Happy Hanukkah 2009!!

A great 8 nights was had by all - hot wheels, american girl, books and games! We hope everyone has a very happy holiday season.

4 stripes

Maya did all 21 moves of her first Kata to earn 2 more red stripes on her belt. She did a great job even though she was tired from a busy play date at monkey island. we're so proud of her. hi-ya!

Our Trophy Boy

It was a long first T-ball experience. After joining the Yankees for some of their first game, Jonah decided just to watch the next few games. But the lure of a trophy gave Jonah the gumption to join in some of the last game, on a cold Halloween afternoon. He was so happy to get it (even though i didn't capture that smile with my blackberry) and so far enjoys cleaning it and carrying it around and just looking at it.

Trick or Treat Weekend

A party at Maya's school and a wild party at the Summy's house started our Halloween weekend. A clown, a flapper, a cat and a bat celebrated and had tons of fun! Today, was a great day decorating the house for the trick-or-treaters and anxiously waiting until we could head out and collect our candy loot.

We all had a happy Halloween!

Jonamac Orchard

A great family farm with an apple orchard, pick your own pumpkins, a big barnyard play area and a giant corn maze that we eventually found our way through. It was a balmy 45 degrees but the sunshine felt nice. Jonah conquered the hay tower and Maya rode her first pony.

Kiddieland - the end of an era

Kiddieland, a Chicago icon, is closing at the end of the summer after 81 years. We visited this amusement park last summer and the kids loved it so we knew we were going to go back for the final summer season. It was a very fun afternoon!

First Baseball Game and a Lost Tooth

Jonah finally played in his first baseball (T-ball) game. After watching his teammates and coaches, he finally donned his uniform and his hat and joined the game playing third base. After a few failed attempts, we're so proud of him for trying his first park district program!

And, not to outshine her brother, Maya's first wiggly tooth finally out. The tooth fairy visited last night and gave her $5.00!!

Annual Block Party

Sept. 12 was our annual block party. After camping in Taylor Park the night before, the kids were tired...but that didn't stop them from riding bikes and scooters, jumping in the moon jump, and playing all day with their friends and neighbors. Here are some pictures of the kids bobbing for apples and Jonah with one of the many water balloons.

First Day of First Grade

maya was all smiles and excited to see Mrs. Baker and all her friends. she had a great day and is ready to learn all that she can.

Yellowstone Lake State Park!

we wanted to end the summer with another camping trip - 3 nights this time. We chose Yellowstone Lake State Park because of the swimming and the bat houses that make for almost mosquito free camping. Also saw lots of shooting stars. Came home after 2 nights because of thunderstorms - a great weekend had by all!

Two wheels for Jonah and his new push bike

He loves his new push bike, or as he calls it, his run bike.

He can already balance and loves pressing the brakes to make it skid. He is already talking about a bike ramp!

Two-Wheel Wonder

Big Girl Day

This morning, Maya took off on her two-wheeler for the first time!! She got going and kept saying "let go, let go".  We have been practicing all summer and Maya is so proud of herself.

But that wasn't enough for Maya today - she decided to get her ears pierced too. She chose beautiful rubies to decorate her earlobes!! Two-wheeler pictures will be posted soon.

A day with the fishies

We visited Shedd Aquarium today. Unfortunately, we waited in line to get in for almost an hour. But once inside, we saw so many fish - small, large, beautiful, ugly and strange. Some highlights were the "saw shark", garden eels, pacific white-sided dolphins and of course, Nemo!

Garfield Park Conservatory

We took grandpa to one of our favorite places today - Garfield Park Conservatory.

We also had the benefit of seeing a fruit bat up close!

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