The Lion King Jr.

This is Henry:

 Me and Ellis have been doing a play (the Lion King) for a while and the day is finally here! Ellis plays Ed the Hyena(the comic relief) and I play Simba The Lion(the protagonist, for goodness sake!) and we are amped up for the final production, as you can see.

Ed never personally attacks my character in the play, but this happens enough in real life that we thought it should be an actual scene.

And here is the brave lion, strangling the weak hyena while his mom gets a picture.

Four Hyenas, attacking the camera while I idly stand by.

Awww, the evil hyena villains love each other, except for Ed.

No idea what song this is, but it sure looks exciting!

Make sure you stretch before rigorous exercise, such as dancing.

Nice moves, animals! 

Presenting... the edge of the picture!

Why so serious?

Lion makeup: really highlights your smile!

Note: this was not a particularly good day for me, as after we got dinner, I sprained my ankle and limped for the next 2 weeks. :-(

Savoring Time with Friends and Fall

This is Kelley Larsen, me, and Kristen Wood.  The worst thing that could have ever happened to our wonderful group of Chicago friends was Kelley leaving us.  I don't think I can put it into words, but Kelley is one of the most incredible people you'll ever meet.  She lights up every room she enters and makes everyone feel loved.  When I heard the Larsens were moving to Guam, I was pretty devastated.  And I determined to spend as much time with Kelley as possible before she left!

 This was a girls' night at Mindy's Hot Chocolate with many of the ladies who are huge fans of Kelley's (and who happen to love Chicago, rich dessert, and hot chocolate).

 Another group picture that is pretty much horrible of all of us except for Kelley - glowing right there in the middle.  :)

We also had a family going-away party for the Larsens at Gillson Park/Beach.  It was a really fun night.  My favorite was that Will (Kelley's husband) and his fellow musicians brought their gig to the park and entertained us with the most hip music ever that set the mood perfectly and made everyone else at the park jealous that they aren't as cool as us.

 The day after that party began another few days of savoring time with amazing friends.  Shug, Brittany, and Jacob (our lifelong friends, as you probably know) were all able to swing it and be here in Chicago for a handful of days.  Shug was expecting her third child...so we all wanted to get a visit in before her life would change drastically! I felt badly that I couldn't meet them at a more unique destination, but I had already been indulgent enough with the Newport trip, and for our family's sanity, I couldn't go anywhere.  So these amazingly flexible friends were able to come to me!

 Brittany was the instigator, and I love her for it, because time together is exactly what we all needed!

 These pics were taken on our Chicago River architectural boat tour.  I was just so happy that the weather was good enough to do something so lovely and outdoors.  I believe we even got hot on this ride.

 Of course, I didn't take nearly enough pictures of this trip because we were so busy having a good  time that I didn't even think about pictures.  Actually, we spent a lot of time (as we always do) having very good and important conversations.  One poignant topic was "What on earth will happen if Donald Trump actually becomes president of the United States?" Some of us were pretty worried about that.  I wasn't that worried, because obviously, there is NO WAY that could possible happen.  Right?!?

Okay, it's really lame that I don't have any more pictures.  But I was SO grateful that Brittany and Shug were willing to fly out, and that Jacob drove out to visit as well.  It's amazing how good friends have a way of staying connected no matter what.

Archie Cuteness

Here is a random collection of pictures that show just how cute Archer has been lately.  I think they give a pretty good summary of what life is like with our sweet Archie (Archie-boo, Archeroo, Arch).

We sat by our sweet friend Bavina at church, and surprisingly Archer happily stayed with her for most of Sacrament meeting.

If there's anything Archer loves, it's balls. It's all he talks about (maybe a limited vocabulary plays a role in that...), and apparently all he thinks about all day.

Case in point.

He is actually in a stage where he is starting to call almost anything "ball."  He definitely knows what a ball is and calls balls by their rightful name. But in an effort to talk about other objects he likes or wants, but lacking the words, he just reaches for the thing and calls/cries/whines "Ball!" He probably says "Ball" 200 times a day.  

He also says, "Hi!" about 30 times  a day.  So lots of talking...about two things.

And the toddler mischief has just begun!  Apparently it's time to train everyone to keep the cupboard doors closed and keep everything in sealed containers!

Newport Girls' Trip

These are the Iverson girls (Autumn is not pictured because she was behind the camera - but she is definitely one of them).  They are some of the most incredible women I know.  They are amazing wives and mothers, and they know how to make things happen!  One of the best things they ever made happen was this girls' trip.  We got it in our heads that we should all take a trip to Newport, Rhode Island -- and in spite of the odds (new-ish babies, LOTS of kids, house remodels, PTA involvement, senior mission, health challenges, etc.), we were all able to make it on the trip!

We stayed in this cute little cape just outside of Newport.  It was SO New-Englandy everywhere we drove in this area.  It made my insides ache a lot because I really do feel like I was born to live in New England.  It's like the whole area has an extra glaze of beauty poured over it.  New England just glimmers.

Maybe I was emotional because I also was leaving my baby for the first time.  I weaned him just in time to go.  I definitely cried when Ben texted me this picture of him and Archer. 

One of the most lovely things to do in Newport is to tour all the mansions.  Some of us had done this before, but we always had toddlers in our company, which made the mansion touring considerable less enjoyable.  This is part of why we wanted to come to Newport.  Katie and I were dying to experience it without little ones!  I mean, you can see how child-proof this room is, but still... 

 I believe these pictures were taken at The Breakers (Vanderbilt mansion).  As you can see, we got to enjoy every little detail of our audio tours, uninterrupted.  Hooray!

I liked little details like this butler/maid bell that reminded me so much of Downton Abbey. 

 Likewise with this kitchen.  I mean, isn't it just to die for?

 This is Marble House - another of the Vanderbilt Mansions

 As you can see, it was real marble-y.  Apparently I can't remember any of the historical details.  But it was really interesting and fun to learn about!

 This was inside The Elms (built for the Berwind family).  We all decided we prefer the decorating style of the Elms to that of the other mansions we saw.  It is much more classy and sensible and less gaudy.  We loved this ballroom.

And this standing shelf in the kitchen made me happy because it looks like something people are trying to replicate nowadays with the "farmhouse" style. 

Behind the mansions is one of the most beautiful walks in the country - The Cliff Walk.  Between the two days, we covered most of this 3.5 milk walk and had some great conversation while we did.

Just one of the many gorgeous views from the Cliff Walk

 We debated on what do do on this day, but we ended up taking a ferry to Block Island.  I'm so happy that we did because it was the best day ever!

 The ferry ride was windy and gorgeous...

 ...and then we were greeted with THIS view when we arrived at the island.

 I mean, a land straight out of my dreams.

 Right?

 We rented bikes so we could get around the island.  I was pretty proud of Mom Iverson who was terrified because she hadn't ridden a bike in 30 years!  It took her a few minutes to get used to it, but she was amazing.

 I felt bad making her do it, but this is my happy place.  And I suspected it would be everyone else's too.  I don't think anyone regretted it!

 As you may have noticed, we got really good at posing a bunch of us in front of all sorts of beautiful spots.  This was at Southeast Light.  L-R: Me, Katie, Kara, Autumn, Andrea, Mom.

 Walking down to see the Mohegan Bluffs.

 This was GORGEOUS and so relaxing.  We dipped our toes in the water and took in the ocean breeze.

 Back on the bikes.

 We biked a lot that day.  Our last stretch included a lot of uphill climbing through some beautiful scenery.

 And we were rewarded with Dale's Lemonade and Payne's Donuts!

 We explored the town a little bit and bought salt water taffy and other souvenirs for our families.

Nobody wanted to say goodbye to Block Island or Newport.  It was such a lovely setting for a rejuvenating trip for all of us busy mamas. 

 Autumn and I had a little detour in Boston before flying home because we had both flown into Boston and taken the train down to Rhode Island.  I gave her a whirlwind tour of Boston, and we walked all over the city with our suitcases!  A little taste of Public Garden...

 ... and Beacon Hill... was good for my heart.

And a little taste of Mike's Pastry was just what Ben needed to make him feel that being a single dad for a long weekend was totally worth it.  I'm so grateful to Ben for letting me go on this trip.  It was absolute perfection!