tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86395742024-03-07T02:06:49.787-06:00Good IntentTallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.comBlogger707125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-20802264289498787122012-02-18T09:51:00.000-06:002012-02-18T09:51:09.222-06:00More Sleepovers!Sleepovers seem to be the big milestone for our family this year. Nevermind that Henry's friends have had half of their teeth fall out and he is yet to lose one. Or that we're still working on tying shoelaces (damn fine motor skills), and this summer will be all about tackling riding a bike without training wheels. So for now, in what's left of this winter, we are all about sleepovers. <br />
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Henry went to his first sleepover last night and the text i just got indicates it was a success. The stars aligned and Silas was also out of the house for awhile last night. He was invited to his first sleepover but isn't quite ready. So instead he went for a "night-time play-date." We picked him up close to 9 and then at his request he had a "sleepover" in our bed. The getting to go to yoga and then dinner with JT without paying a babysitter was awesome. The sleepover guest in our bed-- not so much. Imagine this but with a bigger "baby."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGeFxCDsESA/Tz_IuN4PKRI/AAAAAAAAaaE/VXgI5kVjKHs/s1600/cosleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGeFxCDsESA/Tz_IuN4PKRI/AAAAAAAAaaE/VXgI5kVjKHs/s320/cosleeping.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-89564945514727402372012-01-20T21:43:00.000-06:002012-01-20T21:43:39.421-06:00Sleep OverI still remember my first sleep over-- Angela Ballengee's house. I think i was 5, maybe 6. I knew it was a big deal because my mom was so excited. And it was catching. Henry and Silas had their first sleepover guest tonight and so far so good. They're still chattering a bit after 9:30 but i believe they'll be quieting down soon for sleep. They're all three on the floor on a big pile of blankets and looking forward to a morning of plants vs. zombies and waffles. <br />
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I had hoped to make homemade muffins, but with a crazy workday, a flat tire this am, and a snowstorm-- let's just say toaster waffles will fit the bill. Here's to happy memories and not having to tell them to quiet down again!Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-74550281528537550512011-06-12T15:07:00.000-05:002011-06-12T15:07:18.623-05:00Changing Focus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_dNgyKIYgTxPGAcvjOWvg7HzFGw5TRITwREskTJ7aO7XnMWj5HlRuDDtGKAgcsP2CWjuwBCbqQlw7RfojJCyfCid38Oe7STYJ9QdcpQaF55ZkV1EakjOhRVFzaVxgYRSJOl2/s1600/DSC_4435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_dNgyKIYgTxPGAcvjOWvg7HzFGw5TRITwREskTJ7aO7XnMWj5HlRuDDtGKAgcsP2CWjuwBCbqQlw7RfojJCyfCid38Oe7STYJ9QdcpQaF55ZkV1EakjOhRVFzaVxgYRSJOl2/s320/DSC_4435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When i downloaded pictures from my camera this morning and they spanned easter to end-of-school activities, it confirmed something i had been sensing, our rhythms have definitely changed this year. While our focus for the past few years has been firmly on our family and close friends, we've shifted a little bit more outward in the last 6 months. <br />
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Henry and Silas are both enjoying close friendships with school friends that have resulted in drop-off playdates (i time i thought i'd never see with Silas). And with all of our family friends moving to the burbs, we've developed some close new friendships with neighborhood families we've met through the boys' school.<br />
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All to say our center has shifted to very close to home, and yet focused more outwardly than when the children were te-niny. I've gotten very involved with the parents group at the school (check us out, www.friendsofgoetheschool.org) and we find ourselves spending our weekends at the farmers' market, the playground, swimming at Humboldt beach; all things we can walk or bike to.<br />
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So check out the <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/ford.people/AprilJune2011?feat=directlink">April-June</a> photo album for a recap in pictures!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7jJ0Y-lynG4iQaFBWu2d06usp26tNsWGakNwcjeWORblG9XfNuleb_sWlNENBa-0aGuYv0WnLIBY8y4Zw1ZE-jhVwf8LhYBBWZBAynCIh6Ch7dif9IajVD6Whwt-fSc7j0t5/s1600/DSC_4325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7jJ0Y-lynG4iQaFBWu2d06usp26tNsWGakNwcjeWORblG9XfNuleb_sWlNENBa-0aGuYv0WnLIBY8y4Zw1ZE-jhVwf8LhYBBWZBAynCIh6Ch7dif9IajVD6Whwt-fSc7j0t5/s200/DSC_4325.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LYfViKkfk7l1dpypTNnSU9A16ZKA1AVB1Kvs8QsI6vt8u2SHXtq5DHN7fk6E9PhcFGX77AMBeodai7Q3CyAQRthE5m2PgvrFaIkyCyosiYHl8rcuHj5NHlFcYkBOc0NLFYhX/s1600/DSC_4397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LYfViKkfk7l1dpypTNnSU9A16ZKA1AVB1Kvs8QsI6vt8u2SHXtq5DHN7fk6E9PhcFGX77AMBeodai7Q3CyAQRthE5m2PgvrFaIkyCyosiYHl8rcuHj5NHlFcYkBOc0NLFYhX/s200/DSC_4397.JPG" width="200" /></a>There were the boys' actual birthday celebrations:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq28eRlOlhsg2qiiosqJjc1Am0jsHg4Zg5bfKlFQ6xNgAZP6pTov1dxHidjYFqRQYMeVGTg5LbxugBfu0GqwgHIiNyDyuupcRQTgZTiGr_x8TtJlvhN9Q6VQxgo6GNq1dgw98/s1600/DSC_4454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq28eRlOlhsg2qiiosqJjc1Am0jsHg4Zg5bfKlFQ6xNgAZP6pTov1dxHidjYFqRQYMeVGTg5LbxugBfu0GqwgHIiNyDyuupcRQTgZTiGr_x8TtJlvhN9Q6VQxgo6GNq1dgw98/s320/DSC_4454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>May day secret flower deliveries to make.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOQhu-84pHMZ42MP5Q_cELU0GS-hYqM-Swc6wqpuo8q3kjBr1gnRim5V1fAVsBlGJibR_ipQz3n4zUng8I-6dD33SAvUXkpVYlYNy5EN3gf5qA5rS9nGNXCl-tGsiVWuMuvoP/s1600/DSC_4489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOQhu-84pHMZ42MP5Q_cELU0GS-hYqM-Swc6wqpuo8q3kjBr1gnRim5V1fAVsBlGJibR_ipQz3n4zUng8I-6dD33SAvUXkpVYlYNy5EN3gf5qA5rS9nGNXCl-tGsiVWuMuvoP/s200/DSC_4489.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgZ8J_8Ev3Q_adHI6MF_27eqYHJN-FGSDPSn6Wjap015XfgXm_NXcTD7gSzLKPaa2fHUThaj0NN4mByQe0DJvE8Rq_E_pEkkqDmXZW9RLjMi9oF77BhFutUGJRqgrMGWDxSa7/s1600/DSC_4510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgZ8J_8Ev3Q_adHI6MF_27eqYHJN-FGSDPSn6Wjap015XfgXm_NXcTD7gSzLKPaa2fHUThaj0NN4mByQe0DJvE8Rq_E_pEkkqDmXZW9RLjMi9oF77BhFutUGJRqgrMGWDxSa7/s200/DSC_4510.JPG" width="200" /> </a>Multicultural day-- the preschoolers represented Jamaica and sang "dei-o" and kindergarten did the Chinese fan dance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFs2hfUJhUwFKxSlNxMP7G8G9FbsmutzKeMf8rlfgtff8uKYdwsZiR7KSDRuOnU-RpQr2s9_Uh1YrT2agdQSjkthxowgW3stiiGY4oJR_pCqLnoyVSw1l5w9jqA-bKqMv7KgkD/s320/DSC_4528.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MErE0_dwq440HLXeJ_RvWAggkpxgDMbP-_23FEdTfg40Nu09WzppiYCUJ_Y9nfFf3JQWciHIzt1GpH8DJUraVixNpTxnqUeD-Asagg3JlhsrcA3gGZv9RjNmgEMyDVZl94Vk/s1600/DSC_4456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-53077524357140190592011-04-22T17:29:00.000-05:002011-04-22T17:29:56.029-05:00My Superheros are 4 and 6!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisILApTEhmc_pk1n_V7MnYI1je-1LXfjMLqeVV__jVG-7xgETvctx7lgUceoNG1JcZIZG57enQHmcaIG_2-xH4t-N7SDlvcQj_jQMdNk17WJDzMA9oCCzmXHs6t5q7LopewWAv/s1600/CHH2_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisILApTEhmc_pk1n_V7MnYI1je-1LXfjMLqeVV__jVG-7xgETvctx7lgUceoNG1JcZIZG57enQHmcaIG_2-xH4t-N7SDlvcQj_jQMdNk17WJDzMA9oCCzmXHs6t5q7LopewWAv/s200/CHH2_edited-1.JPG" width="200" /></a> Last Saturday we celebrated the boys' birthday with a superhero bash. It was tons of fun, honestly. I think i found the perfect birthday-party-at-home formula. Drop-off for all the parents that aren't your closest friends so you can focus on the party and not entertaining other adults; add 6 family and friends that know their way around your house, pitch in without asking, and have lots of simple but fun activities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisILApTEhmc_pk1n_V7MnYI1je-1LXfjMLqeVV__jVG-7xgETvctx7lgUceoNG1JcZIZG57enQHmcaIG_2-xH4t-N7SDlvcQj_jQMdNk17WJDzMA9oCCzmXHs6t5q7LopewWAv/s1600/CHH2_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>After briefly flirting with a CareBears party a few months back the boys chose a superhero theme for the party. I started doing some online research and compiled some great ideas that guided our party*.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThEadfYmgcl-c9__uq0NNLIU9FjQRsVfNPMYOyuWWRCPGbP19lpBE4U0YKq-Gb4WwcjIbX6X-NUjsrotElal5qV5BWXumEo5nmk7qOoqht9EmD8HhfPgfijS6LGDDxqPikx-a/s1600/Birthday+Invite" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThEadfYmgcl-c9__uq0NNLIU9FjQRsVfNPMYOyuWWRCPGbP19lpBE4U0YKq-Gb4WwcjIbX6X-NUjsrotElal5qV5BWXumEo5nmk7qOoqht9EmD8HhfPgfijS6LGDDxqPikx-a/s200/Birthday+Invite" width="200" /></a></div>It came down to the last minute, but the boys finally let me take their picture, outdoors, in decent light, in full superhero regalia. I used this, along with picnik to create really simple invites which i printed at home on photo paper i found at the thrift store (4 in stack of paper for .80$!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGf65246F_DSxn7M3C5bvGS71GA3fqhhDYhURGHH6UvI55JkxLyFjSbTWnTjOkRjWyxWsrt2csH6hNrlVYCKIyJGQzz7Hlo3ol_Buvac9HCUB2x5YNxL29nwk1yqM7SrdqO2w/s1600/DSC_0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGf65246F_DSxn7M3C5bvGS71GA3fqhhDYhURGHH6UvI55JkxLyFjSbTWnTjOkRjWyxWsrt2csH6hNrlVYCKIyJGQzz7Hlo3ol_Buvac9HCUB2x5YNxL29nwk1yqM7SrdqO2w/s200/DSC_0420.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4kpyqP39yOieMXTuECQtv64_EqWf6ePIOxgYHdhp2VZ-SagXnP1WA5ECY4jqYFrgTucyHaOPoQhl5z6oJMfeUhJQ3vUMYa4WN5rB1aNygWJFALdt85E7aZ5MTvKOgRcDxCu1/s1600/Activity_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4kpyqP39yOieMXTuECQtv64_EqWf6ePIOxgYHdhp2VZ-SagXnP1WA5ECY4jqYFrgTucyHaOPoQhl5z6oJMfeUhJQ3vUMYa4WN5rB1aNygWJFALdt85E7aZ5MTvKOgRcDxCu1/s200/Activity_edited-1.JPG" width="200" /></a>Guests arrived and their custom capes were draped over the back of their chair. They could choose any color arm warmers they wanted, along with a mask. I intended for them to color and decorate them, but not so much. There was also batman coloring book sheets, word puzzles, etc. on the table which kept 3 kids totally occupied and happy. The other 9 ran around like superheros of course!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-aeQFqpO6656pcawGrKTB_Fh7_TidC0P2OK_nUVFsJepDC8Kgys1KiogS9VQMAa5YJueeW2-rTqLTbk7RLNX4NLNU2F0MVTxZRDoj0w49HmCjbg1a9rrJMJynkGdywrjkC0P/s1600/DSC_4428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-aeQFqpO6656pcawGrKTB_Fh7_TidC0P2OK_nUVFsJepDC8Kgys1KiogS9VQMAa5YJueeW2-rTqLTbk7RLNX4NLNU2F0MVTxZRDoj0w49HmCjbg1a9rrJMJynkGdywrjkC0P/s200/DSC_4428.jpg" width="132" /></a> </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCDCcpD33Y9GuM2w7pz2iKq8eZTBs5j9rHGIsBNOKeGG11_DFo_y0Fd-JVpe2PCWh2ReZx7EtXQF2uT38Cy3kzJ87YIaQo8m0r7bUzARzG3VW4CUACsEFfHXWyDk58FC6-0vZ/s1600/HH+Spray_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCDCcpD33Y9GuM2w7pz2iKq8eZTBs5j9rHGIsBNOKeGG11_DFo_y0Fd-JVpe2PCWh2ReZx7EtXQF2uT38Cy3kzJ87YIaQo8m0r7bUzARzG3VW4CUACsEFfHXWyDk58FC6-0vZ/s200/HH+Spray_edited-1.JPG" width="200" /></a>The party started at 11 am and by about 11:30 we headed upstairs for the Superhero Training Academy. There was the "batcave" of course, in which each child had to crawl through a tunnel and retrieve a glow stick from the inside of the cave (small tent in a closet). Another spot was Spiderman's Web-Jumping practice and finally there was "spray the villians." I think all a hit. We put the kids into two groups-- the younger ones and the older ones and roughly rotated.<br />
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Then it was back downstairs for lunch at almost noon. Hotdogs, fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers. Nothing cute, just easy finger-food which provided something for everyone. Because while almost all kids love hot dogs, Silas does not. ("They make my breath smell stinky.")<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcoOBuuApKPx32cI0PHVfcGay0lXyrcQzXBugJsweq9aNdYA_NoO2XWFpi9A8pnmmzAG1QwWhO7CwR4_I4qpqrHufklXP_ePH-y9eR4EjxCIKpJ5IZaPOj_m4lB7-RiY64Cd/s1600/Dancing_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcoOBuuApKPx32cI0PHVfcGay0lXyrcQzXBugJsweq9aNdYA_NoO2XWFpi9A8pnmmzAG1QwWhO7CwR4_I4qpqrHufklXP_ePH-y9eR4EjxCIKpJ5IZaPOj_m4lB7-RiY64Cd/s200/Dancing_edited-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I believe there was a little free play and then an impromptu dance party which was a huge hit. We played freeze dance with two songs and the kids had a blast. Definitely going to work this into all future parties. At this point i lost track of time but it was about time to head down for the pinata.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Gg9NySu4gM6I0sMYx4Ag0z_07mD4jzLJumCG-j94c_uPFPfQfWLrto4qBwlllNr9srZk2HqGCXwgUgth-9Ie2gGj3OmZfTulc3um1O6t37ZEpRe_B49EzDSAvWTSu0fq9-iH/s1600/Pinatagrab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Gg9NySu4gM6I0sMYx4Ag0z_07mD4jzLJumCG-j94c_uPFPfQfWLrto4qBwlllNr9srZk2HqGCXwgUgth-9Ie2gGj3OmZfTulc3um1O6t37ZEpRe_B49EzDSAvWTSu0fq9-iH/s200/Pinatagrab.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> The weather was really terrible and the only upside was that it was predicted that way well in advance, so we didn't even try to set things up outside. The cape pinata was awesome, but i need to remember that all those kids are stronger than i think. A few didn't get a chance to whack it, but all was forgotten by the time they were scooping up candy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3AATm1O7vXsQLK_505cUZTkUBmbKHKEwYGbG3srm1SSDE4OtwXwZspT5_WHPCnrDQqc8E3-WPm2t7jI_j5sT2olnyf8Qx_7dqPxQPScsFYBpwm0pIHoaje39xRFh5yKx2e7f/s1600/DSC_4340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3AATm1O7vXsQLK_505cUZTkUBmbKHKEwYGbG3srm1SSDE4OtwXwZspT5_WHPCnrDQqc8E3-WPm2t7jI_j5sT2olnyf8Qx_7dqPxQPScsFYBpwm0pIHoaje39xRFh5yKx2e7f/s320/DSC_4340.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAU6AS8zH6rT-C8NnSvHLshKqY8zWXQ_MAQqTKW2H8MpScucvtFQUva6kCKdPlyCLeM6VxV39FzZOepWEiE-dIQ4TV9XIuelpzdBtkxI6VJfhuRnyccJUe-5NuSpZ9lm4I7LRE/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAU6AS8zH6rT-C8NnSvHLshKqY8zWXQ_MAQqTKW2H8MpScucvtFQUva6kCKdPlyCLeM6VxV39FzZOepWEiE-dIQ4TV9XIuelpzdBtkxI6VJfhuRnyccJUe-5NuSpZ9lm4I7LRE/s200/IMG_0191.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQGSnsXMtiylrjvTo1ftRT0aNLLGVlmH4NAkXXbvQnVd4WfvmjI6kDXweQU1iUQJXc9K8g91lmnrQUHf2qxZFa9Fl0AF6GeimI3nwNqBRRn1NJ1fYxgqn7U5rGwwQ9WIPJkHI/s1600/DSC_4342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>A visit from the cupcake thief who claimed to have eaten all the cupcakes, and then it was time to head upstairs for happy birthday and cupcakes. We had about 20 minutes after the kids finished eating and i realized i had forgotten one activity. So up the stairs we went again. Each kid got a unique superhero card, they had to find 3 more just like it hidden all around the room. I set it up as a cooperative game, there was no prize for finding them fastest, you just got to keep the cards, and help the others that couldn't find there's yet. Sorry Owen, we still haven't found your 4th card!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BVpb3_5iYUgFtIU9Dw-221-zqkc4bfVo1aCm-YwMMi6T6sQrp7tCzTL1pcO7qhwrMra_Ovy_mrDJ_ORchqCaDJhDxUsGkyaBw8Ce_5oCX13IxvHa3RQYgufhcanR2KUrxPYQ/s1600/DSC_4380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BVpb3_5iYUgFtIU9Dw-221-zqkc4bfVo1aCm-YwMMi6T6sQrp7tCzTL1pcO7qhwrMra_Ovy_mrDJ_ORchqCaDJhDxUsGkyaBw8Ce_5oCX13IxvHa3RQYgufhcanR2KUrxPYQ/s320/DSC_4380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Then back down for good and right on time the drop-off parents came to retrieve their precious little ones. Everyone got a "goody bucket" with their glow sticks, gloves, mask, stickers, little superhero blank book, and their notecards. They also got to take a balloon-- one or our birthday traditions. And don't forget the capes!<br />
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*<br />
<a href="http://www.mariahdemarco.com/justice-league-printables">Superhero images for notebooks and notecards</a><br />
<a href="http://adelightfulblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/super-hero-party.html">Goody bag idea</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/green-ideas/use-old-tshirts-to-make-custom-party-capes-reader-project-122685">Capes, Hats and Arm Warmers</a> <br />
<a href="http://kirstencan.typepad.com/kirstencan/2009/04/index.html">Invitation idea</a> <br />
<a href="http://kirstencan.typepad.com/kirstencan/2009/04/index.html">Homemade notebooks</a> <br />
<a href="http://racksandmooby.blogspot.com/2010/12/superhero-batman-birthday-party-part-1.html">Paper bunting</a> <br />
<a href="http://printable.tipjunkie.com/batman-birthday-party/">Superhero Training Academy,</a> including spray the villain<br />
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Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-50606839160671606442011-03-26T21:25:00.000-05:002011-03-26T21:25:18.298-05:00Right Now<em><strong>:: celebrating </strong>Silas' last day as a 3-year old</em><br />
<em><strong>:: anticipating </strong>his 4th journey around the sun tomorrow</em><br />
<em><strong>:: planning</strong> a whole day in pajamas with nothing on the docket but playing with new toys, friends, and eating the birthday boys' favorite meal, pesto!</em>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-54956927300113281022011-03-18T23:04:00.000-05:002011-03-18T23:04:44.001-05:00Right NowInspired by <a href="http://www.soulemama.com/">Soule Mama</a> as a way to come back to this space---<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Right now, I am...</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: loving<span style="font-weight: normal;"> JT being here in the evenings. Managed to go upstairs and to the basement without feet pounding on hard wood and shouts of "Mom where ARE you?"</span></strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: checking</strong></em> <i>the seeds we planted last weekend for spouts, as well as the bulbs just starting to peak out of the ground in the front.</i><span style="text-decoration: line-through;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: making lists</strong></em> <i>to stay on top of my </i><i><a href="http://www.friendsofgoetheschool.org/">FOGS </a></i><i>volunteer efforts and my project plans that multiply by the day </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: inspired <span style="font-weight: normal;">by the butterfly breaths and quiet breathing Silas' preschool class demonstrated Thursday </span></strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: preparing<span style="font-weight: normal;"> to celebrate the return of spring</span></strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>:: reining-in<span style="font-weight: normal;"> the long posts i compose in my head each night so that i might sleep</span></strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wishing all of you wonderful "right nows" for the weekend. </span></strong></em></div>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-91809895927022470342011-02-15T22:11:00.002-06:002011-02-15T22:43:45.445-06:00Deep WinterThink i had to wait for this post until there was evidence that winter would one-day end. We've had a few amazing days of warmer temps, melting snow, and a hint of warm days to come (not for awhile after this blip, but still).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8EGjwcR4_XrrOtVIWKQm5_xDBjO4emG999403catfQVMi5E2EVGbH7k33mi3ehpiOCqasP0hvFZhdX3hgTtUNOduMAkhJmPx5ggyA4EvynRowkyqZC5cls-1zc93jkLzVklV/s1600/DSC_4167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8EGjwcR4_XrrOtVIWKQm5_xDBjO4emG999403catfQVMi5E2EVGbH7k33mi3ehpiOCqasP0hvFZhdX3hgTtUNOduMAkhJmPx5ggyA4EvynRowkyqZC5cls-1zc93jkLzVklV/s320/DSC_4167.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
Now that i've been out of the tropics for 20 years and in Chicago for 10 i've finally found some rthythm with the four seasons. Having a parka has definitely helped. So has looking for food, and projects, and outings that are special to the season. There has been indoor stuff-- lots of painting, pajamas and having friends over.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g9YfnWt6Rpo0zVt4FIjTHg?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFXeEZyr1xVTWPi9b43LQ5VpPWV8O_aEONBiiJJYBGrll0955bnA_PRLf0eY7KgryfjgI3VXj9uDZPut9J4OaMh4sUdlmOpIJxENTL9i6A872qv4NrAWW0jJ3rE9FsUFNSOeF/s400/DSC_4219.jpg" width="266" /></a><br />
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There have also been outings to the aquarium (and another one with Silas' class tomorrow) and lots of time spent playing in the snow. Because there was snow, and some more snow, and finally some weather that wasn't too freezing so we got to get outside, build a snowman, a snow cave and do lots of climbing on the snow mountain that was in our front yard.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hSsYKhpVG5ITUfMYE2vyAQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_Il8PFsuNbR4nmhoZifLpBfcS69K4GSKvfNVX1x5U3wkFv6dmDwhuAhAiBsGK6TaS3hxV_x-YNkre4WjpMviAh1h63aIDgd9zn0K12MV-rOtn0j3PW8Vo6gWQ7AZ3GI8e9EF/s400/DSC_4238.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-58788175696819002162011-01-04T21:47:00.000-06:002011-01-04T21:47:17.233-06:00Planet Explorers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyagAWjLYm3OWJOp7tBKJMUtmlw2nA58pbWTuyGuAblaj2uL8zq6ufK0lXGYMNREh_AnDivMYBW2uhxb0R0UxGGA_P9VrNx9TEDLsmFSH8339krQVpmfQk3xEmV5htpc1lK5w/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyagAWjLYm3OWJOp7tBKJMUtmlw2nA58pbWTuyGuAblaj2uL8zq6ufK0lXGYMNREh_AnDivMYBW2uhxb0R0UxGGA_P9VrNx9TEDLsmFSH8339krQVpmfQk3xEmV5htpc1lK5w/s200/IMG_0337.JPG" width="200" /></a>As i was writing my recap of the late months of 2010 i realized there were quite a few detailed posts i missed in all the hubub of November and December. Back in November the boys and i went with our friends and their three kids to the planetarium. We had never been before and it was a huge hit with all the kids, ranging from 2 to 7! Henry and the girls went to a star show with Cullen and Henry while Silas and Walker explored, made a kite, and put together a craft that explored how the earth rotates and is alternately in day and night. The latter was extremely useful to me-- a very visual person that just never "got" the why of night and day. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I_VHlW6kik87w2DrjgfygbTb2u6g0MLzUAXdfyDd99aP91au8EYlm0WbR0SjYDMreonoBt8buRErwEYG6E0eZDZe_7Gpx3tPpnkynLV1qxTpDcFniVdgIGVBPnEe0ERCX3wP/s1600/IMG_0356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I_VHlW6kik87w2DrjgfygbTb2u6g0MLzUAXdfyDd99aP91au8EYlm0WbR0SjYDMreonoBt8buRErwEYG6E0eZDZe_7Gpx3tPpnkynLV1qxTpDcFniVdgIGVBPnEe0ERCX3wP/s200/IMG_0356.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Short digression. One thing i looked forward to when dreaming about the babies in my belly was learning afresh along with them. My goal was around ditching all my hang-ups and failings that i experienced with math the first time around and learning with a fresh clean slate. Of course the learning hasn't stopped with math and definitely not with formal things like math or science. But as the boys progress in their schooling, it is pretty amazing to learn things with an open mind. I'm working on encouraging all of us to seek answers together, and follow the boys lead, rather than jumping to answer the things i know (or think i know.) Not that all answers are bad but i've been trying to work in a lot more "i wonder..." responses when i'm asked "why....?"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqZl8bhmZVFIIDznvsqq66pNNZ2FSD95iVYsBEKVZOrbxfr24T7FOo-jYwxN-VZqRmUMu-1eZHIkWidLn1aCKPjnCMmDWVT760Uu8iqqr6HO7EZQSWqe99f1ONvXt1eHIvOOv/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqZl8bhmZVFIIDznvsqq66pNNZ2FSD95iVYsBEKVZOrbxfr24T7FOo-jYwxN-VZqRmUMu-1eZHIkWidLn1aCKPjnCMmDWVT760Uu8iqqr6HO7EZQSWqe99f1ONvXt1eHIvOOv/s200/IMG_0342.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b3cVqrbAuUWdfXADMIPnCPWtDKgkch0LVBoxBfCYANpjrYOK0N_4l7iUNWglzySJ_E4FOeahpFve9JuRoL3JPKb3mMRHHJkvpmK2wBhWrzb8d_v0-oVzkX7QcG5eiS-_hOzY/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b3cVqrbAuUWdfXADMIPnCPWtDKgkch0LVBoxBfCYANpjrYOK0N_4l7iUNWglzySJ_E4FOeahpFve9JuRoL3JPKb3mMRHHJkvpmK2wBhWrzb8d_v0-oVzkX7QcG5eiS-_hOzY/s200/IMG_0345.JPG" width="200" /></a>The boys enjoyed the more staid aspects of the museum plenty, but they went nuts over the "Planet Explorers" part of the museum. They got to put on space gear including flight jackets, backpacks, and hats, launch and dock a space shuttle, drive a moon buggy around the moon and scoop-up space rocks, and drive rovers around the space of planet X. I think another visit will be in order, and i also think i'm going to work on sewing a space suit for Silas, who sure was loathe to return that flight jacket...Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-48439629404998377802011-01-03T22:09:00.000-06:002011-01-03T22:09:14.717-06:00Welcoming Winter 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt2jV6bLdGcqRbvOaKGhI28sGLEwyMRjbzn54m9EuVTTGsfpa8pMtacNGcm_3pM7pMxM7htuwiDbn0ogWsRjny8uYn_mcaNu0VMv-Y9jLPdxAYAKXpTTEn_ER7hhKL3vo4rdk/s1600/DSC_3886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt2jV6bLdGcqRbvOaKGhI28sGLEwyMRjbzn54m9EuVTTGsfpa8pMtacNGcm_3pM7pMxM7htuwiDbn0ogWsRjny8uYn_mcaNu0VMv-Y9jLPdxAYAKXpTTEn_ER7hhKL3vo4rdk/s200/DSC_3886.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9spVaNvTxbHkcXGmfPfWaS6A1xRUK8-YlaHxKnqOl0zhgjArdgAHmEz9XBp7Ja1yjSBbJSDPCcqSahUZeWp8wDl8RIXi4NuAY4ZEv0cWohqZrptVieoJ845LNZP_YRtR0Dd1d/s1600/DSC_3880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> We've welcomed winter with festivities and family and lots of fun. Now we're settling in to the season-- but i'm not ready to see all the christmas lights come down just yet. This was the first year we formally celebrated the winter calendar by observing the "advent spiral" that many waldorf families use to count-down to the solstice. Each night we lit a candle (one the first week, two the second, and on), and said a verse focused on which part of the earth we were celebrating-- rocks, plants, animals and humans. The boys loved the candles and Silas in particular thrived on the ritual. Although there were nights sibling bickering continued throughout.<br />
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</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqBkM14-7Pw8X1B9Ynng-FVaGkznzSoGWh8IxlVI_6c3noAoWmVJ6XlxD3Y3SjvmVxOYMDwakjdK8Vsh-i1_cbMAeENdcqvpztxNVEwLacTErZNBmetsJg-dytQhK-2SLSLUc/s1600/DSC_3975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqBkM14-7Pw8X1B9Ynng-FVaGkznzSoGWh8IxlVI_6c3noAoWmVJ6XlxD3Y3SjvmVxOYMDwakjdK8Vsh-i1_cbMAeENdcqvpztxNVEwLacTErZNBmetsJg-dytQhK-2SLSLUc/s320/DSC_3975.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
We enjoyed an awesome thanksgiving week which included 3 days of solo crafting and elving time for me, and then a 4-day weekend with the entire family. We loved spending thanksgiving itself with our good friends-- friends we've celebrated almost every thanksgiving for the 9+ years we've lived in Chicago. Pretty amazing to gather together now that there are 5 children where there were none. It doesn't hurt that they can all play together in the basement for a good 20+ minutes without intervention.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TSFJYg0b9ZI/AAAAAAAAY2o/GadLzpBFPDM/s1600/DSC_4024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TSFJYg0b9ZI/AAAAAAAAY2o/GadLzpBFPDM/s320/DSC_4024.JPG" width="320" /></a>I spent the month of December working through all the gifts i decided to make this year. I have to say that it was tons of fun, even though i've discovered that zippers are not my forte. I'll try to share some of the projects i tackled in a future post.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxifSnWO3gw0Ggl4mCKpOlqrsoA9MNti0lUcz9uMoR2UgXDtlGGBhEkSc-MCnxMzAHmE6CE4Qe1QZEq-FSnWJiPUCVMwHaTFkDqJvp_MQ_FIRDYuSUVTjs4ZriFuG19iYA_uFS/s1600/DSC_4009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxifSnWO3gw0Ggl4mCKpOlqrsoA9MNti0lUcz9uMoR2UgXDtlGGBhEkSc-MCnxMzAHmE6CE4Qe1QZEq-FSnWJiPUCVMwHaTFkDqJvp_MQ_FIRDYuSUVTjs4ZriFuG19iYA_uFS/s320/DSC_4009.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJfBNNrcP1ELL7eN0aAItiZ-9HXeqswucclmeWmzC9nDbWyl1NYi5RSoH5M3BY18FZoaEWsMBfhpcPWqTeLVcROQnuEETkt2uoFWFSMo0UqtY__2PAUA4BUFdiY548f1OJxv-/s1600/DSC_4093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJfBNNrcP1ELL7eN0aAItiZ-9HXeqswucclmeWmzC9nDbWyl1NYi5RSoH5M3BY18FZoaEWsMBfhpcPWqTeLVcROQnuEETkt2uoFWFSMo0UqtY__2PAUA4BUFdiY548f1OJxv-/s320/DSC_4093.JPG" width="320" /></a>We celebrated the week of Christmas with both JT and i's family and enjoyed our first christmas with JT as an official cook. Someone asked me if JT's cooking has improved since cooking school and while i would say that technically he's definitely better, he has always cooked delicious food. What has changed is his ability to manage a kitchen, a meal, and kitchen clean-up. What used to turn into a harried "all hands-on deck" for the big meals has become a pretty orderly day of cooking. I think JT even took a nap this year before the big meal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN2XISKwqp2DLxD_3f-3-CZgWjsU6xuBWvL4ef9e26VQTm9Zc9GgXrZHSLCtVnjyZQWPuhgghkiSoYbQ1fC7tfz7mnlEp8tNhL0oVlrNVDxcc2NfLh4RaYSGrqpazvND3vyKL/s1600/DSC_4053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN2XISKwqp2DLxD_3f-3-CZgWjsU6xuBWvL4ef9e26VQTm9Zc9GgXrZHSLCtVnjyZQWPuhgghkiSoYbQ1fC7tfz7mnlEp8tNhL0oVlrNVDxcc2NfLh4RaYSGrqpazvND3vyKL/s200/DSC_4053.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimi84D-N7VX9l3Q6Uyu2lX9s3v5clu0qaSDHVdO2CtgDs8RiFis_UHn50-LJW1w3jEr_t37jIo3O6i9XK346drT-hU7tIHjVR-M0arWeenpv7RcZUjMzEZJpnr7tchYPdqLh7Q/s1600/DSC_4044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimi84D-N7VX9l3Q6Uyu2lX9s3v5clu0qaSDHVdO2CtgDs8RiFis_UHn50-LJW1w3jEr_t37jIo3O6i9XK346drT-hU7tIHjVR-M0arWeenpv7RcZUjMzEZJpnr7tchYPdqLh7Q/s200/DSC_4044.JPG" width="200" /></a> <br />
As we celebrated New Years with friends in Michigan, we had a super fun time to toast the year and even some quiet time for me to reflect on how it was not easy but we did make the transition to a family consuming less, producing more, and not all operating on a 9-5 schedule. Plus there was tons of sledding (the first day at least) and a huge kids room for all the big uns to have a sleep-over in!Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-72887585846387445112010-11-18T20:34:00.000-06:002010-11-18T20:34:59.685-06:00Swimming!I have a budding swimmer on my hands! Henry has been taking swim lessons since early Fall and he immediately took to them like, well a fish to water. Something just clicked this time. <br />
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Today he swam about 1/4 of the way across the pool and back without his flotation belt on. No doggy paddling, face in the water, holding his breath the whole way, kicking his legs (relatively straight) and doing straight arm circles. I looked up from coloring with Silas and almost couldn't believe what i was seeing.<br />
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He has so much fun that when he's not doing something one-on-one with the teacher he's jumping up and down, doing happy faces, blowing bubbles and generally giddy. Contrast this with two years ago when admittedly his lips were blue, but the lessons actually turned him off the water for awhile. We cut that class short and just enjoyed splashing in the baby pool and spending time at Gran and Nonna's beach. Last fall he took lessons at a highly recommended place. Henry enjoyed them and they did great at getting him happy about swimming again. But the teacher was so gentle that the kid was going to be 30 before he learned that real swimming happens (eventually) without a floatie.<br />
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Enter the Chicago Park District. Cheap, no frills, but Koz Park was recommended by another parent friend. The pool and facilities are clean and well-kept and the teachers are really, really good. Fun and good with the kids but also really working on the fundamentals with the kids-- and each at their own level. Swim team is right before his lessons and i asked at the end of class what the requirements for swim team are. The teacher told me they have to be 5 and able to swim the length of the pool on their own. Henry is focused on meeting that goal (before he's 6!) I think i can get away with taking some pictures there (it's a little more relaxed than the uber-strict pool we go to in the summer) so i'll try to capture his little swimming self as soon as possible. But i'm one proud mama (and papa will be as well as soon as he gets home to hear the story!)Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-47426011364029804962010-11-13T14:28:00.001-06:002010-11-13T14:31:02.569-06:00Halloween<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kySRIsvq1PJ9DrhYV1O6tA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS_qKr2Pwr_8ThwpP8ekVDUD52lAb8tOA8rF0kCBFmR-pIHK95XxBHjBfaR4XdDljsbM9pHGH_dPMZ_AMRZ96NZTTLzyrbJS63haT9k_MKhdD7PkBT9k0t8BkeErc709JY7z_/s400/DSC_3407.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
Took a little while since i forgot my camera after Halloween, but here is our holiday recap! This was the best Halloween yet. Both boys were old enough to manage the steps on their own, be excited about trick-or-treating, and choose their own costumes. The both have little panda stuffed animals so some where along the way they came up with both of them being pandas. The more they talked about their costumes they created the plan that i was to be the Mama panda and JT was the "Grandpa Panda." Why not the Dad you might ask-- well naturally because that's Silas' role! We made simple costumes out of old black and white tshirts and the boys helped me sew them.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/idVDis_HkTtxM02qS24v3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sPBKqbtVZsBH3UU45-hohgkXcOnZuH-HR1KYiL-76VqPKmgYmlNPUfePIpFAJ1SukhBhYnYquBx1qjbCDzlrVS3lPG2beU-1h-tHXt0seOLH3mW1Mc8ibHm3nv7PpltM7Yd8/s400/DSC_3461.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
With Halloween on Sunday they got to wear their costumes three days in a row for their school assemblies and parties, a party at the Smerrys and then Halloween. We enjoyed a rain-free and relatively warm night for trick-or-treating. The kids were almost as excited to hand out candy as they were to get their own. We didn't stay out very long but between the parties and trick-or-treating they have quite the candy haul.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WXJgSiWgAakMo3ahZdpSXQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVp0vNviTdKwLoRR-pVWEXV6i21n-hy8OI0Vhnw0awwQoRWsKjIu0d_rJK4QEVh4fweKU6zkRHF1Fb6MFe0kaMprGDmZ-0BCUhwmQwaOoj9cpiECdHkPx2clIA_tVwvcSJre-4/s400/DSC_3500.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
Now, a few more things appropos of nothing but needing to be chronicled. Henry has learned to whistle-- quite well in fact. He claims he can even whistle underwater you just can't hear it that well because of the bubbles. He told me he practices whistling underwater during swim practice-- something he's enjoying immensely. He has really great teachers and is so happy for the entire hour he can barely contain his excitement and regularly jumps up and down with glee. He's made huge strides since last year-- completely submerging his head, kicking his legs, working on doing strokes with straight arms, and generally coming right along. He's still the only one that he won't just jump in but all in good time.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P08ZlCKrU_I5VES5RstNcA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhNjpzi2IIg_bkP9bK3Kb_lZqZ3E8pVE4NAfWl-ebUaKLG4_tSNOU50n6tThzgSsCYhVjfdNKI_PTPHNyK4Ik82lVJYG-ZefYXBdynxlpzFPNhrnwvaawIIK58u25hGZRcDN8/s400/DSC_3532.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
Henry is also doing super-well at school. Constantly working on writing letters and reading words off of his "word wall." He continues to enjoy art and made his first purchase with his new allowance-- blue painters tape! <br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/G8ACJl9qBTkalEdYa_7Tig?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BHsQwOOsclNaG0463zWDIPXHX_NJoZKoeSe5VqWuSQlAim3K2DSSpvaGFU_gRivkIhdzBXIyxMC0HGyFRGchOEQXQi5C3V8a-R6npa-lBcxwe57KBfjRHIwFnvFJVaENdly4/s400/DSC_3539.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
Silas is loving preschool and in general seems like he's settling in to life a little more. He still throws tantrums but they are considerably fewer and more far between. He still knee-jerk rejects anything new out of hand, but more often comes around quickly and says "i'm just joking i do want to...." He tells us just a little bit more about school than Henry does-- but we still don't get too many details. He continues to love music and enjoys all the songs that he's been learning-- "i'm a little teapot" and "here is thumpkin" are two new favorites.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-70512281477123535822010-10-28T13:52:00.000-05:002010-10-28T13:52:44.403-05:00Fall Gatherings<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zWDvO82k5-l-okMBOV2JHA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AOUeq0QnyB7EF53px4pbwoPK4hnv6J_5SOQ3KKJBpVYqGFCT58HOvTV7TNlZoRsN3txym9UNN7INHpeUJ_ohn9s-VFmhKEvHVD2lNWTqvGbYvoMUPO1PWBUWrQD8w7RQ_GF6/s400/DSC_3145.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
One of my favorite things about Fall is gathering with friends on the weekends. Over the summer, when the weather is warm, we're all scattered to the winds, on trips, outdoor adventures, and generally busy. With Fall, the options are limited a bit by the cooler weather, and we find gathering at someone's house for a meal, a sleepover for the kids, and wine for the adults is an attractive, and more frequent option.<br />
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The other thing we've been taking advantage of in particular this year, are all the free natural art materials to be gathered. Leaves, acorns, and grasses have all been collected, dried, and used in tons of art projects. I love that the boys now see "materials" all around them and brainstorm their own projects even without my input. Silas picked up a nut shell the other day and said --"let's bring this home for a nature collage." Made my heart sing.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ircniNbJFdvK1KZloSDioA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxQn7JuJ997SZNTUHIWzbkEj3Ei3fNjZKc7g9V16m3hNWP1AbirbgUHbI1G3WEt9TCpFQP-4KBukpqJxXE0LE4VHICxV34QcGyQS-6lu9at7nOre82dtW9_PDcQdGk1iAWIcI/s400/DSC_3233.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
We've been talking a lot about the days growing shorter and one way we've been adjusting to the darkness is by lighting our candles at dinner. We haven't done it every single night, because the boys like to insist that all the lights be off, and sometimes i don't feel like arguing. But when we all get on the same page and enjoy our meal with a little candle glow, it almost makes it feel peaceful-- at least until i have to tell Silas to sit down for the 10th time or his plate is going to be taken away.<br />
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We're readying for Halloween, putting the final touches on costumes, and preparing to attend Henry's Halloween Assembly and costume parade and Silas' preschool party. We've also got a weekend party and the actual trick-or-treating with friends to look forward to!Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-2873733595307333342010-10-14T20:42:00.000-05:002010-10-14T20:42:38.615-05:00The Circus<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4-qwU9S6aDNp20wKg7x6gg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TJ90Jgb791I/AAAAAAAAX74/YRCrqz0viRQ/s400/DSC_2720.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
When i picked the boys up from Brenda's this afternoon, Henry excitedly waved a flyer for Barnum and Bailey's Circus which is coming to some huge coliseum outside of Chicago in November. It made me so glad that we had already "done" the circus in a way that fits just a bit more with our preferences. <br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vUgg3y-Fu_7j4rc9KVHQFA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREX4_2HhsrjsFYnNo08DUvh7wDlU9iBbnEV22Nkpxof73vC2XeML9lTYP4zRpXA_T0eofY2paUhtnPYBZ-nLll6prswN6eQ9ttvRGkzOCd0K2w0ADqqxz-8wG8O6f7QOGFNAT/s400/DSC_2708.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
The Midnight Circus performed in five Chicago City Parks the past few weekends. The shows were fundraisers for the parks that participated and we had the pleasure of going with the Smerry's a few weekends ago. It was everything i like about the circus without any of the stuff that i'm a little creeped out by. First of all it was intimate. We were in the first row, but there were only two rows to choose from. There were no elephants or vendors, just acrobats, juggling, clowns, magic and other circus fun. There were snacks but no $10 cotton candy of $25 flashlights. And did i mention we walked to it? All the things i love about the city and our neighborhood-- positive, creative, local and affordable.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gzpQcLtdIi-ACxIZZSs9aw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TJ90RSICpAI/AAAAAAAAYLU/UFA4J8D2Mgs/s400/DSC_2737.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
Oh yeah, even on the "normal" size and quality setting i had to delete a boat-load of pictures twice, because Henry and Silas filled the camera up with a frame-by-frame account. Who needs a video camera!Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-55352236738105358252010-09-24T22:39:00.000-05:002010-09-24T22:39:12.603-05:00Transition to Fall<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4z5EwK5pYA8Fc-ttYHNudw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe0hNgCPYE0UWlh6VCwABWSBHX1C5ayaC5oCoOoJLIOsJySbhRoAG1CGEUAeuKBxYWa_Btp-EkrV5d3DoEVe8x0xqDMCsLnuKJshabRZch9IvHyO1O9Ti1Q82fq_OSuNb0tUM/s400/IMG_0311.JPG" /></a><br />
We enjoyed the formal transition to fall this week. We had a heat wave yesterday, but many of the other days it's been cool and a little overcast. The most marked change is how much earlier it's getting dark. Which is too bad because the kids on our block have gotten into a rhythm of hanging out after school. They play spy and then spend big chunks of time doing elaborate art projects that involve lots of pipe cleaners and all manner of things made into "police cameras."<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CwmUqG2C_qNXm3MNYIj5jA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieK0WrxaYngKh3nJ_fca1O7Igpwa3Y0E92dbeQbA8gbtuLKKZSnHE-uibapdBHFZTE6DDe3V5-ScQ8tmEHy2L-DXDd-3RVhkAN-jJtFPWRXzAFZI2fBBbCSGWX21EDWTDaAsh7/s400/DSC_2680.JPG" /></a><br />
Last weekend we headed out of town to a really lovely family-run orchard to pick apples with friends. It was really perfect, just apples, no parking or admission price, just simple apples. We made the filling for apple pie today with H and V and Henry made up his own concoction that baked-up right into a lovely lemon cake. As he told me-- next time we need to write down the recipe so he can make it again.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gj2o0rNLOHvrlMfqACvZTw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TJQa555YfoI/AAAAAAAAXz4/OxlpW2KvcHw/s400/DSC_2659.JPG" /></a><br />
This Fall also brought Silas' long sought-after soccer class. Unfortunately by the time reality hit it was a little too much change for him to deal with. He's done pretty well transitioning to preschool but you can tell it's still a lot for him. And adding soccer on top of that was just too much. He managed to participate and have fun by the end of class but by the time the next week rolled around he was resolute. We tried a lot of different angles but ultimately i decided it wasn't worth pushing. He's 3, we'll have time to try again later.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-61062908953798578452010-09-17T22:26:00.001-05:002010-10-14T20:44:09.992-05:00Intentional Community<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fQxX1uJJshvqk7gPNUOLmA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6DK6drTZWKek9PdAuNqr0JVV796pGPM7qNIERrhjI8CG-6vFvacYFn5mO4j7-QX6w6UBSwqZ4V7hPhCZ8io_btobtL7J7ewGr4WtcZzfQIEYwNQmxtG0VRm3zT0JLWNfMNxt/s400/DSC_2671.JPG" /></a><br />
Henry and Silas' transition to school has settled down a bit. We had a difficult episode with Henry over some homework that led to a meltdown. But other than that Silas has found his groove and is loving preschool and Henry seems to be doing well in Kindergarten as well. He was the first person in his class to get into the "100 club," being able to count to 100. Then at back to school night he and i estimated the number of Hershey's kisses in a jar, were closest, and won!<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/30yl8zR3wOCgJDpfau3IJg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zIb1rarVvv9746-OV8PrAgBsUDfAmpD_A42A6cnHyF7MV-uy3fXGy11890FAetlbjchs-kfqfdXzIY8JMk97b2brQVVa0G1kSupt74BDy_DdCOwne9Glr-szosW_UPYiMOtN/s400/DSC_2673.JPG" /></a><br />
We've been learning more about the boys' school now that Henry is in Kindergarten. At <a href="www.friendsofgoetheschool.org">Goethe</a>, Kindergarten has a more similar program to the lower elementary grades than preschool-- which operates semi-autonomously. Henry has library twice a week with a newly hired library teacher (a huge coup for the school), music twice a week and gym once a week. They go outside for recess every day and Henry has a teacher that is clearly dedicated to her kids. I'm starting to learn about the curriculum more, because parts of it feel a little "rote" to me. But i've seen instances of positive things as well-- <br />
-at back to school night Mrs. R talked about how studies had shown the positive effects of reading poetry with children and that poetry would be a big focus of the year (each week a poem comes home that we read out loud.)<br />
- after the homework meltdown that involved writing "S" on a worksheet (yuck!) the next night Henry was supposed to count all the spoons in our flatware drawer, homework that feels "right" instead of "rote" to me.<br />
-they use <a href="http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/default.aspx">Fountas and Pinnell</a> leveled readers (which i've heard of only because my mother is an educator parexellence; and even then i always thought she was saying Fountain and Spinell.)<br />
-they have time to "read" independently every day and do Writer's workshop daily as well-- a school-wide initiative.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TPaTxxAPzcQZnK05XJDitA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TJQbHRF7nvI/AAAAAAAAX1c/2Z_X2x_Q5WA/s400/DSC_2676.JPG" /></a><br />
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<i>Silas' favorite food: note how all the others have pizza (which was modeled by their teacher). Silas-- not afraid to strike out on his own!</i><br />
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Beyond learning about the curriculum i've found our family life centering much more around our neighborhood and the school. We're meeting lots of new families that have enrolled their kids in Goethe's preschool program. The vast majority of them live nearby so we see new friends at the parks, at the farmers market, even while buying school supplies. Not to mention our block is the most kid-friendly urban block i think i could ask for. The boys now regularly and organically arrange their own after-school play and just this evening spent a blissfull 1.5 hours on our porch with friends from down the street eating popcorn and pressing the 11 year-old to read more stories to them.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-19099569145682236302010-09-10T09:26:00.000-05:002010-09-10T09:26:45.980-05:00Back to School 2010<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/72qTRbMQNYHdle5Seupm_w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBPeDTm8oX_8ywkB5Vj3ik0QZmYPgzqi3drAV-CZUT7qErAs_5-5bF7R-b3jvDkM1Exr9lrShDp_zZCAnEntOCNV50mzVbqsq-9mNq3fe2IzGXaw3WfWht7xDg1MM4qRnLMum/s400/DSC_2625.JPG" /></a><br />
The boys headed off to school starting this Tuesday the 7th. I've <a href="http://goodintent.blogspot.com/2010/08/best-block-ever.html">blogged before</a> about how lucky we are to have a wonderful neighborhood school-- but boy do i count my lucky stars everyday we only have to traipse one-block to school. Henry began full-day kindergarten with Mrs. R and Silas started his first year of preschool with the wonderful Ms. Laura, Henry's teacher last year.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fhZqQSKIAa5K9cNEuLXbTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TIjusLzZ2tI/AAAAAAAAXyQ/xqHeOP5BQIc/s400/DSC_2651.JPG" /></a><br />
The first day of school went pretty well. Both preschool and kindergarten had a shortened schedule so the kids could ease-in and parents stayed in the classroom withe the preschoolers. Henry did amazing and is super excited about his classroom, teacher and everything else. He has a few friends from last year in his class which is nice and i know a few of the other teachers. They have a frog in the classroom which i think Henry is most excited about! After school we played in the playground and the boys were having a grand time filling Henry's backpack with all the acorns starting to drop.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KGp12KfakguDHYtijYHouw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TIjuo2UMoeI/AAAAAAAAXxM/_Lm4FwJfIRY/s400/DSC_2630.JPG" /></a><br />
Silas had a very hard time getting up and getting dressed and leaving the house-- difficult transitions for him to be sure. Thankfully his first day started a little later than Henry's so Silas and i had some extra time to cuddle, take it slow, and talk about his feelings. The poor thing had a pretty bad cold and wasn't feeling too well overall. Once we got to school he did really well. It was awesome to watch him take the other kids hands, make a circle, try out the new songs they sing every morning, listen to the story, and have a blast exploring the classroom. He checked in with me often and about 20 minutes before the end of the day he told me he thought "we should go home," but really all in all he was great. <br />
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Then the second day came. I could tell he was apprehensive from the minute he got up-- he kept talking about me coming to school and staying with him. I kept telling him that JT and I would both walk him to school but that today he got to play with his teachers and friends and i'd get to hear all about his adventures after i picked him up. He wasn't buying it. Then just as Ms. Laura appeared at the door to welcome the kiddos into the school building Silas' nose started gushing blood. One thing i'm not-- a prepared mama. I frantically started yelling for a tissue from someone just as everyone else is focused on ushering their precious cargo off to their first solo school day. I got a few napkins and escorted Silas into the preschool bathroom. When we emerged all the kids were in the classroom putting their jackets away. Silas immediately started crying and grabbing me and Ms. Laura had to pry him off me. I ducked out quickly and Ms. Laura swore she just held him for a few minutes and he calmed down.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1vqsgz-mZ8Eit56V3f1lTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk49KyNXEm3HOtgDzeq7w-f4h9hn1iSJGx0XCVamnyrjCnQ562Jiuih8Be1DYXsLbKQO_h3CZkkz11xMHJpstwwV1pIaDPGSP0F93-i-U6Ct1b-g9x4zZoKvPzrMqalxMD1YOz/s400/DSC_2628.JPG" /></a><br />
The third day he went in with just a quick kiss and a view of the back of his head. But this morning he was in tears again. Hopefully he calmed down just as quickly this time. Even though Brenda is picking him up from school i think i'll go over and meet him, bring him his bunny and hear how things went. Poor little guy-- hope this transition doesn't take too long to work the kinks out.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-8592659318316483322010-09-05T22:17:00.000-05:002010-09-05T22:17:33.020-05:00Back to SchoolThe school supplies are all loaded which includes a wheelbarrow worth of copy paper and paper towels! And the backpacks are made. Henry starts Kindergarten and Silas preschool on Tuesday. They were so happy to pick out their own fabrics and even helped me sew them together (a little bit of help, a lot of sewing after they went to bed.) <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f0pG2YWQ3t0k-yt_eYdiVQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjIcua4PWRRkIlGiOu9RSsu4RYqBvNBtCSafm5_KGnnMiboe9NHrsxSDZk2q3dcF2y_vLq_Ko0bWPQGlVuSIR0QgZNu3rinqajLVNkc9Zp26GPoYBin19G8nc_c5NMf_1nGw_/s400/DSC_2612.jpg" /></a><br />
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Of course Silas wouldn't model his but he's worn it quite a bit already. Hopefully we'll get some real pictures of both of them on Tuesday. Henry's is the orange polka dots and Silas' is the green swirly one.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rqwUiyhoDQ9YN9q4yAguwA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T3APzS3xq_fGO1EyGnwOuTT1J_MeahvrnEnLJwWo45EEzJMqZn2EXiNV1MUWV40sfFSM0eql0_zbcZHf0InHRUHJrgjtGLVem9bmlHwleLdspCqms8eEktcVuTJq6wmS6RZI/s400/DSC_2619.jpg" /></a>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-22598745978494933662010-08-27T23:39:00.000-05:002010-08-27T23:39:55.289-05:00The Best Block Ever<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tcno4Y9pK62cKOagi1ZNqw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pw4U9hcHeRy15jLtLJReQNXDKzu5MsJ8wYQZMeEaA8vipF07YhB82VJPjFybePpXiHsVQF9LZlu6YGykiSnf2x8-oc0sXkpnS3Tmy6zPTB7p_0qGwdEmRcgizodYuFqoYK8P/s400/DSC_2579.JPG" /></a><br />
Two kids, in school. Somewhat hard to imagine. Silas starts preschool and Henry will be in Kindergarten in the fall. I still thank the gods that we bought this house. Despite the fact that there are no right angles in the entire house, we lucked into an amazing block and neighborhood.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U_FsNtvhNmZBS4WJECRU-A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi980bAxg4uaprrWMq-jnGSaK4ZnsTwj71wVwF0whALODQI0_JR9oPJNmutpTLkqLdB_bmOUDnXbcWFelfY1y9GzmzNCWW4dBoVZ-NNoyMqQxC0tg06yb0Tfxa0UYwdhLTZwRzc/s400/DSC_2576.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ford.people/JulyAug2010?feat=embedwebsite">July-Aug 2010</a></td></tr></table>We had our block party last weekend and what a treat it was. Each year it's an awesome time to connect with our neighbors-- many who are really active in our community and are fun cool people to boot. This year Ms. Peggy planned a whole block worth of amazing activities for the kids. The "stand-bys)are two jumping houses and usually the fire truck comes (this year they couldn't make it due to a real emergency). But this year Ms. Peggy went all out and made a pinata with the kids (in advance), and had "stations" set-up on both sides of the street including: bubble blowing, hula hoops, hopscotch, an art table complete with nature rubbings, face painting, an amazing balloon guy, chalk art, dominoes, checkers and a few stations i never even made it to. One of the best parts for the kids was that she made them all "games official" badges and posted each one of them to a station. They had a blast being in charge of the stations and enjoyed their official role.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JkW2mNCg07NlbOVAeWzcJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcZBNYxbVlhOpEAT72EgtK_QLfPSOOGo-K8_IyTcEPhSq7CVDYpWzWoPph48go4wfqWCkJo7HOcZIpdhFNlwAvEgyWE0e6_FGieQ4Y6uggg6whUvwUerEofdBzAfYdb6af35B/s400/DSC_2588.JPG" /></a><br />
The party had a fabulous pace to it, really relaxed which isn't the first thing that jumps to mind when you have an entire street full of small children. But it just worked.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NuFb4_tOpqa-kCbhM01nrg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9xSdZUOkSHRjZy7ROiSfUc2_n0ytzkHdr5GZKUyQuawmU4rBnsYVOSTTTBntB5Vq9E1SHlJPMm-HNb-I_EI1e1CN92HXsOPS6k1CQrUuv2xhNcW7xq6TUVl1m-AGPK94P69K/s400/DSC_2582.JPG" /></a><br />
So between our block party and getting ready to send both boys to our neighborhood school (it's a block away, how much better can it get!) we're just so content in our urban neighborhood that is really a neighborhood at its best.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-25144952952137103182010-08-07T14:37:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:37:07.068-05:00Backyard Magic<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sgx7sx-XZEEQ-AXGJGuSmQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejgMDJA4pXcWOBDq_IsBXnEy7c4bwn5Jl9WO6RKejW0wwqiqqk58b_elKW6Dc1quFp7gRrKKmdp5eb0CQX1AUNVkvKWTVmmw3vJKfwZQd2tk-a4926ncvkZnFZfOoBb-vNYrl/s400/DSC_2555.JPG" /></a><br />
Having these new little toad friends (more pictures added to toad post) in our backyard doesn't hurt, but i've found our little backyard (big by city standards) to be quite a haven this summer. With JT gone weekend afternoons, the boys and i have been doing all kinds of projects out of doors. We painted and hung small birdfeeders, we made <a href="http://momenttomomentdk.blogspot.com/2010/08/little-boats.html">little boats</a> out of twigs, we expanded the toads' habitat and this weekend we're working on making felted rocks. I can't find a link to the rocks and i know it sounds strange, but they're very pretty and i think will be a lot of fun to do with the kids. It involves raw wool and wet soapy water.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Rk_IhE6wxlD36ish1pRz2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TF2012JbGYI/AAAAAAAAXjk/nsIB1ztZkh8/s400/DSC_2558.JPG" /></a><br />
Next weekend we're going to make <a href="http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2010/07/darling-little-birdseed-cakes.html">birdseed cakes</a> and maybe do some <a href="http://momenttomomentdk.blogspot.com/2010/07/personalized-mealtime-napkins.html">glue batik painting</a> to some old white shirts. I can really tell that the boys are getting older because while Silas' attention span is still shorter than Henry's when it comes to crafts, he finds other ways to keep himself amused-- usually involving water and, well, water.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sggBovc2aoVwYFwZLkkjKg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBZ2PZN5iprvGNq9Wtg_6Ncs2Pkpkfku2WM6eNPvL8YKw1saUcIGak7M3_eYakfbhWrI3OKPGEEpPv5zxMv73-oTAFzF_xtCatT48tm5g6U-gdVW1D-6XsmIJ1R7Q602_JcBP/s400/DSC_2560.JPG" /></a><br />
The only problem is the mosquitoes. Since we've had such a wet summer they are out in force in our backyard. Silas in particular is loved by the mosquitoes (pequitos as he calls them) and yet his skin really hates the bites. He's covered in red welts right now. Even though we cover liberally with bug spray. So if anyone has any other remedies they can suggest please feel free to let me know.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HfZ7Cyx3l3LcKSB_FCwecA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TF2055wgbhI/AAAAAAAAXkI/yZZOwpXeGQg/s400/DSC_2563.JPG" /></a><br />
I think next year we're going to make one of these <a href="http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2010/08/make-fairy-garden.html">fairy gardens</a>. I didn't see the idea until just recently and i don't think we'd have time for them to get established now, but what fun designing and creating this will be next year. Even more magic for the garden!Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-9224333541897428102010-08-05T19:15:00.001-05:002010-08-07T14:38:28.391-05:00Toads!We have slugs, a lot of slugs. I've tried drowning them in buried cups of beer (very effective but the carnage is more than i can bear), picking them up with chopsticks and transplanting them to the trash (time consuming) and just hoping they'd go away. But those tell-tale mucousy trails made it clear they weren't just going away.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tQXpXCwaB1DTtxq48OYY5g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_BWJETsf44Mc/TF20vwqZTuI/AAAAAAAAXig/mokV0_Gh1V8/s400/DSC_2545.JPG" /></a><br />
For two summers we tried to <a href="http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf73601445.tip.html">"entice" some toads</a> into our yard. We put some clay pots on their sides and fluffed decomposing leaves into the bottoms. We arranged them in a shady spot by a large tree and made a rock "garden" of sorts. We left out saucers of water. Nothing. I decided there may be toads in Chicago, but not in at least a 10-block radius. If we were going to get toads in there, we were going to have to import them rather than have it happen organically.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/95Wdg7JG0sXsjVWmX6raaQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YUO3_ZhD4CflW3wPWLxSO2x_I4diPUHCRTaqbPd1ZpgnfUdf_z-yABuv_wL_w6hm3aAffhtWV3pqbuBNM1D8JHZOOk7KLDsDxsp8CQh7GYye-tEF7buENW9Znl6qTHbNVwhU/s400/DSC_2549.JPG" /></a><br />
That's where things stalled for another year. You can't just buy any old toad and plop it into your backyard. That's why cane toads and bullfrogs have become nuisances or worse in a lot of areas. So i researched and found out that an indigenous toad for this area is the common <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_toad">American Toad</a>. We started at Petco once i established that they do carry frogs and toads-- but as it turns out only the more exotic species (like tree frogs and such) that people keep indoors as pets.<br />
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So i searched the web and found <a href="http://www.reptilecity.com/">Reptile City</a>. The toads were quite affordable ($6 each) although the shipping was $20. In hindsight this makes sense because how else would you get live toads to you intact if not overnight? We set-up a little enclosure made of sticks and waist-high chicken wire in the afore-mentioned toad spot. We put saucers of water dug into the soil so they are flush with the ground. I got a notice that the package was due to be delivered by 3 pm. <br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hsFaNigqFKj725u5O3vtyQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHKMC1IVktI2mxKFb-XvOkFlnjsbom5fgEihX_6b0HIZXVDz1IOCuHs1QCeF4rYNCwEN3wYrdF51RmsFTvUMqSyIqxCawI55yINHlZY-kvl7XSwci-BjNBMb08lm6f5fAmOwi/s400/DSC_2554.JPG" /></a><br />
I put a note on the door to make sure the postman rang the doorbell and left my phone number. I stayed close to home but with the ac blowing i missed his steps on the porch. The next time i checked i had a package slip to retrieve the package the next morning! I headed out to the post office and they searched for the package only to come back and tell me it was still on the truck with the driver. I explained the situation and as soon as i mentioned "live toads" that woman leapt into action. She called the driver, found the location of the truck and in 15 minutes the package was in my hand. In the meantime i had gotten a few frantic calls from Reptile City who had been notified about the package not being delivered.<br />
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After retrieving the boys we headed home to open the box inside their "habitat." I was very worried because i expected the box to be jumping or something and it was completely still. I opened both layers of packaging and found a cotton drawstring bag which immediately started moving and jumping and generally coming alive. I put that down on the ground inside the chicken wire and gently shook the toads out. Hot dog! 4 toads including a little baby one. <br />
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But damn if they weren't much smaller than i had anticipated. Even the biggest one took one look at that chicken wire and hopped right out. Madness ensued. I was running around getting old sheets that i draped around the chicken wire and secured on the bottom with rocks. Once that was more or less done we tackled trying to catch the 3 that had escaped. 2 had already hopped under the fence into our neighbors' yard. And so while holding a toad was not really on my list of to-dos ,i successfully caught and transported those toads back to their enclosure.<br />
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Ultimately i'd like them to be "free-range" toads. But for now i'm trying to keep them enclosed so that they adjust and make our yard their home. Tonight i'm going to get metal stakes and make a bigger enclosure out of landscaping fabric. I'm envisioning a toad "run" of sorts. This way the toads have more room and Henry can get in there with them and move around. He spent about 30 minutes in the current enclosure which is only slightly wider around than he is. I'll update with pictures as soon as possible.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-11487390275837584252010-07-31T09:26:00.000-05:002010-07-31T09:26:09.181-05:00Waldorf Summer CampHenry came home from his last day of camp on Friday and brought home the most beautiful watercolor paintings. This was Henry's first year of summer camp and he had a wonderful experience. He went to the <a href="http://www.chicagowaldorf.org/">Chicago Waldorf School</a> which is a very established Waldorf school. Waldorf schools are very big on child-centered learning, having a clear rhythm to the day, and lots of time for art, music, sports, being outside and unstructured play. The school is up North and close to the Lake so every afternoon they spent a few hours at the beach. <br />
<br />
The environment was extremely warm and nurturing and Henry just soaked it up. Always one with a big heart, his compliments and hugs were infectious and he really bonded with his teachers in just the two weeks. He also made several best friends and developed a real affinity for building sand castles, tunnels and collecting treasures.<br />
<br />
Although the experience for Henry was wonderful we most likely won't be headed back there next summer. I knew that the 30 minute one-way commute was going to be difficult to mesh into our schedule (especially since Ms. Brenda is 15 minutes in the opposite direction). But it became patently obvious that 1.5 hours in the car each morning just doesn't fit our family. Besides not relishing the idea of expanding our carbon footprint by that much each morning, the experience confirmed my notion that time together is one of our key family values. It doesn't hurt of course that we live in a city bustling with summer camps-- so i've already bookmarked a few to explore for next summer-- both around the corner from Ms. Brenda.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-69936363804737040832010-07-14T22:50:00.000-05:002010-07-14T22:50:14.497-05:005 Years in Pictures at the BeachYou know how lots of people take pictures of their babies in front of the same stuffed animal to visually mark how they grow? Heading to the beach each summer offers visual reminders of the boys' growth and development, along with all the memories looking back at these pictures evoke. But for now i'm leading with the pictures...<br />
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Henry 3 Mos and Nonna:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Rjf00n26ZJwqtBOKn6bCTQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ4sFCK0n-hJzhcapGnZpkScz8L_Zv3VgJS5mZDYP0OgrEU0Yvpaj8cVDbZFCqRAXyetl4DQ5ZlYU_FdRm-o__N_TkLlSf94MQLHGnRtnFXN-DtRl9dzjNISGZxLZjs0sJAlF/s400/Pretty-cute.jpg" /></a><br />
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Henry 14 months:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D5wqV4AyXkdxlRSUhqA7gA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BZ8tLjNCnAsv2P4qsFjNEO9v8K8i8kElnhfGxffRAcOiJ8MfdtVlLQLD-aoxluxJXcJAUWefMKUixvuqiIMpS22gkwqj-T6TUWd49cC9ggLr4C3TdtUT1OWhoqN63pMLiUr4/s400/DSC_5896.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Henry 14 months:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l6ADVZLJKnGQMKmktO52BA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9xxnvsnR1_qiqV3T-SomfO5_ujV-INZZk5RyCz-fU-Mq3AqWRaQDsGP3XiocUUDLnNFZLUps16Dyjq7TdSk9djPb0G3AUCczvMD1xPEhgZ14MF44TO8RbFNVD0uhTEvbc6bd/s400/DSC_5975.JPG" /></a><br />
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Henry 2 Years:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CNFaUGsRgxGhJ77MNiT9Ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcmq_N8jRbox7w4EpYN9hdn1OkDzQ5TCp8mBHUhXg4nKXY5rlffrZhxpjA5N3bO0VrPDXBTEutZHP7uuO2uyUV6JQRFvCNYzG3pMz3ujKsXucCpIUsu2YoPNF1wpgV4b2n9m2/s400/DSC_7829.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Henry Beach 4 Years:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/znjjxxNNjr647YhfumKSkA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC-3LtsPa8B7YUlehaAShk4bwjfD7PB1lUt159RSQQ6O22NhzFyDSuMwK21saP7whg7KoArFlL0DyhajRL03JcU349M0y_Qk47wOWb0Er_hugvpWXS9FSeO0_RVFa35KzRvfw/s400/DSC_1250.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Henry Beach 5 Years:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/d7uFP750kl0EY33KgiIkVw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1CIZAa1H99L6tVd81M5ND1-izvBRuxV3f-JZxK650lazh2Lz6PcaYHdlp24l2sAFDjwHTXmvkNYLzn6lIm7nO6TqwsF4NsAqGYD4NZLszH7vk9wh82PHHymMZn2UpRpeiQah/s400/IMG_0238.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Silas 4 Months:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ALPKtsEPc9BWeGdiuAhC7Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_212uVrvnUlvdUQFXNiONkkWQ1kVRqyo_u6fbZTDaahqYrsJHPKKa5peREgZwygLAT2cgNo8bQ3K6d8c_Zh0nj9MJtHynxTLGt1TK6OQr9LM-uULikxdvezuC8VTZ4NjcWPin/s400/DSC_7766.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Silas 15 Months:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2qJS6ntocM9sCtd-_hw8Fw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuA4EQkyh-ggHnZ8ltVbi33npGZiHgO_Hg5_d7IPTJyA6xewFiagk0wKc1_PYW8ssHZdM197a3tB4UGoFSCochNvUVvH0kWQvjpgllOBRo9GKHKXxcU3HVQRH1uLFhJa5-cWU/s400/DSC_9675.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Silas Beach 2 Years:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sTE_edISvRkG6knbY5ZsqA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GqzrS1QzjxNxebI5KfX1Sifa0meuOY3AEHEmFJRY5RuRGPga87I6f1Tf8doA-Eo-b3n729lQDD2rGOVW46sqFh7FBD_S9u7OO5P8CQWljbzsZRDgUKfmKFFeyrbc19gKiOWk/s400/DSC_1277.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Silas Beach 2 Years: <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vn0xnEaQpaUvbvHA7HVyLQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDkq8ixhea1uZZrWAqJFKCosBSrbdRHzKvgqvhO6IvzO4ku2vd2Bo77MGMBLw5HEoBs_-ydrgRXA6nwVE-2J-CvEOnPP_RTGE1RxKuw3ry8yXkExos872-FAJwT5_J6HWVLT0/s400/IMG_0033.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Silas Beach 3 Years:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/naCwTtWAbjCjNJOAVgXL3g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0nhUtfkE6_qpB66pDvJ5fbHffl9qIKZtvaNikHwNM5is7CIYmgl1ICYiTWtxds2IDcAzLD5hdBZLl2VLIKaDLmW0JPFzqgn4bW7r-6rvzwilf5EZDUt7QRyMnWTwvp31Lnzg/s400/IMG_0251.jpg" /></a><br />
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Boys Beach 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EGK_50N6b8AyT-R2xHZWIg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1ApuNlLeg7NHYd9foFqThuOSuJlIkmQXsNJ9TG-v-j9BbOZjQ8riMd4BSVqNlx-9Y90UKThj1XQ9vIBJi6WvWk-NkCIgYS5fyYyYWmopqo1NJ6pvSD5A6S9UvROUrPYGzxLx/s400/DSC_2435.JPG" /></a><br />
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Family Picture 2008:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5PFd-ohya4MfEAhXud99eA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZC5quuQ2mMXva5JaTEsWS0hgR8EkOobweBqVSPEu_2_e2hWhySDyZt1bdCbyBw165jeADMe8axGzHe4IxUDrHaJ3qKpQk-bVcinotFTZ8PrpX8WoZA-4o1GIoiQ4JPtfNDgY/s400/DSC_7940.JPG" /></a><br />
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Family Picture 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q2gLltzI9qq52Xgi80X20g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8yiZrwMQMr4bUlBzMyMKB0_rpeZ9LTlFE6S4otntM7cLgbZEE-BNOCUM9f4IXdEyP1JEJo2tvywt0Bv_gzFL2ZYsxER4kJsj-VsmQS5GPXAsHyvsqk2787gog89f6kHAo33T/s400/DSC_2502.JPG" /></a><br />
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Parade 2008:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nnL3vdwUm8mzzu5zBZvZow?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywKUU1CZhvylIjlznGKLvXj9iCypdjyOqtaZui_xc4Hes230z4-saBbevOekeb9GcLd6L1_j5MAjaGmq9cBA9xdDM5Ayl6YI_cMs_hCPCTHqhc_lo_8XXgU2Pc3nGzkF3OEKv/s400/DSC_7957.JPG" /></a><br />
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Parade 2009:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9cofUJPibAi7H98VdPL96g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9jb0iljVXz0XWMdmhT1gdE0L93QIUgt1iRVKyS1eMOxDRxY15CvDipRuFVlfoX7c4QYn2JfPbCIGk32DjPzSASCiPDUEVooPYUOlzWpu9ZzK8rwp5ZHD5lgWiPK9GNxHFhj3/s400/DSC_9743.JPG" /></a><br />
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Parade 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cfg3UYxzP4erHBf-1S920g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTbXQ3SSrOUbjrvQK_QYeobatR1wmaZbd2mcIkz4DSShIObqHQ0ePqN_Rd5fIOGkO8UPkOJ8dj9iqJ4Qb5IuIMBCSZc_uReeEVOnBaq7m4DYr4aFBUUdf6N3S1w7Ts4N5ZQBo/s400/IMG_0256.JPG" /></a><br />
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Baseball Game 2009:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Bd5ypeWowS1-jJzcjvw7tw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXehUu6qQCaRDQ-PrPHKBWpMEpazdGJh5f2bet5mkJlNtNGEMZ7UDpEUYmKmjeGWHrmyHzrB6rKGWO4duYzQEAkoG6V29_dBQZI0Sjt7rFDlMLu-QHRJBQyV1SuD7wEj9RFcS/s400/DSC_9707.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Baseball Game 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/trCR0b1EAH0lLQ8-Fg9Smg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s3DHgybqBOZsRnqIjX7RPF8uz5b3L91znoYeWoqSJdlyztAHsI9rGk9nRMxFucuMr2E4gezRjUqrh1ri5vSaB4spDKi8AouEzj_Cv-4I58stW9uBC-Hfmac23kP33GCcwhOx/s400/DSC_2465.JPG" /></a><br />
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Sherman 2008:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w6KjjVWb-YVJRaHA9EEJwQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_09Y-UKZOs1JgjfgUwilQBqyjJei47cleKyDQxDPhszMmDlm3CT4HiSIjYfKr5Kro80NVkku8-Nul097tTHyigvrNMBKHr-96VjXzLcsqqANn95-6DqiIuqVQtznHOvUBq9i/s400/DSC_9709.JPG" /></a><br />
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Sherman 2009: <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yM_L3v_FA6SPrwdOgY7kQQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMO03XGk63gZi6KGGJui_eA6rQmqQ7anTmQLnZRdcM3e7MWwnelE-eSGHTqDC2Y-Le8p4BO5t-GgyZtwnOwkjLXHOOusdAiFv7OkfOuShy4KLmvixE0P2wvGNCbgRgMEUEmVmg/s400/DSC_1293.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Sherman 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A4YLTMdeLzlGW1BOMEdMSg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5q30m6z1Tsg4-W4ZV_wqz70Em1zv8Lny26xtYLDv4MEWMdK5FwN-N3W9lm8T34dyQhCC9RqtEoW3LKah06nHqQLEhqU4GSf_MC41_2M2q7UeVPyHw2p8l-kofy3fLry9z4Hc/s400/DSC_2480.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Carousel 2008:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yfuxoVAcuifuN7_82_jUQw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2lw3g9riZ2zmtrzJ5KRIICb-U5r1ybpwcSB3UMC7ky1U9R_LSN_MZK9bhex3gFm8vflCYEiBOBawnju5IzZjMx8Aer0x6BcIV_SJjTFhle5oYqP4V5KLJny-zUehnrXMf80o/s400/DSC_9712.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Carousel 2010:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Wc18OAbOH9YI4Gil454-iQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5n_IeA2CoOQFizAZIZ9u_rSxNSSI-HiSxYgbjz6NoEdTzy8sKc0l2HmUpF3mosCLe6ZJZN43uiE0V5UAviCKnj76RtvyTqOYUVpJDhnEjaQW3DN7HFDuHoLuEsfEs2-QQSBBH/s400/DSC_2491.JPG" /></a>Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-50251814186810568102010-06-19T10:55:00.000-05:002010-06-19T10:55:55.710-05:00When your child needs a drill sargent and you're more the empathetic typeIf you're friends with me on Facebook you probably noticed that something seemed to be up with Silas by the 500+ posts about tantrums, behavior struggles, and all around difficult times this winter. <br />
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We started having difficulties in the fall with getting Silas dressed. He didn't want to put clothes on and would be completely overwhelmed and emotional. The episodes were so difficult but thankfully somewhat infrequent and we just powered through them. But then after Christmas Silas seemed to become obsessed with his pajamas and staying home. Most mornings we spent the entire 1.5 hours we have to eat breakfast, play and get ready for school spent in terrible, tantrums with Silas. <br />
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On the few occasions that Silas had a tantrum about something clear-cut (i want to watch another Little Bear- waaaah!) it was very easy to shut it down clearly and forcefully with no misgivings on my part.<br />
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But when Silas was sobbing and screaming that he just wanted to "put his pjs on and stay hooome!" it had me thinking he was having security or emotional issues and that empathy was the way to go. So eventually i let him wear his pajamas to school. And maybe things improved for a little bit-- it at least gave us some space to stop having an emotional power struggle every single morning.<br />
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But, then things got even worse. What i finally came to realize that while i was worried about hurting him by forcing him to wear clothes when he was looking for comfort in his pajamas, it was actually "hurting" him more by letting him run the show. He doesn't really want to run the show-- but he is hardwired to test the boundaries every second he can.<br />
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Once i accepted that my job really was to run his life, to only give him the choices that i decided, and to know that it might take physically forcing him into clothes for a little while-- we had "behavior bootcamp" as i termed it.<br />
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I told him that things were going to change-- and we talked about what mommy decides and what Silas decides. Mommy decides that he has to wear clothes to school, that he has to wear a coat in the winter, must wear shoes to leave the house-- but socks, socks were completely Silas' purview. Then when he wouldn't do something that i told him we must do (get dressed, take a bath, etc.) i would tell him i was going to count to three and if he didn't do what i had asked, i would do it for him which he hated. For the first day we basically did this for every step of our day-- getting dressed, brushing our teeth, taking a bath, etc. <br />
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Remarkably by the second day most times i just had to say "Silas, are we going to argue?" And by the count of three he would hop into the bath on his own or pick his clothes, etc. <br />
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We've had a few relapses that we've had to have mini "bootcamps" again, but they have been short-lived and less intense.<br />
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Now Silas is Silas. Which means he still does push every boundary he can. He also still throws tantrums. But in general they are less intense, don't last as long, and we always end them the same way. He has to calm himself down, give me a hug, and say he's sorry.<br />
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It was a really difficult learning process with Silas, and i had to go against my nature and the type of parenting that comes naturally (and worked just fine with Henry), but our whole family benefits now that i've embraced my inner drill sargent.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-47310603865039007182010-06-15T16:07:00.004-05:002010-06-21T09:24:26.069-05:00Online Art AuctionLike many cities and states across the country, the Chicago public school district is facing a pretty whopping budget shortfall for the 2010-2011 school year. We're grateful that at this point cutting pre-k is off the table in the state legislature, but unless a minor miracle occurs, our school and others across the city will be forced to move from full-day to half-day kindergarten next year. Although other schools are "strongly encouraging" parents to pay $2000 per pupil to maintain all-day kindergarten, at Goethe we are focused on raising $21K over the course of the summer through our "save-a-teacher fund" in order to maintain small class size by holding on to three teacher positions that would otherwise be cut.<br />
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To help do our part we're launching an online silent art auction. Check it out here (click on the slideshow to go to the picasa site): <br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fford.people%2Falbumid%2F5483036688806195521%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
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The boys selected their best artwork from the year and helped me set opening bids for their work. Check out their gallery of work, and if you're compelled enter a bid in the comments box. The auction will close at 5 pm Thursday June 24th. Pieces will be hand-delivered to family we'll be seeing in person this summer, or mailed to the rest of you in July!<br />
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UPDATE: I found out that you essentially need a picasa account to leave a comment (i.e. enter a bid for the artwork). If you have a picasa account feel free to login and proceed as normal. If you don't, you should still be able to browse the individual pieces and see the bids that have already been entered. I've numbered all the artwork now, so just email me with the piece you are interested in and your bid and i'll enter it manually.<br />
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If i don't have your contact information make sure to email me at ford dot people at gmail dot com (convert "dots" and "at" to . and @) so i can notify you if you have the winning bid.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639574.post-65847678122989430402010-06-05T23:34:00.000-05:002010-06-05T23:34:06.014-05:0010 week challengeNo, it's not a new diet, or a pledge to read a book a week or anything like that. The title refers to JT's current quarter at cooking school which (praise be!) is over in 2 more weeks. In addition to the 6 days of classes that have JT leaving the house by 5 am, he's working at a restaurant Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon until late. Oy. It's been challenging on many fronts that i won't go into here, but it has coincided lately with a) a realization that we MUST get out of the house on the weekends and b) warm weather and the opening of the Chicago beaches.<br />
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<table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SscL-Hhvfjn-fp9_IJ8Z3g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_T2wwyrnJe1CgPPcNpX_J97gdD-fEmSDgee-Bvtn12Z5dcRReP680tR2GgiCfk4cScH8HpcSGCzYKN-HJrIGsxjewDWUVnRzSvdak3OqpPes8gIutzbKr5lRUq4coz5YhPyN/s400/IMG_0177.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ford.people/June2010?feat=embedwebsite">June 2010</a></td></tr>
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So this week we "discovered" <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/abmarfia/230163432/in/set-72157594261942835/">Humboldt park</a>. We've driven right by it for years, and we went sledding there this winter but what an even more magical place the park is in this warm season. Thursday we went to the side of the park where there is a large pond (that had just been stocked with catfish). Lots of people were out fishing in little nooks that have been created by rock steps down to the waters' edge. There are bird and butterfly sanctuarys all around the exterior of the pond and meandering nature paths to saunter down. The boys LOVED watching the old guys fish and Henry has been talking a lot about a fishing poll. Silas kept asking when he'd get to "tow" the fish. But personally i don't think i'm up for actually hooking a fish, so we just might need to get out to my grandparents farm again soon so the boys can learn!<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tkaMkICWmhzEg2VsgCleqw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvMnovovzaeNm3mdFE-IAaUoZYyZhu9d4hPIfABAMby5T1sguFPvQtWv5g_uqjWn8dxcvqtEx_s6bB-5IVBp_1-UWsomYGg9l13I1EScVllB66FegNSmdLne4JROZ3H_O-6d7/s400/IMG_0180.JPG" /></a><br />
On Friday we went over to the other side of Humboldt park where the beautiful field house looks out on the pond that they have dredged, and created a small guarded swimming beach. We had to find a spot away from the teenagers using less than choice language (so glad it doesn't even register on their ears yet) and then had a blast. It's a beach, without waves, so it was perfect for the boys to play in at their own pace. After swimming and building sand castles, we had a picnic right next to the beach on the grass. In the early evening sun, there was magic to the evening.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YqEkKKUQpXjWVNM8NqyRWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMsJ6nh9g_LQ0yf9aHsSfOdgnGgyFfHuvmvtxYxnnCUTB_H-TsXyLw0xVpkfSCyWnRk0jUq0OVk6q_Xw8biGpE8_9UUh9QWYQfkwftOL2MR9fEqTvegl9KOo5T0c2eIzP6M6-/s400/IMG_0184.JPG" /></a><br />
Plus, when we got home the boys both went to bed without one little peep. We'll be going to that beach as much as possible this summer-- and hope to explore the park more and more as the season unfolds.<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TQmiVCaFVeqXnOsNNtZCJQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-_TzzkusyIPAoq6OmcnwWJui_c-MQQa0K5RX0PaaFB_g9nI-oELX1hx0txlp0QpOHGxMoVF3nA5qE9nRdZpP37J__V5x4ZRu5lJHgBJHSP8ILsqJ65oCe5wvbuIdIbGvUKdD/s400/IMG_0188.jpg" /></a> <br />
Today, we went on a epic journey down to the <a href="http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/crown_fountain.html">Crown fountain </a>at millenium park. The forecast was rain all day but i figured the boys had planned to play in the fountain and be wet anyway-- so why not just go anyway. After we got off the train and walked the 4 blocks or so to the fountain, it was absolutely pouring. And when we got there the fountain was working and indeed we were the only nutters out there in the pouring rain at the fountain. We played for awhile and made the first of our 7 trips to the bathroom, and at some point the rain tapered off. After hitting the cultural center to have sandwiches out of the sog, we went back to the fountain and enjoyed mostly clear skies and lots of fun (and several trips to the bathroom).<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zaQSL2GT8lPsXtC7uerqkw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOHyDuNNFhpA1d-MSRD_utLerJ5eB4Pfb1CGWvZPCQGBZHA0kw9zVTUxHrA9NZn9CrDQkm4mRyj6udMXzLp99UfzF6yPxNlx6vFxGDpSe53R5zC5UTCrTL_gA4Z_zlQgh3UVg/s400/IMG_0189.jpg" /></a><br />
After all that, tomorrow we'll be hanging out at home, catching up with the neighbor kids, putting laundry on the line, and generally slowing down before we begin another week. Night.Tallis Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03903013820862544950noreply@blogger.com2