Surprise . . .

Luke has two teeth! They officially broke through last Thursday, July 29. We've wondered for at least 2 months if he was teething but were told by the pediatrician that the desire to bite and chew doesn't necessarily mean anything and the fact that Kate got her first tooth at 9 months made it more likely that it would still be a while. But they're here. And they're very cute! Pictures to follow hopefully.

So much to be thankful for . . .

Grace is a part of our family dinner routine. While Kate hasn't mastered all the words, we do believe she's slowly absorbing the meaning of the prayer and surprises us with things she lists that she is thankful for.

Tech savvy

At age 2, Kate has a toy cell phone, blackberry, camera and laptop. She knows that Mommy and Daddy check their email and she loves to Skype. When she was 9 months old we took an old iPod of Kurt's and reloaded it with all her toddler tunes. These days she prefers to listen to Gaga on my iPhone. Kurt even signed her up for her own Gmail account when we got her Southwest and United frequent flyer programs started. We laugh when we think about how she has never known a television that was not a flat screen. Yesterday Kate and I were playing with Luke, trying to get him to smile and laugh. She wanted to take our picture, but her toy camera was downstairs. I suggested she go get the camera, just to keep the game going and give her a little two minute activity. But instead she turned to me and said, "It's okay. I'll just use my phone." She picks up her toy blackberry (an old one of Kurt's) and pretends to take our picture. Oh technology! What will be normal by the time Kate is my age?

Before Kate got her toy laptop for her 2nd birthday she would play with Kurt's old calculator and call it her computer. Here is a shot of her "working" at Mommy's desk in the kitchen on her phone and her computer- October 21, 2009.

Shedd Aquarium

Kate and I spent the morning at the Shedd Aquarium. "Just us girls", as Kate would say. We arrived a little before 9am and thankfully were able to avoid most of the crowds and explore the exhibits before seeing the Fantasea show at 10:30. We saw sharks, sting rays, sea otters, dolphins, beluga whales, a sea lion, penguins, and lots and lots of fish. Her favorites definitely being the Clown Fish (aka Nemo to Kate) and the Penguins. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I do think Kate had fun too. In her typical two year old fashion, her attention span is short and at many times she preferred to run through the exhibits rather than stop and take in the animals. The show must have been a bit overwhelming because as we waited for it to start she was hungry, then tired, then just really wanted to go home. Once it got underway, I do think she was impressed, even if only briefly. We will definitely be going back!

Kate loved climbing and sliding in the Polar Play Zone

She also loved driving the submarine and pushing the countless buttons.

Kate loves all stuffed animals. The last thing we need around our house is another stuffed friend, but I did want Kate to have something to help remember our outing by since I hope we can do more of this type of thing in the future. Here's a picture of Kate and her new friend, a purple clown fish, outside the Aquarium. Kate and Daddy have named her new friend Phil.

Ice Cream Cone

We have been talking about a special after dinner treat for a few weeks. And then last week at school they were focused on summer foods and made one as an art project. Finally tonight, after a very smooth dinner where she cleared her plate, Kate had her first ever ice cream cone! It was a small cake cone which I cut the top off of and filled with vanilla frozen yogurt. The few times in the past she's had ice cream she tends to be unpleasantly surprised that it is cold. This time she didn't seem to mind and thoroughly enjoyed her treat!

He did it!

While it is far from a perfect schedule and he's only done it once, I must give credit where credit is due. Luke slept last night from 6:30pm to 5:00am which technically qualifies as through the night. I wish I could say he had a quick snack and went back to sleep, but he was not at all hungry, just awake and ready to play. I'll take it. Something in the 5s is doable for me and I'll just hope that in time we'll stretch to the 6s. Kate of course must have sensed the excitement and was awake by 5:30. I guess I'm stuck with early risers!

Sweet dreams, Mr. Luke. Let's do this again tonight.

Daddy Daughter Date

Kurt's firm is having a 75th anniversary celebration at the Lincoln Park Zoo this evening. The event was geared towards all employees and their families and we were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work for Luke who had a rough nap day and I opted to stay home with him in order preserve some normalcy for night time sleep for both of us. The result was a Daddy Daughter date to the zoo. Kate wore a new skirt and let me freshen up her curly hair. They are there now and Luke is just waking from nap #3, so with fingers crossed for good behavior on Kate's part, I share this photo of the two of them that I snapped out front before they left.

Imagination

I have been slow with posts lately because we've hit a rough patch in the terrible twos. The constant whining to the tune of , "I don't want that. I don't like that. I don't know how to do that. I'm not going to do that. No Mama. No Mama. Not yet Mama." It is exhausting. There is definitely a power struggle going on around here. We're trying to stay firm but positive and really praise the patches of good behavior. Parenting a two year old is definitely a strong test of my patience. And yet there are moments when parenting a two year old makes me smile from ear to ear with a giddy grin. The unedited innocence and imagination are just priceless. Watching Kate "play" on her own without our guidance and prompting is fascinating, entertaining and in many ways amazing. She certainly copies so much of what she experiences with us in her imaginary world, but she also comes up with ideas all on her own. She uses her toys in ways that I first seem unusual, but when explained by Kate make perfect sense. She'll take the theme from an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and extrapolate and entire afternoon of pretend play. She loves to play school including circle time, books, and pump in up. She loves to have "parties" and often serves juicy tea and mac & cheese. Lately she's been pretending a lot to go on a trip and to the airport. She is a wonderful mother figure to her countless dolls and stuffed animals. Some days I can't get her ready to go because she's so busy feeding or changing or bathing one of her friends. She is insistent that we be quiet when they are sleeping and always keeps us updated on their messy diapers. She even occasionally will spontaneously pretend to take a nap herself- usually with multiple pillows and blankets in the middle of the family room moments before we are expecting company. For all the challenges this age presents, I hope that what I remember most about Kate as a two year old is the endless depths and reach of her imagination and ability to spontaneously create a good time with simply a few stuffed animals, some plates, and coasters. Here are some pictures from the last 7 months or so when her imaginary play lead me to smile, laugh, or shake my head enough to pull out the camera.

December 2009. This is when we saw her imagination really start to take off. She loved her Little People Nativity Set and would constantly play with all the characters. Here we joked that they were carbohydrate loading for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

For some reason playing on the bottom stairs is always a draw. Here she has set up dinner and books for several of her friends.

February 2010. Leading her friends in grace before a pancake breakfast.

Dishing out the pancakes. Kate also made sure that each friend had their own book to read while enjoying their breakfast.

March 2010. A wild pizza party- Molly and Baby Rose are both passed out face down.

July 2010. Barber shop. Kate serves tea while she does your hair. (On a side note, last week while I ran upstairs to get something Kate attempted to give Luke his first haircut using two of her my little pony doll combs. Needless to say, Luke screamed and I returned to find a very red and chaffed bald head.)

July 2010. Just another party table setting. Note how each guest not only gets a plate, a bowl, a utensil and a coaster, but also their very own musical instrument. I think she has a future as an event planner!

Quechee

We spent the 4th of July in Quechee, VT with Mimi and Papa. They have a great spot- right on the 12th fairway, a short walk to the beach at Lake Pinneo, and a quick trip to the pool, tennis and golf club. Weather was very summery with temperatures in the 90s most of our time there. Kate had a blast swimming, playing golf and croquet, and keeping Mimi and Papa entertained with her expressions and songs. Luke slept well in his dark and cool laundry room cave- that's really all you can ask from a 5 month old. He did his first ride on the swings and even dipped his toes in the lake one day. It is a long journey from Chicago, but the kids were troopers. We hope to go back in the years to come. One of these years Kate will even be old enough to partake in the fabulous fireworks display!

Tummy Time together

A photo shoot in front of Mimi's flowers . . .

Kate running on the golf course- she LOVES to run

Smelling the flowers- okay dandelions

Mickey Big Wheels - a hand me down from Uncle Kevin

Date night

A paddle boat ride on Lake Pinneo

Luke wading in the water

Golf in the front courtyard

A shot from the Manchester airport half way home

Give Peas a Chance

After a few weeks of cereal, Luke seems to be getting the hang of solids. So yesterday, July 8, 2010, we started peas.

After three attempts, he is cleaning the bowl! Hopefully his positive attitude towards food will continue as we explore more tastes.

Kate is enjoying having her brother at the table with us. She's also developed a preference for Luke's blue bibs. I love this picture of her. The current weather in Chicago is ideal for her Shirley Temple curls.