FALL 2012

I have always loved everything about fall from the crisp air to the tree’s changing color and of course, football season.  Now I love fall even more with the kids and rediscovering trick or treating again.  Even though Hope is still too small to understand Halloween, Little Man is in ahww of its full glory.

First thing in fall is Fright Fest out at Great America, (feel free to call it Six Flags but it will always be Great America to me.)  As we drove to Great America we decided to take advantage of all the fine dining on the way so we stopped off at the Toll Road Oasis.  Little Man loves watching the cars and trucks pass underneath.  When we arrived at the park, the first thing we had to do was ride the double decker carousel, after that we hit the park at our normal spots, the kids land and of course I had to hit some of the roller coasters including X Flight which is one of my new favorites.  Little Man got to ride on The Little Dipper roller coaster that he loved.  I think it is his first roller coaster.  Little Dipper formerly operated at Kiddieland Amusement Park from 1950 until the park closed in September 2009 has found a new home at Great America.   The coaster features a three story tall lift hill and is designed as a figure eight track which runs 700 feet in length.  Little Man loved the roller coaster and rode it a couple of times.  We then headed over to the Whizzer, Jynx headed onto the ride and I took some time with Little Man.  We watched as guys dressed up as a nuclear apocalypse scared people; Little Man was a bit afraid until I explained that they were just having fun scaring people.  We then sat and laughed as they scared people. One of the characters walked over breathing heavy through his gas mask and I told Little Man to give him five which he did. The guy looked a bit confused since the three year old wasn’t terrified.  Soon after Jynx came over all excited that she thought Little Man was big enough to ride The Whizzer.  We headed over and sure enough he was big enough.  Little Man rode with Mom and laughed the entire way when we were done we asked how he like the roller coaster and he informed us it was not a roller coaster but a train!  When we asked how he liked the train he said fast.  I think we have a little roller coaster junkie on our hands.

Our adoption of Little Man became official in October 3 years ago and now Hope’s adoption was becoming official this October. For Little Man we gathered at Grandma Rosie’s house since she was a notary and the Judge and our attorney were in Florida while on the phone.  Hope’s was definitely going to be different.  We had to appear in court, all of us got up and ready for court.  The four of us went along with Mimi, Grandma Rosie, Grandpa Jim and Grandma Ruth.  When we arrived at the court that morning we had to pass through security where they took our cameras away and then informed us that we could not bring in water and formula but we could mix them together and bring them in.  Feel free to laugh now.   We arrived in a big waiting room to be called, once inside the courtroom we had to raise our right hand and swear to tell the truth it was the first time any of us had to do that.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Judge and he appeared to be barely out of law school.  One of the first questions he asked was when we were married; luckily our lawyer was tapping her finger on the paperwork at the date.  I answered with Jynx looking on very impressed until I told her later how I did it.  The judge had a few more question for us and granted our adoption it was very emotional.  We wanted to take pictures but had to wait for our cameras to be brought up from security; we took a couple of photos and then headed out for a well deserved breakfast.  Hopefully soon Hope’s new birth certificate will arrive Welcome home Hope Rose Steele.

As if the adoption was not enough for the month of October we also had our bon fire party.  We not only had the bon fire but also a huge bounce house with a slide, the hot tub going and the haunted hunt.  Little Man was out shopping with Auntie Jea Jea when the bounce house arrived but when he got home he wasted very little time jumping right in for fun.  During the party all I saw was the bounce house moving from side to side I’m still not sure how many kids were in it at one time.  Little Man wore his costume for a bit but I think he got to hot from all the jumping.  The next day we convinced the guy who dropped off the bounce house to pick it up last and we spent most of the next day playing in the bounce house even Hope got her first bounce house experience.  When the guy finally arrived to take the house down I looked over and Little Man was in front of him his arms stretched out and yelling “Don’t take my bounce house!” it broke my heart but I ran over grabbed Little Man and took him in the house so we could talk and the guy could take down the house.  To be honest the image of Little Man still breaks my heart.

             Jynx and Little Man went to County Line Orchard with Aunt Wendy, Uncle Duanne and Bailey. This has become a tradition, unfortunately, I had to work. The day was beautiful and they were afraid the weather was going to turn for the worse so they decided to go and enjoy. Like always the kids enjoyed the petting zoo the straw maze, the cow train and the big tractor ride. Little Man and Bayle picked out a pumpkin and some pumpkin doughnuts.

When Halloween arrived I knew it was going to be a busy day and it did not disappoint.  My busy work schedule had me working and traveling all the way up to Halloween and this was not going to be a day of rest.  We awoke in the morning and began the normal routines of getting everyone ready including Grampy Rock who needed to hurry up and get out of bed since his new mattress was arriving that morning.  We were finally ready to leave around one in the afternoon and dressed up Little Man and Hope in their costumes, took a few pictures then loaded them up in the car.  Our first stop was at Baily’s grandpa’s house; he lives about five minutes away from us.  Little Man went right to the door and when he answered he said “Trick or Treat” just like we had practiced in the car After a quick visit we loaded up again and headed to South Holland to see Uncle Bob and Aunt Dorthy’s house.   After knocking on their door Little Man got a bit confused and started handing them candy that he had gotten at the last house.  From South Holland we headed to Olympia Fields to Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Rick’s house.  Little Man had some fun at the door as Grandma Ruth was acting silly at the door.  After a quick visit we were off to Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Jim’s house. Little Man ran to the door since he was getting this whole Trick or Treat thing down and of course he was easily distracted by Molly, their dog.  What can I say the kid just like his parents, loves dogs.  We then headed off to our church for Trunk or Treat.  After quickly making the rounds we loaded up again for Little Mans favorite part heading to Baily’s house.

Okay, so it’s not just Little Mans favorite but also mine.  I’m reminded of the Trick or Treat days from my youth, streets filled with Tick or Treaters.  Little Man took a quick nap in the car but quickly woke up when we arrived at Baily’s.  Shortly after arriving we were out the door Jame in his now tiger/dog costume and Baily in her cat costume.  Little Man had decided that morning that he didn’t want to be a tiger but a dog so Jynx suggested he simply tell people to “Call him dawg!” which he did on a few occasions.  I tried to get him to say trick or treat smell my feet give me something good to eat, if you don’t I don’t care I’ll pull down your underwear!  Jynx was not happy with that one but he only repeated it in the car and it brought a smile to my face.  The kids ran from door to door laughing and collecting candy, they ran their little legs off and as it started to get colder Little Man developed his own plan.  As soon as he was done getting candy he would turn give his bag to mom then ask dad to pick him up carry him to the next house where he would get down get his bag and head to the door.  Not a bad plan for him.  We headed back for tacos at Aunt Wendy and Uncle Duanne’s house and the kids continued to play it was a great ending to Halloween.

 

Thomas

 

Last year the Day out with Thomas brochure sat pinned to my bulletin board and as the days came and went and with my crazy work schedule, we never made it to see Thomas.  This year, I was determined to get Little Man to see Thomas, so as soon as I saw the schedule we blocked out a day and made plans to see Thomas.  Although the task of getting up to Union, Illinois was not easy, we were determined to make it happen.  Grampy Rock, Mimi, Auntie Jea Jea, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Rose, Grandpa Rick, Grandma Ruth and of course Hope Rose just had to go.

The night before we told Little Man that he was going to see Thomas, he was so excited that he wanted to leave that night.  “Go Now!” is what Little Man kept demanding, until I explained to him that Thomas was sleeping and that we can go see him in the morning to which he responded, “Percy?”  I’m not sure Percy is there but I’m sure he’s sleeping now as well.  The next morning I got up and just touched Little Man and told him that Thomas was awake.  He quickly hopped out of bed and I had to stop him before he was out the door with his pajamas on. 

It was a long drive, but when we made it, he was very excited to get inside.  As we walked into the museum his eyes lit up and he was pointing all over the place.  When we finally made it over to where Thomas the train was, his entire face lit up even more with excitement.   He quickly covered his ears when Thomas blew his whistle.  We had tickets for later in the day to ride Thomas so we explored the rest of the museum.  We spent the entire day and probably could have spent three days looking around and riding on the trains.  We rode on several trains that day from diesels to streetcars.  I think we all felt   like little kids that day riding on all the trains.  I think Little Man thought he was in train heaven.  After the long day we loaded up the motor home and headed for home and I’m sure Little Man dreamed of all the trains that night.

We also had fun heading out to Culver Indiana to our cousin’s farm where she raises alpacas.  Little Man had a great time running after and catching a few cats.  The alpaca have Great Pyrenees dogs that stay with them to protect them from predators and of course Little Man was in love with the dogs.  Luckily he was a bit hesitant of the alpacas but after a while he got a bit bolder with them and started calling them to come over, needless to say the alpacas didn’t listen to him.  We had a great time on the farm and luckily no one was spit on by the alpacas.

Little Man has started at a school nearby for a little extra help with his speech and he seems to like it and is doing well. I have to admit I like coming home and being able to ask him how school was and it’s great to hear the stories. His speech has greatly improved and is talking more and more every day. 

Hope Rose is doing great and getting bigger every day, she is a mover and never liked the burrito roll; hopefully when she gets older she will like burritos.  Hope Rose is becoming more aware of her surroundings everyday and she always lights up when her brother comes over and plays with her.  We are still waiting to get word when Hope Rose’s homecoming day will be, but it’s still up in the air.  Hope Rose just had a doctor’s appointment and she is doing great and gaining weight.

With all the madness going on in our house, we feel greatly blessed to have our family.  God is great!!!

 

Hello 3, Hello Hope

Three sort of snuck up on us; we bought a hot tub and that meant expanding the porch then of course Jynx thought it should be expanded more.  Oh, and since we were doing all this Jynx thought it would be nice if I built a bar for the porch.  With all of this going on, Little Man’s third birthday was upon us.

We took Little Man to his favorite restaurant, Tyler’s Tender.  Grandma Ruth, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Rosie and Auntie Jea Jea came for the fun.  Little Man of course had a great time running all over and playing with the trains.  Grandma Ruth did her best to keep up but I’m sure she slept well that night.  Little Man didn’t want to take a break to eat but ordered a “HOT DOG!” as he so famously says now and then ate the entire thing quickly.  Not only does he infaticaly say “Hot Dog!” but now he also says his name “Jay-A-Me”, everyone asks when did he become Italian?  After Tyler’s we headed back to the house for some ice cream cake.

We all slept well that night not knowing what the next day had in store for us.  I awoke the morning of July 20 and headed out to the store, I had the day off and Little Man’s birthday party was coming and I needed to complete some things around the house.  I arrived home and began working on railroad signs railroad crossing, Jameville, JJ Junction, JJS Railroad Double J Crossing and Bubba Falls to go with the water slide Jynx had bought.  I was doing okay but a bit behind on what I wanted to get done when Jynx’s sister yelled from the house “Rog!  You might want to be in here!” My first assumption was that Little Man was in some funny position like watching TV upside down.  I started heading to the house thinking I would only look quickly and get right back to work.  As I approached the porch Jynx ran out of the house tears in her eyes and the phone in her hand.  My stomach dropped as I thought of what possibly could be wrong.  Jynx started telling me but I could not understand her, about all I could make out was “Baby” and “Girl”, then she handed me the phone and she ran back into the house.  I placed the phone to my ear and it was Joanna our adoption counselor who explained that they have a beautiful baby girl for us and she was born on the 18^th and we could pick her up after 4 o’clock. 

We arrived at the hospital and met little Hope Rose Steele; she was perfect and hardly cried as we signed the paperwork and waited around for her final test.  The biological Grandmother asked to meet us and we naturally agreed, they could have asked us to walk over hot coals and we would have agreed.  She was a lovely woman and she told us about the birthmother and how she gave birth at home and even cut the umbilical cord herself.  We were able to get a picture with her and she got a picture of us.  We said our goodbyes and the adoption counselor walked out with her.  Later the adoption counselor told us she was happy and that we were a great family for the baby to go to, and that warmed our hearts.  Hopefully one day our kids will be able to meet their birth mom’s, they are our angels.

Unfortunately, Little Man was not able to come to the hospital with us.  Although in the months up to Jame Jacks birthday, we asked if he wanted a brother or sister and he always said sister.  After hours at the hospital and all of our paperwork signed, we loaded Little Hope into her car carrier and headed home so she could meet her big brother, Aunts, and Grampy Rock.  When we arrived at the house Little Man came running out to greet his Little Sister.  We placed her on the deck and he was laughing with excitement and even chuckled a bit more as Juno stopped to give her a sniff over.  He then ran over to the couch so he could hold her.

Our family is now complete and the adventures have just begun.  Jynx’s Dad has always said if you get a Boy and a Girl, you have a Million Dollar Combination!  Well, although we struggled for many years to have a family, this sure has been worth the wait. God always has a plan, thank you. Welcome home Hope Rose Steele.

Zeke

The time was just before Easter 1994 and I arrived home from work.  Jynx told me she had a surprise but didn’t want me to be angry.  I agreed and she led me to the basement where I saw a small black animal in the basement.  I couldn’t quite make out what it was; I thought maybe a rat, until I heard a bark and knew it was a puppy.  That was Zeke’s first day in our lives.  I still remember driving in the car and holding her in one hand.  Jynx and I were married later that year and the dog Jynx got as an Easter gift for me quickly became her dog.

Jynx and Zeke were inseparable; if Jynx left home without Zeke the dog would go into a deep depression. Zeke would go to work with Jynx to her landscape jobs and while smelling the new homes out, Zeke always was close enough and had an eye on where Jynx was.  Jynx rarely had to put her on a leash because she would stay where she was supposed to. When Jynx would drive, Zeke would stand in between the seats and Jynx would say “brake” and she would brace herself. Zeke was very smart and knew many tricks. Zeke even canoed and kayaked with us. We eventually got into geocaching, a sport that uses a GPS to find a spot in the woods, after we would find the spot; Zeke would lead us on the same path out of the woods.  It was always amazing how she would track us back out.

Zeke was with us through several changes in our lives from our co-op in Park Forest to our house in Dyer.  She was there for our cat Presley, and they were good friends and Goofy coming only to stay for a few nights then gone and back again until she became part of the family.  Zeke was with us as we lost Presley, they would play together. I still laugh at the thought of Presley holding on to Zeke as she ran up the stairs.  Zeke was there as tons of other animals came stayed for awhile then moved on because Jynx would agree to be a Doggy Hotel as friends and family went on vacation or for other reasons. Zeke was there when Little Man came home with us for the first time.

We tragically lost Zeke and life is definitely different now.  We brought Zeke home to bury her in our yard close to her friend Presley.  She was pretty and at peace when we saw her. As we dug the grave we did our best to hold it together for Little Man, Jynx was doing her best.  Little Man saw Zeke and then ran into the house to get a book to read to her.  Later Little Man ran into the house and brought out a picture with him and a train.  Jynx asked if that was for Zeke and he said yes.  He sat back there with her until I came to get her. As I placed her in the grave with her genius dog collar and one of her patriotic scarves Little Man then began to cry “Zeke go no!”  The tears started to flow.  I knew how much Zeke had touched our lives but I had no idea how much she had touched Little Mans life.  Jynx mentioned that she knew she would never have a dog like Zeke again.  Zeke really was her first baby.  We feel Zeke sensed that Jynx would very soon have a lot more to care for with our newest joy and that after almost 18 ½ years of a good life, she was becoming tired and ready for her new adventure in heaven. Goodbye old friend, one day we will meet again. Love you.

Rt 66 and more

With a rare day off the Mother Road was calling.  Little Man loves the movie “Cars” and we thought he might get a kick out of being on the same road.  Jynx and I had made the trip a few years earlier and enjoyed the day; we even stopped off at an old gas station and bought a book on the sights on Rt. 66.  We loaded up the car and gave some friends in Bloomington a call and set up dinner plans.

We raced passed the Joliet Speedway and headed to the Lincoln National Cemetery.  We walked around a bit and looked over the memorials and tombstones.  The cemetery reminds you of the sacrifices that were made for our freedom.  We spent some time walking around but Rt. 66 was calling us to continue.

We then headed down to Wilmington, IL to see the Gemini Giant.  Little Man was afraid of the giant but when I went up to see the giant with him, he relaxed a bit.   Who could blame him, the guy is a bit creepy.  I’ve heard rumors that the giant may be in a bit of jeopardy as the owner has talked about selling him, the rumors were confirmed when I stopped into the restaurant to find a save the giant bucket.

As we continued our trip we made sure to stop at several parks along the way and let Little Man have some fun running around.  We even found a park that had a merry go round, I had not thought of how you don’t see these anymore.  I remember as a kid being spun around on the merry go round until you could not take it any longer.  Little Man sure enjoyed himself on the merry go round, his laughter is truly contagious.

As we continued our ride down RT. 66 we made several more stops at different landmarks and it was just great to see that RT 66 sign along the way.  We stopped at a couple of refurbished gas stations and it was fun to look in the windows and see the old décor and the old visible gas pumps out front.  I’m not sure if Little Man exactly knew where we were or where we were headed but he was having a great time at the old gas stations, he even started a little dance at one of the stations. 

We decided to make a stop in Pontiac Illinois because Jynx had read about a swinging bridge.  We made our way into the town and found the bridge and parked on an old brick side street.  As we made our way to the bridge Jynx was disappointed that it did not look like a swinging bridge but as soon as we stepped on the bridge we learned it was a swinging bridge.  Little Man wasn’t nervous at all and headed right across the bridge, of course it helped that there was a park on the other side of the bridge.  The bridge made for some great photos.  After taking a bunch of photos and playing at the park we headed back across the bridge and headed out again on Route 66.

We met our friends for dinner at a place I would go to when I would work in Bloomington.  We had a great time and it wasn’t long before the peanuts went flying across the table.  Little Man had fun with Mongo and Mrs. Mongo but of course, who wouldn’t have fun with Mongo.  After a great dinner we headed back up north with Little Man napping in the back seat hopefully dreaming of traveling on Route 66.

On the home front Grampy Rock still continues to slowly improve, even Little Man joins in on his therapy as he tells him to get up and to march.  I look at it as a win win situation as Little Man works on his speech and Grampy Rock can’t really tell him no.  Now that spring has sprung we have been spending more time outside improving what I refer to as Jame world. 

While heading out to a clients house, Jynx noticed a plastic playhouse someone had discarded. The house was put in the truck and headed back to our home at the end of the work day.  After a cleaning we put the house back together again.  We were missing a porch fence and a skylight but we ordered it the next day.  The house was also missing its wall phone but an old phone filled in just fine.  We also decided he needed a doorbell that we installed.   Jynx then decided it needed a path and a foundation so she put in a pad with a path to the house and then even added a flower pot outside.  I was in the process of changing our mailbox, so I took the old box and put it at the end of the path.

I was on hold for a job for the NATO summit but the job cancelled and rather than try to get another job and deal with the nightmare I took the days off.  During the couple of days NATO I built a huge sandbox for Jame World, I call it the NATO sandbox.  I think Little Man has been in it every day that he can since the NATO sandbox has been open.  I also took a look at his little sandbox and decided to move it but first I had to empty the sand.  After emptying the sand I moved it under the tower and then rigged up a lift to take the top off the sandbox.  We then filled the sandbox with blue sand; I’m not sure who liked the blue sand better Jynx or Little Man.  With all of this we then used rocks to form a border and started to mulch.

John was a friend who thought the world of Little Man and dropped off a lot of toys for Little Man including a robot.  John unfortunately had a heart attack at work and passed away.  We asked Little Man about John and he walked over and grabbed the robot.  We got a phone call from John’s sister, Amy;   she asked if there was anything from the house that we would like? We traveled out to John’s house and Little Man kept saying in the back seat “Go John’s House?”  We arrived at his house and got some rocks that we used in the border of Jame World and I stumbled across a beat up airplane swing, as I grabbed it, Jynx asked “What do you think you’re going to do with that?”  “Oh I have a plan.” I replied.  I like to go American Restoration on these things the only bad thing is I forgot to take a before photo but I restored the plane swing for Little Man and he loves swinging on the plane swing.  Also in Johns backyard was three white 55 gallon barrels that I also took this time I had to explain to Jynx that I had a plan to build a train out of the barrels that we could tow behind a lawn mower.  I have started to draw up plans for this project and hopefully soon I will find the time to build the train.  Thanks John God speed.

In the time since I wrote this and Jynx my editor got to proof read my work, I was able to finish the Barrel train.  If I can say myself, it’s awesome!  I painted two of them silver and one red to be the caboose.  I also added cow bells that I found to give the kids something to ring on their ride.  Before they were finished, I let Little Man pull two of them with his Jeep.  I had to wait for Uncle Walter to drop off another hand cart to finish off the caboose.  The other day I was able to give Little Man a ride along with Juno and a couple of teddy bears.  Now we need to get the trail ready so we can give rides at his birthday party, although I think Little Man may never get off the train.

With his love for trains, we decided to take Little Man for a ride on the train.  With my tough schedule this took a bit of effort for all the stars to align.  I had to work the morning show and then rushed home from downtown only to catch a train back to downtown.  We arrived at the Matteson train station where we are always able to park at Grandma Rose and Grandpa Jim’s house.  Jame loves going to see them but we had to go buy our tickets and headed onto the platform.  When the train arrived, Little Man took a few steps back.  As soon as the train stopped he headed right for the doors to board.  He was mesmorized out the window for the first few minutes of the train ride.  I handed Little Man our tickets to give to the conductor, I think visions of Polar Express ran through his head as he handed the tickets to the conductor and waited for the magical ticket punch.  Although it was not the same as the Polar Express he was excited when he got the tickets back.

When we arrived downtown we headed for Millennium Park and the Bean.  Little Man had a good time at the Bean and playing with his reflection at one point he even crawled as far under as he could get.  As much fun as it was at the Bean it was in the 90’s and standing near a big reflective surface was not the best way to keep cool on a hot Chicago day.  We then headed over to the fountain, not Buckingham but the faces fountain which is actually called Crown Fountain but nobody calls it that.  Little Man was a bit hesitant when we arrived at the fountain but he quickly got into running around with all the other little kids and he kept us running a few steps behind him.   He ran so much that other parents noticed and even mentioned what a runner he is.  We also noticed that he seemed to run with more of the girls than boys. 

After the fountain we then headed over to a park for him to play for awhile then decided to try and walk to Navy Pier. This failed miserably but our adventure found us another park and splash pad that we could take him to at a later date.   We finally gave up on getting out to the pier and Little Man started to fall asleep right on top of my head.  We found a restaurant with a booth that we could let him sleep.  We didn’t want to take the train home until he was awake.  After dinner we headed back to the train station for the trip home and Little Man was just as excited to be back on the train again.  He once again got excited when the conductor came around for tickets.  It was a long but fun day and we all slept well that night.

Still Here

I know it has been a bit since I posted but life has just gotten in the way.  Not only was there the usual problems that keep me from posting like work, work and more work but also Jynx’s dad Grampy Rock has had some serious health problems.  The biggest was a heart valve that had deteriorated and he had to go in for open heart surgery.  They actually used cow tissue to make a new valve to replace his.  This is simply amazing and a true miracle.  He is recovering but it has been slow and our lives remain hectic.

So much has happened with Little Man that I need to write.  His talking improves on a daily basis and he has been putting together two and three words.  He has also been learning to count and knows his colors.  His favorite color is green.  We have also been working on his ABC’s and he can even pick out the letters when you ask him and if he feels like it at the time.  His speech therapist is amazed at his progress and comments on how advanced he is with puzzles, problem solving, and even his being able to count to 10 as most kids his age know the difference between 1 and 2.

When Grampy Rock went in for heart surgery, I of course searched for restaurants in the area and found Snackville Junction.  Although it’s not the original one that I went to as a kid, I thought it would be fun to take Little Man.  When we sat down at the counter the waitress handed Little Man some toy trains to play with, we ordered and the train blew its whistle and chugged down the counter bringing out our food.  Although it was not the original and Tyler’s is closer to us with a lot more to do, I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and Little Man had fun too.

This St. Patrick’s Day was great.  The weather was the best it has ever been and I actually had the day off, so we headed down for the dying of the Chicago River and for the parade.  I am always amazed at how green the river actually becomes, it almost seems as if it is glowing.  It was a lot of walking but we had a great time and Little Man loved seeing all the buses and boats and we even took a ride on the water taxi.  He loved being on the boat but near the end of the ride, he could no longer fight off his nap and he fell asleep.  We had a great day downtown and Little Man enjoyed himself.

The other day for some reason we were running for something to somewhere and we decided to stop at the Oasis and get McDonalds for lunch.  I had almost forgotten how much we loved eating above all the cars and trucks as kids.  The same was true for Little Man, as he sat there pointing out the trucks passing underneath us.  Well, it appears we are going to have to add the highway oasis to our fine dining list.

A week before Easter was Dyer’s Easter Egg Hunt.  I have to compliment Dyer on their Easter Egg Hunt, they do a fantastic job.  We arrived at the hunt with Grandma Ruth and Mimi with us, Little Man took some time to play at the park, and then we went over to the pavilion, where they had the Easter Bunny.  Little Man was not too happy seeing the Easter Bunny and wouldn’t let go of Dad and go near the Easter Bunny.  We then headed over to the tennis court for the hunt, the hardest thing is convincing two year olds that they can’t run all over and have to wait for the signal.  When they finally blew the whistle it was hard to convince him that it was now okay to run and pick up the candy.  Once he figured out that it was okay to grab the candy, he had a great time. 

Easter Sunday was hectic as always, we did our best the night before to prepare for everyone coming over.  We were up early and I woke up Little Man by telling him that the Easter Bunny was there and had left cars and trains for him in his Easter basket.  He woke up and came out to see all that the Easter Bunny had left for him.  If you ask me the Easter Bunny got a bit carried away this year.  We then ran out of the house for Sunday service.  We had communion on Easter Sunday and Little Man came up with us and grabbed a hold of the bread and ate it up, we have homemade bread, so I can’t blame him there.  Next came the juice and his eyes lit up, he loves the drinks in little glasses.  He quickly drank it down then put his fingers into the glass, to get the rest of the juice.  Once again, Jynx and I found ourselves trying not to laugh in church.  At the end of church there was an egg hunt and the Easter Bunny showed up again, Little Man was still not sure of the Easter Bunny but he would go up to him. 

After church we raced home and shortly after our guests arrived and the house was filled, even Grampy Rock had been given a day pass from his rehab at the hospital and was allowed home for the day.  All the Grandma’s and Grandpa’s were at our house.  We raced around and got our normal huge meal on the table.  After we finished a great meal, Little Man had opened all his Easter Baskets, and then Uncle Wally brought out the big surprise for Little Man. 

A few weeks before, Uncle Wally called saying that he found a Power Wheels Jeep and all it needed was a battery.  I ordered a battery and we placed it in the Jeep and Little Man with a big smile on his face took off racing around the driveway.  Uncle Wally and Uncle Brett were guarding the end of our circular driveway just to make sure he would not take off down the drive to the street. The Jeep was fast but we noticed that one wheel was not spinning.  After he was tired of driving it around Uncle Wally and I started to take it apart and found that it was the gears on the one wheel.  I found a shop in Downers Grove to have it fixed.  Little Man loves driving in his Jeep, although I don’t think the dogs are enjoying it as much.

Now that Easter is over our lives are getting back to almost normal.  Grampy Rock is out of the hospital but continuing his therapy at our house.  April 15th meant taxes were due and Jynx was busy with those.  We also found out that our Dear Birthmother letter needed to become a scrapbook, so I took up that challenge.  We are still waiting for a sibling for Little Man and hopefully the new scrapbook will help and Little Man will have one soon.

CHRISTMAS 2011

I looked at Jynx and told her I felt like I was in the movie a Christmas Story.  Our Christmas this year was wonderful filled with all the wonder and magic of the holiday season.   We decided that with our  crazy schedule, we were not going to put up as many decorations as we have in the past, although we still could not help ourselves and put up quite a bit.

The first part of a Christmas Story came, when we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry.  No we did not go to see the Christmas trees from around the world, although we saw a few as we raced around the museum from train display to train display.  Grandma Ruth came with and enjoyed watching Little Man’s excitement at the trains; she bought him a toy of the Zephyr.  He would take the silver toy train and race it along the floor, just like Randy from a Christmas Story did with his toy.

We then took a night and went Downtown with Baley and her mom and dad.  First we headed to Navy Pier for their Christmas wonderland.  The kids had a great time running around on the inflatables and the rides.  They had a train that would run around the big Christmas tree and of course Little Man had to ride.  From Navy Pier we headed down to State Street for the Kris Kringle Market and to look at the windows at Macy’s.  I know that was Miracle on 34^th Street, not A Christmas Story.  We went into Macy’s and followed the signs up to Santa’s Toyland that was just their toy section.  Little Man noticed a toy train set and his eyes locked right on it and he just stared and grinned.  He was dropping a hint bigger than Ralphie and his Red Rider B.B. Gun.  We saw the tree at Macy’s; (although I still feel its Marshal Fields) Little Man looked but was not all that interested in the tree.  We then braved the cold at the Kris Kringle Market.  The kids had a great time and Little Man slept all the way home.

Little Man got to meet the Big Man, aka Santa, three times this year.  Little Man still was not crazy about him but at least it was not the crying fit we had last year.  The first meeting was after the Johnson Cookie Exchange; Santa was a bit late but made the effort and arrived to find Baley and Little Man still there.  After teaching Little Man that Santa says Ho Ho Ho and hearing him say it, I was very excited by this first meeting.  Little Man would look at Santa but made sure to keep his distance and when Santa did catch up with him Little Man showed him a growling face.  Santa did give him a tow truck and later when you asked where he got the tow truck he said “Ho Ho”.  The second meeting was at Santa’s house, Mimi and Auntie Jea Jea brought him to see Santa and almost the same reaction.  He tolerated Santa but was happy to get away.  Mimi gave him a pin to hand to Santa but after taking two steps towards Santa he thought it was better just to throw the pin, then walk all the way to Santa.  The last meeting was on Christmas Day when Santa actually came over to drop off some gifts and the reception was warmer but he was still not feeling the whole Santa thing.  I’m sure next year will be different.

Just days before Christmas we found ourselves at one of our favorite Chinese Restaurants.  Little Man is a good eater and will eat almost everything including guacamole, he actually loves guacamole.  Occasionally Little Man will not start to eat right away and to get him to eat Jynx will ask who is mommy’s puppy and he gives out a little bark and starts eating.  Once again, like the movie A Christmas Story, where the mom asks who is mommies little piggy?  Now thankfully he eats well off the fork and not like in the movie where the kid shoves his face in the food.  As we finished up our meal the owner stopped by and in her Chinese accent asked what our holiday plans were.  She then went on to tell us how she was planning on going to Chinatown and having goose at a friend’s restaurant.  The scene at the end of A Christmas Story popped into my head FA RA RA RA.

Christmas Eve we headed to Uncle Brett’s house for Christmas with the Johnson family.  After that we headed to Grandpa Jim and Grandma Rosie’s house to pick up the train play table they got him.  We placed it in the back of the van without him noticing.  Then it was off to church for the candlelight service.  Little Man was in rare form and all wound up at church, I even noticed the minister chuckling a few times.  When it came time for Silent Night he began trying to blow out the candles.  I have never laughed so hard during Silent Night. 

Christmas morning came and Little Man was able to open his stocking that Santa had hung on his bedroom door.  A tradition, I remember as a kid.  We were allowed to open our stockings when we got up, but not wake mom and dad until the sun came up.  We had to wake Little Man up early and he looked through his stocking and fell in love with a little toy engine.  We then headed over to Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Rick’s house.  There he opened up his ride, a Lightning McQueen car that took us a bit to assemble but once together, he took it outside for a ride.  I think he thought he was going to drive it home until mom chased him down the street and turned him around.  He then brought the car back and parked it right next to our van.  We then headed home and started preparing for the crowd that soon would be arriving at our house.  The turkey was frying and the house was filling up and things were extremely crazy.  Little Man was opening up his gifts when who should appear but Santa with a few more gifts for Little Man.  After Santa left we distracted Little Man while we brought in his train table and quickly covered it with a sheet and a bow.  When he got back into the room he quickly removed the sheet and his eyes lit up.  He has been busy with all the trains and train tracks ever since.

At the end of Christmas day I think we were all exhausted but it was a wonderful exhaustion.  I sat there looked over all the toys and wondered where they were all going to go.  The front room was a complete mess, the kitchen was filled with leftovers and dirty pots and pans, it was a wonderful Christmas mess.  All I could think of at that point in time was the words of Andy Rooney, “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."