Not Scared of Sand Anymore

The picture below might not look like much, but if you look closely you will notice that Lucy is actually STANDING on the sand!! Many of you know that Lucy has been terrified of sand-a fear we first discovered last summer in the Outer Banks when we stayed in a beach house that was surrounded ONLY by sand. Over the past year we have tried to gradually get her used to not playing but just touching sand, but to no avail. All our attempts were for naught--we couldn't even get her to touch sand with the tip of her finger. Then her friend Maria came to visit from Baltimore and Lucy noticed that Maria walked on the sand with no problem. Since then Lucy has proclaimed that "sand is not scary, it is silly" and she is "brave and is gonna walk on the sand." Now she has been saying this for months, but then chickens out when it actually comes time to approach the sand. But ever since Maria left, she has been walking in the sand (slowly but surely). Another reason why it was great that the Rivera's visited when they did.

I am dreading when the weather gets too cold for us to frequent the playgrounds. Oak Park has wonderful playgrounds and we have definitely had fun this summer exploring them. Although Lucy is getting so brave, she makes me a little nervous with how adventurous she is on the slides!
We have really enjoyed spending time at the Oak Park pools this summer. I am so sad that they have closed for the season. Lucy loved splashing around in the water and did a great job of playing independently. Below are pictures of our last visit to the pool for the summer.

Labor Day Visit with Nancy and Grandpa

Over Labor Day my Aunt Nancy and my Grandpa Irv drove in from Minnesota to visit and meet little Lila. I always have so much fun spending time with Grandpa and Nancy and that weekend was no exception. We BBQed, we went downtown to Millennium Park, took the kids to the park, and saw an outdoor theater performance in Belmont Harbor (Lila slept through the whole performance). The picture below is on the train heading downtown. Lucy is a HUGE fan of going on the train and loves to point out everything she sees while looking out of the window.

I love the look of joy on Lucy's face!

The whole gang (minus Don who was taking the picture) by "the Bean." The weather was absolutely gorgeous and it was great to get out and walk around and enjoy some of the last days of summer.

Lucy playing in the fountain downtown in Millennium Park. She loved watching the other children and mimicking what they were doing. She just always wants to be one of the big kids.

Family photo--my dad, with my grandpa, Lila and my aunt.

Great Grandpa Irv with Lila and Lucy!

What a good looking pair!

Lila with her great aunt Nancy! Lila is wearing the dress that Nancy bought for Lucy. I love that the girls wear the same season of clothing so that I can re-use Lucy's clothes.

Meeting Lila

We have had lots of visitors lately! It has been so fun to introduce Lila to our friends and family. Below is Casey when she came by to meet Lila. One of the best things about being back in town is that I get to see my high school friends more frequently.

Doug (Don's brother), Susie, Asher, and Lucas stopped by our house for a visit before heading off to Milan, Italy. Doug is on sabbatical for the semester in Italy. So glad they could meet Lila before they left.

Mandy made this incredible name banner for Lila! It is so wonderful to have such crafty friends!

Kathy looks pretty comfy with a baby in her arms!

Eric, Emily, and Eleanor will be welcoming their own little bundle of joy in the spring. Eleanor is going to be a great big sister!

Katie and Maria come to town!!

Last week my friend, Katie, and her daughter, Maria, came to visit us from Baltimore. Katie and Chris were our neighbors in Baltimore (I am sure you have seen them on the blog) and we have desperately been missing them. Although we wish that Chris could have been here too, it was great to be able to spend time with Katie and Maria again. We had so much fun! Katie was a huge help with Lucy so that I could focus on Lila. Also it was nice to have back-up so that I felt a little more comfortable going out and doing things with both girls. We had a great time taking the girls out for walks, to the park, to the toy store, and to the library. Also Katie and I were able to have a Girls' Night Out (with Lila sleeping in her sling) to a local Oak Park restaurant for dinner. I just love spending time with Katie and Maria. It was hard to see them leave. After we dropped them off at the airport, Lucy said she was "so sad" that Maria left. I always said that the Riveras were one of the best parts of Baltimore!! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderfully supportive, dear friend like Katie.

The Girls' Rooms

So after finally unpacking all our boxes our summer project was to get both of the girls' rooms decorated before Lila's arrival. Don and I had so much fun decorating their rooms. There is nothing I like better than picking out little girl decor and accessories. I actually became obsessed with trying to finish Lila's room before she arrived (big surprise that I became obsessed with something). I kept joking with Don that I knew she would come as soon as we finished the room and then sure enough the day the last decorative item arrived in the mail my water broke. Here are pictures of Lila's room.

We liked Lucy's room colors in Baltimore so much that we actually took the paint from Baltimore and used it in our Oak Park home. The hanging butterflies over the reading chair are my favorite part. It took Don forever to hang those at just the right angel. Below are pictures of Lucy's room.