Not the kind of ketchup you put on your burger...the kind of ketchup (catch-up) you need when you're blogging summer and it's one week from Thanksgiving!
So this post is going to bring us from then, until almost now. We'll start with the very last bit of our summer vacation. After three (or was it four?) trips to the CVS minute clinic to diagnose everything from ear infections to pinkeye to heatstroke, and after so many beach days that even the children wanted to stay inside and play Twister instead of going to the beach one more time, and after celebrating birthdays with some of our favorite people in the whole world, we knew that we had wrung every last bit of fun out of our fabulous vacation back east.
It was time to head home.
Awww, don't pout! I promise we'll do it again next year! And we'll remember some lessons we learned this year...like that in order to maintain sanity, it's best to have a 50/50 ratio of party days to lazy days. This time we did more like 80% party, 20% lazy and that made for some over-tired Malletts! The timing was perfect though - we'd love to go back for the last week of July and first week of August so that we can celebrate birthdays again with Nana, Papa, Nana Nancy and Pa.
When we got back to Naperville, we had a few days to relax and settle in before a very special anniversary needed to be celebrated.
August 9th marked one year from the day we bid farewell to Massachusetts and headed west.
HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY TO US!!
The cake was made by someone who continues to spoil us more than we could ever deserve - Auntie Ulia! She was testing out a design for a special someone's first birthday that is coming this winter. Speaking of Cameron, he was kind enough to come play with us and celebrate on a day that was so hot, I didn't even care that I was being photographed in my tankini top (and without makeup - gasp!)
As another way to comemmorate the end of our first year here, I finally committed to hanging something on the wall! I'd been stalking a picture frame at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore that recently opened nearby. It had an oil painting in it, but I just wanted the frame. I knew it would be perfect for the family portrait that my friend Emily had taken for us in our "farewell to Massachusetts" photo shoot the summer before. And boy, was I right!
A friend nicknamed it our "Town and Country" portrait because it looks like it should be in that magazine.
(I think my heart skipped a beat to hear that kind of a compliment, even though technically, the gorgeous image was due mostly to my friend Emily's skill as a photographer, since we were hot, sweaty messes getting eaten by mosquitoes when the photo was taken).
And so begins YEAR TWO of the Chicagoland saga. We are blessed and overwhelmed and everything in between after the excitement of year one. Onward and upward, as they say!
The summer carried on for two more blissful weeks. We spent most of it here...
Swimming and relaxing by the pool! Our summer membership to the Breckenridge pool was the key to a fabulous summer, and I will Craigslist everything I own if needed to pay for it again next year. $600 sounds like a lot for a pool membership, but in our minds, we would have spent that much money just opening our ancient, dilapidated, zillion-gallon pool in Pembroke, not to mention having to clean that beast twice a week all summer long. From that perspective, $600 is a steal!
Summer ended for us on the night of August 21st, when we celebrated the start of school the next morning by doing something really fun - Dinner at Johnny Rockets, just like last year.
HOW COOL!!
OUR FIRST NAPERVILLE TRADITION!!
OUR FIRST NAPERVILLE TRADITION!!
Of course, our favorite locals were there to celebrate with us, including someone extra special, who was just a bun in the oven last year at this time.
We were all feeling pretty happy as the sun set on our first full summer in Illinois.
(I guess we were so happy we felt the need to bring a ukelele with us in case a spontaneous song erupted!)
Bright and shiny the next morning, the troops assembled dutifully at their appointed spot.
Including a new friend, Rohan, who moved into the Kumor's house after they moved to Maryland this summer. (we miss you Kumors!) If the troops look a bit light, that's because it turns out everyone in the neighborhood WALKS their kids to school the first morning.
Only the newbies like us showed up at the bus stop!
Only the newbies like us showed up at the bus stop!
A new bus stop, a new bus driver, and a few new friends to share the ride with.
These are the little brothers, left behind, waiting for the big kids to get off the bus.
(don't ask why Ben felt the need to bring a stool...remember the ukelele? That was him too.)
Springbrook Elementary's newest first, second, third, and fourth graders, hot and sweaty and thrilled to be home from a full day in their non-airconditioned school!
We celebrated the homecoming with presents from Nannie and ice cream sandwich sundaes.
(I made them up because I didn't have any ice cream and apparently couldn't manage to get to the store in the six hours they were gone, so we went with what we had on hand!)
We didn't have any complaints!
The festivities didn't stop there. Meet SuperBen.
(and the Batman Crocs he's worn every single day this summer)
(and the Batman Crocs he's worn every single day this summer)
He's here to invite you to our second annual neighborhood party - Kinlochapalooza. The perfect end to the first week of school. Mommy volunteered to paint faces and Ben was a test subject.
I used the Klutz face painting book that Molly got for Christmas a few years back and it worked like a charm! My hand hurt by the end of my shift I'd painted so many masks, smiley faces, rainbows, sharks, soccer balls, butterflies and footballs. But it was a whole lot of fun!
This was also a banner day because clan Egan was showing up en force to celebrate Cameron's baptism.
Auntie Trecie had already been with us for a few days and then Nana, Papa, Auntie Katie and Uncle Corey came for the weekend.
Cameron Angelo Egan
baptized into God's family
August 28, 2011
It was a perfect day for my perfect Godson!
I'm not sure why my nose looks like I have pre-eclampsia in this photo, but it's the only one I've got, so I'm running with it! Nana and Auntie Ulia did not have the same problem however - they looked gorgeous!
Jack and Molly were picked by the Deacon to be helpers.
Jack held the bowl of chrism oil and Molly was the towel-bearer for catching drips.
Can you tell taht someone was just a little excited at being chosen?
She'd picked her own dress (Easter circa 2009) and paired them with her 'glass slipper' jelly shoes from her dress-up box.
Cameron was as good as gold while his head was slathered with oil.
(look at Jack so serious at his task!)
Look at that gorgeous face! Like an angel painted by Michelangelo!
(must be from the chrism that's still dripping down his neck)
Uncle Paul spoke at the baptism and had many of us in tears as he thanked God for the blessing that Cameron is in their lives. Afterward, they had a wonderful luncheon at Traverso's Restaurant.
Everyone agreed that our favorite part of the luncheon was the handmade cookie favors!
Auntie Katie and Auntie Trecie soaked up every second they could with Cam.
(He's kind of a big deal. :)
The next day we took everyone for sushi and a walk in downtown Naperville.
Jack and Molly were in school, but Ben and I showed them our favorite fountain.
Our favorite sunglasses.
Our favorite bridge.
Our favorite library.
Then on Tuesday everyone went home, except Nana and Papa, who stayed for the rest of the week!
This was a last hug and kiss picture, moments before they headed for the airport.
COME BACK SOON!!!
WE MISS YOU GUYS!!!
WE MISS YOU GUYS!!!
After those whirlwind weeks, we had a stretch of calm before a certain 3 year old had his own first day of school. Last year we tried a "Parent's Day Out" program at a local Lutheran church that had rave reviews. But it was a disaster for Ben. Too big, too much going on, too many kids, and too long a morning.
This year, we are deliberately going in the opposite direction. Ben is going to go to preschool 9:30-11:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Park District program less than a half mile from our house. It is a one room schoolhouse with two teachers and 17 kids. It's a "green" preschool, that emphasizes outdoor adventuring and learning through nature. And at $90/month, if it's a disaster, at least it was a frugal one!
Here he is, super excited to get started!!
Now, inside...looking a smidgen serious as he checks out his name tag. The concern is setting in.
And then the moment we'd all been waiting for (or was that just me?)
The flood gates OPEN!
You can tell he's our third here. Because if it was Jack, or even Molly, I'd be so upset by the tears I wouldn't have had the focus to take this picture. But a third kid? I was not phased. I knew there would be tears (I guess I'm just so fabulous that all of my kids have difficulty separating, haha!) But I also knew that Ben needed this experience. And so did I! After ten years at home with kiddos, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to four hours of peace each week.
It wouldn't be so necessary if I had easygoing children. But I don't (and that's okay). Especially not this dear one. Leaving the house with Ben is an ordeal, even if it's just to go to Walgreens. You can count on screaming, that's a given. You can also count on him needing intervention: to stave off tantrums, object-throwing, and other equally awful behaviors. And at least 20% of the time, a lockdown of the entire facility will be required because THIS KID RUNS. He runs far, and he runs fast, and he runs QUIETLY so that before you even blink, he's G-O-N-E.
So it was time. And despite the separation anxiety and the fact that he'd be voted most likely to KO his playmates at the slightest provocation, he's doing pretty well. More to come on that front. But for now, let's review some of the myriad fall events we've enjoyed this season.
There was "Walk To School Day"
Sonny Acres Pumpkin Farm
Jack's 4th Grade Fall Foliage Festival
(where I learned that the time for me to volunteer at school events is NOT while Ben is still in tow.)
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| Jack's Class - 4A! |
We decorated monster brownies from Nana
And went pumpkin picking at Keller's pumpkin farm.
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| Dear Lord, thank you for giving me this tutu-wearing sweetie! She makes me smile without even trying! |
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| Thanks also for my uber-fit cutie of a husband. |
And thank you for this cute little spitfire, who always keeps us on our toes. For example, fourteen seconds after this picture was taken when he punched that little boy behind him in the face, and we had to physically remove him from the playland we'd just spent $30 to get into.
At least he's consistent.
Thank you for all three of our little pumpkins.
And for the sense of humor that sometimes is the only thing that gets us through!
So that we can enjoy tender moments like this one.
What a cute bunch of cousins they are!
We got to see pumpkins in every stage of development. From blossom (above) to ick! (below)
And we got to see Cameron enjoying his first pumpkin picking excursion!
In October, we got to do a few things that have been on Mommy's bucket list since we got to Illinois. And all at the same time! We
- Went to Wisconsin
- Went apple picking
- Took our family picture
- Visited my friend Stef!
This picture might give you the iedea that this apple orchard was an earthy-crunchy, close to the land,
feel-good kind of a farm.
That idea would be very wrong.
We had at least a half-peck of fun.
Enjoyed the free taste-testing,
especially since it cost us $50 just to get in the gate.
We enjoyed the petting zoo and the facepainting.
But underneath the surface, this place was a horror movie in the making. For example, check out the arms on the face painter. Those are tatoos of staples, undead zombies and blood.
And compared to some of the other folks there, this was TAME.
It was also FILTHY.
The Purell stations were so coated in grime that you couldn't feel sanitized no matter how much you used.
The Purell stations were so coated in grime that you couldn't feel sanitized no matter how much you used.
So as with anything in life, there were pros and there were cons. And in this case the cons were weighty enough that next year we'll stick closer to home for apple picking. But it was nice to know that Wisconsin isn't so far away, and that even Milwaukee is a totally doable day trip!
The kids' favorite part of the whole weekend was staying in a hotel and swimming in the pool. I gave them a half hour to swim while Marc picked up dinner, and them gave each of them a good bath. I hoped it would wash off the Apple Holler germs.
They were just excited to eat in bed and watch rented movies.
And I was excited to sneak out for margaritas with my friend Stef!
I had such a fun time that I forgot to take pictures!
I did snap a few the next morning at breakfast to prove that we did it...
I had such a fun time that I forgot to take pictures!
I did snap a few the next morning at breakfast to prove that we did it...
That brown-eyed sweetieface is Sam, and we fell so in love with him that Jack asked if we could take him home with us! Sam's big brother Max is a November '07 baby like Ben and he is so charming and precocious that Ben was ready to be his buddy and move in, as long as he got the top bunk!
Back in Naperville, Mommy volunteered in Molly's classroom just before Halloween, and helped put on a presentation and art project for Art Awareness. Our artist was Norman Rockwell and we told the kids about who he was and what he was famous for, then helped them find their own inner Rockwell by making a self-portrait cover of the "Springbrook Evening Post".
Clearly she has inherited her father's drawing superpowers!
The next day, I turned the big 3-9 (eek!) and celebrated by employing some wisdom that it has taken me every one of those 39 years to figure out.
Unless I make it happen, it's not going to happen.
So this time, I made it happen!
I told my bosses I was in need of a sabbatical, and recruited a dozen of my college friends to keep me company. After a glorious birthday day including dinner catered by my favorite local chef (chef ULIA that is) and a cake chosen especially for the occasion by Ben, I hopped on a plane and headed for
MAINE!!
And that, dear readers, is a post for another day.
It is November 28th, and we have now gone from August through October 20th. Not too shabby. Stay tuned, because if I can help it, we'll get caught up to present time within the next week.
