the chicago life

you know you had a busy weekend when it's monday and you already feel like you need a break. that's kinda how matt and i felt this week, but it was well worth it because it was a great weekend! on friday we took my parents out to downtown naperville to try out a new chicago style pizza place. matt and i have already tried out giordano's and are slowly trying out all the chicago style pizza places that are supposedly "the best chicago style pizza ever." naperville brought us to lou malnati's. my vote thus far.....giordano's. matt is torn.

since living in chicago for almost 2 months, matt and i finally made it downtown for the first time on saturday afternoon/evening after my parents and sister left. we really didn't have a set plan, so we decided to start on the north side of michigan avenue and work our way south, just going to shops and places that caught our eye. the only set thing on our schedule was making a stop at ESPNzone and the ever famous bean. and we made sure to get out of there before the estatic cubs fans took after downtown.

and then we hit the new week running. i'm still attending kindergarden daily and i wish that i could remember half of the funny and frustrating things that happen. but while i'm there, i cover quite the span of roles....with everything from sticker chart manager to time-out watcher to gym time soccer player to trumpet maker. yes...trumpet maker. they have these bendy foam things in the classroom and i bet i had to make 7 trumpets today. i kinda felt like a balloon maker.

or today i was sitting at a table with three boys and they were going on and on about who was who's best friend and who could be which transformer during the next recess. "boys, you could just be a trio." i said in attempt to settle the dispute and get them back on task. "i have a churro!! it's long and got lots of cinnamon on it!!" one of the boys said really excitedly with huge eyes. really, what can you do but just laugh.

all thirteen of them are so brutally honest and yet try to get away with everything...so willing to give their love yet too often reacting with a shove....so eager to help yet clean up takes forever! ....so quickly to get in trouble yet so quickly to cry in remorse. it's all taken a while to get used to yet ironically refreshing at times.

here’s a few pictures from downtown…

this is jamari and caleb playing their trumpets. because i took their picture, they said they would "now be in a magazine and be rockstars" :)
madison and lydia with yet another one of my handiwork trumpets.