An Unsettling Quiet

I think every parent can recognize that certain quiet that stops you in your tracks and sends you off to find your child, because invariably they have gotten into mischief. This most definitely held true for Liv in her younger years ( I talk as if she's 7, but seriously, sometimes I wonder). Recently, however, this is how I find her. A bit morbid (looking), Liv plays a princess that has been the victim of a witch's spell, and is waiting for her prince. Or her Mom, who gladly rescues her with a kiss. Also note the hot pink "blush" on her cheek. I'm not sure what it is, but it sure isn't blush.

Knucklehead and Meatball

These are Steve's nicknames for the dynamic duo that is Olivia and Esme. It is such a joy to watch these two together.

Her Characters

I came across this scene created by Liv - I know I always talk about how these sorts of things are so delightful to find. Most often I see them after she's tucked in bed, and I want to run upstairs and wake her up, tell her one more story, one more kiss.

A Special Day with my Gal Pal

When it's just Olivia and I, one of our favorite things to do is to head into the city. So after swim lessons, we drove down while Steve went to a fantasy baseball draft. First on the agenda was lunch - we ate at the Oak Tree restaurant in the 900 n. Michigan building. What a treat - we had a table with a view of Michigan Ave. After a bit of shopping (Galt Toys is heaven) we drove over to Sweet Mandy B's, where we picked up some sweet treats. Our last stop was the Peggy Notebaert Museum - the big draw is the butterfly haven, but Liv also appreciates the water tables too. The day ended with the two of us sharing a Roseangela's pizza. A perfect day. Things will change for Liv come July, so these special outings are important to me to fit in. I'm so glad we did.

Treasure Hunt

One of my favorite things is to poke around in Liv's purses, or make-up cases. She always has such an eclectic mix of things stuffed in them. Most often there is an item of mine I've been missing - a bracelet, or a kitchen utensil. I was tickled to find tape in her make-up case. And her "it's a girl" candy from her classmate Elliot, who just had a baby sister.

Fridays in Lent

It is our yearly tradition to visit the VFW hall at 63rd and Harlem with Steve's family during Lent. Their Friday fish fry is outstanding. Most of us had perch. Olivia had bread, french fries and potato pancakes.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E

Olivia is really lucky to have such nice girlfriends. Her pal Molly stopped by with some things she had outgrown - a High School Musical dress up kit and a baby doll stroller. Liv marched herself right into the bathroom and came out transformed. She loved it, and cheered me on while I was making dinner "Go Megan, you can do it!"

Crabmaster Flash

That's my nickname for Olivia, when she is acting less than pleasant.

Nana Honey's Birthday

On Sunday we got together with the Scarsellas and Baios to celebrate Nana Honey's birthday. Grace was very thoughtful and brought along some dress up clothes for her and Liv to play with. And then Liv returned the thoughtfulness by sticking her finger in the cake and opening up Nana's presents for her. How nice.

No More Baby Face

Oh dear. Liv's Aunt Gena took this pic of her, and I gasped when I saw it. Mostly because I am surprised that she is more kid than toddler, and most certainly not a baby. And then there's the whole issue of her behavior. Talking about college ( she doesn't want to go) and about moving to the city (she wants to room with Rosie). This morning's wake up was as if she was 12. "But I don't want to wake up. I don't want to go to school." And don't get me started on the big sister role. She steers almost any baby discussion back to herself, how she has 5 kids at home, and how the baby in her tummy just kicked. Of course she's thrilled to be a big sister this summer, but she just has so much to do with her own brood. Perhaps we can commiserate on all things newborn come July. You know, because she "plans" to breastfeed. Oh dear, indeed.

A Trip to the Salon

We went to Tony's shop so that Steve could shave his hair for St. Baldrick's, and ended up getting Liv a little trim as well. Although when Tony said he was going to shave her hair just like her Dad's, she was a bit nervous.

No Green To Be Had Here...

This is a St. Patrick's Day post, but you wouldn't know it. The weather was unseasonably mild, and I couldn't get Olivia to wear green for the life of me because "it's handsome" was her concern. No corned beef and cabbage, as 1/4 Irish Steve won't go near the stuff. Instead, it seemed more like Easter (at least by Liv's clothing choice).

A Tale of Two Recipes

I started out to make cupcakes for Rosie's birthday, and made a Pioneer Woman recipe - her chocolate sheet cake for the cupcakes, and the "best frosting you've ever tasted" for the frosting. But, it didn't make that many cupcakes, and some turned out cooked while some were still gooey (and not in a good way). So, I then decided to make Magnolia's chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. Except, these chocolate cupcakes looked anything but. Hmm...should we blame these mishaps on pregnancy hormones? Did I forget a vital ingredient? Both were edible, and maybe even tasty, but neither turned out as good they should have. But, a mediocre cupcake is better than none at all, right?

St. Baldrick's

Anna Marie - "before"


Liv was there to lend her support.

Steve's cousin, Anna Marie, had signed up for St. Baldrick's - partcipiants shave their heads, and the money raised goes to support pediatric cancer research. Yesterday was the big day - Anna Marie came with an entourage - cousins, friends, her Mom and Grandma Eve.

Rosie's Birthday

His "get that camera out of my face" expressions are priceless.

Esme, at home with her chapstick.

I can't imagine baby dolls are all too common in bowling alleys.

Lady, I'm trying to eat. Enough with the camera!

An Uncle Mike action shot.

A little bowling, then back to G&G's house for some chili and cornbread - which I didn't get any pictures of, I was probably too busy trying to stop Olivia from opening KR's presents. A fun night was had by all, which I am sure can be told from the frosting fingerprints on Grammie's kitchen table.

Mission: Find Signs of Spring

Liv and I set out to see if Spring was indeed on it's way. We had our cameras, flashlights, a compass and a bag to put any evidence in. We did find some encouraging signs, which I can only imagine are shivering to their roots in this snow.

One of Our Favorite Holidays!

Liv and Matylda compare cameras.


What do we have here!



Emmett is no fan of the camera.

Esme is ready to par-tay!

It's too bad Esme isn't having any fun.

Esme, Liv and Hailey loved the dancers.

Esme made new friends right and left.

Luring Hailey onto the dance floor.

On Saturday we headed up North to the Irish Heritage Center for their St. Patrick's Day party. What a great day! The kids danced for hours, it seemed. Also, we were able to see Matylda and her Irish dance troope, which had the girls speechless. As per usual (sorry) I didn't get any pictures of the adults, especially of Uncle Tom and Linda who were visiting for the occasion. In years past our younger selves used to all converge in a bar in Lincoln Park, including our parents. With grandkids in the mix, though, this is a much more suitable tradition.