America's Got Talent

Ben is off at the Celtics game.  I am home putting the girls to bed.  Before putting on PJs, Elliot wanted to see her new ballerina box - with the leotard from Charlie and the tutu from Zoe, and the, ahem, hard hat from Touch a Truck day last spring.   They were so wound up from the post dinner cupcake (WHOSE idea was that?!) I was scouring the house for some lavender to try and knock them out.  Then I found "Mozart for Babies - Quiet-time".  I was just so thankful for anything besides Mother Goose - and oh it was soothing.  I had just this week been looking up ballet classes for Elliot - and well, we might not need them after all.  Maybe she will take after her mama and have a natural talent for lots of things - that when faced with lessons gets all botched up.  Like how I used to like to paint, and then took lessons and then could only seem to paint Alien Space Garlic.  But then, maybe my painting was always Alien Space Garlic and only when I took lessons did I realize my inadequacy - either way, lessons may just hold her back.  To my knowledge, she has never seen ballet or danced to anything slower than Gwen Stefani, but she busted out with this.

Oh that's right, dances, sings and plays an instrument.  What I love is poor Samantha up past her bedtime, but also getting her groove on.  As if its not enough to wear a hard hat during ballet, Elliot steps it up to dance again ... 

Chicago in February - Part 5. The Final Verse.

The vacation that never ends,  it goes on and on my friends.  The last days of our vacation in were not in sunny tropical palm locals, though the pics below might suggest otherwise.  We were actually at the Garfield Park Conservatory.  What a great place to blow off kid steam!  Not a destination entirely on its own (like I wouldn't drive from Wonder Lake just to spend an hour there, but if I was in the city with 2 little kids, hey, why not?).  They had a little scavenger hunt game that Elliot really enjoyed - and we were just happy for some sunshine.  

Above, Elliot is discovering the scavenger hunt and putting a sticker on the score we found.  Is a 2 year old supposed to be more than half as tall as me, I wonder?  Below about sums up our trip.  As Ben says, the look on my face is priceless as Elliot hacks up a lung onto my shoulder...that is pretty much how we spent 5 of our 6 days there.  

Finally feeling good again, time to hit the pool in the hotel.  

See the little white steamed bao on the napkin?  Ben loves them, so while Ellie & I were off shopping in Watertower Place, we stopped off for a "snacky snack" and brought some back to Daddy & Samantha.  Elliot loved them ... and had no qualms about noshing on the bench right outside the American Girl mecca, with nary a cry to go in the store.  While we were sitting on said bench, Mommy spied a poster for a play at the Drury Lane Theater hanging above our head.  Too bad for Daddy, because once I saw it, our fate was sealed, I had to go see Xanadu.  

We made a night of it, as the review recommended, by having fantastic cocktails in the Signature Room on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building, complete with the requisit shrimp cocktails.  Here was our view.  And after enough cocktails, we were more than happy to pose during the show...which was cheesily delicious!

Chicago in February - Part 4

We went to the Field Museum on Thursday.  6 Hours in the museum, 3 of which were spent in the Corner Bakery Cafe, waiting out naps, providing snacks and lunch on 4 different schedules, and laying low hovering with the patented puke pack (see bucket below)as one of our party was coughing herself into oblivion and making us nervous she was going to hurl all over the artifacts.  Now, in Elliot's defense, we realize now, she probably was a little too sick to be out and about (hindsight people, hindsight).  She and Samantha single handedly cleared 2 children's rooms with their coughing and then proceeded to drive their parents to the brink of crazy.   At one point, we considered leaving them with Sue, the big dinosaur above to watch over them, or possibly eat them.  Below, we allowed them 1 phone call for good behavior.

At least the view from our table in the cafe was of the skyline and the lake.  Note the fun toy on the table.   Our little yellow sand pail, acquired at a Baby Loves Disco dance.  Looks like we are fun-loving parents with a plastic toy and stacking cups.  In reality, we were happy to have this on more than one occasion throughout the trip.

This is the drum room we cleared out.  Below is Samantha cruising around in her element in Nordstrom's shoe department.
Oh! The Lincoln Park Zoo!  What a fabulous place.  Thanks Harry for the tip on seeing Mr. Singer's sing along.  We went for his show and stayed for the animals - who knew that the free Lincoln Park Zoo is better than both Boston zoos combined!  We loved the Polar Bear so much, we forgot to take a picture of him.  But he was loud.  And banging on the door.

Elliot measures her hand up against a Tiger Paw!  And then we get our groove on in the  Dairy Barn.
Oh the farm is going to be fun this summer!  

Mr. Singer, we love you too!  

Funny things Elliot Says

Samantha has a lot of words now.  Most of them unintelligible, but many with meaning.  Elliot has entire sentences and stories and is at the perfect age to capture some of the cute things she says.  Yeah, this seems like a good place to bust out some video.  But eh, I'm going to bed.  I will leave you with the yummy fast food joint we are going to for dinner tomorrow while Daddy is away, "Old McDonald's".   And when she wants to stand on one leg like the elegant pink birds, she says she is a "Famingalo".  

Comments People. We do it for the comments. Post.

Ben is off frolicking in Switzerland for the rest of the week.  We think he is checking in on his girls, so we are going to post some notes here for him.

1.  Elliot asked for water on the ride home tonight.  And then she said, "No.  honey-water mommy.  I want honey water.......with lemon!"  We have indeed created a monster.

2.  Samantha was singing into the microphone on the keyboard tonight.  Wish I had a recording.

3.  Elliot got a new tattoo.  I forgot to put it on her though.  We need to disinfect the entire house.  Don't ask.

4.  Pictures?  You want pictures?  One thing at a time.