Dickson Family Vacation
At the end of May my parents and siblings all drove from Utah to meet us in Nauvoo. This vacation was a very pleasant surprise (they decided on it just a few weeks before hand), and it turned out to be so much fun. They got to meet Allison and play with Jared, and we all enjoyed the sites of Old Nauvoo. After a few days we all drove to Savoy where they got to see our house and taste some Chicago pizza! Even three months afterward, Jared still talks about our "Mauvoo" vacation with the Dicksons.
Jared's Birthday Party
Jared turned two in June, and I decided to throw him a school bus birthday party. Thanks to Anne and Denny Anderson who provided the school bus, we were able to tour the town in style. After our bus ride, we ate cake and enjoyed the park. The party seemed like a lot of work, but Jared still remembers getting to ride (and eat) a school bus, so I think it was worth it. And now we have a two-year-old in the house. Yikes! :)
Washburn Family Vacation
Just a few weeks after our Nauvoo trip, we got to drive to Wisconsin with Adam's family for a vacation in Door County. The countryside up there is breathtaking, and we enjoyed staying in a lovely log home, biking, going to a fish boil, touring the state park on segways, and para sailing. It was so fun to have everyone there. We also got to attend the temple for Trevor's first time through. He is going to be a great missionary!
Our 4th Anniversary
On August 16th we celebrated four years of marriage! The weekend of our anniversary we enjoyed a romantic dinner at home (take-out from Olive Garden), and we also got to attend the wedding of one of Adam's lab mates. We got babysitters for Jared and Allison and enjoyed a whole day with just the two of us at the wedding. It was a beautiful Christian ceremony, and the reception afterward was very nice (they even had swing dancing, which was great fun!). It's been a wonderful four years, with lots of changes and adventures. I am so lucky to be married to Adam! He is my best friend.
Project I: The Bookshelf
So by the time all these spectacular events were through it was mid-July and I still hadn't cashed in on Adam's birthday gift to me: help creating a children's bookshelf. Now, this isn't any ordinary bookshelf. Inspired by Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook (which I highly recommend to any parent or teacher), it displays the books face-out. The idea is that this provides better book advertising than does a shelf crammed full of book spines. I liked the idea, so we decided to turn our toy box shelf into a bookshelf. After a lot of sanding and painting and screwing, we had ourselves a bookshelf!
Project II: Food Storage
I know I blogged about food storage last year, but I now see that what I had thought was a good start on a three-month supply was actually just a drop in the bucket. Since then I've discovered foodstoragemadeeasy.net. They have a three-month meal planning spreadsheet that I HIGHLY recommend. After getting a heavy-duty storage shelf for the food, picking up free Kraft storage buckets from a fellow ward member, filling out the spreadsheet, taking inventory of what we already have and what we'll need to buy, and ordering food from the Cannery and Walton Foods, I think I'm almost done! Now the trick is to learn how to rotate through it... Any ideas?
Freelance Editing
I'm still working as copy editor of the University of Illinois Press philosophy journal The Pluralist. This is a triannual journal that contains articles written by philosophy professors from around the country. Needless to say, this job has taught me many new words, shown me sentences as long as half a page, and given me a good dose of the "philosophies of men." :) I also edit and proofread book manuscripts for Publication Services (Champaign, IL). So now you know what I do at nap time!
And Last But Not Least...
Oh yeah--and then there's the kids! They have definitely claimed the majority of my attention this summer. Jared's speaking abilities have grown by leaps and bounds this summer; some of my favorite Jared phrases are "Speed. I am speed" (from the Cars movie), "Daddy is silly!" and "Jared loves Allison." He's also been working on potty training, and we've had a lot of success over the past few days... I hope that lasts!
Allison is almost six months, and she is a joy to take care of. She is good natured and smiles all the time. She likes her big brother, and it's been fun to see them getting more playful and interactive with each other. Allison's current hobbies are rolling all over, chewing on things, and splashing in her baths. I love these two kiddos!
