My Busy Bee

Over the last few weeks, Braedan has been a busy bee by participating in different activities, experiencing new foods and finding new ways to get into trouble. I'll keep this post short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking.

He's become a good self feeder and on this particular day he tried mandarin oranges. He started putting his hands through his hair as he ate, and it was all down hill after that with the mess.

Each week, his gym instructors introduce a new gymnastics acitivity. He enjoyed swinging from the rings.

We recently purchased a new ride for him, and I think his dad enjoys it just as much as he does or maybe even more.


And here he is during a recent trip to the park. Aside from the swings, we put him on a slide and a bouncing horse, but he seemed to have more fun with the sticks and grass.

Chicago's Love Affair With Summer

So once my other half and I found out we were moving to Chicago and shared the big news with others, we pretty much always received this response from those that had previously visited or lived in the Windy City, "It's such a fun city, you're gonna love it but oh it gets so cold in the winter." Now at the time we received this life-changing news I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of moving even further away from my beloved Texas, but then to hear the oh so obvious about this "fun city" was even more disheartening.

Well, it's been six years since we relocated here and I have learned lots of interesting facts and other attributes about what makes Chicago Chicago. If I could go back in time to 2004 Jen and tell her the big news about the move to the Windy City this is how I would begin: "Jen, you're moving to Chicago. I know this isn't what you hoped for and I know it can get unbearably cold in the winters. So cold in fact you won't even want to go outside, but don't worry because come summer time you won't know what to do with yourself." This is what I wish someone would have told me back then, because summer time in Chicago is one of the greatest things about living here. Now I know some diehard baseball fans might say the Cubs or the Whitesox are the greatest things about living here (right now actually with the Stanley Cup Championship, the team of choice is the Blackhawks) or better yet the food, but when it's summer up here you know it. It is a sight to see when you watch the phenomenon of summer unfold, because people will find any excuse to get outside. While at work, folks will lunch in the plazas or on the lawns of downtown areas; people are walking, jogging or biking everywhere; there's dining "al fresco" at all the restaurants; and one of the bigger, puzzling activities, if there's a daytime Cubs or Whitesox game during the work week, the ball parks are always full which makes you wonder, "Shouldn't all these people be at work?"

As you can tell by the new design of my blog, the city's infectious love affair with summer has come over me. The design is called "jeans and a t-shirt" and as soon as I saw it, it made me think of the lazy days of summer and how the official work uniform for all should be denim cut-offs and a tee. While growing up, summer was always my favorite season and now that I have Braedan to share it with, I feel like a kid all over again. I am looking forward to trips to the zoo, parks and, my favorite, the pool. By the looks of the pictures below, you can tell Braedan has the right gear and playful attitude to kick off summer.