Summer Silliness

This is the time of year when we often reflect on "What I did for my Summer Vacation". At first, I cringed at the thought that I didn't have anything exciting to report. However, with two kids, how is that ever possible. I've done a lot but my kids made me laugh a lot too. My oldest has come up with some real doozies in recent months.

1. Wheat should not be confused with Weed
VS
While on vacation in Colorado we went hiking. While on our nature walk, my oldest pulled a long piece of wheat from the ground and played with it. He pretended he was a cowboy and put it in his mouth, then it magically turned to a sword and a host of other imagination filled objects. At the end of the hike we headed back to the car and along the way came to a street crossing. If you know 5 year olds, then you know how important it is to them to press the elevator button, the crosswalk button and of course YOUR buttons. So, true to form, he pressed the crosswalk button. In doing so, he dropped his stem of wheat. This crosswalk is also a busy bus stop. Many locals and tourists were waiting for the bus to town. It was early and there was a strange hush while we waited. a moment later, I hear my oldest, quite clearly, say, "Mom, I dropped my Weed". All of us were hysterical. Perhaps the setting of a carefree mountain town made this a more comical moment but regardless, it was a great way to start the day.

2. TRAPPED My oldest found a love for the Backyardigans this summer. I have to say, it's a pretty good show. Even I don't mind having to succumb to it at the repeat frequency of a 5 year old. One of his favorite episodes was about being a detective and a spy. They referred to booby traps and spy gear. He was in heaven. A few days later, he was playing with a balloon. I saw he was putting them up his shirt where they found a home in his chest region. I chose to let him play and not really say anything about it's chosen location.

Just then, he came up with such a brilliant & hysterical comment that I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything at the time. If I were, it would have had no choice but to exit my nose.
He said, "Mommy, look, a booby trap" How clever is that?


3. Lake Michigan There is no doubt that 5 year olds are smart. The other day, we were driving along Lake Michigan and my oldest was inquiring on how the lake gets "full". I made the mistake of getting too technical and tried to discuss evaporation etc. I backed off and discussed that Mother Nature (she) helped to fill the lake with rain. However, he was way more literal. He decided that Mother Nature put 169* buckets of rain into the lake. He was quiet, deep in thought for a moment. Then he said, "Mommy, how does She know when to stop filling the lake? How come it doesn't overflow?" I was speechless. What am I going to do when this child starts having homework?

*169 has been a theme this summer too. It seems to be the BIGGEST number that my oldest can equate to things...all things.

4. Navy Pier I have to say that, in general, Navy Pier is not my first choice of where to spend time. That said, some of my favorite moments this summer have been at "the Pier". BlogHer goes without saying as well as the fireworks that followed. We also enjoyed an impromptu evening with friends on the Ferris Wheel and then dinner at Riva's. Another day we went to see Cirque Shanghai An Amazing show that really does amaze. My oldest and DH enjoyed an afternoon on the Sea Dog. We visited the Children's Museum and even escaped running up a bill at Build a Bear. I haven't cringed about the cost of parking as we've really enjoyed ourselves during each visit. Who would have thought?

We still have one more official day of Summer vacation. I know it won't be at the Pier, however, kite flying is sure to add some stories to our repertoire.

How was YOUR Summer?

Catching up to NEW

The house I grew up in was sold when I was away at my sophomore year in college. My family often jokes about needing to leave a forwarding address for my brother and I to find our way home at Thanksgiving break. It wasn't quite that dramatic but it makes for a better story. My parents have had a home in the rocky mountains for almost my entire life. This is the last standing structure with which our memories are etched in the woodwork. We've owned the house for 32 years but it was built 5 prior to that. Hence, the 1960's avocado counter tops and yellow refrigerator were really starting to bug my mom. Furniture, in our family, found its way here. 1000 miles west of our permanent residences, mine now included, to live out its final days. Nothing in this vacation house matches and we've enjoyed that ease of living. No worries that the kids would ruin something. Everything was perfectly worn in.

Having my own children enjoy this house now is quite bizarre to me. When I brought my oldest here for the first time, 5 years ago, and unpacked his little onesies and other necessities, I broke down at the idea that my child's items were being stored in my baby dresser. As he grew he started sleeping in the brass bed that donned my adolescent room for nearly 18 years. I have sat and played puzzles and games with him that my brother and I enjoyed when we were his age. The list goes on and on. Now that my younger son is coming up through the ranks it's that much more meaningful that these memories live on. I should be clear in stating that it's not the things in the house as much as the feeling in the house. A feeling that has been poured into the fabrics of the items inside. Many items carry a story all their own. The grandfather clock that only gets wound if my father is visiting the house. The dining room table that almost didn't make it through customs when my parents visited Mexico 40+ years ago and has had held holiday dinners, group gatherings as well as gin rummy or scrabble championships. Memories of laughter and family times are in every support beam and every mismatched, out of date appliance and accessory.

Last year my parents decided to level the house and build a new more expanding family friendly monstrosity. NooooOOO I exclaimed. I shared my above thoughts with them and they realized that they too had similar attachments to these peeling stucco walls. We compromised at renovating the existing structure. Keeping the footprint and updating much of the inside. My mom has a knack at altering a space while keeping the end users purpose of the space in mind all the while. I trusted her implicitly. After all, she too was attached to the memories of the house and the family times it stood for. Heck, she started this whole family experience that has now touched three generations. I knew we were in good hands.

In the past year she has made several renditions to the blue prints. Made even more trips to home imporvement stores to pick out appliances and countless trips out here to pick finishes, oversee construction as well as make sure that all was going as planned. It was not easy but she did it. This was not something any of us were willing to leave a stranger to handle. She willingly agreed to take on the mammoth details that a project like this requires - all the while living 1000 miles away.

My husband and I joined my parents out here last week. We seem to always find our way out here to spend the 4th of July holiday together. We love the cheesy small town parade and all the kid friendly activities. The clean fresh air is a pleasant relief from the city lives we all live. We are still in awe of the mountain peaks that make up our front yard view as well as the safari we sometimes see on the road at anytime of the day. The healthy activities and all the time we spend outside in the pool or with nature are endless. Although we mimic a family friend in saying that this is a magical place...I think I agree with him now and it really is no joke. This place is paradise and that is how I felt about this home. I'm a homebody so I get attached to where I live. I was fortunate to even call this vacation home my primary residence for 5 years after grad school. That, of course was a lifetime ago.

This trip was the first time I had seen the "new and improved" version of our family retreat. It is incredible! My mom did an amazing job. My father and I find ourselves saying, "It's like a new house but it's the old house". That was exactly what we were going for. I have to say that it's nice to go to the bathroom and actually be able to close the door all the way. Especially with a toddler running around. The water pressure is a huge improvement. The furniture is mostly the same. Some of the more tired pieces have found new homes. The kitchen is the most drastic change. Although it is all glammed out, it still has a rustic and homey feel. I see a picture of my son and I at the same age in a similar field of wild flowers that donns the wall. Special materials have been salvaged for memories sake and used in different ways. I love all the new doors and the warmth of the heated floors in the cold morning. The fact that all the towels match is bizarre but kind of nice. I feel like the house got a face lift. It's the same soul on the inside but the exterior has been refreshed.

We've so enjoyed the visit thus far. We can't wait to add new memories to these new materials. The fact that wireless internet is available everywhere in the house isn't anything to baulk at. I still go to the old trashcan location and find a refrigerator there instead. I have yet to find all the new light switch placements. However, I have to admit that this is my third day here and I'm just now emotionally catching up with the new digs.

Thanks Mom...you and Dad have created a legacy for us to cherish for many many many more years to come.

AHhhh...

Can't even remember the last bubble bath I had.

I have to say that Valentines Day ranks right up there with New Years Eve. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why do we need a calendar to tell us when to be romantic? Or, Why does, NYE have to be the most fun you have ever had in your life? Perhaps I'm just missing something. My husband and I decided, while staying home on New Years Eve, that this was going to be the year we actually schedule and take a full 3-4 day weekend, at least once each quarter, without the kids....It took some planning but we've succeeded with our first endeavor.

We've heard so much about this place that we were thrilled to find out that this was considered "off season" and perhaps it would actually work within our budget. I have to send out a big yahoo to my folks. They took both boys for 3 days and none of this would have worked without them.

We enjoyed a lovely 2 hour ride in the car with no traffic. Upon arrival, we stepped into the lobby and the stress immediately began melting from our shoulders. The front desk agents, called butlers, upgraded us to a suite. SWEET! We strode down the corridors and we felt like we had been transported to Switzerland. Gorgeous wood doors with rounded tops and sconces that were actually inviting. I never thought of noticing a sconce before but trust me, this was just the beginning of things I'd never noticed before. And then we saw it...our sweet suite. Wood trim framed the rooms, the bed had the most amazing mattress and then there was ...the bathroom. Aside from the toilet, there was no door. No door for the shower, the swimming pool of a bathtub or the sinks. Nope, the bedroom and the bathroom were one. It was the wildest thing I had ever seen. Amazing fixtures and sinks, faucets and jets. Ahhh, the tub jets were like stress erasers. The tub had a pillow that was actually comfortable and allowed the jets to massage your neck while your head was gently supported. UNbelievable.

The staff was amazingly attentive while not being intrusive. Our every questions or request was answered and met. We had amazing meals, phenomenal naps, loved the cozy robes and enjoyed the restful waters and a massage in the magical spa. Restful sound sleep never felt so good. I can't wait for next quarter...who knows where our travels will lead us.

PS - Don't get me wrong....this was an amazing trip, but I could have done without returning to 10 inches of snow shoveling though. Stay warm!