Downtown's annual ice sculpture contest was foiled within 24 hours by another odd "heat wave" this winter. By the time the creations were completed, the weather changed and the melting began. Beckett begged us to make a trip downtown to see the carnage!
Rodger and Zoe are crabby...crazy for crab! Zoe was grocery shopping with me this week and saw king crab legs on sale. And proceeded to plead with me to buy it for her and her dad. How could I resist! It is a bit of a spectator sport watching the two of the crack through the claws but the oohs and ahhs and rolling of eyes at the deliciousness are so worth it!
Beckett was invited to celebrate the 5th birthday of one of his best girl "buds", Kiersten, today at Java Gym. What a cool idea! The place is a floor to ceiling climbing gym with tunnels and stairs and all different levels. It was hard to get a shot of any of the kids as they ran and climbed and tumbled....what a blast!
Took the kids to a local pottery painting place today. They both chose to make new bowls for ice cream / cereal / oatmeal. The could have stayed for hours decorating and so we will be making a return trip soon. Both are anxious to pick up their finished, fired piece next week!
It has been a while since we have made a trip to Chicago with the kids. Zoe has asked more and more about it over the last few months and rather than wait until Spring, I decided to take advantage of her extra long Christmas break. We took the train from downtown into the city. I suspect the novelty wore off after an hour or so but my iPhone kept her busy. First stop: The American Girl store. We spent the better part of 3 hours walking the store, scoping out a few outfits we could not leave without, making an "appointment" to get Chloe's hair done before taking a break for lunch at the Drake (where my mom used to take me). And then it was back to the AG store for Chloe's appoint, a trip to Garrett's for popcorn and a walk up and down the stores on Michigan Avenue - all before taking the train home. Whatever misgivings I may have had about trekking to Chicago immediately dissipated due to the enormous grin on Zoe's face. What a great time we had together!
Finally going through the reams of homework Zoe brought home - just in time for school to begin again! One of the many, many things I love about Montessori is how they use multiple tools to teach the same information. Spelling pictures is a fave of mine because not only does Zoe learn words and meanings, but her pictures give me a glimpse into her mind. Her super hero for "justice" is priceless.
The first day of the new year was spent celebrating with the Toths. Debbi went over the top with mimosas to ring in another year. We all made homemade pizzas and played well into the afternoon. What a great day!
