More Chicago...

The primary reason we went to Chicago was to visit (Uncle) Jacob, as he has just finished up a Masters at the University of Chicago. This is the longest the boys have gone without seeing each other since B was born. Out on the town eating tapas...


Jacob did a great job getting us out and around and seeing the city. He has really enjoyed getting to know Chicago, and has seen so much in the last nine months. Here we are at Millennium Park:


Our friend Elizabeth come down from Madison to see us...


Friend Jeff lives in a high rise on Lakeshore Drive, and crazily enough his building is basically next door to the building where Justin lived the first seven years of his life!

Chicago continued...

Uncle Jacob reading some very, VERY academic text to Brennan:


Having lunch in Hyde Park:


Seeing my college friend Bridget and her boys out in the 'burbs. B loved to watch these boys just run circles around him...


Justin's mother joined us for the last four days of our trip, and it was wonderful for her to show us around her old stomping grounds as well. We drove up to Waukegan one afternoon for lunch and a visit with her brother Vince and his family. Here we are...

Wimbledon here I come...

Brennan has discovered Justin's tennis racquet and drags it out any chance he gets.
Not sure the smushy face technique is going to win any favors with the diehard tennis fans...



He has taken to motoring over to us and laying his head on our laps or next to us and looking up adoringly...


What a sweetie!

Happy Father's Day!

To all dads...
Thank you for being there for us, making us laugh, kissing our tears and showing us the ropes.
We love you and need you--and always will.


Here is Brennan helping me make the best blueberry muffins ever (most recent Cook's Illustrated). Justin is lucky that any of the blueberries made it into the muffins!


Here my boys are opening Daddy's gift and admiring the card.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

The birthday hat tradition is getting a little more challenging...


Bob, the plastic dog, gets the birthday hat...


Mmmm...

L.A. Baby...

Made a quick visit to L.A. to see my Dad and Sandee before early summer travel plans take over. Took B to Sandee's classroom where he got ooo-ed and ahh-ed at by 2nd graders and teachers alike. Very sweet to see him just soaking it all up. We went up to The Getty and enjoyed walking around the beautiful gardens and crawling on the grass. I hadn't been since shortly after it opened, so it was really nice to see the gardens so matured and so many people enjoying.



Then we continued the tradition and introduced Brennan to Tito's Tacos!


Yippee! and Yum!

Peek a Boo!

So Very International

Our dear friend Teresa is in the Philippines visiting her parents and we have Skyped with her a few times... Brennan will point to the computer when I ask him where Tita Tress is, and he really seems to interact with her (and others) when we Skype. He offers her bites of his dinner and laughs at a stuffed animal she plays with on her end. Very cool technology! This is what we look like from Cebu!