Green Things

Now that we're homeowners, I'm trying my hand at all things green, including flowers, lettuce, tomatoes, basil and cilantro. We'll see how things fare by the end of the summer.

Naked House

One of our most recent home improvements was to pull out the evergreen bushes out front. They were approximately 30 years old and covered up so much of the house. One landscaper suggested waiting until we were ready to plant new shrubs because we would be shocked at how bare our house looked, but we were ready to pull the trigger. We'll plant new shrubs this fall, but we're happy with our naked house for now.

New Toy

We had to purchase a new jumper for June (well, it's new to us, thanks to Once Upon a Child). How did we survive without one of these for Max? We may have held him a little more often, but that's impossible now that we have two!

Tummy Time

Junebug

Our little June is such a great baby. She is full of smiles, just started laughing and rolling over, and she's been sleeping through the night (11 - 12 hours!) since she was 8 weeks old! And she's still a great eater -- everyone we meet comments about her chubby cheeks and legs. I'm trying to savor every moment of the infant stage, but time is flying by.

Colored Water

Now that it has finally stopped raining, Max and I are finding all kinds of activities to do on the deck. His favorites are watering the flowers, painting and (of course) sitting down for a snack.

Little Park, Big Park

When we were house-hunting, I really wanted to find a house that was within walking distance to a park. In Chicago, we could walk to several parks, and I loved being able to venture out with Max without having to jump in the car. We found a house just down the street from Sherwood Oaks Park, just off the Jackson Creek Trail. And if we are up for a little bit of a walk (about 10 minutes), we can head out to Olcott Park, which is much bigger (and more toddler-friendly). Here's a peak of one of our almost-daily outings.

Gearing up in the double-stroller (I highly recommend the Maclaren Twin Triumph!) ...

Sherwood Oaks Park

The Trail

Olcott Park

Rollerskates

Apparently, Max was impressed by our neighbor's rollerskates. A few hours after visiting with them, I found him trying to make his own.