Fun with Nana

My mom came to visit about a week and a half ago and we spent a busy several days enjoying the outdoors and each other's company. This visit, perhaps more than any other, I really got a kick out of watching the kids with my mom. They are so active and adventurous now, and so eager to bring other people into their vibrant make believe worlds. Nana was a great sport, playing with the kids and reading them stories for sometimes hours at a time. I was especially fortunate each morning when the kids reached Nana's room before they reached mine, so I got to sleep later than normal for several days in a row! We used having a visitor in town as a great reason to get out and explore some areas we haven't experienced ourselves. On Saturday we went to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. I was impressed! The arboretum is where Cabell and I ran our 10k race in April, so I'd been there before, but the day of the race was overcast and drizzly and we quickly made an exit after the run was over. This past weekend the weather was hot but not unbearable and we got to explore some of the children's garden. I had heard it was a sight to see, but I was still taken aback with just how extensive it was and how much fun it was. There are great activities for older kids and lots of hands-on displays and play areas for the littler ones. We easily could have spent hours more than we did, though we wanted to get home so Garrett could try his hand at cooking a yummy chicken dinner on our new rotisserie! It was a lovely day and really fun to explore another local gem.

On Sunday mom wanted to take advantage of the weekend to see Cabell, so we all trekked into the city to spend the day with Cabell and Reenie. It was another beautiful day and we got to check off another must-do item from our list. We went to the Chicago beach on Lake Michigan and spent a large chunk of the day playing in the sand and splashing in the water. It was the kids' first visit to a beach that big and they absolutely loved it! Gabe and Abby took a chance getting buried in the sand and I think liked it in theory more than they liked it in real life. All the adults marveled at how those kids just never stop moving through. It's really amazing to watch. Their energy is impressive, though I can't say exactly contagious. We were all pretty sluggish after a couple hours under the sun so we packed up, made a brief appearance at a peace festival that looked like an unfortunate celebration of drug use and dirt, then went to the Chicago river walk to enjoy a quiet dinner at O'Brien's, Reenie's family's restaurant. It was a great day. I've really loved spending so much time with my family lately, with our Seattle trip and mom's visit. I still wish I saw Cabell more often since we're so close to each other, but I am grateful to be a part of each other's lives now in a way we never could be at a geographical distance.

Mom ended her visit as she almost always does, showering us generously with gifts and treats. With the kids turning four on July 1 she was eager to pick out presents for the kids to celebrate with. We took them to the toy store so they could show her exactly what they wanted. It was hilarious! Abigail found a little shopping cart just her size and started marching around the store filling it with whatever please her--a mermaid ("because Amelia has a mermaid mommy but I don't have a mermaid"), a ball-shaped ladybug, silly bands, princess dolls, a butterfly net--you name it. If it caught her eye, it went in the cart. It was a hoot watching her strut around picking out her favorite things. Amelia joined in on the fun as well while Gabriel got stuck in the corner of the store with the train tables and never made it much beyond that. We walked out of the store with a host of princesses with dress up outfits and some big girl jewelry (clip-on earrings!) for the girls, and Gabriel struck it big with a brand new train layout for his train table to augment the paltry beginnings Garrett and I got for him at Christmas. I've been delighted to see that the kids are thrilled with their new treasures and have been playing hard with them ever since mom's departure. We don't get a lot of new toys around here--pretty much just at Christmas and birthdays, so it's been nice to see that Nana hit the jackpot with these ones and the kids are really enjoying their gifts. Thanks again Nana!