Moving Week/Grandma's Visit

It's hard to believe it's already been over a month since we've moved. We are LOVING Downers Grove! And are happy to report that we are nearing the end of our unpacking. (A certain little visitor due to arrive on September 27 has been a tremendous motivator!) We were so thankful to have my mom come out the week after we moved, to help with Dylan. And of course Papa and Nana have had their share of Dylan overnights. What would we do without grandparents?!

Dylan spent moving weekend with Papa and Nana. This picture is of him walking through the door of his new home, for the very first time.

Dylan - in heaven - with both Grandma AND Nana, in his new backyard.

 Watching Snow White with Grandma.

 Spectating as Daddy mows the lawn for the first time.

 Out front with Grandma.

 Plenty of boxes to play in!

 At Washington Park in Downers Grove with my mom.

 The big field at Washington Park.

 Oak Brook Shopping Center.

Roaming the aisles at Toys R Us. (Notice what he is placing on the shelf, so that he can check out the car more fully - a watering can.)

Our rental truck from Move #2. We hired movers for the move from our apartment, but we had about just as much stuff stored in Russ and Sharryn's basement that called for a second move, 5 days later!

This was Baby Girl's one and only box of belongings. :)

Final Weeks in Chicago

 Some pictures from our final weeks in the Windy City:

 At our much beloved Welles Park.

 Building blocks at Fantasy Kingdom.

 Feeding the ducks off of Wilson Avenue "water bridge."

More playtime at Fantasy Kingdom.

My dear friends in Moms Group. You are truly missed!

Tuesday's Child

Dylan is a proud graduate of Tuesday's Child, a program we enrolled him in for our final two months in the city.

Airport

Papa took Dylan to Midway airport a few weeks back, to watch the planes take off and land. He was thrilled, and, since going back two subsequent times to pick up visitors, requests to go there almost every day.

First Watch

Dylan is sporting his first ever watch. Very important to be on time for those playdates, you know.

Watering Can Obsession

Dylan's latest thing has been watering cans. He is attracted to them in books and in stores, so I finally went out and spent the big bucks (i.e. $1 at the Dollar Tree) and got one for him. It's been the best dollar we ever spent! He LOVES his watering can, and it comes many places with him - splash pads, pools, the park, Nana's house, his bed, the car. Also - you'd be surprised at how many places have watering cans. So far, we have discovered them at the Dollar Tree, Target, Toys R Us, Home Depot, and Pottery Barn. Keep your eye out, and when you see one, think of "D."

Shayna Hardy Photography

We recently had a photography session with my talented friend Shayna. She does what I like best - capture people in their natural environment. I highly recommend her to those of you who live in the Chicagoland area.  Please check out her portolio at www.shaynahardy.com. These are some of my favorites from our photo shoot in March:

3 Sort of Big Announcements

It occurs to me that I have not officially shared three exciting pieces of news that have occurred in our life recently. Here they are.....

Sorta Big Announcement #1:

 

We are moving to the suburbs! At long last, our search is over. We are moving to Downers Grove in a week! (Gulp.) These weeks have been filled with mixed emotions, as we say our good-byes, and at the same time, anticipate the next chapter in our life together.  As we look back, we clearly see God's faithfulness, as He closed certain doors and opened new ones, in regard to our housing search. Marc and I look forward to SPACE. Dylan looks forward to the GARAGE DOOR.

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Sorta Big Announcement #2:

I am pregnant! Due date: Sept. 27. We continue to be OVER- WHELMED by God's goodness to us, with this gift. As many of you know, the fertility journey has not been an easy one for us, and we were surprised with this amazing news in early January. Words cannot express my excitement, joy, and thankfulness to God and those who prayed for us.

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Sorta Big Announcement #3:

And it's a girl!!! We found out this fun (shocking) news just last week. I'm still trying to wrap my arms around this fact. I am so very used to thinking blue, so the idea of hairbows and little ruffle butts (one of my favorite things about girls - those ruffle butts they wear) is still a bit foreign to me. But very fun, nevertheless. :)

Easter

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death, to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation..." -Colossians 1:21-22

All praise to Jesus for His radical obedience to the Father and great love for us. I am in awe that, because of Him, I will one day be presented to the Father as holy and without accusation. That just blows me away. Not because of what I have done, but because of Jesus my Savior. How I love to celebrate Easter, and the reminder of what He has done for me - and His victory over death!

One of the take-aways from the sermon for me was to go out and live from the resurrected life, not from the flesh. What a wonderful, practical "charge" going forth from Easter Sunday!

We celebrated Easter at New Life Community Church, and then at Marc's Uncle Richard's house.

 On the way to church.

 Hunting for Easter eggs.

 Dylan and cousin Morgan.

 Hugs!

As always, a not-so-successful family picture. It never fails.

Kids In The Square

Lincoln Square hosted "Kids in the Square" this weekend. There were a lot of businesses involved, offering everything from face painting to teddy bear picnics.

The Davis Theater graciously provided a free movie for the kids - "Despicable Me." Dylan didn't want to sit inside the theater, for some reason, so we watched from outside for a few minutes.

 A stop at the park, along the way.

 Old Town School of Folk had a table full of instruments for the kids to play.

The plaza was packed!

Dylan's First Big Screen Movie

We took Dylan to see his first ever movie on the big screen last weekend. It was a hoot. First off - he took his popcorn VERY seriously, stuffing his little hand into the big bucket before I could even finish paying at checkout. Then, when we arrived to our seats and he sat down, the chair folded right up on him, because he's so light. We helped pin down the chair, he settled in, spread his legs and put the big bucket of popcorn between them. He then started shoveling the popcorn into his mouth - using not one, but two hands, alternating, so that he could get it into his mouth faster. 

He was by far the most vocal audience member, giving commentary throughout, and singing on one occasion. (Nothing too obnoxious, and the theater was full of other parent-kid combos like us, so we were not "those" people.)

He lasted 3/4 of the way through - longer than both Marc and I thought he would. So we all left happy campers.  

 We saw the movie Rio. (Very good, by the way.)

 Marc and D, on the way to the theater.

 There he goes!

MOPS

A few pictures from MOPS this month:

You know the skit where twenty clowns come stumbling out of a teeny, tiny car? That's what happened at MOPS one day. I went to pick Dylan up from the childcare area, and couldn't believe how many kids kept emerging from the blue tunnel! They just kept coming and coming. Dylan is to the left, about to join the mayhem.

We had a teacher from Kindermusik come to MOPS last Thursday.

Dylan's "involvement" mostly involved eating a snack, on the sidelines. I was just pleased to not be one of the many moms chasing after her kid all over the small gym. So I let him go to town on rounds 1, 2 and 3 of having a snack, since he was sitting there so nicely. :)

It's A Hard-Knock Life (Until Your Mommy Goes and Gets You Another Balloon)

Dylan had his first lesson in helium last week. He got a balloon after his haircut, and he was so happy. We were on a one-block walk to another store, and all of my comments of "hang onto the balloon, don't let go of the balloon" were made to no avail. As we were about to go into the store, Dylan turned to hand me the balloon and off it went into the sky. One second, two seconds, three seconds, "waaaah!"

Thankfully, the haircut place was gracious enough to give us another balloon. And now, it's one of Dylan's favorite stories. He asks me to tell the "haircut" story all the time now. :)

DJ Voice

Cow Store

One of our new favorite things to do is to visit the "cow store" in Lincoln Square (Gene's Sausage Shop). We refer to is as the cow store because of the large cow suspended in the air above the shop. D loves to go in because of the elevators inside, the fireplace upstairs, and the chickens roasting in the fire.

Dylan appears to be guiding Marc in making a fine selection from the deli.