AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

It is midnight right now but I can't sleep. The "AAAAAAaaaaagh" above is me screaming, not because I am spooked or for any Halloween related scare but because I am so excited. Tomorrow I get to join a VERY NICE gym! I have been dreaming about joining a gym since we've been married. We had a "gym" when we lived in NY that was in our building but it was tiny. However, I used it religiously as an excuse NOT to work on my Master's thesis, so it was great! But then for the past five years we were in London, I was never able to join a gym because of Charles' long work hours, expensive membership fees and no child care facilities. But now I am joining one and I am so excited. The gym I am joining is very nice with a lap pool, hair salon, spa, all kinds of classes and a children's play area all inclusive! I am joining with a friend of mine so we can inspire each other to go which won't take much for me because I just can't wait! Yippppeee! Let's hear it for getting in shape!

October

I do not have Abby in preschool right now (I am planning on enrolling her in January) and I am really enjoying having her home. I thought it would be difficult but it hasn't been. Her and Sammy are good pals. Everyday I try and do some kind of craft with the girls. I have become obsessed with books about crafts for kids. We go to the library once a week so I pick a lot of them up there or I scour the internet for ideas. I have also been teaching her about various things like the earth for example and had a few lessons on seeds and apple trees tying it into a craft making seed collages or apple paintings. Again, I have really enjoyed my time with her and Sammy lately. Abby will be in full-time Kindergarten next year (and that really means full-time because here they go all day, not half days) and so I figure it is nice to enjoy her while she is still around.

We have also joined two different moms & tots groups. One is the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club and the other is a moms group of young moms with young kids in Naperville. We have met so many people this way and already have quite a group of friends that I feel we can call on anytime to do a babysitting swap or just get together. We have something to go to every single day (literally) if we want to. There are playgroups, recipe exchange parties, morning pajamas parties, children's book clubs, craft playgroups, singing groups, exercise/babysitting swap groups, meet at the local farm/children's museum groups, lunch groups and more! There are also Ladies Nights Out which have been fun to meet at restaurants with the women or someone's house for a food party etc. We have a Body Shop night coming up as well as foot care night and we met at the Melting Pot this past week for dinner. It is a lot of fun. I have felt so much more freedom since we have moved to Chicago because I can actually go out at night now. In London, I was chained to the house (unless I wanted to pay a fortune for a babysitter) due to Charles' late work hours. I have a friend here who I have been going out with once a week. We have just gone to dinner or shopping or to a movie. However, I think we are going to start evening yoga classes together now. There are so many evening classes offered here that I am excited to take. It is just so nice to have some time away from the girls. It is also nice because babysitting is so much cheaper here so Charles and I can also go out more easily. It is certainly a bonus to moving back to the states even though I still miss our weekend jaunts to Spain or Greece terribly..... Here are a few pictures of the crafts we have made and things we have been up to.

Our balloon and grocery bag ghost

Halloween Orange

Abby got a new My Little Pony bike and she loves to ride it.

I love living in a cul-de-sac!

Halloween sugar cookies with overdose on the sprinkles...

Painting our paper maiche pumpkin (it took almost a week to dry - I think I will go a little lighter on the glue next time...)

The finished result!

Our Tinker Bell and Ladybug. They both wanted wings so this is what we came up with....

Killing time waiting for the Halloween Birthday party to start. Our master bedroom bathroom has become a stage for any and all performances as well as a jungle gym...

This is "Sammy Witch." We traced the girls' bodies and made Sammy into a witch for Halloween.

Abby did not want her picture to "dress up." She just wanted a nice skirt and a pumpkin.

On Saturday, we went trick-or-treating at Safety Town (a little miniature town with tiny buildings, roads and a railroad).

The girls have already collected way too much candy after three Halloween parties and trick-or-treating and it isn't even Halloween yet! I have to really limit the candy especially after Sammy threw up in the middle of the night on Friday. The first thing she said to Charles when he walked into her room after she threw up was "it was an accident Daddy, I didn't mean to."

Can I just say, that I am still really blown away by how big Halloween is in the States. It is out of control if you ask me. I can't get over the Halloween lights that everyone has now and the enormous amounts of decorations. It was not like that in England at all. It is strange to be a part of again....

Fall Activities

Wonderful World of Wheels, Naperville

This is an annual event in Naperville where all the city workers bring their big trucks for the children to climb on and explore. There were tractors, a police cars, a fire engine, a street sweeper, a semi-truck, sewer cleaner, digger, dump truck, trolley, cement mixer and others I probably forgot about. Most children just loved climbing up in the cab of all the trucks and honking the horn. Sammy in front on the wheel of the big digger.

Posing in front of the fire engine. Driving the fire engine. The sewer cleaner truck.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sorry about the side-ways video. I have to remember not to do that...

The Shedd Aquarium, Chicago

petting a snake

The aquarium has the oldest known fish in captivity. It is an Australian Lung Fish and it was brought to the museum in 1933. It didn't really move much but it was huge. Ididn't get a picture of it.
watching a stingray

Johansen Farm

We got to go to the farm again but this time Abby and Sammy got to bring their little friend Joseph. Abby loves to play with him because he has quite an imagination. They like to pretend they are on a battleship or they are space austronauts or flying in a helicopter (obviously all made up by Joseph). Those are just a few of the things I have heard them playing when I easedrop. Abby plays with Joseph better than I have ever seen her play with another child. It is very cute!



The hayride at the farm






Peeking at the sheep

Salt Dough Creations

I made these when I was little. It is just two cups of flour, one cup of salt and one cup of water. Mix together to form a dough and cut out shapes. Then bake six hours in a warm oven 120 degrees. We painted ours when they were dry and then made necklaces and wands out of them.

Abby likes to do the washing up these days.

Leaf Walk - Knoch Knolls Park

We read a book about a bear that went on a leaf walk with its mother. It talked about how the leaves change during all the different seasons. After that, Abby had to go on a leaf walk and collect some leaves and talk about how they change too.

Knoch Knolls Park is about a five minute walk from our house. It is huge with lots of trails.

Our House

We took some more pictures of the house because we didn't have many good ones. I love our red door... By the way, for those of you concerned about our mowing issues (Charles mowing the lawn for five hours - see previous post), we mowed it again this past weekend and it only took about 45 minutes to an hour. It was only because it had not been mowed for two months and our grass was really thick that it took so long the previous time.

Kuiper Farm - "Apple Picking"

We went apple picking last weekend but I think Abby and Sammy liked the wagons more than any apples...
However, our friend Elijah probably liked Sammy more than the wagons or the apples.









Field Museum, Chicago



The Field Museum in Chicago has all kinds of stuff to see. It is similar to the Natural History Museum in New York or London. We went with our friends: Mary, Maddy, Savannah and Gabe.

Cozy with Uncle David