Why I Oughta...

For the second year in a row, we packed up the kids and took them out to see what is called the "Canyon Trail Cemetery" in a neighborhood in Carol Stream a few days before Halloween. Here's the post from our visit last year . With The Babe and The Bird getting a bit older and more *aware* of things, they started to get a little freaked out by some of the things that jump out!   We picked up a couple of 'kids temp' hot chocolates and watched Hocus Pocus in the van on our way there.  It was a great way to lead up to the big day on Halloween. If you don't know about the Canyon Trail Cemetery, you can check them out here on their Facebook page .  It is a really impressive display put together by a family.  All they ask is for canned food donations for the local food pantry!

This weekend, we went over to Wannemaker's for their annual Christmas season Open House with all three kids and Nat's folks.  This is the second year in a row we've gone and it was a totally lovely experience.  Last year, we got their early in the day and waited for a long time to get to meet Santa and pet his reindeer. This year, we arrived pretty late.  I think it went from 10 am to 3 pm.  We arrived about 230 pm and walked right in.  They switched things up this year.  Last year, it was meet Santa...and THEN...go meet his reindeer.  This year, they put the reindeer part first.  They were allowing groups in two at a time to pet each of the reindeer.  The girls got up close and person with one of them (in the photo above). After that, you went around to the Santa line.  There, they had some cute coloring pages for the kids set up with crayons.  Really great way to keep the kids occupied and give them something fun to do while other kids were meeting with the 'Big G

Did the Bird ever have fun.  She was all over all the trucks, but mostly LOOOOVED the 'digger trucks' that the fine folks from the Elmhurst Park District put out at their annual "Touch-A-Truck" event at Berens Park in Elmhurst last weekend. Here's my post from 2013 showing how the Babe - at that time - was all over the trucks .  This year?  Her younger sister was doing the leading.  In 2013, we were able to get in a helicopter.  This year, we arrived about halfway through the event, so I'm not sure if there helicopter left before we got there or if they couldn't book it this year? This is a really great event and the kids all seem to love it.  So much in fact, that the Bird asked if her birthday party (#4 this year!) can be a "Touch-A-Truck Birthday"?!?  Hmmm...that might be hard to pull off, no?

I've been hearing - virtually - ALL summer from The Babe that she desperately, desperately wants to run a Lemonade Stand.  Over the weekend, we finally caved and helped her fulfill her vision.  We only had a few stipulations: 1.  She had to give the lemonade away for free but ask for donations to a charity of her choice. 2.  When we were out of lemonade, that was it.  No whining about wanting more. Well...I'm happy to report that The Babe picked " Give Kids The World " as her charity of choice and we set up on the corner of 3rd and Indiana where there was a bit more traffic than out front of our house.  We listen to a lot of Disney podcasts in the car and the guys on The Dis UnPlugged talk a lot about "Give Kids the World" and after asking Nat and me about it, that's the one she picked.  We wrote up a little sign on the money jug that said 'Donations for Give Kids The World Accepted'.   For those of you who don't know, Give Ki

You can't send us to a Sox game and not have us seek out the big Mickey Mouse up by the Fundamentals level out in left field.  That's what every family does, right?   The Bird here can't read so the big 'please keep off' sign didn't stop her from posing with her guy all dressed up in White Sox colors.   We arrived about 45 minutes before the first pitch and did a tour around the lower bowl concourse before settling into our seats.  It was hot.   Like sweaty hot.   And we lasted about 1/3rd of an inning before one of the girls started to complain about being 'bored'.  Seriously.  1/3rd of the FIRST inning.  

The girls are really into 'blind bags'.  You know...those toys that come in little packages and are part of a series but you don't know which one you'll get until you open it.  Between Shopkins ( which I've talked about here ) and My Little Pony, they like to open the little bags and get surprised.  Kind of like toddler gambling or toddler toy roulette. Recently, we were at the Toy Store in Elmhurst and they spotted these Simpson mini figure Lego blindbags .  The Bird got Hans Moleman.  The Babe got Groundskeeper Willie. They've quickly fallen out of grace in favor of ponies and unicorns with both girls.  Too bad for them.  Good for me I guess, as they're now adorning my desk. I was saying "Boo-urns....".

We *so* tried to go the Memorial Day Parade.  In fact, we tried twice.  Both times, turned around for either the Bambino or the rain.  My god...the rain.  It came down light.  It came down heavy.  It came down when we were walking there, once again, so we just turned around. That didn't stop the Bird from stomping around in her rain boots, her pants hiked way up and her giant 'sumbrella'.  We ended up in a *new* place for breakfast that felt comfortable but a bit foreign.  We'll have to do something about that.

Let's get after it with some egg dying, outdoor egg huts, and potato salad, right?

I probably should have put 'reading' in quotation marks.  But...here's the Bird giving The King of The Ball Tossers a lesson in how cats can cross the road.  He seemed to be into it.

We couldn't pass up this 'Winnie the Pooh for President' glass when we saw it.  I thought it was too much for something silly like this (I think they were asking like $5) so I put it down after admiring it, but..when you put all the pieces together, it almost seems like this glass was destined for our family.   Nat said we *had* to buy it.   It is Disney (of course) and is marked with 'Walt Disney Productions' - which this page tells us that it could be from a VERY wide range of 1939 to 1986 when they changed to 'The Walt Disney Company '.   So...why buy it? Let's count the reasons: Pooh bear?  Check.  The Bird's favorite guy in the world.  She sleeps with a Pooh Bear everynight. Political reference?  Check.  I'm a sucker for political kitsch stuff. And...it was sold through Sears?  And has a Sears mark?  Check.  The Moran's have a deep Sears connection.   This guy now is ours and as you can see from the top photo is

 When the shoveling is done (or mostly done...), the girls wanted to play.  Don't mind if we do.

Here's the same event from back in 2012 . The Bird really grew up!

We start 'em young at the Parrillo household. If you read our family blog (which you most likely don't!), you've seen a few of the photos over the years of the girls on this very important day in our house:  election day.  I think I've chronicled (over there) every time we've taken them to the polls. For some history from this blog: Here's a photo of  the Babe back in 2010 when she voted for the 2nd time. And  here's the first time The Babe came to the polling place back in 2010 when she was just a month old . After all these years of supporting Tom Cross, we got our first chance to vote for him on the ballot.  It felt nice!

Pancakes?  Eggs?  Playground?  Done. Done. And Done.

She's growing up so fast.  And...man-o-man..does she have some personality.  Plenty of it.

We took the girls to Brookfield Zoo last Saturday.  The temperature was oddly warm which meant that we weren't the only ones who had the bright idea to go to Zoo Lights.  The traffic was a mess, but once we got inside (and parked in the South Lot!), we had a great time.  We even rode the carousel....which we never do (according to the Babe)!

I took both of my girls to see the Menards Halloween display.  The Babe loved everything but the scary ghosts/witches while The Bird mostly just hung out in her car set. Here's the photo I took of The Babe just one year ago .  Can't believe how much she's grown!

Born this morning at 9:38 am, our little girl joined her big sister The Babe and her amazing Momma in our new family of four.  Nat did an amazing job and seeing new life enter this world NEVER gets old. Can't wait to get to know her.