Why they love Grandma's house

This the To Do list that Grandma Sherri put together for the girls when they spent the weekend with her while Nathaniel and I traveled to Savannah. Notice that they did not get around to "Do Chores". Surprise surprise. Oh, and they actually did "Bake cookies", they just didn't get it crossed off the list. For the most part, they accomplished all the tasks they set for themselves. (Don't feel too bad for them that they didn't get around to #6, because they did #14 instead, which was really a better and cooler coffee shop experience for them).

Incredible!

I used to be on the ball, but now I feel like I'm always the last to arrive, or in this case the last to report on the fun!

My friend Aubrey and her husband, Jeremy, hosted a house concert last night. I'd never heard of such a thing, but I sincerely hope this is not the only one I ever attend. They invited a group of artists into their living room. They rearranged all their furniture, provided excellent food and drink, and allowed a crowd of their friends and family to invade and enjoy.

And BOY DID WE! The musicians were truly amazing. Sarah Sample, Paul Jacobsen, and Ryan Tanner are all performers individually, but also collaborators and friends. I've had a couple of Sarah's cds for a year or more, courtesy of Aubrey, so I knew I loved her music. The men were new to me and a wonderful discovery. Check out Aubrey's and Renee's posts for more about the show. As Nathaniel said tonight, it was wonderful to be able to enjoy the concert without a noisy crowd to listen over. Especially given how beautiful their harmonies were. Seriously, perfection. I wouldn't have wanted to miss a note! (I think the glockenspiel may have been my favorite part, but maybe you had to be there.) Check out the musician's sites for music samples, or download some of their stuff from iTunes. If you enjoy folk music, you won't be disappointed. If you want some song recommendations, drop me a note and I'll tell you my favorites.

Thanks again, Aubrey, for the new experience! And thank you Sarah, Paul and Ryan for the wonderful show. I love my new cds already.

In which I risk sounding like a Savannah tourism ad:

Nathaniel and I spent the past weekend in Savannah, Georgia. Kid free. His parents very graciously volunteered to watch the girls so that we could escape for some much needed grown up time, and use up some flight vouchers that were nearing expiration. Our choice of destinations was almost, but not quite, random. I'd been to Savannah once previously for about two hours when my college roommate and I stopped there for lunch on a roadtrip. The town was lovely in an old, historic, almost eerie way, and I'd always wanted the opportunity to visit. Nathaniel just wanted somewhere as unlike Vegas as possible this time. Savannah, you fit the bill!

We stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast, the Eliza Thompson House. It's a home built in the mid-1800s, in the middle of the historic district of Savannah. With the exception of a trip to the beach on Saturday, we parked our car and walked for the entirety of our stay, which is precisely what I'd hoped to be able to do. It was our first B&B experience, and I really enjoyed it. They offered not only breakfast, but a wine and hors d'oeuvres hour before dinner, so guests could visit and discuss dinner plans, followed later in the evening by coffee and dessert. There were a lot of guests who sat in the sitting room and visited, but they were very clear when we arrived that we were welcome, also, to take wine or coffee or even breakfast up to our room with us if we preferred more privacy. I wasn't sure which way we'd go, but people were very friendly, and we ended up socializing even more than I'd anticipated. It was a great way to get restaurant and sight-seeing ideas since we hadn't planned anything specific in advance.

We spent our first afternoon wandering the streets of Savannah fairly aimlessly, to get a feel for the layout. The next morning, we took a trolley tour to learn more specifics about what to see. After that, we spent the rest of the day walking from square to square, re-visiting the homes the tour guide had pointed out, and taking photos along the way. I pieced my favorite photos of homes, fountains and monuments into a mosaic/poster. It was Nathaniel's idea to do so, with the thought that we might actually print it up and make wall art out of it. This is a rough up, which I'm sure Nathaniel will roll his eyes at before making something much nicer of the same photos (like he might actually spend time adjusting color in the pictures, or cropping them, which I did not). But I wanted to share this since it's easier than uploading so many pictures individually. If you click on it, you can see a larger version to see the pictures in more detail.

That evening, Friday the 13th, we took a walking "ghost tour". It was interesting and our tour guide had good delivery, but we'd chosen a less-cheesy/dramatic tour option so it wasn't too over the top. Oh, and the fact that they let you wander the streets with beer in Savannah makes the tours a little more fun. (Though by the time the tour started we, as old people, had switched to a giant coffee to keep us awake rather than alcohol).

On Saturday we drove to Tybee Island. We checked out the beach briefly, before visiting Fort Pulaski. It was a little more interesting to me than usual, as there were film crews there setting up to shoot some scenes from an upcoming film of Robert Redford's, called The Conspirator. I don't know much about the movie, but I suppose we'll have to see it now! (They weren't shooting yet, so no famous people to spot there, though I heard later that they were shooting elsewhere in Savannah while we were in town.) The fort had a good guided tour, followed by some guys in Civil War garb teaching about guns of the era and shooting them off. Good stuff. Here are a few pictures from that.

(everything in the grassy field is movie props - normally it's an empty parade ground)

Before heading back into Savannah, we took the recommendation of a couple at the B&B and stopped at "The Crab Shack" for lunch. Wow. You know how some restaurants try to be classy? This was the opposite of those places. They had embraced their tackiness and were rejoicing in it.
It was really fun, and it allowed us to try a whole lot of seafood I'd never tried before. This is Nathaniel's "sampler platter for 1".
I ordered a chicken sandwich to make sure there was something I would actually enjoy eating. But I did try everything on the platter, including mussels, crayfish, shrimp and two types of crab, plus sausages, potatoes and corn. Turns out just about anything dipped in melted butter is edible! The middle of the table was cut out with a trash can underneath so you could just chuck your refuse as you made it. Brilliant.

We spent the rest of Saturday further exploring the city and photographing more beautiful homes and squares. We attended mass at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (the church pictured in the poster above), which was beautiful! We wrapped up with our fanciest dinner out followed by watching the last half of the Notre Dame game back at our hotel. At least the dinner part was fun.

Sunday was mostly a travel day, with a large chunk of time spent in the airport in Chicago, but when you're enjoying adult conversation and not wrangling kids, even that can be a lot of fun. The vacation was fantastic. The kids had a great time, and the grandparents are still alive, so I guess I'd say it was an all around success. If you ever have the chance to visit Savannah, I would highly recommend it (though probably not the best place in the world to try to see with small children).

Oh, and we happened across a fantastic Catholic book store called Saints and Shamrocks. We actually didn't realize at first that it was a Catholic bookstore, as the window was full of ND gifts and imported Irish goods (though the "Year of the Priest" poster should probably have tipped us off). But we were amazed by the shop once we went inside and ended up buying more than we needed, including an awesome silver celtic advent wreath that I can hardly wait to get out! The woman who owns the store was wonderful and chatty and gave us our restaurant recommendation for our last dinner out. I wish I could have spent more time in the shop, and it half makes me want to open my own someday! Very well done! When they get their website up and running (it's currently in the works) I'll have to pass the address along. In the meantime, I've become a fan of theirs on facebook and they post some items there. Not to take away from our local Catholic bookstore, which I LOVE, but this one had a little something extra for us, as Notre Dame fans.

My one regret about our trip to Savannah was that I didn't read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil before we went. I'm definitely adding it to my book list. The fact that John Cusack is in the movie meant I did see it once, but it's been years so I hardly remember the premise, and a lot of the tours focus on the events of the book (a true story). There are many very obsessed fans making a sort of pilgrimage of their trips, to see what they can of the Garden sights. I'm not hoping to get that into it, but it should be extra-interesting now that I've spent some time in the city.

Her priorities are in order

Ever since Ruth was little, she's known when she's reached the point that she NEEDS to get some sleep. She used to fall asleep on the tray of her high chair if lunch stretched on too long. Then, when she was older, out of the high chair and able to use words, she would announce sometimes even before lunch was served that she was ready for her nap. We'd put her sandwich in the fridge for later and she'd head straight up to bed, crawl under the covers and be out long before Marianne finished eating. It was a beautiful thing!

Now, at four and a half, she STILL takes a good afternoon nap daily. I'm talking an hour and a half. Sometimes more. Praise God that we were able to get the girl into the morning pre-school or I don't know where we'd be now, missing out on all that important sleep.

Today we had a mob of kids over for a playdate. (You think I'm joking, maybe, but it was three other mothers and myself, with a total of 12 kids present. Three more kids were at school). By the time their friends left, both Marianne and Ruth were looking a little worse for the wear. I told them to pick out some books for quiet time while I got Meg settled down. When I came back to the living room and asked if they had their books, Ruth said "I went potty, but I didn't pick out any books. I won't need any today". So true! By the time I finished reading them a story, she was curled up on her pillow with drooping eye lids.

She's a girl after my own heart, to be sure.

Memories

The other day I was walking in the rain... maybe I was picking up Marianne or Ruth from school. I can't recall. Someone complimented me on my umbrella. It was Nathaniel's umbrella. It may be the second like it that he's had, but I honestly can't remember. What I do remember vividly, was that it was under that umbrella (or one nearly identical), while walking with Nathaniel one rainy night on campus, that I first told him that I loved him. Isn't it funny how some memories stand out like that, like you were just there. We were in the parking lot where bookstore basketball used to be held, behind Badin, nearly to Howard. The rain was coming down and we paused to talk before he dropped me off, as it was after parietals (the magic hours during which no members of the opposite sex are allowed into the single sex dorms). It wasn't the most romantic place to break the news to him, but it had been a long time coming, so I thought I'd just get it out there...

A couple months before, he'd told me he loved me. In fact, we'd only known each other a few weeks, and been dating an even shorter time. Clearly, he was braver about these things than I - and more decisive. We were walking from my dorm on the path behind Corby Hall toward the grotto. He stopped me near the giant sycamore tree that so many students have sat in and carved on, and in which we sat together numerous times after. He kissed me for the first time and then told me he loved me. See what I mean about decisiveness. The upperclassman across the hall advised me to get out of that crazy relationship as quickly as I could. But I wasn't so sure in either direction yet, so I stuck it out. I'm glad I did.

A million more memories flooded over me as I walked under the big plaid umbrella. Nathaniel and I have been married now for over nine years, together for over fourteen. There are a lot of details I don't remember from those years, but the vivid memories are, I suppose, the ones that mattered most. It's been almost fourteen years now since that first "I love you" and I'm sure I've said it nearly a million times since. I'm not planning to stop anytime soon.

Another girl!

Congratulations to my sister- and brother-in-law, April and Arthur, who welcomed this morning healthy baby girl - Sophia Thérèse. We could not be any happier for them! It's likely to be several weeks before we have the chance to meet Sophia, but we'll be praying for her and her family in the meantime, and wishing them all the best during this time of transition and adjustment to the new little ruler of their home.

Arthur is Nathaniel's identical twin brother. He and April now have their own set of three girls. Which leads me to musings on the genetics involved... this is a much discussed topic among our family on Nathaniel's side. As most of you know, we have three little girls. Nathaniel's twin has three little girls now (hooray!). The only other brother of Nathaniel's who's been married long enough to have kids is Phil. He and Renee have three little boys. So, what are the chance that we'll ever get a boy, if we continue to have children? And what are Renee's chances for a girl if they have more kids? Are we really each stuck in a gender rut? Given that my mother-in-law had six boys before her first girl (followed by one more boy and one more girl), I'd say the gender-centric child bearing runs in the family. Not that I have any urge to "keep trying till you get a boy". Personally, I'm perfectly happy with my little women. But it's interesting to think about. And as for Nathaniel's most recently married brother, George... I think the first time he and Anna find out they're expecting, they're likely to be on the edge of their seats to see which gender their babies will all turn out to be!

Congratulations, Arthur, April, Lucy and Mary! We can't wait to meet Sophia!

Halloween 2009

As mentioned previously, we had an atypical Halloween this year, complete with a cold weather camp out that was attended by a portion of our family. In order to allow the girls a trick-or-treating experience and to give them a chance to use their costumes, I took them to the Children's Museum's trick-or-treating event on Thursday night. It was... fine. It was a long line of children moving from one teenager with candy to the next over two floors of the museum, then emptying into the basement floor to play. Of course, the basement floor got more and more packed as the night wore on, till it was well beyond anything I've ever witnessed on a visit during daytime hours (thank heavens!). The costumes of the employees/volunteers were uninspired and themes to go with the different sections of the museum were nonexistent or out of order. But the kids had a good time and came away with a pretty sweet bag of treats. I wish I had paid for Meg to have a trick-or-treat bag as well, because they gave away coupons for Noodles, Valentino's, Paint Yourself Silly and others. Lesson learned. We hung out and let the kids run wild around the prairie dog tunnels and theater area for nearly an hour, then headed to a coffee shop, where the kids ate their treats and Renee, her mother and I got treats for ourselves.
The mime school prepares for their big show; or, the girls preparing to don their costumes.
The spider and the pumpkin. My first foray into store bought costumes. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just love being able to say, "Yes, actually, I did" to the "Did you make those?" inquiries. It's a pride issue. If you're a sewer, you know what I'm saying. I figured the time I'd spend creating these choices of costumes was worth way more than what the store was charging, though. Plus, the girls LOVE them, so it's win-win-win!
The ballerina-bumblebee, or something like that. I hadn't bothered getting Meg a costume but saw this one the weekend before Halloween. I couldn't resist. It has wings and antennae, but she's one. The chances of keeping those on? Right.
Our crew of costumed kids at the Museum. From left to right, Elliot, Ruth, Meg, Marianne, Henry, William and Simon (the son of my friend, Erin).
Ruth and Marianne slide into the big chair near prairie dog village at the Museum. The hats are, by far, my favorite part of these costumes. That pumpkin beret is top notch.
Meg playing in the same chair. I had to keep her a little closer than the other girls because I was afraid someone would trample her in the crowd. Luckily, the draw of a few stairs leading to a giant chair were enough to keep her entertained.
The coffee shop we descended upon got more than they bargained for with our troupe of sugared up kids! The college kids working the joint were extremely friendly, though, and even brought over a bowl of candy for the kids to pick from. NuVibe downtown. I recommend them if you need a coffee on your way into or out of the Children's Museum. And let's face it, you probably do.

*****

Nathaniel headed out Friday afternoon with the older two girls to join his family on their annual camp out. Right up to the line he was asking whether I was SURE I didn't want to come along. Really, no. I like camping, and I hope we can go next spring or summer. But I was very content to sit this one out. I spent Friday night cleaning out our basement storage room, assembling some new shelves and putting everything back away. It was a lot of work, but I was excited to have a quiet night to get it done! (Meg goes to bed at 7:15, so even with the quality time we spent together she took up very little of my night).

Saturday, Meg and I drove out to Indian Cave to join the campers. We spent a beautiful day exploring the park and visiting with family. By the time Meg and I got back home, it was well past trick-or-treating time in the neighborhood. I hadn't had any plans to participate in the festivities, but any guilt I might have felt for hiding in the house with the porch light off to avoid the local ghouls and goblins was removed.

We did let the girls dress up in their costumes again on Halloween night and trick-or-treat around the campsites. I was really surprised by the participation! There was only one other group of kids dressed up at the campground, but almost every campsite had a big bowl of candy sitting out, and the campers would come to the road to pass candy to the kids. They made a very impressive haul, given the circumstances.

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween with your own little princesses and wild things. My favorite moment this year has to be when I was driving the girls home from the Children's Museum outing and the older girls announced that they had decided "next year we're going to just trade costumes. Okay, Mom?" You betcha! I should make them sign something on that, so they don't forget...