Arg

I don't know what's up with Blogger, but I keep trying to publish Quinn's birthday post and Blogger won't post to the blog, but it does send the post to feed readers. I suspect it's because it contains photos. I've had trouble with uploading photos for months and since my posts are often photo heavy I quite posting.

Bob and I haven't been on vacation since 2003/2004 when we went to St. Petersberg, Florida for New Years. This summer we decided it was VERY important to take a vacation. Studies say people who don't vacation die sooner than those who do vacation. We dithered endlessly about what kind of vacation to take. We looked at going to Michigan and found it too expensive. We looked at St. Louis and found it too miserably hot. We looked at Wisconsin and decided it was too far of a drive to get to the good parts. We looked at the Wisconsin Dells and I had an anxious fit about keeping Quinn from drowning at endless water parks. We looked at Iowa and decided it was too much like Le Roy. We looked at Santa Clause, IN and decided we just weren't into it.

Ultimately we decided to either go to Indianapolis or Chicago. Since the Indianapolis Zoo is OUTRAGEOUSLY price and since we go to Chicago less often we decided on Chicago. So we booked a hotel downtown, checked out the CityPass versus GoChicago, decided we definitely wanted to ride a water taxi and visit the Lego store, and went.

OMG it was mostly stressful and awful with moments of okay. The very first night Bob had to carry Henry three city blocks to a bathroom while Henry cried and cried and the very last day I raced Quinn through a downstate Wal-mart with diarrhea dripping down his legs and into his shoes. Most of the times in between were that level of stress. Quinn screaming in restaurants, screaming on the El, flopping to the floor just about every place we went. Henry prefers to ask for crappy overprices plastic junk in various gift shops than enjoy the view from the top of the Willis Tower or the fish at the Shedd or the stars at Adler. The best time he had was the lego store because I had decided in advance I would get him a large Lego set and let him carefully consider every. single. box. of Legos in the store.

After the Shedd was a bust (Quinn had to be carried out of the dolphin show) we gave up on getting our $ worth out of the CityPass and just visited parks around Chicago. We met up with Leah and rode a water taxi to Chinatown and ate at the Moon Palace and played at the playground where the water taxi disembarked. That was by far the most enjoyable segment of the trip. Three adults to two kids makes everything easier.

One of my goals for going to Chicago was to let the boys see different people living different lives from our life in LeRoy and we did do that. Broadening minds is hard work! They rode the El at rush hour when we were packed elbow to armpit and also when we had the car completely to ourselves. We didn't drive the car for 5 whole days. We played in two parks where we were the only English speaking family. We ate tender delicious steamed dumplings and crab rangoon with real crab in it.

Leah let Bob and I go out on our own one evening and we chose to eat at Giordano's bc there is NO WAY the kids could eat in a restaurant that takes 1 1/2 hours. After splitting a spinach & sausage pizza and a pitcher of Goose Island, Bob opined that these are the salad years. I thought to myself, I don't like salad.

Birthday boy

Quinn's last day as a one year old we drove Henry to camp, swung by the Law & Justice center to drop off my very first divorce judgment for the judge, dropped Bob off at work, swung by Krispy Kreme for pre-birthday donuts, and then went to McGraw Park for the rest of the morning.



Quinn's birthday was very low key. Bob and I aren't sure whether we're wise or lazy but our philosophy of children's birthdays is if he's too young to understand or care, then why make a fuss. So we went to Gibson City where Quinn got to sit in a JOHN DEERE TRACTOR THREE TIMES AND HONK THE HORN. Later he had a Dilly Bar and a long nap.

reflections on starting my career

Now that I'm in a general practice office I see the limitations of starting practicing as an assistant attorney general in child support enforcement. The job was so narrow and my secretary so skilled that I learned very little except how to perform in court on the fly and write judgment orders. I thought child support would bolster me in doing divorce work, but it hasn't really. Plus I was practicing in TEENY TINY counties with one or two judges and a few helpful women in the clerk's office. Dealing with the Mc Lean County court system is far different and I find myself figuratively running into walls on the regular. It's frustrating to think I know what I'm doing and to be stopped short over and over again. I'm at the end of my first divorce case and I've realized just how much mentoring I still need even though I've been licensed FOUR YEARS. FOUR YEARS! I'm now relying heavily on the very, VERY generous help of experienced Bloomington attorneys each step of the way.

If I was giving advice to someone in my position in 2008 of leaving a clerkship and having two offers I would say, all else being relatively equal, take the job with more variety of tasks to learn.

Workin' Mom

So I've been back at work for 20 weeks. I was hired by a solo here in LeRoy and now have a nice office downtown and am learning everything I can about a general rural law practice. Mostly I'm learning to do estate planning, real estate and divorce.

Things I've noticed about living and working in LeRoy:

The town has gotten much MUCH less anonymous, and I like that. I'm getting to know more people in the last 4 months than I met in the previous 6 years we've lived here.

The longer I have a 4 minute drive from home to work the f-a-r-t-h-e-r away Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana become. I'm far less likely to hop in the car on a whim to head "to town."

There are a few services LeRoy REALLY needs, like a great daycare facility and an ice cream place. Finding child care for Quinn was really difficult and we had to rely on word of mouth because no licensed child care provider in or near LeRoy has any opening. That was eye-opening. The Mexican restaurant didn't stay open very long and it would make a great spot for a full menu ice cream place.

The Avett Brothers set at Summercamp.

Search consent sign

Nineteen months, 6 days

Dear Quinn,

Today you are nineteen months and change.


Bobby and I decided to take you boys to the railway museum because you are obsessed with choo-choos. It's so cliche, but not any less cute. When we arrived in Monticello we headed downtown to see if we could ride the trains. We pulled up to the depot, saw that it was empty, and began to drive across town to the museum proper. You were increasingly frantic for choo-choos, choo-choos, but relaxed when we saw out first train.



More and more you want to be with Bobby and Bro-bro instead of me. I'm grateful for the break your boy-time gives me after dinner, but also sad to see you transition from baby to boy.



You are an adventurous child in a careful way. You rarely injure yourself, but if I turn my back for a second you are on top of the piano or the kitchen table. You are three feet tall and 34 pounds. This allows you to do amazing feats of toddler strength. You pull yourself up on stools, transfer to the kitchen counter, and retrieve play-doh and scissors from the highest heights.



First thing in the morning until last thing at night you ask to go-go. Now that spring weather has arrived I try to accomodate you. It was a long winter cooped up in the house trying not to spend money. Now we toss on our jackets and walk around the neighborhood after your nap and spend the rest of the afternoon in the driveway playing with your trike and scooters and balls.



Choo-choo! Choo-choo!



Sometimes toddlerhood hits you hard, but we spend so much time together that I am in tune with you and understand your beginning language skills very well. "Mee mee" means you either want me to sing Ode to Joy or you want to watch Youtube video of the muppets singing Ode to Joy. "Owie" means help. You like to count each person at dinner and say thank you for everyone coming home. You think anytime I make a phone call that I'm calling Nonnie and you call her on the toy phone daily.



We have a big change coming soon baby boy and I know this extremely close connection we have now will be short lived. As excited as I am to be practicing law again, I'm treasuring this time before everything changes.

Love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck,
Boobie

Tuesday morning playgroup

One of my resolutions for this year was to make friends in LeRoy. I've made great friends in Bloomington and Champaign since we moved here 6 years ago, but haven't had any luck locally. So I am officially "Making an Effort".

Part of "Making an Effort" has been to engage with LeRoy people on teh Twitter and attend Tuesday morning playgroup at LeRoy Elementary School. Anyone can attend playgroup with their age five or younger child. Most of the children are 2-3 years old, but there are a few babies and a few preschoolers.

Playgroup is free and meets from 10-11 every Tuesday that school is in session. You just arrive at the front door and tell the office your last name and that you are there for playgroup. Playgroup meets in the basement and the stairs are 3/4 toward the rear of the school.

There are two parent educators who run playgroup, but mostly it's Ms. Jackie who is leading. Ms. Jackie is great with the children and is a resource for the parents. You can ask her ANYTHING about your child. She's super supportive and knowledgable.

I have been taking Quinn to playgroup since the beginning of the year and we both really enjoy it. I get a chance to talk to other adults (moms, dads, and grandparents attend) and Quinn gets to play with new toys. So far there have been between 4 and 16 children attending.

Do you want to see pictures of the fantastic playroom? Of course you do.