Chicago Botanic Garden

Grammy is here! Despite the girls desire to stay home, cuddle with their Grammy, and work on their scrapbooks of their years in Portland, we decided to drag everyone through Chicago's summer heat to explore the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Just up the road from our neighborhood about seven miles is the Chicago Botanic Garden, a breathtaking 385-acre "plant museum."  We spent about two hours strolling the grounds and exploring the gardens with Jason's mom, Cathy (aka "Grammy").   

A quiet moment to knit with Grammy and rest in the shade

a world in a willow

flying a paper crane in the Japanese Garden

About 45 minutes into our adventure Eleanor was growing hot and weary.  In an attempt to keep her from walking 25 yards behind the rest of us, I finally let her have my camera which she had been pleading to use.  She gained a new skip in her step and began enjoying the gardens in new ways.

  All the pictures below are taken BY ELEANOR.  Seeing the world through her three feet tall eyes I am reminded of the beauty in the way children see and the value of their perspective.  Sometimes her slow pace can make a mother crazy, but her images reflect the beauty in slowing down and taking time to really see.

a 'happy face' flower poking out to say hello

don't miss the bee in the center!

a squash hammock

my little photographer reflected in Daddy's glasses

Silly Bands

...why didn't I invent these???

You know your child is getting older when suddenly she is aware of trends.  This summer we have discovered the Silly Band. My fellow children of the 80s, remember jelly shoes and jelly bracelets like the ones Ricky Schroeder wore?  They are back in new and exciting shapes, available for trade, collection, and all around fashion.  The more, the merrier.

And yet, even in growing up innocence lives on.  When does the day come when a caterpillar crawling on your hand no longer means "he likes me!  he really likes me, mama!"? 

and yesterday afternoon...

Eleanor gets pensive on a bike ride around Northwestern's campus.

...and for a really thoughtful sermon on Genesis 1 by Jason Harris, the RUF campus minister @ Northwestern, click on Grace Sermons on the right sidebar.  

Kate & Phil

The Lobby of Old Town School of Folk Music

Getting crazy under the L

Last night we got to hang out with Jason's cousin Kate and her husband Phil in Chicago!   Currently back in San Francisco after a two year stint in Chicago, Kate and Phil were in town visiting Phil's family.  They graciously invited us to join them in Lincoln Square for Phil's traditional "Family Fun Night."  Thank you Kate and Phil for being fabulous tour guides, great cousins, and all around fun to hang out with.  How wonderful to have family come visit!  They showed us yet another fun neighborhood in Chicago called Lincoln Square whose lively vibe pulsed with culture and life.

Before dinner, they introduced us to the Old Town School of Folk Music, the largest independent community arts school in the United States.  Ham...we thought of you and miss you!!!

some post dinner ice cream with Phil's mom, brother, & niece

Fresh Picks!

Chicago just got better, and my homesickness for Oregon food has been assuaged.  I discovered Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks last week and my veggie craving desires have been granted.  With the mere click of a mouse I can order a box of fresh fruit or vegetables all of which are local (including WI, IN, and IL), organic, and come from farms which support sustainable farming practices.  Pretty much, Irv & Shelly have done all the hard work to enable me to be self righteous in my eating :).  And ALL delivered right to my doorstep for a price much cheaper than Whole Foods and a lot less effort.  Included in each order is a sheet which has a list of each vegetable in the box, which farm the vegetable came from, and a recipe suggestion for how to cook it.  There is something soothing to the soul in chopping beautiful fresh vegetables in an array of rainbow colors and then watching my children eat them!  And by ordering a 'fresh picks box' I am surprised each week by what seasonal produce arrives.  It has challenged me to try new things such as collards, kale, celery, and cabbage which I might not have grabbed in a quick grocery store run.   Here is a recipe we tried last night which all of us (even kids!) enjoyed:

Red Cabbage (Windy Ridge Farm Hillsboro, WI)

In a blender, combine 1/2 cup Orange Juice, 1/4 cup Lime Juice, 1/2 chopped red onion, 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 TBSP honey, 1/4 oil, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Chop or shred your cabbage and place in a large bowl.  Allow the cabbage to marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes before serving.

Evening at the Dog Beach

Roscoe 

One of the things that I love about our new neighborhood is being so close to water AND to a beach that allows dogs.  Our neighborhood dog beach is wonderful, and I'm not sure how Roscoe would be surviving the new restraints of city life were it not for Gillson Dog Beach.  Actually, not sure how the Little family would be surviving Roscoe without the dog beach.  There is space.  There is water.  And there are some really wonderful people.   

Meeting some new neighbors (and fellow Carolina grads!) 

Roscoe finds a friend

Rynn becomes a Golden Retriever

Demo Day!

"The Pit" was the highlight of camp.

Yesterday was the last day of gymnastics camp at Wilmette Parks and Rec.  The girls got to show off their skills at "Demo Day!" for lots of parents and cameras.  On a whim, during our first week in town, I signed them up for this 3x/week morning camp.  I needed some space both practically and mentally as we moved into our new home, and they needed some routine, physical activity, and children other than each other.  I would have been happy with a few mats and some air conditioning, but the camp and facility FAR exceeded expectations.  It was awesome.  And, Rynn learned to do a cartwheel while Eleanor perfected her forward roll. 

Bad lighting for my cheap Target camera :)

Lincoln Park Zoo

While Jason is hard at work at his new job at Grace we are hard at play in our new playground of Chicago.  With school only a few weeks away we are taking advantage of these beautiful summer days to continue discovering the city.  Today the girls wanted to see the zoo, so we spent FIVE hours exploring the nation's oldest zoo.  It is also one of the last FREE zoos in the country (if you don't count the $25 they charge for parking!).  Filled with beautiful pots, gardens, flowers, and old brick buildings immaculately maintained the zoo is really quite stunning.  And if you get bored of the animals (not likely) just look up at the horizon for a view of Lake Michigan.  

Some map discussion and big sister irritation.

Once again...stunning gardens around every turn.

The zoo beautifies itself with the flowers but it is also so very CLEAN, a characteristic of Chicago in general.  I am continually amazed at how a city this size is so tidy.  I guess if they can reverse the flow of the CHicago River away from Lake Michigan then they can figure out how to throw away their trash.  I'm impressed.

Life still feels like we are on an extended vacation visiting a new city.  Sometimes I still have dreams I need to catch a plane to get back to Portland.  I still check Portland's weather every day and think about people there, the air and the light so unique to the Pacific NW, and my 'other' life that changed so quickly.  But, at the same time, I am growing to really like this place called Chicago.  It truly is a beautiful city, an amazing American city, that is in many ways a microcosm of the United States with all its different neighborhoods, languages, and cultures all living together in a place that somehow manages to feel so "all American" at the same time.  Around every corner is a new adventure and everything still feels so fresh and exciting.

Rynn grabbed my arm and shouted, "Hey Mommy, check this out!  They named the chimps after my grandmothers!  I guess they decided to use a 'K' instead of a 'C' though."

This was my favorite dude in the zoo.  His 'cool cat' Meerkat gaze is awesome.