Radio Flyer Love

I've been jonesing for this wagon ever since my friend Jen sent me pics of her kids in one. Finally I saw it on sale and I had a $5 gift card to boot so I really had no choice but to buy it :). The seat backs fold down to make it a regular wagon. That leave a little compartment should you want to stow away anything. We took it to the beach and although dragging it across the sand wasn't a picnic (I had to make Liesel get out and walk), it worked wonderfully.

As you can see, the girls love it too!

Lake Michigan

We moved to Chicago in the dead of winter. As the temperatures have crept up, I've been getting more and more antsy for a trip to the beach. Apparently in 1836 the lakefront was declared public ground "to remain forever open, clear and free" so there's a beautiful string of beaches bordered by grassy picnic areas. On our way out the door I was carrying Ireland, a mini cooler, and the beach bag. Liesel was drinking the sippy cup I'd just given her when out of nowhere she said, "I can't carry you Mom; I'm holding this *points to sippy cup*." LOL!
I thought Liesel might be old enough to remember all our forays to the north shore in Boston last summer. In the past few days she's chatted endlessly about how we "need" to go to the beach. Once we arrived and the sand kicked up over her flip flops, she stopped and informed me, "It's dirty!" Oi, I must be passing on my OCD to my children. It took a lot of convincing for her to be okay with it. Ireland didn't like the sand either. Here she's dug out her sandals which she wanted me to put on her so she could wander off the towel.
Neither girl had any interest in the water which was surprisingly warm! Lake Michigan is so huge it looks like an ocean but without the tide effect. I'll miss the salty smell of the Atlantic but I like that they have lifeguards. I'm guessing it will take a few trips to the beach before Liesel is comfortable with the water again. She had a blast playing with the sand though! See how long and lean her limbs are getting? Her baby fat is disappearing at break neck speed. She has the cutest little calves.

Our day started and ended exactly the same way: with a bath. I slathered the girls repeatedly with SPF until they looked like geishas. We were all completely covered in sand in spite of my best attempts to clean it off. Ireland was asleep less than a minute into the drive home and Liesel slept hard last night. For that matter, so did I!

For this trip we tried Foster Beach but there are a few others I want to check out before settling on a favorite. Liesel's already telling me we "need" to go back to the beach!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Brent called me this morning to ask if I could meet him for the Cubs-Giants game at 1:30pm. There's really only one answer to a question like that: Cubbie-Diem. Losely translated it means "figure out a way to get yourself to the game!" A friend agreed to watch Liesel so I packed up Ireland and headed to Wrigley Field. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for a baseball game. By the time I got there with Ireland our seats were covered in shade. The tickets were free (and 8 rows above the Cubs dugout!), parking was a mere $4.50 (and only 5 blocks away!), so all we paid for was a bit of ballpark food. Some highlights:

Maybe this will be their year?

Ireland charmed everyone around us with this smile. I love it when she smiles so big her little nose wrinkles up and I hope she never loses that quirk. The burly guy in front of us couldn't get enough of her. I almost felt bad about how much of the game he missed by chatting to her.

Because it was Ireland's first Wrigley game, she got a sticker and a certificate with a picture of the park. They got her first name right for the sticker, but the certificate is for an Ireland Wuelfler.

I really love the scoreboard. It looks vintage but is actually electronic. I could easily imagine Robert Redford knocking a ball right into that clock!

Brent noted Wrigley is a "cozy" ballpark. The surrounding buildings have additional seating on their rooftops. I looked up one of the websites and some of these places are really nice with multiple lounges that can be booked for large parties. Near the end of the game a swarm of seagulls came in and parked themselves around the outfield. Apparently that's a regular occurrence, they seem to know when the game is winding down and they position themselves for dinner.

I can't wait to take Liesel to her first Wrigley game!

Girlfriends

I once read an article about how our selection of friends changes over time. As kids, we look for others who are very similar to ourselves. They dress the same and have the same interests. It's only with age and maturity that we begin to see the value in having friends who are different. Luckily for me, my mission gave me the opportunity to become friends with people that perhaps I wouldn't have sought out myself.

Me and Hermana Collette in front of the Christus at the Mesa, AZ Temple Visitor's Center.

The stresses of a mission (and OUR mission in particular) led me to be very emotionally raw with these ladies. They have seen the best of me, the worst of me, and lots of in between. Somehow, they all still completely and wholly accept me for who I am, flaws and all. Whenever I see them, I don't care if I've gained weight, or if I'm having a bad hair day, and we pick up where we left off. Chatting with them is like the best kind of therapy.

Me and Hermana McBride with her little boy Carter. I knew my time in AZ would be pretty tight with the wedding in Sedona but I'm SO happy I was able to drop in on these ladies! Of course, I wish I'd had more time with them but I always feel that way. They are amazing women and I'm profoundly grateful they are a part of my life.

Me and Hermana Payne just minutes before I headed to the airport.

Sedona, AZ Wedding

When my mission trainer Paula told me she was engaged, I immediately knew I was going to figure out a way to make it to the wedding. I was honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid! As an added bonus, she asked a mutual companion to be one as well... the same girl that was my last companion. So in mission terms, Paula and Laney are my alpha and omega if you will. One welcomed me into the mission while the other bid me goodbye from it.

Paula treated all her bridesmaids to a morning at the salon. I was spinning around in my chair while my hairdresser got some supplies. You can see Laney in the mirror laughing at me and taking the picture.

The finished product! I LOVED my hair! I actually liked it better than the updo I had when I was married. My hairdresser tied it into knots and then pinned it. Maybe I can recreate it... maybe.

Laney and I in hair and makeup. Our hotel was in Scottsdale so we had a bit of a drive to get to Sedona. In the rush to get out the door on time I forgot my camera! I had to hijack Laney's for the day. I'm wearing the necklace she made for me. Laney also made 3 mix cd's for the long drive. She has an incredible talent for making mixes; she's her own playlist on my iPod!

Photo shoot. I love, Love, LOVE my dress!!! Paula just gave us color, fabric, length guidlines and we were free to find something we liked. Mine is from Totally Modest and I love everything from the laced up back to the petal sleeves. This is a bridesmaid dress I will definitely be wearing again! The slight color variations went really well with the pink rose bouquets.

We had a lot of time between the photo shoot and the wedding so I actually got to spend time with the bride. I've been to other weddings where I've barely had time to say hi to either the bride or the groom. It was SO nice to chat with Paula and her family for a while! I think we all walked down the aisle feeling happy and relaxed rather than rushed and stressed.
Paula looked tan, freshly highlighted and happier than I've ever seen her. At the reception I danced with her father and looked over just in time to see her put her head on Rob's shoulder in utter contentment. It was a sweet moment I'll never forget. I can't wait to see the professional photos!

Twinkle Think... Twinkle Think...

Guess what Danika's thinking of today? YatadaTAAAAA!!! Whether or not Sesame Street is a good learning tool for Liesel! This summer I'm really trying to focus on prepping Liesel for preschool. We're slowly getting through workbooks on mazes, letters, and numbers. It occurred to me her entertainment should help build on these basics. Rather than movies or cartoons, I've been recording Sesame Street on our DVR for Liesel's enjoyment.

From what I understand, the premise of Sesame Street is that there are elements for both children and adults so they will watch it together. They had a spoof on The Closer I rather enjoyed. I've been surprised to find the guests range from LL Cool J to David Beckham to Alton Brown to Wayne Brady to Ricky Gervais. Liesel is indeed learning more about her letters. Numbers are a bit of a challenge because we don't have a fancy schmancy wide screen TV. The picture is cut off on both sides so when the number of the day is large, she can't see everything they're counting. Even so, she enjoys it. Liesel watches Sesame Street when Ireland is napping so I'm able to get a few things done.



Lately Ireland has been rather fussy and getting her down for a nap has taken some serious work in the form of cuddling. I've taken to rocking her while watching Sesame Street along with Liesel. After a few full episodes, I have to say I'm a little bothered. Most of my concerns center around Elmo's World, which is Liesel's favorite part. Elmo has an oddly telepathic relationship with his fish. Elmo can apparently read her mind to get answers to questions and picture what she's imagining. Sorry, but that's just weird.

In every episode Elmo poses a question to a member of the Noodle family. The Noodle family is apparently just the second generation to walk upright because they always get it wrong. So WHY does Elmo insist on asking them anything? I'd prefer Liesel learn to ask people who might plausibly have a decent answer. Hopefully someone who doesn't have a phallic sounding name. Elmo also makes a habit of posing questions to a baby. Usually the baby just stares at him, which makes Elmo chuckle heartily. Many of the babies swat at him when he tries to give a "kiss kiss" before leaving. Not a good example for a little girl who also has a baby sister that cannot stand getting smothered with kisses. The theme song to Elmo's World is way too addicting and it's been stuck in my head for days. They should change that too.

On to Abby's Flying Fairy School. The opening song promises to show the kids "how to solve a problem in a single twinkle think" but I have yet to see an episode where that actually happens. The student fairies have their fair share of trial and error before they figure it out. I'm not against that, but I feel strongly you should never make promises or threats to a child you have no intention on delivering. It destroys your credibility as a parent. So I think the lyrics should be changed to something like, "we don't know what the crap we're doing and our teacher is too lazy to help us out so we have to twinkle think for a while to get it right."

Other than that, I think some Sesame Street characters (as in humans) need to be offered a generous early retirement package. They're looking OLD, and TIRED! It just depresses me to think working with children has done that to them. Its not like the show will be canceled if they make a graceful exit. The newer characters are doing well and can carry it if need be.

I made Brent watch parts of an episode so he could better grasp the ins and outs of my day. When we were done he informed me he's just fine with it if I put on ESPN for Liesel to watch. He's willing to watch that with her, but Sesame Street? Not so much. Mid conversation I asked him a question that I had to repeat because Brent wasn't listening. He said, "Sorry, I was twinkle thinking." I just about died laughing!

On Like Donkey Kong

After I made the vegetable garden cupcakes for Memorial Day, my sister did this blog post about her own "duck-cakes". In doing so, she has thrown down the gauntlet and proclaimed a cupcake war between us. Normally I'm against violence but when my creativity is thrown into question, I have no choice but to defend myself. So for Father's Day, I made Brent a special dinner of spaghetti and homemade meatballs.

For dessert, I also made spaghetti and meatballs. The noodles are pretty self explanatory, but you may be wondering about the meatballs. They're actually Ferrero Roche tossed in strawberry flavored pie filling. Grated white chocolate on top adds a nice touch.

I was really excited with how they looked; I almost didn't care how they tasted! Turns out hazelnut balls with strawberry flavor is a revelation. And the recipe called for plain vanilla frosting but I opted for butter cream to get more of a noodle color. Oh my deliciousness! They taste just as fabulous as they look. Brent loved them too.

So if you'd like to silently wage your support for me in this cupcake war, feel free to skip on over to Reagan's blog and vote for one of my cupcakes while the poll is still open! And Reagan? Te toca a ti!!!

Dad is Great... Gives Us Chocolate Cake!

Last night I helped out with a Youth Conference Activity and there was chocolate cake for dessert. On my way out, I grabbed a leftover plate intending to give it to Brent who was waiting up for me. When I got home I absentmindedly put it on the counter and shuffled off to bed.

This morning I was awaken by my 3 year old who had chocolate cake smothered all over her face. While I was in the shower, I found Brent had continued to indulge her along with her little sister.

I had to laugh, it reminded me of this oooooold Bill Cosby routine.

Shedd Aquarium

A friend of mine told me Shedd Aquarium was having free admission this week and I was immediately determined to take the girls. When I was in college I was able to go with my family and I have many happy memories from that trip. It's a very impressive Aquarium but the cost is steep. Even with the free admission, the attractions still cost money. However, there's really no point in going to Shedd if you don't take advantage of the aquatic show, shark reef and 4-D movie. Nonetheless, I'm happy to check this one off my list and in doing so give my wallet a little relief. Some highlights:

We got in line early for the dolphin show and one of the workers warned us it's called the "aquatic show" and there is no guarantee we'd get the dolphins. Turned out we got the beluga whales. It was okay, but not as thrilling as the dolphins. As the show started, they lowered the shades and had this projected onto the screen. It's really cool.

Before the show we could stand at the rail and watch the beluga whales swim around. Ireland was fascinated with them and it was so cute to see her point her chubby little finger at the water. With the shades up, the view went all the way across Lake Michigan making the water look seamless. It was gorgeous!

More of the beluga whales from the floor below. Both girls really enjoyed watching them swim.

Believe it or not, I had a profound parenting moment during the show. The announcer talked about how the trainers use nothing but positive reinforcement with the animals. After every trick there was a fish or a massage or playful splash of water for the beluga whales. It led me to think about how I'm doing with raising my two girls. I try to use positive reinforcement, I really do. Every time I post a video of the girls I'm a little embarrassed at how enthusiastic I sound for the tiniest accomplishment. All my "GOOD JOB SWEETIE!!!" comments sound so corny on camera but I can't help myself. I really am so very proud of my girls.

However, I have my days. You know, the days when I'm ready to scream and I feel like Joan Crawford makes a better mother than I do. Do the trainers ever get to have a day like that? Do they ever send Flipper to time out? Does Flipper ever crap in the tank when he knows he's supposed to use a bucket? Isn't there some trainer out there up to their elbows in beluga whale crap thinking it's just a little too much to handle? Aren't there days when Flipper manhandles her little sister for the umpteenth time and a trainer has to pull her off and scold her? Is it possible to use nothing but 100% POSITIVE reinforcement? Isn't the negative occasionally necessary?

I guess we'll have to make another trip to Shedd to find out for sure :)


I was beyond thrilled to find the bookstore just outside the jellyfish exhibit carried this book. I've been jonesing for it ever since I saw it on Design Mom. Liesel loves it too. The big lettering and bold graphics are just fabulous.

Legoland Discovery Center Chicago

Admittedly I don't know much about Legoland places so I didn't know what to expect when I took the girls. I should have known when my credit card was declined that I needed to just walk away. Instead I stubbornly called the customer service line and found it was declined because the tickets were being billed out of the UK. Makes sense since Lego's originate from Europe. The first display of downtown Chicago was kind of cool. Not exactly interactive, but the girls didn't seem to mind just looking.

Water Tower Place among other Chicago buildings.

Then we did the jungle room which again wasn't all that interactive. We tried the "ride" which was more like being driven by an 80-year old in a Pinto. It was as if someone went back to Europe and tried to tell someone about Disney's "It's a Small World" ride and left out 2/3 of the details and the rest was pretty much lost in translation. The 3-D movie was enough to give Liesel a thrill but I was starting to drool from boredom.

Indiana Jones

It only got worse. Apparently Lego's' main fan base is boisterous, energetic, little boys. I don't think they mean to be rude, but they definitely aren't looking for their delicate, female counterparts. The play land was a madhouse. Liesel wanted me to hold her hand for just about everything and Ireland wanted to take off on her own and explore. Keeping them both in line was exhausting. There were pits of big Lego's for the little kids to play with and a girl was dipping her bare feet in them.

Liesel in the lion's mouth.

The only fun part of the day was when I accidentally walked into the men's room and greatly surprised a man using the urinal. I think he peed on himself which made my embarrassment totally worth it. Other than that, I think they should rename this place Lame-O-Land! Not worth the time or the money.

Seriously So Cute

I'm continually amazed at the little things Ireland is picking up here and there. My jaw dropped when I called Liesel in for bedtime prayers and Ireland solemnly folded her arms. She's so chubby, she can usually only grab one elbow.


Admit it, the video makes you smile, doesn't it?

Tip Toes

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?

~Robert Browning

Impressive...Most Impressive

To prepare Liesel to enter preschool this fall, Brent and I have been drilling her on how to spell her name. Little by little, she caught on:

Little by little, we realized Ireland would pop out her binkie and make some noise too. I finally realized she was making her own attempt:

I Am Baby, Hear Me ROAR!

From the city of "da Bears" and "da Cubs", here's our little bear cub.

Museum of Science and Industry

The fine folks at the University of Chicago Psychology Department called asking for the girls to participate in various studies. Since we were in the neighborhood, we tied in a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry which is right down the street. The guidebooks I read hailed it as the best museum in Chicago. Now having been there, I heartily agree! Some highlights:

The Idea Factory was most suited for the girl's ages and they had an absolute ball! We could have spent the entire time there. There's a "Water Spectacle" that covers the length of the room with a water mill, waterfalls, long rivers and floating balls and squares. At the very end there's a tube where kids can put in the balls and watch them get sucked up and zoomed back to the mill. Very cool. Everything was hands on and interactive which was perfect. The river of water was just at Ireland's height and she loved fishing objects out of it.


I'm determined to go back and do the U-505 (a captured German submarine) exhibit on my own. I was dying to read all the plaques and only got to stop briefly to see the authentic Nazi flag they found on board. There was a line to the simulator where you learn to dive and resurface a submarine. I had no idea it was compressed air that makes them rise. You can go in the submarine itself on a separate tour but of course strollers are not allowed and it's not encouraged for young children. Liesel was tugging on my hand and I think the little time we were there stretched both girl's patience but it was so cool, I couldn't help it! The story of how they got the submarine into the museum looked just as fascinating as how it was originally captured. Now I want to rent U-571 and Hunt for Red October.

Astronaut Liesel

Ireland made a little friend at the Baby Chick Hatchery. She looked at the chick for a moment and then started squealing. Two newbies sharing their wonder at this crazy, exciting world.









Musical lights. Liesel got a lot of compliments on her outfit.

Science Storms was another exhibit where we could have spent our entire time. There was a huge vortex simulating a tornado. On a ginormous tilted plate they had sands illustrating the effects of an avalanche. That sounds lame but I promise, it was fascinating to watch. There was a wheel where you could increase or decrease the speed of the plate. Of course there was a pendulum... it seems like those are required at any science museum.
We all enjoyed Fast Forward: Inventing the Future.To get in, you had to pass through a curtain of dry ice mist. They had a coffee table that created different kinds of music depending on what object you put on it. We saw a Lady GaGa-esque dress made with lights that was actually really beautiful. My poor photography doesn't do it justice. The time was running out on our parking so we had to leave a bit abruptly and didn't get to see everything- even after 3 hours! We are definitely, definitely coming back!