Best Friends, the bond continues...

Summer 2006

Summer 2007

Summer 2008
Present Day

24 weeks

I am feeling rather well physically, surprisingly. Probably better than I had with the last 2, especially Everett. I feel as though I haven't complained much although Eddie might have a differing opinion.

Valentine's Day w/ Cinderella

Our friends, The Mittino's, invited us to the Emerald City Theater for the Cinderella production. Matt is on the board so we got special VIP access. This included learning the waltz with the stepsisters, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother after the show was over. We also got to take some cute pictures with the cast. Trinity had a wonderful time and was often the loudest in the audience whether she was laughing or commenting on how the stepsisters had pink and red hair.

learning to curtsy

After the show, and before the dancing, we ran for a potty break. Trinity then took the time to tell me that she didn't want to meet any of the boys, just the girls. Apparently she did not like the male cast. In addition, she said she did not want to meet the stepmother because she was "really cranky."

Trinity was very excited to take her first cab ride to the theater. I told her it was a special carriage coming to pick us up. Really it was a way to have Eddie meet us for lunch later with Everett and not take 2 cars.

We did lunch with the Mittino's where Everett got his first taste of a lollipop.

Daddy / Daughter Dance

Our church hosted its 1st Annual (I hope) Daddy / Daughter Dance. Trinity was so excited to go on a fancy date with her daddy, and also to dance the night away with her best friend, Emma. Emma's dad and Eddie took the girls out to a nice dinner in Bucktown before the dance...how sweet!

The highlights were: of course, hanging out with Emma for several hours; the cupcake station (apparently Trinity made and ate 3-4 cupcakes); and shaking her groove thang.

She got home after 9 o'clock and Trinity was so wired and talking so fast about her night that I could barely keep up.

Totally Cool

Spin Me Round, Round

Trinity thought Everett was a good age to teach him how to really enjoy the sit n' spin instead of just standing on the top of it as if it were a stool. With some parental supervision, he enjoyed it.

3D Baby...

...at 22 weeks. There is a looped umbical cord by its neck if you are wondering what that is. I think it is a boy since it could be Everett's twin.
As of this picture, Baby weighs 1lb., 3oz. which is about what I have gained thus far. HA!

Learning to Share

A sweet AquaDoodle moment tonight...

Disney World of Fantasy

Eddie and I took Trinity on a date to the United Center to see the new Disney on Ice show. It wasn't The Little Mermaid on Broadway but it was quite entertaining. Cars, The Lion King, Tinkerbell and Ariel were all featured.

It didn't end until after 9 and even after a big high fructose corn syrup-filled snow cone, Trinity asked if it were over yet. She was pretty wiped out. Fast forward 15 minutes...

Tinkerbell flag still in hand.

Things I Learned From My Daddy Today...

How to drill a hole in a piece of wood on top of a nice oriental rug and hardwood floor in attempt to unsuccessfully fix a broken bar stool. This safety violation may have earned an F in wood shop class.

(Check out the Lover Boy shirt.)
How to catch grapes in my mouth...or maybe right into my esophagus.(Eddie is truly a fantastic, and safe Daddy. I just like to give him a hard time sometimes.)

Museum of Science and Industry

I took the kids to the museum to get their wiggles out and for me to chat with my friends. (The museum was free the month of January, parking is free by the space center and if you pack a lunch, your only expense is gas money... and the $3.99 for the bag of dried astronaut ice cream in the gift shop.)
Things I did wrong: The Coal Mine. It was a lot of educational fun but I had to hold/carry Everett the entire 30+ minutes. Being 5 months pregnant carrying a 27 pound toddler and chasing a 4 year old almost sent me into pre-term labor. It was fun though...sorta.

Also, I didn't bring a change of clothes for Everett. His got a little over zealous in the water area. The rain slicker did nothing.

Things I did right: I put Everett in his shoes that squeak when he walks. That way I had a visual and audio feel for where he was at all times.

I didn't stress about kidnappers in large public spaces and also didn't worry about protein grams consumed and nap time schedules.

Quiet as a Mouse

Everett has learned how to function the DVD player. Not surprisingly since Trinity is an expert. He wandered into our bedroom and was quiet for quite some time. I snuck up on him to see what he was doing. Here is what I found: chillin' on the floor watching Baby Einstein...

Hansel & Gretel

I found a tasty little munchkin in my oven.

Snow Day

At first it didn't start out so well...But then we got our mittens wet and things got better...
Everything looking good here. Things got really good once Trinity decided to pull Everett around the yard for a half hour. He didn't make a peep, he just enjoyed the ride...and she got a workout.

Time to go in once the snot comes and the ears pop out of the hat.

Thanks to Sarah for lending us her yard. These things are hard to come by in the city.

The Tooth Fairy

Yesterday, I delighted Trinity in a piece of Hubba Bubba gum for a special treat. She is usually good with gum until...yesterday.
About a half hour after giving her a piece, I got a piece for myself. She asked me where I got it from. I told her from the package. She then asks, "You didn't get it from under your pillow?"
Me: "No!" obviously concerned.
She started laughing while saying she was pretending to be the tooth fairy while in her bedroom.
I walked quickly into her room and picked up her pillow. Sure enough, a nice piece of bright red gum was waiting for me. Down to the laundry I went.
While putting her sheets in the washer I recalled her original question: "You didn't get it from under your pillow?"
I then quickly went back upstairs to look under my pillow. Yup! You can guess what I found.
Funny thing is, we have never even spoken about the tooth fairy and placing things under your pillow. hmmmm!

Oh' Christmas Tree

This year was the first year we had really decorated the tree as a family. Trinity was so excited to hang ornaments and wrap ribbon around the tree. Everett was excited to rip it all down. We finally had to quarantine him to a safe area. In addition, we basically had no ornaments from the thigh down...for the tree's protection. Here is a quick shot of our work.Here is a quick shot of Trinity's work. She thought adding Polly Pockets would be a nice touch.

Sympathy Needed!

Everett has learned to get a sympathy head rub. He likes to hit his head against the wall and then take our hand to rub his head. I wish he were old enough to understand that we would rub his head without needing to hurt himself. Funny what kids think up in their little brains.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

...and a Happy New Year.

Mr. Claus

Trinity asked for a dollhouse and panda bear. Santa provided. Everett just cried but calmed down long enough to get a decent shot. We did get a good "professional" picture from the Macy's employee.

Trinity was really sick this day. I knew it was the last time to possibly go to visit Santa since it was 2 days before Christmas. I was telling Eddie that I think a Santa visit is out. Trinity overheard me and said "FINE, lets go see Santa!" We waited 2 hours and had to eat dinner in the Macy's cafe...and I had to rearrange my impending Peapod delivery. The kids did great waiting and Trinity was stoked to finally see him and tell him she was baking cookies for him.

They both passed out for the night before we left the parking lot. I need some of that magic Santa sleeping dust on reserve!

The next day Trinity colored her Happy Birthday Jesus bags which we gave Christmas gifts in.

Christkindlmarket

We traveled over to the Daley Center for our annual trip to the Christkindlmarket with Aunt Arlene and Auntie Abby despite the frigid temps. Eddie was kind enough to stay home with sick Everett so the girls can take in some Christmas cheer.

After the market we ate lunch at Macy's, bought some Christmas books, sipped on hot cocoa and warmed up just enough to tour the windows. If you have seen them this year, you probably agree with everyone else that they were a bit lacking.