Boys vs. Girls

H has decided that "it's fun to be bad." Interesting. He's typically such a great kid, so I'm hoping that's a passing phase and not a new outlook on life. Last night I was having a talk with him, and asked him if there was a reason he had been acting up lately. He said:

"Well, because girls like princesses, and boys like to be rough."

Oh, so that explains it.

Lunch and a Show

Our neighbors and friends asked us awhile back to go to the Holiday Kids Show by Dance Chicago at the Atheneum Theatre in Chicago. We didn't really know what to expect, but it sounded like a fun holiday thing to do with the kids. We started with lunch at Minnies. Not gourmet dining, but a really fun place to go with the little ones. The boys stuck to the standard Minnie Cheeseburgers and a Minnie Freeze (butterscotch milk shake, mini sized of course). I had a Minnie Turkey Cheeseburger, Cuban and Mykonos sandwich. The fries were the best part, and of course, the balloons that the kids got after their meal were a big hit. The show was also a lot of fun. It was a mixture of ballet, jazz, contemporary dance and more -- all performed by kids. Tickets are very reasonable, and the boys were so inspired, they put on a 20 minute dance and song show after dinner tonight.

Tree

Thanksgiving weekend is always our weekend to start decorating for Christmas. Really, not much goes into it in our house, but, the tree is always a big thing. Last year, we went to Pioneer Tree Farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. It was a blast, and really a nice memory for H in particular. He couldn't wait to go this year again and pet the chickens. We were going to go on Friday, so checked the website to get directions. Due to a drought a couple years ago, they are only open two weekends this year, and this weekend wasn't one of them. The day went on, and we still didn't get moving, so we decided to go to a local lot run by Sandhill Christmas Trees. Not the cheapest tree we ever got, but I'm not kidding, it's perfect. It's the most beautiful tree that has ever entered our house, and the boys love it. (Of course, C has already broke three ornaments even though I tried my best to hang them up high.)

Thanksgiving

This year, we spent Thanksgiving in Racine, Wisconsin with Brian's family. We had a great meal, and a nice, relaxing day. Of course, the kids got to hang out with their cousins too, which is always so fun for them.

Good boy

For the past 8 weeks, I have been taking Storm to See Spot Run for a basic obedience class. Last night he took a test that consisted of basic commands, meeting a stranger, meeting a new dog, grooming and a couple other things. We know he's a great dog, but I'm happy to report that he is officially a AKC Good Canine Citizen.

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is a time to look back, and reflect on what you are thankful for. At H & C's school, they do this by having a Thanksgiving tree where kids get to write what they are thankful for. I made a point to walk by so I could look at what they had to say. C didn't have one, but this is what H's said:

"I am thankful for ham and turkey."

Maybe our talks about some kids not fortunate enough to have anything to eat is working. Or, he really likes ham and turkey.

Viva Las Vegas

Brian and I just got back from a great two night visit to Las Vegas. Brian won it at The Player Invitational - an annual golf outing that benefits the One Step at a Time Camp - camp for children with cancer - through the Jeffrey Schwebel Memorial Foundation.

Anyhow, we got round trip tickets and two nights at The Palms. It's been awhile since we got away, just the two of us. And while Las Vegas wouldn't be the place of choice for two non-gambling folks for a romantic getaway, it was a blast. We saw two Cirque du Soleil shows - "O" and Zumaniti - both highly recommended. We dined well at Noodle Asia, Little Buddha, Red Square and ended with a fabulous lunch at Bouchon. We shopped. We slept in late.

It was great.

Pussy Willows ...

Nice, decorative dried plants. Unless, your 3-year old sticks them up his nose. That's right. The other day, C came to me and pointed to his nose. I looked up, and there they were -- pussy willows, in his nose. I got two out, one with tweezers. But I looked, and there it was. One more. Brian had to take him to the emergency room where they strapped him down in a sheet, taped him up and suctioned it out. We are just hoping there isn't another one there. He kept saying he put four up there. But, I think he learned his lesson.

A Visit to Burton

Look where Brian got to go -- Burton! As in snowboards. Ok, I haven't snowboarded in 7 years, as am even considering going back to skis, which I haven't been on for 16 years (it really hurts when you fall now), but it still would be a cool place to visit. And, as you can see, he's a pretty happy guy.

He's home now, which is good. For some reason, C had a bad, bad day yesterday, and I even got pulled aside from the teacher. He had 2 accidents, filled a large bowl of water and proceeded to dump it all over the classroom, ran, screamed, pouted and finished the day with poking someone in the eye, twice. Let's hope today was better.

And we're off...

Brian left this morning for Vermont. I don't think he's ever been there before so it's a new one to add to the list. He'll be back tomorrow -- not bad. Storm, the dog, suffers the most when he's gone because he doesn't get his daily walks. I broke down and arranged for a dog walker for today. I've tried walking the dog with the kids after I pick them up, but usually it ends up with one or both collapsing on the sidewalk saying how tired they are. Thank you dog walker, for keeping us all happy.

It's never to late ...

I enjoy reading the blogs that our family and friends have started. With H and C growing up so fast, friends and family all over the world, and just not enough time to stay in touch like we'd like to, I figure there was no better time than the present to start chronicling our world through a blog. So, here we go!