Here's a couple of things Ben has said lately that stuck me as particularly funny.
"Mommy your bed needs a pole." Hmm, now I know I have one of the most difficult jobs a woman can have, but I think he's referring to the lack of a headboard on our bed.
Warning the following contains material not suitable for readers who have not had small childern:
"Look – I made a rainbow." This one is referring to what he saw in the toilet after making a poop that he thought was shaped just like the arc of a rainbow. Brian said, "who says you can't polish a turd".
8/30/10
8/29/10
Out and About
Yesterday we took the boys to the Naperville Riverwalk. Our visit started out with a highlight for Ben. We meet two bike patrol police officers and one of them was nice enough to give the boys their very own police badge/stickers. Ben wore his proudly all afternoon and told just about everyone we passed "I'm a policeman, I have a badge."
Brian and I had what I'll call a team strengthening exercise yesterday. Somewhere I got in my head that I'm not going to allow the boys to pick up any of our irrational fears. Let them make up their own. Part of this came into play when I took the boys to the zoo Friday. I overheard so many parents cringing/whining/complaining about a particular animal they were not fond of and didn't want to observe; bats, snakes, whatever. Of course their children mirrored this. Anyway, part of the riverwalk allows you to be right up on the water and the boys were having a pretty good time of it watching the ducks and what not. Neil was expressing that he wants to hug the ducks. So for me this was high anxiety time. I was freaking out that the boys were going to topple into the river. Now, it's not very far into the water and it's not very deep, but in my head this was not going to be okay if we had to calm someone down and take them home wet. It was Brian's turn to be the brave parent and get right up there with the boys. He told me he was fully prepared to go in after either of them.
My turn to be the strong one came later when we took the boys on the guided tour of the Millennium Carillon, a very cool tower with bells. We learned on the tour that carillons are pretty rare and the view was pretty awesome. Here's where it gets freaky for Brian. He is not a fan of heights and I'm guessing he knows this is irrational cause he was the one who suggested we climb the tower. So there I was on the top observation deck taking each of the boys out to the edge and pointing out which direction our house was and the Chicago skyline and whatever else might be of interest to them. Meanwhile, Brian is standing in the center of the deck wondering at what point we can start working our way back down. So there you have it Brian is the ying to my yang.
Here's a couple of nice shots from the day. The first is with the enticing ducks and the second is of the boys playing with the Dick Tracy statue which is on the riverwalk because one of the comics artist is a longtime Naperville resident. (Look Matt & Nate, Uncle Bri doesn't only wear jean shorts.) Also a pic I found of the tower.
Brian and I had what I'll call a team strengthening exercise yesterday. Somewhere I got in my head that I'm not going to allow the boys to pick up any of our irrational fears. Let them make up their own. Part of this came into play when I took the boys to the zoo Friday. I overheard so many parents cringing/whining/complaining about a particular animal they were not fond of and didn't want to observe; bats, snakes, whatever. Of course their children mirrored this. Anyway, part of the riverwalk allows you to be right up on the water and the boys were having a pretty good time of it watching the ducks and what not. Neil was expressing that he wants to hug the ducks. So for me this was high anxiety time. I was freaking out that the boys were going to topple into the river. Now, it's not very far into the water and it's not very deep, but in my head this was not going to be okay if we had to calm someone down and take them home wet. It was Brian's turn to be the brave parent and get right up there with the boys. He told me he was fully prepared to go in after either of them.
My turn to be the strong one came later when we took the boys on the guided tour of the Millennium Carillon, a very cool tower with bells. We learned on the tour that carillons are pretty rare and the view was pretty awesome. Here's where it gets freaky for Brian. He is not a fan of heights and I'm guessing he knows this is irrational cause he was the one who suggested we climb the tower. So there I was on the top observation deck taking each of the boys out to the edge and pointing out which direction our house was and the Chicago skyline and whatever else might be of interest to them. Meanwhile, Brian is standing in the center of the deck wondering at what point we can start working our way back down. So there you have it Brian is the ying to my yang.
Here's a couple of nice shots from the day. The first is with the enticing ducks and the second is of the boys playing with the Dick Tracy statue which is on the riverwalk because one of the comics artist is a longtime Naperville resident. (Look Matt & Nate, Uncle Bri doesn't only wear jean shorts.) Also a pic I found of the tower.
8/22/10
Our Boys are Back
The boys came back from their vacation at Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan's yesterday. (When asked if they wanted to come home they said "NOOO!". I think something about chocolate ice cream may have influenced that response.
So today we went back to Cantigny Park to check out the gardens that we missed on Father's Day because we were too busy checking out all the awesome tanks. And we were smart enough to remember a picnic basket this time.
Here's a couple of pics of me with the boys. I'm recovering quite nicely and have no complaints.
So today we went back to Cantigny Park to check out the gardens that we missed on Father's Day because we were too busy checking out all the awesome tanks. And we were smart enough to remember a picnic basket this time.
Here's a couple of pics of me with the boys. I'm recovering quite nicely and have no complaints.
8/14/10
My First 5k
I ran my first 5k today. The weather was not what I had hoped for since the humidity was about 85%. Just prior to the race it rained briefly. I would have preferred for it to keep raining, cause I'd rather run in the rain than the humidity. But anyway, I'm pretty happy with my performance: I finished in 33 minutes 20 seconds. I've already done all the calculations and it keeps me under a 11 minute mile so that makes me happy. I'm eager to do another one, but that will have to wait until after my recovery.
Brian and the boys just missed my finish so I took a picture with my two run coaches after the race.
Brian and the boys just missed my finish so I took a picture with my two run coaches after the race.
8/6/10
Jury Duty
I completed my civic duty yesterday. As you may remember I got called to serve here in Will County. I was on call for the whole week. So Monday I spent the whole day in the jury selection room reading. Tuesday I didn't have to go in till 1:30, but once I got there I was put in a group of 40 and ended up being selected for a criminal case. Trial only lasted Wednesday and half day Thursday.
The trial was on 7 different counts, two for drug possession with intent to distribute, three for a convicted felon being in possession of a firearm, and two for a firearm with the serial numbers removed. It was a pretty interesting experience and I now have more knowledge of street drugs than I will ever need. The prosecutors had us pass around all the drugs. So I can now say I've held crack and black tar heroin, something I really could have done without. Ultimately we did find the defendant guilty on all counts. I believe the sentencing is done at another time, but I'd be interested to know how much time he was given. As a group we suspected it would be substantial since he had two prior convictions.
Two other interesting aspects of the trial were that he was working with the ATF as an informant and he chose to defend himself. God fore bid anyone I know ever has to stand trial, but I would strongly recommend not defending yourself. At times it was painful to listen to him attempt questioning because so much of it was objected to, but the judge was really pretty nice and patient.
On a happier note Brian got to spend a lot of time with the boys and thoroughly spoiled them. They had a day at the pool, play date with his hockey buddies kids, and a trip to the zoo. I won't be surprised if they ask me to go back to work (what we told the boys I was doing) and leave dad home.
The trial was on 7 different counts, two for drug possession with intent to distribute, three for a convicted felon being in possession of a firearm, and two for a firearm with the serial numbers removed. It was a pretty interesting experience and I now have more knowledge of street drugs than I will ever need. The prosecutors had us pass around all the drugs. So I can now say I've held crack and black tar heroin, something I really could have done without. Ultimately we did find the defendant guilty on all counts. I believe the sentencing is done at another time, but I'd be interested to know how much time he was given. As a group we suspected it would be substantial since he had two prior convictions.
Two other interesting aspects of the trial were that he was working with the ATF as an informant and he chose to defend himself. God fore bid anyone I know ever has to stand trial, but I would strongly recommend not defending yourself. At times it was painful to listen to him attempt questioning because so much of it was objected to, but the judge was really pretty nice and patient.
On a happier note Brian got to spend a lot of time with the boys and thoroughly spoiled them. They had a day at the pool, play date with his hockey buddies kids, and a trip to the zoo. I won't be surprised if they ask me to go back to work (what we told the boys I was doing) and leave dad home.
8/3/10
Michigan City Camping
This past weekend we went camping in Michigan City, IN with my mom and grandma. They rented a cute little log cabin that had some pretty nice amenities, kitchen with microwave and fridge, bathroom with toilet and shower, plus it even had air conditioning. We of course stayed in our RV, the campground was a little tighter than we usually like, but the cabin definitely made it worth the stay.
I think the highlight of everyone's trip was the time we spent at the dunes. Ben and Neil surprised us by actually being able to make it to the top of the dune. Neil was smart enough to get a piggy-back ride on the trek back to the car though. We had plans to go to a steam engine museum, but that did happen because a GPS is more important than you think. Beside, that will leave us something to do the next time were camping in the area.
We also had fun at a cool restaurant called the Tree House Cafe. It really has a tree growing in the middle of it. It was a great outdoor venue with picnic tables set up near a sand lot that was full of cool stuff to keep the kids occupied, tire swings, volleyball net, old tires to roll through the sand, wiffleballs. They even had a ping-pong table outside.
I think the highlight of everyone's trip was the time we spent at the dunes. Ben and Neil surprised us by actually being able to make it to the top of the dune. Neil was smart enough to get a piggy-back ride on the trek back to the car though. We had plans to go to a steam engine museum, but that did happen because a GPS is more important than you think. Beside, that will leave us something to do the next time were camping in the area.
We also had fun at a cool restaurant called the Tree House Cafe. It really has a tree growing in the middle of it. It was a great outdoor venue with picnic tables set up near a sand lot that was full of cool stuff to keep the kids occupied, tire swings, volleyball net, old tires to roll through the sand, wiffleballs. They even had a ping-pong table outside.
Here's everyone on their way to the dune's beach.
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