooooooong time and are running out of creative indoor activities. Tonight we ventured into the basement and let the kids play in the ball pit for a while as we organized a few things down there. The snow had melted over the weekend but by dinnertime tonight the deck had a good covering of fluffy white stuff on it again.

There Was A Story Here

Alex sat at his picnic table today, playing with this pile of toys and would break every once in a while to go fill up his rain boot with more toys. I asked him what was happening and he said he was rescuing those toys from a thunderstorm. There was a much longer story involved here I'm sure. He comes up with some wild stories of late, then tells us "oh, it was in my dreams last night".

Baby Boomers

One moment where she wasn't crying.
Doesn't she just look so sad here? I hope the other moms don't think that's just how she is because she's normally such a happy, playful kid.

Abby had her first day of "Baby Boomers" gym class this morning. Little did I know (until I rubbed my finger along he gums) that she had cut her 3rd tooth overnight and was subsequently a grumpy little goose all morning. The class was full, about 10 babies aged 12-24 months. We sang songs with the kids and then they were free to explore the gym as they pleased. Abby usually LOVES being around other babies but I think her tooth issue was keeping her down this morning. It is an 8 week class so hopefully next week she has more fun chasing the other little ones around.

A Day At The "Train Museum"

Alex was quick to want to stand in line for a seat in the tractor and the combine during this visit.

"Is it time to go home yet?"

Alex loved checking out the model ship exhibit.

Alex posing in front of the Lego version of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.

Yummy water at the kids water table!

Alex had been BEGGING us to take him back downtown to the Museum of Science and Industry for months now. This morning we finally caved and we all enjoyed having a day out of the house. The crowds weren't bad and the Lego Skyscraper exhibit was neat to see. Alex showed Abby all of his favorite spots and Abby discovered a few her own. They should both sleep well tonight!

Ice Skating

Today was Alex's second ice skating class. When Abby awoke from her nap we drove over to watch his class. He did great! At one point the instructors threw a bunch of rubber duckies all over the ice and the kids would skate (walk slowly on skates) to retrieve them. He did better in figure skates this week and spent more time practicing independently instead of holding the instructor's hands. Abby was excited to see Alex after his class, and to run around the benches in the waiting area.

It's Just a Phase

Oftentimes with the kids, we find ourselves saying "hopefully this is just a phase". Luckily, in the case of Alex and the daily morning horror of getting dressed, I think we have moved on. It was quite the fight, especially on preschool mornings, to get out of the house each day. We seem to have a general understanding now that I do not ask him to get dressed prior to breakfast and he does not get TV unless he's actively eating his breakfast and is pleasant to be around. Once 8:30 am rolls around though, he knows I mean business when I ask him to dress and brush his teeth. But really, who doesn't want to stay in their warm, comfy PJs all day long? Solution: lots of fleece pants!

Abby's 12 Month Check-Up

Little Miss Abby is growing like a weed! I think we are all wondering a little bit where her teeth are, but surely she'll have lots more to show the doctor at her 15 month check-up. The doctor was pleased with her development but Abby was not so thrilled about her two shots.

Length: 30 1/2" (88th percentile)

Weight: 23lbs (78th percentile)

How Did This Even Happen?

Party Time!

Abby making a move to "kiss" Jake, a.k.a. tackle him and attempt to bite him, yikes!
Watching her friends help open her gifts :)

"Ooh, "first curl", what? You aren't cutting my curls are you?"

Yummy cupcake! She ate quite a bit of this one, unlike her party in Cincinnati.

Abby, age 1.

Abby celebrated her 1st birthday on Saturday with our neighbors and friends. The kids had a blast playing together since it has been too cold outside to get together and ride bikes or play chalk (their favorite spring/summer/fall activities!). She chased the big kids around and enjoyed having another "baby" over to play!

To Skate, Or Not To Skate, That Was The Question!

When Alex's buddy Vanessa signed up for ice skating lessons, we thought it would be the perfect time for Alex to learn to skate. However, as soon as he caught wind that he'd have to go on the ice without Brad, he was not really looking forward to class. He kept saying "I will NOT ice skate", "I do NOT want to fall", "I just want to watch". So, when they went on Saturday, I fully expected Brad to come home with a class refund by the end. Surprisingly though, Alex enjoyed it and once we get him into some skates that fit a little better, he should be good to go. Ice skating is probably a good life skill to have under his belt here in the frigid Mid-West!

She Just Loves Her Baby Dolls!

Abby carries her baby dolls everywhere she goes and it is the cutest thing! She loves to hug and kiss them, just like she loves to give us kisses. Unfortunately, she still does this with her mouth wide open as if she's going to eat your face, and that is not going over well in the gym nursery. Today they classified her as "quite the little biter." I really do think she's trying to give kisses to unsuspecting little kids and winds up knocking them over and looking like she's about to bite them. Luckily she only has 2 bottom teeth and none on top so any damage is minimal :)

What? Your Kids Still Had School?

Posing out front.

Yeah, that's not so helpful Alex.

Yes, that is more helpful. You just can't get good help these days!
Alex, age 4 1/2

Just like the slip-n-slide!

Apparently 6-8" of snow and more throughout the day, is not enough to get school called off in Plainfield, IL. I actually feel a bad for the kiddos who had to stand at the bus stop in all their snow gear. The kids and teachers are probably thinking, "what do we have to do to get a snow day around here?!".

That said, we are a Chicago suburb and life must go on. Alex had his first day of Creative Movement class at the YMCA, after a 6 month hiatus, and we did not want to miss out. I told Alex if the roads were too bad, we'd just turn around and come home. Our neighborhood was the worst by far, in fact I just saw a snow plow come through around 4 this afternoon.

We had a fun afternoon playing in the snow while Abby took a nice nap. She loved being at the Y this morning, with its long hallways where she could practice her walking and flirting with all the staff. Alex had a great time back in his Creative Movement class, which is a fitness class for preschoolers. Abby starts a baby gym class in two weeks. She's so social, I'm sure she'll love it! It is actually at the gym adjacent to Alex's preschool and extremely convenient for us :)

Photos of Zen in 2010

A photo a day? For a year? I don't think I can do it but am willing to give it a shot. Click to see the past 7 days :)

http://photosofzenin2010.blogspot.com/

So Spoiled...

As we drove up to the party store today to purchase decorations for Abby's birthday, Alex asked in a concerned tone:

"Mom, don't they have a drive-thru?"

"No Alex, we have to get out and look around."

"That means I'm going to get cold!"

Abby Walking Video

One Year Old! Happy Birthday Abby!

Good Morning Abby! Happy Birthday!

Abby walking on the trampoline at Gymquest.

Peek-A-Boo

Abby found all sorts of goodies to play with at the gym.

Alex hiding in his castle.

Our little princess turned one today. Abby brings us so much joy and is happy almost all of the time. She is walking everywhere so Alex and I took her to Gymquest today for open gym. She was timid for about the first 5 minutes, but soon took off chasing behind Alex. She probably loved having such a large flat area to practice walking and I was shocked when she walked on the "tumble-track" trampoline without falling over!

Abby adores Alex, I know I have said this over and over. She really is kind of a pest and it takes all the restraint he has not to push her away sometimes. She is enjoying table food, in fact tonight she downed turkey and green beans for her birthday!

Abby also loves her baby dolls, and it is so cute to watch her pick them up and look at their faces, as if she's looking at a real child. She'll carry them around with her as she toddles throughout the house. She can give kisses and is absolutely adorable! She'll give her baby dolls kisses too. Love it.

2010 promises to be a fun year with these two!

Cleaning Out

Just before Christmas we switched up our guest room/study/craft room/junk collecting space with Abby's bedroom. This was a definite downsizing for the multi-purpose room and thus the cleaning out has begun! It is a lot of work but all for the best because Abby was freezing her buns off in that room over the garage. Here's a photo of Alex serenading us as we sorted through piles of photos, fabric, calendars from years past, floppy disks, and antiquated electronic devices.

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure

We always drive by the Fair Oaks Dairy Farm between Chicago and Indianapolis and finally had a chance to stop on our way home after Christmas. There is lots to see there (for a price) and I know we will stop back in the Spring when we can spend some time exploring outside there. There is a building with a gift shop, small restaurant and cheese factory that we were able to visit. We picked up some milk and ice cream treats and stretched our legs a bit. It will be fun to go back to take in the bus tour of the farm and visit the birthing barn. I think I read that up to 80 calves are born there daily! Crazy!

Abby's Cincinnati Birthday Party

We threw Abby an early 1st birthday party in Cincinnati with family and close friends at La Rosa's Pizzeria. I actually used to work at La Rosa's as a hostess so it was fun to go back and see the remodeled restaurant. Abby tried her first pizza at this party and sampled one of the strawberry cupcakes I made for her. She was more interested in making a mess than eating it, but humored us for the sake of photos :) After Alex helped her open her gifts, she downed a bottle and fell fast asleep at the restaurant. What a life!