Art boy

On the 12 hour (each way) drive to the Smokies, Elliot drew for three quarters of the time. He's moving into pen and ink. Crayons are so limiting.

1) One is the storyboard version of Jurassic Park. Upper left, the airplane. Lower right the Daddy Paleontologist and his two kids. Left to right in cages: triceratops, long neck, velociraptor, T-rex (all with eggs).
2) The pen one includes numerous angler fish. (Note, this was drawn sitting in a car seat in Grandpa's pickup truck going 70 miler per hour on the highway).
3) Purple fish. Really cool looking (note the eyebrows).

Smoky Mountains Trip

Jules and the kids went on a big camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week with Grandpa Owie and Grandma Sue. Everybody got to sleep in the camper (with only limited success).

Lots of highlights:

1) S'mores
2) Natalie discovered the joys of throwing rocks into a creek while in the buff.
3) A visit from parrots while in downtown Gatlinburg. TN - the tourist town to end all tourist towns.
4) S'mores
5) Gathering rocks, sticks and other vital things while going on big hikes (E. B. made it 4 miles out of a 4.5 mile trail.) Jenny got special fanny packs to hold all of the crucial stuff they found along the way.

Geoff's cooking Johnsonville Brats, Brats. Brats

Got a big ole gas grill. Approaching suburban Dad-dom at a high rate of speed. Brats and Grandma Bonnie's homemade potato salad, caprese salad with backyard basil

Recent highlights

As we battle on with the house, Julie keeps other irons in the fire. She helped organize a "meet and greet" at Pritzker School last saturday. New pre-schoolers and parents came by, played games, toured the school, ate ice cream, and drew on a big poster. Soon after the event the plywood backing was used (as we had planned) as sub-flooring for the upstairs kitchen.

Also, Auntie Lynelle made a super cute new sun hat for Nata.

Last Sunday, Elliot helped Dad cook dinner. After we sat down to eat he said,"I don't really like muchrooms but I'll eat them because they are on my plate." Proud Dad almost exempted him from mushrooms but thought it might be seen as self serving since they were so tasty.