Jacob's First Visit to the Zoo

On Wednesday, we were lucky enough to go to the zoo with Karen, Michelle and her baby, Jacob. He is 2 months old and this was his first visit to the zoo. I think her really enjoyed it - he slept the first 2 1/2 hours we were there and then got up to eat right before we left!
It was so nice to have time to catch up with friends while walking around the zoo on a beautiful summer day. Michelle is quickly approaching her return to work after maternity leave, so it was good to have time with her and Jacob before their schedule gets busier. Karen just finished her finals - she is getting her MBA at Kellogg - yes, very impressive! Reagan enjoyed being able to decide which animals to see on our visit. We really saw a lot - zebras, giraffes, bison, camels, dolphins, bears, fish, penguins, bunnies, snakes, birds - no wonder we were all tired!
We finished our visit with time at the play zoo - still Reagan's favorite. Most of our time was spent in the animal hospital. Reagan and Nola were both busy taking care of the stuffed animals. Now we just have to get Nola to stop putting the syringes in her mouth!
This fall we will celebrate our 10th reunion from Northwestern. Time is really flying by! It is just funny to think how different our lives are now compared to how they were in 1998 - we sure have come a long way!

Stepping Out!

So our little Nola has started taking steps!! She is not walking but every now and then will take anywhere from 4-8 steps at a time. It is funny because it doesn't appear that she realizes what she is doing, it just happens.
She also enjoys standing up and dancing without holding on to anything. I definitely think she will enjoy her music class that is going to start in a couple weeks.
She is busy saying bye bye (her first word), mama, Reagan (in her own special way), Pat (she still doesn't say dad) and grandma (similar to mam, but different). Still loves walking and hopping on her knees.
She is a great eater - bananas, pancakes, cheese (I think her all-time favorite), yogurt, carrots, sweet potatoes and ice cream!
But please don't yell around her - even if you are not yelling at her - she starts to cry if anyone raises their voice. I guess she is more sensitive that I thought.
I think I will soon be posting that she is walking - watch out world!

Mission Accomplished!

Yesterday I completed the sprint distance of the Chicago Accenture Triathlon. And what a day it was! Pat and I stayed downtown at the McCormick Hyatt on Saturday night - thanks to Michelle traveling too much last year and getting lots of Hyatt points. We spent the day Saturday picking up my packet and checking out the expo. Then we walked to Old Navy to pick up jeans - very exciting for Pat! We had some time to relax in the hotel and then headed to Joe's Seafood and Steaks. It was a wonderful dinner and enjoyed every bite!
We then had an early night and had 3 alarms and a wake up call to make sure we didn't miss the race!
We were up and out of the hotel at 4:15 am! We rode our bikes up the lakefront and got mine checked into transition. We then had time to hang out before my 6:24 am start.
There were about 8700 participants - of those, about 2500 were in the sprint distance like me. They were reporting the water temperature to be 72.
So at 6:23 my wave (#7) got in the water and started one minute later. The swim was tough - much tougher than in Naperville. I didn't get kicked as much as I thought I would, but it felt like a long swim. When I got out I then had to run 1/4 mile to get to the bike. That wasn't bad except for the sidewalk wasn't flat, so it hurt my feet.
I hopped on my bike and rode up Lake Shore Drive to Foster Ave and then turned around rode back. After the turnaround I decided to drink some of my G2 and when I went to put it back in the cage on my bike it fell out, so I didn't have any other drink for the ride. The bike took about 50 minutes, so that is the longest part of the race. I would pass people and then people would pass me, but it wasn't very crowded. I saw some really nice bikes out there, and there were plenty similar to my Schwinn 10-speed from 8th grade graduation! I did see a rider with a very aero-dynamic helmet - it reminded me of the helmet that Hal wore on Malcolm in the Middle when he was competing in speed walking - that made me laugh.
So I put my bike back in transition and started the run. After doing the Naperville triathlon I had committed to being faster in transition - and it worked. My bike-to-run transition was less than 2 minutes, so I was happy with that.
The 5K run path went south on the lakefront, past the swim and continued down to about Soldier Field. I then turned back north and then finished just north of Roosevelt on Columbus. The run wasn't too bad and I kept a good pace.
I was very excited to see the finish line. My legs were getting very tired and I was ready to be done.
Pat was there to greet me as I finished and I proudly wore my 'finisher' medal. His phone rang soon after I finished and it was the Goy's - they had been checking my progress on line and knew that I had finished - isn't technology amazing! I was glad to get some water and Gatorade and then have time to hang out.
I was able to get my finish time from the Accenture booth (1:47:18) and then head to the Athletico tent to get stretched.
I grabbed some food from the picnic area for us and we headed back to the lakefront. So at 9 am we were eating hamburgers and veggie burgers (guess who was eating which?!). But by that point we had been up for 5 hours. I tried to see my friend Tracey who was doing the international distance, but I kept missing her.
It took a while to get my stuff out of transition, but then I headed back to the hotel for a refreshing shower and time to rest.
It was great to see the girls - and to hear how wonderful they were (obviously we wouldn't hear anything different from grandma and grandpa). Reagan was very interested in my numbers on my legs and arms.
Thank you to grandma and grandpa for taking such good care of them!
I am really glad that I decided to do this race this year. It was a great accomplishment and it really kept me motivated at the gym. Now I will have to come up with a new goal. But I think I will take a few days off before jumping back in.

2 Days to Race Day

Hard to believe that 2 days from now I will be jumping into Lake Michigan and competing in the Chicago Accenture Triathlon. I am happy to report that the water temperature has been above 70 degrees all week and the warm temps today and tomorrow should keep it up.
In June I did the Naperville all-women's triathlon (that is what the pictures are from - thanks to my friends Christen and Michelle) and was hooked! I said when I was starting that I just wanted to finish, but once I got in the water my competitive side started coming through and the adrenaline started flowing. All of the women in the race we encouraging. There were women over 65 competing and some younger than me. After an hour rain deley they started the race. That pushed my start time back to almost 9:30 am. The late start worked out really well because that gave Pat time to get Reagan and Nola to Naperville and I was able to see them before I started. I had great support on the course - Pat, Reagan, Nola, mom, dad, Michelle, Christen, Michelle, Ella and Kaley. And the volunteers on the course were cheering us all on - our names were on our number bibs so they were calling out our names as we went by. It was an amazing experience and I wanted to do another one. I was able to find someone selling their spot for Chicago (it had sold out in May), so I bought her spot and have been training ever since.
So very early on Sunday morning - have to have my bike in transition between 4:15 - 5:45 am - Pat and I will be on the lakefront waiting for my wave to go. (You can tell how much Pat loves me - he is not a morning person, to say the least, but yet he is excited to be going with me to support my efforts - thank you!)
It will be very different than Naperville - Naperville had 1900 participants and Chicago will have about 8000! I am doing the sprint distance again, so they won't all be doing the same distance, but we'll all be on the same course. I am looking forward to swimming in the lake and then riding and running along Lake Shore Drive. What a backdrop!! So when you are getting up for church on Sunday you can think of me - and if you sleep in I will probably be all done before you wake up!

Happy to be a Mom

Today was one of those days when being a mom was exactly what I wanted to be. I always love my children, but on those long days with no naps and temper tantrums, enjoying the moment can be hard to do.
This morning we headed out to a MOPS park play date in Western Springs. It is a great park because it is so shaded - good for us Irish girls. Nola was thrilled to be in the swing - she was even laughing at the other mom who was pushing her son and making silly faces at him. Reagan brought Julia and Madeline (her 2 favorite dolls) and was taking them down the slide. The only negative of the park is that the bathroom is less than desirable. And since Reagan uses the bathroom quite often, we were there twice in our less than 2 hour visit to the park. Before our second visit she did ask me if there was something else we could do to go potty instead of going into the stinky bathroom. Michelle suggested plugging her nose, so she did that and it was better.
As we were sitting in the sand several trains went by and one of them was a Metra train. It was at the moment that I was so thankful that I was at a park with my girls and not on a train going to work. I consider myself so blessed that I can stay at home and be with Reagan and Nola everyday. And yes, there are days when I want to escape before 10 am, but I would not change my role for the world.
Tonight we were at Mulcrone's for dinner and afterwards Loretta gave the girls a bath (the park got the best of both of them). It was great to be sitting, drinking tea and hearing shrieks of laughter and joy coming from the bathroom. I don't know who had more fun Loretta or the girls.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa

Yesterday was Grandpa John's birthday! His party was on Sunday afternoon, but since Reagan was sick we went to have dinner with him last night. Nola and I were able to be with him to celebrate on Sunday with all of her cousins and aunts and uncles. It was a great day and great cake!
Last night we went to Aurelio's for the buffet. I don't know who was more excited - Pat, Reagan or Nola. Reagan loves pizza and she enjoyed the chocolate pudding. Nola ate (or should I say inhaled) mostacolli, shredded cheese and then vanilla pudding. Pat was just thrilled to have unlimited pizza - as shocking as it may be, he didn't even try the salad bar!
After dinner we went back to grandpa's house to give him the card Reagan had decorated and to watch Reagan's dance show DVD. Nola was having fun playing with the baby bottles and Reagan was getting in and out of the Cabbage Patch kid playpen that I used to play with when I was little.
Its amazing how well behaved children can be when they are showered with love and attention from their grandparents. For instance, Nola only slept for about 45 minutes in the afternoon - could it be that she knew her grandpa would come and get her out of the crib and let her sleep on his chest?!
We did sing to Grandpa - and then when we finished Nola sang her own version - which, of course, was much cuter!

Best Laid Plans...

With Pat working long hours and Nola being so young, our family adventures have been limited this summer to family parties and get togethers. So I thought we should try to do something different. We bought tickets to go see the Joffrey Ballet at Ravinia on Saturday morning for the Kraft kids series. Reagan and I had seats in the pavilion so she could see the dancers and Pat and Nola had lawn seats so Nola could be down and explore. Then on Wednesday, Pat and Loretta gave us their membership card to the Botanic Gardens so we could go there after the show to have lunch and see the Gardens. Sounded like a perfect day!
So we set off yesterday right around 9:30. We weren't on 294 very long before Reagan started complaining that her stomach hurt. I head this a lot when we are driving more than 15 minutes, so I gave her a sucker and thought we'd be all set. Well she kept complaining and we kept telling her to relax and close her eyes. She did get quiet for quite sometime.
As we were driving down Lake Cook Rd she started crying and then she got sick. We quickly pulled into the Jewel parking lot and got everything cleaned up. Pat ran in to get paper towels and as I was cleaning Reagan up a women in a car stopped and asked if I needed help - such a nice gesture.
Reagan was feeling better and still wanted to see the ballerinas so we decided to still go to Ravinia since we didn't want to put her back in the van and drive 40 minutes.
Reagan was so excited to see the ballerinas and was thrilled to be there. They did some modern dances and classical ballet. Then after 30 minutes the announcer said the dancers were going to rest since they had another show tonight, and the show was finished. As I looked around to the other parents, they were just as surprised as I was - especially since I had called earlier in the week and was told the show would last 1 hour.
So we hung out on the grass for a while - couldn't take too many pictures because the battery was once again dead in the camera. Pat took some with his phone and internet tablet.
We were back in the van before noon and headed home. Reagan and Nola both fell asleep quickly and Reagan ended up sleeping for 3 hours when we got home.
Next year I think we will try Ralph's World - and maybe wait to have breakfast until we get there!

Cousins' Sleepover: Day 2

Yesterday we had a great day with Anthony and Leo. Everyone slept great and woke up happy. I made pancakes for breakfast and Leo, Reagan & Nola played. Anthony was very content to watch TV from his bed in the basement. After breakfast he told me, "I am going to do what I do best...watch TV".
When everyone was dressed and ready we headed for the zoo. Anthony volunteered to push Nola's stroller and I pushed Reagan & Leo. We started in Tropic World to see the monkeys and gorillas. The monkeys were actually swinging around the trees so it was exciting to see. Even Nola loved them - she was waving good-bye to them. We met up with the Goys and Cassidy and finished looking through Asia and Africa.
The next stop was the Hammil Play Zoo. The kids watered the plants and then we headed to see the animals in the back room. Reagan & Leo were able to put a guinea pig on the way. Nola was fascinated by the snake and a bunny. Reagan, Leo and Cassidy were working hard to all fit under a table. But soon they were also checking out the animals. The craft of the day was wind sticks. Michelle and I thought they looked simple to make so we gave it a shot. They were simple - for moms. We had to tie the ribbons on each stick - not really something most of our kids could do, but they were happy to have them. We finished our time there at the animal hospital- Reagan's favorite part of the zoo. They each had animals to care for with stethoscopes (or telescopes as Reagan calls them), shots, bandages, etc. We said goodbye to the Goys and Cassidy and headed to the Living Coast where we met up with the Schmeltzs. On the walk over Nola fell asleep in her stroller, so she got a good 20 minute nap. We saw fish and penguins before moving on to lunch. It was great to take a break and rest.
After looking at the map Anthony said he had seen all that he wanted to and we could go back to our house. Leo said he wanted to come back to our house so he could build a sand castle before he went home, so that is what we did.
We met Dana back in Hinsdale. Reagan and Nola were sad to see their cousins leave, as was I. We headed home and we all took naps - it was a great day!

Cousins' Sleepover: Day 1

We are lucky enough to have Anthony and Leo visiting us overnight. Dana - thanks to her GPS - brought the kids to Hinsdale and we picked them up this morning. We had time to play outside before lunch and time to play inside before naptime. I was brave (or naive) enough to let Reagan and Leo take a nap together in our bed. It may have taken awhile (close to an hour) for them to fall asleep, but they did both nap and woke up happy. Nola napped as well so Anthony and I watched a Sponge Bob marathon.
As soon as everyone was awake it was time to go to swimming. Nola's class is first so her and I were in the water and the other 3 were watching us and playing in the exercise area. Nola was enjoying the water, but she was also busy looking for her sister and cousins. Next it was time for Reagan's class. Leo wanted to join in, but unfortunately that was not possible. While Reagan swam the 3 of us played with exercise balls and medicine balls. Both Anthony and Leo were able to lift the 12 lb ball and we have pictures to prove it! Nola was thrilled to be playing with the boys and hopping all over on her knees.
When we got home we quickly made and ate dinner and then Leo took control of the DVD player. Wiggles, Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry, Wiggles, Tom & Jerry, Wiggles - I think you get the idea. After quick baths for Nola and Reagan I had to return 2 movies to the library so Anthony rode with me and we stopped at Jewel to get mint chocolate chip ice cream. I made him a mint chocolate chip shake a few Sundays ago and now he is hooked. He decided he wanted to sleep on our fouton in the basement because he talks in his sleep - and I think the fact that we have a TV with Nickelodeon on it down there was also a draw. So I got him all set up and made him his shake and then he headed off to bed. Leo is sleeping in the girls' room so we had several visits from him and Reagan after they were supposed to be sleeping. But now they are all sleeping and we are catching a little of the Olympics.
Hoping everyone sleeps well because tomorrow we are headed to the zoo! And tomorrow night I will be headed to bed at 7!!!
* Here's a very short video showing how Nola likes to get around on her knees *

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Last night we celebrated Grandma Loretta's Birthday! I brought my camera to capture the moment, but the battery was dead - so I am charging it as we speak. Everyone was able to be there for dinner, which was a nice treat. Reagan was only interested in eating salt at dinner while Nola was enjoying yellow watermelon, sweet potato and yogurt. Reagan had fun playing with the card Mary Catherine brought, which was shaped like a Birthday cake and the candles came out and were a small card. She then put herself in the gift bag we had brought Grandma's presents in. Who needs toys when there are gift bags! Nola was busy walking and hopping on her knees - she loved all the extra attention and tickles her cousins were giving her. We finished the night with ice cream - Nola was mad when hers was gone and Reagan loved the extra whipped cream! We did sing and when we finished Nola kept on singing - she is getting ready for her birthday in just a few weeks!

Just a Summer Day

Yesterday was a perfect summer day - sunshine and not too hot. After a somewhat busy weekend we had a quiet Monday morning at home. Reagan and Nola played in the basement and had good sister time in the jumper. After lunch we finally got outside to enjoy the weather. We took a walk with our neighbors - Reagan pushing her dalmatian Webkinz in the stroller and Nola being pushed in the cozy coupe (which she loves!). It was a simple outing, but fun to watch the girls have fun in the quiet days without any big adventures.

Splish Splash!!

Yesterday we ventured to Ty Warner Park for a MOPS Park Play date. We were lucky enough to be joined by Reilly, Taylor and Hannah. It was a beautiful morning and the park was crowded. The girls were great helpers with both Reagan and Nola. It was great to have an extra set of hands - or 3 sets! Reagan was not a big fan of the sprinklers - she kept telling me that she wanted to be in the shade. (can you say Pat's child?) She is definitely more fond of pools. Reilly took Nola into the sprinklers and she liked them for a while but as her nap time approached, her love for the water quickly declined. After about an hour in the sprinkler park we packed up and headed to the park for a little bit before heading home. As I was getting clothes on Reagan she told me, 'Don't worry mom, I already have sunscreen on'. Its nice that she is so hyper-aware of sunscreen but it does make me laugh. Does she know that her dad doesn't like to be out in the sun with anything less the SPF 50?!?

On Saturday we took a quick family trip to the zoo. It is so nice to be so close that we were able to go for just an hour. We told Reagan we were only going to see the animals that were outside because it was such a great morning. We quickly discovered that Saturday mornings is a great time to go to the zoo. It was starting to get crowded as we were leaving, but not too bad. We were on the way to the giraffes when we walked past the sprinkler pad at the zoo. We stopped for a while but neither girls was too excited to get wet. Nola was happy to be watching the other kids, but was not too quick to venture into the water. We ended up meeting Becky and her boys at the park within the zoo for a while and then headed home. We were able to see the bears on the way out - so we did get some animal viewing in. Nola was asleep before we got home - I think we will be making more family trips to the zoo on Saturday mornings - Pat isn't the biggest fan of the zoo, but he is a huge fan of his family so he'll be happy to join in, right sweetie?!