2021 Harry Potter Party

 

The week before school started, we held our annual(ish) Harry Potter party!! We just had three families over so it was a small group but it was so fun. We ate and talked and laughed until midnight--I am so thankful for our dear friends and a chance to have one more big party before school started. It's been such a good summer & we've been able to see them almost every day, so this felt like a good almost-last hurrah to finish things out. 



Cute Gus loading up on Jelly Slugs (above) and Nathan (below) super excited for everyone to arrive. 




Some of the goodies



And some more (I didn't take pics after everyone got here, darn it!)




Our Polyjuice Potion looked unappetizing (appropriately so, I guess?) but was 100% delicious! (Rainbow sherbet + ginger ale +Sprite)


I missed taking photos of a few of the decorations, but the kids did a great job setting up as always! Isaac's friend biked over in the afternoon while we were prepping and invited Isaac to bike back with him until party time and Isaac was soooooo torn because he really loves the party prep. He eventually went with Mikko but insisted on eating a heaping serving of pumpkin custard and teaching Mikko how to make pumpkin pasties first. ;-)



And that's it for another year!

Just watch your step in the lavatory & keep an eye out for trolls. And Moaning Myrtle. 

Mom and Dad visit

A couple weeks ago my parents came down for the weekend! We had a lovely visit with them, including an evening bike ride along the Monon to Central Park and a stop on the way back for ice cream...

One of those perfect Midwest evenings. 

We had a really nice dinner outside (Friday night maybe? Juliet was at Kings Island for XC camp so I guess that was Friday). Ah yes! I remember now. Neil and I were at the temple Thursday night when they arrived, so we had a late night chat Thursday night and then the dinner/bike ride Friday night. 

On Friday Mom played Legos with the boys for quiet awhile (I think Dad and I were working) and then we all went to the pool in the afternoon. 

Saturday morning we rode bikes/ran/drove to the farmer's market. It was a lovely morning!

We didn't send Mom home with quite as much fanfare as when she arrived (she ended up with a really nasty ankle sprain after tripping while playing Frisbee in the back yard), but we loved having them here!! 

 

Chicago!!

The weekend before my birthday, we decided to spend a day in Chicago. We haven't been there since a few months before the pandemic, so we were super excited to go back. We opted to just go up for the day to minimize potential exposure at hotels, so it was an early morning!

We started at Shedd Aquarium the minute it opened and had a great time checking out the touch pools (sea stars and stingrays!). 

The shows in the Oceanarium aren't quite running again, but they are beginning practices! So we watched the practices for the penguins (a CART THAT OPENED AND PENGUINS RAN OUT, Luke almost died of joy), sea lion, and dolphins. So fun! We spent a solid 3 hours hanging out in the oceanarium watching the beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, and sea lions. 

So much fun! Then after 5ish hours we headed over to the Field (if you've never been to Chicago, there's a peninsula called the Museum Campus that houses the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and Field Museum all within walking distance of each other). 

For someone who continues to be obsessed with dinosaurs and sharks as an adult, it was a pretty great day. ;-)

My kids watch this video about natural selection twice through every time we visit. Total ritual. 

Loved these cool chandeliers (below) and the Maori sacred meeting hut (above). 

I don't know how much longer the girls will keep consenting to do this pose (they started it when they were maybe 3 and 5?) but I am so thankful they've continued to humor me. 

I love this so much and I love even more that all of my kids individually asked me if I'd seen it. Haha!



We stayed at the Field until closing (actually until after closing thanks to a torrential downpour) and then started to walk towards Millenium Park. 

It rained on us sooooo much. We spent a lot of time under trees trying to keep from getting completely drenched. 

We stood under an event tent at Buckingham Fountain for awhile while the rain finished up and then was done for good, hurray!

Then we walked over to Millennium Park & took the requisite photos at the Cloud Gate (Bean) and listened to the Dvorzak symphony for awhile. 

Then we went to Maggie Daley park...

And then we walked down Michigan Avenue to grab dinner. Loved seeing that the Obama portraits are back at the Art Institute!

Dinner at a fantastic Thai restaurant...

And then we walked back to the Museum Campus to get our car and drove home. A truly fantastic day crammed full of our Chicago favorites.