CSO: Return of the Jedi

Brent's parents enjoyed seeing Home Alone with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra so much back in November, they immediately planned to come back for another show. We told them about how it really changes some of those blockbuster shows like Star Wars and Harry Potter. We looked at the schedule and booked tickets in the summer to see Return of the Jedi. Traffic was awful, and we were really hungry once we arrived at Symphony Center so we quickly snarfed some sandwiches at the Potbelly's next door. A quick pic on our way back:

I love this place- the interior is so beautiful!

We were near the front next time and mistakenly thought it would be great to be REALLY near the front. Closer to the screen and aisles, right? Well we were a little close to the speakers so it was much louder. Still, we had a great time. This is my favorite of all the original Star Wars movies!

Brigitta and Sydney were tired and not up for photos so we took a quick selfie with the older two. 

Seriously, that place is SO pretty!

We stepped out to find buildings lit up in honor of Pride Month.

BJ and Jeanne enjoyed themselves and I'm really glad we could share this experience with them again!

June Tidbits

First of all, HAPPY PRIDE! I love how June is a little more colorful and happy everywhere you go. This is the local Starbucks:

The girls made sure to wear their finest rainbow attire to church (Liesel was in Savannah, GA with her Girl Scout troop):

I popped on a Disneyland pin:

The school year is over which means the start of workbooks! Miraculously, Sydney began hers without the usual weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

June 3rd is National Donut Day and Ireland was willing to celebrate with me.

There was a tornado warning while we were at Woodfield Mall and they ushered everyone into the tunnels- which was kinda cool.

Little reminder from Sydney that tomorrow at 5 she gets to play Roblox...

I went in to work and got to peek at the Sears Tower all day. Kinda cool.

Happy Father's Day to Brent!

I bought this cookbook as soon as I became aware it existed. I don't know that Brent will ever actually cook from it, but it's hilarious just to thumb through.

 Me: Dad did you enjoy your Harry and David basket?
Dad: Huh?
Me: THE HARRY AND DAVID BASKET I SENT YOU FOR FATHER'S DAY!?!?!??
Dad: That was you?
Me: There was a card...
Dad: No, I'm pretty sure there wasn't!
Not to mention we have gifted them Harry and David for several years now...

Rock-Paper-Scissors with tortillas. It doesn't hurt... but it sounds like it does.

Love hanging out at Lush. How cute is this moustache soap for Father's Day?

No matter which way you look at it!

Another successful visit to the Pulmonary Clinic for this girl!

We stuck up to the higher floors for a quick pic of that famous stadium!

Stopped by the house and Grandpa immediately put Ireland to work ripping up the floorboard of the Model A... as one does with their grandchild.

I didn't get to spend much time with either of my grandparents since they were in California and we lived in Iowa and didn't travel much. I'm glad Ireland has such a close relationship with both sets of grandparents!

We snuck in a little shopping and this is Ireland trying to decide if she's a "muscle-tee" kind of girl.

Liesel's petite mouth needed some oral surgery and after a lot of back and forth, we finally got it taken care of! I was amazed how quickly she bounced back.

As soon as I saw the school supplies out, I dragged Liesel to Target to get that taken care of. Then she will not be plagued with thoughts there would be cuter folders and notebooks, if only her mom was on the ball. Check this one off the list!

With BJ and Jeanne in town, Brent and I were able to go to our downtown offices, meet up for lunch and then his work had a happy hour afterward I crashed. Is it ridiculous if I say I felt like such a grown up?

Brent's office is SO PRETTY! Check out this chandelier! His kitchen is fully stocked and there are gorgeous views from every window. He just swipes his badge and the elevator takes him right to his floor. 

Not a bad start to summer!

Glow In the Dark Party

Uncle Craig and Aunt Suzanne gave us a monthly activity for Christmas and for June it was a glow in the dark party and the girls really had fun with it. I've been trying to figure out the whole long-exposure thing and this was the perfect time to work on that so here are some pics!

Ignore the size of the letters, you get the message!

Really anything looked cool...

But the cartwheels are my favorite! This is just with glow sticks on the ankles.

This is with glow sticks on the hands and ankles.

Pretty cool, huh?

Spring 2022 Recital

 When you have four girls in dance, there's a fair amount of drama already baked in. Hair and makeup is a TO DO and takes hours. Every year I buy flesh colored leotards, bras and hot pants and inevitably every year someone needs more. Organizing costumes takes up an entire room!

Ireland and Sydney waiting their turn for hair and makeup.

This year's dance recital took that drama right up in to the rafters. Liesel had been in Savannah, GA for a Girl Scout trip. We shelled out a hefty sum to fly her back early (the unaccompanied minor is an extra $150) so she could make it in time for the dress rehearsal. Brent took the Pilot and headed to O'Hare while I took the rest of the girls in the truck to the dress rehearsal. As I was getting them settled, I received a call from Brent and the Pilot quit on the I-90. Just... stopped working. Completely. The alternator died. Brent called AAA while I grabbed the first mother I saw. Practically in tears, I told her my situation and asked if she would look over my girls. We exchanged phone numbers and I flew out the door to get to that spot on the highway. 

Turns out Brent's call to AAA came in precisely during shift changes for the towing companies. He was not just stuck on the side of the highway, he was stuck for hours. Luckily, they were on by an off-ramp so I literally pulled up, Liesel hopped over the barrier, jumped in the car and we rushed back to the dress rehearsal. That sweet mom texted me updates on which number they were on. Liesel hadn't missed anything just yet, but we were cutting it close.

Let's talk about Liesel for a moment- because the poor girl was flat-out exhausted. She had an early morning flight and she'd been camping and traveling all week. She had missed the last week of dance where they really go over everything in detail and she was about to get thrown into dress rehearsal after being stranded. To boot, her lyrical costume had not yet arrived. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but it was a big deal when added to the strain of the situation. We screeched into the parking lot and she was able to make it for her first number, although not in costume. As she scrambled to prepare for the next, a fellow dancer told her she was not allowed to be in any of the company numbers because she had missed the last week of dance. Liesel came and found me sitting in the auditorium and just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. It's worth noting Liesel isn't the kind of girl to just burst into tears. She's more of a wait-until-she-is-in-the-privacy-of-her-room-and-cry-it-out kind of girl. It was awful. Did I mention Brent was still on the side of the road?

Turns out that dancer didn't understand we had already communicated with the studio owner. Turns out the studio owner was so distracted she didn't notice Liesel wasn't on stage for the company dances. In the end, Liesel danced all the company dances. A different costume had to be used for Liesel's lyrical number- the girls preferred the original costume and Liesel felt blamed for their having to use an alternate, but there was simply nothing else that could have been done about that one. So without further ado (please no more ado!), here are the girls in their latest dance recital!

Sydney & Brigitta Ballet

Sydney & Brigitta Jazz

Impressive leaps, C-jumps and attitude from Brigitta!

Sydney doing some fantastic leaps as well!

Sydney & Brigitta Hip Hop

A still from that routine- insane squat by Brigitta!

Brigitta Tap

Ireland Ballet

Ireland Jazz- They are supposed to be battling it out for domination.

Ireland Hip Hop

Ireland Lyrical

Gorgeous fan kick by Ireland.

Liesel Ballet- Liesel's costume was too wide so along with taking in the side seams, I ironed all that tulle and I'm rather proud of how fluffy it looks when she dances! Here's a picture of it when I was finished (Ireland is there to give perspective)

Liesel Jazz

Liesel Hip Hop- Liesel really loved this routine with her light up shoes!

Liesel Lyrical

Senior Company- The newspapers the girls use in this number contain stories about recent shootings.

Company- The girls all really loved this number! Great song, great dance.

Not included is the opening company number which had some of the routines through the years and it was 15 minutes long! Because of that, the entire recital was longer than usual. Near the end, this cute boy in front of us said, "I can do just ONE more!" We feel ya kid, we feel ya- haha!

Some post-recital pics!

Brigitta received the Rising Star award and it warmed the cockles of my heart to watch her sisters cheer for her when her name was called.

Ireland had quite the cheering section. Her boyfriend Nick came and brought her some beautiful flowers.

I loved sitting by his mom who really loved the tiniest ballet dancers. Nick was quite the trooper to sit through all of this!

Ireland's friend Ava is also in dance but at a different studio. She enjoyed watching all the girls dance.

And all the girls love Ava!

In spite of all the drama, I'm grateful the girls are in dance. It's a significant sacrifice of time and money but I do believe it keeps them active and develops a confidence in their bodies. Another recital in the books!