The Adventures of Owen & Friends

Christmastime

2011-12-25T13:37:00.000-06:00

Dad's amazed that Christmastime is one word and I am amazed how much fun it is. This year we swapped our schedule, heading to Gigi & Papa's for Christmas Eve and then hosting Christmas Day at our place. Dad told me that when he grew up, most of the action took place on Christmas Eve, when his grandparents came over. This was the first time in a while that a larger group gathered in LaGrange and I loved it. My cousins and I opened a ton of gifts, even after most of the adults ran out of theirs.
The next morning I woke up at home to a freshly stocked Christmas tree and stocking, thanks to Santa. He got me a cool Batcave, some Star Wars toys, a couple of games and a GIANT penguin, aka Fluffy Guy. Santa even gave Casey and I a co-present, in the form of a Penguin stocking cap.

S A N T A

2011-12-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

Turkey Shoot

2011-11-13T09:01:00.000-06:00

My St. Helen kindergarten's November Family Project was to show how I could catch a turkey. Dad thought a picture book might be fun, so we set out to create some construction paper characters and props, including a cartoon gun and bullet. Casey made a great turkey, which Dad and I provided feathers for. Once everything was complete my hunt for Thanksgiving dinner began in my front yard. I spotted Mr. Turkey near the pond and fired away... but he was too quick. Luckily, the local store had plenty of frozen turkeys on hand, which Casey was more than happy to throw in the oven for Dad and me.

Oh, Mama Mia

2011-11-05T13:43:00.000-05:00

One night, while returning from a visit to Gigi and Papa's, Casey and Dad stopped the radio on a station playing an epic song that started quietly, then slowly built to a fantastic rock explosion. Casey and Dad seemed to know all the words and even did some head banging. I asked what the song was and my dad explained it was called "Bohemian Rhapsody" by a band called Queen. By the next week Dad added it, and a couple other Queen songs, to my playlist and made sure I saw the origins of the singing and head banging by showing me the famous scene from Wayne's World. We also watched The Muppets' take on the classic. After a couple months of almost daily listening and eventual performance, I really nailed it on the way to Madison's birthday party.

All Hallows' Eve

2011-10-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

Halloween fell on a Monday this year, which meant an entire weekend's worth of fun. It started on Saturday, when my Mom unveiled my awesome costume, Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. I showed off at a neighborhood party that afternoon and on Sunday I made an appearance at Brookfield Zoo's Boo! At The Zoo, where I got cheated out of best costume due to a judge's ignorance of the "No store bought costumes eligible for a prize" rule. Finally, on Halloween, I went to school in costume, then met up with Ethan for some trick-or-treating in my neighborhood. Much to my Dad's surprise, most of the homes and apartments had candy and one block even had a street party complete with cider for the adults. When we got home we ordered some pizza, then Ethan and I combined all of our candy and split it evenly with each other. Our parents were shocked.

Oh, Canada or How I May Have Just Repeated A Title Cause There Are Only So Many Available For Canada Posts

2011-10-22T18:12:00.001-05:00

It happened again. I found myself in Canada. Toronto specifically, plus the part between Detroit and Toronto, but that was mainly experienced through a car window. This marks my sixth visit to our friendly neighbor up north and I am not even six-years-old. Dad hopes Canada has a 'visit us ten times and get honorary citizenship free' offer, then I can go to the University of Toronto while he feigns illness, moves in with me, and basks in single payer health insurance. Unfortunately, this was the quickest of the six visits, so not much activity, but nice visits with Aina and Zane, plus lots of bread, thanks to Papa.

Thanks Christopher Columbus

2011-10-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

A long, long time ago this Italian guy Christopher Columbus was paid by Spain to go look for land and the riches that come with it. The land Chris found was in the general area of where America is today, which was good enough for some serious and continued recognition in street names, statues, circles and- most importantly- a holiday that nets me a day off from school. And what did I learn from this year's day away from the education grind? Well, without Columbus' discovery of "America" I would not get to go to zoos with my family or play mini-golf and skee ball with my dad. Thanks Mr. Columbus!

Unlimited Rides

2011-08-26T16:42:00.002-05:00

Every August my new school, St. Helen, has a carnival complete with rides and games. I've attended it each of the last three years, but now that I am a St. Helen student, I am able to purchase a magic green wristband that leads to unlimited rides.
On very the first night, it took me about 30 minutes to get my monies worth; thanks to about five trips through the Fun House, another few through the Indy Adventure and about four trips down the Fun Slide. Dad joined me a couple times on the Matterhorn and Pharaoh's Fury, plus had one go around on Zero Gravity, which I can be seen above waiting to exit from, but can't be seen on while flying through the air. Dad could only stomach the one ride, but not me. By the end of the weekend I rode it almost 10 times! I may have ridden it more, but Gigi's heart might not have survived my going up one more time.

Weekend At Owen's

2011-08-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

Even with school starting, there remained one last gasp of summer fun, when my cousins- Alexa, Madison & Quinn aka The Girls- came to Chicago for a visit downtown, a sleepover, a Sox game, and pizza, pancakes and gelato.
The weekend started with a trek out to Naperville through some serious rain to pick-up the girls. We headed back to Chicago, where the weather cleared up and allowed for a quick bus trip to Michigan Ave. for some window shopping and head scratching when we got to the city's newest public art piece, a giant sculpture of Marilyn Monroe. We hoped the bus back to West Town and stopped or some pizza at Roots, then dessert at Black Dog Gelato. Stomachs filled we headed home for bed.
The next morning we slowly made our way out the door for brunch at a brand new restaurant nearby called Prasino, which also has a location near Gigi & Papa's. That sat us in a cool alcove, where we all enjoyed our food, which was mainly pancakes. The weekend visit with my cousins ended with a trip to U.S. Cellular Field for the White Sox vs. Texas Rangers. It was a hot day, so we ventured from our seats to find a mini-carnival midway set-up in the outfield concourse. I played some games, won prizes and hung out with stilt walkers and the Sox mascot Southpaw. Madison tried the batting cages and we both tried to throw strikes at a moving target, which Madison had better luck with. We left the rare Sox victory early to beat the heat and the traffic back out to the burbs, where the summeresque weekend came to an end.

KINDERGARTEN

2011-08-18T17:37:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, August 18, 2011, all 3'11" and 49 lbs. of me walked through the doors of St. Helen School in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood and began my educational career with my first day of kindergarden... at my third school.
Only 16 years and 9 months to go until I enter the robust job market.

The End Of (Summer) Days

2011-08-17T19:20:00.000-05:00

It had to come to an end eventually and that day was Wednesday, August 17, when my summer vacation officially ran it's course. However, thanks to the downtime between Summer Camp and kindergarten, I had a great last three days of summer. I spent one whole day with Gigi & Papa, Casey and my Dad on the very last day.
We started the day by visiting Dr. Z and receiving good news that I only had to wear my patch two hours per day. Post eye Dr., we went back home, hopped in the car and headed to Novelty Golf & Games (ne' The Bunny Hutch) for a round of mini-golf. I love me some mini-golf and when I am reminded that I am not a lefty and I concentrate for at least a second, then I am a pretty good shot. Dad had a tough time because he was distracted by the fact the place was stuck in time. Although, he was not distracted enough to not win the round.
After mini-golf, we headed to "Aunt" Silvija & "Uncle" John's for a famous quesadilla and a trip to the super awesome Lincolnwood pool. I splashed around in the kiddie pool before Dad persuaded me to try out the water slide. I had previously been skeptical about the slide because you have to be able to get to the edge of the pool after you hit the water, but Dad assured me I was tall enough to walk myself over and he waited in the wings the first couple times. After that though, I was hooked and didn't need any help at all. Twenty plus times down both slides later, it was time to head back home. Not surprisingly, I fell asleep, and Dad probably wished he could have slept through the next two days, to let his now water slide sore body heal.

Pure Haven

2011-08-01T16:23:00.001-05:00

Papa gathered the family for another trip to South Haven, Michigan, where we once again stayed in the big house with the big pool to match. Everyone enjoyed the usual sunsets and ice cream, corn and hamburgers, and beach and dunes. However, this year also brought some new things, at least for me. For example, I played the card game War with Gigi and my cousins, we took a day trip to Saugatuck, Dad took me and the girls to minigolf and we all enjoyed a huge thunderstorm that very briefly cut the power to the house. The storm ushered in the best part of the trip, when we went to Lake Michigan on our last day and I battled almost five foot waves. Luckily I had my life vest on and Dad played a human backstop, which prevented me from falling under the water. Can't wait for next year's trip.

Crashing Gigi Camp

2011-07-21T09:16:00.003-05:00

Every summer Gigi hosts her grandchildren for a few sessions of Gigi Camp, which feature various arts & crafts projects, movies, museums and Papa driving us to those places.
A few days after my Gigi Camp session, Dad and I decided to crash my cousin's last one of the summer, so on a beautiful- albeit too hot- July morning we hit the bus and headed for the Brown Line, which would take us to our first stop, The Sears (ne' Willis) Tower. This was my first visit to the tallest building in North America and my Dad's first visit in longer than he could remember. There's plenty to look at and learn from on the way to the Skydeck and it goes without saying the view from thousands of feet above Chicago is stunning, especially from the new Ledge that seemingly floats outside of the skyscraper.
After our sky high trip, Gigi, the girls, Aunt Lori, Dad and I headed to Navy Pier via water taxi, another first for me and also for my Dad, who can't say enough about the perspective of Chicago from the Chicago River. At Navy Pier, we had a nice lunch at Riva, then headed to see Pinocchio at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I liked the play and it's songs and Dad found the seat very comfortable.
When the play ended we said our goodbyes and headed the bus back home. Not surprisingly I fell asleep and Dad got to carry me the three blocks home in the heat and humidity. I have it pretty great sometimes.

Pitchfork Music Festival - Take 5

2011-07-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

Mid-July means the annual Pitchfork Music Festival and this year's was the fifth I've attended or so I'm told. I can't recall, although I have seen pictures of past ones I've been to. This year, thanks to my friend Megan, I was on the VIP list and got my own wristband and laminant.
After I said hello to a few people, my first stop was the Ice Cream Man for some free ice cream, which I ate on Dad's shoulders while watching The Dismemberment Plan. Then we headed to see Twin Shadow, where I scored some nice balloons. We ended the night hanging out backstage listening to the music in the distance and playing with friends. Before heading home, I ate a hot dog and even more ice cream, then checked out some random spotlights on the way to the car.
Next up Lollapalooza.

Millennium Mondays

2011-06-20T19:38:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 07.04.11: I went again. This time on the Fourth of July on what Dad labeled the most beautiful day of the year in Chicago. While I did not get to hear any music, due to an earlier than normal arrival, I was able to tour the Lurie Garden and make a return trip to the Crown Fountain. On the way home we hung out in an almost deserted Daley Plaza and played on the Picasso.

Millennium Park has been somewhat of a staple of my early-childhood in Chicago. There were a few afternoons in the park with Mom and Dad and some early-evening meet-ups with Gigi & Papa at Pritzker Pavilion for some classical and/or opera. However, the past couple years, Mondays have been the favorite due to the Downtown Sound series in the Pavilion. Thanks to this free event and others like it, I've had the pleasure of- mainly hearing- Amadou & Mariam, Besnard Lakes, Decemberists, Dirty Projectors and others I can't recall.
Last Monday, we finally made it down for a show, where Dad, Chad and I met the O'Conors for some food and drink while Ben l'Oncle Soul performed. During the set break, I got to run around my favorite part of MP, Crown Fountain. The cooler and kind of cloudy day meant a young lady and I had half the fountain to ourselves. I took advantage of the obstacle free space, until Dad heard the first notes of Kings Go Forth and signaled for us to return to the lawn for some more pizza and beer (water for me). I knew I'd be back soon, so I did not put up a fight.

I'd Like The Goo-Gen-Heim

2011-05-27T18:34:00.000-05:00

Every since I was a lil one I have loved The Guggenheim Museum in New York City, mainly due to my Dad's Frank Lloyd Wright pop-up book. Dad is a huge fan of architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright in particular, so he and others made sure to feed my early-interest with photos, Legos and books, like A.C. Hollingsworth's I'd Like The Goo-Gen-Heim.
All of this enabling culminated in a visit to NYC for my 5th birthday. Casey, Dad and I arrived in Brooklyn, where we were generously supplied a place to stay by Dad's best friend Dave. It was a comfortable studio in the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, but luckily the bed was big enough for the three of us. Once we had our headquarters established, we headed out each day for a whirlwind tour of Brooklyn and New York. We hit the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Coney Island, The Met, Central Park, the American Museum Of Natural History , Times Square, The Empire State Building and- not surprisingly- The Guggenheim. We even took a ride on The Beast, which raced us across the New York harbor to the Statue Of Liberty.
Dad told me he had been to New York many times, but this was his first time really being a tourist in the city, which he seemed to enjoy. He especially liked the paddle boats in Central park, Casey dug the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met (me too) and I liked the Goo-Gen-Heim. Of course.

High Five

2011-05-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

Just a little taste from my birthday bash at Schubas, where the Boogers put on a rock show after an awesome party upstairs that featured hair coloring, t-shirt printing, and tattoos for the younger set, adult drinks for the old folk and cake for all.

The Big 05

2011-05-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

I am having a bash tomorrow at Schubas to celebrate the big 5th birthday! Photos and stories to follow.

Play Ball!

2011-05-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was a dream come true... for my Dad, but was also a lot of fun for me, when I took part in my very first tee ball game as a member of The Pirates. Dad was the assistant coach and I went 2-for-2 (everyone did!) plus I managed to field a ball before the inevitable mele of three-to-six-year-olds piled on me. The game ended in, I think, a 28 to 28 tie.
The best part of my tee ball experience was the filed. Located in Humboldt Park, it is in a miniature baseball stadium complete with grandstand, score borad and an announcer, who luckily only said out first names, thus avoiding the Rucins butchering.
Mom, John, Casey and some other friends all came down to see me play and afterwards I went to brunch at Feed with some of them. I ate pancakes and got the Golden Egg from the chicken machine. That means I get $6 off my meal next time I visit. Highlight of my morning.

Bunny Bunny Bunny Buuuuunnnnnyyyy, Buuuuunnnnnyyyy

2011-04-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

While the day he arrives is not as consistent as Santa Claus, the GIANT Easter Bunny had as much success as the fat man at finding my home, breaking-in, and hiding a basket full of candy and gifts. As if the breaking and entering was not enough, the bunny littered our yard with plastic eggs filled with MORE candy. This scenario played out at my cousins house too. Amazing. And thanks to Gigi, Aunt Lori and Sylvija, I ended the day with four baskets and a Dad shaking his head while weathering a sugar high.

The Shedd

2011-04-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

Chicago is littered with worthy cultural destinations, including the Museum Campus, where you can find The Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum and The Shedd Aquarium. On the first nice Sunday of the spring, Dad decided it'd be a good idea to meet our friends Michael, Alister and Audrey Johnson at the Shedd for an afternoon of aquatic adventure.
After finally giving up on trying to game Mayor Daley's parking scam, we walked to the entrance to see a gigantic line. Luckily for us, the Johnsons arrived earlier and, due to a friend's generosity, got to wait in the short line to receive free tickets. Once we were inside, we walked around looking at giant snakes, whales, fish, penguins, and more fish. We even got to dress as penguins and climb around a mock penguin enclosure and saw the whale/seal/dolphin show, before heading back to the car.
I really wanted to go to the Adler too, but Dad claimed it was closing soon. I laid off him after we discovered a nearby hidden park with a big jungle gym and other oddities, including big hills we could run and roll down. Not surprisingly, I fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Makin' Da Pizza Pie

2011-04-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

Presented with a rare Friday night with me, Dad decided we should make a pizza and watch the season finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. We made a quick trip to Trader Joes for the fixings, then headed home to begin making the mess that eventually lead to the beautiful and OK tasting pizza above. As for Clone Wars, the hour long episode included Chewbacca, yes I said CHEWBACCA. Dad got the chills.

DJ Ball On The Ones & Twos

2011-03-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

At the crack of Noon last Saturday, I made my DJ debut, when I helped my Dad kick off the final Claychella at Lincoln Hall. Earlier that morning Dad (DJ MR) was doing a bit of on-line promotion and asked what my DJ name was. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "You need a name to DJ, DJ what?" Dad asked. "Ball," I replied. So, that was done and we headed to the club.

At LH I helped Dad press buttons- including some he didn't want me to press- I put on headphones and danced a little, then hung out with our friends that showed up. Finally, we grabbed some lunch before going to see Rango, the reward for my first successful DJ gig. We both loved it.

A Parent's History of Owen Martin Rucins Pt. 2

2011-02-25T16:24:00.001-06:00

Ahhh, the simple days when I could be put on my back in the grass and left to my own desire, which apparently was blindly conducting an imaginary orchestra in the sky.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

2011-02-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago I caught a glimpse of a commercial promoting a monster truck rally called Monster Jam. I was amazed and asked if I could go. Dad kind of laughed it off, but later that week Casey got word that our friend Nick and my friends George and Angus were going, so we looked into it and next thing you know, we are sitting in a suite at Allstate Arena watching huge trucks jumping through the air and crushing mid-'80s era sedans.

Speaking of the '80s, one of the intermission distractions was a battle between two super slow moving "transformers" (seen above) that utilized fire and "rockets" to try and destroy each other. The fight was accompanied by some great zynth-pop instrumentals. Dad was cracking up.

Thanks to Nick and Mike for letting us join in on the fun and to Casey for persuading my elitest Dad to soak-up some rural culture right here in the big city.

A Tale Of Two Days

2011-02-02T14:01:00.000-06:00

For the last two days of January, Dad and I escaped to Key Lime Cove in Gurnee. I had been there before with Mom for my fourth birthday, but this time around, the juxtaposition of the indoor water park environment and the outdoor winter wonderland- plus the complete lack of people- made for a surreal experience. See that photo above? It's not a stock image, that's how few people were there. And that meant no lines for ANYTHING. Non-stop sliding and splashing.

Our Midwestern-tropical-getaway came to an end and we returned to Chicago just in time to experience the third biggest snow in the cities history. The Blizzard of 2011, left our front yard with six foot snow drifts, which I loved climbing on while Dad took part in one of many shoveling sessions. Blizzard bonus, for just one day, I was able to play in the middle of the street.

Humboldt Park Sledding Adventure

2011-01-20T18:36:00.000-06:00

Sledding in a flat city like Chicago can be a challenge. We found a pretty good hill in Humboldt Park and had a chilly good time. The next weekend we found a bigger and better hill by Soldier Field. Now we just need to get another sled.

And In This Corner...

2011-01-05T19:20:00.000-06:00

Weighing in at 48.4 lbs and standing 3' 9.5" tall, is the four-and-a-half-year-old Owen Martin Rucins.

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-29T18:48:00.000-06:00

This year I got crafty for Christmas. I made cookies with Aunt Megan and used the same cutters to make ornaments for my teachers and family. Santa came and brought me lots of presents and my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins gave me lots more. I love the holidays.

Christmastime

2010-12-25T13:15:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2010 was the first time I really understood what the holiday is all about. Gifts. Oh and apparently food and family, but mainly many wrapped boxes filled with fun stuff. And boy did I enjoy ripping into those boxes, whether they were mine or not.

My First Recital

2010-12-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

Piano class at the Old Town School of Folk Music was fun. My teachers, Mr. Nathan and Miss Amy taught me all the basics of music theory and how the piano works. At the end of the 16 week class we had a "piano party" where I played 2 songs for a packed room. People loved the pirate cape.

Santa! (Again)

2010-12-11T11:33:00.000-06:00

How 'bout this guy here? Huh? He's alright.

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

I'm really starting to get into this whole Christmas thing and Dad decided to stoke my spirit a bit more with a trip to Sprout Home to get our first Christmas tree. On the day we went, it happened to be the first good snow of the season, so I got to play in the snow a bit on the walk to the store and we also saw some of our neighbor's snow creations. Luckily, Sprout was close enough for Dad to carry our tree home to decorate it by the first fire in our new house. I made sure to tell Dad to make sure the fire was out before Santa comes down the chimney on Christmas. He promised it would be.

The Crazy Mazzei's

2010-11-29T18:17:00.000-06:00

Here are my Mom's brothers and sisters; Uncle Vino, Aunt Megan and Uncle Matt. We stopped for an impromptu photoshoot after brunch at Tweet. This camera filter makes us look like we're in a band.

I'm thankful for lots of things.

2010-11-27T09:59:00.000-06:00

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, my Mom got to spend a couple hours with me at Montessori Academy on Wednesday. She was impressed at all the things I've learned and especially the Thanksgiving song. She was so gung ho about it that she made me sing it in front of 14 friends and family members at Thanksgiving dinner. Here I am giving another performance. This time at the modern wing of the Art Institute. I know you're proud Mom, but I'm going to need some bribe candy the next time you ask me to sing this.

Daddy, How Many More Days Till Halloween? None?!

2010-10-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

It's was finally here. Halloween. After what must have been a month of asking how long till Halloween, I awoke on Sunday, October 31 and was reminded that it was Halloween. However, before I could don my Darth Vader costume and hit the streets, I had to head to the Lakeview YMCA for my first Pike (re: no Dad) swim lesson. Once that was out of the way we headed to Gigi & Papa's for some trick-or-treating. I threw on my Vader costume, Daddy became Luke Skywalker with Yoda in tow, Casey was Princess Leia and, by default, Boga was an Ewok. No costume necessary there.

It was a beautiful Fall afternoon in La Grange and the sidewalks were packed with a bunch of kids and their families. People loved our trio of costumes and I got a bunch of candy. Dad was surprised when I wanted to pack it in so quickly, but I had my sights set on helping Papa pass out candy, so I could take in all the costumes. How long till next Halloween, Dad?

It's Alive!!!

2010-10-30T22:52:00.000-05:00

We thought the Lego Kids Fest would be a great way to kickoff Halloween Weekend. So Mom, John and I resurrected a Hollywood Horror movie classic by going as Dr. Frankenstein, The Monster and The Bride of Frankenstein. Lego Fest was excited to have us, especially since we were the only ones in costume. A few fest goers even asked to have their pictures taken with us as we enjoyed the out-of-this-world Lego creations. I even got to pose with a couple of my favorite characters.

Chicago Botanic Gardens

2010-10-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

On a recent Sunday afternoon, after swimming and a great burger at Edzo's, Dad and I made a trek north to The Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was a stunningly-beautiful almost Fall afternoon and while neither one of us had ever visited, we met Dad's Godparents, Sylvija and John there and they are veterans.

Sylvija initially recommended we visit to see a cool garden built around train sets. The trains ran through models of famous American cityscapes or iconic architectural and natural locations. All the models were made from trees, shrubs, stones etc... Very cool.

We casually walked around the amazing grounds for the remainder of our visit, then headed home exhausted from our Sunday fun.

Pumpkin And Money Farm

2010-10-16T18:23:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, Dad and his friend Michael make plans for me and Michael's son Alister to get together. Last month we went to Haunted Trails for some go-karting and mini-golf and- in anticipation of Halloween- this month we went to Bengstons Pumpkin Farm.

Bengstons is kind of a hike from Chicago and there's not a whole lot around it, so Dad thought we might be one of the few there. That was until we reached the top of a small hill and saw a sea of automobiles. Casey, Dad and I were one of thousands, who all paid a healthy admission fee, plus the cost of whatever pumpkins you carried out.

Once inside, we eventually met up with Michael, Alister and his sister Audrey and then all explored the well organized and clean "farm." I loved the Haunted Barn, and the rides with Ali and Audrey were fun too. Dad enjoyed some kettle corn and loved the people watching, when he wasn't keeping an eye on me.

I said I wanted to come back as soon as we left and, little did I know at the time, I would be returning a couple weeks later on a field trip.

Minneapolis Fantabulous

2010-10-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

Corn mazes the size of 7 football fields, Malls of America and Shakopee Art Shows, that's Minneapolis to me. We decided to make a quick Fall weekend trip to Minneapolis to see my Uncle Matt and meet some of John's friends from the North. First stop, Sever's corn maze. This place is a dream come true, complete with kangaroos, giant slides, corn pools, miniature reindeer, kettle corn, hayrides and more. After Sever's we headed to Mt. Holly in Shakopee to see their art show. It was amazing and I had a lovely day playing in Autumn's yard. See you guys in the Spring! We couldn't leave town without visiting Mall Of America and it's indoor amusement park. It was like Great America with perfect temperature, short lines and a creepy awesome log ride. Autumn is definitely coming with me next time.

Cool New Park Alert

2010-09-30T15:44:00.000-05:00

The Montessori Academy of Chicago (MAC) had a family picnic at the new Adams & Sangamon Park in Chicago's West Loop and the park is easily one of the most interesting I have ever been in, especially the playground, which actually has little hills and crazy structures to climb on. There's also a misting sculture marking the main entrance. The location is also cool. It's exciting to play with friends, surrounded by loft buildings and the Sears Tower (ne' Willis Tower) looming close by.

The Chicago Tribune's architecture reporter, Blair Kamin, offers a critique right here: http://tinyurl.com/2vw97xx

Redmoon Does It Again

2010-09-21T22:14:00.000-05:00

If I am ever in need of a quick dose of the spectacular I know the one place that will not fail, Redmoon Theater. From their annual Winter Pageant and last summer's lakefront play Last Of My Species, to this year's Festival J.O.E. (Joyous Outdoor Event); their incredible contraptions and humorous presentation blow me away. J.O.E. featured a wide variety of musical performances, face painting, and a giant inflatable maze awash in colors and sound.

My Third First Day Of School

2010-09-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

The unassuming entrances- notice the little door- pictured above are actually for my latest new school, The Montessori Academy of Chicago (MAC), where Dad and Mom took me and my plant for my first day of school on Wednesday, September 1.
MAC is my third school in about three years, which just goes to show how difficult it is to conquer the horrible education system our country offers. Located in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, MAC is true urban school, housed in a three story loft building, with the Chicago skyline looming behind it. MAC provides me with an energetic, yet balanced and safe atmosphere, which is most ideal at this point in my life. I hope to remain here for a while and look forward to my continued adventures with Miss Joy (my teacher), my classmates and our hermit crab friends.

Play Well

2010-08-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

I loves me some Legos and so does Dad, who took me to The Museum Of Science & Industry once mainly to see what ended up being a rather small Lego exhibit. Not one to quit, Dad stumbled upon The LegoLand Discovery Center all the way out in Schaumburg. Despite his many misadventures to the suburb a mall built, we ventured there one Summer Saturday afternoon and ended up having a great time, which also included a nice lunch at Meatheads. Once inside, I was in Lego heaven. Miniature cities, Lego jungle, a dragon ride, mini-factory tour, 4-D movies, Harry Potter ride, STAR WARS and more. Not surprisingly, Dad and I returned during my recent Summer limbo (post-summer camp/pre-school) and decided to get a year membership, which the ticket guy gave to us for about $18 each. Awesome deal.

GREAT America

2010-08-23T15:30:00.000-05:00

Oh man. my already fun summer ended on a high note- lierally and figuratively- with a trip to Great America. On a beautiful Sunday, Dad and Casey took me and my cousins; Alexa, Madison and Quinn and later I met my friend Alister. When we got there, we headed straight for Whizzer, which will forever be my first "real" roller coaster experience, just like Dad almost THIRTY years ago. I did get a bit tired of Dad's constant remember-whening, but I could stomach it considering all the fun we had on water rides, carnival rides, bumper cars- and twice near day's end- The Dark Night. Dad called me fearless on the way home and we both can't wait to return next summer, when we hope I'll be over 48" tall, so I can ride most everything.

I Said Yes To Michigan!

2010-08-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

Because I had to, but if Dad wants to continue to take me to Lake Michigan's eastern shore- South Haven to be exact- I'd be just fine with it. How can you go wrong with beaches, ice cream, family, friends, BBQs- and this year- a giant pool? I strapped on a life vest and literally jumped right into the swimming thing. I am now able to hold my breath under water and do a dog paddle. Dad and I start swimming lessons at The Y in a couple weeks, so I should be good to go, when I am asked to say yes to Michigan again next year.

Grinderbash 2010

2010-07-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

Dad, Casey and I were invited the White Sox Grinderbash 2010 this year, which Dad tells me was an awesome opportunity and that one day I would realize it a bit more. I did enjoy walking around the field on the warning track and playing catch in the White Sox and visitors bullpens. I also got to sit in the dugout, visit the visitor's clubhouse (re: locker room), and see the 2005 World Series Trophy. All-in-all a fun experience, and a beautiful day I may not remember, but Dad will certainly remind me of.
Special thanks to Lindsey in the White Sox office for the tickets.

Toronto V

2010-07-06T15:24:00.000-05:00

You have heard it before- and I am sure you are sick of my saying it- but I love Toronto and so does Dad, who I am pretty sure would move there if it weren't so difficult to pull off.
Had another great trip, my fifth. You know I visited Centreville again (see the video below), but I got a taste of another Toronto amusement park when Casey and Dad took me to Ontario Place, where I rode the flume ride five times! Also, since I am a little older now, Dad took me on one of his long walks around the city. Luckily I had my stroller.
Can't wait to go back. Again.

Riding The Toronto Island Monster

2010-07-05T17:56:00.000-05:00

More from my FIFTH trip to Toronto coming soon, but in the meantime please enjoy this video.

National Train Spiderman Appreciation Day

2010-06-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

I like trains, so my Mom and Uncle Vino took me to Union Station for National Train Day. There thousands of train enthusiasts walking around the main hall. I got a giant sucker from a volunteer, we made train conductor hats and looked at a cool miniature train set, but what really caught my eye was the face painter. We waited in line for almost 2 hours, but it was totally worth it. Check out my Hollywood worthy Spiderman face!

Birthday Gift UPDATE

2010-06-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

I know I said the remote controlled helicopter was the best gift I got for my fourth birthday, but that was before Dad and I picked up Gigi & Papa's gift, an awesome Raleigh bike. Check it out! I like the speed and Dad loves not having to carry me home after long walks anymore. While I have taken a couple mild spills, we still have plans to remove those training wheels soon.

Remote. Controlled. Helicopter.

2010-05-31T19:05:00.000-05:00

It's pretty safe to say that the best gift I got for my fourth birthday was from Uncle Dave II. Yeah, he sent a Bears t-shirt and a fake, fake ID, but that all accompanied a little blue remote controlled helicopter. On Memorial Day, Dad made sure we headed to the Christopher Columbus School playground for the chopper's inaugural flight. After some skimming of the instructions and two trips back home- once for batteries and once for a screwdriver to put those batteries in- Dad got the thing airborne. Soon I was giving it a shot and did pretty well. The school's astroturf circle makes for the perfect flight area, as crash landings become more like crash bouncings. By our next visit- while Dad was sending the thing into trees- I was flying across the circle, at least till the batteries ran out.

My first indoor waterpark.

2010-05-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

It had been a long cold Winter, so for my birthday Mom thought it would be a good idea to go to Chicago's version of Florida, Keylime Cove. My first indoor waterpark experience was awesome. There were at least 10 slides, a wavepool and a lazy river. A trip to Cracker Barrel fueled us for day 2 of the waterpark antics. Mom, Uncle Vino, Marcos and John couldn't keep up with me on the slides, but I think they enjoyed the poolside cabana bar.

When I Leave My Toddler Years Behind

2010-05-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

I turned four-years-old a week or so back. It was a Tuesday, so Gigi and Papa were on hand to have dinner and sing me "Happy Birthday". This night was a just a precursor to a slightly bigger party I had Sunday at Smith Park. My cousins were there, along with some other family and a few friends. I got some great gifts and ate a couple cupcakes Dad made. However, I am beginning to think all of this was just to butter me up for what I now know turning four really means: FOUR SHOTS IN THE ARM. Yes, that's what I received from Dr. T for my birthday. Thanks a lot doc.
Oh by the way, I am 3 feet 7 inches and weigh 47 pounds.

TOC Kids' Summer Cover Model

2010-05-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

Space Oddity

2010-04-11T15:05:00.000-05:00

I may have hit all of Chicago's museums now, as I made my first visit to the Adler Planetarium to check out the recently opened Planet Explorers exhibit, which is 100% for kids. I docked a space shuttle to the space station, wore an astronaut jacket and pack, walked in space, and played with a bunch of other space themed contraptions. I also saw One World, One Sky - Big Bird's Adventure in the Definiti Space Theater, a kind of small OmniMax theater. The film stared Big Bird, Elmo, and Elmo's equally annoying Chinese counterpart, who helped Elmo- and the always dumbfounded Big Bird- understand that the stars in the sky are the same all over the world.

Chocolate Bunnies & Eggs

2010-04-04T17:26:00.000-05:00

The Easter Bunny stopped by Dad's last weekend and left me a basket of goodies, but not before he drank some milk from my Easter cup and ate some of the eggs Gigi and I colored. The Bunny must be hanging with Santa because I got a couple toys as well. Those kept me entertained before we headed to Gigi & Papa's to vist with the family. I found the most eggs during this year's Easter egg hunt and probably ate the most chocolate too.

Aye Eye

2010-03-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year Dad thought it was a good idea to get my eyes checked and boy am I glad he did. The ophthalmologist discovered I had a mild case of Amblyopia (ne' lazy eye). I was first instructed to get glasses to try and address the situation, so we headed to Aardvark Eyewear and picked out a cool pair of Spiderman specs. I took to them very well and wore them almost all the time. A couple months later I returned to the Dr., only discover the glasses alone did not do the trick, so I would have to wear an eye patch on my right eye. This would help my brain tell my left eye to work a bit harder, thus equaling my eye's strength. Understandably so, I was none too pleased, but also took to the patch well. I tried out three different patches and eventually stuck with a cool skull and cross bones from iPatch. My hard work and cooperation paid off, when I found out at my one-month follow-up that I only had to wear the patch half the day. Fingers crossed it goes bye bye soon.

The Boogers

2010-02-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

I have been exposed to all kinds of music in my almost four years on earth, much of it adult oriented, but lately my favorite "kids" band is The Boogers. The Chicago based band plays Ramones-esque kids tunes ranging from classics like, "Twinkle, Twinkle", to originals like "Peanut Butter and Jelly", which is my favorite. The fast paced rock songs make it a favorite of my dad's too and he took me to their show at Schubas, where I danced a bit and kept my ears safe with some Earlove earplugs. We arrived a bit late and I missed "Peanut Butter...", but I'll be sure to make dad hustle to their next show at Schubas in September.

MSI

2010-01-10T17:02:00.000-06:00

My January tour of Chicago's museums continued with the first of two visits to the Museum Of Science & Industry. While I said below that the Field Museum was one of my favorite museums, the MSI is my favorite, as my two subsequent February and one March visit helps to prove.
On my first excursion of 2010 I checked out the Lego architecture exhibit, the Circus, The White House- and of course- the planes and trains. On those other trips I saw The Human Body, Mysteries of Egypt and The Living Sea at Omnimax and just went to see the brand new permanent exhibit Science Storms with Gigi and Papa. I have a feeling everyone who takes me to the MSI is enjoying it as much as me.

Mummies and Dinosaurs Oh My

2010-01-03T19:39:00.000-06:00

I consider myself an avid museum goer and one of my favorites is The Field Museum. The place is so big that the I was not able to see it all the first time there, so on my next visit I made sure to explore the giant pyramid and all it's mummies. This experience inspired daddy to wrap me in toilet paper when we got home. I also saw Dinosaurs Alive! 3D and the great dino exhibit afterwards. I have been back twice since and am heading to Member's Night in March to see the new Mammoths And Mastodons exhibit.

The Holiday With The Tree and Presents

2009-12-25T18:51:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2009 marked my first that I really knew what it was all about. Presents. I patiently wait till Christmas morning before I tore into my gifts, which were far more abundant than I expected thanks to the generosity of Gigi, Papa, and the rest of my family.

As I had hoped Santa brought me a drum kit and everyone loved when I played. I also got some cool Playmobil sets from Mom and Dad and special thanks to Uncle Dave for the Christmas Melon.

When I needed a break from playing with my new toys, the beautiful white Christmas allowed for some sledding and- of course- snow angels. Can't wait till next year.

G-Park Con

2009-12-20T19:07:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite places to return to time-and-time-again is the Garfield Park Conservatory, on the west side of Chicago. It's located just a block or so away from where Papa first lived when he arrived in the 1950s from Latvia. Papa joined me, daddy, Gigi, Uncle Dave, Casey and our friends the O'Conors for a quick visit just prior to the holidays. We were all in need of some green colors, warm temperatures, and room to run.

He's Back

2009-12-19T14:59:00.000-06:00

The big guy showed up at Bullfrogs & Butterflies again this year. At first I was a bit hesitant to sit on his lap, but I broke the ice by letting Santa know that when I got home I was gonna poop. He replied, "Better at home, than on my lap." The whole store laughed at the back 'n' forth, including my Daddy, who snapped this photo of me asking people to stop laughing.

Merry Christmas!

Zoo Lights

2009-12-05T21:25:00.000-06:00

Thousands of lights, huggable polar bears, the polar express train, a carousel AND Santa? Is it Christmas morning already? This was my first year at Lincoln Park Zoo Lights and it was breathtaking. We didn't let freezing temperatures stop us from strolling around the park enjoying the light displays. Fortunately the animal houses provided some warmth and a chance to tell Santa that I want a drumset for Christmas. Mom says I better be good or else Santa won't bring the drums, but I'm not buying that reverse psychology bit.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!

2009-12-05T19:17:00.000-06:00

Honestly? The title, photos and video say more than I ever could.

Yes, that is Biz Markie.

Thanksgiving Buttery Goodness

2009-11-26T21:24:00.000-06:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving on Bell Street with the Mazzei's. Uncle Vino, Aunt Megan, Uncle Matt and Mom started prepping the turkey 24 hours in advance. First they put it in a mop bucket with something called a brine which they put in the fridge overnight. Then they used a syringe and filled it full of my favorite food, butter and after that they roasted it for almost 5 hours. The resulting bird was oohed and ahhed over by the grownups, but I was just waiting for them to leave the table so I could have at the butter plate.

Check. 1, 2, 3.

2009-11-17T14:21:00.000-06:00

My dad has been immersed in the opening of Lincoln Hall, the new music venue he is somewhat in charge of. While I have been there a couple of times, I finally got to attend a sound check last Friday.

The Walkmen were in town to play three shows, one at Schubas and two at LH. I got to know a couple of the guys in the band last year at a wedding in Cape Cod and saw them again at the Pitchfork festival this year, so dad thought this would be a good first sound check for me. Plus Pete- the bassist/keyboardist- had his son Otis in town, so I got to watch the sound check and play with him. And once the band was done Otis and I jumped on stage to jam. Otis took the keys and I- of course- hit the drums.

My First Visit With The Dentist

2009-11-12T19:41:00.000-06:00

I'm told you gotta make sure the pearly whites are staying clean and coming in straight, even though they'll all be scooped up by the Tooth Fairy. Therefore, Dad took me to Pine Dental Care for my very first trip to the dentist's office.

The waiting room was well stocked with books, toys and some cool LED lights, but I soon heard my name and headed into the examination room, where the very friendly Dr. Richardson waited. Mr. Bear and I climbed into the comfy chair and were shown all the cool instruments that the Dr. was gonna use on my teeth. I wasn't scared at all and soon found myself pushing my nose to make the chair rise-up and lean back.

It was all over in a flash and the Dr. said I had beautiful, straight teeth. However, I was warned to back off the apple juice a bit and not to eat fruit snacks, but I can deal, cause cookies got a thumbs-up.

2009-11-03T08:15:00.001-06:00

2009-11-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

A.N. Pritzker Elementary School

2009-09-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

The U.S. education is in such a fine state that even a lil ole three-year-old like me has to hope and pray I'll get into a good pre-k class. Yes, that's right. Pre-k, not high school or college. Luckily for me I have a Mommy who dedicated herself to volunteering for Friends Of Pritzker, an organization that raises funds for the continued improvement of A.N. Pritzker Elementary's pre-k facilities.

As it turns out, Mom's hard work and maybe Dad's political rants paid off, when my first day of school arrived on Tuesday, September 29. Ever since, I have enjoyed my weekday mornings with Miss Russel and Miss O'Conner, until either Uncle Vino or Gigi & Papa arrive to pick me up for the afternoon.

I imagine I'll continue at Pritzker until it comes time for me to win a lottery, pass a test, or God knows what in order to- hopefully- go to a safe and good high school.

Harvest Time

2009-09-22T07:56:00.000-05:00

I may live in a big city, but I still know how to pick tomatoes. I filled my dumptruck with plump fruit and my Aunt Megan used them to make a caprese salad. Afterward I chilled out in the grass.

Aina's 90th Birthday

2009-09-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

My Great-Grandma, Aina, turned 90-years-old in September, which meant yet another visit to one of my Dad's- and by default my- favorite cities, Toronto.

It was my fourth time there and the best yet, as the entire family was along and we stayed in the historic Royal York. The place was huge, had a great little kids pool with a fountain, and a toy store in the basement. Plus, on the day we left they were filming a TV show, complete with gun shots. Awesome.

Some things were the same though. We flew Porter, visited Centreville- where luckily the workers were no longer on strike, so all the rides were running- and as usual the CN Tower seemed to follow me everywhere.

We ended the wekend with Aina's party. It was a beautiful sunny day that really complemented the smile on Aina's face, when her friends and family sang her Happy Birthday.

Little Drummer Boy

2009-09-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

I've played drums a few times at Schubas, but the latest was by far the best. Old Fake, my babysitter Megan's boyfriend Colin's band, was supporting Free Energy and he let me have at them for a while after their sound check. Village opened the show and since that was a solo act there was no change over, so Mo- Old Fake's drummer- said I could go play his drums again. I performed in front an audience for the first time. They seemed to enjoy my cymbal dominated version of Twinkle.

Why We Live In Chicago

2009-09-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

Dad is a huge fan of Chicago and even more so in September, when the temperatures are ideal and the sun shines the most. This September he or I were away three of the four weekends, so when the second weekend arrived and we were both in town, we made the best of it.

On the Friday night we met Gigi and Papa for a snack and a Lyric Opera performance in Millennium Park. Dad and I liked the greatest hits set and it ended early, so we got to walk around a bit.

Saturday night we headed to Belmont Harbor to check out Redmoon Theater's production of Last of My Species: The Fearless Songs of Laarna Cortaan. I had seen a Redmoon production before and this one had their great contraptions and interesting music, but it was on a much larger scale.

Finally, on Sunday we headed back to the Lakefront for a trip to the Shedd Aquarium. I hadn't been since they unveiled their remodeled Oceanarium and it's Polar Play Zone. I spent a good twenty minutes acting like a penguin and another twenty manning a submarine. I was none too happy when Dad said we had to leave and I gave the fish one heck of a show before I was finally dragged out of there. I passed out before we got back to the car and when I woke from my nap, Dad made sure to remind me that this weekend was why we live in Chicago.

Who Is That Tall Guy?

2009-09-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

Dad saw Chrissy and Doug Rathbun, two of his cousins from California, for the first time in many years. They came to Chicago for a visit with their dad Hal, who is Gigi's brother and my dad's uncle. Family can be confusing. Needless to say my dad's cousins- my second cousins- have grown-up. Especially Doug, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall. I didn't even reach his waist.

Not Sure Why Dad Wouldn't Let Me Wear This To School

2009-08-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

Oh. Hi. Oh.

2009-07-27T19:54:00.000-05:00

My Midwestern Summer tour continued in late-July with my first ever visit to the somewhat great state of Ohio, where dad, Papa, Gigi and I crashed The Ribble Family Reunion in Vermillion. As a little girl, Gigi visited her grandparents often in Vermillion and says not much has changed, although her Grandfather's grocery store is now Rick's Cafe.

The Ribble's are an interesting and talented lot. Midwestern born and bread, but now strewn about the country, their current leader is Bill, is my dad's uncle because he is married to Gigi's sister Claire. The family meets on a fairly consistent basis and extend an invite to the Rucins, when it's in our extended back yard.

But enough of the back-story. The key points are: Lake Erie, what my dad called an "old school" playground, an ice cream shop, and Eli- the only other little boy. The perfect formula for a few days of fun.

Pitchfork 2009

2009-07-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

Dad took me to my fourth Pitchfork Music Fest this year and it was the best yet thanks to The Flaming Lips and their balloons. On the other hand, MF Doom, was as bad as the Lips were good, so I decided to provide my own entertainment during his set by teaming up with my friend Alvaro for a festival rendition of Twinkle. Enjoy.

Is It Michigan? Is It Indiana? It's Michiana!

2009-07-15T16:10:00.000-05:00

Our annual summer trip to Michigan, which usually lands in South Haven, moved a bit south to Michiana this year and I am still not quite sure if the little village is in Michigan, Indiana, or both. I do know it's close to Michigan City- which is actually in Indiana, had an amazing fireworks display and poor jailers, who allowed four men to escape while we were nearby. One of the convicts was caught just a little bit down the road at Chicago Mayor Daley's beach home in Grand Beach, Michigan. This lead to my daddy's trunk being searched on the way to the dunes and we enjoyed the rest of the few days there awash in beautiful weather and the sounds of police helicopters and boats.

The King Of Pop Lived Here

2009-07-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

On the way to Michiana this July, Uncle Dave insisted we stop in Gary, Indiana to check out Michael Jackson's childhood home and am I glad we did cause it was pretty nuts. Michael died suddenly a few weeks prior to our visit and people immediately started flocking to his Gary home, where in tribute they started leaving insane amounts of miscellaneous crap, trampling the poor grass in the process. Check out the photos for the proof. The scene surrounding the tiny house, which miraculously held 10 people, was bananas. Police, t-shirt vendors, creepy super fans and little kids dragged by their gawking parents. Thanks dad!

Poop!

2009-06-25T01:36:00.000-05:00

This picture pretty much tells the story. While at Wicker Park one day I felt the urge, so I told Mommy, who rushed me into the field house, where I pulled down my pull-up and dropped my first official number two in the potty. From then on it was underwear only and while I initially struggled a bit with the deuce, it's now a regular occurrence. TMI, right?

A Summer Night In Millennium Park

2009-06-22T16:31:00.000-05:00

Millennium Park, the world's largest green roof, is easily one of Chicago's greatest attractions and on a recent- beautiful Monday night I managed to experience just about all it has to offer. Uncle Dave, Dad and I headed down around 6:00 PM to meet Gigi & Papa, who took the Silver Train (re: Metra) from LaGrange and brought some sandwiches along. Before we ate, I got to play in the Crown Fountain (shhh... I peed). Then I dried off before checking out Amsterdam architect Ben van Berkel and his UNStudio's new Burnham Plan Centennial Pavilion. What a great piece of public art. After some exploring, we at dinner on the lawn while listening to The Dirty Projectors and The Sea & Cake play Pritzker Pavilion, before walking up the new Nichols Bridgeway that leads to The Modern Wing at The Art Institute of Chicago. Our friend Chad joined us and Uncle Dave snapped a great photo, just before a security guard told daddy he could not have me on his shoulders. Stupid rules.

Dad's Day

2009-06-21T17:09:00.000-05:00

Father's Day landed on June 21st this year, so it had to share the spotlight with Uncle Dave's birthday and the first day of Summer. Had I known of the significance of the day I would have let Dad do whatever he liked. However, I think he got to anyway, since he seemed to have fun at the park with me and enjoyed watching me play with the hose. In between he got to watch the White Sox and later we all enjoyed some cake.

Go White Sox!

2009-06-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

Just a few weeks after attending my first Sox game of the year, I got to go to Sox Park again in early-June. It was my fifth game in only three years on earth. Dad must really want to make sure I root for the right team. Gigi and Papa came along on what turned out to be kids day, so I got to dance with a random dog and play in a moon jump before we headed to the awesome seats Chris Schuba gave us. I wandered around with dad and got as close as possible to the field, where the newest White So(x or ck), Gordon Beckham, signed my dad's Sox cap. When the game started I had a hot dog, then passed out in Gigi's arms, where I slept for a good five innings, not even waking up for the firework's after Alexei Ramirez's homer. Unfortunately, that was the only highlight for the Sox that day, as they lost to the Indians 8 - 4.

Toronto III

2009-05-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

Once again, thanks to my birthday falling near or on Memorial Day weekend, I found myself in Toronto, Ontario Canada for my annual visit- my third- with my Great Grandma, Aina. If I keep up this pace, Canada may need to make me an honorary citizen. Free health care!
Gigi, Papa, Dad and I flew the wonderful Porter Airlines, which flies right into the downtown islands. We stayed at our usual spot, the Novotel Toronto Centre, which is just a block away from Aina's pad and the amazing St. Lawrence Market. We spent the weekend visiting, swimming, celebrating my birthday and walking the now familiar streets of Toronto. However, my favorite part was our Sunday visit to Centreville, an amusement park on Toronto's Centre Island. Dad and I got to ride the Log Ride, the Dragon Coaster, Centreville Train and Ferris Wheel. Plus I went on the cars and boat all by myself.
On the way home I was told that we'd be going back to Toronto in September for Aina's 90th birthday. My cousins and Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave will be along too. Can't wait.

I'm Three

2009-05-16T14:07:00.000-05:00

Due to my annual birthday-weekend trip to Toronto (post coming soon), Mom and Dad had to throw my third birthday party a week prior to May 25, but lucky for me- and thanks to Dad- my favorite man from the sun, Gustafer Yellowgold, happened to be in town. He played an awesome 45 minute set at Schubas.
After the concert, a ton of my friends and their parents, plus my family, headed upstairs for snacks, drinks, sweets, presents and ice cream cake, which Dad and Mom got for me at Baskin Robbins.
It was the best three-year-old bash ever.

Aspiring Musician

2009-05-12T15:33:00.000-05:00

Whenever I visit Dad at Schubas I always try to walk on stage and sing some songs. I like to practice these tunes at home using the too-large-guitar my Uncle Dave got me for Christmas. Have a look.

Dinosaurs Alive!

2009-05-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

Wow!
Last Sunday, I had the best time ever at my favorite zoo, The Brookfield Zoo, where they have an awesome new exhibit called Dinosaurs Alive! There is good reason for that !. The dinosaurs are life size and look so real. The sound, eh, not so much, but who cares? I got to run amongst dinosaurs without fear of being eaten and got to dig for their fossilized bones. So cool. On the way to the carousel we saw one last dinosaur, the Ruyang Yellow River dino, which is the largest ever discovered. Daddy, Uncle Dave, Gigi & Papa and I took a carousel ride, then headed to my favorite permanent exhibit, the Swamp. I danced to the Cajun music and said hello to the alligator, one of the only animals left on earth, who can be traced back to the dinosaurs.

It's Root, Root Root For The White Sox

2009-04-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

Daddy's a huge White Sox fan and he has taken me to a couple games already, but this time we sat in awesome seats, thanks to his friend Dave Rockland at Jam. They are directly behind the visitor's dugout, which happened to be the Toronto Blue Jays. We didn't boo cause we love us some Toronto. I was so close to home plate, first base and the pitcher's mound, but I was more into eating popcorn and a hot dog and talking to the people sitting behind us. The seats are also on TV whenever a lefty was up. I was sure to wave to Papa each time and the next morning Dad replayed the game so I could see myself on TV. It was cold and a bit rainy, so I wanted to leave around the 6th inning, but not before we saw Alexei Ramirez hit a grand slam, which meant some loud fireworks. The Sox went onto win 10 - 2, but have since played like poop.

A Visit From The Bunny

2009-04-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

I spent Easter weekend at Gigi and Papa's with Daddy, Uncle Dave, Aunt Lori, Uncle Mark and my cousins Alexa, Madison and Quinn. I woke up and played with Gigi and just before Dad came downstairs I found an Easter basket, then I found another, and then one more. Luckily for me, at some point Easter became a Jr. Christmas, so I got a marble contraption and a Play-Doh thingy to go along with enough candy to last me a month. Seriously, there's still a basket full of it on my Dad's kitchen table.
As if toys and candy were not enough, I got to go to the First Congregational Church of LaGrange with Gigi and Papa. I made it through the entire service thanks to some awesome stained glass windows and killer organ jams.
The day's Easter themed activities ended with an egg hunt in the backyard with my cousins. I found more than Alexa, but had lots of help.

The Field Museum

2009-04-04T14:07:00.000-05:00

My Chicago Museum tour continued a couple weeks ago with a visit to The Field Museum, one of our cities oldest. Mom, Dad and me went to the (old-school) Real Pirates exhibit, but before we zoomed through that we checked out the huge display of taxidermy, from the littlest bugs, to the largest mammals. However, I was more into the old phones and buttons on the sometimes outdated displays. Dad took some photos throughout the short visit, but the pirates were off limits. I had a blast, got a snake, and we became members, so I am sure I'll be back soon to see the rest. Admittedly, it's got a little ways to go to overtake my love of the Museum Of Science Of Industry, which I visited a couple months ago with Gigi, Papa, and Dad. Thanks to Dad's hard drive fail I have no photograph memories of the visit. Gotta go back.

MCA

2009-03-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

Daddy took me to Chicago's Museum Of Contemporary Art, on a recent unseasonably-warm-Sunday, for Family Day. The MCA's Buckminster Fuller exhibit just opened, so I got to see all his whacky, yet ingenious ideas. Dad helped me build a geodesic globe and I made a portfolio and some art to put in it. My favoririte part was the scavenger hunt. Dad and I had to find eight different pieces of art in the museum and I put stickers on the scavenger sheet I was given. I hope to go back for April's Family Day.

I Got The Camera

2009-03-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

Recently, while my Dad's back was turned, I grabbed his new camera and snapped a few shots, the best of which appear here. It took me a few tries before I figured out I needed to face the camera away from me, but my error yielded that great self-portrait.

Big Boy Pants

2009-03-10T13:13:00.001-05:00

After a recent successful trip to the potty, Dad put me in a pair of big boy pants, which I proudly wore while watching a bit of Horton Hears A Who! Despite Dad's best efforts to remind me to tell him when I had to go pee pee, I let loose on the couch. Luckily it was just #1 and was a fairly easy clean-up and I made up for it a few days later when I stood on his feet to go pee in the potty.

I Got My Hair Cut. All Of Them.

2009-03-06T13:43:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, Dad took me to Snippets to get my hairs cleaned up. I was getting pretty shaggy. I had a couple lollipops, played with some toys and tried to ignore one of the other kids, who was losing his poop. After we headed to Belmont Army Surplus for some new shoes for my huge feet, but I couldn't find the right sized gas mask. The next day I showed off my new do during a quick trip on the Silver Train.

Goldie

2009-02-23T20:59:00.000-06:00

I got a goldfish last week and tried out a few names (Mr. Goldfish, Owen and Daddy) before settling on Goldie. His bowl sits on my dresser, so I get to make fish faces with him every morning.

What Is Art?

2009-02-16T15:25:00.000-06:00

Dad taught me to use his iPhone to call Gigi and Papa and I taught myself to use the Scribble application. Dad was startled to discover one of my pieces- seen above- in his photo gallery, as he did not know there was a way to turn a project into a photo. He's kind of slow like that.

My Favorite Zoo

2009-02-09T12:04:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I headed to Brookfield Zoo with Daddy, Gigi, and Papa. We got there nice and early and headed right to the alligators in the Swamp exhibit. Then it was off to see Pingu, but first we stopped to buy a couple of new dinosaur Mold-O-Ramas. At the Pingu exhibit Gigi and I stood under a big, but scary wave. We ended the day with the Giraffses. Can't wait for my next visit.