Friends

As I sit here on the porch watching my kids run around in the yard having a water fight with the neighbors, I have been thinking ahead to the summer that we will have.  My kids are all at an age now where their time with friends does not need to include me.  They can play in the yard together with me supervising from the window.  When they have friends over, I am not generally asked to be included in their play (except sometimes with Briggs and his little friends.)  When we are outside, there are usually neighborhood friends that come over to play.  We have next door neighbors, 3 doors down neighbors, around the corner neighbors, and backyard neighbors who are around our kids' ages and are some of our kids' closest friends.  Previous summers, adding extra kids to the equation made more work for me and so having friends over was a special treat.  This school year saw us hosting more playdates and inviting friends to join us for more activities.  And now, although only a week in to summer, the kids have already spent hours playing with the neighbors in the yard, we've planned activities with friends, and there are multiple play dates with school friends already on the calendar.  I'm still looking forward to lazy summer days with my kids, but I know that time with just the 3 of them will be less frequent than in summers past.  Of course I'll cherish the time with my 3, but I'll also look forward to our new summer routine where my role is limited to writing a blog post on the porch while watching my kids laugh and scream and chase their friends.

Cousins make the best friends.

Briggs on a play date at the park with his friend, Sterling.

Briggs hosted his friends Dava and Keiko for a playdate after pre-school on their last week of school.

Staley and Lilian on the first of many summer days together.

Good-bye, May!

May was a full and busy month crammed with end of the school year activities, birthdays, celebrations, the beginning of baseball season, and more rain than could possibly be good for anyone.  There were track meets and plays and our trip to Chicago, but here are a few glimpses of the rest of our busy May.

We celebrated Grandpa turning 70 with a fun family dinner.

I enjoyed a long conversational lunch in Springfield catching up with my college friends.

Briggs got to go on a class fieldtrip to Pizza Hut.  Since I was working, Uma joined him for some fieldtrip fun.

Apparently Briggs and his friend Dava held hands almost the entire time.

The girls had all kinds of fun activities like the 3rd and 4th grade track meet and petting zoo, movie day, a 3rd and 4th grade talent show, a teacher talent show, and field day.  (Pretty sure no learning actually takes place at school during the month of May.)

Briggs and I spent some time with the girls at the track meet, as well as on field day.  Staley was super sweet and let Briggs play with her and her friends during field day.

Briggs and I enjoyed a fun day out at Wildlife Prairie Park with Anna, a friend from Liberia.

Riding the train was the highlight for Briggs and the primary reason he wanted to go there.  But we enjoyed the beautiful weather, a picnic lunch, and seeing the animals too.

Adelie had an end-of-the-year celebration in her classroom where her class presented their research project on frogs.

Adelie did great memorizing her lines and speaking in front of the classroom full of parents, grandparents, and siblings.  She picked this dress for the special occasion because she thought the flowers on it sort of looked like lily pads.

We also found time to celebrate May (and early June) birthdays with Zach's family.

So many fun events took place in May and filled our month.  However, it's nice to now say good-bye to the busy-ness of May and hello to the lazy days of summer.

Realization of the Day

Today I woke up and wasn't able to talk.  My voice is mostly gone and I'm only able to speak at barely above a whisper.  And I've realized that I actually can be that soft-spoken, serene-seeming mother who gets down at eye level to correct her children and never raises her voice.  However, I've also realized that I have to snap my fingers or clap my hands at my children like trained zoo animals in order to get their attention since my barely there voice can't be heard above all the noise that is the norm at my house.  And in order to tell them that it's time to go or that lunch is ready or to let them know I'm in the laundry room while they are incessently yelling my name over and over again, I have to leave what I'm doing in order to walk through the house to find them.  So at least for today I'm that calm, serene, soft-spoken mother who is getting more exercise and getting less accomplished around the house.  And I've realized that I'd rather just be me.  So hopefully tomorrow you'll be able to hear me holler up the stairs for my kids to hurry up...because that's just who I am.

Summer's In!!

School ended on Friday and we kicked off our summer with a family trip to Chicago.  The kids came home from school and we immediately loaded up and headed out.  Since Grandpa was out of the town for the week-end, Grammie joined us for our week-end of family fun.

We were able to check one of the kids top requests off immediately upon arriving in Chicago as we started off our trip with dinner at the Rainforest Café.  All three kids loved it.  We looked at all the animatronic animals and sat through 3 "storms" in the restaurant without any ear covering or tears.  #success  #hesgettingbraver

After a good night's sleep and breakfast in the hotel room, we continued our fun with a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

There was a little train as soon as we entered the zoo.  One member of the family couldn't resist, so he and Grammie enjoyed a little 3 minute train ride to start the day off right.

There were fun animals to see, various performers to watch, and exhibits to explore.  The kids really enjoyed the monkeys and the gorillas.  The street juggler was another highlight.

There was also plenty of whining and complaining about being hungry and thirsty, as well as multiple requests for various treats from the zoo.  #momsaidno

Strangely, the extreme hunger and thirst dissipated pretty quickly when we found a super fun playground outside the zoo to enjoy while we waited for our table at a nearby restaurant.

The kids had the best time on this playground.  Briggs made a little friend that he played with while the girls enjoyed all the different climbing structures.

We ended up having a late lunch at RJ Grunts in Lincoln Park.  The food was great (and plentiful), the milkshakes were cold, and no one complained about being hungry when we were done.

After our scrumptious lunch, we took the train downtown to meet Uncle Ethan.  Riding "the subway train" was by far the highlight for Briggs's entire week-end.  We took the train 4 separate times throughout our week-end and it never lost its thrill.  Briggs will tell you all about the blue line and the red line and the green line and seeing the train engineers.  He loved the escalators and the trains and the tunnels and the stations.  I think his favorite part was seeing a mouse at one of the stations while we were waiting.  So much excitement!  #justgladitwasntarat

Our trip downtown allowed us to explore Millenium Park (with the big bean) and Maggie Daley park (with the big playground.)

Which of my children do you think put their mouth on the big bean?  And can you think of anything grosser than putting your lips right where millions of germy hands have been?

The kids liked the parks, but their favorite part was playing in the splash park area of Maggie Daley park.  Both girls got soaking wet while Briggs stayed mostly dry.

And, of course, seeing and playing with Uncle Ethan is always a highlight.

After our huge, late lunch I told the kids we could just have ice cream for dinner.  They had to confirm over and over again as they really didn't believe me.  #notajoke  #icecreamfordinner

We finished off our last day in Chicago on Sunday with another train ride to visit the Field Museum.

The kids enjoyed seeing all the animal dioramas, the dinosaur exhibit, and the gems.  Staley also really enjoyed the mummies.  We spent a fun couple of hours there before grabbing some Chicago pizza and then heading home.

Thanks, Chicago, for a fun week-end.  What a great way to kick off our summer vacation!

School's Out!

Last week was the end of the school year for all 3 of my kiddos.

Briggs LOVED preschool.  He loved his teacher, made lots of friends, and learned a lot along the way.  He's already excited and asking when he will go to 4 year old pre-school.

Adelie had a great Kindergarten year.  She did well academically and socially, but most importantly, she loved school and was always excited to go.

We were so thankful that she had Mrs. Doty as her teacher this year.

Just like her first 2 years, second grade was another wonderful year for Staley.  Great teacher, great friends, and great learning.

What a great school year it has been.

And now...bring on summer!!

Spring Cleaning

It's spring cleaning time and I've been working hard to clean out.  I've been spending the past few days going through the piles of school notebooks and papers that the girls are bringing home as the school year winds down and reflecting on how much the girls have grown and learned throughout the year.  We just got rid of the last of our baby gear. (Good-bye, pack and play.  Good-bye, diaper pail.  Good-bye, bath toy holder.)  The kids cleaned out their stuffed animals and were ready to part with some of their oldest stuffed animals.  Did these things make me get all misty eyed and nostalgic?  Not really.  So what recent cleaning out moment hit me the hardest?

Curly bows.  Realizing that my girls will no longer wear curly bows in their hair to match each outfit they put on made me really stop and reflect on how fast time is going.  It wasn't that long ago that our daily routine included matching the girls' outfits with a coordinating curly bow.  As I took each bow off the bow holder, I could vividly remember the outfit that it initially came with.  I could picture my girls wearing adorable little Gymboree outfits with their hair in pigtails, accented with a perfectly coordinated curly bow.  (Because, of course, every outfit from Uma had to come with the matching accessories.)  And those memories of cute little outfits, sweet little faces, and accompanying curly bows hit me hard.

I held onto the curly bows longer than I probably needed to.  Why?  Because each of those bows stored a memory for me.  The school year ending brings with it the excitement of summer.  The end of the baby gear allows me to look forward to the next chapter of adventures with my kids.  But the curly bows?  Those made me have to say good-bye to a physical reminder of my little girls who aren't so little anymore.  Good-bye tutus.  Good-bye princess dresses.  Good-bye tea parties.  Good-bye curly bows.  My girls are growing up.  I love watching the people they are growing up to be, but sometimes it's hard to say good-bye to the reminders of the little girls they were.

Madagascar, Jr.

The girls just finished their spring semester of Stage Kids with Madagascar, Jr.  It might be my new favorite of the shows they've done.  The script was very clever, the songs were catchy, and the casting was very well done.  And, of course, I thought my girls were amazing!

The cast

Having seen the movie, Staley had determined that her dream role in this production would be one of the "main" penguins.  Her dream came true when she was cast as Kuwalski, the second in command of the penguins.  Always wanting to be like her big sister, Adelie also wanted to be a penguin.

Score!

NTA provides Stage Kids at 4 different locations including Eureka, Washington, Mackinaw/Tremont, and Peoria.  Each class practices in their own town and then they all have their own shows in Eureka at the college theater.  At the last minute, Staley was asked if she would fill in as an ensemble penguin for the Peoria cast.  She was beyond thrilled to be asked and to have 2 more opportunities to perform in the show.  She had a few nerves about not knowing anyone, but those were quickly put to rest and by the end of the second show, she was talking about her new friends that she made.

Staley posing with the Kuwalski from the Peoria cast

Both my girls love Stage Kids.  Adelie cracked me up with her enthusiastic dancing and cute expressions.  And Staley is just in her element.  My favorite part of each show is just watching her beam the entire time she is on stage.  You can tell she just loves what she's doing!  And she did an excellent job with knowing all her lines and delivering them.  She truly has a gift.

Staley and Adelie with Miss Taylor, one of their directors.

I wish we could take photos during the show, but that is not allowed.  However, I take plenty of photos after the show.  As always, the girls were overwhelmed with support from family and friends who came to see the show.  There were so many that I didn't even get photos with everyone who came to support them.  One of Zach's co-workers came with her family and one of my co-workers came with her son, along with a plethora of other family members and friends.  I'm always amazed with the love and support shown to my girls.

Zach's aunts

Grandparents

from both sides

Family friends

(Anna, a family friend visiting from Liberia, liked it so much she came again the next day.)

Neighbors who are like family

Friends who performed with the Washington cast and came to support our girls.

The girls love when cousins come to see them, so they were thrilled when Caroline had a special day with Grammie and came to see the show.

And Aunt Sandi even came twice so she could bring Emma.

I bought 2 extra tickets for one of the performances and told each girl they could invite one person.  Adelie wanted to invite our friend, Miss Angela.

And Staley invited her teacher, Mrs. King.

Stage Kids has become such a family to my kids.  They count the older kids as friends and have developed some strong friendships among the kids that they spend time with on a weekly basis, regardless of age or grade or school they go to.  It's so neat to see the way all the cast members enjoy each other and help each other.  I feel so blessed to have such a great group right in Eureka...and even more blessed that they practice and perform just a few blocks from our home.  Double win!

Staley and Claire

Adelie got to be good friends with Riley who was new to Stage Kids this semester.  They are already planning summer play dates.

Such cute penguins!

Adelie and one of her "big kid friends", McKinley

and Isaac.

Anna and Maddy have become two of my girls' best friends from Stage Kids.

It was so fun to watch my girls show off what they had been working on all semester long.  There are so many things to love about Stage Kids.  I love the shows, but more than that, I love seeing my girls grow in their skills, in their confidence, and in their friendships.  But most importantly, I love watching them do something that they love.  

A mom couldn't ask for more than that!