It was before 7:30 a.m. and I'm already cleaning up a floor full of urine and attempting to console an emotional three year old.  Jerry has been out of town the last three out of four weeks.  So to say that I'm ready for him to be back home is an understatement.  He is a huge help around here. The girls are ready for him to be home too.  Sometimes his absence hits us all at once, like it did this morning.  As I doled out the last of the morning kisses at day care this morning, whispering in Viv's ear that today will only get better, I see the above picture and note in her cubby left by one of her classmate's mothers.  Kyle, you sweet, sweet boy...yes this is me.  I am the lovely, calm creature in the evening gown posing on that yacht.  The wet pulled-back hair you see me sporting each morning is in fact the Mediterranean Sea.  Instantly my morning was revived.  A little pretending can go a long way...or at least until later tonight when Jerry comes home.
p.s. I've graduated beyond just "Ella's Mom" and now have another moniker, "Vivian's Mom".

Sprinkles + McDonald's Cone = Happy Time

O&H Danish Bakery

Viv decided that this would be her last time on this ride.

Jerry held Viv as she buried her face in his shoulder.



Happy



Happy Part II

Cotton Candy...a first

The back to school commercials have started already and the pressure mounts to squeeze every last drop out of summer.  Earlier in the week, Jerry and I discovered that we had 24 hours that were not accounted for and we decided that funnel cake and carnival rides needed to find their way into our weekend plans.  Lucky for us Racine, Wisconsin was hosting their county fair.  Racine also happens to be home to the world-famous kringle. 
Have you not been formally introduced to a kringle dear reader?  You must meet it's acquaintance.  Bear with me while this story takes a slight detour:  32 layers of light pastry, a masterpiece of the Danish immigrants that inhabited this area of Wisconsin.  Now sold in every truck stop and gas station within Racine County; we found ours at O and H Bakery.  To base a small road-trip around this sweet delight is not insane by any stretch, I promise. 
Anyway, we packed our overnight bags and drove north.  The Dan Ryan was fraught with weekender traffic.  But once we passed the Wisconsin boarder and soon after the Mars Cheese Castle the state's unofficial welcoming site, we were home free.  The Racine County Fair had all of the essential components: Livestock, 4H competitions, cheese curds, the requisite funnel cake and carnival rides with no lines!  Ella yearned for rides with names like "The Phantom Fury".  She enviously watched hoards of teens with heavily lined eyes shuffle into a gyrating sphere that would defy gravity.  She vowed to return once she was tall enough to join in.  Vivian quickly learned that she was much better suited for rides that involved handle bars (see motorcycle above).  Rides that involved heights and up and down motions were immediately eliminated (see sad face above).   The evening ended with smiles and a sampling of both cotton candy and some variation of fried dough with powdered sugar.  We woke the next morning and let them chase seagulls at the beach (p.s. free parking, the finest sand and no crowds). 
We were so happy to have had these twenty-four hours to try and pack in as much of the summer-bucket-list as possible.  Racine was the perfect host.  Still on our summer list is a picnic in Chinatown, celebrating a birthday with Lolo and a back-to-school brunch with the kindergarten crew (if I write it, it will happen).  There, I've committed myself.     

The "Wind-breaker"

This morning, Ella once again asked if she could wear the jacket that "breaks wind".  The junior high kid in me cracks up every time.

Mimi's Birthday

What do you get for the woman who'd rather conserve than consume?  You accept an invite to the Michigan shore, pick blueberries and enjoy the sand, surf and a little fro-yo.  Mom, thanks for the invite and the ride.  We had such a good time!

Chasing Fireflies

Viv's Birthday Dollhouse

oof

biff

Bottom of the 9th

A congratulatory hug

Ella brings the heat

Northerly Island

Mouth full of snacks

Camp Run-A-Muk

Smore cupcakes for the adults.  Several were almost claimed by our broiler this morning. 

The party has been disassembled, the dishwasher is humming away and the kids have finally managed to get into their pajamas.  Vivian celebrated with a few of her buddies in our backyard this afternoon.  We put up a tent, made a "campfire" and painted pet rocks.  The kids gathered around a ten foot long gutter sundae, sang to Viv and then commenced in a whole lot of ice cream consumption and germ sharing.  Between bites, Ella exclaimed that this was the "best birthday ever".  She is so easy to please.  Viv, I hope you agree. 



Tres

Viv,
Three has arrived and you have officially outgrown much of what two has to offer.  You have graduated to big slides, friendships and My Little Pony.  In play, you assert your agenda without apologies.  You make your daycare double check their insurance policies as you dangle from monkey bars with the five year olds.  You are full of Vivianisms like, "ew-gross-disgusting".  You refer to your friend Stella as  a "nice girl" but your heart belongs to your sister.  You love to laugh and make others laugh.  You have a strong spirit.  You will put yourself on time-out and just to prove a point, will stay there long after your father and I indicate that your punishment is over.  You're flexible but when you decide to take a stand, your feet are firmly on the ground.   When you were born, I worried about the shadow that may be cast by your older sister.  But your sun couldn't shine any brighter.
We love you so very much Viv.
Love,
Mom and Dad

A Floral Farewell

I may find myself on Madison Avenue in Forest Park on occasion; either waiting for Ella's dance class to get out or when indulging in our favorite scoops from Brown Cow.  I can guarantee that I always pause outside of Moss, a local flower shop to see what lies inside.  Chris's (the owner) aesthetic is unfussy but thoughtful, creative and natural.  The flowers and displays are anything but expected.  I look into that shop and think to myself, "this is what I want to do when I grow up".  You see, Ella and Viv, even when you are thirty-seven, you may still wonder what it is you want to do with your life and that's ok.  Keep wondering...it makes you interesting.
So after a quick inquiry with the shop, I booked an evening to close the doors, uncork some wine and learn about flowers with eight other women I met through daycare.  These are the women I have spent the last several years with exchanging knowing glances as our kids cry for us as we leave for work.  These are the women who will juggle permission slips as well as run a medical clinic or work on health-care reform policies...they, as a whole, are a fascinating group.  These are women who know what it is like to dash into the drive way at 6 p.m. and attempt to throw a healthy dinner together.  They amaze me and it was so fun to share this chapter of our lives with them.  So as our kids move on to Kindergarten soon, it was a sort of graduation for us as well.  There was no running, no fussing and no guilt.  Just flowers and fellow comrades.     

July 6th

Viv after her first movie, Monster's University