My lone tulip

Mission successful

At the meeting Friday for E's upcoming trip to Japan, her teacher told the students they'll need to bring gifts to give to their Japanese host family, as well as any friends they make during their stay. She suggested buying Easter candy since it should be on sale. We were lucky to find some Hershey bunnies and Cadbury eggs at Target. She also suggested looking for anything with the American flag on it. We found some treat bags, pencils and little flags. Her teacher said one year her students visited a Japanese elementary school and handed out plastic Easter eggs with a chocolate candy inside and little American flags and the kids were thrilled. We have a long list of possible gift suggestions. Among the more interesting items were hand sanitizer, car fresheners, seasoning salt, character Band-Aids, cute shape pasta and fun nail polishes. She even put can opener on the list, which seems a bit odd to us. The trick for E is to bring enough gifts but still have room in her suitcase for all the clothes she needs to bring. Our next mission is to find her school uniform - black or navy skirt with a white button-down shirt.

Dr. Who dress

Look what L found at the mall yesterday and bought with her own money - that's the exciting part for me. She wore it last night to the second performance of the play she's in at school. Aunt Allison and E went to watch her play while Andy and I attended a benefit for Pilgrim Nursery School. We got home before them since Allison took them to Brown Cow for an ice cream treat after the play. Above, L is posing in the dress (she wore it again today to Sunday School) along the Chicago River. L and I went with Andy and E downtown this afternoon so we could shop while they listened to an informational talk about various technical universities, including Georgia Tech, which is on E's wish list (for now) of colleges she'd like to attend. L loves the attention she gets in the dress and several people commented that they liked it.

Reunited

B was thrilled that his friend L was in town from Ohio this weekend. He had L, IB and IR sleep over last night. IR had to leave before breakfast, but the boys cooperated (again) and let me take their picture. They were joking that I should put them all in a book so they can see how they've changed over the years. Maybe that would be a good idea for senior year. They went to Pete's last night and DiNico's for lunch today. They played video games all night and I think they slept a little bit. Last time L was here a sleepover didn't work out so it was nice to have him over this weekend. It's good to see B is catching up to them in the height department.

L's busy day

L volunteered to stay after school today to help her fellow students collect money from passers-by for Misericordia. Andy and I saw her as we were heading home from a meeting about E's Japanese trip so we stopped in the parking lot and gave her a dollar. She told us to come inside the school where she showed us a goldfish in a sandwich bag. She said a group of high school boys came by and handed her an envelope that said, "My name is Julian. Please take care of me." She wanted us to go buy fish food, a fish bowl, etc. Thank, high school guys. I don't think that will happen. Of all the students standing out there collecting money they had to hand it to L who loves animals? And they said the fish's name was the same name as the school? Really?

After volunteering, L had to perform in the school play, an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." It was about a girl who wanted to be transformed from a nerd to a cool girl so she could sit at the popular table. L was playing "Callie," one of the popular girls. It was pretty cute (but long). We had plans to go to dinner after the show, but it got out at 9:30 so we grabbed some McDonald's and went home. At home, B was entertaining his old friend from Ohio, L, who is in town this weekened so his brother can visit a few colleges. B was also with IR and IB and they're all planning a sleepover.

Senior year is starting

The letters from colleges have already been arriving and now E has received a notice about senior pictures.

And we have cake

One week and a day late, E finally has her birthday cake - marble with chocolate frosting this year.

A more typical day

After all the excitement of yesterday, it was nice to have a pretty uneventful day today. The big excitement here (whoo-hoo) was getting a new water heater. The one we had was 20 years old, purchased before we bought the house. It started leaking a few days ago so when we found the house file the previous owner left for us and realized it was 20 years old, we decided it was time for a new one. We did upgrade from 40 gallons to 50.

L went back to school today, explaining what happened to all her classmates and teachers. She said the stupid question of the day, which she was asked over and over again, was "Did it hurt?" She was hit by a car. Yes, it hurt. As L would say, "Duh!" This was her left knee last night. It was a little darker this morning but she's walking fine on it.

Emergency Room visit

Unfortunately, there's a first for everything. Today L was riding her bike to school and got struck by a car making a right on red at an intersection a block from our house. The driver gave L her cell phone so she could call me. By time I got down the block, the crossing guard was there, along with a passer-by who stopped and a mom of one of L's school friends, as well as three police cars and a firetruck with EMTs. We declined the ambulance ride to the ER and I walked L home while the school friend's mom wheeled her beat-up bike to our house. I wanted to take her in for a doctor visit just to make sure everything was OK, but they suggested going to the emergency room instead because if X-rays are needed that's where they'd send her anyway. I called Andy at work and he insisted on coming home and taking her to the ER. She ended up with two X-rays on her knee, and fortunately, she's fine. Lots of swelling and bruising. She was happy to leave with a doctor's note getting her out of gym until Thursday. L made Andy take this picture of her in the ER so she could show her friends.

This is the "after" bike picture. The paramedic told her it was lucky she was wearing her backpack. If not, he said, she could have seriously injured her spine. And, she had her helmet on so that saved her from a head injury when her head with the pavement. A pretty lucky day all around. It could have been so much worse. The driver was ticketed for failing to yield to a pedestrian. L apparently didn't do anything wrong.

Back from the ER, I think the day caught up to L. She fell asleep on the couch for a couple of hours.

Easter

The cousins at Easter 2014 (above) and the cousins at Easter 2006 (below) wearing Peeps glasses from Aunt Liz. What a difference eight years makes.

Somehow, back in 2006, we didn't get Cousin C in the picture. We know she was there. So yesterday at Julie's house we had her put on the glasses and get her picture taken with the Peeps glasses on.

We went to Julie's for Easter dinner. The weather cooperated with temperatures reaching 80 and the kids were able to eat outside. L was pretty excited when the rest of her cousins arrived. They enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and watching a raccoon traipse back and forth across the back yard.

Here's the adults enjoying an Easter feast.

Easter morning

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find that the Easter Bunny had left baskets for me and Andy! Of course, our bunny is L. What sweet notes she left for us:

Andy and B left early for the church Easter brunch to meet with another member, who was B's confirmation sponsor, to make pancakes for the brunch. They've been doing it for years and apparently they've gotten into a groove. They were finished making two boxes of mix before I even arrived at church. That's a lot of pancakes!

A couple of brunch pictures:

L was more interested in the Easter Egg Hunt than the brunch table. Here she is grabbing eggs for her basket.

After the hunt the kids looked through their eggs, searching for a Scripture verse.

L found two Scriptures in her eggs. She read them aloud for the group and was rewarded with two chocolate bunnies.

New game

B's latest trick with Muffles is holding him up so he'll hit at the ceiling fan pull. He tried it tonight with August and Muffles raced into the living room, scaring August and causing him to scratch B's hand. I think he'll only do this again with Muffles. Lesson learned.

Signs of spring

We must be done with the snow now that the daffodils are blooming, right? Another sign of spring? Work is under way on Andy's childhood home:

Interesting choice

E brought home the game Cards Against Humanity from a friend at school today. She's going on an overnight camping trip with her Girl Scout troop Thursday night and if it rains the girls decided they would play this game. It's basically an adult version of Apples to Apples. I've heard of several neighbors who get together to play, but I didn't know much about the game. Now that I can look through the cards I can say it's ... interesting.

The celebration continues

We had planned to go out for E's birthday dinner Saturday night, but she got a babysitting job and the lure of money won out over the chance to dine out with her family. Tonight though, with no plans other than homework, the family dinner was on. E decided we should go to Fuddrucker's, one of her favorites.

Bulls birthday

Today was E's 17th birthday and we had tickets to the Bulls vs. Orlando Magic game. B decided to stay home since he went to a Bulls game in January while I was in Costa Rica. Since he stayed home, I got to go. It's hard to watch the game with so much going on around you. It was the last home game of the regular season and Bulls won!

Here's L in the souvenir store trying on a Benny the Bull head.

The Luvabull on the right is a woman who works in Andy's office. We were hoping to see her before the game where they sign posters so we could get a picture with her, but no such luck.

L would occasionally get Andy's iPhone and snap pictures of whatever she saw. I'm not a big selfie fan but this one looks good. I love L's expression.

Our brush with fame was that we were sitting two rows behind Kevin Cronin of REO! We didn't realize it until they put him on the jumbotron and played "Keep on Loving You."

When we left to go to the game it was snowing, believe it or not. When we got home there was snow all over the yard and bushes. It's way too late in the season for snow, but it was pretty.

Palm Sunday

Put a palm leaf in E's hands and out comes a cross. She had a bit of "craft time" before church today.

After church, Andy and I went with L to the middle school youth group potluck at a member's house. Best part for the kids was jumping in the hot tub even though the temperatures are quickly dropping. It was springlike before church and definitely cooler afterward. Tomorrow we're anticipating a high of 40. Looks like winter isn't giving up so easily.

Texting

E even texts her friends while she's holding Muffles. He doesn't seem very interested in the conversation.

Spring?

The crocus are blooming, the temperature hit 60 and L wore shorts to school - all signs of spring.

He needs help

Muffles likes to sleep in the bed on top of this cat house. Lately, it's been getting wobbly, so he's very tentative as he climbs up. He's given up on jumping. Today, he was too quick and the whole thing collapsed on him. L decided to fix the house once and for all and used glue to stick all the pieces together. Hope that makes it sturdier.

On the hunt

The warmer weather has prompted August to leave his basement hiding places for the back porch where he sits and tries to "hunt" the birds he sees. Of course, we have to be careful when we open the back door that he doesn't try to escape.

College mail

As a high school junior, E is starting to receive unsolicited college mail. Today, she didn't even realize this envelope was for her. "I didn't know that was from a college," she said. It looks like a nice campus.

Recital

L had a big day today. This morning, she went with her new friend, "cute Ryan," to see the Muppets movie with his mom and his brother. She got home just in time to change and head off to her voice recital. Here she is texting with him on her iPad while she waited for the band to get ready so she could practice before the recital.

She sang "For the First Time in Forever" from "Frozen" and Taylor Swift's "Better Than Revenge." She forgot some of words in the Revenge song, but the band did a great job of covering for her until she could recall the words.

Afterward, we went home to change then downtown for deep-dish pizza. B stayed home to do his homework.

E said she saw there's a chance we could get snow next week. Tonight, though, it looked like spring in Chicago.