Camp!

A week ago I put Rynn on a bus with a suitcase and a backpack

to travel more than five hours to camp in Wisconsin's North Woods.

It was her first sleep away camp experience,

and it more than exceeded expectations.

We got to join her on the last day of camp for Family Day-

a day to share in a rodeo, a ski show, and cookout. 

Eleanor is already convinced that she is going to be on that bus next year.

School's Out

And so let summer begin...

It has been a cold and stormy spring.

But the weather cooperated just long enough for the annual tradition 

of hitting the beach on the last day of school.

Daisy

Friends, meet our new Boxer

DAISY.

Nope, I'm not growing a beard.  

Just enjoying my favorite snack- mulch. 

I have this perfect little 'J' on my back 

that my mom thinks makes me the perfect fit for Jason.

He likes to call it my very own cowboy boot.

My family is pretty much smitten with me.  

And it isn't hard since I'm pretty amazing- 

already sleeping through the night in my crate

 and going the bathroom outside.

I'm super laid back, sweet, and think the world is pretty amazing.

I think I've brought a calm on this whole house 

that makes my people smile all the time.

Now if only they'd let me on that sofa...

Girls on the Run

For all my runner friends or family, for moms of girls, for people who care about loving and raising girls, for people who ever thought about putting on a pair of running shoes, and for those who do run and know how it feels...this post is for you.  For the past two months Rynn and I have been participating in a club at her school called Girls on the Run.  It is a nation wide non-profit that uses running as a means of encouraging girls to be strong, confident, and kind.  On June 1st we will join 14,000 other girls and their running buddies to run a 5K in downtown Chicago. It is the largest 'girl-focused' race in the country.  Yesterday, we held a little mock 5K around the school to practice.  Here are some of the photos...

Moved Again!

 “Weary or bitter or bewildered as we may be, God is faithful. 

He lets us wander so we will know what it means to come home.”

 - Marilynne Robinson, Home

Crazy Hair Day

 Today was CRAZY hair day at Central Elementary School.

Rynn went for a bold approach- 

a duck nesting in her ponytail.

Eleanor took a more subtle route.

There were some moments of panic walking to school.

Wellies in Wilmette

It is a bit soggy in these parts.

We got so much rain today 

that Chicago's major Interstates closed, 

and so did school!

Who says you can't have 

some outdoor adventure in the suburbs?

The flooded park at the end of our street

 provided a little "flood day" entertainment.

What started as a simple frog hunt...