Contest!

This is for all my friends and familiy who live in Arizona. My good friend Amy and her husband Matt own this awesome inflatable bounce house business. Check out this contest and enter to win a free rental!

You won't want to miss out on this AWESOME OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A FREE 13x13 inflatable bounce house rental!!! We will also be giving away one $50 gift card good towards the rental of any inflatable or sno cone machine rental. You have multiple opportunities to win!

Here's what you need to do: You will get one entry for each item listed below, with the opportunity to earn 4 entries! (See complete rules at the bottom).

1. Copy and Post this contest to your BLOG. (Don't forget to upload the green logo and link back to us.)

2. Get an extra entry for adding the green link button (below) to your sidebar.

3. E-mail 5 friends about our contest.

4. Tell your facebook friends about our contest.

For each submission, please do not forget to link to this blog.

Link to: http://arizonaairbounce.blogspot.com/

Please be sure to leave me a comment stating which of the 4 you did, so I can give everyone a fair chance! Please include your blog address if possible. I also need your e-mail address to notify you if you win! If you don't want to leave it on this site, please e-mail me at azairbounce@yahoo.com.

Contest ends February 14th at midnight! Valentines Day!

Enter NOW!

The best bib

For a long time Owen was not a fan of bibs. As soon as I put one on, he's just pull it right off. Velcro was never strong enough to hold, and the ones that fit over his head without velcro he just pulled off. I started taking all his clothes off for meals so he wouldn't get them all dirty.

Well, I finally have the perfect bib for Owen! This one he can't pull off. It's handmade from a dishtowel, and I love it because it ties in the back which he can't undo, and it has arm slots which he can't get out of.

I got the pattern from my grandma J. She has used these bibs for the grandchildren for a long time now, and if grandma uses them you know they're good! I was so excited to get the pattern from her when I visited at Christmas. They are so easy to make...basically just cut out the neckline, sew some binding tape along the edges, and fold over the sides to make arm holes. I've made several now, and I just throw them in the dirty laundry at the end of the day!

Around our neighborhood

I love our Chicago neighborhood! It is old, diverse, historic, and charming. I just love going for walks in the neighborhood, and I never tire of looking at all the different buildings. There is always something fun to see or new to notice. I want to remember some of the details, so that's why I'm posting these pictures.

Hyde Park has lots of these three story walk up buildings. We used to live in one and I loved it. Many are nearly 100 years old, and they almost always have wood floors and crown molding. Many of them have been refurbished and made more comfortable. It's just no fun if you live on the 3rd floor.

These are some of my favorite houses in Hyde Park. They look like doll houses to me (they look even better in person). Whenever Josh and I walk by them we discuss which one(s) are our favorites. I wouldn't mind living in one of these at all! Too bad they probably cost a fortune.

I think these would be considered row houses, where each house touches the neighboring one. They have stairs leading up to the front door, and I think they're pretty cute.

There are several new buildings in the neighborhood, and they're really nice. If we were to live in Chicago longer term, I think it would be fun to live in a new condo.

I can't forget about all the alleys. Lots of alleys between all of the buildings.

I just thought these icicles were cool.

Kenwood is a neighborhood that borders Hyde Park, notable for all its huge mansions!! I love driving around this neighborhood. Notable people who have lived here: Muhammad Ali, Louis Farrakhan, Leopold and Loeb, and Barack Obama.

Hyde Park is quite diverse racially, ethnically, and religiously. This is a prominent Jewish synagogue in the neighborhood. It's also right across the street from Barack Obama's old house.

I don't think I've ever mentioned on my blog that I live in what is now President Obama's old neighborhood. His old house is just a few blocks from where we live now. We were in Ecuador during the election, but I heard it was pretty crazy around here during that time! Everyone knows he's taken up residence at a big White House in DC nearly a year ago, but you'd think he still lives here by the security still around! The street and sidewalks surrounding the house are all blocked off, and there is an unmarked security car parked out front 24 hours a day. I just feel bad for all the people who live on that street who have to deal with the security regularly.

This picture gives a clearer view of his house, it's the building on the left.

Another thing I love about Hyde Park is that we're close enough to downtown to get there quickly and pretty easily, yet far enough away that it's somewhat quiet and less crowded. It's also less busy than other popular neighborhoods north of downtown. Here's the view from the top floor of our apartment building. How I would have LOVED to have this view from our apartment! Oh well. I surely will miss seeing the Chicago skyline when we leave Chicago.

Snow Videos

A few vidoes of Owen playing in the snow

I brought a ball with us, hoping it would get Owen to walk around in the snow. As you can see, my plan didn't really work.

Snow Fun

Yesterday the weather warmed up enough to make it bearable outside! We got a few inches of snow last week, and now with the wamer temps (the 30's) I decided to take Owen out to play in the snow. People don't seem to play in the snow much around here, but I always have this desire to go run and play in it! Maybe it's because I grew up in a desert where the only time we were ever in snow was because we traveled to it for fun and entertainment, so being in snow was always a big deal. And since this might be Owen's only snowy winter for many years, I don't want to deprive him of the fun of playing in the snow!

This first pictures was taken last week when on our walk to the libray. Owen insisted on walking there, and he stopped to observe it. I placed him on the snow for picture purposes only, and he wasn't too happy. :)

These pictures are from yesterday. We walked to a nearby park that has a big field, meaning lots of snow. He still wasn't so sure about the snow, so here he is being big and brave, taking a big step onto the snow!

We made a few snowballs and Owen had fun trying to throw them, but he didn't like that his mittens got in the way. He pulled them off and played with the snow with his bare hands, but realized that was even more uncomfortable!

He walked around for a little bit, but then decided he had enough and it was time to go home. At least I had fun and now Owen won't be able to say he's never played in the snow!

Picky Eater

I have a picky eater on my hands. He'll eat, but he's often particular about what he eats and how he'll eat it. This is how lunch went today (and every other typical meal time):

Owen is hungry and I know this because he grabs my hand, leads me into the kitchen and points to the fridge and food cupboard. I hand him a little piece of turkey meat to occupy him while I get out more food for him. He eats it. Yay! Today might be a good meal day.

I put him in his high chair and give him more lunch meat since he seems to be happy with it. While he's working on that, I get out cooked green beans- usually a favorite. I give him one, he tests it out, he spits it out. Ok, maybe it's too cold. I warm the rest up and give them to him. He has no interest. He has also stopped eating his meat. Ok, on to the next thing.

Bread with peanut butter. So far Owen hasn't liked peanut butter but I believe in the concept of repitition and hope that over time he might get used to it, because PB is a staple food in our home! I give him a few pieces with the peanut butter showing. He just stares at it. Ok then, honey! He hasn't been too fond of jelly in the past so I'll try honey. I put a drop of honey on each piece. He eats it, and seems to like it! Yay! Another new food he'll eat. He really likes the honey and is asking for more. I give him a few more pieces, then decide to take the rest of the bread and stack it like a sandwich. He watches me put the honey on and place the next piece of bread on top, so he knows the honey is there. I hand it to him. He stares at it and refuses to put it in his mouth. I give him smaller pieces again. This time he refuses it all. Darn.

Now what will he eat?? He must be hungry still. Black beans are a a favorite. I put a few on his tray, and he just mashes them. I try to give him a few bites of yogurt which he usually loves, but he's not loving it right now. Ok, I'll just leave him be for a while because he often eats better when he's by himself with no distractions. At this time he has turkey, green beans, PB and honey sandwich, and black beans on his tray. Plenty of food for a 1 year old.

A few minutes later when I look up at him, he's thrown his food onto the floor, smashed it on his try, on his face, and in his seat. He did manage to drink most his milk, before dumping the rest on his tray. This is my sign that he's done and the big clean up begins. The cleanup seems to take almost as long as the preparation! And while I clean I wonder why I bother when I know the same scene and mess will play out at dinner.

He did manage to eat some string cheese, crackers, applesauce, and noodles during the remainder of the day without too much struggle, though he did refuse several other things. There are a few foods he could eat all day long (cheese, crackers, cereal) but I would like him to have more of a variety. I just wish he'd eat what I give him! Meal times take so long because I usually have to try food after food and prepare a number of things, then so much food is wasted that he doesn't eat. It would be so nice if he would just eat what I make for our dinner so I didn't have to plan separate meals. Maybe someday.

Polar Bear

Josh is officially a real man and is now part of the Polar Bear Club! He chose to spend New Year's Day jumping into lake Michigan. I would have happily joined him- had it been July or August. But, it happened to be about 15 degrees outside with the water temperature somewhere around 33 or 34 degrees. Ouch!

Hundreds of (crazy) people showed up to take the plunge. There were even quite a few kids! Either brave souls or mean parents.

Bundled up nice and warm before the plunge.

Doesn't it look fun! From this picture you'd think it was the middle of summer or something...

...that is until you see the ice he had to step on to get out of the water.

Feeling pretty good now that's it's over and done with!

We know some people who have done this a few times, and they assured Josh he'd feel great afterward and he wouldn't feel cold. Afterward I asked if he felt great and he said "NO!" It was colder this year than in previous years. His toes were numb for probably a good hour after, and he was only in the water for maybe a total of 1 minute. It was fun for me to watch and I think Josh really had a great time. I'm glad to be married to such a manly man!

Happy New Year!

Wow, it's 2010!

The past decade has been pretty great and eventful for us. Major events for me include: graduating high school, starting college, switching majors twice, meeting my husband, backpacking through Europe for a month, getting married, working four different jobs during college, graduating with a nursing degree, working full-time for the first time, going to Disney World, going on a cruise for the first time, moving out of state for the first time, getting a new job working in labor & delivery, experiencing cold and snowy winters for the first time, going into debt for the first time for husband's schooling, riding on public transportation for the first time, visiting New York City for the first time, getting SCUBA certified and taking my first dive in the Carribbean Sea, learning how to sew and knit and be crafty, learning how to cook, starting a blog, going to the dr. for fertility treatments, undergoing lots of dr. visits and bloodwork and medicines, enduring 3 IVF cycles, getting pregnant for the first time, having a miscarriage, getting pregnant again which stuck, giving birth, living in Ecuador, moving back to Chicago.

That pretty much brings me back to my current state. It's been a busy decade! I'm excited for what the next 10 years has to offer......

Cute Stuff

Let's face it, Owen is a pretty cute kid. Here are some random pictures showing his cuteness. He had SO much fun in Arizona, I don't think he ever had a dull moment the whole time we were there!

Fun at the Park

We couldn't go to Arizona without taking advantage of the great weather!! We went to the park as often as we could. It's so nice to be outside, we just love it! It'll be a good 4 months or so before we're able to go to the park again.

This boy could go down slides all day.

 He loves the swings, but only for about 2 minutes then he's done.

He's such a big boy!

Owen took his first carousel ride

We love feeding the ducks!

Grandma Jean with her two great grandbabies

I just had to throw in an Arizona sunset because they are so pretty!

Temple Lights

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time in Arizona is see the temple lights. They aren't much different from year to year, but there's just something magical walking around with your family and seeing all the trees and plants lit up and the nativity displays.

My SLR camera took awesome pictures in the dark, all without a flash!!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning was pretty leisurely. We ate yummy breakfast while we waited for the rest of Josh's family to arrive. We opened our stockings, then we attacked the pile of Christmas presents! Once again, the focus was on the grandkids and Owen was spoiled. I think he got a bit overwhelmed after a while because he started to get tired pretty fast!

Josh gave me my present in AZ. Unfortunately it wasn't much of a surprise because I helped pick it out. But, I was really really excited to get it......a Canon Rebel XSi SLR camera!!!!

I also got a 50mm lens to go with it as well. I've wanted a camera like this for a really long time, but didn't think I'd get one any time soon. Josh decided that I should have one now so I can enjoy the 6 months we have left in Chicago and perhaps take a photography class. I love it! I still don't really know how to use it well and I mostly shoot on auto mode, but I'm excited to learn! The difference in picture quality from cameras I'm used to is amazing. I tested it out by taking a sampling of pictures of people. Thank You Josh!!!