Scenes from our Roadtrip

We had a wonderful trip to Cincinnati to see family over Thanksgiving. The parental units were somewhat concerned about their children's response to being confined in their carseats, but it went very well. Kate and Sam were intermittently amusing themselves or sleeping.

Steve's brother and sister-in-law were so gracious and we loved seeing them. I came home inspired by their beautiful home and talents...now if I could only find the time...







We only wish we lived closer so we could share laughs, good food and time together.

Making Honey...

We are in the prolonged process of potty training Kate. She's a very bright, enthusiastic little kid, so we thought this would be a breeze. After all, everyone says boys are harder than girls. Lies all lies. Kate is not interested. She is enthusiastically not interested. In fact, Kate is opposed to the idea. She is so opposed that she would rather hold it, and hold it, and hold it. Her records are 9 hours of holding pee and 3 days for holding her poop.

Unfortunately, her parents are medically inclined and not against using phamacotherapy to get things moving.

Tonight we were talking about her lack of bowel action when Steve asked her if she knew what bowels were.

She replied, "Ahhh, yeah. They make honey..."

She just doesn't get it...arghhh.

It's cccold outside...

We had enough snow fall to accumulate on the car today...I'm not quite ready yet. I think our cat, Pascal, has the right idea!

Sam's Goatee

When Steve was in grad school immersing himself in philosophy he grew and groomed a goatee. He was quite fond of it and he would stroke it thoughtfully as he studied the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Sam also is sporting a goatee...he just doesn't have the same intellectual look yet.

A Weekend Away...

To celebrate our wedding anniversary, Steve planned a wonderful weekend away for us this past weekend. He planned weeks in advance finding a lovely hotel and a fabulous place for dinner. This was the first time we had spent a night away from our kids since Kate joined our family in December of 2005 and it was such a treat!

So we left Saturday morning and the first surprise was lunch. We went to one of the top Chicago hot dog spots! Yup, you read correctly. Superdawg has been featured on the Food Network and it was such fun. We shared a Chicago dog, a thick malt and a few good laughs!



Next came the hotel. He had booked a room at the Hotel Sofitel in downtown Chicago with a lovely view of the city from the 24th floor. The thick down comforters and chocolate covered strawberries were wonderful!





We then walked and shopped and had a lovely time. Steve was very patient as I frantically jumped from store to store trying to cram in as much shopping as I could. He also patiently endured waiting for me to try on countless pairs of workout pants at Niketown...he didn't even flinch as he heard me say, "Do these make me look fat?" 1000 times.

Dinner was surprise number 3. I have been a fan of Chef Rick Bayless for years, so he took me to Frontera Grill for a feast. The food was excellent from appetizer to dessert. We got to see Rick Bayless and I was so touched that Steve remembered that I wanted to eat at his restaurant!

Our evening finished with a stroll along Michigan Avenue admiring the city lights...




It was a fantastic time away and I loved reconnecting with my husband. I am so blessed to have such a thoughtful husband and I appreciate him more than ever.

Girls' Night Out...

Monday nights are popular with Kate. She gets to go to gymnastics and then out for a treat with Daddy. Tonight Daddy thought it would be fun if Kate would get to go with me, so we packed up and headed over to the gym.




She was born in the year of the monkey...imagine that...





When she was given some free choice time, she headed to the beam to work on her routine and dismount...





After a hard workout, it's off to the "doughnut place" for a treat and a chance to see doughnuts being made.





I had to include this photo because the man in the background on the right is the "Doughnut King". Daddy nicknamed him and Kate loves it. When we walked in Kate shouted, "Look Mama! Doughnut King!"

Kate and her Bicycles...

Kate loves to be outside and she begs to ride her red bike and her "big girl" bike. Even as the temperatures drop, we just add on the layers and head out for more.




Uh-oh...don't look now...Sam is heading toward Kate's bike!