Monday, July 30, 2012

Trip to T-town


We had a wonderful trip to Tremont!  One of the best parts about my job is its flexibility!  We can take off almost anytime for a fun adventure.  Violet and I stayed for 5 nights in Tremont and Bloomington and had so much fun.  The main reason for our trip was to see my mom and sister in a big local production of Hairpsray.  It was a great show and they both were amazingly wonderful!  So much fun for them both!

It was hard to be a "single parent" and by the end of our trip I was definitely ready to come home.  We ended up going to Illinois a day early because we were so excited to go...and we also left a day early because we needed to come home.  Violet was a great traveler and was adaptable as a 2-year-old can be with missing a few naps and not sleeping well in a pack 'n' play.  We'll definitely make this a more routine part of our schedule!
Helping Papa on the farm.  The two dogs are one of her favorite parts of visiting!
The best way to ride anywhere
An exciting part of vising Tremont was that Papa was home from work so we got to spend lots of time with him.  Violet LOVED learning about the farm with Papa. She also loved eating the sweet corn he made for us.
We went to the Tremont pool with Aunt Riley
Cool glasses, girl.

Playing horses with Grammy
I got to see my good friends from back in the day!  We've known each other since we were 12!
We stayed with the Grabers in Bloomington for a couple of days and Violet and Natalie really bonded.  They loved being flower girls together and they really enjoyed spending so much time with each other. 

They took us to State Farm Park and we had a great time at the pool!

The only still picture of Ben I got!  This kid is WILD!

A highlight of the trip for Violet was that Natalie rode in our car.  Natalie was asking how to spell our names and Violet was so interested in whatever Natalie was doing.  So cute!

Ashley was my date to Hairspray

My beautiful sister!

My super amazing mom!

Kissed by the stars!

My mom's wig was amazing.  So amazing I bought hair dye and am tempted to get a short swing bob with bangs for a winter look.  Thoughts?!?

V and I took a trip to the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal and had a blast.  Only in central Illinois is there a simulated cow milking exhibit next to a tractor, next to a grain exhibit, next to a compost demonstrator.

Super cool murals!


We shared a burrito and I discovered that my girl can put away some rice and beans!

She saw a map and it reminded her of daddy. 


The pinwheel is so fun

We can't go to Tremont without going to Pinky's ice cream shop!  Riley works there now and I worked there when I was in high school - it's a legacy.

The scotcharoo whirlwind, a.k.a. blizzard, was delicious.  Peanut butter, rice krispies, and cone dip mixed with ice cream, y'all!











Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tide you over

 An epic post from our time away in Tremont is coming soon.  In the meantime, we have pictures of my new swim cap and goggles to share!


Too old to train for the Olympics?
This girl wants to be a lifeguard for Halloween!  She was blowing the whistle and saying "no running!"

Monday, July 16, 2012

Magic House, part deux

 We were at the Magic House again this week for a Member's Only (ooh la la) morning.  I asked Vivi what she wanted to do first and she emphatically replied "babies!"  
Wearing scrubs and putting a pink hat on a boy baby as per the usual.


The baby needed to listen to its own heart.
Mom, what is this??

Seriously, what is this?? Of course she had to pick a donut with sprinkles!!  But she only ate a few bites and preferred the yogurt.  That's my girl!


Goggles, again.  These magnetic blocks are awesome. 

If Vi has goggles, mommy has goggles.  Safety first, people.

Grilled pizza

 I crossed an activity off my summer bucket list: make grilled pizza.  It was really stupendous, you guys.  So good!  And super fast! 


Mise en Place - the first French my girl knows
When I say it cooks fast, I mean it cooks in 90 seconds or less.  Hot hands!

YUM!

New Pool

Last week Theresa and Luca took us to their awesome neighborhood aquatic center.  They had a great lazy river and Violet and I spent lots of time on our tube just relaxing. 



These kids love each other!  Luca is only interested in blonde little girls and Violet still talks  about when Luca would sit next to her in the car.

Such a poolhead

She asked if Luca's mommy could sit right by her in the tube.  And she did!

Silly night

She loves to do "big eyes" with Daddy - all her idea and facial expression.  Silly girl!



Thursday, July 12, 2012

Magic House

 We spent a fun morning with our favorite Thursday playdate buddies Megan and big Jake.  It was a little crazy there and the amount of older kids wanting to do little kid stuff was scandalous.  But, we had a great time!


Concentrating on building
Do these goggles match my dress and necklace?

Goggles are a must-have for working with PVC pipe

Megan showed her how to touch the wires to make the light bulb turn on.  How cool!

And this is why we bring a change of clothes!

Pool time!

Daddy came with us to the pool and we finally got some pictures of our favorite summer hangout.   We are there at least 5 days a week and sometimes twice a day.  And I have to swim laps twice a week for my triathlon training and I'm still not tired of it!  We will be so sad when September comes.


Two gals lounging poolside



She jumps in from the side and will go all of the way under the water!

Love this picture!

Making pizza crust