Merry Christmas

Time to take a breath. These last few months may have been the busiest we've ever seen, but we can finally slow down. We've traveled to New England and Florida, been to weddings, had birthdays, and visits from family and friends. So much to update on here, but I'll get to it after Christmas. For now, Conor is officially on vacation and we are going to enjoy a peaceful (as much as three young kids can be peaceful?) week together, enjoying each other's company. Merry Christmas to all our friends and family across the world. We'll be thinking of all of you, and sending love and hugs your way.

The Flying Trapeze

This morning we woke up in Florida, hearing the sounds of water from just outside our room. We've been looking forward to this for a long time now and are enjoying a little R&R. 

We first came to this resort 18 months ago, and since that time, Lillie has dreamt of coming back for one reason: when you're four, you get to do the trapeze! This morning, one week before her fifth birthday, her dream came true.

We are very proud parents right now. I might have cried a little to see her do this with such ease, determination, and confidence on her first try.

Coming Soon...

Happy Halloween 2012!

Did you have as much fun as we did? I hope so! For the first time in our over four years of living in Chicago, we found the best and most amazing block to go door-to-door trick-or-treating. Conor and I both remarked that we haven't had that much fun since we were kids...um, 25 or so years ago? We had a lot of (last-minute) fun with costumes this year. Lillie was a one-of-a-kind purple Power Ranger...she decided there needed to be a purple one, not just pink, and so it was. She even named the character Purple Flower Power Ranger. Quinn decided, the day of, that he wanted to be Super Why, and so he was! A little colored duct tape and scissors along with some plain colored clothes, and their costumes were done! Little Adele was our ladybug gal, and she fits the part quite well, don't you think?

The day started with Lillie getting to wear her costume at school, then a fun parade that wound around the block of her school. Costumes these days are so cool, aren't they?

Then in the evening we went to the previously mentioned perfect street and met up with some (princess) friends. Lillie and Quinn had no idea what they were in for at the start. Halfway through the block, they had to empty their (large to begin with) pumpkin bags to make room for more candy!

Here are the kiddos in our clan from last night. Nice looking crew, eh?

Adele hung out in the stroller and took it all in...

The first half of the evening was also spent in a near sprint by everyone. Amazingly, they were still going strong an hour or so later when it all came to an end. After all, there was candy to be had once we finally got back home!

I love seeing the kids have this much fun. Can't wait until next year...

Off to School, Off to Work

Hands down, Lillie's favorite thing to do these days is riding to school with Dad on the bike. They chat along the way and she feels like the biggest, coolest kid in town. When he's not traveling and there's time to make it work, Conor drops Lillie off at school and then heads downtown to his office. I love how they are both bike commuters, doing their part to stay healthy and be a little nicer to the world.

Quinn's M&M Party

Quinn requested an m&m birthday party this year. It actually made a lot of sense, since m&m's have been a big part of our lives lately (potty training and all). We invited our neighbors over to help us celebrate and Quinn loved it.

The day got started with the traditional birthday pancakes. Is there anything better than pancakes for breakfast? Not for this little guy! We got to sing happy birthday together, with Dad on FaceTime since he was away on a trip. 

Lillie went off to school and Quinn had to wait all day for Lillie and Dad to come home and his party to start. As usual, trains helped to pass the time. Chocolate ice cream for lunch also helped to keep his spirits high. How could a mom say no to a request like that on his birthday?! Not me.

Two things Quinn wanted his cake to have: m&m's and strawberries. This was interesting because he hasn't been loving strawberries lately, but his wish was my command. I used this strawberry cake recipe and a maple cream frosting (recommended by my neighbor who also loves to bake).  I incorporated the m&m's by making a big Q on top, which worked out well. The icing was awesome and I will definitely use it again. Not too sweet and really easy to put on the cake. In the end, Quinn mostly just ate the candy off the cake, but he loved it so I was happy.

It was a hit with his friends too. 

He got some amazing gifts and loved them all, but his big sister hit the jackpot with this Buzz Lightyear toy. Buzz talks and has a laser and his space helmet goes up and down. Quinn had an instant best friend in him. And because his birthday fell on a Friday, which also happens to be movie night, the birthday boy got to have his pick of movie. It was no big surprise that he chose Toy Story. He sat with Buzz on his lap for the entire movie, moving him around to mimic what the buzz in the movie was doing. I think his third birthday was a big success...and I can't wait to see what the next year brings us!

Quinn at Three Years

Quinn, at three years old you:

Love to be Super Quinn and Super Why with your magic flying blue cape

sing Moves Like Jagger with a lot of excitement

play with your trains and cars all day long (happy Thomas is your favorite)

want to be on Daddy's shoulders as much as he'll let you

are potty trained during the day (yay!)

sleep in a big boy bed and share a room with your big sister

have very good aim with the laser on your arm when you are Buzz Lightyear

think that "dark mater" is super because he has a cape

go to pre-school two days a week with Miss Daniele

are ticklish everywhere

are talking up a storm

love swim class 

love music class with Miss Julie

grew three inches over the last year

enjoy painting and drawing

still ask to hear the "popcorn song" every time we get in the car

like to pretend you're mommy and mommy is Quinn

aren't ready to share your space with your little sister, but don't have much of a choice when it comes to your big sister

tell us your favorite food is peanut butter and jelly, or pancakes, depending on the day

eat all morning long, but nothing for dinner

love to get your haircut with daddy at his barber

astound us everyday as you grow into a loving brother, son, and friend.

A Summer of Visitors - Part I

I had a nice little emergency surgery back in May, did you hear? My surgeon said I had a "very angry" gallbladder that needed to be removed immediately. So, one day I was visiting with some friends - having a very normal day, and the next, I was in more pain than I ever imagined possible (and I've had three kids, one weighing 10lbs 5oz)!

My surgery came and went and I spent a total of 3.5 days in the e/r and hospital (infections, severe pain, fevers, blah, blah, blah). Needless to say our life got flipped, turned upside down, and we were all rescued by Aunt Catie.

Thanks to her extended visit, the kids were taken care of while Conor spent time at the hospital with me, I was able to recover as the doctors had requested...no lifting anything over 10 lbs (ok, I mostly stuck to that rule), and Aunt Catie realized what life is like with three little ones running circles around you, quite literally! She made it through, always with a smile on her face.

She was a rock star and I don't know how we would have done it without her!!

Walking a Mile in Daddy's Shoes

While going through our photos from the year, I came across this one, taken a few month ago. Quinn was so proud. I never want to let these moments go. 

(Is this too much to post on the blog? I thought it was too cute not to share!)

First Day of School 2012

Lillie and Quinn both have big days today. Lillie starts preschool at a new school where she'll go five days a week! Quinn moves up, a month early, to be in the "three's" class at his school, where he'll go two days a week. 

As they went to bed last night, they were both very excited - so it was no surprise that they were early to wake, and made their appearance upstairs at 6:30, ready to take on the day. Dad made a special breakfast of scrambled eggs and waffles, which Quinn immediately tore through. Lillie had a couple bites and declared she was full. Turns out, our social butterfly was getting her first case of the butterflies, and was having a hard time not only eating, but using her legs to stand. As the morning progressed, she got more nervous. 

Quinn decided he was still hungry and ate Lillie's breakfast too. Loving the excitement of the morning, he was in the best mood we've seen him in for weeks (he's getting over a stomach bug and a growth spurt, we think). At his drop off, he went right up to his new teacher and saw his friends waiting to play with him and was good to go. 

Here's Lillie standing in front of the doors getting ready to go into her new school. Once we got inside and she saw her new teacher, classmates, and fun toys, she seemed to be more at ease. She went straight to the circle rug where everyone was listening to a book being read and sat down next to a new friend. That's our Lillie, brave, strong, and beautiful in every way. I can't wait to pick them both up and hear all the stories they'll no doubt be excited to tell.

When Our Princess Turned Four

Let's take a ride back to November of last year, when Lillie had a royal birthday party to celebrate turning four. With Adele being so young, we thought it would be easier to have a small celebration outside of the house and have (what we thought would be) less work to do. It was a huge success, and by the end of the day Lillie couldn't be happier. We invited two of her best buds to come with us downtown to a special salon to get princess makeovers, complete with and up-do and manicure. Quinn wanted to get in on the action the entire time, even holding his hands out when it came time to do the nails. 

After getting all princess-fied, we headed over the the Rainforest Cafe where it was mostly a fun time, except for the all-too-real-sounding fake thunderstorm that came every 30 minutes inside the rainforest. One of her poor friends got so scared I had to take her outside every time the thunder came around!

But when it came time for cake, all was right in the world again! Lillie requested a strawberry lemon cake in the shape of a princess. Yep, Lillie is a girl that knows what she wants. So I made this lemon cake (my mom said it reminded her of my grandma's lemon cake) with a buttercream icing. The strawberries didn't exactly make it in to the mix, but Lillie didn't miss them.  Of course we had to make Cinderella, because Cinderella is her favorite princess. Thanks to Grandma Susan for giving her all the cute characters you see in the background. I can't wait to see what she picks for her birthday this year!

Adele at 12 Months

Adele, at one year you:

love giving kisses

squeal like crazy

have four teeth

stand on your own (mostly when you don't notice you are doing it)

suck your thumb when stressed and are tired

point to the sky at the sound of an airplane

smile so big that your eyes disappear

have been sleeping through the night for ten months

prefer to bear crawl rather than normal crawl

can say "mama," "dada," and "this"

can sign "more" and "all done"

have found that peaches are your favorite food

figured out how to put mom and dad's hands together for patty cake

love to play with the toy kitchen

want to be where your big brother and sister are, and play with what they have

are an amazing little girl that brings light to our lives everyday