Weekend Up North

MVP by the good ol' Mackinac Bridge.

PHS Class of '89...20 years later.

Our niece, Anna...pitcher extraordinaire!

What a wonderful "up north weekend" we have had! We headed to northern Michigan on Friday to attend my 20 year high school reunion at Aloha State Park on Saturday. I never understood why "grown-ups" would yammer on about how time flies. But guess what? It's true! Unreal that it has been 20 years since high school. I couldn't get out of my hometown fast enough when I was 19 years old and now I wish I could get back to visit more often. It was so wonderful to see my classmates that were able to make it this weekend and those who were not present really missed out! It was a lot of fun to see everyone's children running around...small versions of ourselves. A big huge thanks to Tim Hansen and Tracy (O'Neal) Bouren for planning the whole thing! On Sunday we just kind of relaxed with my family and took Margaux to Mackinaw City to snap a few pics by the bridge and have pasties for dinner...love that Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Company!!! Today we were headed back to Chicago but took a detour to Traverse City to spend the night with Kim & family. We went to Anna's softball game and watched them win! Good job Anna!!!

4th of July & Old Friends

MHS 86-ers: Becky, Patrick & Kelli with Seamus, Margaux & James

She was a very serious little parade watcher!

All decked out in her festive wear!

Miss Audrey hanging out curbside!

Auntie Bex & MVP waiting for the fireworks to begin.

July 4th already and it hasn't truly felt like summer yet...crazy weather this season! I always get very nostalgic for the 4th of July memories of my youth...being in Mackinaw City watching the fireworks by the water while eating carmelcorn and a pastie and seeing tons of people I know. The later years were spent with my Arnold Line crew and summer friends tipping back a few beers and watching from the end of the State Dock. *sigh* Good times! Anyway, this year was of course MVP's first 4th and this made things fun for us. We awoke to yet another gray and drizzly day, but we still headed out to the Glen Ellyn 4th of July parade to meet up with Kelli and Becky. Becky was here from NYC and we got to meet her super-cute little boy, Seamus, who happens to be a big fan of parades! It's always nice to see Kelli & Hugh and their adorable James & Audrey as well. We headed home for a nice nap after the parade and then met up with Bex & Dale in Oak Park for the village fireworks. It was a pretty sweet little display and Dale took many pictures that I am sure turned out fabulous! We took Jasper with us because we wanted to include him in the festivities, he did PRETTY well, but I think that being so close to where the fireworks were being shot off was a bit too much stimulation for him. Hope you all had a fun holiday!

Nice Neighbors

Margaux with Melvin the moose!

Handsome boy.

Every night on our walks we bring Margaux by the front yard of some neighbors. They are two very cute, older Italian ladies...sisters we think...who sit out front in their lawn chairs each evening. They love to see Margaux coming and tonite they had a gift for her...a stuffed moose named Melvin! Margaux loved it! Today was the perfect summer day, just the right balance of sunshine and warmth and breeze. Life is good!

Big Heat, Little Pool

Another hot & humid day in Chicago!

She felt the water in her little pool was too cold!

Kisses from momma.

Jasper felt the water was just right!

8 Months Old!

6/24/09

It's all going so fast! Lots of new things lately...in addition to her bottom two front teeth, she is also starting to cut her two canine teeth. She can sit up on her own now, though it is not unheard of that she will topple over if she's not careful! She has babbled da-da-da-da for awhile now and just this past week has started to make the "m" sound and occasionally sings out ma-ma-ma. She continues to belly laugh a lot and she adores Jasper. She goes nuts in her jumper and loves looking at herself in the mirror! We read a lot of books and go on walks and she is generally a pleasure to take out and about. In her spare time she also enjoys putting her finger in her nose! :-)

Father's Day at Arlington Park

Petting another baby goat!

Her jockey picture!

Watching the warm-ups between races.

We wanted to do something fun for Father's Day and so we headed to Arlington Park. I cannot believe that we have never been there in all of the years that we have lived in Chicago, especially given how much Patrick loves all things horses! The grounds and facilities are absolutely gorgeous and the atmosphere of the place is really cool. Every Sunday is Family Day complete with pony rides and a petting zoo. Each Sunday also offers a different theme and craft area for the kids. Margaux is of course too young for crafting, but she is now a Junior Jockey Club member anyway! Todays theme was Father's Day and it certainly seemed like every single father in the Chicagoland area was present...the place was PACKED. We opted to sit on the lawn and have a picnic this time, though sitting in the stands looked fun too. We were able to move up to the fence during the races and see the horses & jockeys up close. It rained a little bit at first (of course) and then the sun burned through the clouds and it turned scorching hot! It was fun placing bets even though we were novices. We look forward to going back again soon!
http://www.arlingtonpark.com/

P.S. Happy Father's Day J.C. & Lonnie!

Momma's Hand-Me-Down

I adore the fabric for it's fabulous 70's motif!

My mom saved some of my old baby clothes and of everything that made the journey, this little romper is my favorite! Maxine fixed up the buttons and it's as good as new! It's fun to see Margaux wearing it.