Slumber Party!!!

On the 5th of July, our power went out. It went out around 4:00 PM, while the kids were both still napping. When they woke up, we decided to go out to dinner since we really couldn't cook (well, we could grill, but it was still 100 degrees outside at the time). After dinner, we tried to dawdle and take our time going home, hoping the power would be on then, by running a few errands. We got home around 7:00 and the power was still out. As bedtime drew near, it became Decision Time! The debate: Stick it out...hope the power will go on relatively soon (house temps were 87 degrees upstairs last I looked and 82 on the main floor)...or head to either grandma's house where it was nice and cool. We actually decided to stick it out, believe it or not. It really didn't feel too bad in the house. I don't think the temps got much hotter than 88 upstairs where we never went and 82 or maybe 83 on the main floor- it really was manageable to us, we decided.

So, we had a slumber party in the family room! And we had a great time actually. It was a lot of fun! (Sleeping in the basement was not an option for me...I didn't really want to sleep with the spiders, thank you very much, and Daniel was completely against sleeping down there because "it's scary"- I didn't blame him one bit.) So, we brought Daniel's mattress down and set up Annabel's pack and play. I slept on the couch. Ben was going to just sleep upstairs, since he didn't mind it one bit, but Daniel exclaimed "NO! Daddy, you're too special to me, I want you to sleep right next to me!" and quickly set up Ben's pillow next to his mattress. SO sweet! Well, Ben couldn't argue with that, so it was decided, we all slept in the family room. The kids had a ball running around, semi-naked- Annabel in just her diaper and Daniel in just his pajama shirt and underwear, playing with flashlights (which was the only way I could see where they were!), jumping onto Daniel's mattress, and just running in general. It was a loooong time until we finally got everybody in bed because they were so wound up! The whole thing was really just too funny to watch. I wished I could take a video, but of course with it being dark it wouldn't have been the same, so I just tried to take few shots with my camera in the dark. You get the idea anyway!

We all slept very well, actually, well maybe not poor Ben on the floor, but we all kinda slept in, and that, to me, means we slept well, because I was so sure the kids would be up at the crack of dawn because of all the light on that floor. They surprised me by sleeping until their usual times. And Annabel, my baby growing up so fast, only woke up once that night. The power finally went back on at 3:00 AM and I could instantly feel the cool air kick in! That sure felt good! So, really, we survived just fine. Daniel has been keen to have our power go out again so we can do that again. It was kinda fun in the end! But we were sure glad our power went back on.

Two shots in the dark of the craziness my kids were up to!

And of course a few shots of my babies sleeping the next morning...well, Daniel is pretending in his picture since he woke up a little bit before Annabel and I asked him to quietly lay there for a while longer until she got up, which he did amazingly well. I do love Annabel's "butt up" position!

Keeping Cool

We had a HOT HOT HOT couple weeks (and I do mean couple weeks- it really dragged on!) at the end of June and beginning of July. It seemed like the 100 degree heat would never go away. Parks and other fun outdoor places were literally ghost towns...nobody was outside. So we tried to find different ways to keep busy and stay cool around here. It was just too hot to spend much time outside. I think even the kids seemed to know this- they never suggested going outside to play, not once. And when the heat finally lifted- I had to laugh, because who would have thought we'd all love the literally 20 degree temperature drop! There's not too many times I can think of that I'd actually like a 20 degree temp drop! We immediately went to the park that night! Anyway, we had some fun times trying to keep cool! Here are some fun pictures!

I finally got those pom poms Annabel liked from her class. Both kids had a ball with those. Daniel made his own "noisy bottle" like Annabel's. Annabel just had fun filling and dumping and filling and dumping her container. Then she just wanted to try to pick up as many as she could with one hand (see 4th picture below), and fill and dump her container or throw them, only to start over again. This kept the kids busy for quite some time!





We went to the library a couple times in one week, actually I think it was two days in a row. Once to play on the computers and check out some books, and another time to attend their playtime session. We had a lot of fun both times and again, it kept us inside and cool, but still busy having fun!

I LOVE this cute picture of Annabel playing on the computer. We love our library's touch screens- this has always been a hit with Daniel. And now Annabel can play, too! Our library also has programs where the young toddlers can play safely and just hit any key on the keyboard and it does something different each time...Annabel loves to play these games!



Reading books! We're all on a reading kick lately...it's been awesome! And my kids have already completed the summer reading program and gotten their prizes- this thrilled them! Me...I still have six books to go (already read 4- and that's good, that's a lot, for me)...and the computer kindly reminded me I had 23 days to read these six books...not sure that's going to happen but I'm sure going to try!



Baking when it's 100 degrees outside might not exactly be everybody's cup of tea but we loved the end result...pineapple coconut bread!! That recipe was definitely a keeper!! The loaf was gone in a matter of hours, I kid you not. Daniel had fun helping me mix it all up...he's a good helper!


Back to the library for playtime! The kids both loved the bowling ball and pins. This entertained them for quite some time. Daniel was cute trying out the hula hoop and Annabel made lots of friends, too. The parachute at the end was tons of fun for both kids!






So that's just a little of how we stayed cool! More coming soon!

4th of July Fun!

We had a fun 4th of July this year! I have memories of our night out at the fireworks I will never forget...so let the stories and pictures begin!

Just like the past two years (2011 and 2010), we joined Aunt Christina and Uncle Jason and his family to see the fireworks at the Oak Brook Polo Grounds on the 3rd. Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Gary came along, too. We had a great time! It was pretty hot, but we didn't get there until the sun was already behind the trees that are along the perimeter of the grounds, so at least we weren't baking in the sun! We had enough time to chat, play, run around,chill in our chairs, get free McDonald's french fries, have some other snacks and juice...and then it started to get dark.

Then the fun began. Jason's parents always bring a ton of those long glow sticks for the kids to play with. The kids all LOVE them! When Nicole, Jason's sister, brought some over for my kids, she gave a few to Annabel, who then proceeded to follow her around to get more, at which point Nicole finally laid a whole bunch down on the ground for Annabel. Annabel had the most fun with these things- she collected, she wore, she shared, she showed them off, and so on. It was tons of fun to watch her. Daniel had fun with them, too. And I also enjoy them because at least I know where my kids are once it's pitch black!

Finally the fireworks started! Annabel LOVED the fireworks! She literally ran from person to person, Mommy Daddy Grandma Grandpa Christina Daniel and back around again, pointing at the fireworks with one or both hands and shrieking excitedly. She was beyond excited about the fireworks! The funniest thing though, was that Annabel thought she could literally go closer to the fireworks. She kept trying to take our hands and make us stand up so we could walk to the fireworks with her. I kept telling her no we just stay and watch. She'd just go try the next person. She finally had luck with Ben- he started to stand up, turned to put something down, and in that split second when he turned and let go of Annabel, she took off- and I mean took off!- to run toward the fireworks. I was cracking up! I will never forget the image of Annabel scurrying away in the dark with fireworks lighting up the sky above her...it really was too funny and just so precious at the same time. Ben quickly caught up with her- she was actually a few yards away that's how quick she was!- and brought her back to watch the show, still hopping from person to person to exclaim how excited she was.

Daniel had fun watching the show, too. He remembered our discussion of the fireworks when I told him which ones were my favorites. Every now and then he'd say, "Look, Mommy, there's your favorite firework!" I was glad he could tell from my descriptions which ones I liked. So that was fun. The whole show was a bit long for his attention span; "I'm done watching the fireworks now" is what he said at one point, but he did sit nicely the whole time- he was a good sport. And he's been asking to see more fireworks every night since...so I guess he did like them!

So we had a fun, memorable night out at the fireworks! I personally could watch fireworks every night!

On July 4th, we spent the afternoon with Ben's parents, having lunch with them and playing for a while, too. After naps, Ben and I took the kids to Red Robin for dinner, which they loved simply because of the balloons they got to bring home! Our town does a fantastic firework show, which we can see somewhat from our loft window, so I let Daniel stay up a little bit "early" (don't worry, we taught him which it was- he got to stay up late- he was asking us every night if he could stay up early, which was too cute, but had to be fixed) and watch a little bit of that show, too. We didn't actually go to that show because we thought one super late night was enough! (We didn't get home until 11:30 the night before!) Next year, though, we'd like to go to our town's festival and firework show, whether instead of or in addition to Oak Brook- we'll see.

All in all, we had a great time celebrating the 4th of July!! Hope you did, too!

My little red white and blue starry-eyed cuties!!!
I LOVED Annabel's little stars and bows romper!
And Daniel's red white and blue baseball shirt was perfect!

Annabel is always delighted with her grandparents...they all have a special place in her heart, you can just tell!

I love the way Daniel's legs are crossed here...so cute!

Annabel loved sitting in our chairs!

Annabel loved Daniel's chair, too! We'll have to find one for her...

The stroller was fun to play with, too!

Nicole is giving Annabel all of the glow sticks and making them into circles for her. Annabel loved the glow sticks!

Daniel had a lot of fun with the glow sticks, too!

Here's Annabel collecting the glow sticks!

Jason took these awesome pictures of the glow sticks!

It's really hard to tell, but you can just barely see Annabel pointing to the fireworks while sitting in my lap. (If you want, click the picture to make it bigger...that might help.)

One of my pictures of the fireworks. I love the tree line, the fireworks bursting, the smoke drifting, and the glow sticks...such a fun picture of the overall scene.

A few of Jason's firework pictures!

This first one was one of the ones Daniel "recognized" from my description of how it drips down slowly.

4th of July fun at Grandma Mary Kay's house!
The kids had a ball with the blocks!

I liked Annabel's second 4th of July outfit- red white silver and blue starred biking shorts and a little "America's cutie" tank top...so cute!

Annabel knows where her belly is now...she'll show you anytime you ask her!

Balloon fun back at home after dinner at Red Robin!

Annabel looks so grown up here, carrying her balloon, walking tall down the hall.

Daniel sported his red white and blue and had fun with his new beach ball, too!

June Randomness

Here are some random pictures from the month of June. I guess we were kinda busy from the looks of things!

Daniel got the idea to make a hopscotch game outside with chalk. He helped make a few of the numbers, sort of. We'll have to practice. But he did have a ball hopping from number to number, in order too!

Of course Annabel had to contribute to our hopscotch game, too!

This beetle was walking on our driveway and Annabel was very curious about it...

She picked that beetle right up and gave it to Daddy!
(Good thing Daddy was there, Mommy would not have taken it!)

Annabel loves to put our shoes on!

Annabel has discovered lately how fun it is to "ride" us- she loves to be up on Daddy's shoulders, or on Mommy's back for a piggy back ride, and she loves to be bounced on Mommy's legs while on her belly- she just cracks up and she won't let me stop once we've started!

We enjoyed another day out at the arboretum (this was before it got super hot around here!). What do you want to do today, Daniel? Let's go to the arboretum, he said. We had a great morning just walking around for a little over an hour or so- enough to get out and enjoy the morning. I found these multi-colored flowers and just loved them!

Daniel stopped to smell the flowers. This picture reminded me of one from when Daniel was about 20 months or so, from a trip to the arboretum with his Great Aunt Jackie when she was in town from Thailand. Looking at that blast from the past blog post reminds me of how blond Daniel's hair was that summer; Annabel's hair does not seem to be getting blond like that from the sunshine- I was thinking about this the other day. I just think it's fun when I remember and think of little things like this.

Cute little Annabel smile!

Annabel LOVES to read books these days. She points to the Mickey Mouse in Daniel's books!

I couldn't get enough of this bright bold red and white polka dotted onesie- it was so cute on Annabel!

Picnic time! Another of Daniel's answers to "What do you want to do today?" I love Daniel's smile here!

We've started a "summer challenge" in our house- to check out all the different parks in our town! I ripped out a map of area parks from our park district guide, told Daniel all the green areas were parks, let him point to one and off we went to check it out! The challenge was halted, however, by the super hot weather (we're talking 100 degrees for several days straight- no break!) we've been having. Can't wait till it cools off a little so my kids don't melt at the park or get 3rd degree burns from the slides! I think we'll have fun with this little project of ours...and if it lasts until fall, even better because it'll be cooler then!

My brave little Annabel going across the bridge, up the steps, and down the slide all on her own, with my heart beating super fast the whole time.

Annabel still makes these cute scrunchy faces!
And this outfit was simply adorable on her!

I love this picture of my two kids playing together.

Daniel still has a lot of fun in the sand. What a great smile he has here!

Annabel is hard at work scooping up the sand and trying to fill this cup. She's so serious!

Ben was pushing the kids up our driveway in this car one night and letting them roll back down to him. He did this over and over and the kids had a ball, as evidenced by their smiles! Daniel even blew me a kiss a couple times!

Daniel has been interested in playing with his coins again lately, ever since he found two pennies outside the library (that's a cute story actually!). Annabel loved doing this with him the other day...and yes, she's finally at the point where she mostly does not put things in her mouth anymore (thank goodness!), although I do still watch her closely.

So, back to the cute story: A few weekends back we were walking into the library and Daniel found two pennies on the ground. We told him they were lucky pennies and he could bring them home for his piggy bank. He was happy to do this at first, but then he stopped, put them back and said someone might be looking for them. It was such a sweet thing for him to do; you could tell he wrestled with keeping the pennies but then decided the good and right thing was to put them back. He did end up going back to get the pennies after we'd walked a little farther on (we had explained to him that they were just pennies and he really could have them- it's not like they were $20 bills-but even we doubted whether we should get into this, whether to let him really take them, since this is a hard thing to teach and grasp and we were delighted he did the right thing in the first place), but we were still so touched that he gave it more thought. Maybe we are doing something right after all!

Annabel loves to try to put shirts on...they just go in a pile on her head and it looks so funny!

Grandma Mary Kay got these socks for Daniel from Alaska- he literally wore them all weekend, yes, even pulled up to his knees, too. I could try to pass him off as a soccer player...maybe? Daniel also thinks this shirt (with the bright lime green truck) and these shorts (more of a grass green color) match...trust me, I did not concur per se because of course these greens clash, but he has a point- they are both green. "And so that's why I'm wearing these clothes" Daniel said. How could I argue with that? He cracks me up!


Things we've heard this month:

"When I was a little kid..."- Daniel tells stories like this all the time lately. When I was a little kid I...- and he could be talking about something he did yesterday or last week. He was a little kid then, but he's bigger now, just in case you were wondering. So cute!

One afternoon Daniel took a really short nap, and when I asked why his nap was so short, he thought a minute and answered "Because I missed you. That's why I wanted to wake up." Good answer, Daniel! How could I be upset with that kind of answer? It was so sweet.

"Dead"- I'm not sure at all where Daniel got "dead" because we've never really used this expression with him, and I'm not even sure he really knows what it means. But he did say that his glow stick last week was "dead" because it didn't glow anymore. He's used the word in several other instances lately, too, just all of a sudden. What's with that?

"Not a fan of that"- Daniel has been saying this the last couple of days. Not sure where he picked this up either, although I'm sure I've said it once upon a time, but hearing this from him cracks me up. Do you want x? No thanks, I'm not a fan of that. Daniel misses nothing!

As for Annabel, boy do we have updates for her! But I'll save those for her 15 month picture and update next week!