Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me...

... or so I wish. (Don't you just love 90's music?!)

When I was pregnant with E and B and we were still living downtown, I LOVED getting peaches at the Green City Market, which is located in the southernmost part of Lincoln Park, just north of where we lived. Almost every Wednesday and Saturday, I headed to the market to pick up another 10 or so peaches, which would be lucky to last me two days.

I thought I was doing well with Z. I have had a few peaches, but never anything that really triggered any major cravings for me. Until Wednesday. B, E, and I made the trek into Chicago for my now biweekly doctor appointment, and we had some time to swing by the Green City Market. We picked up some peaches and cut into them when we got home. Oh. My. Goodness. They were so juicy and SO DELICIOUS! The boys and I ate through all ten peaches in about 36 hours. I even meant to snap a pic of the peaches in all of their glory in the bowl on my counter, but we were too busy eating them, and then they were gone! Now, I am craving some more farm-fresh peaches, and I am desperate to find some. I missed both of the markets near us this weekend, so now I am just going to have to go without for a while. What is a girl to do?!

Mmmm... peaches.

I shouldn't say that peaches are the only good things about the Green City Market. One of the things that I love about it is the atmosphere. The park setting is so calming and unexpected in the middle of Chicago. There is always a musician playing, usually kid friendly music - this week there was a man strumming away on his banjo. There are snacks to be had, too - our favorites are the fresh crepes and smoothies made with just-picked fruit. YUM! And I shouldn't leave out all of the produce, which is fresh and raised with local, sustainable farming, which is why I am sure it is so delicious!

Whenever I can make the trek to the market, I feel like it is a special treat. When we lived in Chicago last summer, we made it there every two weeks or so, and it was fun to make it back with B and E this year, too! After soaking up the sun in the park, eating crepes and drinking smoothies, and picking up some fantastic cantaloupe and peaches, we all went home happy and content.

Mmmm... peaches.

A Trip to Brookfield Zoo

On Friday, B, E, and I met up with Papa and Grandma I. for a trip to the Brookfield Zoo. We had beautiful weather - 77 and sunny! And we had fantastic company, which made the day perfect. :)

Our first stop of the day was at the carousel, an E and B favorite. The boys were so excited to ride their ladybug and baboon with Papa and Grandma!


From the carousel, we went to the pachyderm house, which had elephants, rhinos, hippos, and even tapirs (which the boys were excited to see in real life after checking out on Diego). From there, we headed to the dolphin show. I was SO excited to check out the show, which I haven't seen since I was a kid. It was so fun to be there with the boys, watching all of the dolphin acrobatics!

After a quick lunch, we headed over to the children's zoo, where the boys got some hands-on time with some goats. We also got to check out a bald eagle, raccoons, groundhogs, cows, and pigs! There is actually a small bee exhibit in this area of the zoo, and, interestingly enough, it was one of the boys' favorite parts of the day.

B and E brushed up on their grooming skills. :)

A pic for all of you pig-lovers (you know who you are!) - this 3.5 month old piglet decided to take a dip in the water trough.

We all had so much fun that we stayed at the zoo until B and E couldn't stay awake anymore. All the way home, I had two boys making music with their sawing logs in the back seat. :) The volume of the snoring is directly proportional to the fun had that day, right?!

Thanks to Papa and Grandma I. for such a fantastic day!

A First Visit to the Dentist

E and B went for their first dentist appointment today. Everything went pretty well. B was a little hesitant, but E jumped right in the chair on his turn. The fellas got to pick a flavor of toothpaste: mint, strawberry, cherry, or cookie dough! They also got to pick whether they wanted mint or cherry flouride. The flouride treatment today is so much easier than when I was a kid! Rather than having to bite into styrofoam trays, the flouride treatment is spread on teeth with a paint brush and then left to soak in. They just had to avoid hard foods for 4-6 hours. It was painless!

The visit was great, and both of the boys got excellent reports on their teeth. Hopefully this visit set a good precedent and our future visits will all go as smoothly!

Botanic Garden

Last week on Wednesday we went to the Chicago Botanic Garden with a college friend and her young son. I had never been there - the grounds (at least the ones we saw) were gorgeous!

We made sure to hit the highlights for the fellas, which included the railroad garden and the fountains. The railroad garden was really cool, with large-scale model trains running through replicas of different parts of the US, built completely with natural materials! E and B loved all of the trains, and a highlight was the Thomas train pulling Annie and Clarabelle!

E and B checking out some trains going by San Francisco

Thomas, pulling Annie and Clarabelle, drove by James - it was like seeing celebrities!

B showing how excited he was to play in the fountains after coming out of the railroad garden. The only thing that could pull the boys away was the promise of fruit snacks. :)

A Quick Swing by the Lincoln Park Zoo

Z and I had a doctor appointment in Chicago bright and early Tuesday morning, so after that quick visit, B, E, and I took the bus 3/4 of a mile south to the Lincoln Park Zoo. We had a great time, although the hot sun definitely took its toll on two 2.5-year-olds and their pregnant mommy.

We hit the children's zoo first, and of course one of the highlights of the area was the continuously running water fountain...

The boys distinctly remembered that they had gotten to ride a carousel the last time we were at the zoo, so we had to find that really quickly. All of the animals on the carousel are endangered species.

E on a spectacled bear

B on a cheetah

Of course, we did see some animals, one of which was this creepy looking crocodile. He was just laying there with his mouth wide open, as if waiting for a little child to fall right in. We didn't hang around that exhibit too long...