Ni Modo Todo!

2012!

2012-01-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

Jimmy is doing much better! He’s off the oxygen, he’s walking again, and he’s back in school. He did just get croup last night which is no fun but we do have lots of steroids on hand to administer! He now knows 19 sight words (yes I’m bragging!). It’s kind of amazing.

Jimmy hasn’t loved returning back to health because with good health comes a sharp decline in his Signing Time watching time. He went from 9 hours a day to 1 to 2 at the most. Here he is watching Baby Signing Time with Daddy and Rosie.

When we were in SA Jimmy got to play with Grandpa Mark’s ipad and he liked it! I hope we get one in the near future.

Jimmy got a beautiful vest made for him and he’s loving it!

so is Rosie!

Looking Good Guys! Thanks Aunt Laine!

Jimmy loves that Rosie!

Marc and Isa went sledding! Isa LOVED it!

Isa sledding down a slide at the park.

Isa next to her cool poster!

Rosie is such a climber. Up or in something…it doesn’t matter! Here are a few that I think you will enjoy!

We went to Gigi’s to play and Jimmy played with these two maracas the entire two hours we were there.

Yay for rest and good health!

San Antonio Happenings!

2012-01-08T20:20:00.001-06:00

This trip has had it’s ups and downs but overall it’s been great. With my mom letting us sleep in and with help from my brothers and sister in law everything has been fun even with the 8 day hospital stay. I even managed a few play dates. One was with an old acquaintance that I now call a friend thanks to the internet! We went to the botanical gardens together.

What’s better than a snack on a leaf?

The Botanical Gardens has a great butterfly exhibit and you go through a maze and stamp your card. It had everything but real butterflies.

This spider is happy because she caught two butterflies in her web.

Isa took flight on a butterfly zip line. I was impressed that she did it at all. I think she did it because her friend Ruby did it.

Tabby and Rosie talking about San Antonio. They both agree that the grandparents make the trip worth it!

What? Bean and cheese tacos are NOT your favorite?! This relationship is OVER!

Yea, bacon and egg tacos are pretty good too!

This place rocks!

Ruby and Isa. After we hung out with Ruby, Isa went home and drew a picture of her so she wouldn’t forget what she looks like. She looks like a pink girl with green eyes and a toothless smile. :)

The girls found mint leaves and started eating.

Jimmy feeling much better!

The girls took a bath with cousin Emma!

Uncle Nate and Aunt Leticia took the girls to the zoo and they rode the train!

Marc and I went to the Meg and Travis fab New Year’s Eve wedding! I only took five photos and two of the five are almost identical to the ones below.

Some photos stolen from facebook!

We went to the park with cousin Emma and Aunt Leticia and Uncle Nathan! 78 degrees with lots of sunshine! Gotta love SA in January.

At Kiddie Park!

Emma!

Isa made fancy cupcakes with her Aunt Leticia! I wish I took a picture of the cupcakes because they were superbly decorated and tasted so yummy.

Isa had a fabulous play date with her buddy Stormy. They are ready to strike a pose at moment’s notice.

I love this photo. Isa’s eyeing you down!

I got to have a wonderful play date too with my high school buddies Liz, Sandy and Melissa! It was great catching up and rehashing about all of our good times. Thank you for hosting us Melissa! You are the best and Isa loves her new wardrobe!

Melissa, Liz, Sandy and I!

We had many family dinners. Mawmaw Hale!

Pawpaw Hale and Leticia

Pawpaw Hale!

Leticia sat down to feed Emma ice cream and she ended up feeding Rosie and Jimmy too!

Rosie and Pawpaw

Group photos!

Tallest to shortest!

Now which one changes the channel?

and we still have one more day in Texas!

Pneumonia

2012-01-02T17:41:00.001-06:00

Jimmy got pneumonia and we didn’t realize how bad things were till it was in your face SCARY. His first signs of illness were on Dec. 17. He was tired and had a low fever.

Jimmy on Dec. 17th and still in good spirits

From that day on he slept more and ate less till he was eating almost nothing. We took him to the doctor on Dec. 22nd and I told them that he was tired and had a fever and seemed like he was in pain. They sent him home saying there was nothing they could do. It was a virus.

Jimmy on Dec. 22nd. He made it through literacy and then took a long nap and woke up with a fever and was miserable from then on.

I took him three days later because he was eating almost nothing and sleeping more and would cry out any time he was awake and actually while sleeping too. Once again he was sent home. His ears, nose, throat looked good and his lungs sounded good. Two days later, Dec. 24th, I called the doctor again to report that he had not improved at all. He said I could bring him in but that there is nothing you can do for a virus.

Jimmy on Dec. 23 and you can see that he looks like he feels super crummy.

He said go to San Antonio and if he’s still sick when you get back bring him in. On Dec. 26th, Jimmy was white and breathing super fast and was so miserable. Marc took him to the Texas Med Clinic. They took an x-ray of his chest and Marc said that seeing the x-ray made him feel like the worst parent ever. He had a bad case of pneumonia.

Jimmy sleeping on Christmas day. It was the only thing he wanted to do.

After being sent to the wrong hospital, he arrived at Children’s Methodist and got treatment. They pumped him full of different antibiotics and steroids for 5 days. It was about 5 days before he started smiling easily and eating.

Dec. 28th Marc brought out Signing Time and he smiled for a second! It was the first time we had seen a glimpse of Jimmy in a week.

Dec. 29th and he is signing chicken while watching!

Dec. 30th He’s smiling more and more. He loves to brush his fingers across hi eye lashes.

The last 2 days he has improved drastically and today, Jan. 2nd, he was walking and crawling up on chairs and pretty much everywhere. He’s off oxygen and is currently not connected to anything. Here he’s checking out which Signing Time movie he wants to watch.

Our flight home is scheduled on Jan. 4th and I think we will make it! In the future we will know the signs and demand more from our pediatrician. The type of pneumonia Jimmy had was called mycoplasma pneumonia and it’s very common among kids with Down syndrome.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:23:00.001-06:00

From Evanston to San Antonio!

Our Christmas started on Christmas Eve Eve. Uncle Jonny and Aunt Lisa came over and brought dinner. We watched Elf and put the kids to bed.

I packed and Rosie helped.

Rosie was doing a dance for Santa!

Sisters!

Christmas Eve morning! Rosie got a book!

Isa’s dream came true and she got a make-up set. The random lines of blue eye shadow down her nose or on her forehead are from this make-up set.

Smoking hot pants!

The best surprise gift ever for Isa…a gumball machine!

Let’s serve the cake!

I love my scarf!

A sled!

It’s a table runner!

Rosie’s hair!

Socks!

The infamous Mineo calendar!

It’s a quilting sewing machine!

Greek donut set!

Rosie got something that does not belong to her, Jonny’s camera!

It’s a castle!

We walked over to Nathan and Leticia’s on Christmas morning!

Emma’s playhouse box!

Emma opening her playhouse with Rosie trying to help!

Balloons!

Rosie loved climbing on the presents.

Calendars!

Jimmy showed up for a few moments. Poor guy is so sick. He’s had a fever for 9 days straight and will hardly eat or drink anything.

He just wants to sleep.

In a nutshell… We had a wonderful holiday breakfast at Nathan and Leticia’s and a superb holiday dinner at Mom and Dad’s house cooked by Jacob. I am full and the kids are tired and the Bulls won!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Fun!

2011-12-20T12:10:00.001-06:00

We had Christmas with the Harrisons. It’s nice to spread out the gift opening. The kids got to play together and go to a cookie party that was decked out with as many sprinkles as you could ever want.

Isla and Rosie playing babies.

oh no, I dropped the baby.

Isla made it all better.

Jimmy was playing with a fire truck book. He would push this one button and laugh hysterically. I can’t remember what it said but it was something like, “we are on our way” and then Jimmy would bust out laughing.

Cousin Olivia wanted to join the fun!

Present Time! Jimmy’s said, I’ll be back!

Tessa made sure he stuck around.

What did Grandma get?!

It’s a pot!

Marc will kill me for posting this picture but check out his cool shirt. All the Chicago sport teams are represented.

Cookie party fun. Check out the table. There are fresh flowers, cookies, sprinkles, frosting, and a the most scenic view out the window with bird feeders and red robins galore!

and yummy treats right behind us!

Rosie decorated her leg.

She chatted and laughed with Isla. I think that icing is in our minivan right now. I’m not sure how I missed that…she’s such a stinker!

Isa fell asleep on the way home. I think it’s been over a year since she has fallen asleep in the car. That’s what I call good fun!

The Gift of Giving!

2011-12-20T11:44:00.001-06:00

One of the things Isa did this advent season was gather up a bag of toys to give away. Most of the time I drop off bags of stuff at the salvation army or a rummage sale but this year we got to take the stuff right to a family’s house. This family just moved to the United States from Burma (now named Myanmar), one of the least developed countries in the world. It was a long journey as they spent several years in India before getting refugee status in the US. They are now connected with my brother and his wife whose goal is to welcome them and help them adjust and meet with them weekly. They met them through Exodus World Service which is a non-profit that helps refugees and it’s connected with Catholic Charities. The family consists of four adults (mom, dad, aunt and nephew) and four kids, 8 year old girl,Makim, 6 year old twin girls, Kokum and Momu and a 2 year old boy, Beldic. The kids are in school and the adults are taking English classes and applying for jobs. We tried to find out what job they were applying for and we couldn’t figure it out. Google needs to brush up on this rare dialect for translation purposes!

Up until yesterday they had very few toys, then Isa showed up! It was great fun.

Getting ready to open up Barbies!

It’s amazing because Makim’s been in the US school system for a very short time and as soon as she opened it she said, “Barbies” clear as day.

Then the doll house was brought out and I have to say that I have never seen four people play so quietly like they did. The adults could talk freely (very simply though with the language difficulties). There were no interruptions. They reached across one another over and over again but stayed focus. There was not one argument, not one anything, just quiet play time.

The adults got gifts too from Jonny and Lisa. The kids did not notice!

This little boy Beldic is going to be famous one day. I can just tell! He was so adorable.

New Fleeces!

Then they got socks! Everyone’s favorite gift for Christmas. Jonny showed them how to use them!

Lisa said, “No, no Jonny, like this!”

*Thankfully Isa was there to set everyone straight.

Once Beldic found the color thingamajiggy he went to town. He definitely had a purpose when he put that magnetic pen on the screen-thing!

They were such a welcoming family and full of smiles. It would have been nice to have a real conversation but I’m guessing their English will improve very quickly. Isa loved handing out gifts. She was a little shy with the language barrier and I think she felt out numbered. She showed them how a few of the toys worked and I could tell she was a little embarrassed when demonstrating. It was a good experience though and one I hope we repeat again and again. Merry Christmas!

*they knew what the socks were and how to use them!;)

Jimmy’s Literacy Program

2011-12-19T12:02:00.001-06:00

Jimmy started a literacy program at Gigi's Playhouse in early September. He’s had a session every week since then minus one (thanksgiving week). He will miss the next two weeks. Typically, no one meets in December at all but we have the very best volunteer and she wanted to meet with Jimmy and we wanted to meet with her, so we did. The last two sessions were at my house. I will be posting everything we did today. Jimmy was sick today and ended the session a little early but he still did great.

First, his teacher, Nikky, gave him three new books for Christmas. We are so lucky to have such a giving person. We are supposed to be giving her stuff! We now have three new Paul Galdone books.

Next we read Jimmy’s ABC book. Nikky made a book of blank white paper. Each week she has Jimmy glue in three letter cards and a picture that matches that letter. First we review the letters he has already done. Then he puts the glue on the page, then the cards, and then he colors the picture one at a time.

G for goat.

Next we read Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone. It was the first time he read this book so it took a lot of animation to keep him interested. It takes Jimmy two or three weeks to get excited about a new book and really sit through it.

The next thing we did was point to the words of a phrase while saying the words out loud. Last week was the first time Jimmy did it and he wasn’t that into it. This week he did so much better. Nikky gave us a couple to practice over the break and I can almost promise that he will have it down by his next session. He was really good with I love you.

She held his hand to have him point to each word.

Here she asked Jimmy to point to you and he did!

Then we reviewed his sight words which are:

He started out with one word and she added one or two each week. He recognizes you, the, and, in, be, a, and my (mommy and daddy are new). She went through them like flash cards.

Next we read “How to be a bear” and every time the word “be” was in it, Nikky showed Jimmy the “be” card so that he could focus on it. He was a little frustrated today because he wanted to turn the pages faster than the story could be read. He was not that interested in the “be” card but he did pay attention for a few of the pages.

Next up, practicing the sound of the letters. Nikky made letters out of construction paper and laminated them. She introduced four letters the first time we did it. M says mmmmm, t say ta ta ta, r says rrrr, and p says pa. She randomly picked them.

Jimmy loves to do r!

After working with the letters, Nikky went back to the long cards with phrases and did that a few more times. Then Jimmy threw a fit! We sang the ABC song and called it quits. Jimmy is not feeling well. He normally loves literacy and showing off his mad ABC skills.

When we first started working with Nikky, Jimmy’s first thing that he did was go through a family book and put the names of each family member on top of the names written in the book.

He also learned each letter and each picture of ABC flash cards Nikky made. We still review these but just once or twice a week. Nikky brought A-M one week and the rest the following week. It’s great speech therapy too as he practices each word. He has gotten so much clearer as time goes on. There are still some letters like h, f, x that are very hard for him to say and some words too but you can tell he knows the letter by signing it! He’s such a smart man!

There are a few other things that we have done but you get the gist. Nikky likes to add a new thing every two weeks besides adding to the things that he will continue to do each week like the ABC book or new letters for the m says mmmm portion of class etc.

We are really lucky to have a great teacher for Jimmy. I sit in on every session as that is Gigi’s policy and Jimmy and I practice one or two or all of these things everyday. My goal is five minutes a day. Some days we just read the books. Watching Jimmy learn is the BEST!

Christmas count down!

2011-12-16T22:09:00.001-06:00

This week we read Christmas books, watched Christmas movies, made a Paper Nativity Set and went to see the zoo lights with cousins. Right now Isa’s cousin is here for a sleep over. Both girls are decked out in their Christmas pjs watching Holiday themed movies. Oh and Isa’s Christmas play was today.

Isa was a shepherd.

Isa with the other shepherds.

Isa on stage. After the play all the kids sang Christmas songs.

Our paper nativity set.

Now the super fun pictures!

Here we are waiting in line to see Santa. I had no idea he was at the zoo.

Santa had a real beard.

Georgia came to help Janet and me. She’s the BEST!

Jimmy’s happy! It’s food time! Jimmy’s not a big fan of being outside in the cold. After spending some time outside he started crying and crying. Poor guy. I pretty much left my group to get him in our car and warmed up.

Right outside of the Café they had lights going to the beat of different songs. It was lots of fun. We had a mini dance party! It’s hard to tell but Jimmy and Rosie were rocking out in the stroller.

Fingers crossed for some good sleep!

Irish Dance Show

2011-12-13T22:25:00.001-06:00

Tonight was not only Isa’s first Irish dance show but it was her parents too. It was so cute.

If you want the short version, just watch the first minute and then skip to the last 30 seconds.

Isa with her Aunt Tessa!

Isa picked Aunt Tessa to dance with her. They were great!

I will leave you with a self-portrait that Isa drew of herself. I asked her about the ears and she said that was the best she could do! I told her I loved them. She asked me if I thought it looked like her and I said that it’s an amazing drawing and I think it’s the best thing I have ever seen. She was satisfied with that!

Advent

2011-12-11T15:16:00.001-06:00

Isa and I have had a great time doing an activity everyday. This week we made cookies for our neighbors, filled a bag with her toys, and shopped for a family in need.

While Isa and I were working on the cookies, Rosie was doing one of her favorite things…emptying out the tupperware drawer. That and playing with prescription drugs.

Walking the cookies to our neighbors’ houses.

She LOVED dropping them off and wanted to hit every house on the block. Thankfully we ran out of cookies!

Isa played photographer one night and got some amazing pictures of Jimmy and I. Jimmy needs a haircut.

I love this one of Jimmy!

Watcha looking at? Isa directed me to look mean.

Hug time! Jimmy is the BEST hugger in the world.

He can try but I doubt he can get away from me!

Kisses!

Playful!

Rosie loves to get the diapers out and spread them around. She also likes to put them on her head. Thankfully they are clean.

The pink candle is lit! Have a great advent!

Christmas decorations and more!

2011-12-06T20:06:00.001-06:00

We had a great weekend with very few plans. I spent most of last Saturday in my pajamas. We put up the Christmas tree and decorated it.

First, the tree topper!

Then all the ornaments!

This was not a posed picture! ;)

Poor Jims missed all the fun. He was dead asleep.

But, he did bring home the most incredible craft ever. I think a tear formed when I first saw it.

I got to sit in on Isa’s last ballet class. She loves to dance!

My favorite picture is…

not to be confused with

Yes, she is my child!

and my second favorite picture is… some grandparents were sitting next to me and they kept chuckling because Isa was such a goof.

Not to be compared with anything!

I made an advent calendar that I’m not super excited about. I made it without a plan and just went where it took me and it didn’t take me anywhere super great. oh well. Today, the advent calendar told us to make a paper chain Christmas decoration. Isa loved making it and then went to town after that…some of her work is below.

Isa’s own advent wreath.

This is a cute chic that Isa made and we mailed it along with a letter to Robin Preiss Glasser, the illustrator for Fancy Nancy. They met and are now pen pals. Lucky Isa!

The next thing Isa made and then came up to me and said, “do you remember that boring board that was behind the advent calendar? Well now it’s not so boring!”

Our paper chain!

The calendar that I made.

See you next time!

Christmas PJs!

2011-12-02T20:20:00.001-06:00

We spent some time with our cousins! It was a fun afternoon and all the kids were happy. I forced them into matching pjs and they didn’t complain too much as long as they could watch their movie.

They fill up the couch. CRAZY!

Hooray!

Isa and Olivia are clearly related.

This might be the best picture I have ever taken of Isla! She was the best today and hugged me and talked to me about stuff. Who is this beautiful growing niece of mine?!

Stair talk. The tiniest two were not into the TV so we played behind the couch for a bit.

Rosie is signing baby and Isla’s checking out for Mama!

I asked them to clap and Rosie came through with excitement! Isla just wanted to show off her cutie patootie.

They were trying to come up with a cute pose.

I love that the boys were being boys!

Four of these kids belong together, four of these kids are kind of the same, but one of these kids is doing his own thing, now it's time to play our game.

Four of these kids are watching Rudolph and one of these kids is daydreaming! Thankfully Rosie wasn’t that into it either!

TGIF!

Rosie is 15 months old!

2011-11-25T17:58:00.001-06:00

She loves to play with leaves! She can sign train, please, banana, cracker and probably other ones too but I can’t think of them. She can say Daddy (according to Marc) definitely da da and ma ma and na na (for banana). She is talking all the time even though we generally don’t know what she is saying. When she is sitting in her high chair she signs please repeatedly hoping for something more tasty. She doesn’t know the signs for all the different foods (neither do I) so she goes with please.

She had her 15 month check up today and got three shots. She handles them quite well. Her height is 28 1/2 inches (5-10%) and her weight is 15.2 (1%) and her head is 17 3/8 (10%).

She holds her own like nobody’s business. She will flail her limbs and throw her head back if she doesn’t get her way. It has led her to many head bumps on the floor and wall. She’s so incredible feisty.

She just got her third tooth. It’s on the top. She loves dance parties and her brother and sister.

She loves to swing. In fact, when Isa and Jimmy went to the leaf pile to play with Daddy, she bee-lined to the swing set to get the swings all to herself.

She missed out on some good fun.

She didn’t care!

She will swing any way you let her!

Rosie laid down on the ground and Jimmy decided to join her. They smiled and talked to one another. They still share their food and drinks with one another and love to splash around in the bath tub.

Rosie’s thinking, I got you right where I want you…in the palm of my hand.

Turkey Trot!

2011-11-24T14:30:00.001-06:00

Family fun…kinda sorta! We made a game day decision to take everyone. We went back and forth from maybe Marc going solo or all of us going. We weren’t sure if it was worth all the work. I think it was!

Everyone packed in the car and waiting for Marc to get our race packets.

The race is about to start…actually I think it already started but we were way in the back so we had to wait a long time before we got to the start of the race.

Me and Rosie! We made a great team.

Rosie and I were off the path nearly the whole time and my arms were like jelly after two miles. I had nothing to prove! so we stopped shortly after that and waited for Marc, Jimmy and Rosie at the finish line.

Marc ran it much faster than the time shown. We started at 6 minutes and then just stood around for a few more minutes and then walked very slowly till we could pass people. I don’t want you to think I married a man who runs a 12 minute mile! JK!

Off to Aunt Laine’s house for some yummy food!

Outside fun and a daddy/daughter trip downtown.

2011-11-23T20:48:00.001-06:00

The last two weekends have been lots of fun. We had a nice warm weekend and we all played outside.

Jimmy threw the Frisbee to Rosie and she went after it!

Jimmy clapped after Rosie got it!

Rosie’s shouting ba ba, which means, me me!

Rosie’s thinking, this is easy!

Moving on to soccer.

I got soccer down too!

IT WAS A GOAL!

Stair time. It’s good exercise!

They are working on their team strategy for the big race against Isa.

And they are OFF!

Coming home. Rosie still has the ball and Isa’s in second place. Will she win it? It was a tie! Hooray for everyone!

It’s swing time! Daddy loves to give Jimmy kisses and Jimmy laughs and laughs and laughs!

Rosie climbs anything and everything. She falls a LOT too. She’s thinking, I can do it all by myself…back away now!

Just to prove that I was playing too! Isa and I played this game where you want the ball to end up in the other person’s side of the yard when the time runs out. It was a super fun game (and no holding the ball and throwing it at the last second!).

Northwestern Football Fun! Jeph took us all to the pregame fun at Northwestern. We listened to the band and to other music and played bean bags and Isa had her face painted. It was a great morning and Rosie and Jimmy took a long nap afterwards.

Jimmy is thinking about his next move.

and he’s off!

Isabella warming up for a game but then she got bored and went away!

Football is more fun.

Jeph found the band practicing in the gym. Jimmy can’t believe it!

It was a private performance for us!

Jimmy loved it the most. Jeph was a pretty close second!

Rosie was glad she had her football although life would’ve been better if she had two. She LOVES having two of everything. Two books, two shakers, two crackers, everything in twos.

Parrrrrrrrrrrr-taaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy

Close up of the band.

Back outside waiting for the band to come out in uniform.

Jimmy and Rosie tossing the football. It was a long pass and Rosie jumped for it and landed right on her padded behind. Jimmy is giving her her due.

Isa looking awesome with her cool face paint.

Then the band played for us again. It was great. Rosie seemed a little nervous. I think the flag girls worried her.

Next up, Isa goes downtown with Daddy. Marc worked from home today but needed a few things from the office. He asked Isa if she wanted to go and she couldn’t stop giggling with excitement. The first thing they did when they got downtown was fuel up with a hotdog and fries.

Then they walked to Daddy’s office. It’s a long walk so they stopped along the way to take pictures.

We Made It! Isa informed me that the tree was fake.

“Yes, dad, I am working. Are done taking my picture?” Isa clearly had work to do. She loves writing and wanted to inform the world what quarters and pennies are worth. Please note the I (heart) mom on the yellow legal pad…you don’t want to miss that! Marc tells me that it eventually ended up with a I (heart) Jimmy too (Rosie gets left out of these things because Isa can’t remember how to spell Rosie yet).

This is pure joy for Isa. She was so excited about riding the water taxi back to the train station. She can not contain her happiness.

I think Marc just sold her on being a lawyer…I mean if you ride a boat to work! What could be better?!

Clearly TWIZZLERS were involved!

Isa was beaming when she arrived home. It was wonderful.

A few other cute photos. Rosie having fun with her daddy!

Jimmy and Isa going to sleep. They are almost always in the same bed. My little cutie pies!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my family immediate and beyond. I hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday!

Expectations

2011-11-13T22:42:00.001-06:00

So, Christi now expects that I will write a post for the former TKAHAMCH every time she goes out of town and leaves me with the kids. I don’t think I should have to deal with this sort of responsibility; as my grandfather once told me, “man was not made for work.” Anyway, the goal for when Christi is gone is to convince the kids that, really, Mom is the only thing holding us back from having chocolate cake with every meal:

When Dad’s in charge we don’t wear bibs – who needs a bib when you’re not wearing a shirt:

Isa went to the circus on Saturday with her “silly friend.” I think maybe someone at school told Isa she wasn’t supposed to have “best” friends, so she invented “silly friend.” While she was at the circus (her favorite parts were the “tricks with fire”), Jimmy and Rosie had fun outside:

Isa played outside too or, at least, made speeches while outside.

Rosie and Jimmy love to play together, but it’s really hard to get it on camera because no matter what they’re doing they want to grab the camera more. This was as close as I got this weekend. Rosie has just given him four or five hugs, but it turned into more of a two-handed slap by the time I got the camera started.

Meanwhile, this is what Christi was doing in WI, I assume. In the first picture, she is in line just in front of the gentleman in the striped shirt.

short stories by Isa and more…

2011-11-13T19:52:00.001-06:00

This first picture is of Jimmy. This is where he falls asleep nearly every night, right by the door and the nightlight. Sometimes he is so close to the door that we can’t open it and we have to slowly pry it open. He likes to sleep like a ball. He prefers his own body heat to a blanket.

Isa’s Wild man that she made at school. Her wild man can fly. Right next to it is a Jimmy man that he made at his school. Rosie walks over to the Jimmy man picture all the time and pats it. She loves it!

Isa was child of the week and she was interviewed by her class. This was the result of the interview and she told us that she really does like spaghetti and meatballs but that she couldn’t think of anything so she just said that. The rest of the interview is true!

Isa made some Halloween decorations. This is a pumpkin house with ghost flying all around it. She is safe inside.

The Little Bear by Isa (Isa came to me with this picture and a crayon and told me to write down her story and then did it four more times that night)

One day there was a little bear and that bear was really tired. He was really sick. So the little bear went to the doctor and the doctor said he had a cavity. Then he went back home and drank some hot cocoa. Then he took a nap. Then when he woke up he felt better. Then he played games with his dad. The mom and dad got the little bear a present. It was a gumball machine, his favorite toy. The End!

The Perfect Snail by Isa

One day there was a little snail. He was gliding along a leaf. He smelled the most delicious smell he could smell. He looked around to see where the smell was coming from. Then he totally found it, it was a big candy box. Then he ate the candy box and then when he was half way through he realized there were baby snails inside. They were eating lollipops. The he came back for the little baby snails and he took them home. He put them to bed and he lied down too. The little baby snails were so happy that he brought them home so they went to get the daddy snail a present. It was a box of candy for everybody to share inside the family. The End!

The Colorful Caterpillar by Isabella Grace Harrison

Once upon a time there was a colorful caterpillar. The caterpillar found a place to live. The place he wanted to live was a caterpillar hotel. The hotel had lots of good things to give to him. On Christmas the truck brought all the presents to the hotel (trucks are referring to UPS and FedEx). The caterpillar had babies. The little baby caterpillar went out at night to buy a present for the mommy. Inside the morning, the baby put the powder for the mom on the mom. Then when the mom woke up that morning, her happy surprise came. It was that she was colorful. Then the mama caterpillar ran to the store and got the little baby a baby ball. After the mama caterpillar gave the baby the present, the mom and the baby lied down together all night and hugged each other. It was a very merry Christmas! The End!

As you can read there is a clear theme: PRESENTS! I think she likes presents.

For the next day and a half (assuming there is wireless internet here) I will be making a baby book for Rosie! I was standing in one spot when I took both pictures.

spacious and kid-less…

Thank you Marc for allowing me to get away! I’m excited about sleeping in! There was no internet so I just relaxed on Friday night and then went to a Starbucks to upload my blog so I could make a baby book for Rosie. It was a great time.

Swim class and more!

2011-11-08T20:46:00.001-06:00

Isa got the boot from swim class. She was swimming in the pool over the summer and everything was great till she started swim classes again and it was painful to watch. I decided it wasn’t worth the money to watch her scream and cry and that Jimmy should get a shot. I have not seen him in person but he’s doing great. Jeph takes him and Marc got to see him today in action. I asked Jeph to take some pictures today and he came through.

Jimmy and Daddy before class.

I guess I’m going in?

Jumping time.

After every good deed done Jimmy likes to celebrate!

Did you see that?

I know it was pretty awesome!

His expression in this one cracks me up. I can’t even guess what he’s thinking.

The moon has set not long ago, now everybody goes below, to take a bath in one big tub, with soap all over Scrub, Scrub, Scrub! They hang their towels up on the wall and find pajamas big and small. With some on top and some beneath they brush and brush and brush their teeth.

And when the moon is on the rise, they all go up to exercise!

There’s a party going on right here, a celebration that’ll last throughout the year!

and down once more but not so fast they’re on their way to bed at last

The day is done, they say goodnight and somebody turns off the light (Jimmy is turning off the light).

The moon is high, the sea is deep, they rock and rock and JUMP off to sleep!

Goodnight! The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton… Best Book Ever! I recite the book to Jimmy every time I brush his teeth.

Halloween…

2011-11-08T19:39:00.001-06:00

Halloween day was long and when it was time for trick or treating I was all worn out. Thankfully Jeph took Isa trick or treating while the Jims and the Rosie ate dinner, took a bath, and went to bed. Only one trick or treater came to our house. We live on the forgotten block.

The day started with a costume parade at Isa’s school. The 8th graders hold hands with the kindergarteners. It’s very cute.

Isa’s class with the 8th graders.

You have to work hard to get into the classroom. I volunteered to organize a craft as a way to get myself in. It was so much fun to see the teachers and the kids in action. The other two moms and I were almost useless but we loved being there. They made spooky spider webs.

Isa had ballet on Halloween and for some reason they made it at a later time. Errr. But, they did a little performance for all the parents and it was fun to watch. Jimmy and Rosie thought it was great too.

Here they are about to start and Isa thought she would stand in front of everyone. The teacher moved her to a different spot that was on the opposite side of the room as us so this is the only photo I got.

So somehow between a Halloween party and Halloween itself, Jimmy never got in costume. I decided he had to dress up even if it was after the fact and Isa picked his Halloween costume from two years ago. Luckily we could still get it on him. He preferred the unzipped look.

Just another day on the ranch.

Maybe I should head out and do some work.

First, I need to put on a bad a$$ handkerchief.

and check my butt out in these tight tight jeans.

Maybe I’ll even belt out a tune or two… anything is better than work!

Wait, you have this movie?

I love this one.

Forget work. Put it ON!

What are you not understanding? Do you sign? This is the sign for time as in Signing Time!!!

Work with me!

Things got pretty ugly till it was turned on. He is one tough cowboy!

It’s almost Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:23:00.001-05:00

We have been incredibly busy this month. I can’t believe it’s almost Halloween and then it’s November. How time flies!

Isa has had the best month. She was the Wolf in the Piggy Opera. Please note her socks!

On the same day as Isa’s play and my birthday, Isa and I went to see So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour with my in-laws and Georgia and her mom. It was Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

She couldn’t stop dancing!

Slide Time with Aunt Lisa!

Is this not the best picture ever? I love these girls!

Marc cleaned out the gutters!

Isa made 30 bucks selling cookies and lemonade with the neighbor girls. It was insane. Isa ran up to everyone that walked down the block and let them know they were selling cookies and lemonade for 25 cents. Some people didn’t buy anything and just donated a dollar because they were cute.

She is NOT shy!

Isa playing soccer on her coed team!

Jimmy enjoying the weather while Isa plays.

Rosie was working up a sweat!

Isa got a bob hair cut!

Rosie likes to bruise up her forehead. She’s almost a full-time walker. She regularly takes 10-12 steps and then drops to her knees.

Jimmy’s had a GREAT month. He’s in a literacy program and he’s kicking butt. He has ABC flashcards and he has pretty much memorized the letters and the picture and he is saying the letters so much more clearly. His tutor, a volunteer, loves him and has asked to work with him in the Spring and over the holidays when there normally isn’t any program. They both rock!

Rosie, the cutest chick ever!

My little strawberry!

My mummy and a witch.

Mommy and Mummy!

There is nothing like a Dance Party on a cool night after the sun goes down!

We went to a birthday party at Gigi’s located in Hoffman Estates and they have the best ball pit. My kids loved it!

Jimmy and Rosie just love each other! And on that note, Isa has been so helpful with Jimmy and Rosie. She holds Jimmy’s hand and helps guide him to the car or where ever we are going. She takes off his coat for him when we get home. She makes sure all the doors are shut so there’s no escaping! She’s been so great! Thanks Isa!

Yay for Halloween tomorrow!

Surprise! Bebe Leigh is 60!

2011-10-23T20:35:00.001-05:00

My four brothers, my dad, my sister in laws Leticia and Lisa, Jess, the four grandkids and I surprised my mom on her 60th birthday. She thought she was on a weekend trip with my dad but we knew better. Months ago my dad called with the plan and everyone helped to make it awesome! Even though she knew she was flying into Chicago she wasn’t sure if she would see us. She woke up on Friday morning and was expecting a little breakfast with Jonny and Lisa but she breakfasted with EVERYONE!

The best part was she was surprised again and again. At first she thought it was just me and my kids, then she saw Luke and Jess, then she saw Nate, Leticia and Emma and then she saw Jacob.

Jimmy loved surprising Grandma Bebe!

Isa has been beyond excited all week and ran up to Grandma Bebe with the sign she decorated.

Nate, Jess and Luke practiced and practiced their surprise hands so they would get them just right!

It was a wonderful surprise!

After breakfast we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry and checked out the Dr. Seuss exhibit. It was great! Jimmy walked everywhere and checked everything out.

It’s such a great museum. Everyone explored everything and we got separated rather quickly.

After the museum we went back to home base. My in-laws let a ton of my family stay at their house so everyone would be close together. We all rested a bit and then took family photos. I will post those when I get them.

Isa had so much fun with her Aunt Leticia and her cousin Emma.

Uncle Nate got to hang out with Rosie. She’s smiling because she stole his phone in record time.

Was I that funny?

Emma is the cutest little thing in the world. It’s shocking that Emma and Rosie are three months apart. Emma’s in the 75% for height and Rosie’s in the first and it seems like they are a year or two apart. We put her to work…the statistical factoring has to be done.

Yes, we treat our kid the same way and put her to work as well.

This is complicated stuff!

Then (and yes, this is all in the same day) after photos we went out to the Piccolo theatre in Evanston and saw The Comedy of Errors. It was a fantastic production.

Day Two!

We had a yummy breakfast at 621 and then Bebe opened presents!

Luke drew mom a great blue duck!

Isa drew Grandma a rainbow!

So many fun things!

Emma did a little dance!

and although she tried to cover it up, she gave me a smile!

That afternoon Marc took Isa and Jimmy to a work party with a bounce house and the rest of us relaxed and played games while Emma and Rosie took a nap. That night we went to watch NU play Penn State and sadly lose.

There were a few die hard fans there but none as crazy as this Texas fan.

Happy Birthday Mom! We’ll do this again when you are 100! Gooooooooooo Wittigs!

and the cooking continues…

2011-10-09T19:52:00.001-05:00

French Bread Pizza- Let’s me just say that everyone ate it! Hooray! It was simple. I changed the recipe up just a smidge by cutting the french bread into slices instead of just in half length way because it would be easier for the kids to eat. My sister in law, Janet, has a taco bar where the kids can choose their own toppings and it makes dinner more fun and her kids and Isa love it. This is similar type thing. The kids can make their own pizza and put on their own toppings and then you bake and serve. Voila!

Brown Sugar Chews- I haven’t tried them yet but the batter tasted so good that I rushed to the computer so I could write about it while inspired. I think I am making candy brownies. There are only 6 ingredients and I had all of them and as I started I thought something must not be right. There are four dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, sugar and walnuts and then two eggs and vanilla…how does that make a wet mixture to then be baked or so I wondered. But, it does and it taste like candy. I cleaned the spoon and then had a sip of my normally super sweet chai latte and it tasted bland. Boo! I can’t wait to take these “camping” with us this weekend. I really should start packing…

Spinach Dip- I have eaten many store bought spinach dips that were gross. In fact, the only kind I really like is from Treasure Island. My in-laws have it a lot and I love it. This dip is just as good and it takes 5 seconds to make. I took this dip to Timberlee to share with other families and everyone liked it. It was mentioned several times during the talent show. Needless to say that I brought the best talent! jk

Odile’s Apple Cake- Hmmm, this cake was not so great. It all started when my brother Jonny, his wife Lisa, and her dad took Isa and Jimmy apple picking.

Even Jimmy helped!

They all had a great time and Lisa and Isa wanted to make an apple pie. I was able to persuade them to make this apple cake instead. I noticed the cake had almond extract in it and I thought about nixing it but I decided it was best to follow the recipe as is. I won’t make that mistake again. I don’t like it and although everyone ate the piece they were served, no one raved about it or asked for seconds. I threw out the remains. The picture below is Lisa working hard making the inside of the cake.

Apple Dumplings- I made some apple dumplings because I still had lots of apples to use. I thought it was really good. Jo tried it and although she didn’t say it was bad she didn’t say it was great either. Isa was not interested in it.

Mexican Lasagna-There is not much to say about this one. It’s super easy to make. Everyone ate it including the kids. It was good but it reminded me of cafeteria food. Edible and easy but I probably won’t make it again.

Butter Lettuce and Egg Salad- I loved this one. No one else had any. The recipe includes a yummy, creamy salad dressing. It’s easy and light (except for the heavy cream) :). I need to make my own dressing more often. I feel like a real chef when I do it!

Lemony Barbecued Chicken- The recipe is pretty much just a marinade. It’s easy to throw together and odds are you have everything in your kitchen already. You are supposed to marinade the chicken for two to three hours and I did it for 2 days. I finally cooked it and it was so good. The chicken was super tender and I’m guessing it’s because it marinated for two days.

Laredo Salad-this was a great, fresh salad that included another yummy dressing. I will definitely be making it again and again. Plus, if you have left-overs you can turn it into gazpacho soup.

World’s best turkey soup- Soup is soup and it’s hard to make a bad soup. The recipe includes making your own stock. It stated to fill with water until you cover the bones and veggies. I did just that but I think it was more water than the recipe really wanted. My soup was watery but still edible.

Butterhorns-These rolls were good and super easy to make. I made them as a side to the Turkey soup and it worked.

So Much Fun!

2011-10-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

There are people who can sing and there are people who can’t. I fall in the latter category. I have never liked karaoke and if I am ever forced on the stage I tend to sing with the mic a foot away from my mouth (it would be farther but I have short arms). That was until some MSG boys put together a karaoke birthday party at Lincoln Karaoke. It looks sketchy from the street but it has all the essentials: large TVs, big retro U sofa, cupcakes, bacon and alcohol. Needless to say, I had a blast. There were four microphones so you never had to sing alone and I went all out!

First, drink!

Second, warm up your dance moves!

Third, be a supportive wife.

Fourth, eat some bacon.

Fifth, get a microphone but leave one hand free for your drink.

Sixth, really think about the lyrics!

Seventh, just go all out!

Thank you everyone! I had So Much Fun!

Down Syndrome…the ins and outs of one kid with the extra chromosome.

2011-10-03T21:08:00.001-05:00

It is Down Syndrome awareness month. We, the parents, are supposed to tell you what it means and how it’s not a scary thing and how your life will not be over if your child is born with it! I know that my own knowledge of Down Syndrome was limited before Jimmy was born and the one fear I had right after learning about Jimmy was how would I control him when he’s bigger than me! Crazy, right?

I learned that people with Down Syndrome have low muscle tone and that’s why it takes them longer to learn to sit, stand, walk etc. They are also smaller than typical kids. All kids with Ds (Down syndrome), like everyone else in the world, are born with different strengths and challenges. One of Jimmy’s biggest challenges was and still is his low tone. He was low compared to many kids with Ds. His low tone has affected his ability to drink, talk, sit, stand, walk etc. The hardest thing about Jimmy being unable to do those things was having no idea when he would be able to do those things.

Here is a list of Jimmy’s accomplishments along with his age (just FYI Jimmy has friends with Ds that accomplished many of these things at a much younger age).

Jimmy holding his head up – 3 months

Jimmy rolling over – 8 months

Jimmy sitting with a little support – 12 months

Jimmy putting himself in the sitting position – 16 months

Jimmy pulling up to a standing position – 22 months

Standing up by himself – 27 months

Walking – 3 years and 2 1/2 months (but who’s counting?!)

Some other random facts: Kids with Ds tend to have one teeth abnormality that range from their teeth being shorter, getting them when they are older (Jimmy got his first tooth when he was 18 months old), and/or being sharper (when Jimmy bites his tongue, he makes it bleed).

Approximately 33% of kids with Ds have a thyroid dysfunction. Jimmy is one of those and he takes a pill every morning to regulate that and has to have his blood checked twice a year to make sure the dose of Synthroid is working.

Between 38-90% of kids with Ds have hearing issues. Fortunately, with aggressive treatment and regular checkups 98% have normal hearing levels. Jimmy has hearing issues but with tubes and antibiotics (only when he has an infection) he is doing great.

Approximately 100% of the kids with Ds are special and touch the heart and soul of everyone they meet.

As a parent of Jimmy, I am happier because of him, I love more because of him, I accept myself more because of him, I smile more because of him, I relax more because of him, I feel joy more because of him, and I am excited and thankful to watch him grow and touch the lives of everyone he will ever know.

Jimmy isn’t scary. He’s cute and sweet and loves to watch Signing Time and to dance, dance, dance!

An Amazing Week!

2011-09-30T09:35:00.001-05:00

Some weeks in your life stand out and this is definitely one of those weeks. Why, you ask. Let me make a list!

1. Basement play room- painted

2. Bathroom-old grout and caulk removed and replaced

3. Slept in every morning

4. Went out to Nuevo Depot Restaurant

5. Laundry- magically done

How? That ‘s the real question and the answer is Bebe Leigh! I call her mom most of the time but I call her Bebe Leigh a lot and I think she likes it. The Bebes (another nick name) played with Rosie and Jimmy from 5-7am every morning. Who does that? She must be a saint. Next up, as soon as the kids were in school or napping she was painting or cleaning or removing grout. Every time I got tired and sat down and took a break, I noticed that the Bebester (should be her license plate) just picked up her pace. She is the best! My bathroom has annoyed me since we moved in with that black color under the caulk. Now it’s gone! The basement looks so much bigger and prettier and cleaner now. The best part is that she came on Monday and it’s only Thursday so we still have a few days to just have fun.

Thank you MOM!

and

6. Jimmy was given my nephew’s old (look brand new) snow suit, fleeces, sweaters etc. Tons of money saved! Thank you Janet and Kit and Al (mostly for being bigger than Jimmy so that he can get your old stuff and for not staining or ripping your clothes)!

7. New clothing labels. I just bought some really cool labels that you stick on your kids clothes. The site is www.mabel.ca They were on the clothes I got from Janet and they are seriously genius. I can never write Harrison small enough on the labels and so I end up writing HAR on the clothes. No bueno. I can’t wait to get them.

8. Next week is birthday week for Marc and then next up, ME! Cheers!

Rosie Update!

2011-09-19T20:25:00.001-05:00

Rosie is such a stinker! She has been climbing on top of everything.

Photo Evidence numero uno.

Not so bad, heh? Check out photo numero dos.

She climbed onto that box all by herself. She’s such a stinker because she does not know how to get down safely. Sometimes she does but more times she doesn’t.

She has taken 5 steps on two different occasions. Her first steps were witnessed by Marc and myself at the same exact time. It was last Friday or Saturday. She did it again today.

Lastly and most importantly, she got her first tooth! She’s almost 13 months old and she just got her first tooth. It’s on the bottom. I’m so glad she has teeth. Dentures would not be fun.

Timberlee 2011

2011-09-12T20:52:00.001-05:00

We had a great weekend in Wisconsin with all the folks below and the one thing we have in common is we all love someone with Down syndrome.

I love going and hope we go to stuff like this in the future because it’s just so nice to do fun stuff with the family. When we are home there is just too many things we could be doing or should be doing or whatever and when we are out we can just have fun. We had some rough nights with Rosie but I think the nights will get better as the kids get older. Fingers crossed.

What did we do? We watched Jimmy do a duet with Laura.

and play jump rope.

Rosie looked cute.

These kids are not shy. Encore!

Jordan (if he had a basketball, a hoop, and Nikes)…or better yet “Just JACK (from Will and Grace)!”

Blue eye girl!

I think we can safely say Jimmy is a walker. He walked so much all by himself and even more with a hand holding onto him. He walks slow and mostly steady! It’s so awesome.

The hayride was awesome for Isa and her bff over the weekend, Tabitha.

Jimmy loved the hayride too. He just looked out at all the trees, grass, corn, soybeans, barns etc. It was cool to watch him take it all in.

Rosie did not have fun. She squealed and squirmed pretty much the whole time. Marc and I just passed her back and forth. Good times for us! Look at that face of joy and imagine the sound of a dragon accompanying it!

We watched Isa scale the rock wall. Her goal was to climb up ten rocks and I think she accomplished that goal.

Marc watched Isa ride a horse.

Whoa horsey!

We roasted marshmallows…Isa is a pro.

Isa and Tabitha chased Julian around (he was an older boy) in the dark. Thank goodness for the glow in the dark necklace or I would have lost her.

These two girls had so much fun together. I think this is their second smore.

The best part of the weekend for me was the talent show. Isa and Tabitha had three acts. First act, swing a jump rope around so super duper fast. They practiced so much. It was HILARIOUS! When they were on stage they asked us not to laugh but it was just so cute you couldn’t help it.

Here the girls are “backstage” preparing to be introduced!

They did a ballet routine. Check out the anguish in Isa’s face.

and here too. I almost cried with laughter.

It was a joy to watch these two perform. Below are the links to the jump rope and twinkle little star act. In my opinion they were the stars of the night.

Marc wanted me to take more photos of Jimmy going to and from school. Here are a few. The first is Jimmy walking down the hall with his teacher to his class.

Here Jimmy is getting off the bus.

He just walks inside! It’s so glorious!

Then he smiles like the cutie man he is and I am forced to take lots of pictures!

And, just because I feel she kind of got left out of this post, here is a cute one of Rosie. She climbs into and out of everything. She tries to walk but her legs give out. She tries though with no fear. I fold the clothes and she throws them out. We make a great team!

He just grew up!

2011-09-06T10:01:00.001-05:00

Wow, Jimmy’s a big boy. He got a fresh haircut, some new bigger clothes, and some legs that are meant for walking to school!

If only I could have taken a picture of us walking into the school building. He held my hand and we slowly went in. He’s going to be a walker PHO REELS! The picture above is Jimmy with his teacher and his music shaker. We listened to the top 40 on the way to school. He was shaking it. He just wants to be ready to rock out at moment’s notice. :)

Labor day weekend was the weekend of Jimmy standing on his two legs above and beyond any other three days that we have seen him in his whole three year old life.

Check him out playing soccer!

He can’t actually kick the ball while standing up by himself but daddy can help him do that!

He’s taking a breather.

He is also dancing standing up. He will beat his arms and shake his head like a crazy dancing fool! It’s fantastic.

Yes, it’s my first day of school! I can’t wait. He signed school all morning.

I love this picture. Jimmy’s expression cracks me up.

I love these two kids. What will Rosie and I do without them? BLOG!

Yay!

Marc’s a coach

2011-09-03T20:45:00.001-05:00

Marc is coach of the Blue Birds. He does a great job and the girls have improved so much from last week to this week. After the first game (and seeing the girls get beat…even though no one is keeping score) he started two a days. Ha! Just kidding. But, wouldn’t that be ~~crazy~~ funny? They play great defense. Isa scored a goal and has prevented a few goals on the other team. It’s so fun to watch.

Look at him encouraging her. “Yes, you can wear pink shorts, you look fabulous!”

Working on passing.

This is a ball.

Jumping Jacks! There is nothing cuter than five year old girls doing jumping jacks.

Yea, I played awesomely!

It’s hard to see but Isa is trying to cut off this girl. She was such a great defensive player.

Rosie’s Store! Visa or MasterCard?

I bought it!

Soccer is the best!

Busy in the kitchen…

2011-09-03T20:24:00.001-05:00

First off, the iced lemon soup was no bueno. Since then, I have made Green Chili Pasta, Green Beans al Pesto, Baked Halibut in Sour Cream, and West Haven Cake.

The Green Chili Pasta was good and easy. The hardest step was making the bacon, draining the bacon juice and then measure a 1/4 of the cup to put back in the pan to sauté all the other ingredients. Besides the first step, you pretty much just open a bunch of cans and throw it in. Next time I will make it with a spicier pepper.

Green Beans al Pesto was also good. The kids did not like the pesto so I rinsed it off and gave the kids plain green beans. It calls for 2-3 lemons. I think when in this situation in the future I will always put in the smaller amount. I tend to over-lemon.

Baked Halibut was good and expensive. I ordered the halibut without looking at the price…I won’t make that mistake again. The recipe was super easy and could be done with a cheaper white fish and would probably taste about the same. I think I over cooked it just a tad. The kids ate it up though.

Westhaven Cake might be the best thing ever. It looks absolutely amazing. It’s made with dates, which made me a little less excited about it, but it was delicious! I left it at my in-laws but I’m pretty sure it’s all gone now. It was 92% gone when I left. I had two big pieces. Yummy. The dates sit in boiled water till it cools and then you puree it before you put it in the cake mix. It ends up being a form of sugar. You put chocolate chips and nuts on the top of the cake and sprinkle it with powdered sugar once it comes out of the oven. It was so good. Marc has requested it for his birthday. Thank God because I really want to make it again!

And there’s more food being made! I have had bruised feet for the last week with all this standing on hardwood floors for hours at a time. I’m not meant to be a chef.

After School Smoothie was a yummy success for me and Jimmy. Isa didn’t like it for some reason. It had all her favorite fruit in there. Who knows!

Gazpacho soup was so good. It felt so healthy, and it had a little kick to it. The kids didn’t like it too much because of the kick, but I thought it was fabulous and I will eat it all up. Now I can say I like one cold soup!

Crawfish boil. Marc and I made the crawfish together and it was fun to see the live critters swim in our sink. Marc asked Isa if she wanted to eat one and she said she did—that kid will try almost anything. Isa thought they were cool and tasty. We made a tarter sauce and an orange sauce for dipping. It was easy peasy and fun.

Here’s a video of Isa eating some crawfish. Jimmy is down on the floor somewhere making a toy sing him ‘Old MacDonald’ over and over, but just ignore that part (also ignore Rosie making sounds like a baby dragon… her favorite thing to do):

Creole Zucchini – I loved this dish and so did Marc. It was basically butter plus flour plus a can of stewed tomatoes and some spices. I might try baking it for a shorter time next go around since Marc hates mushy zucchini. They weren’t mushy to me. It was a super easy recipe and tasty.

Finally, I made some fried apples. The apples were fried in butter and sugar with a touch of vinegar. Yummo. Yes, I stole that from Rachael Ray.

I have a long way to go before making ALL the recipes in this book but it’s gonna happen.

Isa’s first day of Kindergarten!

2011-08-29T19:46:00.001-05:00

She had a great day. She has been asking since school ended last year when Kindergarten started. I guess that means she likes school. She told me very little about her day but luckily she had a play date with a friend after school, and I heard a lot about her day from her friend’s mom. They saw the other kinder class, went to the principal’s office, went to the play ground and had a good time.

She loves her jumper and loves that it twirls.

When can we go? When can we go? I’m so excited!

We are proud parents!

At school!

Isa’s preschool classroom was down the steps just inside the front door of the school. Now, she needs to walk up the steps to get to her kindergarten classroom. As we walked up the steps with her, Marc pointed this out and she said “yes, up the steps, I went this way before when I was bad at my old class.” The principal’s office is also up the steps.

Rosie is a one year old!

2011-08-26T20:15:00.001-05:00

Rosie is so old! Her first birthday came quick. It’s so amazing to have her around and to not be a baby anymore even though she looks like one. She’s so tiny. Rosie’s favorite things to do are playing with my phone, playing with the remote (you would think she found gold), ~~eating~~ I mean shredding paper, and finding the tightest spots to crawl through, above, below…all of the above and then scream like a dragon if she gets stuck. She hates it when you put her down. The key to putting her down is to put my phone, the remote, and paper on the floor and then she will dive to the floor. Rosie has signed a few words like more, eat, hurray, and she will clap and stomp her feet when she hears If you are happy and you know it. She loves to use Jimmy as something to crawl on. Jimmy has no idea what to do when she does that. I think her favorite person is Jimmy. They talk to each other in their babble and shake their heads together. The both smile so widely when they see each other.

For her first birthday we had a JeanieB dance party. It was lots of fun.

Rosie’s grandparents are the best and let us use their house. Thank goodness because it rained the entire time and the party had to be indoors.

Rosie’s partying with her almost one year old cousin!

I think she had fun.

Bubbles!

Isa insisted we buy a 1 candle. I made this cake and if you look at it up close you would see the worst frosting job EVER! The cake actually broke in half when I flipped it and the frosting was crumbilicious!

Rosie LOVED it when everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Her legs were swinging wildly!

Party Favors!

She had her one year appointment and her length was 26 3/4 (3%) and her weight was 13# 14 ounces (not on the chart). The doc was a little concerned (he actually went back and fourth trying to decide, do we do blood work or not) and in the end he decided to do blood work just in case. She’s developing normally and hitting all the milestones that she should be hitting , YAY.

Rosie’s weight and length compared to Jimmy and Isa…

               Rosie      Jimmy       Isa

weight 13.14       13.10       17.12

length 26 3/4    27 1/4    29 1/4

Rosie loving her dad! We went to Pickles on her actual birthday for some fun.

She loved this ultra tiny slide!

We love you Rosie!

The Overlake School Cookbook

2011-08-25T19:50:00.001-05:00

So far I have made two recipes. I made the banana bread and the iced lemon soup. The banana bread was great, even Marc liked it and he’s not a huge fan. I have yet to try the iced lemon soup because it needs to chill for 8 hours so it will be ready late tonight. I’m not too excited about it. Cold soup is not something I’m drawn towards. Plus, there is cream in this soup. I LOVE cream but not cold…actually that’s kind of a lie but not in cold soup and with lemon juice…it just seems gross. I hope that I am proven wrong tomorrow and that it taste yummy. Thankfully there are only two cold soups in this cook book. By the way, I’m just picking a couple of recipes at random to do in a week. I want to start off strong and do a lot but I will probably slow down soon. Yay for fall though and cooking weather.

I learned something pretty cool while making the banana bread. It all started with my failed grocery store run. I ALWAYS forget one or two or three things. Sometimes I remember that I have forgotten something right before I am checking out but am too lazy to go get it. This time I just plain forgot to buy the buttermilk. Marc and I have a pancake recipe that we love and it calls for buttermilk and usually when in this situation I just add a little butter to the recipe. Today I learned that isn’t the best way to go! I googled butte and buttermilk substitute came up before I even finished typing the word. I chose to get my information from Joy the Baker. She states that buttermilk is slightly soured milk (that might be a direct quote…if you check me and it is, let me know and I will add quotes!). One way to make a substitute is by combining a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice and let that sit for two minutes. I did it! It was a fun experiment and I could see lumps in the milk. I added that to my banana bread and it was fantastic!

Proof!

Fingers crossed for a yummy cold soup?! If it’s not so yummy, I will heat it up and see how it taste hot.

Cooking…

2011-08-21T12:03:00.001-05:00

The most amazing thing I have learned semi-recently is how to prolong the life of celery. Marc went out to visit his grandma before she passed away and he learned from his grandparents that if you tightly wrap up the celery and put it in the fridge it will stay good for a long time. I can’t even remember when I packed the celery that was in my fridge, maybe a month ago, and it’s still good. I’m snacking on some right now. Can you hear the crunching?

I just made a pot of tomato sauce. It’s a favorite in our household. I got the recipe from the crockpot that Marc bought me for Christmas or for my birthday. I always add in extra vegetables and bone in chicken to make it full of vitamins and protein. I forgot to tell Marc to buy chicken so I didn’t add that today but it will still be great. I like this kind of cooking because it’s so hard to mess it up. You throw a ton of stuff in a pan, transfer it to the crockpot, and then 4-8 hours later you have a yummy sauce. After it cools I divide the sauce into plastic containers and put it in the freezer. Once or twice a week I take one out to defrost and then serve it. It’s my go to when we get home right before dinner and everyone is hungry. If I am really on top of it, I will have a pot of water waiting to turn on- on top of the stove.

I don’t have a wide range of things that I cook so I have been thinking about changing that. My mother in law bought all of her kids The Overlake School Cookbook. It has so many great recipes in it and my goal is to make every single thing in it. I will start after Rosie’s birthday . There are 139 pages and about one recipe per page.

http://www.amazon.com/Overlake-School-Cookbook-Staff/dp/0962241261

Yes, I am totally copying Julie Powell. I will try and mention my favorites on this blog but this will not turn into a cooking blog or anything like that! I have no hopes of writing my own book and then having that book become a movie. Just letting you know.

I am just a beginner cook that really needs to expand her horizons. Join me in this challenge! It will be fun.

Marc is home!

2011-08-18T15:00:00.001-05:00

It’s been nearly a week that Marc has been off work. It’s fantastic to have him home. We have been eating out a lot as if we were on vacation and going to Logan Blvd, beach, pool, park and grandma and papa’s house and having visitors. We even got some family photos taken. Marc thinks he looks awful and weird in all of them but I think he looks great.

a few of the kids.

I can’t believe she will be one next week.

On Marc’s first day off we went to visit our nieces and nephew. Rosie was sure glad that Daddy was there so she could eat his nose.

Jims had a great time on their mini trampoline.

The minis talked meat and vegetables and later they practiced walking together with Isla’s walker. It was super cute.

Yay for Berenice and Henry joining us at the beach!

Fun in the Sun!

This time the kids played in the baby pool for about 10 minutes but at least I was able to take some cute photos of them.

and we still have a week of Daddy time left. Hurray!

Aunts and Uncles Galore!

2011-08-07T19:48:00.001-05:00

This morning we were up at our usual 6am time and today there was a little surprise in Jimmy and Isa’s room…and it starts with the letter P. Marc cleaned up Jimmy, and I started on the floor. After an hour of cleaning, I went back to bed and slept till 9. I was exhausted because I was out late dancing my body off at Mandy and Greg’s wedding. It was tons of fun and the entire Harrison family was out on the dance floor. By the end of the night my knees felt like they were broken and my body ached. It was worth the pain and was a fantastic dance party!

This was the only photo I took at the wedding but they did have a cool photo booth (but I don’t have a scanner to scan those pics). Marc and his brothers and sisters.

After my morning nap I continued to clean the floor and toys etc. and Marc went to the store and rented one of those carpet steamers and then steamed the kids’ room. The carpet is now so fresh and so clean clean!

Jonny and Lisa stopped by to hang out and we went to Sculpture Park on McCormick Blvd. This was our party when we started. Isa only rode her bike for 100 yards and then decided to ride in the stroller. Marc took the bike back to the car. It was a good move because we walked for a long time. Actually, it was too far to walk back again, so I told Marc to run back and get the car and he did. He was also very tired from dancing the night before, but he does what the Dad needs to do.

Lisa pushed the stroller the whole way. It was Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

Gandhi

Rosie slept most of the time.

Lisa got stung by a bee on her finger. Boo!

Isa spotted this Weeping Willow tree and insisted we go…she thought it was like a living room underneath.

oh wait, there’s another Weeping Willow tree!

a cool pic of Jims!

Snack Time!

Goofy Isa

Most of the sculptures we saw on our walk.

Then Aunt Ellie, Uncle Randy and Aunt Tessa stopped by! Hooray!

Jimmy rubbed his fingers on Randy’s stubbly chin while Randy read him the book. It was so cute.

Girl shot! I don’t know what’s with Isa’s expression. I think it was perfect a half of a second before.

Cutie Rosie!

Ellie and Randy played baseball with Isa. Isa was on a roll and that meant going into our neighbor’s yard several times to find her ball. Ellie was a fantastic pitcher.

Jims (behind Jimmy Isa is about to go over the fence to get her ball).

A perfect pitch!

Jonny and Lisa made us a wonderful dinner and now all the kids are in bed. Yay! It was great to have so many visitors because I needed some help to get through this day. Buenas Noches!

From Children’s Memorial to Vegas

2011-07-31T20:57:00.001-05:00

My awesome Mom flew in two Fridays ago to help out with this crazy week. And, on her second night, my mom and Isa had a sleep over with my brother and sister in law. That moved Jonny and Lisa up on Marc’s and my favorite people list! We love Isa but she has so much energy and that little break was rejuvenating.

Last Monday, my mom watched the two girls while I took Jimmy to the hospital. He had three procedures done and all went well. One of the procedures was an ABR hearing test and his right ear hears perfectly. Yay! No hearing aids. His left still has mild to moderate hearing loss but it’s not an issue if he hears well with his right ear. Jimmy was amazing the entire day. His procedures were scheduled to start at 1:30pm and they didn’t take him back till 2:15pm-ish. He was in a great mood considering he didn’t eat all day.

Can you imagine being this happy on an empty stomach?

After the procedure he was miserable. Every time I get called back after a procedure Jimmy is miserable. He cries and thrashes for 30 minutes to an hour and then he falls asleep. Poor guy.

This one was taken right before he passed out. He can’t believe I allowed the doctors to drug him and mess with his cute self.

The next morning Jimmy slept a lot. This might be my favorite shot of Jimmy and Marc. Can he fit in there any better?

Isa, my fashionista, making her own clothes.

Rosie figured out how to use the walker.

Oh and I went to Vegas!

It was my first time and I went with some of my best friends in the whole wide world. I learned a few things while I was there. First, that I’m the least fashionable of all my friends. Second, that I cannot party like they can. Third, that Vegas is out of control. It’s hard to get it if you have never been but it’s a party and there is a way to party every second of the day and if you are friends with my friends you are expected to rally and hang and keep up. I totally failed in that respect but loved all the parts that I witnessed (I did sneak off a few times to get some sleep).

This is us before going to a club.

At dinner.

Angel and I!

Right outside the limo!

This is what a day club looks like. Insane.

Katie and Meg (bride to be) !

I just told a hilarious joke. I can’t seem to remember it now.

Sarah and I!

Pam and Angel!

Yes, I’m a head and a half shorter than all my friends. :(

Thanks to Sarah and Kim I was properly dressed and accessorized to head out on the town.

Good times!

A few hours after the picture above was taken I went to the airport and flew home. I don’t know what I‘m doing with my hand. I was trying to be cool or something. Marc picked me up at 7am and I got to see my wonderful family and mom. Rosie looked at me and I swear her thoughts were oh, you are back, yay! I’m glad she was fine without me.

My Aunt Victoria requested lots of photos with my mom and I failed. Big time. But, my mom did send me two photos while I was away of a hairdo that Isa did. I’m guessing Isa took the photo too.

Now I need to catch up on some sleep.

A few more photos from friends.

This was taken the first night we arrived.

in the elevator

at the day club. I actually laughed on the second day when I saw the sign for the day club…little did I know that I was going there.

group shot in the limo

Blog Takeover 2!

2011-07-28T23:40:00.001-05:00

I don’t think I’ll come up with anything exciting enough to merit my headline, but Christi is in Las Vegas with the girls (pictured), so I decided to do some blogging on the former TKAHAMCH.

Anyway, on to stories about the kids… When I came home this evening, I asked Isa what she did today. She scrunched up her forehead and thought hard, “well, I had Ovaltine this morning and then later I had ice cream and then after another time [sic] I had ice cream again. And I had ice cream in the afternoon and at the night time. And look Daddy! We got you a ‘go cubs’ cookie!”

“You had ice cream four times?” I asked.

“Well, three or four or two times, but three times at least. I can’t remember things very well…like if someone says something to me, I just forget it right after.” Giggles until she falls on the floor. Will she always be this honest?

Later, I put her to work.

Headbands!

Jimmy climbed out of bed at least 12 times tonight. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do it and was quieter and quieter each time. Sneaky little guy. He had early training as a ninja:

What to listen to when your wife goes away to Las Vegas (runs out on the kids..etc.)?

CHRISTI!:

Time Flies…

2011-07-17T22:19:00.001-05:00

Summer has been fun and busy and crazy. We are always doing something and it feels like a big deal even if we are just playing in the back yard. Both Rosie and Jimmy love to climb the steps and give me heart attacks. Every Wednesday we have been going to Dancin Sprouts, a concert/picnic, at the Botanic Gardens. It’s my favorite thing to do. And, if weather and babysitter permits, I take two instead of three kids to the pool. It feels so easy when you are down a kid. I even get in and play and have fun. And, speaking of pool time, Isa swims! She puts her head in the water and moves her arms and kicks her feet. It seemed like an impossible feat but she can do it! Woo hoo!

We lost power for three days. It was pretty easy to endure actually. The first day without power we ran into one of mine and Isa’s favorite people (Liz, Eloise, and Harriet) twice and had lunch and dinner with them. We talked about how there was no way we could have planned it. The second and third day we had cooler temperatures so it wasn’t bad hanging out at home and we were able to sleep well with the cool breeze. I did clean out my fridge and freezer. It was long overdue. I think there were 7 half eaten salsas and 3 ranch dressings. It is so bare right now with just a few condiments and bare essentials.

Since before my brother’s wedding and Camp Harrison I have put off reading my favorite thing ever, The Barset Series by Anthony Trollope. It’s amazing and I’m on the last, 6th book. He’s an incredible writer and I strongly encourage anyone that likes Jane Austin to pick it up. I think he’s my favorite author. EVER! If you have a kindle or a kindle app you can get the books for free. The first book is called The Warden.

I haven’t taken a lot of photos lately since my hands are always full but even with that I had 170 to choose from!

At Dancin sprouts!

Spoons! You buy fancy toys but all they really want is your phone and spoons!

We had a play date with Katie, Jack and Evan. Isa called Jack, Bobby, the whole time because we saw Bobby earlier that week at Ravinia. Jimmy, Jack and Bobby all have Down Syndrome and I think Isa is starting to recognize it. She asked me when Jimmy’s fingers were going to grow and was sad to learn that they would always be shorter. She doesn’t want Jimmy to be different.

This park was awesome. It’s in Glenview and almost halfway between us and we were the only ones there.

This is how Jimmy goes down all the slides now. This slide really hurts if you are an adult. Don’t do it!

Jack prefers to sit.

“I spit in your face (spoken in an English accent in my head!).”

Heeeeeeeelp!

Mom! We’re talking here. Jeez!

group photo!

I made the Jimmy banner and one for Rosie too. Isa’s I bought a long time ago at Land of Nod. They still sell them.

Here we are eating out at Prairie Joe’s for breakfast since we have no food or power.

Isn’t this awesome!?!

This kiddie pool was heaven. All three kids played happily for nearly an hour while I sat next to them and read my book on my phone. It was a great hour.

Later, while Jimmy and Rosie were napping, I had to play my least favorite game ever. It’s a game that we got in a happy meal or a cereal box and you have to find something. That’s it. You look for stuff. Ughh!

We found most of them fairly quickly but this one took us forever. Luckily I found it so the card went in my pile. Yippee. Yes, I play competitively with my five year old daughter!

My Mawmaw and Pawpaw sent us some fun new shirts from a VBS they worked at and some stickers! Yay for fun mail!

You have to keep an eye on that Rosie Rose!

By the way she did not get hurt while taking the picture.

Jonny and Lisa came over to watch the Women’s World Cup final. It was a fun game to watch even though they lost.

group hug!

bed time!

Now back to my book!

Mostly Smiles!

2011-07-05T19:42:00.001-05:00

Today was just another day. There were some good things that happen and some not so good things. Today started out slowly as we were all tired from the weekend. I took Isa and Jimmy to camp, and while they were there I walked from one end of the house to the other putting things in their proper place. After lunch I put Jimmy down for a nap which he did not take and then we went to get an oil change. The Chrysler dealership gives away Homer’s ice cream which is awesome and they have a great play room for the kids so it was fun. While we were in the play room Isa wanted to play make believe and it started out because there was a pretend double stroller with only one baby in it.

Isa: She’s pretending to the call the police (that’s me): I lost my baby.

Me police: that’s not good, you could go to jail.

Isa: well someone came in and stole her while I was sleeping and I did not know so it’s not my fault. (she went on..something about a window being unlocked)

Me: oh, ok, what does she look like?

Isa: well I haven’t seen her in a long time but she looks pink.

Me: what color hair and eyes does she have.

Isa: I don’t know. Maybe brown like me because I am her mother but I haven’t seen her in a long time.

Me: hmmm, how old is she?

Isa: 4. oh wait, I think I found her. wait, it’s a boy. I forgot (she found a random stuffed boy that was too big for the stroller but good enough for the game!).

I wonder if she overheard someone talking about the Casey Anthony Trial. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Jimmy and Rosie also did some clapping together. That is Rosie’s newest accomplishment. She claps and she looks around for anyone that will clap with her. Jimmy is the best because he will do it every time.

After getting the oil changed we went to KidSnips and got Jimmy’s haircut. He has a very bad record of screaming and crying bloody murder while having a haircut. There was one time when he didn’t and this time was the second time. I sang to him the entire time and she used scissors and not the clippers which helped. The lady that cut Jimmy’s hair told me that she was near tears because it was so sweet that I sang to him. The one other time that Jimmy didn’t cry while getting his hair cut the lady actually did tear up. I ‘m talented in that way! Isa strolled Rosie around the store while Jimmy was getting a hair cut. She was the best! Afterwards, I let them both get a lollipop. Jimmy barely made it home awake but he did and he looked a little like this after eating his blue lollipop. Please note there is blue on his legs, forehead, car seat…everywhere!

After I screamed, Jimmy, he woke up and then I turned on signing time and had it super loud. That kept him up till dinner.

While I was getting Isa out of the car, I was exclaiming how wonderful she was at Kidsnips and how much I appreciated her help and going on and on and then I stopped. Why did I stop? Because I saw red crayon drawn on our car. It was like she drew as hard as she could in a 3in circumference circle just because she could. I told her she could not leave the car till she cleaned it. Of course, she does not have the muscle strength to clean it so I cleaned it but I made sure she stayed there till I was finished.

Moving on…dinner was an odd success and bath time came right after. Rosie was already out and Jimmy was the only one left. He was playing in the tub while I finished cleaning up the kitchen. Our bathroom is right off the kitchen. I saw something brown on the bathroom floor but didn’t think much of it and then Rosie went into the bathroom so I went to get her out so she didn’t get wet and then realized Jimmy pooped in the bathtub. Yay!

The kids are in bed nice and early and even with the poop and the crayon our day was pretty great. Sigh!

Jimmy Jims is Three!

2011-07-01T21:03:00.001-05:00

Well he’s been three for a week and a half but who’s counting. What is his latest and scariest achievement to date?

I’m not sure what’s more scary; the fact that he is about to throw my phone and break it or the fact that he doesn’t know how to get down. Nothing is off limits and that makes me seriously nervous. He stands on the chairs you see in the picture above and leans over. He really wants to knock the chair and himself down and lose a few teeth. He also likes to climb up stairs…any set of stairs, no matter, and then sit with his back to the stairs and then completely forget that they are there and back up. My heart can only take so much.

His walking hasn’t improved much. He can take 5 to 6 steps at a time but it has been awhile since I have seen that happen. He prefers to climb.

One of the more annoying habits he has started is to eat a bite of something and then throw the rest of it on the floor. He used to be a pretty good eater and now he is a crazy guy that just eats one bite of something. That includes small things like grapes. Just one bite. Errr! The mess is fun, not really, but I have no idea what to do about it.

He is talking a lot more. After Jimmy’s last day of preschool I bought two of the books they read a lot in his class. One book is called Pete the Cat, I love my white shoes. He loves that book and he can sign the entire book without the book being read to him or spoken to him. I will just see him going through the signs of the whole book. Pretty cute. He also really likes, Little White Duck (no new copies so you have to buy a used one if you want it). I haven’t signed much with that book because you pretty much sing it and it goes too fast to sign at the same time.

Jimmy had his three year well visit today, and he is just shy of three feet tall and 24 pounds. Woo hoo! He’s in the 75% for height and 10-25% for weight (on the Down Syndrome chart). He’s a skinny man.

He will get the neck x-ray soon to screen for atlanotaxial instability and later this month he will go under to do another ABR hearing test and make sure his tubes are still in good shape.

He’s a happy man and LOVES to watch So You Think You Can Dance! Here he is watching with Isa and I.

Can he be more excited? Put your hands up!

I can’t wait to put him in a dancing class. That will happen the second he is walking for real!

Jimmy and Rosie are best friends. I think Isa is a little jealous..jk. Jimmy gives Rosie bites of his food all the time, and he makes her laugh out loud and hard. Rosie is like a heat seeking missile, crawling right towards Jimmy whenever she sees him. Pretty cute stuff.

Jimmy thinks that Daddy is the coolest person ever. When Marc comes home in the evening, Jimmy gets really excited and bangs his forehead with the Daddy sign and shouts “daa deee!” It’s one of his best words.

Jimmy is the best! I can’t believe he is three.

Camp Harrison, El Final!

2011-06-27T20:22:00.002-05:00

It was a wonderful four days. The end has come and it’s bittersweet. I’m excited to have life back to its regular routine but camp was so fun. I have been contemplating the keys to its success for 3o minutes or so and I think the success started with the t-shirts. Not so much the design or logo but just having one made it feel more official. Second, having excited participants and lots of camp counselors. Third, planning out activities and food ahead of time. Fourth, just going with the flow. We didn’t do every activity but the kids will never know and lastly, talking it up to Isa. She was so excited before it even started and excited participants equals happy parents and aunts and uncles and girlfriend and grandparents. On that note, I want to thank everyone who made Camp Harrison possible: Jo, Jeph, Janet, Kit, Tessa, Tommy, Georgia, and Marc…we made it happen and it was awesome!
Everyone but Georgia. She was the only non-Harrison but an amazing part of camp Harrison. she did a wonderful thing and sacrificed herself so that the group photo could happen. Thank You!

This picture will be framed and on my kitchen wall!

Celebrating Camp Harrison from Seattle are Ellie and Randy!

I think Georgia deserves a close-up so here it goes! Our group photo photographer and tie dye organizer and expert!

I didn’t witness it but I heard Marc and Kit had a fun time putting the tents up. It was like they were 8 and 10 again.

The kids had a great time playing in the tents!

I don’t know what Agatha is doing in this photo but I totally want to do it too!

I love this one of Tommy and Georgia looking lovingly into the tent with all the kiddos.

Because who doesn’t like an award?!

Al got the best Waterfall Man!

Jimmy got best music listener! Not pictured…Agatha got best Kite Decorator and Olivia got best Kite Flyer!

S’mores! I have to admit that I don’t remember liking s’mores but these s’mores were awesome and I totally had two. They were extra good. Please note that the dads are in the background working on the tents and the tiny kids are on the blanket enjoying life even without s’mores. Jimmy got a marshmallow at some point!

Aunt Tessa was the s’mores master!

I can’t decide which is my favorite so I will put them all!

This is what a tasty s’more looks like!

and like this too!

Rosie didn’t complain about her graham crackers!

Rosie and Isla got the cutest babies award. Rosie also got the best shredder award which is what she did to the award shortly after receiving it.

Look at that marshmallow oozing out!

The guys like s’mores too. The tents must be done!

The blanket is the coolest spot in town.

Isa got the Best tie dye shirt award!

Calico, the cat, even brought us a dead chipmunk. It’s too bad we don’t eat chipmunk. :)

There were even bean bags! I mean, really, how much fun can you jam into one night?!

Tent time! Jimmy did not camp with us as Marc had to go home to work and I didn’t think I could handle it. Jimmy does not do well outside of a confined sleeping area. When we were hanging in the tent prior to his departure he moved and grooved the entire time. Isa, Rosie, and I were asleep by 9pm or close to it. Camping isn’t the same as sleeping indoors but we made it work.

Does he look like a guy that’s going to sleep anytime soon?

This was taken seconds before Jimmy’s departure.

This was taken seconds after I “woke” up. I’m not sure I was ever fully asleep but whatever, I survived! Isa looks way better in the morning. I think this was taken at 5:45am.

What do you do on day 4 when the mamas are tired and the kids are tired and everyone is tired? Watch TV!

Later in the morning we went to A Growth Spurt which is an indoor play area in Wilmette. It was a great way to relax and let the kids do something new. I took zero photos there. Later, Isa and Olivia went to Irish Dance Camp right down the street at SFX. And, to end the camp, we all headed to my house and had a final treat. Drumsticks!

About an hour and a half later I received this email from Janet.
Last day of Camp Harrison and the kids are wiped OUT (me too!). Alistair fell asleep after about 2 minutes in the van. I woke him to walk inside the condo and this is as far as he got...poor tiny man!

Till 2012! I told Isa I hope we do it again next year and she said “ you don’t have to hope if you plan it.” I better start planning!

Camp Harrison, Beach/621, Day 3

2011-06-26T18:01:00.001-05:00

Day 3 started early this morning. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get going but low and behold it’s 5pm and I’m still rocking! 11 1/2 hours ago, Jimmy and I got up and Rosie and Isa were up shortly after. We had a nice breakfast of chocolate croissants and then we were off to the beach.

It was a beautiful morning and the kids were awesome.

a little mermaid.

Jimmy hardly ate any sand! He moved on to shoes.

Rosie is taking over and eating the sand.

I love pictures like this so there will be lots of them. Olivia and the lake.

Miss Aga, our cute fashionable beach scientist.

Teamwork!

Then we went home, took baths, ate lunch, went to Grandma’s and Papa’s house, and did tie dye. It was great.

Treasure Hunt!

They found the treasure!

We sang Happy Half Birthday to Papa Jeph.

Read books.

Played Charades!

Currently tents are being set up and a camp out will be starting soon. I hope we get some sleep! Till tomorrow!