Sylvia, Reese & Co.

This weekend we went to Morris, IL for Camp Run-A-Muck (formerly known as Stefapalloza) for Stef Foster’s birthday. We all ate, played games, and hung out late into the night (10 pm) around a bonfire before heading off to sleep in our tent. Sylvia did great, sleeping in her little sleeping bag between us for the second weekend in a row. She’s becoming quite a pro.

The location was perfect for a mixed adult/kid party. There was plenty of space amongst the corn fields to play cornhole, chase dogs, roast wieners, and play on the swing set. On Sunday morning we even got to pick green beans from the garden. Sylvia helped prepare them and ate a healthy portion for dinner.

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While I love playgroup, it is a petri dish. I’ve been neurotically checking Sylvia for sores on her hands, feet, and mouth as two of our baby camping buddies, Niamhy and Jonah, have hand, foot, and mouth (you can view the photos in the previous post and just see the virus spreading).

I wish they would come up with a better name for this virus. While I like that it is specific and leaves no question as to what may be affected, by the name of it, I feel like I’ve somehow failed Sylvia because it sounds like I set her loose in a pasture full of wild animals.

So far, no sores, but I’ll keep everyone updated. We have three more days left of the “incubation” period.

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We just returned from a camping trip at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, IL where we hung out with a few of Sylvia’s best playgroup friends. After getting our camp set up, we hit the beach. The weather was perfect for a dip in chilly Lake Michigan. The beach was pretty rocky which made it difficult for some of us with city feet, but it allowed for great stone skipping in which Sylvia took a great interest.

After the beach, we started up the fire which ended up being the center of activity for the evening – even for Sylvia who was just too excited to go to sleep. She and dad finally drifted off about 10pm. Sunday morning we went for a quick hike with a very sleepy baby and then returned home to Evanston where we did a little more swimming in the Lake and digging in the sand.

Click an image for a larger view.

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Although the weather the past few days has felt a little cool for August, Saturday afternoon warmed up nicely – as did Lake Michigan, and the family hit the beach.

Getting our feet wet

Reserved Sylvia gets brave

Posing for Dad

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For the past few weeks, Sylvia has a ritual of putting on a dance marathon. She has one dance called the “Banana (Nama) Dance,” “Driving the Car Dance,” and the “Ack Ack” (not sure what this one is all about).

The dance we’ve captured here is entitled, “The Backhoe Dance.” Sylvia is intrigued by construction equipment. And, it seems that the Backhoe is the most inspiring to her. You can see how in the video.

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So, we’ve caught Sylvia’s flare for self-expression on film. Here she does a rendition of her first blues song entitled, “No Bath.”

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Sylvia bravely climbed on a sea dragon at Old Orchard.

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Chasing rabbits.

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A picture from tonight’s dinner:
Why are Sylvia and Charlie both in the kitchen with all of our houseplants?

Because we are getting new floors:
This is the result of the washing machine ‘repair’ a few weeks ago which dumped an inch or two of water into our condo. All things considered, the process has been pretty easy, and this has allowed us to upgrade to actual wood flooring in a lighter color which should lighten things up, especially in those dark winter months. The installation began this morning at 8:30 and should be finished up by the end of the day tomorrow.

We hope it will be. It is pretty rainy here now, and everything that used to be in our living room is now in Chris and Darcie’s bedroom, so the place is feeling a bit cramped with a curious toddler. We’ll post photos of the finished product later this week.

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