Lots of silliness

Crazy man on the loose...

Owen's 5 o'clock shadow (messy face courtesy of cinnamon "Puffins" cereal!)

Standing on top of the Little People Garage (believe me, we are not encouraging this!) Please note- Owen's last 1 year molar has been trying to break through for over a month...

Enjoying some "summer reading."

"Old" friends...

We took a little "Mommy and Me" aerobics class with these babies and their moms last summer. The babes just laid on yoga mats and drooled and smiled at their silly mamas. I can't believe how much they've changed in the last year! We meet up every few weeks for a playdate.

Allergic to ???

Last Tuesday morning Owen broke out in ENORMOUS "blisters." Even though I'm a nurse, I didn't recognize them as hives, so of course I called the doctor in a little panic (which I really haven't ever done before.) They had us come right in. God bless Dr. Goldberg. He made me feel very validated. He said we needed to see an allergist right away and give benadryl every 6 hrs until the hives went away. Despite having benadryl around the clock for almost a week, he had hives until this Monday. We still don't know what caused it, which is a little scary. Here are some pictures of the hives after a couple of days of benadryl. The first day, they were bigger than my palm! I thought to myself that we need to take pictures. I guess I was just too stressed to follow through! They look much better in these pics! Fortunately, we have not had any more outbreaks. Unfortunately, we still don't know what caused them!

A little getaway...

Sunday we went to Lake Geneva for a little family vacation. We celebrated Father's Day and our 4th wedding anniversary. We had such a great time! It was so nice to get away for a little bit.

We saw this turtle outside our hotel.

Owen is eating "Scooby Snacks." They are graham crackers shaped like dog bones. Mike thought it was really funny that I gave him the dog bone shaped crackers from a bowl on the floor.

These pictures were taken at "The Elegant Farmer" apple orchard and country store. They had these giant rocking horses, which Owen loved.


We bought some tomato and pepper plants, as well as some herbs. I'll keep you posted on how they're growing. We also bought some frozen pies and brats, as well as some other delicious treats like applesauce and summer sausage. This trip made us very excited to go apple picking at Apple Holler in the fall!

Here is a video of the boys swimming. Thank goodness the pool opened at 7 am. Owen didn't sleep very well at the hotel, so he and Mike were the first ones at the pool both mornings (my wonderful husband let me get a little extra sleep!) We also took him swimming right before bed in hopes he would sleep extra well. It helped him to get to sleep, but unfortunately didn't keep him asleep. I wish that pool would have been open at 3 am!

These pictures are from our outing to the playground behind our hotel. The weather was a little chilly for the beach, but perfect for the playground. We all had a lot of fun!

Playing by the lake on Tuesday. The weather was beautiful but a little cool when the sun went behind a cloud.

Owen, throwing his first penny in a fountain. I think he thought we were crazy when we told him to throw it in!

Owen loved the "hot dog man." We originally just wanted a photo, but he loved him so much, we decided that a hot dog by the beach would be a great lunch!


Another family took our picture. I'm not sure if Owen is fake coughing or blowing a kiss! We had such a great time in Lake Geneva. I think it is important to get away by ourselves each year, whether it is a huge fancy vacation (that is probably quite a few years off) or a little getaway! A very big thanks to my parents for the wonderful anniversary present!

A spiritual moment?

Last week, Owen wanted to sit on these 2 pillows while wearing his rosary around. I don't really know what this is about...

Casual Dining

Is our child the only one who has this nice of table manners?
Owen's legs are getting kind of long, aren't they?!

A little visit from the Schieber's...

Last Thursday Emily and my Mom came to Chicago. They decided that I was in need of a girl's night out, so we made sure Mike could be home to stay with Owen. We went out for sushi and martinis, followed by the Sex and the City movie. We had so much fun!!! The movie was perfect for a girl's night out. A little raunchy, but very fun!
Friday, we packed Owen up and drove out to our favorite outlet mall in Aroura. We found some good bargains. Mom got a cute top at Polo and some matching flip flops at j. crew. I found some shorts at the Gap outlet, and Em got a cute swimsuit and dress at Juicy. Of course Grammy found a few things Owen could not live without, too! After we left, we picked up Alex at the airport. By the time we got back to Evanston, my Dad was here. He drove up from Kansas City Friday morning with a very special delivery. His birthday gift to Owen was a handmade toybox, which he has been working on since March. It is big and beautiful and it couldn't have gotten here at a better time! The toys were truly starting to overtake our living room! Owen checked it out thoroughly and it apparently passed his inspection :o)

It will grow nicely with him, too. The top is an inlaid wood checkerboard.

Underneath it, there is a little drawer with a spot for each checker to fit in. It is really cool! Thank you so much, Grandpa!

Friday night, we ate at Nevin's and then took Owen to the park. He loved all of the attention! Saturday morning we met Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Frank, and my cousin Leah and her boyfriend Matt at the Printer's Row bookfair. It is always a good time. Owen went to his first concert, Justin Roberts.

I think he was a little young, but he enjoyed watching the band and all of the kids.

We browsed and found a few books. After the rainstorm, we met up with the Conklins at the Berghoff House. Then everyone came back to Evanston for some delicious triple chocolate (homemade) ice cream. Like we hadn't eaten enough already!

Everyone left pretty early on Sunday so Mike, Owen, and I cleaned the house and filled the toybox. The weather was crummy, so we had a pretty lazy day. We had lots of fun with our company. We just wish Sam would have joined us! Thanks so much for coming!