Field Park

It has been mentioned on this blog previously that Collin is a tough critic of all things baby. In this vein he has decided to review some of the local Oak Park, IL parks.

First up, Field Park. Field park is probably the closest to our house. It is located behind the prestigious (or so the real estate agents say) Horace Mann School (Mommy thinks there's a Horace Mann school in LA too? This guy must have been a real school-hugger). It is really two parks in one in that it has a tot lot and a separate playground for older kids. They are joined by a small picnic pavilion.

Positive:

• Rubber under all equipment.
• The equipment wintered well. Still looks new.
• Lots of things to spin, turn, and push at ground level for those unable to climb or even walk yet.
• AWESOME AWESOME FOUNTAINS. It's like a baby Las Vegas Bellagio.

Negative:

• No sun canopy
• The big kids from the other playground often spill over to the tot lot thinking they are hysterical playing on the baby equipment.
• The fountains break a lot. Mommy arrived one 90+ degree day to find them not only broken but the rest of the park too hot to play. Not good. We won't even discuss what happened when Mommy called the Parks and Rec. Department...
• There's a long weird shallow ditch walled-in by 2x4s. What's that for? Can't be anything good.

Field Park is already the location of some wonderful memories. Out of a total possible 4 Bellybuttons, Collin gives it 4 Bellybuttons!

Maestro

Tim and Jared were in town so we went to visit them at Jared's grandparent's house and then went out to dinner.

A sleeping Jared couldn't stop Tim from enjoying his crab legs.
It's like he knows what's going to happen to these lobsters.

Ready For Summer

With his fellow partly-Greek friend, Jane:

Doesn't Collin look like Uncle Andy in this picture?:



Pool and beach shoes:

Dinner For Two

Mommy and Collin visited Jeanne and Audrey Tuesday evening. While Jeanne was in the kitchen, Collin decided to help Aud eat her solids. Oh, the irony.
Audrey has awesome hair, and on this rainy, humid day, we couldn't help but notice her 'do's resemblance to Blago:

Pictures by Jeanne

Missed

Today and always.

The Yards

Collin understands a lot though he doesn't have the language skills to say much yet. Probably should have worked on that baby sign language thing earlier.

You can ask him to pick out a book and he will bring you something to read together. Usually this is Dear Zoo, That's Not My Kitten, or Pat the Bunny. The other day he brought Mommy The Jungle. Not The Jungle BOOK, but Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. This really shouldn't have surprised Mommy knowing Collin's disdain for the meat-packing industry.

Sweep!

There were several stand-out moments this weekend.  Probably the most exciting was living out our own mid-life suburban version of Brewster's Millions.  

Baba realized that we still have hundreds of dollars left in our health care savings account that needs to be spent by the end of the fiscal year or we lose it.  So we loaded ourselves into the Passat, hit the Starbucks drive-thru, and high-tailed it to the closest CVS. 

It wouldn't be exaggerating to report that Mommy and Baba were giddy as they willy-nilly swept every kind of OTC drug into the cart.  Mommy felt like maybe she SHOULD attend the Real Wives of Chicago open casting call after she decadently chose the most expensive 1-second digital ear thermometer.  We left with so much merch that we needed a shopping cart to get to the car! After loading it all onto storage shelves, our basement looks like the prop room for Breaking Bad.  

And there's still more left to spend.  Visions of sunscreen (SPF 30+ only qualify), prescription sunglasses, and dental cleanings dance in our heads...

Other recent developments in the Lloydhorst household:

• Collin has a new pair of 7 Extra Wides.
  
• Collin learned how to drink from and create bubbles with a straw.
  
• Collin climbed up and went down the slide by himself!
  
• Baba took our dude into his first bouncy castle with rave reviews.

I'm sure this bar he's mouthing is completely sanitary:

Good shot of his Rod Stewardish hairdo: