Welcoming in the Year of the Rabbit

The Blizzard of 2011

The third snowiest day in history for Chicagoland. The OP schools had two consecutive days off. They hadn't had a day off before this since 1979. It is going to be a while before the snow and memories from this storm fade away.

Questions 2011

We are starting a new blog tradition last year, asking Sophie a series of questions about herself. Here are this years questions and answers. It is fun to compare them with what was answered last year. You can see those answers here.

How tall are you?	45.5 inches
How much do you weigh?	46 pounds
What color is your hair?	Black
What color are your eyes?	Brownish Black
How old are you?	6
Who is your best friend?	Audrey, Marlena & Jack
Do you have any pets?	"Blue", my Beta fish
What is your favorite animal?	Dog
What is your favorite toy/game?	Zhu Zhu Pets
What grade are you in?	Kindergarten
What is your favorite subject in school?	Gym
What is your favorite food?	Noodles
What is your favorite drink	Soda(seltzer) with Juice
What is your favorite dessert?	Frozen Cream Puffs
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?	Vanilla
What is your favorite color?	Blue
What is your favorite book?	Go Dog Go
What is your favorite movie?	Prancer
What is your favorite TV show?	Johnny Test
What is your favorite song?	"Hate Me" by Blue October
What is your favorite holiday?	Christmas
If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would it be? New Question, 2011: What is your favorite sports team?	The beach in Florida The Chicago White Sox

An Unexpected Day Off

Sophie was supposed to be staying with friends today while Ileana and I went to work. Well, our friend had a stomach virus/flu thing going on so Sophie's care for the day was cancelled and I had to stay home. I figured I'd make the most of it so Sophie and I packed up and went to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Conservatory for a little while. It was a perfect day for both. It was a little chilly so there weren't too many folks out but not too bad so it was still bearable for us.

When I asked Sophie if she wanted to go to the conservatory to see trains, she responded with a big "no". I was a little surprised at how adamant she was and I asked her why. "I don't want to ride any trains today!" I explained that they were small ones, to look at. She enjoyed them a lot and took many "train photos" during our trip.

I asked her to pose by the tree so I could get a picture of her. I didn't think she would comply but figured I'd try anyway. I was pretty surprised when I got the response "only if you let me take your picture first". I figured it wouldn't be fair if I posted my pics of her and not hers of me so I figured I'd post them all. She is getting pretty good with the photography.

Sophie also surprised me by having a hot dog and french fries for lunch. Of course, she had to dismantle the poppy seed covered bun before eating the dog. She also committed a major faux pas in the process by putting all of her food on the bare table in the process. Not so appetizing but I wasn't up to getting into the finer points of Chicago hot dog joint hygiene with her today. I hope her mom isn't reading this. She wouldn't let me get a pic of her eating the hot dog with half a bun - it was pretty funny. This didn't stop her from snapping pics of my while eating though.

Finally, I think Sophie has an abstract art thing going on. "Daddy, do you know if you take pictures of things really close, you sometimes can't tell what the picture is." She then went on snapping pics all the way home, showing me the previews in the camera. "Daddy, guess what this one is."

Thanksgiving 2010 Part 3 - Time with the family at Carin & Chris'

In addition to Thanksgiving celebrations, we also take the time with the family this week to celebrate Hanuka and Christmas. We exchange gifts, one of the things that the kids reall look forward to.

Nothing says holiday celebration like drumming! Everyone gets into it.

This year we fried the turkey. It was our first year doing the turkey in this "non-traditional" manner but since it tasted so great, I don't think it will be the last.

I pity the child that get's next to the turkey fryer!

Nothing caps off the holidays like a game of Wii bowling. Crazy Nana and Chris 2 have the best form but Ileana was the bowling ace this year, racking up the house record of 218.