Preschool Graduation

E graduated from preschool a couple of weeks ago. Here are some pictures from the event.



E's graduation


E and Miss Kate
And here are two pictures from either end of the year:


First Day of School


Last Day of School

And of course N needed to have his picture taken after he saw me take E's.

neighborly neighbors

I have always wanted to live in a "neighborly" neighborhood. You know, the kind that has social events like blockparties, Christmas parties, lumimnaries on Christmas Eve, etc. Our old neighborhood people pretty much kept to themselves and there wasn't much interaction.
Well, we have been so pleased with this neighborhood. The first weekend we moved in, three of our neighbors brought over a baked good and introduced themselves. Since then I have gone to a ladies Bunco night where I met about 16 of the women and had fun getting to know them. We also met a family that has children the same age and sex as ours. We have had 2 playdates with them, as well as being invited to a backyard picnic a couple of weeks ago. They are also part of the organic farm, and we will be going to pick up our shares together today.
This past Sunday was the block party. I had attended the plannning meeting and volunteered to do the face painting, as I figured that it would be a great way to meet a lot of the kids. Ed had a chance to meet some of the other men, E played with the kids, and N spent the whole time wandering around amusing himself with wagons, bikes, and watching the fire truck with great interest.



Face Painting



Fire Truck


Ring Pops


E in ambulance with her new friend, Kyra

a sweet getaway

We just returned from a family vacation/ 10th anniversary trip in Hershey. I know, not the most glamorous place to go for a 10th trip, but it actually was very nice (our actual anniversary isn't until July). We were in a large suite, complete with master bedroom/bath, kids bedroom/bath, living room, dining room, and full kitchen. N loved the chocolate trains that passed by our hotel several times a day, E loved the pools, and we loved the space.

We kind of planned our week so that we spent every other day either busy/quiet.

We visited Dutch Wonderland on Monday-- a perfect park for kids 10 and under. The rides were small which was perfect for our kids because they do not have a 'thrill seeking" bone in their bodies (wonder where they got that from?). There was also a great water section in the park with fountains, little slides, and water sprayers that were perfect for the hot afternoon hours.

Tuesday was a "quiet' day that included a tour of the "chocolate factory", a trolley tour of the town, and a disney-like 3D movie that wasn't completely appreciated by our non thrill-seeking kids. We then went back to the hotel for a swim in the afternoon. After dinner we went to Cocoa Castle, a great public playground very similar to Wall Park in Elkins Park.

On Wednesday we started out the day at Hershey Park. It opened at 10, and for the first hour or so the kids seemed to enjoy the rides, more or less. But there were crowds of school kids, it was hot and humid, and by 11:30 it was clear that they weren't enjoying themselves, and neither were we. So we decided to go back to the hotel for lunch, and naps all around. 5 hours later we returned to the park refreshed, and were happy to see almost all the buses pulling out, leaving the park relatively empty. E happily rode on all the kiddie rides, N unhappily rode with us on family rides, and Ed and I went on a couple of roller coasters. It was great being there in the evening- it was cooler, more relaxed, a much better time was had by all, and we stayed until closing. When we returned to the hotel E and Ed went for a special night time swim.

Since Thursday was a quiet day, we went to Hershey Gardens. It was beautiful, and very nice walk through the grounds. They had a great children's garden, with a butterfly house where we saw a butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalllis. It was very hot though, so we didn't stay long. We went back to the hotel for lunch, and then while N napped I took E back to the pool. She loved swimming, and made two big break throughs this week. One, she actually held her breath, put her head under water, and looked around with her goggles on (last summer we had a huge pool side break-down, freak out when this was strongly suggested). She also jumped off the side, by herself, and swam to me. Granted, she had swim bubbles on her arms, but this was something I've been trying to get her to do the past 2 summers, so it was great that she finally took the plunge. Anyway, after N woke up, we all checked out the Hershey Outlets before dinner, and then went back to Cocoa Castle.

Then today we walked through the Hershey Zoo, and went on the factory tour one more time before driving home. All in all, this week was exactly what our family needed, especially since we have had so much time apart in the last few months.

Sorry, no pictures-- we realized we forgot our camera about a half an hour down the road from our house.

once upon a time

... there was a little girl. She had long beautiful hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her mother would love to fix it in pigtails, pony tails, with barettes and bows. But as the hair grew, so would the morning trauma of brushing. They had a whole routine that involved spray bottles of water, tangle spray, brushes and combs. The little girl would cry out in pain as the comb would catch on tangles. So one day she made the decision that she wanted short hair. The mother was reluctant to cut the hair, but finally agreed. The two went off on a journey to the nearest hair salon. As they waited, the little girl sat in her mother's lap. The mother saw how much her child had grown, her long legs folded up so that she could "fit". She realized that it was time to give the girl a little freedom, to let her take part in some decision making. And so the mother released her grip, and let the girl grow up, just a little.

Wordless Wednesday

women's retreat '06

Today I returned from the Women's Retreat. I went in not expecting much, just the usual. The weather was gorgeous, a complete opposite of the rain and chill predicted. I saw the funny sides of several women I have known only casually-- karaoke really brought out the entertainers in people. I especially enjoyed the numbers performed by Miss Deeners, Aeonomore, Old Cheetah, Londonna, and the famous Maureen. I stayed with two women who have really become my friends in the past 3 years. We had great talks about the hard things in our lives driving those two hours to and from LBI. Worship Saturday night was awesome as usual, with Kim and Joyce leading. But the best, and hardest part of the weekend was seeing an old friend unexpectedly, reconnecting, and having to say goodbye again. It all made me long for heaven where we will all be one day, worshiping, laughing, having fellowship together... forever. No more good-byes.

getting some time to ourselves

Our hotel was luxury itself. Located in downtown Chicago, on Michigan Avenue, the Conrad Hilton was like no other hotel I've been in. They asked us at check in if we wanted a warm towel to refresh ourselves. I must admit I was a bit thrown off by this question-- what was I supposed to do? Wipe my face as I stood there in the lobby? I am sure my confusion and surprise showed on my face as we politely declined.

Saturday morning Ed and I met up with Andrew after breakfast. He was able to show us around downtown a little. We went to Millennium Park, which was beautiful even though the day was overcast. We could not resist taking pictures of "The Bean"

(Inside the Bean)

We then walked down to the waterfront and took in the view of the city and the Lake.

As you can see, the day was overcast and then it started to rain, so we had to change our plans to go on a 2 hour Architectural walking tour. We went on our own little tour of Marshall Fields and then to the Tribune building, and the Oppenheimer gallery of Audubon prints. Andrew did a great job giving us historical facts as we walked past buildings. We then picked Erin up and went back to their apartment.

Andrew has 6 avocado trees going from the pits of guacamole (they are pictured here with one of them). They said that they were intending them as housewarming gifts, but then got attached to them. I think I may try that with our next pit-- E will think it's fun. They also have a ton of books that Andrew has collected for himself and to sell in his used book business. After some beers, we went out for pizza. It was a lot of fun catching up with them, and seeing their place.

On Sunday morning Ed and I went to a diner for breakfast before he dropped me off at the airport. I was still pretty teary-eyed when I went up to the kiosk to check in. The man working behind the counter took note of this, and gave me a little pat on the arm and said,"Are you going to be OK?". I attempted a smile, and assured him I was fine. As I went to pick my seat for the flight, I asked him if he could tell me which of the seats would be loading first, as I only had one carry-on bag and didn't want to check it (if you board later, zone 5 or 6, there is a possibility that the overhead compartments are full and you end up having to check your bag). He looked for me, and all the seats were zone 4, 5, or 6. He then asked me to wait, and stepped into the back area. When he came back he told me to check whatever seat I wanted. When he handed me my boarding pass a minute later, I noticed it said zone 1, and started to tear up in gratefulness(as well as being a little fragile already). He said, "Just have a good flight", and he patted me on the arm and sent me on my way. I then had a chance to look at my actual seat, and it was First Class (I didn't realize at the time that zone 1 is first class). I did lose it then, and had to duck behind a sign to compose myself. So I was able to fly back in comfort as well as feeling blessed by that man's kindness to me.

But I have to say that Sunday was a very difficult day for both of us. It was extremely depressing to get on that plane knowing I was leaving behind a very sad and lonely husband. The only thing getting us through this week is the hope that it's the last one he has to be away.