a couple of random things

what is going on with this weather? totally unrelated to anything else i have to say, but jeez, it's making it really hard to plan ella-related activities!

anyway. i was catching up on reading over at the feminist breeder (hi gina! we met at chanda's class! i was talking about post-partum doulas). i was reading this post and i feel like i need to apologize to you on behalf of that woman! i am a practicing catholic and i feel like most of the time, we (christians in general) get a really bad rep because of people who go around telling other people what horrible people they are. that's not helpful, it's not what we should be doing. i am not asking you to convert (haha) but i am asking you to remember that not all christians behave like this woman. thanks!

totally unrelated (except for through my google rss feed) is this high chair. personally, i think that's really awesome! except you can't reuse it for the second (third, fourth, etc) baby. but, if you combine it with this post from childhood magic (although obviously without the bark, which kinda makes the blocks, but whatever) and have a slowly-growing set of wooden blocks! (ok, probably not. but still, in my mind, it's really cool).

moving on to more materialism, i probably need these shoes. (disregard the fact that i almost never wear any sort of tennis-type shoes & the fact that they are a bit of an over-statement). i need them the same way that i needed an italian jersey & walk-out jacket (check & check-happy early birthday to me!), which is to say, not at all, but i reeeeeeally wanted them.

one last thing, a crafty item from the angry chicken. this cigar box/wooden box gift idea is absolutely awesome. it can be customized indefinitely and therefore perfect for pretty much anyone! someone go ahead & make me one too, please!

the train & the fountain

we took the metra train into the city today with maddie & nicole to head over to millenium park. i don't know what parents let their children take the train unattened, but listening to a bunch of 15 year old boys swearing at each other wasn't particularly enjoyable. i think the girls were agitated, too-they didn't seem to enjoy the ride as much as usual.

we took the bus over to the park & took the girls to see the bean. ella thought it was pretty cool, but then discovered the fences around the bean that were much cooler.

we grabbed lunch at bennigans & a special thanks to our server who smiled at us while two little toddlers flung food, smeared food & yelled. it was a good lunch! (also, bennigans fries are pretty delicious!)

we left there & headed back to the park, where it had turned chilly, but suited up the girls for their promised run through the faces fountains. maddie was a little unsure, ella was into it full-force until the incident occurred. we won't talk about it, but enough to say it was time to put dry clothes back on & head home.

train home, maddie passed out & ella mumbling about...something?

& now it's naptime.

there are so many things i want to do with ella in the city. she's an awesome traveler (usually). the taste, outdoor concerts, museums...etc. i'm so happy it's summer!

bug, you're two!

dear bug,

you are two today! you are amazing!

we had a birthday party for you today. friends over & the weather was perfect. sunny & hot. you & your friends played in the pool, on the swingset & with the hose. you screamed & laughed & slid face-first into the pool. it was amazing and a perfect way to turn two! we are so lucky to have such amazing friends around!

you are such a big girl & such a baby. toddlers are masters of foot-in-both-worlds and you are no exception. you can put your shoes on by yourself (okay, just the froggy boots), you can speak in four & five word sentences, you can unwrap a baybel cheese & fill up your own water cup. you can open my iphone & play games or record yourself speaking. you can play lady gaga & you know where to find the arthur books in the library. you can crack an egg and grind pepper. you can go upstairs by yourself. you sleep in a big girl bed now and you can click the top buckle in your carseat.

but you're still a sweet little baby! you need help falling asleep and you need your cicci. sometimes i forget how little you really are and you throw a tantrum to remind me.

in case you want to hear stories about yourself at two years old, i'll tell you some.

you love to 'saute' & you aren't afraid of anything, except birds and sometimes our cleaning lady. you give your stuffed animals kisses & cuddles & rides in the stroller. you love edamame, cheese, pretzels and strawberries. you have ever-changing tastes, but right now your favorite animal at the zoo is the bear. i think it's because, one time, the polar bear jumped into the water and we saw it! it was amazing! we'll keep checking for jumping bears!

you love the park and you love to climb. higher and higher until i can't take it anymore and either make you come down or climb up with you! you like to swing in the big girl swings on your 'tum-tum' and dig in the sand.

you ask to go in the 'big car' when you want to go out. you are a wonderful shopper & have strong opinions on everything!

you color and name the colors, but every color is either blue or bluepink! you count "one, two, four, seven, eight, nine, ten!" & i want to record it, but i never seem to have the camera out at the right time.

you are so sweet and amazing. i hope you never forget that. you are amazing even when you are sad, when it takes you two hours to go to bed (ahem tonight ahem) & when you yell because i am reading the wrong book. you are smart & funny & skilled.

bug, i love you!