Thanksgiving Weekend Festivities

We were happy to welcome Marc's brother Marty for a spontaneous visit to Chicago for Thanksgiving weekend. And Marc and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on Nov. 29!

Dylan is just "one of the boys." I actually crack up at this picture, because for some reason Dylan wanted to bring his toy CD player along for the outing. It's like he's one of those dudes who walks down the street with his boombox blaring.

 Marty and Dylan having a man-to-toddler chat.

We went to one of our very favorite places for our anniversary dinner - the Chicago Chophouse. (Then to McDonalds across the street for ice cream for dessert.)

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Marc's parents' house this year. It is always a fabulous event and scrumptious feast!

Not Shy In Front Of The Camera

D now understands the connection between taking a picture on our digital camera, and immediately seeing the picture on its screen. So we had a photo shoot one day.....

 First picture.

Then I asked him to smile. (I didn't know it was possible to have a fake smile at age 2, but apparently it is.)

Then I told him to open his mouth, but he got a little anxious and started walking to see the picture as he was "posing."

 Then I asked him to touch his nose. (Close.)

 And show his belly button.

Little Mozart

Dylan's piano lessons have officially begun! Papa (a piano teacher, along with Nana) put different colored stickers on the keys, and told Dylan which ones to touch, in order to play " Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." They've tried this a few times, but this was the first time he made it all the way through. And yes, it IS Dylan playing!

Package From Grandma

One of the items that was in it - a funny, cute, dancing Christmas tree that sings "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree."

Cheap (Cool) Date Night

Marc and I wanted to go on what we call "cheap date night," where the goal is mainly to get out, not necessarily enjoy "fine dining." We discovered a pizza-by-the-slice place in Wrigleyville that we loved, and in the meantime got in on the Wrigleyville Classic scene. It was a rare event where two college teams - Northwestern and U. of IL - got to play in Wrigley Field.  Those happened to be the two schools Marc and his brother Marty graduated from, so they had a 6-pack bet on the game. :) It was the ESPN Gameday headquarters, so there was a lot of media set up all around, to cover the game the next day. Fun to be around it all.

Elmo Surgeons

Giving Elmo new life, with some batteries.

Elevator King

....or so he thinks. Dylan continues to look forward to our trips to Target and Whole Foods, where he knows he'll get to ride the elevator for at least the first 10 minutes before starting to shop.

City Park

We recently discovered a park near my doctor's office, close to downtown. Dylan loved exploring the new territory, and Marc and I loved the view.

When's The Last Time You Laughed Like This?

[Music Playing:] "I'm A Big Kid Now"

Dylan can reach the rings at Adams Park now, and just has to lift his feet to "hang" all by himself!

Moms Group

These are the women that so greatly bless my life on Wednesday mornings - my Park Community Church Moms Group.

Potty Training Trials

After many months of occasionally trying out Elmo Potty, we decided it was time to really kick things in gear, and devoted the first weekend of November to "Potty Training Boot Camp." 72 hours, 30 Honey Bunnies, 14 videos, and 18 potty "attempts" later, we threw in the towel....for now. The kid can hold it in! We didn't even really have a chance to show him the ropes when an "opportunity" came, because there were hardly any "oportunities"! Check back in 2011 for an update on the Potty Training Diaries.

Such A "Mom"

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I feel like such a "mom" when we use this shopping cart. :) And I'm not complainin'.

Halloween Can Be A Little Scary

Our Halloween turned out a little differently than we expected. We excitedly welcomed Papa to join us (Nana was out of town) in our favorite trick-or-treating neighborhood - Lakewood-Balmoral, near Andersonville. We headed out, and 3 houses into it, Dylan threw a tantrum that landed the back of his head onto the cement sidewalk, causing a gash in the back of his head that didn't stop bleeding. We took him to the ER, and he got 3 staples in his head. :(  The little trooper that he was, he asked to go out trick-or-treating when we left the Emergency Room. 

This is at the very same time - the cutest and saddest image of Dylan I've ever seen. He actually really enjoyed the ER, and ran around checking out everything in the room.

(Note to Chicagoans: if you ever need to go to the ER - St. Joseph's on Diversey and Lakeshore Drive is always fast and efficient! We've gone there 2 other times, and have never had to wait.)

The Letter "E"

Dylan really likes - and often points out - the letter "E" these days.

Lincoln Square Business Trick-or-Treating

We went trick-or-treating in the Lincoln Square Business District, the day before Halloween.

 

On our way to the Square.

 "Just let me reach down and get that rock..."

 Here, Dylan is showing his "reflective Halloween pose."

 Dylan bumped into a "brother" from his litter!

 Trick-or-treat!

Really, Dylan didn't have much interest in the whole idea. The main thing that peaked his interest was that at the end of the strip was the toy store, and he'd get to go play with the choo-choos. Mission accomplished.

Halloween Playdate

Dylan's first opportunity to dress up in his doggie costume was for a Halloween playdate in mid-October. He was the cutest little puppy this mommy's eyes had ever seen.

On our way to the house.

Gotta include a shot of the back of the costume!

  Some of the attendees.

After snacks, and when everyone had gone to the other room to play, I realized mid-conversation with a mom, that Dylan had disappeared. I came into the kitchen to see that Mickey Mouse and the Puppy had gone back for seconds.

 Somehow these two knew they belonged together.

Illini Weekend

Our family took a trip to Champaign, IL to see some friends, and to visit Marc's alma mater, University of Illinois. (I had never been there.) Here are a few shots from our campus visit: