look out, picasso

Wyn and I have become extremely interested in drawing, way more than ever before. Here's a little something I created while we were out to dinner recently. The captions aren't random interpretations; they're what I actually said I was drawing at the time. I can also do trucks (one big circle/oval with two small circles for wheels), bucket trucks (add another circle/oval above, connected by a line), Arthur, a few letters (O, C, D, W, B, U) and many other things I can't remember right now. Wynston also likes to watch intently as someone else draws his requests (wagons, boats in water, kitties)...like he's memorizing every stroke for future use or something. Anyway, I think I captured the family pretty well. I did exercise my artistic license a little by placing an extra head in Daddy's hand. That's not how he really looks, most days at least. But here's a pic of Wyn and me from earlier today so you can see just how close the likenesses are:


Bidding for the above original drawing will start at $2.5 million.

dreams. they can come true.

Huge honkin' thx to the hard-workin' guys at OPFD Station 2, who came to visit our block party in the pouring rain.

P.S. Grandma Lipsey, we've decided what we want to be for Halloween. Pleeeeeeeease!?!?!

heel

Zak and I haven't paid any attention to this colorful old farm toy for months. Then suddenly this morning, it reminded me of Grandma and Grandpa Lipsey's big white poodle. So I grabbed the bunny teether part, which is attached by a short string, and used it as a leash to drag the toy around the room. "Come on, Annie," I said. When Mom asked what I was doing, I answered her with complete and total confidence. "Walk Annie." She seemed to find that amusing, so I kept doing it. Adults are easily entertained.

how now, moo sow?

So we thought our big news from last weekend was going to be the official Grand Re-Opening of Andersen Park. Wrong!


The big, big news was that Aunt Melissa came to visit! Or as she is sometimes called, Aunt Mozelle or simply Moo Sow. She surprised Mom by coming all the way up from Kansas City for Mom's birthday. We were so happy to see her, and even happier to climb up her legs.


Our family was one of two chosen to cut the ribbon at Andersen Park. Wyn decided to watch from the sidelines with Aunt Melissa, thus missing the photo op of a lifetime. I mean, how often does a person get this close to a giant pair of scissors?


This park is going to be very popular.


Here's Melissa checking out one of our favorite new activities, "Climbing ABCD" (the "D" is invisible to the adult eye).


Cousin Sam's Aunt Sara must've gotten the call that this was Aunt Weekend in Chicago, 'cause she brought Sam to the park opening too.


Sam quickly became an expert at spinning the frisbee on his index finger. (Insert Harlem Globetrotters theme here.)


Sunday we headed down to Millennium Park for photos in front of the Bean...


...and in the Bean.


Please don't ever leave, Aunt Melissa!


"Uh-oh."
Monday morning we took Mom and Aunt Mel to the Museum of Contemporary Art. For everyone's future reference, it's closed on Mondays. But we had a good time nonetheless.


Here I am once again trying to hold Aunt Melissa down and thus prevent her from leaving. Eventually I relented and let her return to Kansas City. Heavy, heavy sigh. We miss you already Moo Sow. Love you!

somethin's fishy

Last Friday, Zak and I escorted Mom and our new friend Caroline to the Shedd Aquarium. We had a lovely time hanging out with the fish, although some rather large, pesky pieces of glass prevented us from touching them.


Finally, a chance to pet something! Come to find out, these turtles are "not fuzzy." They're not actually real either.


Now, here's a live turtle. I had lost interest by this point, but Zak touched him with his index finger right after Mom took this photo. Fortunately a Shedd employee had a bottle of antibacterial lotion at the ready. (For Zak, not the turtle!) Anyway, we had oceans of fun and look forward to going back soon!

potent quotables

Wyn and I have recently been alerted to the fact that we are not keeping you up-to-date on all the funny and/or cute things we say. So here ya go.

"Song all done!" - Wyn, loudly, during a solo in church.
"More Katherine please." - Zak or Wyn (can't remember) a few days after leaving NC.
"Good cold milk for Zak." - Wyn, placing a new, full cup on the table.
"'Scuse me." - Wyn, to a small bush he ran into.
"A clue! A clue!" - Wyn and Zak in unison, looking at a drawing of little paw-shaped dirt clouds. (Watch Blue's Clues sometime if you don't get it.)
"Zak's turn next!!" - Zak, anytime he wants to do what Wyn is doing.
"Zak's turn next!!" - Wyn, anytime he wants to do what Zak is doing.
"T-I-M-E-O-U-T." - Wyn, reading the letters on a little bench at a friend's house.
"Bunterfly flies!!" - Zak, anytime he sees a bunterfly.
"Two men airplane flies." - Wyn, watching a jet overhead. (?)
"Push button." - Zak, to Wyn, who was trying to figure out how to make a toy firetruck light up.
"Please do not hit me with your bus." - Daddy, to Zak.
"Hi, boy!" - Wyn, to our kind (short-haired) neighbor Joan.
"Fik it!!" - Wyn and Zak, many times a day, wanting something to be "fixed."
"I poo-pooed in fresh diaper." - Wyn or Zak, alerting us to what may or may not be poop in what may or may not be a fresh diaper.
"I dropped my [insert item here]!!" - Wyn and Zak, millions of times a day, immediately after throwing [insert item here].

more new hats