Lucky me!

Today I came home and had one beautiful surprise! No special reason, just because Kurt wanted to.

Autumn in Sophia's Garden

Since we have started school, I have or I should say, we have fallen in love with Sophia's garden. It won't be long until the garden will be gone from this space...so sad...so we are taking in as much as time here as we can.



Slowing down and not just hustling by...
taking a moment to walk threw,
balance on the bed logs,
sitting in the grass,
scream after a big grass hopper we were watching jumps to show us how high he can go,
a busy bee won't leave us alone while we are slurping an orange,
soaking up the rays of the sun,
swaying in the wind,
stomping in the mud wearing our Wellies (Maxx calls them puddle boots),
playing hide and seek,
Believing for a moment we are in the country running through the fields, and not downtown Chicago

The empty lot and space was so graciously open to Maxx's school and the surrounding community many years ago...knowing that the University would expand and use this piece of land. As you walk around the garden, you see how much love has been put in to this amazing oasis in the city. Art work has been etched & painted, wooden gazebos and fences have been built by the older children in the school, flower, herbs, vegetables, fruit, trees, shrubs, and grasses are all growing so happily. There are bees, grasshoppers, lady bugs and worms that are in living out their fairy tale and helping to create fairy tales for Maxx.

November 1st is the said day of construction starting. We just have 2 more weeks and we will continue our moments until the restricted signs go up. I am going to try and capture as many photos as I can to remember these short moments that an amazing garden entered our lives.

Mr. Squirrel

Today en route to the EL train after a day at school, I spotted a squirrel harvesting his goods for later. There was an apartment that had their balcony decorated for the autumn with corn stalks and pumpkins...and this little guy was going to town. This squirrel had managed to wrestle the stalk so a corn was at perfect height for him to sit on this chair and work. Talk about a true pure bread American rodent. We watched as he would take a few kernels and then run on the brick ledge running along the outside of the building to a tree. Hop down dig a hole put the kernels in cover it...then head back. I thought he was really brave to do this while kids and parents hustled by. We watched for a good 15 minutes before a dog came by and spooked him into hiding. Maxx got so tickled at all the action.

Harvest Time/Michaelmas

Maxx is singing this amazing song he learned at school and we sang it as a community at the Harvest Festival.

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in summer the wind blows through me
I wave, I wave

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in autumn apples they grow on me
they fall, they fall

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in winter the snow falls on me
I shiver, I shiver

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in spring the leaves bloom on me
they bloom, they bloom.

These past few weeks we have been celebrating the harvest. It is just amazing, watching the world through four year old eyes. Maxx loves to get a hand full of leaves, throw them up in the air and watch as they dance there way to the ground. We have seen squirrels gathering nuts getting ready for the winter. On our walks we have enjoyed and studied the trees that still have leaves, knowing it won't be long until these trees will be bare. On the way home from the library we crunched the leaves that had fallen onto the sidewalk.

In celebration this week we went to Maxx's school for the Harvest Festival and had a blast. We came home a dirty mess. Looking at my pictures, I was more into the festival myself than capturing it with pictures. Miss Allison joined us and we helped the school replant some of the the Sophia garden, ate fresh picked apples, homemade apple cake Maxx had made in class, sang, danced, made an autumn craft out of grapevine, leaves, feathers, and tufts of wool... and really enjoyed this beautiful day.

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Comus

Time Flys When You Are Having Fun

Here in Chicago we have had some amazing weather after all that rain. 70s with sunshine!
Wow! That was a lot of rain! We got some of Icke's devilishness here in the Midwest.
The family down in Texas are still in clean up mode while some are still waiting for the lights to come on. Everyone is safe and sound which is the best part.

There has been a lot of living these days. I am having the hardest time keeping the undies washed and balancing the demands of this school schedule. My basket feels totally turned over and there is so much going on, but it all just too much fun and we are loving it.

Kurt has gotten the nighttime rhythm down. I am very proud of my lions. They have had the biggest adjustment with this new PreK/EC gig and they are becoming pros. I think Maxx could run the C.T.A. he has the schedule tuned in...and while he is playing with his trains his memory recalls all of the commuting announcements word for word. I am amazed with his memory.

Miss Shannon was called upon for a play date of cookie baking and dog walking. Maxx had a blast enjoy the pictures of loving Abby and Lucy...some of the sweetest dogs in the whole world and we love Miss Shannon. Thank you Shannon, you made Maxx's week, mine too!!!

Maxx and Abby sharing some lov'n

Lucy's turn...Lucy smiles when you pet and love on her it is the greatest!

The dog walk...

Picture day is tomorrow, our four year old check up is Friday, and the Harvest Festival is this weekend...and to know that some do this with two and three cubs...appreciation and admiration...

Be Careful Guys, It's a Lake Out dere!!!

It is so hard to just sit back and watch. Hoping everything is going okay. Some of our family live in the Houston, Texas area and were greatly affected by Ike. It was nerve racking when we got just voice mail, but we did make contact after a few short minutes. Maxx told Grommy and Pah-Pah all about school and then before he was finished with his conversation he said, "...be careful guys, it's a lake out dere! I love you."

We are thinking about our family stuck in sticky hot humidity without AC and electricity.
Glad everyone is good and I hope you get put back together quickly.

A Quill of a Day!!

Today, Maxx had a rough morning due to our perfect rhythm being... well, "rocked".
The C.T.A. was on top of there game and the trains and buses were running smooth today.
Too smooth!

We ended up at school 20 minutes early and Maxx had some time to play with his new friends, free style. It was a beautiful morning and we had fun watching him play.
SLAP!!!
Maxx was down. He fell and scraped his knee. The school doors were opened...

Kurt wisked him off to wash up. He then was good and slipped into his slippers, and ran into the class room just like the past two perfect mornings. Kurt and I were out the door and headed to get some coffee... when we heard..."Mommy! Daddy!" We looked back and there Maxx was running out the main door. "I don't want to go to school, today!", he said. He then began to cry and lost his little mind...
He screamed and his head began to spin and the legs like little hammers kicking my shins, knees, and thighs while I am picking him up...he becomes limp, not wanting to be picked up. Something totally took over my child.

(Where did Maxx go? Who is THIS wild child? ...no, my Maxx is sweet and perfect and the easy kid...you know the cool little man...I don't know who this little person is.)

Oh my goodness, the scene, the work out, we were now in shoes we had never worn before. He was a mess to get back in that classroom door.

Whew...with the help of a grab from Miss Donkel, ( she got the screaming limp kicker...so sorry!!!) and the door shutting. Maxx was in!

Brows wiped...
Kurt and I back in route for coffee. We could hear Maxx screaming out the window, "Help me! Help me! I don't want to go to school!" Persistent, he is. Kurt and I kept walking in disbelief and knowing he was going to have another amazing school day.

While waiting on Maxx to get out of school Miss Allison and I met up and landed at the Swedish Bakery for a breakfast treat and coffee. Allison then picked out something super special just for Maxx.


What is it?

A porcupine!!! Awwwwwwwww How CUTE!!!
YUM!!!!


What an awesome treat, to see Miss Allison at the end of a beautiful school day, AND enjoy a chocolaty- cakey- and check out the almond quills!!!! A Porcupine delight!!!! Thank you for making our day!!

We asked how his day at school was..."It was good!" He then began to talk about going tomorrow and how he could not wait. (DOH!!! Little did he know... he has a four day break before the next day of school.)

On the way home he complained of his throat hurting. UH OH!!! (He did mention it last night...but I thought he was just trying to get out of eating dinner...and "crying wolf", like the little smarty pants he is...)
Little Mister Cranky Pants...might be coming down with a cold bug...

...maybe that explains the out his mind, out of control, slightly possessed kid I was dealing with earlier...in combo with new hair cut, breakfast refusal, new routine, excitement, newness, newness, and more newness.

...a "quill" of a day!!!