Visiting Aunt Juicy

My sister Haley (who Nella calls Aunt Juicy) moved to Chicagoland in July.  She attends The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago.  She may study in the city but she lives and works in the glorious west suburbs.  On Tuesday I took the kids up for an overnight visit.  We stayed at my aunt's house; which is where my sister lives.  The trip was fun, it's always so nice to visit family and Haley, my Aunt Jill and cousin Brett enjoyed spending time with me and the kids.  But it was stressful too.  City driving, road construction, traffic delays, toll roads, teething baby, currently potty training toddler, greasy food, spilt venti latte, heavy double stroller, crowded malls, my aunt's beautiful (but not at all baby-proofed) house full of nice (breakable) things.  Yes, I traveled alone with my two (under 3 years of age) kids.  I do it a lot, too.  But this time was tougher than usual.  But even though I came home with tense shoulders and a headache, the hectic trip was worth it.  The kids had a blast, Aunt Juicy enjoyed our visit, and I came home with memories, cute photos, and some of my favorite Trader Joe's products.  Here are a few photos from our whirlwind trip to the West 'Burbs.

I took the back roads up north.  Mostly because I really like to see the giant wind energy turbines.  There are several wind farms with hundreds of turbines as far as the eye can see.  

They are eerie and strangely beautiful.  

Traffic jam snack.

My aunt let Silas play with Moon Sand.

Nella 'baked cupcakes' on the basement floor.

She said she likes her cupcakes with sprinkles.  She's right, who doesn't like a few sprinkles?

She ate some too. 

Sprinkle stained hands and mouth.

Aunt Juicy with Nella and Silas.

No restaurant highchair can restrain this guy.  No shopping cart either.  If it doesn't have shoulder straps, he's gettin' out.

ACE Deluxe

We recently bought a wheelbarrow.  Caleb had been wanting one and noticed during his evening run that the gentleman down the street had two for sale.  One was newish and $15.  The other was old, rusty and $5.  We chose the latter.  I liked the vintage charm.  It looks like it could successfully be used in an Anthropologie store display.  Caleb liked that it was $5.  We're on a tight budget.  The kids?  Well they liked the spiders that lived in the barrow until daddy pushed them out with a stick.  

Why These Windows Will Never Be Clean . . .

 . . . And why when I do clean them, I just use white vinegar and water.  

Oh, Silas, you silly, sweet little punk!

Is It Still Summer?

My goodness!  It's August!  Aaaannd I haven't posted anything since June.  YIKES!  July was crazy; and I have the photos to prove it!  I plan on posting them soon.  Also, we've been busy with projects around the Little White Bungalow and I can't wait to get a chance to post some new before/after photos. 

In the meantime, enjoy these classic summery pics.  

We took the kids swimming at Caleb's work this evening.  They loved it.

I think Silas is happiest in water.

The Nella girl likes swimming too.  She loves jumping in, climbing out, jumping in, climbing out. 

They were good and exhausted.  Just the way we like 'em.

Lunch With Pawpaw & Overnight Guests

On Monday my dad was working in the northern part of the state.  He was passing through Champaign around lunchtime and we were able to meet him for lunch.

He always gets a kick out of putting the kids on his bike.

This was Silas' first time up there.  He was a natural!  He knew just where to put his hands.  And just look at the expression on his face!  I love this photo of him!

Nella, on the other hand, was not quite as comfortable up there.

She much preferred art lessons with Pawpaw over the motorcycle.

Pawpaw gave Silas a pizza crust to chew on.  He loved it!  

We had so much fun and can't wait until Pawpaw passes through Champaign again! 

 (Thanks for lunch, dad!  We love you!)

Also, recently we've hosted overnight guests at our Little White Bungalow.  

First, the Abner family.

Then, The Ben Avis.  

You can check out those photo albums on facebook:

The Abners Visit Urbana

The Ben Avis Visit Urbana

(Due to my facebook privacy settings, you'll probably have to be my 'friend' first.)

Nella's 1st (Professional) Haircut

It was time. Time to cut off that scraggly long hair.  She needed a nice, simple, short cut for Summertime.  I've given her haircuts in the past, but this was beyond my skill level, errr, comfort level (I have no hair cuttin' skills). 

She was nervous.  The stylist gave her a sucker to keep her distracted.  She was such a good girl!  She barely moved!  I'm not sure if it was the nerves, or the fact that I promised her a cookie as a reward for good behavior.  That is not something I do often, but I didn't want to risk an all-out tantrum when someone was holding scissors near her head.  Bribery is OK in the event that it prevents a safety hazard, right?

This was right after I told her she earned that cookie.

f

But this was right after she saw her new do.  You know that feeling, right?  That, 'Ugh.  This looks awful!" feeling.

 

'Hmmm.  Maybe this isn't so bad after all.  I still look pretty darn cute!'

Enjoying that sweet, dark chocolate covered reward! 

You look fabulous, sweet Nella.  Simply fabulous!

Silas Crawls

Silas Crawls, and Looks Cute Doin' It! from Keli Billingsley on Vimeo.