The Parrillo Family

One recent weekend, Nat was out of town.  That meant that a special "Daddy Sunday Funday" as the kids called it was in order. We were busy and did things that I knew the kids would love and that Nat probably wouldn't love to do as they're mostly obnoxious.  Yeah..obnoxious.  But that's what happens when Dad is alone for a weekend, right? Alright, without further delay, here's how we spent a recent Sunday: Started the day at Chuck-e-Cheeses where we played tons of games.  And watched a show.  No food, though.  The kids loved collecting the tickets.  (But I was disappointed with the prizes!) After that, we went to the All Aboard Diner where they deliver our cheeseburgers by model train.   The kids loved it.  The Beef was in his element! Then we had to work off the calories, so off we went to SkyZone to jump on the trampolines for an hour.  Look at how high Eloise was getting! Frankie had to be hauled out...

Back in September, we took the girls up to Michigan for a day with their Noonie and Papa and ALL of their cousins.  We had great weather and while the selection at Jollay Orchards weren't great (they did, however have Honeycrisp!), we had a great time. If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the slideshow below, click here to see all the photos .

Last weekend, we went out to a program that the Elmhurst Park District calls "Touch-A-Truck".  We've gone in years past, but we had a lot of fun this year because Ellie really loved climbing on (and in) all the trucks, vehicles and (gasp!) even a helicopter!  (That's it above). Sadie didn't get in on the action too much - being stuck in the stroller most of the time, but we did sneak her into a few photos. The difference in confidence level in Eloise from one year to the next is remarkable.  Last year, she was too bashful to even take a sticker from a fireman, let alone board the fire engine by herself.  This year?  She stormed right up to every truck and made herself at home. If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the full slideshow below, click here to watch the photos on the site .

Over the weekend, we were able to participate in the Big Ten Network's annual 10K and 5K.  We did just the 5K, but we did it as a family.  That means that between the two of us, Nat and I pushed the double stroller all 3+ miles down the Chicago lakefront. It was a fun race and the girls even got in on the Illini spirit action.  Ellie wore her best cheerleader outfit and Sadie wore her orange Illini shirt.  Everyone running in the race was wearing their best college gear as they supported their alma mater.  I was really lucky to have Natalie embrace the Illini side of things for the morning.  She's a real trooper and went right along with my Illini craziness all day. The views were spectacular and we were able to take in the city skyline from a different perspective and the cool temperatures were even better. The girls handled themselves really well.  So much so, that we might make this an annual family outing!

As my little daring grows, she's starting to get not only a lot smarter, but she's also starting to fill out some of the things we've been using for the past year or so.  In this case, that means both her bike helmet and trailer.  What was - just last year - barely able to sit on top of her head with the straps as tight as they can go now fits properly.   So happy to see her develop, but this is just one more reminder to her dear-ole-Dad that my little baby is growing up.  And fast. I love taking her out on the bike and hearing her cheer us on from behind in the trailer.  With her being 2 and a 1/2 now, the possibilities for bike trips around town (and beyond) are endless.  Can't wait to take her out again all summer long.

This weekend, we packed up the family and headed down to Champaign for the 2012 Fighting Illini Orange & Blue Spring Football game.  We were lucky enough to be able to bring Ellie's cousin Grant along for the game.  While it was raining for the game, we were able to sit in the Colonnades Club and had a roof over our head. In the second half, we also were able to join the rest of the Varsity "I" members and former football players to go down on the field and watch from up close. With a new head coach, I'm not sure how well my Illini will fare, but with this being Ellie's 3rd Illini game, I know I can't wait to bring her back this fall for another home game.

What a difference a year makes.   Just one year ago in January of 2011, we were documenting the amazing feat that was little baby Eloise taking her first steps .  She was so uncertain of her footwork and wobbled back and forth.  You can tell by the sound in Nat's voice (and the look) on my face that we were filled with pride. The saying goes "They sure do grow up fast".  And, if this post is does anything, it cements that notion as fact.  365 days after Eloise took her firs step, we ushered her out the door to take in her first day of "school".  Yup.  School. We enrolled her in a 2-day-a-week Montessori program for 2 and 3 year olds in our town. As we prepared for the first day, Eloise swelled with pride on our front porch (see the photos below) as she set off on this new adventure.  She was so excited to go.  Nat was excited to see her go, grow, learn.  And for herself to get a MUCH-EARNED 2 hour break.  But me?  I couldn...

This is Eloise's second Halloween and we marked the occasion with her second trip to Sonny Acres - our local pumpkin patch.   Here's a post that includes photos of our trip from last year.  Looking back, it is easy to see how much she's grown up in just one year. This year, Eloise was much more interested in stomping around, checking out the petting zoo and being helpful in selecting our pumpkin(s).  Seems like this has become a family tradition! There's a whole slideshow of photos of our visit you can see below.  (NOTE:  If you are reading this in your email and can not see the slideshow below, you should click here to view the slideshow on the web .)

Today marked the first day of art class for our little Eloise.  Nat took her there without much expectations.  The class is aimed at toddlers and is starting as the weather turns colder.  It is a perfect excuse to get out of the house on Wednesdays.   But...when they arrived home after the class, we had a *very* proud Eloise showing me what she created:  a "sand" tree that used glue - spread by Eloise herself - to hold down the sand. Color me impressed with my daughter! Who knows?  Maybe she'll take to art like she's taken to gymnastics and we'll end up with a Picasso or Rembrandt! Although Daddy would prefer a Computer Scientist?!?!