Picture of The Month - July

Hannah and "The Bean."

Bonus pictures:

Fun Facts: The sculptures real name is Cloud Gate.

And it's 33 x 66 x 42 ft and weighs 110 short tons.

(what's a short ton?)

Jared. Occasionally Called Dad.

Hannah calls Jared by his actual name, Jared.

It's quite funny to us. (She does call him Daddy too. Sometimes.)

I took some pictures of me and the kids for Jared for Father's Day.

I forgot to give them to him.

Here you go Daddy-o. We love you.

R.I.P

Hannah's special blue Ariel Mermaid bucket died a horrible death at the beach when Hannah landed on it and it shattered. She brought me the pieces and in tears asked me to fix it. It was adorably heart-breaking. I bought her a pink one to fix the pain.

Edit: About a week after this post, the pink bucket was shattered at the beach too. I need to buy her a metal one. She's rough with her buckets.

You were probably expecting some pictures of Jared. Some day I'll actually post pictures of him. He's at school when all the picture magic happens.

I swear he's still alive and around here somewhere.

The Cardboard Box. King Of Toys.

My dad used to get giant cardboard boxes from grocery stores and bring them home for me to play with. Of all toys my parents gave me, none are as memorable as the free boxes my dad brought home.

Oh, the imagination.

I can still remember the pure excitement.

In 2005 the Cardboard Box was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. It was the first non-toy to be inducted.

(He sat in it for 40 minutes and played)

This box is supposed to be for storage, but my kids spend so much time playing with it, it has become one of their toys.

Hannah tried to sleep in it once.

She cried when I wouldn't let her.

Other toys in the Hall of Fame are:

Alphabet Blocks Atari® 2600 Game System Baby Doll The Ball Barbie® Bicycle Big Wheel® Candy Land® Cardboard Box Checkers Crayola® Crayons Duncan® Yo-Yo Easy Bake® Oven Erector® Set Etch A Sketch® Frisbee® G.I. Joe® Hula Hoop® Jack-in-the-Box Jacks Jigsaw Puzzle Jump Rope

Kite LEGO® Lincoln Logs® Lionel® Trains Marbles Monopoly® Mr. Potato Head® Nintendo Game Boy® Play-Doh® Radio Flyer® Wagon Raggedy Ann and Andy™ Rocking Horse Roller Skates SCRABBLE® Silly Putty® Skateboard Slinky® Stick Teddy Bear Tinkertoy® Tonka® Trucks View-Master®

You'll Never Guess.

My computer has a black hole.

Pictures disappear into it.

Forgotten.

Never seen again.

This makes me sad. But this post helps.

Question: How many pictures have I taken of my kids?

Answer at the end. It's embarrassing.

Oh, so this is why I had two kids close together. Buddies.

Before.

After.

Monkey.

Bad Monkey.

I let her do this.

That's a meatball next to the iPad. What did you think it was?

I let her do this too. It keeps her busy. I love to make her happy.

Laundry baskets are good for lots of things.

Attempt at potty training.

Bath time is a big part of our lives.

Be still my heart. I love that kid.

Asher has a major crush on the computer mouse.

Answer: 15,622 at the moment. This does not include the 2 or 3,000 I deleted recently. I am forced to delete because our computer is almost full.

Our computer needs an Alka-Seltzer.

Asher's First Kill.

It's taken Jared and I a few years to accept that we can't have nice stuff when you have small kids running around.

It started with the kitchen table. I love my table.

Hannah uses it as her own personal piece of wood to carve.

(One of many dents, scratches, and lines.)

Then my couch was the next victim. Hannah has mauled it with pens and markers so many times I've lost count.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my couch? I do. So much.

Asher's first big kill was this weekend. Jared's iPhone was the target.

A few hours after I broke the news to Jared about his phone, I asked him if he loves his kids unconditionally. He said yes. Good answer.

At least once a month something happens. We sigh and say, "Someday we'll have nice stuff."

But for now we're okay with our "used to be nice stuff" stuff.

My Happy Place.

Chicago winters are hell.

It's the only right way to put it.

Chicago summers are...

...Heaven on earth.

After a day like this one, I feel that suffering through winter is totally worth it.

I'm kinda addicted to the beach. So are my kids. It's a family addiction. Hannah wears her swim suit everyday just in case we go.

(P.S. We only live a few blocks away. Makes our addiction easy to please)

Picture of The Month - June

We love the iPad.

It's easy enough for Asher to use.

Hannah is a seasoned pro on it.

Bonus Pictures:

Remember that picture she always drew. She still draws it.

We had to buy the iPad for a project Jared is working on.

I usually fight new technology. If you have the opportunity, don't fight this one. It makes life a smidgen easier.