Catching Up

Well, I warned you that when I went back to work I would have a hard time updating regularly. Here are some pics from the end of June! Riley had been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old, but has not adjusted well to my return to work and is no longer sleeping as well. Bummer for me, but we'll get through it.

I had a dream the night before my first day back that I was really late for work and that when I got to the hospital they had remodeled and I couldn't find the operating room for over an hour. Whenever I asked for directions or followed the signs, I was led to a dead end. Luckily , in reality, I was right on time (despite having a hard time leaving because Conor didn't want me to go to work...or at least wanted to come with me)...and there had been no remodeling at the hospital or clinic! Work has been going fairly well overall. I think it is harder for Adam to be home with both of the kids all day than it is for me to go to work. It has been pretty busy for me so the days usually go by pretty fast. Nevertheless, I am always eager to get home! This will be my first weekend back on call (though I have already done some weeknights, weekends are always inevitably a little busier.) Will do my best to keep the pictures coming.

White Sox Game

In honor of Father's Day, we are trying to make a tradition out of taking Daddy to a White Sox game. (It is usually the one day a year I wear my White Sox jersey, otherwise I'm still a Twins fan.) It was hot. Conor was restless, and more excited about the hot dogs and the organ than about baseball. Riley slept through almost the whole game. We spent more time in the car and on the trains than at the stadium. But, the White Sox won on an 8th inning homerun and it was still a fun day!!

That was then (2008)--first Father's Day with ConorThis is now (2010)--first Father's Day with Riley

Smiley Kids and Stormy Skies

The night after storms and tornados ravaged Minnesota where some of my relatives live, we had some pretty nasty storms of our own. Our power was out for a while and some windows were even shattered in the Sears Tower downtown Chicago, but we didn't have any real damage. However, we had some pretty crazy colors in the sky just before sunset.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Adam! Some pics of Daddy and his 2 favorite kids on his special day. For his gifts, he got some Chicago Blackhawks championship gear, a special edition Blackhawks Sports Illustrated magazine, and a trip to the White Sox game later in the week (a tradition from his first father's day although we didn't make it last year because he was in Ireland). Pics from that to come.


Daddy and Conor.

Conor helping Mommy unload the dishwasher while Daddy got to rest and play with Riley (keep it up, son).

Daddy and Riley A smile to brighten any Daddy's day

More Conorisms

Somewhere along the line, Conor learned the word "stupid" which we don't like to hear him use, so we have tried to correct him by telling him we don't use that word. One night, while we were eating dinner, I can't even remember what I said, but I talked about something being stupid, and in no time, Conor chimed in: "Mom, we don't say that word". At least we know he's listening.

One day we had hot dogs for lunch, after a morning of playing pretend restaurant, and I asked Conor what he wanted on his hot dog. I meant ketchup or mustard, but his immediate answer was: peanut butter and jelly. And when I said that was silly, he had another quick response: french cheese! Where did that come from?

While vacationing in Wisconsin, we had to drive a short distance through the resort to get from our condo to the pool. Since it was just through the complex and not on any real streets and only a minute or two drive, we decided to let Conor sit in his car seat without the whole 5-point harness buckling up hassle. However, one day while we were in town, he got in the door on Riley's side and got himself into his seat. While Adam was putting the stroller in the back and I was fastening Riley in, we both thought the other had buckled him. So, as we drove down the main strip in town, Conor says, "Mom, I don't have to be buckled?" Oh what a bad mom am I!! At least he was paying attention enough to know that he should be buckled on a big main road!

Another day we were having soup for lunch and as it was still steaming, Conor stopped before taking a bite and said, "Ooof da. The soup is hot!" Did you teach him that one Grandma?

We are in the midst of potty training around here and last week we were out at a restaurant with a friend. We had already taken Conor to go potty once (and he went), but several minutes later he said he had to go again. Knowing he probably didn't really have to go, but that you can't deny a pottier-in-training the chance, Adam took him back to the bathroom. He sat and tried but nothing came out. Just as the door opened for another patron to enter the bathroom, Conor said loudly, "Daddy, I think my penis doesn't work!" Ha ha ha.

Riley's newest nickname as of today was "Sister Lemonade". Don't ask me.

Stay posted for more...it is neverending comedy around here!

Hot Summer Days

We have been trying to take advantage of our time at home on these hot summer days by getting outside if we can. We pulled out the pool and tried to cool off. Conor always wants Riley to do whatever he is doing. Oh I hope they are still such good friends in the years ahead! The heat takes a lot out of you!

As of the morning Riley turned two months old, she discovered how to roll from her back to her tummy and this is her preferred sleeping position. This is quite a feat! Within the week, she also figured out how to roll from front to back, which she usually does while she is playing and supposed to be staying on her tummy to help strengthen her head and back muscles (known to all new moms out there as "tummy time").Happy kid! When he saw us taking pictures of Riley smiling, he wanted us to take some of him as well! :)

Some more of those sweet toothless grins

Wisconsin Dells #1: Things to Do Around the Resort

The beginning of June included our first family vacation as a family of four. When planning, we were unsure how things would be at this point, so we didn't want to venture too far. We went to Wisconsin Dells (a popular destination for many from the surrounding states, for those of you non-midwesterners who follow the blog). It is known as the waterpark capital of the world for all its resorts, and indoor and outdoor waterparks. Because the kids are so young, we stayed at a resort off the main strip, which had its own pools and activities we could use. That ended up working out very well and the trip was quite relaxing, despite having a 6 week old and a 2 1/2 year old!

There was a neat little waterfall and 2 ponds, an indoor and outdoor pool, an indoor kiddie pool (which was advantageous with the weather and a baby who can't be in the sun or wear sunscreen yet), a hot tub, a toddler play room, a playground, and some other nice facilities like gyms and sport courts we didn't even get to use. They also had planned activities like a bonfire one night where we got to make s'mores! We even saw a deer right outside our condo window one day!

Adam and Conor rode the paddleboats. The ducks were everywhere, and we bought a whole loaf of bread just to spend some time feeding them everyday...probably one of Conor's highlights, I would guess.

Conor thought that the light in front of this sign was like the microphone Daddy uses when he reads as the lector at church on Sundays. This is Conor reading his Bible passage or singing his song (he stopped every time we walked past the sign the second half of the week, once he made its discovery).Riley's first time in a pool. She didn't mind at first, but got cold pretty quickly.

Conor enjoying the children's play area...what an awesome idea! Every hotel and resort should have a place like this. It even had games, puzzles, toys, and books that you could check out and bring back to your room if you wanted.