It wasn't quite Art Music Justice...

...but another AWESOME concert. Last Wednesday, sort of spur of the moment, I got to go see The Eagles at the United Center with clients for work. It was SO much fun. I obviously know who the Eagles are, but had no idea how many songs I actually knew! They put on a great show, and for their age, are clearly in much better shape than me as evidenced by their standing up and playing for 3+ hours. We got to sit in our company's box, and the stage happened to be down on the floor directly in front of us (we were perpendicular to the stage). I would probably never select The Eagles as a concert I'd like to attend, but I am so glad I was able to go. Great music and great fun. I've updated my playlist with some of their songs. :-)

Art Music Justice Tour

When the Hogans came out to babysit for us a couple weekends ago, we took the opportunity to got to a concert with some of our friends. The main draw was Derek Webb, one of our favorite artists, but there four other artists as well performing in the Art Music Justice Tour.

These artists are touring to promote awareness of issues being addressed by a couple of amazing organizations: International Justice Mission and Food for the Hungry.

I really didn't know much about IJM, but it's pretty amazing work they do. Lawyers and other legal professionals work in other countries to free people from bonded slavery and human traficking using the law of that country. The work to prosecute the offenders and train the local nationals to know and use their laws to free these people.

Sara Groves was one of the artists and she had a particularly powerful song that had some video as well, but it just really gave you a sense of thankfulness for people who have given their lives to help others and a sense of burden about we can do personally to help. The lyrics are below, but I've posted a "playlist" of some of the songs from the concert over on the right (it's the first one). It just gave me chills when she gets to the last verse and talks about Harriet Tubman, Jim Elliot, Mother Teresa and others who have done so much for those in need. My heart breaks when I think of some of the stories she told about young girls kidnapped and taken to brothels, etc. It's just crazy how good we have it here - even with our troubled economy.

Anyway, just wanted to share. Check out these two organizations if you get a chance.

When the Saints (Sara Groves)

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know

It's more than I can handle

But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought with so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me

And when I'm weary and overwrought with so many battles left unfought
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court I
hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door
I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

Trying Something New

www.prettypleasantandpractical.blogspot.com

Bapa Hogan, Grandma Sandi and Uncle Cory Visit!

Last weekend Bapa Hogan, Grandma Sandi and Uncle Cory came in for the weekend to visit and to give us a much appreciated gift - a Friday night out! We went to dinner and a concert with friends Friday (a separate post to come on that) and Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and then to the zoo. It was a packed weekend, but we had so much fun.

At the farmer's market Saturday morning we had our favorite donuts and then hung out for a little bit and listened to a young girl playing the harp. Grandma Sandi even gave Gabe some change to throw in her box. :-) He was pretty intrigued. He helped Grandma Sandi pick out some gourds, too. The market was definitely hoppin'; you can tell the fall harvests are coming in. It's always one of our favorite things to do on Saturday morning.

Each year for Gabe's birthday Bapa Hogan and Grandma Sandi buy us a Brookfield Zoo membership, which is awesome because we can go whenever we want, we don't have to stay the whole day, etc. Saturday we took them with us and it was tons of fun. There was some sort of festival going on, so Gabe got to see a couple of the Backyardigans and also drive Power Wheels. He had a little trouble steering, but I think he had fun. :-) Then we made the rounds and saw lots of animals. And the butterfly garden was free that day. I had never been in there, but it was so cool. One visited with GAbe for a while, and one even landed on Cory's shirt. It was a great day to be able to share with them the wonderful gift they give us each year!

Thanks for coming in, you guys, and we hope to see you again soon!

Here are some pics from the weekend.

Gabe checking out the harpist:


Gabe and Bapa Hogan listening to the beautiful music:


Gabe and the gourds:


Bapa Hogan and Gabe checking out the elephants:


Taking a break at the zoo:


Riding the gorilla:


Making friends with the butterfly:


That orange blur in front of Caleb is a butterfly:


Gabe "driving" on the Power Wheels track:


This would have been a great pic, but some kid ran up and jumped on the gorilla's head :-):


Caleb checking out the gorilla:


Gabe and Grandma Sandi in the butterfly garden:


Cory's new friend:

Linus

Caleb has a little friend.....it's name is blankie. Lately he's really been reminding me of Linus from the Peanuts, because he drags it everywhere and sleeps with it, too. If it's on the ground he'll just go over and dive on it, sometimes saying "ni-ni" (which he doesn't really mean, trust me). It actually has one corner that's a little "hood" and it has little bear ears, which are his favorite parts. He has to be holding or chewing on one or both of them and when I'm putting him down and it's dark, he'll search the blankie over to find them! It's funny because I always wanted Gabe to have a "lovie" as a baby, but he never attached to anything. Caleb is another story......we don't leave home without blankie.

My Little Man

Gabe is such a little man to me. He definitely is a three-year old, but there are many times in a week and even a day when I think..."how did you come up with that?" I've been wanting to jot a few things that I don't want to forget:

He's starting to say his bedtime prayers on his own. Last night, this was his prayer: "Thank you, Lord, for this day. Thank you that we had a good day with Daddy and thank you that Daddy delivered the tent. Amen." (One of the parents at the school gave Dan a tent/fort for Gabe.) Then he decided that was too short, so started again. "Thank you, Lord, for this day. Thank you that we got to play with Miss D and thank you that she went home. Amen." It's just so sweet to hear him pray his own thoughts.

Dan has started reading him the Narnia books, starting with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," and he's REALLY into it. Before, he would always insist that I be the one to put him to bed, but now he insists on Dan so they can read more Narnia!. He's definitely paying attention, too. One day he said something about Mr. Tumnus at the White Witch's house, and how there were wolves there. Then tonight a little girl from next door was visiting and she said something about snow, and Gabe said, "just like in Narnia!" Dan just reads until Gabe is fast asleep.

Last night at dinner, he was super excited to play with his new tent, and really thought Caleb would like it. We told him we had to wait, and Caleb was still eating. He was so anxious for Caleb to get done so he could go and show him the tent. He is always sweet with Caleb, but this was probably the first time we've seen him really wanting Caleb to come and play with him, so it was just really sweet. He kept asking, "is Caleb done yet?" and "I think he's done!" I love the thought of them being great friends and playmates.

He is very big into certainty right now and will not accept "maybe" or "I think so" as answers. If we are not sure about something, he will push and push until he gets a yes or no. If we give him an "I think so" he'll just keep asking..... "is it?" "Maybe" "is it?!!" "I think so?" "IS IT???!!!" "Yes."

He's doing great on the potty. He still likes to go in his little potty, but no accidents since Maine and no overnight accidents still. He can pretty much let himself in the bathroom, go, empty it into the toilet, pull up his pants and wash his hands on his own, which makes it seem crazy that he was wearing diapers just a few short months ago.

He still LOVES the computer....PBS Kids, Veggie Tales and now Nick Jr. It's also amazing to me how he's figured out how to navigate. He can drag and drop, maximize the screen, click the Xs (to close the windows), and figure out games better than I can!

He likes to be helpful. A lot of times he'll say "Oh, I can do that, Mommy!" and he likes to volunteer other people to be helpful, like "Tina will take me potty. Yeah!" :-)

This list could go on for quite sometime, so I'll stop there, but I continue to be amazed (and entertained) by him all the time. He's a pretty cool kid (I know, I'm partial). :-)

Happy Birthday, Bapa Tyo!

Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you and hope to see you soon.

Can't stop myself....

....from ordering the 6-pose package at Portrait Innovations. I have been wanting to get Caleb's one-year (OK, 14-month) pictures done and also meant to do a 3-year pic for Gabe, so while I was in Rockford over the weekend I took them to the old standby. My dad came with to help out (Dan stayed in Chicago because he had to work), and since his birthday was coming up, we decided to get some shots of him with the boys, too! I think they turned out really cute. Very simple, but I'm happy with them. Also, I selected the one of them with my dad for the $9.99 special, which comes with about 100 prints, and then realized that I didn't really need that many of that shot (nor did my dad!). So I called and they let me come in and exchange for another pose! They are so super nice at the one in Rockford. Even if the pics are not top of the line, it's easy, cheap and a pleasant experience. At least it has been for us so far!

Enjoy the pics above, and here's a link to the rest.....I think my favorite is the one with Gabe standing with his hands in his pockets. He looks like such a big boy! If you look close enough you can see his polka-dot croc tan on his feet. :-)

Apple Orchard 2008!

On Friday, Christina and I met up in Rockford to take the boys to Edward's Apple Orchard with Oma to do some apple picking. We knew the forecast was calling for rain, but the hour-by-hour forecast said it would all be in the morning. Wrong. It was all in the afternoon and started right as we were driving out. But, we had a great time anyway. We started out with cider and the donuts (the REAL reason I go to the orchard), thinking it might clear, and after some pleading from the boys, we decided to drive the vans out to the orchard (apparently the wagon only runs on the weekend) and let them pick in the rain. The little boys watched from the stroller while the big boys picked (and tasted) to their heart's content. It turned out to be a lot of fun and the Gala apples they picked are DELICIOUS! We got to hang out with our favorite cousins and aunt and Oma a little more Friday night and Saturday. It was great to see them and let the boys hang out and play. Isn't the pic of Henry and Gabe hugging so sweet? And the one of them playing "drums" on the milk cans? There were so many cute pics I couldn't decide which to post, so I posted a lot. :-) I'm glad Edward's is back in business after the freak January tornado that hit their property. They've done a great job rebuilding the apple barn, though part of me will always miss the original!

Caleb is 14 Months!

I am WAY overdue on a milestone post for Caleb! I've been feeling really bad about this, and have been accummulating a list on the chalkboard, but it had become such a long list and this post had become so monumental, that I kept procrasinating. What's new, though, right?

I'll start with his stats from his one year appointment on 7/17/08:

Weight: 27 pounds (92%)


Height: 30.5 inches (67% - I'm not sure if this one was accurate...he was really squirmy and the measurement is not that much more than last time)


Head Circumference: 48 cm (87%)



I was having a lot of heartburn about what to do about his shots, and had decided to ask them to split the MMR into separate shots and do just the measles that day. As much as I promised myself to stick to my guns, he ended up getting the combined shot anyway, but we did wait on one of the others. I really thought that the MMR had the highest risk of side effects, but the doctor told me that ones he had already received had higher risks and also that splitting them out really wasn't going to make a difference for that particular shot. I was a little frustrated, but I'm just thankful he didn't have any reactions, other than the brief fever a week later, which is a normal side effect (so I've learned).

Basic Patterns


Eating: EVERYTHING. Except when he's cranky or teething, he'll pretty much eat anything you put in front of him, and in mass quantities. He loves crackers and particularly those cheese / peanut butter snack crackers.



Drinking: Whole milk, but thinking of moving to soy due to some recent sleepless nights. He probably drinks 24 oz of milk a day, and some water at meals. Still having the ba ba for milk and sippy for water, but he doesn't want to do either one himself - he'll hand his sippy to me when he's eating and I end up standing there while he drinks. He also loves to drink my water out of a glass.

Sleeping: Doesn't. At least lately. :-) We've been having some more of those brutal, up-for-3 hours-in-the-middle-of-the-night nights. He's not super sad, though, just awake and then usually waking for the day at 4:30-ish. We've been bringing him down and keeping all the lights off and some mornings he'll doze with us on the couch for an hour or so more. It's reminiscent of when we switched him to the soy formula, so I took him in last week and they suggested trying soy milk, but so far he won't take it. I should note that the no-sleeping has been going on for about a month, but before that he was sleeping great - through the night for a very long time.



Naps: Pretty much down to one a day, for up to 2 1/2 hours. On mornings when he's been waking early, I've been putting him down for an early morning nap, but then he doesn't want to take the afternoon nap.

Milestones

Teeth: His first molar (top left if you're looking at him) popped through on 7/15/08, and the second (top right) on our way to Maine, 7/26/08. Today I felt around in there and there's a third popping through (bottom left) and the fourth is really close. That's got to be at least part of our sleeping issue. I can't really tell what's going on with the incisors yet, and he's got all the rest.


Walking: He took his first step on 7/19/08 in Bloomington and Henry's birthday party! We were sitting in their living room and he was standing and took a little tiny step before he fell! He's pretty much walking wherever he wants now, not totally stable, but can usually get from point A to point B. I love the little waddle at this age.


Talking: He's really starting to say a lot of words and loves to mimic us and Gabe. Here are some of his words:

• hi - his first word
• baga / gaga - this seems to be his name(s) for Gabe (OK, it's not really a word, but I wanted to make a note of it)
• uh oh - by far his favorite word / phrase
• amen
• shhh
• kittie
• ba ba - bottle
• ba ba - bye bye
• something that sounds like "yellow"
• D (as in Miss D, he only said this once when we asked him to)
• tay too - thank you
• disssss - this
• da da - daddy
• nnnaaaahhh - this is a long drawn out sound he makes that sound like me calling up the stairs to Dan :-)

Favorite Activities




Flushing the toilet - he loves this and sadly, sometimes when I'm done, I let him flush for me. That might be TMI, but I think it's funny and let's face it, we all have to take them in there with us sometimes. :-)



Touching the garbage can - don't they always want to touch the gross things?



Playing with Gabe's potty chair - same note as above.


Flipping light switches - he LOVES this and reaches and grunt whenever we walk by one.


Playing bitesy witesy - he likes to play this little game where he tries to bite me and then I say "Noooo bitesy witesy!" and he just keeps laughing and trying.


Vaccuuming with the dustbuster - he insists that it be "on" and gets really irritated when it runs out of batteries.


Opening and closing cabinets (and taking out their contents).


Waving "hi" - loves to wave and give his high-pitched "hi" to passers by, especially in the grocery store.


Blowing kisses - this is one of my faves. This might also be another word, because it sounds like "Oma" when he does it.


Throwing food - and I do not mean "dropping" or "tossing." He literlly hurls his food across the table / kitchen now.


Playing with hats - he loves to play with Dan's hats and wear them. Sometimes he'll crawl in the other room and when he comes back he's wearing a hat. :-)


Rough handling his older brother - he's pretty strong, and more than once he has exerted force on his older brother! It's going to be interesting.



Pointing - he definitely knows what he wants and loves to point at things to tell us what he's after.

Hiding - he likes to hide under tables, chairs and behind his rocker when we're getting him ready for bed.

He's becoming more and more fun each day. He has a super contagious smile, and his personality is really blossoming. He adores his older brother and loves it when Gabe entertains him. It's so fun to watch the two of them together!

So, there you have it. I'm sure I've missed things, but at least I can check this off my list! :-)

Talker

Both boys were asleep by 7 tonight, and Dan's working late, so...what to do? There's a long list, but I think in between other chores, I'll try to catch up on some posts!

This is a video I've been meaning to post for a while. Caleb has become really "conversational," and his jibber jabber has such timing and inflection that it sounds like he's really talking to you about something important. Here he's "talking" on the phone. Bear with the video, it takes a little bit for him to get going. :-)

I probably shouldn't tell you this...

....because my odds will be worse, but Real Simple is doing a $5,000 Pottery Barn Kids sweepstakes right now, and you can enter once a day until October 13. Just thought I'd share, since I know I have some fellow PBK lovers out there who could easily spend the $5k. :-)

Here's the link.

Star Struck

So, I woke up this morning and saw on the news that Oprah was going to be taping her season premier across the street from where I work and that she would be hosting the US Olympic Team. My first thought was that I hoped I didn't run into extra traffic trying to get to work for my 8 a.m. meeting. My second thought was that it would be cool to go over and try to see some of the taping.

On my way to work I heard on the radio that the Olympians had arrived in double decker buses and were unloading, so as I drove onto lower Randolph to go to the garage, I snapped a quick pic of them with my phone (I'll try to somehow post it, but it's not that great), but didn't see anyone I recognized. When I got upstairs, one of our colleagues was down on the street and called up to try and point some people out to us. We saw Nastia Liukin (gymnast) from a distance, but that was about it. So that was cool and I went about my day.

For lunch I went down to grab a salad from Sopraffina and saw some people congregating outside. After I got my salad I sat out in our courtyard for a few minutes to see if anything was going to happen, and sure enough people started clapping. I went up to see what was happening and all the Olympians were started to file out and back onto the buses. I did not take the picture above (I pulled it from flickr), but it looks like it was taken from the building next door and you can see where I was standing...I was in the crowd at the bottom of the picture, across the street from the Pavilion and was right in front of the glass awning and right next to that black car with the pack of cabs behind it. All I had was my wallet, my salad and my diet coke....not even my cell phone to take pics!!

When I went up Carrie Walsh (women's beach volleyball) signing autographs and getting into a cab right in front of us. Then her partner, Misty May-Treanor get into one just down to the left. Then Lisa Leslie (WNBA). Then EVERYONE, including Michael Phelps, who was ushered into a black Escalade, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, the men's gymnasts, the 40-year old woman swimmer....the list goes on. It was so much fun. As they loaded into the buses, they had to do a u-turn to drive right by us using the turnaround in the pic above. They all waved and we all waved. It was very cool. Kobe road the bus with everyone else and since he was in the front right corner, we got a close up of him. Also, while the men's gymnasts were waiting in the top of one of the buses, they all did handstands for us!

Then, Oprah's friend Gayle came out and crossed the street - I'm pretty sure the black car in the pic above was the car she got into, but either way it was like RIGHT in front of us. I could have touched her. THEN Oprah came out. Chatted with some folks across the street, did an interview with Shawn Robinson (sp?) from Access Hollywood and got into her Escalade, did the u-turn and rolled her window down to wave at all of us! It was really crazy to see her that close!

THEN, some girls about 5 feet away from me started screaming like crazy and this guy in a baseball cap runs across the street and starts signing autographs and taking pictures with people and people were just going crazy. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know who it was at first......but quickly learned that it was David Cooke from American Idol!! Even grown men were having their picture taken with him.

After that it seemed to clear out and a lot of people left, but then we saw the girls gymnastics team come out, and we were able to cross the street to see them. They were at the top of the stairs, but Nastia came down and talked to the crowd a little bit (her parents, too) and we saw Shawn Johnson and the whole team.

While we were over there the Access Hollywood lady also got into her limo right in front of us. There was also a guy who hugged Oprah before she left who crossed the street to catch a cab by us with his girlfriend, but we weren't sure who he was. So, I'll have to watch Oprah on Monday to catch the show!

So anyway, that was my brush with some serious fame. Likely to never happen again! Here's a link to the NBC 5 article about the event.