P&G | Special Olympics: What I See

Wow. Just...wow.

{john+kristen+lola+johnny}

At the beginning of April, we got to be a "model" family for a photographer just starting her business. She trained under another photographer we've worked with in the past, so we knew her work would be great. And free pictures--how could you pass that up! Her name is Tanya and if you're interested in her contact info, shoot me an email. We'd highly recommend her!!! (Her business is Studio 63 Photography and you can find her on Facebook, too!)

{john+kristen+lola+johnny}

{johnny-6 months}

(Outfit courtesy of Team Peck!)

Happy 1/2 Birthday to our beautiful boy! It's crazy to think he's half-way to his 1st Birthday. There's no denying he's growing up because oh my, is he growing!!!

HERE ARE SOME UPDATES:

At his 6 month check-up on Tuesday he weighed in at 18 lbs. 9 oz. and measured 26.5 in. Wow. He does love his milk and has been enjoying his cereal this last month. We just started cereal 2x a day and will be going ahead with veggies, too.

In the picture, he's seated in his high chair. He likes to play with toys that I put in front of him on his tray--pretty much anything he gets his sweet little hands on goes right in his mouth.

Last week, he perfected rolling from back to tummy--we were so excited when that happened. He loves playing on his tummy and will shift his weight from one arm to the next and reach out to try and grab toys in front of him.

Independent sitting is still a ways off, but he's showing improvement in this skill. He topples over very easily but we're starting to see him hold the position for a little bit longer than he used to be able to. His therapists continue to be encouraged about his future and what he'll be able to accomplish.

Kids with high-muscle tone like to stand tip-toed when bearing weight and he used to only stand this way, but lately, we've seen him stand much more flat-footed.

His cooing has changed in the last week too--it sounds much more like babbling.

My 30th

I think my 30th birthday may have been my best birthday yet! It was a perfect day, from start to finish.

I knew John was planning something special to surprise me with, but I had no clue what it could be. Imagine my surprise, when on my birthday morning, I opened my gift from him to find the Lilly Pulitzer dress I had fallen in love with while shopping on Park Ave. a few months ago down in Florida. I couldn't believe it. I have wanted a Lilly Pulitzer for years. And when I tried it on in the dressing room, I just happened to snap a picture of myself wearing it and sent it to him. I didn't actually think I'd get it! It has to be the most beautiful thing to ever hang in my closet. Stay tuned, you'll be seeing it soon ;)

Mom gave me the gift of all gifts by babysitting the kids all day so John and I could spend a carefree day downtown. As we walked to the train, I mentioned to him I felt like we were going on vacation, I was so excited! The weather looked like it might rain, but cleared enough to where we felt comfortable dropping our umbrellas off at his office instead of carrying them around. I finally got to see where my husband works!

We walked towards The Purple Pig, our lunch destination. Just before we were about to cross the river, the bridge raised to let a large boat pass. Something you don't get to see every day. A stranger was nice enough to snap a picture of us...How handsome is my husband?! Such a great picture of him.

The Purple Pig has been on our to-do list for awhile. Several friends have recommended it and it was rated one of Bon Appetite's Top 10 new restaurants in the country last year. Hello!

We feasted on marinated olives, cured meats, chef selected cheeses and a fantastic eggplant smear. We can't wait to go back and try more of the menu when Mom & Dad come to visit.
We walked up and down Michigan Ave. for a few hours, stopping into countless stores, just taking our time. It was bustling with people and bursting with Spring color.
We capped off our time together at the Art Institute. We enjoyed free admission, thanks to JPMorgan Chase--and feasted our eyes on some incredible masterpieces.
After our time at the Art Institute, I kissed John good-bye as he headed to the train and I headed back up the Ave. to meet my Dad at Ron's for our annual Birthday dinner date. We sat with an awesome group and enjoyed our dinner so much, I totally forgot to have someone take a picture of us! Oh well, I stole this from their website. It's actually from their Northbrook location, but you get the idea. This place is the best.

And as a fun surprise, the waitress brought me a Chocolate Martini at the end of the meal. My mom had called the bar at the restaurant and ordered me a drink :)

30 awesome years. Such a fun celebration. As if the day wasn't enough, I was showered with love and happy wishes from so many friends and family. At this age, it's not the gifts you care about, but rather the gift of love and friendship from those around you that is priceless. THANKS EVERYONE!

Johnny Zic graduates from Notre Dame

It's crazy to think my Uncle John graduated as Valedictorian from Notre Dame 24 years ago--what's even crazier is that I remember it! On Sunday, we watched his son, our cousin Johnny Zic, graduate from ND's Mendoza College of Business. It's so cool when things come full circle! The day was stunning--filled with sunshine and celebration of this young man, about to start the next chapter of his life (in NYC, no less!). Congrats, cousin! And again, great job to Uncle Johnny & Auntie Mary! So much of where we are in our lives has to do with all our parents do for us to help us get where we're going...

(Read captions for play by play)

Johnny Zic's Notre Dame Graduation

More Puzzles!

Last weekend, Lola stood at the coffee table and played puzzles for an hour straight. No joke. She loves doing them and requires no assistance to complete the task. This amazes us! So today at Target, we got a $1 Toy Story jigsaw with 28 pieces. I timed her and it took her exactly 29 minutes to complete. She didn't ask for help once. She then continued to do a 48 piece Princess puzzle (which happened to sneak it's way into our cart at Target as well). Before we knew it, we looked at the coffee table and there it was, completed.

Disney 2011

Well, better late than never, right?! We had such an awesome time with Team Peck at the Magic Kingdom back in March while we were visiting Florida. Lola thinks Tessa & Tate are the coolest, so she was thrilled to be spending the whole day with them at the happiest place on Earth. Us adults had some fun laughs of our own throughout the day as well!

You'll notice throughout the album the girls are wearing matching shirts--Tessa picked them out and they couldn't have looked cuter.

The pictures of the Three Mousekateers on the tea cups have to be some of the best ever. It's childhood, personified. Nothing but carefree smiles.

Enjoy...there are a ton!

Disney 2011

Great Friends

My three dearest friends--Alissa, Tracy & Kristin--treated me to a wonderful afternoon to celebrate my 30th birthday (T-minus 8 days and counting!). We got together at a local nail salon for a little Pedicure pampering. We ate yummy snacks, drank a decent amount of wine, indulged in brownies and had great conversation. Each of these ladies represents a very important time in my life--I'm blessed to have their love, support and encouragement and love that they can count each other as friends, too! I love you girls!

Bridesmaids Night Out!

Carla, one of Leah's awesome bridesmaids, had the brilliant idea that we should all get together for a girl's night out and go see the new movie "Bridesmaids" together. So last night, we did! Oh my goodenss. By far, one of the funniest flicks I have ever seen. We had a nice dinner at Panera before the show and at the end of the night, Leah treated us to drinks at Martini Blu. What an awesome girls night! We can't wait for the wedding, we've got a great bunch of ladies in this group!

From L to R: Me, Leah (bride!), Nikki (my cousin Tim's girlfriend), Keli (Leah's cousin and fellow Maid of Honor) and Carla (Phil & Leah met at Carla's wedding to Phil's friend Jeff!). Karra, Carolyn and Julie round out the bunch, but unfortunately couldn't make it Saturday night.

{mother's day 2011}

For Mother's Day, all I wanted was a picnic downtown with my loves. We packed the double stroller full of necessities and hopped on the Rock Island yesterday morning, headed for city. We got off at LaSalle Street Station and walked to Millennium Park. Unfortunately, the Great Lawn was roped off, so we couldn't sit on the green to eat (they wanted to protect the grass from all the heavy foot traffic of the day.) We were able to get a perfect table under the sun though, right in front of the "bean". We milled about the park and before we knew it, both babies were passed out! So John and I got to enjoy a nice peaceful stroll along the lakefront. The lake looked like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket. You get that effect when there isn't a cloud in the sky!

We paused for a bit on the Museum Campus so baby boy could eat--we even got a few great, sweet pictures of him. We headed back towards the train and by the time we sat down in our seats, we were all exhausted! A good tired, of course :) Both kids, especially Lola, were very well behaved on the train.

A perfect Mother's Day.

Mother's Day 2011

Dinner for Mom

We had Mom over for dinner last night to celebrate Mother's Day. It's not often I get to cook for her so it was great to be able to do something for her for a change! I made Roast Pork (with lots of garlic) and Double Baked Potatoes--it was my first time making them and they came out great. I remember her making them for us all the time growing up.

We had Strawberry Shortcake for dessert and then Mom & I hit Home Depot and Khol's for a bit, just the two of us. It was a very nice night!

Mother's Day Dinner

Missing Team Peck

Lola had the best time with Tessa & Tate while we were visiting Florida in March. We got together a few times and of course had one of the most memorable days together at Disney (pics coming soon, I promise!). Tessa & Tate loved holding Baby John and he was happy to oblige. Shelby treated us to some delicious meals, as usual. And Lola got a glimpse into the world of having Sisters--we miss and love you guys!!!

CLICK on the album below to view...

Team Peck

A new foodie in the family...

Lola @ Ron of Japan!

My Dad made me into the foodie I am. Started at the ripe ol' age of 5. I had a bad Lobster habit back in the day. Sue picked her up this afternoon. Papa & Mimi take her out to dinner with them every now and then on Friday nights. Usually it's at a local joint. Tonight I get a call at 7 pm that goes a little something like this:

Dad: "Yeah, hi, Kris?"

Me: "Hi Dad."

Dad: "Hold on a second, Lola wants to tell you something."

(Puts Lola on the phone and says, "Tell Mommy where we are.")

Lola: "Mommy, we're at Ron of Japan!"

Oh. My. Goodness. Our daughter is eating out in the city on a Friday night. Mommy & Daddy had to settle for a BBQ Chicken Pizza from Ed n Joe's!

Park'n'Picnic

After dance class, we got the kids together for a fun picnic and play at the park. Hello, Spring. We've missed you!

Park'n'Picnic

Sesame Street LIVE!

Mommy really wanted to take Lola to go see Sesame Street LIVE so last minute we bought some cheap tickets and asked our buddies Preston & Tiffany to join us. We packed the kids, some movies and lots of snacks into Tiff's minivan and headed out to Merriville for the show. We had the BEST time. They loved it--lots of fun signing and dancing. Preston, ever the gentleman, treated his Lola to some cotton candy during intermission--blue for him, pink for her. You'll often hear Lola say, "I love Preston. He's my buddy." Daddy thinks he's a fine young man so he's happy anytime Lola can get together with her love. And of course, I love getting to hang out with one of my dearest friends ever!

Sesame Street Live

Sleeping Beauty

Lola and her good girlfriend Alexis had a date at the Beverly Arts Center a few weeks ago. Mommy scored some sweet tickets thanks to a Groupon the Chicago Kids Theater Company was running--$5/ticket! Yes, please :)

The show was great! We can't wait to get together next month for Pinocchio!

Click below for a few cute pics of the girls...

Drop Box

First Laugh

A special moment happened this afternoon in the kitchen. Johnny was sitting in his high chair playing with his green ball (new favorite toy). I threw it up and down in the air while I said "Up! Down!" and he thought it was so funny, he broke out in full belly laughs. It was awesome. He is such an amazing addition to our lives. Our family just wouldn't be complete without him.

Storytime to celebrate Mommy

I'm so in love with the public library. It's got to be the best use of our tax dollars! We visit a few times a week. Lola loves to check out new books and videos and play with the other kids doing puzzles at the tables. I usually don't take her to storytime because she goes every Thursday with Mimi--but we hit Tinley's 2-year-old storytime today and it was great. The theme was "Mommy" with Mother's Day coming up. We sang Mommy songs, read Mommy books, made a felt bouquet for Mommy and an adorable handprint art project that I will treasure forever.

Therapy Fun!

Here is a quick look at our boy in therapy with his OT Emily. We love her! He got to play on the ball yesterday and loved it. The picture isn't that great because he was moving all around and my camera phone wasn't fast enough, but you get the idea :) We're working on sitting up--and yesterday he made a great attempt to tripod sit with his palms firmly planted on the ground in front of him--and held the position for a good 10 seconds! He's so awesome. Watching him grow and develop is the greatest gift we could imagine.

Exersaucer Fun

I discovered an awesome product at BuyBuyBaby the other day--the Hugga Bebe. The therapists have advised us against using the Jumperoo and Exersaucer because it can foster poor positioning, even in kids without motor challenges. Some genius Mommy (who no doubt is a very RICH Mommy now!) invented this product to help give babies the much needed support in those activity centers. We can even use it in the bucket swings at the park! And with BuyBuyBaby's awesome coupons, we scored it for less than $20. If you know of anyone having a baby in the near future, I highly recommend this product!

Caiden is TWO!

Cousin Caiden turned 2 a few weeks ago--we had a blast celebrating at his party! No one had as good of a time as Lola, though. Put her around other kids and she's the happiest girl in the world. I love my little social butterfly!

Caiden is TWO!