memorial day

we had an awesome memorial day weekend…a good mix of relaxing, planned events, eating, and family time!

we have had a good run of tradition with going to Indy to Pappaw, Nana and Aunt Kitten’s for the race, lake time, and seeing friends/other family and we continued that this year.  the weather was WAY cooler than normal – in the 60s/70s – but we still got in the race, fishing, and boat rides!  We actually stayed through Wednesday since we are out of school and can kick-it off with lake time!

Annual Boat Pics w/ Pappaw

Jack is OBSESSED with fishing lately.  we got him a new “adult” rod last summer, and for Christmas, Pappaw got him a tackle box.  So one of the first things they did that weekend was to head to Gander Mountain and fill it up – he was in heaven, and I’m sure that Dad was too. 

Jack caught the first fish of the season, caught a CATFISH (he was SOOO excited), and even took a fish off the hook and through it back in by himself!

Sophia LOVES the water and the boat!

Cousins Sam and Lily came over one afternoon and they decided that they all needed to jump in the FREEZING lake to start the summer off…when Emma jumped in, she was so in shock at the cold, she literally couldn’t make it to the side, so my little savior Jack played lifeguard and jumped in, grabbed ahold of her and swam with her to the side – and he wasn’t wearing a lifevest, so he truly was a lifeguard!  Love him…

The 500 was probably the best one that we have been to.  The weather was nice and cool (it’s usually scorching!), the fried chicken was great and such a treat, and there were 68 lead changes, so it was an exciting race!  Our favorite driver, Tony Kanaan won, and Kitten won our driver picking bet.

Another great holiday weekend in Indy!  Thanks Dad and Ellen!

garden update – 2 weeks

our little garden is growing, growing, growing!

it is so much fun to go out there and see the progress, talk about what it will look like in the weeks ahead, and predict when harvest will be!  jack and i are really having fun with it.

this is one week late, but as of 2 1/2 weeks, here was the progress:

we have a blackberry vine in the back yard that is going NUTS!  i am going to have to prune it back in a couple of weeks, but it is flowering and i think we are going to have really yummy berries!  (and jam!)

radish – this was the first to sprout and says a harvest of 22 days, but i think it will be more like 40 days based on the cool weather we have been having

cucumber – these aren’t doing very well, but i think when it warms up this week they may take off?

  cauliflower & broccoli – taking off!

the tomatoes are at the first ring on the cages!

brussels sprouts & peppers (bell, jalepeno, and banana) are doing great! 

  zucchini & yellow squash – starting to sprout!

Will update again next week at 1 month progress – there has been some sun today and supposed to be sunny this week, so i am sure a lot of growth will happen this week!

the graduate!

we have been super busy these past 2 weeks and not home much, so i am just getting to writing about Jack’s PRESCHOOL GRADUATION!

i feel so grateful to have found Westminster Preschool after we moved and Jack has had such a fantastic year!  The teachers and director are so loving and caring, while challenging the kids and doing really cool things!  Jack loves school and learning, and I am glad that he was able to have a good base before going off to Kindergarten in the fall!

{LOVE} this pic!

With one of his awesome teachers – Mrs. Black

I see Scott’s smile in this one {he looks so grown up!}

  singing their “class song”

buddies!  Andrew and Sophia

and Aidan!

Jack had a wonderful year…made wonderful friends, special memories, and is looking SO forward to Kindergarten at Abe Lincoln Elementary!  Go Leopards!

it all works out

i can safely say that last summer/early fall was probably the most stressful time in scott and my marriage.  we were 5 people tight in our 2 bedroom city condo (but it actually wasn’t THAT bad) and were definitely itching to get to the suburbs.

we loved our time in the city, and were able to do so many neat things as a young married couple, and then with the kids, but we both grew up with “land” and wanted that for our kids.  i was ready for an easier life – as in pulling into my own garage and walking right into the kitchen with groceries, even if the 2 girls were napping in the car.

so…we started the ‘burb hunt and were COMPLETELY open to where we were to land.  we looked north, we looked southwest, we looked west.  we knew that we wanted to rent a house for a couple of years, and rent our condo out if we could – both to save money for another downpayment (uh, those of you that live in chicagoland know that homes dont come cheap here!!!), and to “try” out a town, get a feel for what we like, what we can afford, schools, etc. 

the rental housing market was NUTS.  we really were very open – not stuck on the nicest house on the block, open to layout, open to anything with 3bed, 2bath+, and fairly open to suburb.  there were a few things that we did not want to compromise on –

a) had to be close to the train line for scott to travel into the city, preferably walking distance as parking at train stations here could have up to a 7 year waiting list!

b)  had to have a yard!  this is why we were moving!  and by yard, most of you that live outside of chicago will/would laugh at what we consider a yard here, but some of the lots are seriously SO TINY it makes me want to cry/laugh

c)  i really wanted a cute downtown (something that chicago is known for in each of these little burbs), and a good “feel” – not a cul-de-sac/neighborhood per se, but winding streets that fall into each other

we saw several homes, none of which were “dream homes” but we were renting!  we even put offers in on a couple of them to be shot down by competing, or one in particular was GONE mere hours after it was posted for rent!  Finally, in September, one came on the market in one of the “furthest” burbs that we were considering – Glen Ellyn.  VERY cute downtown – check.  Winding streets with character – check.  Yard – CHECK!  And, as a bonus, this cute house has a ton of natural 1926 character.  

it’s definitely not the largest house on the block, but 4 bedrooms, a nice kitchen, great curb appeal, playroom/finished basement – it has everything that we need. 

The biggest selling point for us is the fenced-in YARD.  By GE standards, it is big!  i don’t have a wide-angle lens to capture it, but it is a great size for playing baseball, soccer, tag, etc.  ive already written about my GARDEN, which was a huge added bonus.

not only did we luck out on the house, but our street is AWESOME.  great multi-generational neighbors, several kids on the street for jack and emma to play with (and they do – all day!), and AWESOME people to hang out with.  we have gotten to know several of the families well and i can say that we really got more than our moneys worth in this department!  we are having a blast just playing out front, then meeting with neighbors for an impromptu BBQ, and watching the kids have a blast – Jack comments DAILY how much he likes having neighbors and is definitely starting to test his independence in that regard (look forward to a future post on that topic!).

we have also met SO many great people through pre-school.  everyone has been SO hospitable, kind, and really just so welcoming.  as a stay-at-home-mom, it is so important to find other moms to connect with for playdates, fun times, and to ask for local advice!  i feel like i have found a great group of ladies that will be life-long friends…we are having so much fun with and without kids (girls nights and scott has joined a softball team and golfs with new “guy friends!), it is seriously a blast and i go to bed every night with a smile on my face about how this has all worked out.

in short – we landed where we were meant to land.  i love it here. 

mothers day gardening

my mothers day was great!  it was a double-fun weekend with sophia’s first birthday and mother’s day – packed with family in town and sports activities.

my dad and sister kensi came into town on friday night – the usual movie/pizza night followed by sophia’s first cupcake (loved it!).

(sugar crash!)

a big reason of why i requested my dad come this weekend was to get my GARDEN PLANTED!  a big bonus to me of this rental house is that it had a pre-established area for a garden, and the owners have had great luck in planting in the past.  growing up, we had a HUGE garden (think about an acre?) and canned, froze, and ate everything under the sun.  obviously, i did not appreciate it at the time, but looking back on all of the hard work that my parents put out in order for my brother and i to eat fresh, healthy, home-grown food – IT WAS AWESOME!

So…Saturday morning, Daddi-O and i ran to the HD to get all the plants and seed.  it was a fun trip, and really nice to spend some one-on-one time with him; times like that are few and far between and i had a great time.  then, home for Pappaw to see jack play both soccer and t-ball, snuggle with Emma, and it was planting time!

it was a pretty chilly, windy day, but we got the area tilled (my first time – it was super fun!) and planted by 5:30. 

We planted: 

• tomatoes – super 100 cherry, yellow cherry, roma, beefsteak, and big boy
• peppers – yellow, green, and red bell, banana, and jalapeño
• brussels sprouts (so excited to show the kids how these grow)
• watermelon
• cantaloupe
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• radish
• bibb lettuce
• spinach
• 2 types of cucumber
• broccoli (obviously!)
• cauliflower
• strawberries
• herbs – mint, basil, and parsley

Here are the fruits of our labor:

and now i think i am obsessed.  i have been checking on my little green babies several times a day – just looking at how they are doing, watering them if they are drooping (it has been hot here), and waiting for harvest day!  jack and i are starting a bi-weekly log to record their growth, maturity, take pictures, etc., and he wants to take it to kindergarten when he starts in the fall.  his job is to keep it weeded and fill me in on the water situation.  a great little summer project.

friends – look forward to all the tomatoes you can eat and homemade salsa!  :-)

Then on Sunday, i leisurely slept in until 9:15 and took a shower ALONE and IN SILENCE while my dad and scott finished up the garden and started on my flower pots.  we went to brunch at the kids favorite local diner – Glen Oak, and then Pappaw and Aunt Kitten headed back to Indy.

Grandma and Pop came just as they were leaving to celebrate the day, finish my deck pots, play for Sophia’s birthday, and just be together.  Scott and his Dad made a great steak/potato dinner on the grill, and i was gifted a car wash kit – what every suburban girl needs!  (actually, that is what i requested – NERD ALERT – but it does entertain the kids for hours washing the cars…)

All in all, a perfect Mom’s day with my favorite people. 

Expect SEVERAL more garden updates in the next few months – and wish us luck.  i think i will be devastated if for some reason these plants don’t make it!