It has been so busy around here the past month, I feel like I'm living inside of a whirlwind! We've had some fun along the way, though, and I've taken a few pictures. :)
The weekend after school started, we took the kids over to the Crabtree Nature Center and forest preserve, one of our favorite places to go. We saw lots of frogs, including this big guy:
There were lots of beautiful flowers in bloom:
And we enjoyed watching a heron and some cormorants through these big binoculars:
Emm's first swim meet was held at St. Viator:
Here she is in her first event ever:
The St. Viator team won the meet, but I was so proud of Emm for working so hard and trying her best! (And her team, the Sabre/Hawks have won every meet since then!)
Over Labor Day weekend we took the kids to Lincoln Park ~ hooray for free zoos! :) It was such a nice day and we had a great time seeing all the animals!
On Sept. 13th, Ben started back to preschool. He was SO excited!!
Sitting with 2 girls who were also in his class last year:
Ben and his buddy Jasper:
Also, they weren't there on the first day, but Ben was THRILLED to find out that his best friends from last year, Alexander and Kassy, are also in his class this year. :)
On the 15th, George and I had a wonderful night out, just the two of us! We drove into the city and parked by the Lincoln Park Conservatory. It was a beautiful evening, and we enjoyed walking through the Lincoln Park area: 
We stopped at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. for supper. We had some really yummy pizza pot pies:
Then we walked to the Park West theater for "An Acoustic Evening with The Airborne Toxic Event and The Calder Quartet". It was such a fantastic show!! We had awesome seats, the music was wonderful, and it was just really fun! :) We weren't allowed to take flash photography during the show, so my pictures didn't turn out the best.
Here are Anna Bulbrook, the Calder Quartet, Mikel Jollett, and Steven Chen: 
Mikel, singing:
Steven:
Anna:
Daren Taylor, drummer:
Noah Harmon:
Anna, Mikel, Daren, and Noah:
Mikel, dancing and singing on one of the tables:
After the show, the rest of the band went off-stage, but Mikel sat right down on the edge and began signing autographs and posing for pictures. I snapped a few shots of him, and then got in line...
So that George could take my picture with Mikel!! :D I was so excited! I was a bit afraid that I might swoon, LOL, but I managed to stay upright, get Mikel's autograph, talk to him a bit, and then pose for our photo:
On our way out, we saw Steven talking with some fans, so I snapped this photo:
Our fall-ish garden is now in bloom, with lots of sedum:
and our now-gigantic aster plant:
Emm's been having a swim meet each week and I've been able to attend them all so far. These photos are from a home game last week. The girls all have their team swim suits now:
Emm's first event of the meet... she is the one on the far right board:
Go, Emm, go!
Last night I took a few pictures of Ben on our bed (where I read his bedtime stories), so that I could put them on a scrapbook page with the following poem:
When I have said my evening prayer,
And my clothes are folded on the chair,
And my mother switches off the light,
I'll still be four years old tonight.
But, from the very break of day,
Before the children rise and play,
Before the darkness turns to gold,
Tomorrow, I'll be five years old.
Five kisses when I wake,
Five candles on my cake.
~M. Meyer Kort
What a little goof ball! :)
Present time! :
A Transformer from Nick! :
(He also received 2 Cars vehicles from Emm.)
Present time! :
A Transformer from Nick! :
(He also received 2 Cars vehicles from Emm.)
Oh, for the new bike hiding in Mommy and Daddy's room! :
He had to go try it out:
Then Nick's friend Jordan (who Ben adores!) stopped by with some gifts. Just what we need... more cars and trucks, LOL. (Ben was thrilled, of course!) :
Jordan and his mom stayed for cake and ice cream. Ben had a little trouble blowing out the trick candles, LOL, but finally got them all out:
Yesterday Ben took his bike out for another spin. His classroom mascot, Jupiter the giraffe, who was visiting us for a few days, is riding in the bag in front of the handlebars:
Can't believe my baby is five!!
