Summer's end

Although the weather is still warm and sunny, it's starting to sink in that summer's almost over. Molly got her first grade class assignment today and school starts up again in a week!

Looking back over the past couple of months, I really couldn't be happier with how this summer went. Molly loved her camps, which was a big relief. She made a ton of progress with swimming and is pretty comfortable in the water now, diving down to touch the bottom and practicing handstands with her friends. And just like that, in the last couple of days, she started learning how to ride a bike! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed she has a similar epiphany with reading in this last week before school :)

We took a couple of road trips -- Minnesota and the Wisconsin Dells -- but for the most part, we just hung out around Evanston. It was just the right mix of home and away (for once!). The only low point was when we all got lice. That was the worst. I'll be washing our hair with tea tree oil shampoo from here on out to hopefully keep those critters from ever coming back. Eeeew.

Celebrating after lunch at Culver's -- we crashed an invite-only soft opening and got our food for free!  

Go-carting in the Dells

Summer smiles

Of course we're trying to cram in as many activities over the next few days as we can. Golf, tennis, dinner on the beach, a couple of outdoor concerts ... there's still a little bit of time left for summer fun. We're even planning a trip downtown for back to school shopping, a ride on a double decker bus (per Molly's request), and a night at the Drake using Jason's hard-earned hotel points.

What's next for the O'Grady fam? First grade, Jason's art shows (Bucktown Arts Fest and Renegade Craft Fair), and a Labor Day weekend trip to Lake Geneva. And hopefully a few more blog posts from me :)

Public service announcement

A boy almost drowned when we were at the pool on Saturday. It was awful. One moment, I saw a man sprint past me with panic in his eyes. The next thing I knew, the lifeguards were trying to resuscitate a little boy by the edge of the pool. It felt like they gave him CPR for ages. It was probably 5 minutes.

We hustled Molly and her friend outside to the car, not sure how to explain what was happening. As we were leaving, we saw a fireman running out with the boy's limp body in his arms. According to the news, he was breathing and had a pulse. I pray he's ok.

Another parent was walking around the pool muttering, blaming the father for not keeping track of his kid. But it could have happened to anyone. I was just on the other side of the pool. How was it possible that I didn't see this happening?

There are a million reasons. The pool was crowded. It was late in the day and half the pool was covered in shade. I can only feel so sorry for the family that this happened to.

In the future, I'm going to keep my eyes glued on Molly, and any other kid we bring with us to the pool, no matter how well they know how to swim. And I'm going to try to pay more attention to our surroundings.

I think it may also be time to take a refresher course in CPR. Whatever happened leading up to that point, the lifeguards undoubtedly saved his life by performing CPR until the firetrucks arrived.

I don't really have any pool safety tips for this PSA, but just wanted to put a reminder out there about how important it is to be hyper aware of everything that's happening with your kids in the pool!

The big six

Molly is six. I'll let that sink in for a minute. Six years old and going into first grade. 44 inches tall and 43 lbs. She's still a little kid, but also starting to act older too.

New birthday PJs

We had a super-packed birthday weekend (what's new?!) including a sleepover the night before her birthday party (Bad idea!! Ever hear of a little song called, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"? Ha!).

Despite being overtired, it really was a wonderful birthday weekend, including dinner on the beach with whole fam-damily, a big party at the park with old friends and new, and a lazy Sunday to play with gifts.

Hanging with her friends at the party

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us, or sent gifts, cards, or other happy birthday wishes!

Northwestern, through Molly's eyes

My friends Jon and Jeremy from Northwestern came up to Evanston today and we spent a couple of hours wandering around campus. I gave Molly my phone to keep her occupied and she actually ended up taking some nice pictures. There are a few funny ones in there too :) I kept them all in so you can see the progression. 

Madrid otra vez

Almost one year to the week after Jason and I took our trip to Spain, I ended up back in Madrid for work. We had a busy 2-day workshop with a group of global colleagues ... and even ended up with some free time to sight see around town. As work trips go, I must say, this one was pretty wonderful.

Tour of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium -- home of Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo

Tapas in Plaza Mayor

Photo op onstage after a flamenco show ... ole! 

The great outdoors

The summer season has officially started and we have been taking full advantage. Nights out on the back porch with friends, family, and neighbors ... dinner on the beach ... bike rides on the Green Bay Trail ... afternoons at the Skokie pool ... long runs with my sister B. We've kept our weekends pretty open and the weather has been really nice, so we've been able to pack a lot in without feeling like we're too busy. I could get used to another 2 months of this!

Look at that bad aunt drinking a beer while holding her nephew

The blog has kind of fallen by the wayside. Even during the week, there's always something I'd rather be doing. Like tonight, my mom, Molly, and I all went to see Vance Kelly & The Backstreet Blues Band at a park in Evanston and then I came home and watched clips of Hamilton on YouTube. Important stuff. Jason and I are working our way through The Wire (I'm obsessed) ... I'm still slogging through Moby Dick with a group from the library ... and I have big plans to learn alterations, bridge, golf, and travelers French from my mom this summer (haven't started learning anything yet, but I WILL).

My posts will probably be pretty sporadic over the next couple of months. If anything big happens, I'll put it out there, but if Stuff I Like goes silent for a few weeks, just assume I'm out enjoying the great outdoors :)

School's out for summer!

I started writing a post to catch up on everything that happened at the end of May, but never finished, and since today is the last day of school, that news takes over!!

Flashback ... here was Molly back in August on Day 1:

And here's Molly from earlier today ... her last day as a Kindergartner:

On the way to school

After school on the playground

Manicures on the porch -- we're having a sleepover celebration tonight

I feel like the second half of this year just flew by ... it took a few months at the beginning of the school year to find our groove, but after the holidays, things really started coming together. Molly made some really good friends this year, looooved before and after care, and made a ton of progress in learning to read.

Now on to our next adventure ... summer camp! More on that after Monday :)