Laowai

recent posts

  • WORDLE

    I just found this neat toy for creating word clouds like this (click to make it bigger):


    All you have to do is copy a bunch of text into it and then it makes a a sort of pleasing graphic synopsis of everything. I copied all the text from the current page of my blog. Cool huh.

  • SUMMER ACTIVITIES

    So many fun things to do in the summer. Here are a few photos to catch you up on the special summer things we’ve been doing.

    We went to the second annual Evanston bike race. 


    Bea got a free balloon so she was happy as a clam.

     

    More beach. She likes to play with any beach toys that aren’t her own. 


    We went to Ravinia for the first time this summer. It wasn’t as easy as last year when Bea was quiet and went right to sleep. We didn’t count on her having such a good time and squealing during the performance. Brian didn’t get to enjoy the music as much as he would have liked because he was minding Bea or taking her for walks to try to make her sleepy. Oh well, we still enjoyed ourselves and she was cute so I don’t think the people around us minded her exuberance too much.

    Here she is looking like someone is about to steal her picnic.


    I violated our pacifier only when sleeping rule to try to get her to be quiet – it didn’t work.



    I couldn’t resist posting some photos from our night at Ravinia almost exactly one year ago. What a difference a year makes.



  • BEFORE AND AFTER


    We have pesto.

  • OH DEAR

    We caught Bea red-handed when she was spending time with Uncle Mike in South Haven. 

     

    Yes, I do find this funny. And this too.

    Just to be clear 1) Bea, we’ll disown you if you ever decide to smoke 2) That’s a pretzel in her mouth and 3) Her behavior in the photo doesn’t reflect Uncle Mike’s habits.

  • LIKE ROBBING SANTA

    People have been robbing the ice cream men in Evanston. You know the guys with the carts and the nice bells and all the yummy, cold treats. I Just heard this story on the local news. I see ice cream men regularly when I’m out with Bea. This makes me sad and reminds me that there are stupid, bad people out there and I should pay attention all the time.


    ………………………………………………………………………..


    EVANSTON, Ill. — It’s rough working as an ice cream man in Evanston.

    For at least the third time this summer, a man selling ice cream was robbed and assaulted in the near north suburb.

    About 7:40 p.m. Monday, an ice cream vendor said he had his cell phone taken from him by a man who entered his truck on Benson Avenue, a police report states.

    The ice cream man got into a verbal altercation with the cell phone robber and another man, police said. The second man then struck him in the face and the two fled in a red Toyota, according to the report.

    According to police, no cash was taken, just a Samsung cell phone.

    It marks at least the third time this summer an ice cream man has been robbed and assaulted.

    On June 25, a man selling ice cream from a cart was approached by a group of male teens on the 1700 block of Madison Street, where they struck him over the head, removed his wallet from his pants pocket and fled the scene with about $45. The man was not badly hurt and received medical attention on the scene, Evanston police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said.

    The same man had been victimized several days earlier, the commander said.

    Shortly before 7 p.m. on June 17, he was stopped by a group of teens at Lake Street and Dewey Avenue.

    Five male teens stopped him to buy ice cream, but as he was making change, they grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. An unspecified amount of cash was stolen in that incident. 

  • CUTIE

    Hmmmm – I think she has started mugging for the camera.





  • RED SHOES


    Oh lordy, I love these shoes more than life itself…

    But, I can’t wear them because they dig into my heals and make them bleed after about a quarter mile of walking. I’ve had them since we lived in Midland. After I bought them I put them on and walked to Krogers. I almost didn’t make it back. I squirmed and flinched with each step. 

    They simply don’t fit me.

    And yet I keep them in my closet – sometimes I’ll forget how painful they are and I’ll put them on for a while. I have an irrational hope that they will somehow fit my feet this time. I pretend that what I’ve heard isn’t true – that your feet don’t actually get bigger after having a baby. In fact I try to convince myself that maybe my feet are bucking the trend and have shrunk after having a baby. I hold my breath as I put them on hoping that they will fit. Even after I’ve walked around in them and they obviously don’t fit, I try to find new ways to walk that will make them work.

    Then the other day I noticed that they match these darling shoes that Jennifer handed down for Bea. And it broke my heart.

    Sniff, sniff.

  • SOUTH HAVEN FUN

    What a terrific trip we had to South Haven earlier this week. I haven’t had that much fun on the beach since I was a kid. We are so appreciative of Grandma and Grandpa C. for inviting us and planning everything so well. It was great to see all the Chapman grandkids together – what a fun group!

    I had a hard time choosing from my photos so I made another montage. But first a few favorites.



    On our first evening Grandma and Grandpa planned a cookout – it was yummy. 



    For dessert we made s’mores with 15 year old marshmallows from grandma’s freezer! Now we have proof that Grandma is a little crazy when it comes to stockpiling food in her freezers (yes, I meant to type freezers with and “s”).

     


  • SKINNY DIPPER

    There are just a few short years in your life when it’s acceptable to strip down to your birthday suit and run around outside – we’re taking full advantage this summer.



    I’ll post some pictures from our trip to South Haven later today.

  • THANKS!

    Thanks, Aunt Sandy, for the great little gift and the nice note. Bea just loves the water bottle and insists on keeping it within arms reach all day long.