School, school, school

We just realized this week that we had not mentioned here, except in passing, that Levynn has been attending Lakeview YMCA's Kiddie Kollege - a preschool program - two days a week. She loves it, and Mom and Dad are relieved that we were able to find such an opportunity after pulling her out of Thomas Jefferson Preschool in Louisville.

While we're at it, Levynn and Lincoln also have been taking swimming lessons at the YMCA, which is within walking distance of our house. We hadn't mentioned that intentionally because we were waiting to be able to post swimming photos, which we won't be allowed to take until the last class (for privacy reasons).

Levynn already has been registered for the next session of Kiddie Kollege, and she also will take a ballet class. She actually was given a choice between ballet and several sports, and she picked the former. She should be a seasoned pro now!

The most important item on the agenda, however, is finding a school for Levynn to attend in September. We were late to the game - yes, the game - which became clear when we learned the facts of the preschool system in Chicago. We figured private schools would be out of reach, but then we learned that Chicago Public Schools will charge more than $9,000 for full-day, five-days-a-week preschool during the 2008-09 year. CPS also offers so-called Preschool For All, a free, half-day, five-days-a-week program. But competition for spots is fierce - after all, how many people are willing to pay that kind of money? - and parents were encouraged to apply in December. We discovered that in February.

Fortunately, just this week, Levynn was guaranteed a spot at a school in Lakeview. It's called Louis J. Agassiz Elementary School Fine and Performing Arts Center. It's not our "neighborhood school," so it's not within walking distance, but it's not far from here. We had to accept the spot within 24 hours or lose it, however, and we had yet to see the school. But Dad went on a tour on Friday and was very impressed. The preschool kids were happy and engaged, their classrooms were bursting with activity centers and artwork (it is an arts magnet school, after all), and the school as a whole looked safe. Mom and Levynn still have to see it, of course, but Dad would send his little girl there in a heartbeat.

What do you get

... when you give a biscuit to a child with a runny nose?

This:

Another day, another book

Levynn has a little Weebles (wobble but they don't fall down) airplane, and Lincoln has an even smaller stuffed bunny named Sprout. Dad spied them near each other tonight and was reminded of one of Levynn's books, in which a rabbit crashes a plane into a tree and causes other problems for his mouse friend (and which we haven't read in many months).

So Dad sat Sprout in the Weebles plane, flew it around and asked Levynn if it reminded her of anything.

"My Friend Rabbit!" she yelled.

Correctamundo!

Car

This actually was filmed several days ago. Since then, he has convinced us that he really understands what he's saying. We'll ask him, "What goes vroom vroom?" And he says "car." He's learning!

Happy Easter!

"M is for Mom" and other Levynnisms

Levynn's brain - and heart - were busy today.

She jury-rigged an "M" with her miniature magnetic fishing game and pointed out that "M is for Mom."

She informed us that "I have a lot of little hearts and medium-sized hearts in my big heart to share with everybody."

And as Mom was leaving for the office, Lev instructed her, "Say Happy Easter to all your people at work. Don't forget!"

Now how could she forget that?!

She writes

Look closely and you will see: L-E-V-Y-N-N. Our girl actually wrote her name for the first time a few days ago, but we got so excited about it that she ran away with the paper and hid it with her other treasures before we could take a picture of it. Today we persuaded her to do it again. She told Mom and Dad that she's been practicing her letters at her YMCA preschool. Yay!

Let's go Sox, I mean, Cubs

Dad, Levynn, and Uncle Dan (who's visiting) drove two miles to Wrigley Field and walked around the ballpark today. Dan had never seen it, and Levynn had only seen it through the car window on the run. So we figured that it would make a good afternoon excursion, even though we knew that it would be closed. Dan thoroughly enjoyed it, and Levynn just liked being out and about.

(By the way, "COMED" - the word in the marquee - is the name of our electric company. We also have photos with "DRIVE WHAT RON SANTO DRIVES" (but don't ask what he drives), "HEY CUBS FANS! WEAR WHAT THE CUBS WEAR," "THE PERFECT WAY TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY WITHOUT SPENDING ANY," "BALL PARK FRANKS, OFFICIAL HOT DOG OF THE CHICAGO CUBS," and "BANK OF AMERICA, BANK OF OPPORTUNITY."

Levynn go bragh

Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade was downtown Saturday. It was another nippy winter day in the Windy City, but we hopped on the bus and the train to get there in plenty of time for a nice spot along Columbus Drive.



We did lose that spot after waiting in line for a port-a-potty just as the parade started coming down the street - Levynn had to go really bad! - but she found a perfectly good view atop Dad's shoulders afterward.



Shortly before we started to make our way out, a military academy marched past us and seemed to be guarded by a security detail. Check out the stern-looking fella in the beige trenchcoat.



But then an all-too-familiar disaster of a haircut moved into our view along the barricade, and we realized that the security had nothing to do with the military academy. It was for Rod Blagojevich, the (most recent) corrupt governor of Illinois. Oh boy!



We finally escaped the mob and walked north, first to get lunch at the food court inside Macy's on State Street and then to see the "green" Chicago River flowing under Michigan Avenue.



We were worn out long before we got back on the bus. But Levynn and Lincoln were troopers, Mom and Dad survived, and we all enjoyed ourselves.

All you need is books

We don't detail all of the wonderful words that come out of Levynn's mouth - not even close - but we do have to report another instance today.

She and Dad were discussing options for the next activity when she suggested a pillow fight. Dad asked, "How do you know about pillow fights?" She said, "I'll show you."

She walked to her bookshelf and, from her collection of 400 or so, pulled If You Give a Pig a Party. She put it on the floor in front of Dad and started flipping pages until she came to the one with, whaddya know, the pillow fight between Pig and her friends. She pointed to the words "pillow fight" and said, "That says 'pillow fight.'"

Dad looked at Mom and asked, dumbfounded, "Did you read that to her today?"

"No."