School Art

Grady had his mid-year assessment at school and they said he is doing very well. They pointed out that he is very independent and likes things a certain way; he also loves music and art time. One of the teachers said that he can sure "cut a rug"! They also love how affectionate and sweet he is and he has really become attached to the teachers in his classroom. Overall, I think it was very positive and we are so blessed to have such a healthy and sweet little boy.

Here are some of his recent art pieces from school:

Backyard Puddles

It's been so rainy lately so we have had to stay inside and try and keep entertained there (gets a little rough sometimes!). Today there were a few puddles in the back and in between the showers, Grady went outside and played in the puddles. He even dipped his head in it!

papoose

After Grady gets out of the bath, we put him on our bed and wrap him up like a little papoose in our comforter. He loves laying on our bed and we probably lay on it with him for about an hour each day. He loves pillow talk.

Charnley-Persky House

While Grady was at school today (he's feeling much better by the way), my grandmother and I went to tour a house designed by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built in 1892 in the Gold Coast area of Chicago and has been occupied by many families but is now owned by a preservation group. Gorgeous!

Entry Fireplace

Dining Room

Handmade spindles on staircase

Another Ear Infection

Grady has had a bit of a runny nose and slight cough the past few days but today he woke up and kept grabbing at his ear and was much more cranky than normal. I made him a doctor's appointment right away and poor baby has an ear infection in both ears. We got him some medicine at noon and he started to feel better almost right away. I'm just glad that we were able to catch it much sooner this time.

Wright Woods Trail

Today we took my grandma for a hike at the Wright Woods forest preserve. We decided to hike the longer 2.5 mile trail and had a wonderful time. The trees are starting get leaves and a few wild flowers were in bloom in the brush. Grady got out of the stroller and walked quite a bit; what a little outdoorsman!

Beach Play

After Grady's nap, we went over to the beach to play. It has been in the 80's the past couple of days so it has been really nice to spend the whole day outside. Grady loves to be outdoors and the beach and sand is the perfect place for him. Grady got a bit sunburned under the eyes so next time we will have to make sure to lather him up!

handprints and sandy feet

Four Generation Lunch

My grandmother (Grady's Great Grandmother) came into town this week and will be staying with us for a week and a half. Today, my mom came over so we had four generations in the house! If only MY Great Grandmother were there it would have been 5 generations! We walked to a little diner for lunch, then over to Bobtail Ice Cream for chocolate shakes and later, a little children's clothing boutique, LMNOP (while Grady napped in the stroller).

Gillson Park

Kris went out of town on Friday for a wedding then headed straight to Houston on Saturday for work. We will miss him! In the meantime, Grady and I went to Gillson Park today. It's up north and one of my favs, right on the beach! It's the beach we like to swim at because the city beaches are usually a bit dirtier and they also have the riff raff (lots of drunk kids). We played in the water, and Grady went on the swings. Loves those swings!

Rainy Days

It's been a little rainy lately with thunderstorms here and there. We had a strange day yesterday where it thundered in the morning but got to about 70 degrees in mid day and then started to rain again later that night. In between showers, we went to a good park for rainy days, Kenmore Park. This park has mulch on the ground so it sucks up the rain. If we take Grady to another park with asphalt or cement ground, he goes straight for the puddles!

Purdy little flower

Post Easter Hike

After our Easter celebration, we decided to hit the trails for a nice 2 1/2 mile hike. We drove a bit northwest to get to the Deer Grove Trail System; unfortunately, living in the city has cost us being close to any forested trails. We had a nice time and beat the rain by about 20 minutes! Lucy got so tired during the hike, she had to take a breather in Grady's jogging stroller.

Easter

For Easter, my mom and John came over and we made a nice little Brunch of eggs and fresh fruit. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day out and Grady was able to go on an Easter egg hunt in the backyard (yes, it is a concrete jungle here in the city).

Lucy guarding Grady's findings

Cupcakes and Oz Park

Since it is Spring Break at Grady's school, he has spent the whole week at home with Mommy (he normally goes to school Wednesdays and Fridays). Today we walked to Swirlz, a cupcake shop about a mile from our house, and then walked over to Oz Park (named after The Wizard of Oz).

He got a double chocolate cupcake at Swirlz and stared at it for about 5 minutes before he started eating, and then of course ate only the frosting. Oz Park was full of kiddos and kite flyer's.