More spring flowers

U of Chicago

B is on spring break this week and since we weren't up for a whirlwind college tour road trip, we decided to take him to University of Chicago for an info session and tour. One of his good friends from church, who's a high school senior, got admitted so we thought we'd show it to B and get him thinking about the whole college process. I have no idea if he'd consider going there, or if he'd be admitted, if he decides to apply, but it got us out of the house for the day. And he bought a sweatshirt in the bookstore so maybe he's more interested than he's letting on?

It was a pretty blustery day, rained a bit, and our tour guide talked really, really fast. And we walked alot. Of course, I was not wearing appropriate walking shoes. Glad L wasn't with us - she spent last night at Aunt A's house because she said she didn't want to go on a "boring college tour."

This statue marks the spot of campus where the first controlled, nuclear reaction took place.

After the tour, we stopped by to see this reading room. It was really quiet. The Gothic architecture all over campus is interesting.

Must be spring

Oral surgery

L had oral surgery today to graft gum tissue to her lower jaw. She's not in much pain but Andy took her to get a Starbucks afterward. She has a cold compress, penicillin, an oral rinse and some Orajel to keep her top retainer in when she's allowed to wear it again in a week. Not the best way to begin her spring break.

Busy Easter

Our Easter festivities began last night with L baking Easter basket cupcakes for the church's brunch. She dyed the frosting green to make it look like grass and topped each cupcake with three Cadbury chocolate eggs. Andy and B left early this morning to make pancakes at church for the brunch.

Heres' the brunch spread at Pilgrim.

E and B eating their brunch.

And here's L sitting at a table with her friends.

Look how happy L was when she returned from church. Happy that she was able to bring home lots of helium-filled balloons left over from the brunch. She also had some candy from the Easter egg hunt so all was right in her world.

This afternoon Andy and I drove E down to Union Station to catch her train back to U of I. It's just over a two-hour trip. Classes resume tomorrow.

Rare moment

This has to fall into the "rare moment" category - all three kids, sitting together, laughing at a video of Japanese history.

Our graduate

L's graduation photos have arrived.

Bunny cupakes

How cute are these? L baked cupcakes last night and decorated them after I went to bed. I woke up this morning to a tray full of decorated bunny cakes. She took one to school today for eah of her teachers.

And while L is looking forward to spring, the weather isn't giving us a break yet. This was how it looked when I was picking B up from the school after his work today - rainy, cold and a mix of snow. Yuck.

Roarin' '20s

L dressed as Virginia Hill, a female gangster, for her class' field trip today to Tommy Guns. Hill was the girlfriend of Brooklyn mobster Bugsy Siegel. One site L found said, "She came from a poor background, telling people she didn't own a pair of shoes until age seventeen. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, she moved to Chicago to seek fame and fortune. She found a bit of both working as an accountant for Al Capone." I remember when E went on this field trip. B's class never did, and I doubt he would have enjoyed dressing up.

Binge-watching

Task of the day for the freshman on break: Binge-watching the sixth and final season of "Downton Abbey."

The freshman has returned

E came home on the train for spring break yesterday. One of the first things she had to do was cut the cats' nails.

And she's Castiel

L went with her two friends from Naperville, J and T, today to McCormick Place for C2E2, Chicago's Comis and Entertainment Event. She dressed as Castiel, an angel, from her new favorite TV show, Supernatural."

Castiel has a sword-type thing in the show and L spent a good portion of her week making one out of clay and painting it. When I saw it yesterday, I suggested she leave it at home because it looks pretty dangerous and I didn't think she'd be allowed to take it into the show. Of course, she took it, and it got flagged, held at the entrance until she left. I would say I told you so.

The girls had a good time. L bought several posters, some splat balls and found this "Dr. Who" cardboard tardis by the trash. Apparently, you could buy the tardis and there would be a surprise inside and someone took their surprise and left the tardis. It will look great in her room.

Our 'Supernatural' fan

L was pretty excited to come home from school and find a package waiting for her. It was a cinch sak from "Supernatural," her latest favorite TV show that she received for giving a donation to suicide prevention.

For St. Pat's Day

My furry shadow

Muffles has become my shadow as of late. When I'm in the living room, he's sitting next to my chair. When I'm on the computer, he finds a place to sit by the filing cabinet.

Recruiting

E has been trying her hardest to recruit B to U of I for the last few months. She wants him to come visit her on campus so she can take him bowling, show him around and let him sit in on some of her classes. I suggested sitting in on classes probably isn't the most fun thing she could do to persuade him to go there. Today, though, the university caught up with E's efforts and sent B a recruitment postcard ... and he did read it over before he tossed it back on the table. That's more consideration than a lot of his college mail receives.

Prepped for Pi Day

L was ready to celebrate Pi Day with her class today. She made a felt Pi to pin onto her shirt, painted Pi letters on her fingernails and brought a cookie "pie" to share with her classmates.

Cookies for the ministry

We skipped church today, but B drove L to their youth group meeting this afternoon where they baked chocolate chip cookies to be delivered through a ministry that serves the homeless. Their youth leader took these pictures.

Bernie!

E was up bright and early for a Saturday to stand in line to see Bernie Sanders speak at U of I. She got into the line around 8 p.m. for a rally initially thought to begin at 11. He took to the stage around 3 p.m.

Seems like a pretty popular candidate among the college crowd. Guess that's what happens when you promise them free tuition.

And Bernie talks. E got dinner about 5 p.m. when it was all over. She said she was starving.

Time for new toys

When you come home to find your cat playing with an Easter egg, it's time to buy some new cat toys.

What?

They must be thinking, "What? Another picture?"

Cuties

Cute cat photo, courtesy of L.

Tasty fund-raiser

It's hard to pass up a night to help the church's preschool and a chance to have deep-dish pizza. So, instead of making dinner tonight, it's pizza! And there's a slice left over for my lunch tomorrow.

On another note, L interviewed after school with the family of a sixth-grader who needs a little help with organization and science ... and she got the job. She came home after an hour's work with $15.

Easter eggs

I tried to tie-dye the Easter eggs this year using paper towels and food coloring. Apparently, I needed to use more food coloring and paper towels without bumps on them.

Weekend homework

E spent her weekend doing homework. For an engineering student, I'm thinking that's the norm. She sent this picture of a page she had written out so she can take it to her engineering test on Monday. I don't understand any of it.

Happiest Dinner

Here's L dressed in her Disney clothes to work at the church's "Happiest Dinner on Earth" pizza fund-raiser tonight. Hard to see in the picture, but she's wearing a black skirt with leggings, her light-up mouse ears and some Disney pins.

Andy's new toy

Andy's golf mat he purchased at last weekend's golf show arrived today. Let the putting begin!

Braces off!

Andy took L to get her braces off today! Above is the before picture he took of her in the waiting room.

Here she is practicing putting her retainers in and taking them out.

And here she braces free! She got a bag of candy, the kind she couldn't eat (or shouldn't have eaten) while she had braces on. The orthodontist gave us a bottle of white wine to celebrate.

Terracotta Warriors

Tonight we went to the Field Museum for the Annual Fund Opening Reception of "China's First Emperor and his Terracotta Warriors" exhibit that opens Friday. Allison and I picked up Andy and Cousin M from work and headed over to the museum where the night started with a talk from two anthropologists who told us about the excavation site and the exhibit. Literature from the museum says, "Explore the life of the leader who unified his country, built the first Great Wall, built roads throughout his vast territory, and standardized China's script, currency, weights, and measures. They said it was the first time since 1980 the artifacts have been to Chicago. They were discovered in China in 1974 when a farmer started digging a well.

The talk was followed by a buffet dinner of Chinese food, of course (Beef and Broccoli, Marinated Chicken Breast, Egg Rolls, Soba Noodle Salad, Fried Rice and some sort of lettuce salad).

Overview of the exhibit.

Replicas showing how the statues were originally brightly painted.

Half-size replicas of chariots that were found at the excavation site.

The terracotta emperor from the site.

Allison and M posing in the gift shop in front of a life-size emperor statue you could buy for $2,500.