Things You Can Do With A Xylophone

Sit on it (picture taken seconds before he straddled it.)

Turn it into a surfboard. And when you're done....

....jam it in a box that's too small.

Relay Races

Dylan invented a game. When Marc walks towards him with a walking toy, then he runs the opposite direction. This goes on back and forth, and Dylan thinks it is awesome.

Autumn Scenes

Boys Club

It just so happens to be "all boys" on Wednesdays at Moms Group. Our newest babysitter is a guy, and all the kids that go downstairs are boys. The other boys are about 4 years old, so they show Dylan the ropes.

Happy Halloween Week!

Skype

At long last, we are "doing" Skype! Nana went to Acapulco for 2 weeks, so the goal was for both of us to get up and running with Skype before then, so that she could see her grandson.

Merry Music Makers

On Saturday morning we attended a Merry Music Makers class on Southport. It was so fun! As always, Dylan was the only one who was off doing his own thing for most of the time. :) But the teacher was kind and said that he's still absorbing things - just from the sidelines. A few shots from the morning:

Listening to the French horn.

Where D spent most of his time - playing with the blinds.

At one point he just decided to lay down right in the middle of the circle.

He loved the streamers!

For the very last song, the teacher sings a quiet lullaby and lays down. Dylan totally followed, and remained in the laying-down position long after the song was over. Marc and I were like, "we have GOT to learn that song."

Special Events

Celebrating my aunt Kathy's 60th birthday on Friday.

Our small group bid farewell to a couple who is moving out of town, and said hello to the newest member of our group - Eric and Kristin's precious baby Luke.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Friday was an interesting day. We're switching realtors, so had a photo shoot scheduled for smack in the middle of the morning, which meant we couldn't go too far before or after the photo session. D needed to get out of the house though, and it was raining, so we remembered an idea my friend Traci shared - taking the kids to Target and letting them play in the toy aisle. It was the perfect 45 minute outing. Then afterwards I took D out to lunch, and for the first time he got to wear the cute raincoat he'd gotten for his 1st birthday from his cousins. :)

D in the toy aisle, playing with the Elmo microwave.

Then he decided to lay down.

Out to lunch in his rain coat, playing with his car.

Can you hear the "brmmmm" noise coming from his mouth?

One Fall Day

On Tuesday, Marc got to golf with his buddy Tom, who had won a foursome at a private club in Michigan. It was such a treat for him, and they enjoyed fabulous weather. On the same day, Dylan and I got in a free professional photography session on the lakefront. We're still waiting for the professional photos to come in, but in the meantime here are a few shots from the day....

MOPS

I have officially joined MOPS - a Christian-based group designed for moms from pregnancy to kindergarten. They bring in speakers and offer great mom tips and discussions while the kids are in childcare. We meet at New Life Community Church every other Thursday. My friends Traci and Jen had been attending and told me how great it is. This past Thursday, it was a children's item swap. I came away with some great stuff!

Showing Her The Ropes

We visited our neighbor Stacey and her baby Anna this week. Anna has a toy that Dylan owns, so he taught her a few tricks of the trade. I think a little flirting went on too, along the way.

VIDEOS

Ok, so I dove into this blogging thing 20 months ago with very little time on my hands to figure out how to actually do stuff. Like post a video. Yeah, I know - easy as pie, but I just never took time to look into it. So, now that I have that figured out, I will be sharing some of our favorite videos with you, past and present.

Some of them get a little long, so know that you can probably get the picture within 20 seconds. (Grandma and Nana will probably be the only ones who want to watch the whole thing.) Also, even I think my voice sounds annoying. So just try and get past that, and happy viewing! -Kim

Where's Dylan?

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Dylan can hum "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"! Check it out, it's my voice you hear at first, getting him going. But then it's him!

Indoor Scenes

Our babysitter Sarah brought over a puppet on Tuesday. Dylan was excited and scared at the same time.

Climbing at Bubbles Academy.

Most recent bath pics. I always think he looks like a handsome little man after a bath, with his hair combed over. :)

Outdoor Scenes

Stealing someone's tricycle.

Joining the baby mob scene playing with leaves.

Playing in the train at the brand new park in our neighborhood!

Welcome, Nathan Thomas Shanks!!

My sister Nicole and her husband Craig had their baby yesterday!!! Labor and delivery went smoothly, praise God! Nathan Thomas Shanks was born at 11:44 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. I get to fly to Seattle to meet my new nephew in a month.

Also, a shout-out to Brian and Katie Bridges, who had their son Will the day before! And congrats to Anthony and Katia with the birth of their daughter Fay. Kristin, you are next! It's raining babies around here. :)

Stuck Indoors

A rainy afternoon and evening changed our walk/park plans. Dylan was so "done" with his toys for the day, so we moved the coffee table towards the couch to create a platform for Dylan. Such a small move, but he couldn't get enough of his new walking space.

Winter Wardrobe

We resigned ourselves to the fact that Chicago is not getting an Indian summer this year, and broke out our fall/winter wardrobe this week. This is the first day D wore his winter coat. He couldn't move. Except to yawn.

Getting out a new batch of clothes for Dylan is always filled with mixed emotions for me. I love pulling out the new "wardrobe" each time, but fold up each item he's outgrown with a little pang in my heart. Sad that he longer fits in what he used to, and that he's growing up so fast.

Hobbitland

A fabulous new indoor play area opened up in Wicker Park called Hobbitland. Dylan and I checked it out on Friday. We're getting geared up with plenty of indoor activity ideas for winter!

The Boss

Bruce Springsteen played through his whole "Born to Run" album for a few select cities. Chicago was one of them, so Marc and his buddy Tom jumped on that and headed down to the concert. Marc dug out his old "Born to Run" t-shirt from years ago.

Visiting Daddy's Work

We went to look at homes in the Orland Park area last Saturday, and stopped by Town and Country's offices along the way for Marc's coworkers to meet Dylan.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

One of the things Daddy and Dylan do is "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." The puppy in the background sings it, and they do the actions along with it. Dylan loves it.