Levynn is losing interest in picture books, or at least prefers epic chapter books like "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." She's not even 5!
Meanwhile, Lincoln is losing interest in board books, a more natural development at his age.
Consider the two together, and we have been presented an opportunity. Happily, Levynn agrees.
"I hope Lincoln enjoys these books because I enjoyed them when I was little," the sweet girl said as she handed her brother a stack from her library.
He has acquired several stacks, and he is enjoying them.
You might also like to know that their language skills are progressing quickly, particularly Lincoln's, in case you haven't heard them recently.
He really likes to flex his as he establishes possession. "This money is not yours. This money is mine," he said when he showed Dad a penny one day. "This money is not yours, not Mom's, not Lev's. This money is mine."
He doesn't say it with any malice. It's just a statement.
And yes, he says "Lev" - and "Linc."
Levynn is prone to such flourishes as, "I want to walk on the beach barefoot and feel the sand between my toes like Salvi, like Salvador Dali."
Before you have a heart attack, be assured that she was borrowing from the picture book "Dali and the Path of Dreams" and was not speaking entirely off the cuff.
They both are prone to flourishes of affection.
"I love you, Lev."
"I love you, too Lincoln."
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Back to The Art Institute
Dad and Levynn went directly to the museum after school today, taking advantage of the last free day during opening week of the Modern Wing. We hadn't seen any of the many paintings yet, and Dad knew there were several pieces and artists that Levynn would be excited to recognize.
We ate lunch in the cafe and then made the rounds. We found Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," which she recognized from the picture book "Katie and the Bathers;" Grant Wood's "American Gothic," which she recognized was the basis for the "God Bless America" statue next to Tribune Tower; and she took one look at a painting called "Greyed Rainbow" and shouted, "Jackson Pollock!"
She had never seen that Pollock painting, but it must have resembled "Lavender Mist" (featured in the picture book "Action Jackson") enough that she guessed it is his. (His paintings tend to do that!) There was a crowd of people circling it, and Levynn snuck through them, stood directly in front of it and said, "Oh, that's cool." When she didn't get a reaction from Dad, who still was standing behind the crowd, she said, "Look, Dad, isn't that cool?"
That was cool.
We ate lunch in the cafe and then made the rounds. We found Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," which she recognized from the picture book "Katie and the Bathers;" Grant Wood's "American Gothic," which she recognized was the basis for the "God Bless America" statue next to Tribune Tower; and she took one look at a painting called "Greyed Rainbow" and shouted, "Jackson Pollock!"
She had never seen that Pollock painting, but it must have resembled "Lavender Mist" (featured in the picture book "Action Jackson") enough that she guessed it is his. (His paintings tend to do that!) There was a crowd of people circling it, and Levynn snuck through them, stood directly in front of it and said, "Oh, that's cool." When she didn't get a reaction from Dad, who still was standing behind the crowd, she said, "Look, Dad, isn't that cool?"
That was cool.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
In a word: "Wow!"
Has anyone heard about the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago? Maybe you haven't. But it's a much-hyped addition to this city, even getting play in the New York Times. The new wing officially opened at 10 a.m. today, kicking off a week of free admission to what is now the second largest art museum in the country.
That "free admission" part was the kicker for us, of course, so we wanted to visit sometime in the coming week. But Opening Day festivities and their vague promise of "family activities" convinced us to tentatively throw it into our plans for today.
We were going to focus on the kids' programs in the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Great Chicago Spaces and Places festival, primarily the (billed as) all-ages treasure hunt through the Chicago Cultural Center and Millenium Park and the build-a-Chicago-landmark-out-of-Legos workshop. We were going to work the Art Institute in here or there.
And that's how close we came to missing one heck of an experience.
Fortunately for us, the treasure map we got on our first stop at the cultural center made clear that the hunt wasn't going to be any fun for Levynn; it was just too detailed, better suited for adults. So we decided to walk across Michigan Ave. to Millenium Park and let the kids run around in the grass.
Most of the grass is in Pritzker Pavillion, the park's outdoor concert venue, and guess what was happening there? The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was holding its commencement ceremony, and Renzo Piano - the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who designed the aforementioned Modern Wing - was receiving an honorary degree.
That's him speaking at the podium.
Not far behind us was the beginning of the Nichols Bridgeway, a Piano-designed bridge that connects Millenium Park to the Modern Wing on the other side of Monroe Street.
See it?
We had promised Levynn we would cross it today, at the very least, so we decided to do it right then. We're so glad we did - and these great views from the bridge are not the only reason.
That's the top of Pritzker Pavillion in the background. (And that's Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin in the dark jacket and white shirt, filming an interview with someone as we walked across.)
There's Lurie Garden, mostly concealed by its trees.
That's the Modern Wing behind Mom and the kids.
That's the Bluhm Family Terrace, our first stop on the other side of the bridge.
That's a view of the bridge from the courtyard, where there was a stage for performances celebrating Opening Day and a Target Family Tent.
Target must be acknowledged; it sponsored all the family programming today and at the Museum of Contemporary Art last weekend.
And there was a lot of it. Look at these kids!
(That's Artie the Lion, the museum's mascot.)
There were five kids' art projects in all, each in a different classroom in the Modern Wing's huge Ryan Education Center. It is twice as big as the museum's previous education facility, with five classrooms, three studios, a resource room that's like a school library, and an "Orientation Room" - a family hangout with blocks, puzzles, computers, fun seating and tons of children's books. The education center will be free year-round, with no museum admission necessary to enter, and it will offer art projects for kids of all ages Thursdays through Sundays.
And even the classrooms have great views!
The kids came home with their paintings of the Modern Wing, the smocks (thanks, Target!) they wore to paint, tote bags (thanks, Target!) they colored, and collages they made. Levynn also brought home the Modern Wing she built (below), a picture book she wrote and illustrated, and more.
All told, Dad and Levynn spent almost six hours on this adventure. (Mom is in the middle of three straight late shifts, so she and Lincoln headed home for naps after lunch.) Before it was over, Dad and Levynn went to the family galleries to do a little scavenger hunt and see the new Caldecott Award exhibit that features numerous books we own or have borrowed from the library.
So it's safe to say that Opening Day alone was worth the hype.
Oh, and there was this nugget, before we even reached our first destination this morning.
That "free admission" part was the kicker for us, of course, so we wanted to visit sometime in the coming week. But Opening Day festivities and their vague promise of "family activities" convinced us to tentatively throw it into our plans for today.
We were going to focus on the kids' programs in the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Great Chicago Spaces and Places festival, primarily the (billed as) all-ages treasure hunt through the Chicago Cultural Center and Millenium Park and the build-a-Chicago-landmark-out-of-Legos workshop. We were going to work the Art Institute in here or there.
And that's how close we came to missing one heck of an experience.
Fortunately for us, the treasure map we got on our first stop at the cultural center made clear that the hunt wasn't going to be any fun for Levynn; it was just too detailed, better suited for adults. So we decided to walk across Michigan Ave. to Millenium Park and let the kids run around in the grass.
Most of the grass is in Pritzker Pavillion, the park's outdoor concert venue, and guess what was happening there? The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was holding its commencement ceremony, and Renzo Piano - the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who designed the aforementioned Modern Wing - was receiving an honorary degree.
That's him speaking at the podium.Not far behind us was the beginning of the Nichols Bridgeway, a Piano-designed bridge that connects Millenium Park to the Modern Wing on the other side of Monroe Street.
See it?We had promised Levynn we would cross it today, at the very least, so we decided to do it right then. We're so glad we did - and these great views from the bridge are not the only reason.
That's the top of Pritzker Pavillion in the background. (And that's Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin in the dark jacket and white shirt, filming an interview with someone as we walked across.)
There's Lurie Garden, mostly concealed by its trees.
That's the Modern Wing behind Mom and the kids.
That's the Bluhm Family Terrace, our first stop on the other side of the bridge.
That's a view of the bridge from the courtyard, where there was a stage for performances celebrating Opening Day and a Target Family Tent. Target must be acknowledged; it sponsored all the family programming today and at the Museum of Contemporary Art last weekend.
And there was a lot of it. Look at these kids!
(That's Artie the Lion, the museum's mascot.)
There were five kids' art projects in all, each in a different classroom in the Modern Wing's huge Ryan Education Center. It is twice as big as the museum's previous education facility, with five classrooms, three studios, a resource room that's like a school library, and an "Orientation Room" - a family hangout with blocks, puzzles, computers, fun seating and tons of children's books. The education center will be free year-round, with no museum admission necessary to enter, and it will offer art projects for kids of all ages Thursdays through Sundays.
And even the classrooms have great views!
The kids came home with their paintings of the Modern Wing, the smocks (thanks, Target!) they wore to paint, tote bags (thanks, Target!) they colored, and collages they made. Levynn also brought home the Modern Wing she built (below), a picture book she wrote and illustrated, and more.
All told, Dad and Levynn spent almost six hours on this adventure. (Mom is in the middle of three straight late shifts, so she and Lincoln headed home for naps after lunch.) Before it was over, Dad and Levynn went to the family galleries to do a little scavenger hunt and see the new Caldecott Award exhibit that features numerous books we own or have borrowed from the library.
So it's safe to say that Opening Day alone was worth the hype.
Oh, and there was this nugget, before we even reached our first destination this morning.
A girl won the Preakness!
Cue Levynn's ear-splitting scream!
(Really, she probably did split some ears elsewhere in the building.)
(Really, she probably did split some ears elsewhere in the building.)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day to the ladies
Mom, Dad, Levynn and Lincoln send our wishes out to Gram and Grandy, Mammy and Nana, Aunt Christina and Aunt Rachel, and any other mothers out there!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Take Your Time Family Day
That's what the Museum of Contemporary Art called today's family-oriented event, part of its free Second Saturday series of programs for those of us with young kids. And, believe it or not, we really did take our time there.
Lincoln, of all people, was most fascinated. This being a museum dedicated to "contemporary" art, its first exhibition level was filled with what some of us might describe more as technological installations - like a hallway with freaky lights that make everything look tones of gray. Lincoln loved that stuff!
He even participated in the scavenger hunt. Kids were given a piece of paper with six photos of partial exhibits, and they had to find each objet d'art (or set of freaky light fixtures) and put a sticker on the corresponding photo. He did that!
Levynn completed that task, as well, and she also weaved patterns of complimentary colors at one of the hands-on stations.
All of that was preceeded by a storytime featuring Jan Greenberg, who has written art books for kids. She read her well-regarded picture book about Jackson Pollack, "Action Jackson," while the illustrations were projected onto a wall-sized screen behind her.
Part of that time, Levynn doodled on card stock the museum provided to write "thank you" notes to the volunteers. She wrote her name and drew a picture of herself, and she gave it to the author.
Can you believe that? Levynn created art for a noted patron of the arts in an art museum, and she didn't even realize what she had done.
Lincoln, of all people, was most fascinated. This being a museum dedicated to "contemporary" art, its first exhibition level was filled with what some of us might describe more as technological installations - like a hallway with freaky lights that make everything look tones of gray. Lincoln loved that stuff!
He even participated in the scavenger hunt. Kids were given a piece of paper with six photos of partial exhibits, and they had to find each objet d'art (or set of freaky light fixtures) and put a sticker on the corresponding photo. He did that!
Levynn completed that task, as well, and she also weaved patterns of complimentary colors at one of the hands-on stations.
All of that was preceeded by a storytime featuring Jan Greenberg, who has written art books for kids. She read her well-regarded picture book about Jackson Pollack, "Action Jackson," while the illustrations were projected onto a wall-sized screen behind her.
Part of that time, Levynn doodled on card stock the museum provided to write "thank you" notes to the volunteers. She wrote her name and drew a picture of herself, and she gave it to the author.
Can you believe that? Levynn created art for a noted patron of the arts in an art museum, and she didn't even realize what she had done.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Another perk
If Mom can walk to work now, can't we all?
Mom suggested that fine idea today, the first time any of us had mentioned it. So Dad, Levynn and Lincoln accompanied her to Tribune Tower, where the kids ran around the plaza for a while.
Mom will have company on her walk more often if she wants it!
Mom suggested that fine idea today, the first time any of us had mentioned it. So Dad, Levynn and Lincoln accompanied her to Tribune Tower, where the kids ran around the plaza for a while.
Mom will have company on her walk more often if she wants it!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Kids and kites redux
In Louisville, it was the Mayor's Hike and Bike twice a year. In Chicago, it's the Mayor's Kids and Kites Festival twice a year.
Remember that we did this event last October? We didn't make any new kites today. We just brought the ones we made last time, and Levynn let the wind have fun with hers.
Remember that we did this event last October? We didn't make any new kites today. We just brought the ones we made last time, and Levynn let the wind have fun with hers.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bravo, Mary Kate, bravo
Yes, this is a very unusual post - perhaps unique, even - but MK deserves it. So please play along with me.
Last week, the Chicago Tribune cut newsroom staff for the fifth time in nine months. Among the 53 people were several copy editors, who were particularly vulnerable in this round as the Tribune "restructured" its editing and design desks into one universal "production" team of copy editors, photo editors and page designers, who are supposed to be jacks of all trades.
Considering the following three facts - the Tribune says that it will focus more on local news going forward, the copy editors it just cut were all on the local news desk, and more than 200 newsroom employees have been laid off since Mary Kate was hired - I've concluded that she is wanted there.
And for that, not to mention the stress in these difficult times, she deserves some love. So let's give it to her.
Thank you!
Nathan
Last week, the Chicago Tribune cut newsroom staff for the fifth time in nine months. Among the 53 people were several copy editors, who were particularly vulnerable in this round as the Tribune "restructured" its editing and design desks into one universal "production" team of copy editors, photo editors and page designers, who are supposed to be jacks of all trades.
Considering the following three facts - the Tribune says that it will focus more on local news going forward, the copy editors it just cut were all on the local news desk, and more than 200 newsroom employees have been laid off since Mary Kate was hired - I've concluded that she is wanted there.
And for that, not to mention the stress in these difficult times, she deserves some love. So let's give it to her.
Thank you!
Nathan
"Truly gifted...keep up the great work Mary Kate!" - Uncle Dan
"Hey, MK, We are so proud of you and your career mamagement. This is a tough business in a tough time. But the newspaper Binghams stuck to their guns in tough times in the depression era and I guess it just got in our blood. I'm sure that newspaper blood and work ethic is what the Tribune sees in my daughter. I see it too." - Grandaddy
"Oh my darling daughter, you know how proud I am of you...!! Your determination to succeed continues to amaze me... from your 'face up - face the world' birth to your determination to cheerlead for what you believe in... on to the perseverance and independence you commanded in securing an international duty right out of high school and then a home state advantage in journalism... now the bigtime has found you and I too believe, like all those times before, that they know how lucky they are to have you... Granny too would remind you... 'nothing harder than you and He can bear together...'" - Grandy
"'Your the best.....around!' Keep it up MK!" - Uncle Colin
"I know the fear you must be feeling, but just continue to be the dedicated, hard worker that they hired!! Obviously they know a good thing when they have it! You make us all proud, but especially ME!! You prove that us working moms CAN do it ALL!!!" - Aunt Rachel
"Dearest Mary Kate, we are all so proud of you and know that you persevere with grace through difficult times. This economic time is one of particular trial for you, and I know the responsibilities you share with Nathan make your worries greater. Know that all our love and support are with you, and prayers, too. Your blessings are many and I pray that your trials will be few, especially now. As you have shown in the past, your talent has brought you far, and will continue to serve you. Chin up!!" - Gram
"We're very proud of you...keep up the good work! Our love and prayers are with you, Nathan, Levynn, and Lincoln ALWAYS!"
- Uncle Byron, Aunt Christina and Cousin Clark
Mom, Martha. Martha, Mom.
Mom was beaming when she returned from Macy's today. Martha even gets kudos from Dad for a morale boost like that.
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