1st Day of Second Grade

Steve is off for his first day of second grade at Kenwood Elementary. He is very excited to see many classmates he hasn't seen since last December.

North Pond

Jeff and I had a special dinner out to celebrate my birthday and Jeff's new placement at IRI. North Pond is a Chicago restaurant we had been interested in trying for a few years now, as they are affiliated with the Chef's Collaborative, which makes a priority of creating menus based on local, in-season, produce. August is a great time to go to a restaurant like this, since produce is peaking in this area. Everything was delicious and it was a beautiful night to be in Lincoln Park.

GORGE Pool Party

Baby Shower

My sisters and mom hosted a baby shower for Baby Groen to celebrate the coming addition to our family. A very special surprise was a blanket with a crocheted border that my Grandma Cora Bleyenburg had made before she died and given to my mom several years ago to keep for this occasion.

School Uniforms

Steve and I lucked out on a PTA sale at school where we could rebuild his wardrobe for school. Kenwood requires uniformity of color rather than uniforms, so we have quite a bit of flexibility as long as the colors are red, white, navy or tan. He looked so sharp in this ensemble that I said he should be a model for school clothes!

Canoeing and Camping

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend at Chain O Lakes State Park, about 2 hours east of us on Route 30. This park has a chain of small lakes linked by shallow wood-shaded channels, so it is a fun place to canoe.

The campfires were expertly prepared by Jeff and Steve so we could cook our meals and s'mores each night.

One of the highlights for Steve was getting in on catching some food (minnows) with the naturalist before the Feeding Time event at the nature center.