Happy Fourth of July

Ever since I started reading my mother's Better Homes and Gardens I have wanted to make a red, white, and blue dessert for the Fourth. I have never made the festive dessert, but she is kind of a sweet fourth of July treat. Eva is 8 months old.

My Darling

Anytime I talk about Eva I guard my heart by saying that I know she will only be this sweet once. Being with her is like holding a special edition that will soon be discontinued. It is like if a life staple, like food or gasoline, was going to be discontinued you would want to determine how you could get as much as you could as fast as you could. All I can do is say that I love her and cry a few tears. Childhood is a precious thing and I am not going to let it rush by.

Chicago

Well, for the first time in 3 years and 3 months Luke woke up and jumped out of bed and put on his clothes practically before his feet hit the ground. He said, "I have to get dressed, I have to go to Chicago." We had a hard time distracting him until 9AM when we officially started the drive. Once we were there he just kept saying, "I am excited," as he skipped around.

We love going to visit Julie and Tom in Chicago. We had such a great time. They have a son, Jake, who is going to be two in August. Luke enjoyed watching traffic for a total of three hours. I enjoyed going out to eat twice, grilling out, and just being away from home. Dave liked learning about Julie's new camera. Dave has been asking for a digital SLR camera and now he has been fully inspired to get one.

We had a great time going to the local park and hanging out with Julie and Tom. I love staying at their place on the south loop. I also fully enjoyed using her BOB jog stroller and taking Luke for a jog on the lakefront. I used the swivel wheel the expandable sun shield and the cup holder.

Growing tomatoes with Grandma

Anytime we have a question with our yard we call grandma and grandpa. They both have a special knack for keeping things beautiful outdoors. We just hang up the phone and they arrive with their suburban, enclosed landscaping trailer, John Deer tractor, professional blower, hoses, rakes, fertilizer, and beautiful flowers. This time they were focusing on teaching Luke about tomatoes. They mixed potting soil and fertilizer into two containers. Then they planted two types of tomatoes. We have been watching them grow and now they are triple in size.