Spring

It's finally spring in Chicago. We're enjoying warmer, sunnier weather after a miserable April. The school year is winding down. Our calendar is filling up with hang-outs, weekend getaways, and more. We're heading to Milwaukee tomorrow for Memorial Day Weekend. We're all very much looking forward to a long weekend getaway to relax and unplug. We also can't wait for more sunshine and time together this summer. The girls will be taking swim lessons, going to dance (Lily) and nature (June) camps, hanging with friends, and spending time at the beach and pool. 

June just wrapped up a unit on Greek mythology. She's working on adding and subtracting fractions and participating in her first debate in inquiry. She loves reading, playing Minecraft, and discovering new music. She's learning all about puberty at school (and at home). She's asking for more sleepovers, deepening friendships, and fully embracing tweendom. 

Lily's reading ability has exploded this spring. She's leaping ahead on her sight word lists and reading more independently. She still prefers to be read to, but when she's in the mood, we're all impressed by her skills. Lily is learning about sound and light at school with a build up to the 1st grade rock band project, where students build their own musical instruments out of recycled materials and perform. She's also taken an interest in poetry and has written some of her own original poems. She loves her dance class and is very excited to show off her skills at her recital next month. (It'll be live-streamed and recorded so everyone can watch.) 

Both kids are in after school clubs this season--run club for June and intro to team sports for Lil. They both plan to participate in Brentano on the Run, an end of the year fun run to the Eagle Monument and back. 

The highlight of spring was our trip to the Shawnee National Forest area in southern Illinois for Spring Break. Lots of pictures coming soon, but in the meantime, you can watch a slideshow of the highlights below or click here. We went horseback riding, canoeing, hiking and did a lot of puzzles. 

At home we've been slowly planting our garden. The crappy weather we had in early spring delayed it, but it's finally coming together. We're adding more flowers and welcoming Swallowtail butterflies that miraculously overwintered. The kiddos have been making friends with more neighborhood kids and love playing with them on the weekend and after school. The girls just got their Covid booster shots, so despite rising cases, we're cautiously comfortable with socializing and mostly going about our lives as normal. We're feeling hopeful for a great summer.