hangin' out w/ the dad

catching raindrops

enjoying the summer

enjoying the summer, part 2

ground assault

Guess what? Mother Nature, with the assistance of the tree-happy Village of Oak Park planning committee from 80-100 years back, saw fit to install a swimming pool in our basement last week. While Wyn and I viewed this as an exciting development, our parents were a bit less enthusiastic. Something about the root system of the giant tree in front of our house and old clay sewage pipes and heavy rainfall and a bunch of other words I cannot repeat here. Suddenly our basement surpassed my brother and me in the ability-to-manifest-the-most-skin-curling-smells-ever-encountered- by-human-or-beast department. And just as suddenly, about half of our playroom carpet disappeared and was replaced by two layers of Mr. Clean brand Summer Citrus Anti-Bacterial Multi-Purpose Cleaner ("Magic in a Bottle"). Mom and Dad have assured us that the carpet will be replaced after some work on our sewer system is completed, probably later this week. Until then, we'll be hanging out upstairs.

kansas city, kansas city here we came

The first leg of our long-awaited Kansas City getaway began last Friday afternoon on the Chicago Green Line. Not much excitement there. After all, we've ridden the El a bunch of times. We were like, we've done the train thing, okay? Show us something new already.


At Union Station we determined that we did not fit Amtrak's stringent requirements for carry-on luggage.


And here I am sitting with Mom in our Southwest Chief Superliner Car. The views were mesmerizing.

saturday morning: science city

We enjoyed our train arrival into Kansas City's Union Station so much that we insisted on going back the next day. And guess what? There's a really neat kids' museum there called Science City. Here I am digging for dinosaur bones. It was delicate but satisfying work.


Oh, did I mention that Cousin Madi was in KC too? It was so great to see her. Here she is showing Grandpa Paul how to fly a real-life helicopter. Grandma Betty was nearby with an emergency parachute in case things went awry.


Zak and I put our Mechanical Engineer genes to the test on this waterway contraption. That big dude in the purple shirt tried to boss us around, but we didn't listen.


Later Zak showed Grandpa Launnie and Grandma Pat how to use this spinning water disc thing. He said they caught on pretty quickly.

saturday night: taste of kansas city

Apparently there's a muncipal ordinance mandating that all visitors to Kansas City must eat at least one meal consisting of no less than 90% BBQ. So, Saturday night Grandma Betty, Grandpa Paul, Great Grandma Doris, Toph, Madi and Aunt Melissa took us to Fiorella's Jack Stack. Their barbeque was amazing. So was their chocolate cake. Here's how the conversation between Mom and me went as she tried to get me to take a bite:

Mom: Here, Wyn. Try a bite of this cake. It's yummy.
Me: No.
Mom: Yum, yum. Cake.
Me: No.
Mom: It's chocolate cake, Wyn.
Me: No.
Mom: Zak's eating it.
Me: No.
Mom: This is really special. Please try it.
Me: No.
Mom: It tastes sooo good. Mmmm...cake.
Me: No.
Mom: It's kind of like a cookie.
[Dramatic pause as the lightbulb went on]
Me: Okay.

sunday morning: pool party

Here we are swimming in a big pool for the first time ever. We did really well, splashing and kicking with semi-abandon. It was nice to have Madi there, as she is a more seasoned expert.


Check it out. Madi can put her face under water!


We tried to talk Grandma Betty and Grandpa Paul into diving in, but they preferred to watch from the sidelines. Grandma did stick her toes in though.


Ah, good times. Good times. Do Zak and I look like we're having a good time? We really were, I promise!


Aunt Mel, Madi and Mom definitely had a good time acting goofy.


Nice swimtrunks, Z!


Zak and I love going over and under bridges, which was the only way Mom got me out this far.


Last but not least, here we are illustrating the effects of swimming as abdominal exercise. As a bonus, please enjoy Zak's best Billy Idol impersonation.

sunday afternoon: zak's snack attack

sunday evening: plaza bound

Sunday evening, Grandma Pat, Great Grandma Kelmel and Zak took a nice pre-dinner stroll around the Plaza. Mom and Dad are very nostalgiac about this place for some reason.


Then Grandpa Launnie, Great Aunt Sharrie, Great Uncle Fred, Grandma Pat, Great Grandma Kelmel, Aunt Melissa and Cousin Madi took us out for a fabulous farewell dinner at Buca di Beppo. While all the food was yummy, once again dessert was our favorite course. This time, it was an Ice Cream Treat!

monday: bye bye kc. bye bye family.

Monday morning it was time to head home. Here I am asking Zak to describe his favorite part of the weekend. He thought about it for a long time and finally said, "All of it! We can never thank our Kansas City family enough for everything. We had such a good time. I wish we could have stayed longer." Then he took another bite of bagel.


I must admit that by this time we were a tiny bit out of sorts, what with our sleep schedules being off and all. Plus we were just mad that we had to leave everyone behind. Here's Zak expressing his feelings on the ride home.


Of course we have to end on a happy note. The train was awesome, Kansas City was awesome, and seeing everyone was awesome. The weekend zipped by like so many cornfields out the Observation Car window. Sigh. We love you all and can't wait to see you again! Love, Zak & Wyn

shhhhhhh...

We have so much to tell you about our wonderful but too-short trip to Kansas City. Unfortunately, we're way too tired to go into much detail right now. Please check back Thursday or Friday. Thank you and good night.

the joy of shopping

ZAK: Dude, check out the The Ultimate Car Collection on page 34. Says here it has 75 authentically detailed cars--all made of rugged die-cast metal--for just $39.95.
WYN: That's nice, but I prefer the Charge & Go Car back on page 2. We can take turns zooming along "at a safe 3-5 mph." And it's only $299. That doesn't seem like very much.
ZAK: I'll get the phone.
WYN: And I'll get the credit card.
ZAK: Meet you back here.
WYN: Cool.

contemporary art

Guess which one of us is still more interested in getting the marker caps on and off than actually drawing? (Hint: it's not me.)

red, white, blue and orange

If there's a parade in town, you know we'll be getting together with the Benzkofers. July 4th was no exception. Here you see Zak admiring the proceedings with Aunt Marjorie, while I enjoy the view from Mom's lap. Cousin Sam came prepared and brought his own entertainment: a bright orange balloon. He's a clever one, that Sam.

gone with the wind

The wind was a-blowing aplenty last Saturday. Which meant Daddy finally got to have a real go at the kite we got him for Father's Day! Our cousin Sam may have invented the sport, but our dad definitely took it to new heights (har, har). In fact, he flew that kite so high, we completely lost interest. Sorry, pop. What can we say; our usual line of sight is only 32 inches from the ground...