Sweet Home Chicago

Well, not our home...but the suburbs have been home to our friends Joe & Nora for a couple years now. We just made our first visit to them!
We had such a great time. Paige did an amazing job traveling...especially when we unexpectedly got stuck in traffic for an hour and a half (turning 3 hours in a car seat into nearly 5, bless her heart). She even compromised for swimming in the bathtub at the hotel we stayed one night in when we found out the pool was part of a gym and didn't allow kids (really??).

Joe is a college chemistry professor. Nora is a veterinarian. Together they are pregnant with what is sure to be the smartest, funnest, most adventuresome boy ever...and we couldn't be more excited for them! We didn't get to spend as much time with Nora as we would have liked since she had to work at her busy clinic (and we don't know how to plan a trip more than a month ahead of time), but I'm looking forward to the baby shower. She's decorating the nursery with her favorite animal...sea turtles...I'm scouring the Interwebs for cool gifts!

(Unfortunately this was the only pic I got of both of them...Paige is boxing their dinner for them at Weber Grill restaurant. She does that.)

 Paige made sure to give them some toddler experience...chasing their cats, throwing food to the dog, pulling every book from the bookcase, and running. Always running (or going up/down/up/down the stairs). And begging Joe to hold her hand or carry her...but wait a minute, you never did get that diaper-changing experience, did you Joe? 

 We also introduced Joe, his sister, and her boyfriend Justin to the awesomeness that is Yo Gabba Gabba.

Pep's current fave is Foofa, with Toodee a close second.

Joe made us an excellent dinner and introduced us to some of their local favorites. Paige couldn't wait for dinner, so she ate an entire tomato, like an apple.

We checked out Harper College, where Joe teaches Organic Chemistry. Pep might collaborate on a few experiments soon.

  Then we were on to the Chicago Botanic Gardens...I never knew such a great place existed! We highly recommend it! Admission is free (parking is $20, but we had 6 people in our car). Over 2 hours and we still hadn't seen it all. Plus it's the perfect place for letting peppy toddlers run free(ish). Observe:

Yes, that is one happy girl who slept GREAT that night. Plan on seeing this picture at Paige's graduation open house with a senior picture in the same pose right next to it.

Sunday I got my IKEA fix (thanks for humoring me, everybody) and then on to the Brookfield Zoo. The African exhibits were wonderful...Paige has been stretching her neck like a giraffe and pointing her finger from her nose and yelling "wino!" (rhino) since we got back.

A few tips: if you do go to Brookfield, do yourself a favor...pack a cooler, go early (on a weekday if possible), and secure a map early on...also look for coupons toward admission!

Thanks Joe & Nora! We're looking forward to the next trip--and meeting baby!

I Guess It's a Good Time For It...

The 24-hour-stomach-flu is rotating through the Parrott household this week. I came home from work feeling (and looking) green Tuesday morning, but was well enough to make it to my next night of work on Wednesday. Paige stayed at Grandma & Grandpa's Wednesday night, but she was sick Thursday afternoon. But it has been unbearably hot here in the (aptly named) Mitten, so I suppose it's just as well that we've been holing up in the air conditioning...which I am SO very thankful for. 

That's all I have to say for now...I suppose I should post about 4th of July sometime soon! Hopefully we'll be back outside this weekend, doing some of this:

and this too:

(sorry, poor picture quality once again...this is what often happens when I use the nice camera with the dangly lens cap:)

I'm a Loser Baby

(now doesn't that bring back memories of high school? You know, when Beck first made the radio scene? Or your funny mom singing it at funny yet awkward times, like the way she uses "schwing" from Wayne's World without really knowing what it means? No? Just me? Okay, nevermind.)

Tomorrow is my final weigh-in. I'm in an unofficial "Biggest Loser" weight loss contest. For most of the past 10 weeks, I've been in 3rd or 4th place...but now I'm barely hanging on to 5th.  I haven't weighed in for a few weeks, so I'm hoping I've made up for it, but I'm not so sure! The woman in charge made us sign contracts acknowledging that healthy weight loss is only 2-3 lbs. per week. That being said, the 2 top losers have lost so much (most in the first 2 weeks) that it would require me to amputate a limb. 

Oh well, all I know is that I feel great and I've lost enough (around 20 lbs) to feel more confident AND I've had to buy new, smaller scrubs for work! Just wait until I show 'em all in the fall contest...by then I'll be too busy to eat.

 

Running around to keep up with this yayhoo helps (as you can see, she's medaled in crazy). Oh, and her t-shirt is from here.

Independence of Another Sort

This child is going to be keeping us busy for quite some time...anyone know of a place that offers rockclimbing classes for toddlers??

Happy 4th of July! Thank you to the many who have served our country or continue to do so in order to protect the freedom we celebrate today!

We'll be at Sandy Pines, soaking up some sun, waves, and fireworks. Oh, and the golf cart parade, of course.