Birthday Parties & Ballerinas

Connor and Callie had a joint birthday party last weekend at Gymfinity. I wasn't sure how a group of 7 year-old boys and 3 and 4-year old girls was going to get along, but they were great. The gym had lots of fun activities set up, and everyone had a sweaty, good time.

Callie's ballet recital is rapidly approaching. We got the costume today in class. She can hardly wait!

This is what Connor made one morning last week. Can he be any cuter?

That same morning, after we took Connor to school, Callie decided to have a "leap over" with all of her stuffed animals and dolls. Apparently, to have "leap over" you bring everything out of your room, pile it onto the couch, and wear a bunny ear headband. A good time was had by all.

Callie turns 4!

Before we get to the birthday fun, here are a couple of pictures.

For some reason, I have a really hard time styling Callie's hair. I think I do a reasonably good job on my own, but I just can't seem to do anything with hers. I have a hard time with a simple ponytail. Maybe her head is a strange shape, or her hair is too fine, or something. Anyway, I finally figured out how to do a french braid from one side to the other. I was quite proud of myself.


If you aren't living in Wisconsin, you might not know that October was officially "rain every day" month. Seriously, I think we had maybe 2 or 3 days that didn't involve rain.

Jason and I got the chance to see a Badger game. They lost, but it was fun anyway.

We had a family birthday party for Callie on the day before her birthday. She was obviously quite excited about the cupcakes.

I hadn't planned on doing another cake for her real birthday the next day, but Connor "guilt-tripped" me into it. It went something like this:

What kind of cake are we having for Callie's birthday?

None. We just had cupcakes at the party yesterday.

But, it's her birthday.

I know, but we celebrated it yesterday.

But, it's her birthday.

And so on. So, I ended up getting a Halloween cake at the grocery store. She didn't care where it came from, as long as it had frosting.

For Halloween this year, Connor was spiderman (again). We thought he kind of looked like Peter Parker with his glasses on, so we went with the combination costume.

Callie was a monarch butterfly. Not just a butterfly--she was sure to include the monarch part if anyone asked.

She was very excited to go to preschool, where her teacher Debbie was also a monarch butterfly. I'm guessing that is why she chose the costume.

We stopped by Grandpa's office in Baraboo for trick or treating.

Callie tried on some glasses. She looks pretty cute!

Fall Fun

Last weekend I took the kids to an apple orchard to pick apples. Then we came home and made my Grandma's famous applesauce. Callie was the apple washer, and Connor cut them up.



We also went to a pumpkin patch with our neighbors.

We were so excited to get our first tree today! It makes such a difference to have some structure in our yard. We have another, even bigger maple coming for the front of the yard.

You know you're old when you get excited about trees. Next up--bird watching . . .

Chicago Trip

We had a great time in Chicago last week. We took Amtrak from Columbus and stayed right downtown. Our first stop was the Cheesecake Factory right underneath the Hancock building.

Our next stop was the top of the Hancock building. We went right at sunset, so we got to see everything in the light, and then in the dark.


Then we stopped at American Girl Place. Callie really wanted a Kit doll, but we told her that might be a good birthday present. Instead, we got her a mini Kit doll. She was pretty excited about it, and insisted on sleeping with it that night. By the next morning, we had forgotten all about it. We must have left it in the bed, because it was gone that night. We figured it was tangled in the sheets and got taken away with the laundry. So, on the last night we went back and bought her another one. The morning we left, we found the original one between the headboard and the wall. So, now she has twins! Of course, she thinks it turned out perfectly.

The next morning we went walking on Michigan Avenue trying to find something for breakfast. They were having a ceremony for Medal of Honor winners, and there were lots of police officers around. One was nice enough to let Connor get on his motorcycle.


Next we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry. There were all kinds of fun things for both the kids and adults to see. They had a really interesting WWII exhibit that featured the first U-boat captured by the Allies.

Callie was a very excited farmer . . .



And a very scary astronaut. Watch out martians!

This is why we were glad we brought the stroller.

After the museum, we met my brother Jason and his girlfriend Roshelle at Navy Pier. The kids did some rides and we got to see some dancing pirates. It must have been "pirate weekend" because there were pirates everywhere!

On Saturday we went to the Field Museum to see Sue.

It turns out it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which may explain all the pirates were were seeing. The kids got a kick out of making their pirate hats. They spent a lot of time decorating them to make them just right.

Callie took this picture--pretty good for a 3 year-old!




Luckily, Jason and Roshelle knew where we were going and we ended up walking from the Field Museum all the way back to our hotel, with lots of stops along the way.

Jason needed a bike to keep up with these two.

Connor proved that he inherited the Ritzenthaler jumping gene.

We had to leave around noon on Sunday, so we had just a few hours at Shedd Aquarium before he caught the train home. We all had a great time, and Connor was really sad to leave. He insisted that he wanted to move to Chicago immediately.

The Re-creation

I went to pick up Callie at preschool this afternoon. Jason called me from home, asking where the video camera was. Apparently, Connor decided he was hungry and that he would make himself a pizza. He used a tortilla and ketchup, and then cut up a piece of string cheese. Of course, he is now insisting we will all eat it for dinner.

Jason is distracting him now, while I made a new pizza with pizza sauce. His is on the right, and mine is on the left. Do you think we can pull it off? I saved his, just in case.

Being a Mom is hard work!

First Day of School

Connor had his first day of 1st grade on Tuesday.

Callie is doing afternoon preschool this year, 3 times a week. She has the same teacher as last year, her beloved Debbie. She's very excited.

So is Mommy.

Great America

Connor has been working hard on a reading program this summer. At the beginning of the summer, I promised him that we could go to Great America if he finished the program. He had a rough start, and I don't think he thought he could get through it. But, somewhere around the middle he realized he could do it. He finished a couple of weeks ago, and last Monday we took the big trip. We drove down the night before and stayed in a hotel. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack. Jason and I both got crab, which I love but it's kind of exhausing to get to the actual eating part. Anyway, I figured I needed an extra boost to make it through the meal--the fruity drink!



Connor had some kind of lemonade that included Pop Rocks.


Monday was a perfect day. It was around 70 and sunny and the park was practically empty. We didn't have to wait more than 2 minutes for any of the rides. Callie was a little disappointed that she couldn't go on some of the roller coasters, but we found the Wizzer right away and we could all go together.


We went on the Wizzer a total of 9 times. We would hop off and run around and get right back on again. Connor and Jason went on some of the more serious roller coasters together. Callie and I stuck to the kiddie rides.


Jason's highlight was the giant turkey leg. I don't really get the facination, but that was the one thing he wanted to make sure he got to do. Seriously.