Monticello #4

It turns out, Elliot likes malt vinegar on his fries.

We also made a couple of stops at key spots: Willow Branch looks OK, Buck and Max's house is getting a new front porch and looks pretty well loved. We stopped by Buck and Max's graves too for a quick visit.

Monticello #3

We found water in the hedges on the way to the sunken garden. Great place to fill the Nalgene on a hot day. The first trip to the Sunsinger was a success.

Monticello #2

Natalie held the toad too.

E.B. pulled some MASSIVE snails out of the creek.

There were blue martins in the martin houses. First time for that!

Monticello #1

We hit the usual spots: The Brown Bag, Dairy Queen, Buck's trail at Allerton. The pool at the Best Western was very popular. The car show was an unexpected treat.

We caught another toad. Also, we found a dead snake and a beautiful dead butterfly which made E.B. very sad off and on throughout the trip.

Shapiro BBQ

Friday night Scott, Laurel, et al came over. Dad was late, so Scott got to grill his own dinner. Classy.

We were up until 10pm when the wheels came off of EB and Caden.

It was Devin's first time hitting off a tee. He may have been drafted already.

Sunsinger

A couple from the Birdhouse event

Facebook may break when Julie posts all her pics from last night. Here are selected faves for our blog readership. Great party. Great fun.

Julie was fired up. She took tons of pics but people got her in a few. She looked spectacular.

Wesley was a full service host. He even put on his blue suit and smashed down the garbage in the dumpster outside his studio.

Carmelo, Alex and I got caught checking our phones at the same time. The moment was re-enacted for posterity. They won that really cool Pac-Man looking birdhouse.

Jules gave a great speech from atop some scaffolding. I took the picture from really far away. I promise that's her.

New table in the garden

We pulled out the bushes and added some fresh mulch last weekend. This weekend, we assembled the Jane Hamley Wells picnic table. It was a sunglasses in the shade type of day today.

Prepping for Birdhouse

Julie and her fellow super Moms spent part of today cleaning up Wesley's studio in preparation for Saturday night. Per Sue, Wesley is "a little bohemian." Thick layers of bird crap and oil paint on the floor are advanced bohemian in my book.

Awesome place though.

Shakes at Odge's Rule

Garden, Birdhouse Prep, General Craziness

Julie's Birdhouse Benefit Auction is next weekend so, among other things this weekend, we hung a promotional banner at school. We also planted a bunch of new stuff and reorganized the front garden and pulled all of the bushes out of the back garden.

We got a new camera for Mother's Day which allows us to record videos and easily play them on the TV. It's like living in the future. E.B. is doing his best Emperor Palpatine impersonation.

Pinchitos and Birdhouses

Mother's Day was big fun. We went for a hike to check out the two birdhouses Nata and E.B. made for the Friends of Pritzker Birdhouse Auction Party.

Their pieces are in the store window at Myopic Books on Milwaukee. Natalie's has pieces of Dr. Seuss' Foot Book. Elliot's has bits of Barbapapa's School worked into the design.

After that, we grilled pinchitos a la plancha, and corn and bell peppers. It rocked if I do say so myself.

Dance, dance, dance

Mazi Dance Class

Julie is planning another Subt event for this Saturday. It entails some kid dancing. In preparation, a crew went to Mazi Dance studios on Monday for training. Natalie's crown never came off.

After class, everybody went to Wicker Park for a picnic with Grandma Bonnie.

Wish flower frenzy

View from the back seat of the Mazda

E. B. took some pics as we headed to REI to buy a roof rack for the car.