Our Road Trip Plans

Friday: Chicago to Louisville, 5.25 hrs
Stopping for lunch with the Cutlers in Indianapolis!

Saturday: Louisville to Kennesaw, 6.5 hrs
Stopping for lunch with Shanna, and possibly Uncle Dave and Brian in Nashville!

Sunday: staying in Kennesaw at the Edin's new house!

Monday: Kennesaw to Orlando, 8.25 hrs

Tuesday: staying in Orlando to visit the Satkowiaks and Austin!

Wednesday: Orlando to Fort Myers/Naples, 3.25 hrs

We got Addison a DVD player, some animated books on dvd, and Andrew and I made her a DVD of her favorite books.

Last Day in Chicago

Today is our last full day in Chicago. The movers came this morning and we hit the road tomorrow morning. We have some cleaning to do, we need to pack the car, and then we will have dinner with some friends. Wish we had time to just walk around at our favorite park one last time. We are going to miss this city.

I love ...

I love ...

• hearing Addison say "nigh nigh" as I put her to bed.
• watching her give her baby a bottle and blanket.
• seeing her try to jump (she just stands on her tippy toes for now!).
• when she puts her little blankie inside things (a cup, a little box, a bag, her little stroller).  It's like a little challenge for her to find interesting places to put it in.
• her desire to help...she wants to be involved in everything we do (packing included!).
• that she likes to "show off" and spin for me, then she wants me to do it.
• how she shows me where she got hurt on her body, then where it happened in the house, and then how she points to the freezer for an ice pack (all while humming her words and gesturing, of course).
• that sometimes when she wants to initiate play with daddy, she brings him a ball.
• when she tries to put her own clothes on, however unsuccessful she is.
• that her favorite place to be is in my lap.

We are completely in the midst of packing...you know, with things EVERYWHERE.  Packing with a toddler in a studio apartment is a nightmare.  We have been doing a lot of the packing at night.  Andrew and I are already tired and done!  I am proposing we start the night off with a few episodes of Modern Family and then pack!

Happy Birthday, Andrew Clement Ritter!

Okay, so I'm a few days late.  Andrew turned 28 (yikes) on Saturday!  As far as birthday celebrations go, we didn't really do much of that on Saturday.  We did go visit some friends who are staying in Chicago and said goodbye to them.  The rest of the day was filled with purging and packing.

So today we went to Andrew's favorite birthday restaurant...Texas de Brazil.

Doesn't he look good in his new knit tie that Addi and I gave him?!

Only eleven more days in Chicago. 

Where to start?

Well, all the fun is OVER.  Now it's time to pack.  Andrew and I have already moved six times in our marriage, but this time is different.  We are moving cross country, we are not the ones loading and unloading the truck, we have a toddler, and we are sick of having too much stuff.  We have decided to go through all of our belongings and really question whether we need/want them in our new apartment.  We don't want clutter (living in a small space and having a toddler has changed our style I guess!).  If we don't use it, love it, or need it...then we are not bringing it with us.  Having less is having more.  We have a lot of our things posted on craigslist and the rest we will just donate.

I am also trying to prepare for this long road trip and how to keep Addison happy.  I bought a few new books and toys to surprise her with during the trip, I will have snacks, and we will take plenty of rest stops to let her and the dogs run around and get fresh air. I also read about this idea: video yourself reading books and singing songs to play during the drive.  Most of you know that we haven't done television or any screen time yet with Addison.  However, I think I'm going to try this idea out.  She likes looking at pictures and videos of herself so I am thinking she will like to hear her favorite books too.  Feel free to send me a video of you to add onto the DVD!

A visit with Tiffy and Rob

We were so happy to have a visit from Tiffany and Rob last week!  We had a really great time.  All the pictures to prove it are on Tiffany's camera, so I will post those later.  

They arrived Friday morning and left Monday afternoon.  We managed to fit in a lot of sightseeing and quality time.  On Friday, we went to see the Liechtenstein exhibit at the Art Institute, heard the orchestra rehearsing at Millennium Park, ate a fancy homemade meal (with Andrew as our chef), the boys played pool with Stephen while Tiffy and I caught up.  On Saturday, Tiffy and Rob made brunch, we went to the Goose Island Brewery, experienced deep dish pizza on the lakefront, played with Addison (who LOVES her aunt Tiffy and Rob!), ate some delicious barbecue, and sent Tiffy and Rob on a night kayak trip to see the fireworks.  On Sunday we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, picnicked amongst beautiful flowers and fountains, walked through the Conservatory, ate at a fancy french restaurant, and completely forgot about our tickets to the iO comedy show that we planned for that night.  Monday was rainy so we ate brunch at Yolk and did some indoor window shopping. 

Hope to see them again in NY at the end of October, if not then certainly for Thanksgiving.  

Thank you for visiting, Tiffany Jane and Robert Daniel!

17 months old!

Happy 17 months old to Addison Jane!

Enjoy this short video: