Laowai

Here are Bea and Claire’s rooms right now. I can’t wait to take some of that wall paper down and do a hundred other things to make the rooms more our own. I’m working on a headboard for Claire. I found an old Jenny Lind style bed that I’m repainting. She asked for purple (my least favorite color) and she’s getting purple because I want her to love her room a little more. It’s taking me a while to sand and paint all those fussy spindles, but I am really enjoying having a garage to do messy projects. That brown headboard was only 27 bucks at the antique mall in Bay City. I’m trying to decide if I should paint it so it will match the Jenny Lind bed or just leave the wood, which is in great condition.

Bea is loving her desk – it’s the enamal top table that we used to have in our kitchen. In fact, that table is also from the antiques mall in Bay City. She is meticuluos when she arranges all her millions of trinkets. Can you say clutter?

Stay tuned for pictures of a purple headboard.

Not much to report here. We’re gearing up for the start of school and still trying to settle into our house with all our stuff.

Here’s Brian explaining electricity to Bea – atoms, protons, generators, charges, etc. It’s not a great photo, but it shows something I love. Bea just eats it up when Brian explains complex things to her.

Fruit on a stick was Bea’s idea. We had some delicious blueberries that Grandma and Grandpa C. picked.

The girls continue to enjoy our puddley driveway. Bea set up a little beach and penguin land.

Last night the girls got to know our neighbors a little better. They just duck throught the shrubs to go between our backyards. They checked out each others scooters and bikes and had sweet little kid conversations. Two boys and one year old girl – and the mom seems really nice too. 

You know that saying about how it has to get worse before it gets better. Well we seem to be stuck in the worse zone. Things went from crazy when our stuff was delivered to a complete disaster area now. It seems like it’s taking me forever (and a day) to figure out where all our stuff goes in this new house. The things that are put away in cupboards and closets are mostly shoved in all nilly willy. There are still loads of boxes cluttering up the living room and the upstairs hallway. It seems that since we are going from a smaller to a larger space all our stuff should fit nicely, but that’s not how it’s working out. Maybe I should blame the kids – they just want me to cut holes on boxes so they can make stores all day long. Hmmmm – who else could I blame?

Here’s a photo of the girls just moments after we started opening boxes of toys in Claire’s room:

Bea was so happy to be reunited with all her Playmobil – she got right to work and set up some sort of animal home or zoo.

Our old driveway has great big puddles when it rains… or when I let the girls run the hose for a while. And I uncovered their rain boots so they were happy.

I did feel good when I got my fabric stash all stacked up in it’s new home. I cannot wait to paint over the shiney red walls in my sewing room. Red Room, Red Rum, Red Room. They’re frightning!

We’ll be taking our first roadtrip in our new car soon and we’re looking forward to being close to Grandpa and Grandma C. for a couple days. 

Our boxes and furniture came on Wednesday. It was a long eight weeks that we waited and I was so looking forward to having my bed, our toys, our silverware – everything. But then on Thursday I was just completely overwhelmed all day. I staggered around opening box after box not feeling like I was making progress. Drowning in cardboard and frustrated with the chaos. Waa waaa – where is my magic wand? Hearing the girls open their boxes of toys was the best part of it all. Reunited with all their favorite things – they’ve been happy

We went down to the beach at the end of the day and maybe that healed me a bit. It was a beautiful evening with a refreshing wind.

I’m feeling guilty at my self-pity when I have so much to be thankful for. So on to more boxes…

We went back to another one of our old haunts yesterday – Wagner Farm. It’s a cute little farm set up as it would have been in the 1920s or 1930s.

We toured the old farm house and then ran over to see the chickens:

It was a dairy farm – so we had to enjoy some ice cream in the rocking chairs:

They have a museum area and an old store display:

Just like when she was 3 years old, this egg gathering spot was Bea’s favorite:

You gather the play eggs and then put them in a box – and then you can do it over and over and over…

We even got to see a cow milking demonstration. Very cool – they hooked her up to the milking machine and it was super exciting to see the milk running through the tubes.

And because I can’t help but look back at old photos lately here are some shots of Wagner farm from a few years ago (some with little Jenna!):

The end:

The girls have a new babysitter and we went to see Aida at Ravinia. It was so nice!

Here are some old posts from when we visited Ravinia with little Bea.

I also got to ride on a Metra train for the first time. The Metra is the suburban Chicago train system – separate from the L. This is the station that Brian goes to to get to work. The whole thing is not nearly as technologically advanced as the system in Switzerland, but this old station is darn cute.

We took a walk a bit north of our house at the Old Fort Sheridan area. It was a chilly and misty day. There was some complaining – but it was beautiful.

The rocks on this beach are so nice an round. We took a few home with us.

There’s a meadow above the beach – it was buzzing with life an full of colorful flowers.

We were all a bit soggy by the end of our walk. 

I forgot to post these photos from my Grandma’s 90th birthday party. I’m so lucky to have a great family and I had a fantastic day catching up with cousins and aunts and uncles. Take a look at these fine folks! 

File this evening under the most fun the girls have had at the new house. Brian is home after being away for a long six weeks – so we celebrated his birthday. The party was much anticipated by Bea and Claire – they asked all day if it was time to decorate Daddy’s cake.

Googley Ooogley eyes.

There are advantages to having no living room furniture – let’s dance!

What time is it in Switzerland?

We are lucky to live close to the Chicago Botanic Garden now. Bea and I spent many nice days there before we moved away and now we are back. It’s so beautiful – especially in the late afternoon light. And all the tall prairie Midwest plants – ah – lovely. I think I should have named one of my children Prairie. 

What is Bea doing here? I have several goofy shots of her like this. I think her legs are growing so fast she can’t keep them under control – ha.