Summer 2013

Summer has just begun and we have already crammed a lot into our hectic schedule.  We usually have a list of things we want to do with the kids in summer and we have been able to make a dent in that list.  I’m not sure if we can keep up the pace but it is starting out to be a fun summer.

Just in the nick of time I learned that National Train Day at Union Station was happening.  We took Jame before and he got a big kick out of it and with me having the day off we just had to make the trek downtown.  Uncle Brett was the one who informed us that it was happening but unfortunately he already had plans for that day and was not going to be able to go.  Jynx also had to work that day and she was not able to go so it was just a Jame and Daddy day.

We got up that morning and Little Man got dressed up with Mommy’s help as a train engineer.  When we arrived at Union Station I didn’t know if I would get Little Man inside since he was so excited to see all the taxi cabs and busses outside.  I always love entering the Great Hall at Union Station and walking down those famous steps.  We made our way around looking at all the toy train displays and I noticed everyone looking and smiling at Little Man in his engineer outfit and who could blame them, he was really cute.  After a bit I noticed a fellow cameraman and stopped to say hi to him and it wasn’t long before the producer asked if she could do an interview with him.  I’m not sure how the interview went but he seemed to enjoy himself.

We then made our way over to the kid’s area where they were handing out gifts for the kids.  This year one of the sponsors was Disney so one of Little Man’s favorite shows Chuggington was all over.  They handed him a safety vest with the Chuggington characters on it.  He also got a couple of toy trains that work with his wooden train track and of course coloring books.  They also had some toy trains to play with, Little Man has a set at home but of course he wanted to play and why not.  I noticed there were very few trains for the kids and I took a moment to look at my phone and when I looked up Jame had two of the trains he was playing with while the other kids watched.  I’m not sure how he pulled this off but I stepped in and had him share and a few; minutes later he once again had the trains in front of him.  One day he’s going to have to teach me how he pulls off this trick.

We then spent the rest of our time touring the big trains.  We saw all the Amtrak cars and Little Man was in heaven.  We then went and toured the luxury private rental train cars and it was hard trying to get Little Man from touching everything in the luxury cars.  We then went on to see the engines that were parked and we took a bunch of photos of them.  We were getting ready to head out but I wanted to get a few more pictures with Little Man in his engineer outfit and the famous stairs at Union Station.  We were almost finished when I felt a tap on my shoulder; it was Uncle Brett who had made it.  Uncle Brett is planning a trip out to California on Amtrak and he was hoping to see what the trip was going to be like.  I asked Little Man if he wanted to see the train again and of course he agreed.  We walked the train again and Little Man helped Uncle Brett figure out how the tables worked on the train.  After Little Man got Uncle Brett ready for his trip we went to the food court for lunch. What a great day, thanks Uncle Brett.

One of the things we wanted to do this summer was take the kids to the zoo.  With a rare day off we headed out to Lincoln Park Zoo with both Hope and Jame.  Jame loved all the animals and Hope just loved being outside with all the excitement.  Little Man still says his favorite animal was the tiger and he still laughs about the monkeys.  When we approached the monkey’s one monkey stepped close to the glass soon followed by another monkey who flipped over and let the other monkey pick his butt, as you can imagine every kid there started laughing.  Little Man asked “why they doing that?” I explained that the one monkey was just checking to see if the other monkey had a stinky butt.  I don’t really know why the monkeys do that and I don’t really care, maybe it’s just to entertain the kids. 

No trip to Lincoln Park would be complete without a visit to the farm.  As we walked over to the farm we had to stop on the bridge and take some photos with such a great view on such a nice day.  After taking some pictures we headed to the zoo where Little Man got to feed the cows, pet a chicken and watch the cows get milked.  Speaking of milk it was at this time we realized that I packed food for Hope but not a bottle and she was getting a bit grumpy.  I headed off on foot to find the closest Walgreens and when I returned she was asleep. Oh well.  We had a great time at the zoo and the kids both had heavy eyes as we headed for the exit, but we were all hungry and headed to Gino’s for some good Chicago deep dish.

Little Man’s talking keeps improving and we took him to movies in the park the other night where he introduced himself to everyone he saw; “Hi my name Jame.”  It was a perfect night for sitting outside and watching a movie although Little Man was a bit confused why we would do that when we could watch a movie at home.  He quickly forgot about his question as he ran around with all the other kids in the park he had introduced himself to earlier.

The movie in the park was the kick off to our town’s festival and the carnival was in town.  We took Little Man to the carnival and he was very excited to go and we met Bailey there and they hit the rides together.  When they headed over to the dragon roller coaster Bailey was tall enough but Little Man was a bit short but he quickly remedied the situation by standing on his tip toes.  Jynx did not notice what he was doing but the guy in charge of the ride did.  After we all had a good laugh, he allowed Little Man on the ride.  He still says, that was his favorite ride.  Little Man has also now discovered his love for corndogs that he had after they were all done riding.  I, of course had to break my diet and get a deep fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and it was good! I think we will hit another small town carnival before the summer is over. The rides are totally geared towards little guys like ours and we will probably take Hope too to ride her around in her stroller.

It’s hard to believe that our Little Hope is already nearing her first birthday.  Hope has now shed her Jumping Jenny and is only spending some time in her walker.  She now has figured out how to crawl and is standing up in her playpen. She is starting to cruise the furniture and loves to walk with someone holding her hand. She is very close to walking. We now have to put locks on the cabinets and if we forget one she finds the one you miss. When she does get her hands on something a big smile grows on her face and in Flintstone like fashion she runs away.  Her excited smile is contagious and truly warms your heart.  She will also let you know if she is hungry or just not happy, which is very rare.

Going back and writing about all of this already has me tired.  The kids are growing up way too fast and I know when the summer is over I will think that the summer went by way too fast as well. I will just have to enjoy every second with my kids.