To infinity and beyond

Rudy was Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. He's never seen the movie but after finding out about a "spaceman" with a cool suit and and even cooler name we got a 'Toy Story' book. The Halloween costume idea came soon after that. At first I was going to make it! Yeah right. Here's the $12 version from Amazon (sans wings)!

The video shows Margot cracking up at Rudy dressed as Buzz stuck upside down hanging off the sofa (there's a mattress pad on the floor)! She was so intrigued by the head covering part of the costume and kept trying to peer inside it. She doesn't normally laugh with that squeak at the end, but she was having fun experimenting with how it sounded.

The Wrestlers

Margot can give Rudy a run for his money. They have such fun and you can only imagine the squeals, laughter, and screaming that accompanies these matches!

Fall recap...

We've been out of commission on the blog front. I've been finishing up a huge fact-checking job and am finally out from underneath it. John's had deadlines upon deadlines and many all nighters. Rudy has had some hard weeks at school and is now really enjoying it again. Margot is growing teeth, hair and humor and is the clown of the house (as well as developing quite a temper)! Here's a quick recap in pictures of the past couple of months.

Climbing in an amazing jungle gym at the zoo. We'll take you there Zach and Martha!
Bob the Builder set from a great yard sale
Enjoying the morning sunshine. Margot can take off and put on her shoes all by herself, it's crazy.
At the pumpkin patch - it was soooo cold. We came home with two huuuuge pumpkins that Rudy talked about carving every single day for the two weeks prior to Halloween.

Pre (play) school

Rudy started what is called Pre-school here in the U.S., and Play School or Nursery in the U.K.. He's been going for 10 days now, and he runs into the building with out looking back. When we arrive at school he looks for his Filipino friend, Kimmy, or his other friend, Bilal, from Kazakhstan. Both of these children are learning English at school, and are bright, rambunctious and kind kids. The first two days had tears and sad farewells (Margot fell and banged her head so I had to make a hurried exit from the classroom). His teacher (Mrs. K) said he made a quick recovery and apart from one morning of tantrums from our front door all the way into the classroom (15 minutes!) he's absolutely loving it! I think the turning point was the day he had the tantrum about attending he also found a big box of dinosaurs and from then on he has said "Mummy, I love school".

I have to say that I didn't cry when I dropped him off the first day. I was fully expecting to, but then I just felt so excited for him, and massively proud of him going on a new adventure. He is so ready to be in a new and challenging environment. He comes home talking of instruments, shapes, stories, songs, sand, water, painting, and playground games. At first it made me anxious to not know those two hours of his day, but it has since made my heart glad to see him so much more independent, and trying things that he wouldn't do before, like climbing high on a climbing frame, or jumping with strength from one rock to another. I think his teacher will allow him the space to be the reflective, imaginative, sensitive child that he is, and we're excited to see how he grows and flourishes.

Day 2. Thoughtful and a little concerned. Note his uniform of white shirt and blue shorts. White shirt for pre-schoolers? It's filthy before we even get to school!
Cool LLBean Shark back pack. Very proud.
Looking in his classroom window.
We had to send with him a family photo, framed. This is what we could manage! We're lying in the shark tent Mary Katherine gave Rudy before he was even born!

Sibs in the summer

I'll be back to write about this, but for now I have to go to bed!

Aunty Tri came to visit. We miss her so much.

Mama & Margot

zombies / aliens ?

Read the post below before watching this video.

vegan cupcakes

One of the best places in Chicago for cupcakes and baked goods, besides our wonderful Beans and Bagels around the corner, is surprise surprise...a punk rock, vegan bakery with zombies painted on the walls, called Bleeding Heart Bakery . Check out their website for the tattoo cakes!
I'm going to be out of town for my birthday next weekend, so John, Rudy and Margot took me for a birthday (cup) cake this weekend. Rudy had a chocolate with raspberry frosting cupcake and I had chocolate chocolate (of course) and Margot had a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. John abstained as he had played soccer in the morning and his tired, dehydrated body was craving something salty. He opted for a quiche. How do you make vegan quiche? I have no idea, but it was excellent.



Margot walked around the bakery pointing at the zombies and roaring really loudly to the amusement of the patrons and staff.
John and Rudy working their punk attitudes in the mirror. Notice the drum kit and guitar in the background. I'll post a video of Margot and zombies soon. After the bakery we went across the street to the park to play. While we were there we met a lovely family with a little boy and girl about a year younger than Rudy and Margot. The boy is awfully allergic to all kinds of food, especially eggs and nuts. His mother had never heard of the Bleeding Heart Bakery so we were telling her all about it. She was extatic to find out about it. Just passing on the vegan love...are you?

Some recent conversations

note: "superman" cape (it has 4 yellow stars and 1 white star on the back. I think it was mine, or maybe Matthews?)

Rudy: Mummy?
Me: Yes, lovely boy?
Rudy: I want to tell you something.
Me: What is it?
Rudy: I love you.
Me: Oh, I love you too Rudy. Thank you so much for telling me that.
Rudy: I love you so much. You are my darling girl.


Rudy: I don't want you to go Daddy.
John: I don't want to either Rudy but I have to go to work. You and Mummy and Margot always come first in my life, but right now I have to go to work.
Rudy: You come first in my life Daddy.

they grow so fast!

I was looking at iphoto today trying to find a recent photo of Rudy and Margot to use and I realized that they look so different just from one week to the next. They grow SO fast! Rudy is obsessed with robots, spaceships, planets, wooden toy trains crashing, fires burning, fire engines, xrays, and Max and Ruby videos.

Margot is walking, dancing, singing, and saying "ish" for fish, "ab-ble" for apple, "ella" for umbrella, "paba" for Pablo (the cat), "bah" for bath, "na-na" for banana, and "up", "Mama" and "Dada". Every day there are a few more...and her hair grows an inch for every word she learns and every step she takes!

I took these photos this morning--hot off the press.

Margot the Mudbug

One thing we've learned about Margot: If there is mud anywhere near, she will find it. And not only will she find it, she will--without the least hesitation--dive right in. As you'll see in the following video, "dive right in" can often be taken quite literally. Ladies and Gentlemen...Family and Friends...we present, for your entertainment, "Margot the Mudbug"!

Have bunny, will walk

with guest appearance by Robot Rudy

Nashville

I'm sorry it's been so long since we last posted. We're incredibly busy right now. I've taken on a herculean fact-checking job that I probably shouldn't have, and as a result I am not feeling very well because I'm burning the candle at both ends.

I'm going to post photos from the two trips we've taken this summer so far, and as a result I'm going to skip over a few other things like a lovely flying visit from Sam's sister Megan. It was great to see you Megan! We took a road trip to Nashville to meet our beautiful niece, Anne Hartley. We tried hard to get some family photos, but a certain three year old was hungry and tired and wanted nothing else than to squirm away. These are the best of the many that were taken! Mary Katherine and Ryan were so welcoming of the entire family (we missed you Auntie Anne) descending upon them, even with a new infant.
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Uncle Pete and Rudy strolling in the park
I
MK, Ryan, Anne Hartley and Weezie outside their house

Poppy and B with their grand children

Poppy and B with the girls

squirming...

Happy Birthday to you

Happy first Birthday darling Margot!

Birthday balloon chair

Big brother giving M a precious balloon.




Rudy insisted that Margot needed a "sheep cake". We think he heard our neighbors talking about making "sheet cake" for a party. Unbeknownst to him his Mum was much happier to make a sheep cake, rather than a sheet cake (even tho' I did make sheet cake to make the sheep cake--okay, enough)!

Under the "El" tracks on the way to the Shedd Aquarium

Outside the aquarium (note: we all have out eyes closed)!

Glowing Jellyfish

Peering into the depths...

Baby beluga's mummy swimming by on her back (she always had her eyes closed). Her calf was not far behind her.


Penguins!

No, her tongue did not touch the glass! She was hollering at the penguins "Ah AH Ah Ah". We think she wanted them to swim by again.

And another penguin!

The coral reef exhibit. Just beautiful.


We had a wonderful family day with celebrating Margot's first year at the heart of it. She enjoyed pressies, her first cake and icing, her first "Happy Birthday" sung to her, balloons galore, and she got to share it with fish, sea otters, penguins, sharks, clams, coral, tuna fish, beluga whales, dolphins and eels! What a fine day.