12 weeks down, 24 to go

I think I spend more time counting down the days until summer break than my students do. This year we decided to take a week off every six weeks. So last week we celebrated making it through 1/3 of the year. We made the mistake of starting our celebration on Sunday by buying them new clothes, to replace the ones they've trashed or outgrown. Sami wore a new outfit every day and everyday between rain and wet leaves, she destroyed each one.

On Monday, we made amends with our library and returned very overdue books. Then we played at an indoor gym for awhile. On Tuesday, we hung out with Cousins Kathleen and Joey, at Cosley Zoo and McDonald's playland. Sami entertained Joey by pretending to sneeze so hard that her coat flew over her head. Then we came back here and decorated spooky Haloween cupcakes On Wednesday, we hung out at Brookfield zoo. We saw their new lioness, the first female lion they've had in 13 years. We spent more time admiring the professionally carved pumpkins than the animals. I think that every animal was carved into at least one pumpkin. The polar bear had a lot of fun with his pumpkin treat. On Thursday, after tennis lessons, we took our yearly trip to Tekawitha Woods. Since we are treeless, the kids enjoy playing in the leaves there. The trails were completely covered but we managed to make our way down to the river and then back up to the Nature Center. It never ceases to amaze me how running in the woods can completely change Sami's personality. They had a blast jumping in the leaves, sliding down leaf hills and climbing fallen trees. From there we visited Kathleen and Joey and my parents and helped to make some witches brew.

Thanks to our GPS, I braved a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry on Friday. Samantha saw a commercial for a new exibt, You The Experience. She really wanted to run in the people sized hamster ball. At the ticket counter, I received an unexpected surprise, admission was free. So we paid to see one of their special exhibits, the Smart House. Turns out this is the greenest house in Chicago. The tour was interesting and I was very proud of Chris and Sami's behavior. Sami even asked a couple of very relevant questions. The only downside of the day was that the hamster ball was being repaired. That and the rain on the way home. So, I guess we will have to go back again. This time with DJ who was a little disappointed not to be joining us.

Chris and Sami had a blast trick or treating. They went around the cul de sac with a neighbor boy. Then went out with their cousins and the fathers, by Kathleen's house. DJ was beat when they got back, but the kids were ready to keep on going. So they grabbed a flashlight and went to a couple of more blocks alone around here. Sami was so excited about going to what she called the scary cul de sac.

It was not fun starting back again, but we survived. These pictures are a small sample of the three hundred or so I took this week.