Our Easter 2010

We had a nice Easter in Chicago this year.  Here are the highlights...

On Friday, we invited our neighbors down to color eggs with us.  It was crazy fun!  After the kids went to bed, we enjoyed a nice dinner...one of Jon's specialties...roasted lamb - delicious!

Millie looved dumping her eggs in the dye...most of them ended up with cracks on them, but who cared? 

N&M after church.

  Millie was pretty tired and this is Noah's standard 'smile' when we say...'Noah, smile!' 

Real nice Noah. 

The only way we can get him to smile is to tell a knock knock joke...

After the knock knock joke.

Hunting for eggs in the front yard.

Noah finds one in the tulips.

Millie managed to find a few...even after Noah pretty much 'cleared the field'

After their hunt, they both sat on the sidewalk and worked on peeling their eggs.  This kept them busy for at least 15 minutes...now I know how to entertain them when I need to get things done...bring on the eggs!

More concentrating...Bowman keeping watch.

Although they look so innocent with their eggs...the moment was not without a little rivalry.  A couple times Noah caught Millie stealing an egg from his bucket.  He was not too happy, but in Millie's defense...he had 90% of the eggs!!

I hope everyone had as wonderful an Easter as we had.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning!

I looove it!

Until now most of Noah's drawings start out nice, or at least have a
little form to them, but usually they end up a scribbly mess...until
today! I could not believe my eyes when I saw the picture he drew
while waiting for lunch to be ready. (NOTE: he told me he wanted to
draw a picture...instead of me suggesting it and getting turned down,
like most days)
I am in love with this little guy (Noah AND the circle man)! I might
have to use him to make Noah some new stationery...

Dancing Machines

I LOVE to dance.  Sometimes I dance to be silly.  Sometimes to squeeze in a little exercise in a hectic day (like chasing my two monsters isn't enough!).  Sometimes in front of the mirror when I am getting ready for a fun night out.  And sometimes to make me feel (even if for a short moment) like I am 24 again.  Regardless of when or why I dance, I love it and I am sooo happy that my kids share this love!  On most friday nights you will find my family in the dining room cuttin' some rug to our favorite tunes played by none other than DJ Daddy Dad.  Both Noah and Millie truly enjoy hopping, swinging and spinning around.  Millie seems to take it one step further...she loves to lift her leg like a ballerina (a move she picked up last December from watching a glimpse of the Nutcracker...aparently the Sugar Plum Fairy left an impression!).  She will stop anytime, anywhere to do her perfect arabesque...once to lift her right let, then again to lift her left!

So based on all this, it was no surprise when the kids were thrilled when they noticed we had Dancing with the Stars on two nights ago.  Noah has not stopped talking about how he wants Mommy and Daddy to be on the show and he will sit in the audience and watch.  Man - I would LOOOVE the opportunity to be on that show!! ...first, just need to find a way to be famous, ha!  So this morning he started talking about it again and decided to put Millie's tutu on her...I could hear him talking to her through the monitor..."Millie, hold still, step in, you are going to be a beautiful ballerina and I am Knight Noah!"  Seriously...did he just say that?  Next thing I know they are in the dining room doing their 'fancy dance' (Noah's words, not mine :o).  It was a nice change from our usual crazy breakdancing and booty shaking!  Aaahhh, the memories!

Always enough time...

No matter how busy life makes us, I always have time to make sure my
family knows I love them!

This time I got a little creative. I left this message for Jon on the
bathroom counter earlier this week.

Anyone else have fun ways of saying 'I love you?'

Bear with me....

As I am writing this, the kids are in the tub and I am sitting on the bathroom floor with my 'best friend forever' (my laptop) sitting on my lap.  This has been a familiar scene lately.  I have been buried!  It might sound crazy coming from a stay-at-home-mom, with just a little side job that I pick up every once in a while, but it is the truth!  Business has really picked up in the past couple months, which is good because I have been working to take it 'to the next level', but because of this, things have been a little crazy.  I have been working hard to balance being a  good mom, a good wife and a competent entrepreneur...not always successfully, but I am trying.  A few long nights and a lot of patience (on everyone's part) has helped quite a bit.

Just a quick summary of this week so far:
- Enjoying the beautiful weather!!  We love it and have already taken many walks to the park (the Chicago park district finished building a new playground last fall just one block away...it was MUCH needed and we love it!)  Tomorrow we are planning a picnic there if it is still nice.
- Today we all wore green, had green shamrock pancakes for breakfast (the kids loved these!) and green bagels and grapes for lunch (I know, total carb overload).  We used green plates and cups all day and Noah pointed out everything green he saw for the first couple hours of the day.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!
- Printing, Packaging, Printing, Packaging, Printing, Packaging.  I was accepted to be a vendor at a craft show in Frankfort, Illinois this weekend and have been working diligently to prepare...on top of the 7 customer orders I also have right now...complete craziness, but I love it!  (I am soo thanking my lucky stars for having project management experience from my previous corporate job...as a systems analyst...how crazy does that sound now!)

Anyway, so I am hoping next week I will have a little more time to catch up on the details that have been going on here for the past couple weeks!  We have also been busy with birthdays, milestones, etc and I want to make sure I 'record' those memories!

Thank you for bearing with me while I strive to 'keep it together!' ...and wish me luck at the fair!

Big Girl Millie

Every morning Millie takes Noah his backpack for school. Today I
decided to give her a little treat and let HER take her backpack to
school to drop Noah off. Now she is in love with her backpack and
enjoyed all the attention she received from teachers and students who
thought she was 'just adorable' ...despite the crazy outfit!

My little veggie lover!

I had to post a quick picture of Millie.  This girl will eat just about any veggie you put in front of her.  Here she is eating a piece of FROZEN broccoli...and loving it!  Sometimes I have to get creative (or desperate) to get her to stop squawking while I make dinner...

Broccoli Pops anyone?

Noah and his 'God Book'

Last night it was bedtime for Noah, he requested his 'God Book' for his bedtime story...of course I was happy to oblige!  We usually ready a few stories from his children's Bible on the nights he asks and so far we are about half way through. The only bad thing about reading to him from his Bible is where to stop...since it isn't his usual book that we can read start to finish it is always a struggle to find a stopping point we both agree on.  After reading a few stories it was time to turn off the light and of course Noah resisted, but let me turn off the light and say goodnight.  Ten minutes later, Jon went downstairs and noticed Noah's light was on in his room...he was up 'reading' his Bible.  Jon came up to tell me about it and said 'How do you tell your kid to stop reading the Bible?'  Yikes, that's a sticky one!

Today, our neighbor stopped down for a little bit to visit.  While she was here we were talking and she said..."Oh God, Tonya you have to hear this story".  Noah took off running into his room and came back with his 'God Book' and said, "I have that book!"  (proof that you have to watch every word you say, because you never know who is listening!)  Needless to say, we both had a good chuckle over that one.

Noah the Builder

Beginning last December Jon and Noah started a monthly 'tradition' of attending the Home Depot Kids Workshops and have attended each month since.  If you aren't familiar with the program, on the first Saturday of each month HD offers a FREE workshop at all of their locations where kids (with an accompanying adult) can work on that month's project.  The program is recommended for children ages 5 - 12, but Noah does just fine...he just needs a little more guidance (and I'm sure a little more patience is also needed, hehe). 

Noah with his projects.

The wagon is a favorite, but the racecar display (Noah calls it his garage) definitely gets the most use!

He also loves the apron. 

After each visit they receive a new pin to add to their apron. Each pin is a picture of that month's project.

Noah and Jon both look forward to going and spending boy time together and I always look forward to seeing what they create and hearing the stories about how it came together. I highly recommend making a trip to the 'ol Depot some Saturday to find out for yourself...I mean, it's free, what do you have to lose (except maybe a couple fingers!...just kidding)!

Happy Valentine's Day...a little early.

Just wanted to wish everyone a

Happy Valentine's Day!

...eventhough it may be a little early. 

We are leaving to go out of town tomorrow for a long weekend so I wanted to make sure I posted it.

Noah's Valentines for school. 

A tasty treat!

Millie and I were running errands this morning and had a little time to spare while we were waiting for some locks to be keyed.  We stopped into one of my favorite breakfast places for a quick treat - Ann Sather.  I haven't had these cinnamon rolls in YEARS!  Jon and I used to frequent the Clark Street location (no longer there, boo) when we lived in Lincoln Park, but today we visited the Southport location.  Millie and I split one of their famous cinnamon rolls (okay, actually she had about 4 bites and I devoured the rest) and we brought one home for Jon and Noah to have for dessert tonight.  Delicious!

Millie couldn't shove her little bites in fast enough!

Noah's Art

Two nights ago Jon and I were preparing dinner while the kids were playing in Millie's room.  Millie had taken a baggie of crayons in with her and dumped them all over the floor (my ultrasensitive Mommy ears heard that much), she likes to do this and then picks them up and starts all over again.  Well, Noah was in there too and it sounded like he was kicking them around the room (one of his new favorite things to do it seems...kicking things out of his way, ugh), so I asked him to help Millie pick up the crayons before dinner was ready.  Well, it was quiet in there for awhile and Noah came out and said they picked up the crayons...I wanted to check and he said "No Mommy, you can't go in Millie's room."  That response usually means I absolutely need to go in Millie's room....here is what I found...

I couldn't believe my eyes.  He has NEVER EVER done anything like this.

Aparently he made his way around the room to the dresser...marking everything on his way...cushions (3), more wall (4spots) , the crib (3), the changing table (2)...the more I looked, the more scribbles I found...including some in the hallway, bathroom, my room and master bath...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Needless to say, we had a little (okay, big) discussion regarding what we do and do NOT color on.  And hopefully it will not happen again!  Just to reinforce the topic a little more...

Noah and Mr. Clean got to work.

Usually I have a tough time tossing my kids' artwork, but this time I had NO problem with it.

Thank goodness for Magic Eraser!

My challenge this week.

I am very attached to my phone.  I would not say addicted, but just very attached.   I have had an iPhone for over two years now and for those two years I have had a love - hate relationship with it. 

I love it because... 

It allows me to have so much information at my fingertips. 

I hate it because...

It allows me to have so much information at my fingertips.  

I have grown so attached to being able to check my email (personal and work), look up something on the web, find directions (gps), read blogs, etc whenever and where ever I want.

Last week I was thinking about how many times a day I check my email via my phone and how much time that probably consumes without me even realizing it.  On top of that, I do not want my children to think it is acceptable to be tied to your phone.  How bad would it be if 60 years from now someone asks them about their childhood and what they remember about their mother and they say...'Well, I remember she always had her phone.'  Well, that might be a little extreme...I'm not that bad...yet :o ) 

Anyway, on to the point of my post.  As of yesterday I have disabled the email functionality on my phone, have sworn off the internet button and no more flipping through and reading my blogs (via my phone).  For the next week, my phone will just be a phone...nothing else.

My little book worms

After lunch I usually try to clean up quickly before Millie and Noah get into playing with something only to have me pull them away minutes later for naptime.  Well, today while I was rinsing the dishes I realized it was pretty quiet...too quiet.  That usually means I will find the hallway covered in toilet paper, two soaking wet kids playing in the sink, a mountain of pillows on my bed with N & M burried at the bottom, or any one of  a million new messes they happen to come up with that day. 

Well, much to my surprise, this is what I found...

Two little book worms.

It was so quiet I could almost hear the gears spinning in their little heads!  LOVE it!

Although I was slightly surprised, this is a sight I have been seeing very often lately.  Millie loves books and Noah really wants to be able to read...really read...not just look at the pictures and make up the story (eventhough he does like to do that too).  Millie does well with recognizing objects in books by name, pointing to them and trying to say the words while Noah is working on putting the sounds of his letters together to pronounce the words.  I guess that is what I get for reading a naptime story and bedtime story to each of them everyday since they were 2-3months old...I only hope their love of reading and learning lasts the rest of their lives!

Class Trip - Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Noah's class took a field trip yesterday to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.  We are so fortunate to live in a city with so many great places and museums at our fingertips!  I was lucky enough to join the class as a chaperone...I was as excited as the kids...this was the ONLY place in Chicago I had not visited! 

This was my group to look after. They behaved soo well - the whole class did. It was so fun for me to see their excitement....

(Noah and his two friends)

One thing this museum is known for is their Butterfly Habitat. It is a beautiful area that is dedicated to butterflies. There are flowers and lush folliage all over to make them happy.  I apologize for not listing the names of each butterfly...it was just a little crazy in that place with excited kids everywhere!

(Noah looking at all the butterflies flying around the amazing waterfall)

Randomly placed plates of fruit are what the butterflies love to eat...funny, my kids would make great butterflies...except they aren't quite as quiet as butterflies. Hehe.

(See the pale green one sitting on the orange?)

For some reason, Noah has always said..."Mommy you love flowers and butterflies!"  Well, Mommy does love flowers...she does NOT love butterflies, well at least not some butterflies.  I don't mind the small, colorful, fluttery type - I can appreciate their beauty...but the huge, harry, moth-like ones - NO THANKS.  For some reason (Silence of the Lambs, maybe?) they give me the heebeegeebee's.  I just picture them getting tangled in my hair and flapping around and I can't deal...

This was one of those...it was huge!  Good thing for me it was up pretty high.

(note: as far as Noah is concerned, I do love all butterflies and even pointed this one out for him to see...why should my 'phobia' ruin it for him?!)

(huge, very creepy butterfly - probably about 12in across - yikes!)

(I did like this one - his wings looked like fur with an 'eye'spot.)

The 'lab' part of the habitat where they monitor the hatching of new butterflies.

Another exhibit was the National Geographic Crittercam.

They showed how cameras are attached to different animals in order for us to learn about how they live.

(Noah and friend peeking at a penguin)

Next was the 'Water Park' (my name for it)...

a hands-on area where the kids could pull levers, push buttons, float boats, etc to change the movement of water

(Noah and his class-mate getting their hands...and shirts, and pants, and shoes... wet)

We all had so much fun, but boy was I BEAT when I got home...so was Noah. Luckily, Jon worked from home to spend some time with Millie while I went.  When I got home I CRASHED!  I don't know how his teachers do it everyday!  As tired as I was, I know that I am very fortunate to be in a situation where I can volunteer in Noah's class and see first hand what he is learning...that made every minute of the crazy day worth it!  Thanks for a great day Noah!

Curious George...Live!

Curious George has been a staple in our house since Noah was old enough to start watching a little television.  We always started our mornings with good ol' George.  (One exception was during a period of time when I thought George might be to blame for Noah being a little behind on his speech - how could George be a good example when he doesn't talk and at times is a little 'too curious.')  Anyway, once I got over that we started including him in our mornings again and now Millie enjoys watching that silly monkey too. 
About three months ago Jon noticed Curious George Live would be in town...well, in Merrillville, Indiana - 40 mins away - close enough.  We have never taken Noah (or Millie either for that matter) to a 'Live' character show so we thought he would enjoy it.  So Millie played at home with her Grandma K for the afternoon (she would have LOVED the first 10 mins, but then would have lost interest...we learned our lesson after going to the circus!) and Noah and Daddy and Mommy had a fun outing together.

Noah's first reaction when George came out on stage. 

He was very excited and kept calling to him...'Curious George!' 

We were seated in the third row with no one in front of us, so I'm not sure Noah even realized anyone else was there to see George but him.  He was so intent and followed the plot through until the end.

George and the Man with the Yellow Hat.

Noah and Jon after the show. 

Noah is holding the balloon he just HAD to have. 

He was excited to use the $$ Santa put in the wallet he gave him for Christmas.

Also...Noah recently won a 'prize' at school - a $25 Visa Gift Card.  Since that doesn't really mean a whole lot to a 3-year-old I thought it would be a good idea to teach a little money lesson and tell him he could wait and use it to get something at the show.  When the time came, he pulled the card out of his wallet, handed it to the lady and even signed the receipt.  He thought he was hot stuff!

And this is what he bought...

You push the button on the side and the red, blue and green things light up and whip around while George spins in the middle.  We tried to talk him into something else thinking this thing wouldn't make it home before breaking (or before I threw it out the car window), but his mind was made up.  We quickly learned the 'Whirley' (as we call it) and the balloon string do not mix...but after untangleing it, it is still going strong...lucky me.  This morning I found him beating Bear in the face with it...better than his sister!

Noah truly enjoyed the show...so did Jon and I actually. 

Great idea Daddy! 

Millie, we promise you will have your turn!!

It's a Mystery to Me!

I am a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl.  Don't get me wrong, I love to get dressed up when the occasion calls for it, but on a day to day basis I am usually in my 'mommy uniform.'  I have quite a collection of T-shirts and love them all for different reasons.  Some are just your standard, plain colored T's.  Some have a unique style or neckline (those I call my 'fancy' T's... hehe). Some I use just to layer.  A few have designs - not many though, I usually like plain. But the one thing many of them seem to have in common lately are HOLES!  I don't understand it!  It has happened to so many of my shirts and I don't know what is causing it.  ALL the holes seem to be right in front  at the bottom.  Some of the t-shirts are J-Crew tissue T's so they are thinner and I can understand that they would be at a higher risk for this to happen, but not all of them are thin.  Not all the T's are old either.  I have a shirt that I have probably only worn 5 times and it already has a hole in it!

Soo before I throw them out... I thought I would ask for your thoughts on what could be causing my dilema. 

Has it ever happened to you?

Please respond in the comments if :

1.  You have any idea why I am getting holes in so many of my shirts

2.  Any ideas of how to prevent it

3.  Creative ways on how to re-use these shirts (as you can see, some of them are no longer wearable, but I hate to throw them out...)

(The shirts pictured here are older and by far the worst)

Our typical morning.

I know I have written about our typical day before, but that was a while ago and since Noah started school last fall, the schedule has changed slightly. We still try to take Jon to work most days, pick up

a bagel, banana, etc for breakfast and then head to school. Eventhough mornings are hectic, it is (strangely) nice to be in the car for a little bit in the morning. Jon and I use the time to talk about what
we have planned for that day/week and the kids get some quiet time before the craziness of the day begins (unfortunately that waking up time isn't always quiet, hehe). After Millie and I walk Noah to class

we usually run a few errands, spend some Millie & Mommy time playing, then it is time to pick up Noah again.

Anyway, this morning was just like any other morning, except, for the first time I looked back and Noah and Millie were holding hands while sitting in their carseats. There are many times in the course of the

day that they are so sweet to each other...and definitely times when they are not! Today I am choosing to savor one of the sweet moments...

(as you can see, Bowman is also always a part of our daily routine!)

A December to Remember.

In 'Typical Tonya' fashion, I have been neglecting my blog.  The longer you are away from posting, the harder it is to get back into it!  I have been putting off posting my December to Remember post because I wanted to wait until I had time to sit down and write down every detail, every memory, etc....and in the meantime I am missing new memories... so here is a summary of our December.

Before December 1st even arrived I was in a race against myself and the clock.  I signed myself up to be a vendor at a nearby Holiday Fair to sell my custom stationery, labels, invites, etc.  I had never participated in anything like this before and had no idea what to expect, nor did I realize the time commitment it would entail.  Whoa was I in over my head, but with a little (okay, a LOT) of help from my husband and some great friends, I managed to pull it off and I was pretty happy with the outcome.  It was by NO means a money maker (I didn't even break even), but I can't quantify the benefit of what I learned.  Anyway, because of my attention to this project, I was behind on everything else I needed and WANTED to do for the holidays, but everything worked out and we had a wonderful Christmas.  I hope everyone who reads this blog (if there is anyone left out there!) had a very merry Christmas too!

Me at the Ascension Holiday Fair selling my 'wares.'

I think this was actually in November (oops)...we took the kids to the Circus.  Millie lasted for about this first 20mins and that was probably only because she likes popcorn, ha!  Noah enjoyed it though and said his favorite part were the clowns.  To me, the clowns were no big deal since I spend everyday with two of the silliest clowns I know!!!

Family picture at the Circus. 

Not the greatest picuture, but you take what you can get when you are at the mercy of a stranger.

An unsuspecting Millie is about to take a big snowball to the back of the head!  Good thing she's tough.

This was one of our first big snowfalls.  Millie and Noah both really enjoy playing in the snow...so does Bowman.  He loves to rip through the back yard and make the snow fly!

Millie helping Mommy do a little shopping.  I usually don't let her ride in the big area of the cart, but you do what you have to to get the shopping done sometimes...peacefully!!

The only decent picture I have of Noah's Christmas program at school.  We took good video, thank goodness!  Don't ask me why he is standing in front of the rest of his class...he kept turning back and forth trying to hit the poor girl's candle to his left while singing 'This little light of mine.'

Millie and Noah after opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa B's house.

Christmas Eve at our house.

Millie with her new kitchen and frying pan...look out Noah!

Noah and Santa at the K Family Christmas.  Noah LOVES Santa! 

He just opened the wallet Santa brought for him.

Noah and Millie after opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa K's house.

Millie really needs to learn to 'watch her back!'

I am so looking forward to the year ahead.  As you can tell just from our December picutures, I am blessed to be the crazy mom of two little 'characters' and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us!
Also, thanks for being patient with me while I get my act together and start posting again...