This beautiful July baby’s middle name is Summer.

A little smile for her grandmother.

Welcome to the world, baby Kate! You are already much loved. Cousin Jonas has been looking over my shoulder at these photos and keeps asking to see baby Kate again.

Joining us on our journey was Matt’s dad. Our destination: Chicago, where my brother-in-law, Zak, is attending Northwestern University’s graduate program for journalism.

Our flight left at 6am. Which meant we were up at about 4:15am. Ouch. At least that meant we had this beautiful light as we flew up into the clouds.

We had plenty of time to wander around. I’m easily amused, so I laughed at this sign. If you want to park here, odds are, you’re out of luck.Matt with his trusty companion. Not me, silly, his iPhone. I can’t knock it, the iPhone was invaluable during the trip. And prompted lots of discussion about how we managed back in the dark ages before cell phones and interwebs.After walking around for a few hours in a variety of rain, humidity and heat while we waited for Zak to be done with class, we stopped to cool off in the stunning lobby of the Palmer House Hilton. And I had a basil lemonade. Different, delicious and refreshing.

We stayed at the Hyatt right on the Chicago River, a block from Michigan Avenue.

The view from our room on the 21st floor.

Across the river and just a few blocks down from our hotel is the Melas Plaza and Fountain. It celebrates Chicago’s incredible feat of engineering – about 60 years ago, to combat issues of pollution, the flow of the Chicago river was reversed.

Every hour on the hour, a water cannon shoots a huge jet of water out across the river. If you are on a boat and try to go through, you will get wet!

For Thursday dinner, we split up so Matt and I could have dinner by ourselves while Zak and Gary ate elsewhere. We got lucky with our restaurant choice. The hotel concierge recommended Vermilion, a Latin-Indian fusion restaurant a short walk from the hotel. We had delicious selections like blue corn crusted scallops on a kali mirch latin calabasa goat cheese puree and “pindi” butter chicken. So good!

The decor was red and black. When I looked at what the people at the neighboring tables were wearing, they blended right in.

Friday morning I got up before the crack of dawn to shoot some photos in the morning light. I believe it was about 5:45 when I left the hotel. I’d say that my consciousness was somewhere between asleep and zombie.

I made another stop down at The Bean, aka Cloudgate, of course.

Love this building! We heard a little about it on the architectural boat tour. It’s the only one designed by a woman.

A little inlet off the Chicago river.

We headed up to Zak’s and had lunch at this amazing North African crepe restaurant, Icosium Kafe,  in Lincoln Park.

Zak’s one of the few people I know that’s happy to be photographed. Lucky for both of us, really. This is the entryway to his apartment  building.

In the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond in Lincoln Park.

And in Lincoln Park at the edge of Lake Michigan.

Finally two views of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, right next to Millennium Park.

After all that walking, we were exhausted! But very, very happy to fly back to Pittsburgh, drive across Pennsylvania and see our boys. Jonas came flying across the driveway, leapt into my arms, and dazzled me with a frenzy of smooches. Leo was more excited to show us a toy that Pop Tony bought him.

Up next: getting to meet my sister’s baby!

Last week he was chattering like the chatterbox he is (at least when no strangers are around) one of the rhymes from school. It’s the one that goes “bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?”

Then he asks me how many.

Me: Two.

Jonas: I HATE two!

Me: Uhhh… four?

Jonas: I hate four!

Me: Okay, Mr. Irrational, I give up.

The thing is, at two and a half, even something as weird as expressing hatred for poor innocent numbers is utterly adorable.

Seriously, look at this boy. I just want to reach right into the screen and give him a smooch! I just love this portrait. I saw this spot of beautiful light when we were at the water steps last week and asked Jonas if he’d sit for a minute. I loved the shade from the greens with lots of light reflecting off the sidewalk and war memorial on the opposite side.

And I spent what seemed like days on the phone telling everyone I knew how adorable and sweet my little baby was…

Now it’s five years later, and Leo has learned all that preschool can teach him. And so two weeks ago, we attended his graduation.

I suspect that before I had kids, I would have found the idea of a preschool graduation a little silly. 5-year-olds in caps and gowns? A 40-minute ceremony? What could they do that would take that long. a valedictorian speech? Play musical chairs?

But since it was not just any preschool graduation, but my own Leo’s graduation, I couldn’t be happier that he and his classmates had the opportunity to celebrate all that they’d learned. Most of the kids had been going to school together for years, and the prospect of finishing up there and moving on to kindergarten was a pretty big deal. But more than anything, Leo in a cap and gown? CUTE!

The graduation was held at a banquet hall. I snuck back into the room where the kids were getting ready to snap one quick picture.

The kids entered in pairs while their music teacher played “Pomp and Circumstance” on the piano.

The class of 2023! (Leo is front and center!)

We received a memo before graduation that no flash photography or video would be permitted during the ceremony, as a professional videographer was filming the event. I wouldn’t have used flash anyway, but apparently what the administrators meant was no photography period. I had a little discussion with the assistant director just before the ceremony as she explained they meant no photography PERIOD, as they felt that it was disruptive to the event. I can understand that, if some folks stand up or crouch down, but I promised to stay right in my chair and be very inconspicuous. I felt badly for being difficult, but I sure did want to get some photos of my own of my little graduate. I mostly shot from the hip (meaning I couldn’t see what I was shooting, since I wasn’t looking through the viewfinder).

All I can say is that it was all worth it for this photo:

The kids sang a number of songs. I giggled the most at “I’ve Been Going to My Preschool” sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

My favorite segment was “When I Grow Up…” Each student stood up and said, “my name is ___ and when I grow up I want to be a ___” There were several cake bakers, a few artists, a number of football players, a clothes designer, a couple engineers, a doctor… I couldn’t wait to hear what Leo would pick, as he’s expressed interest in being a vet, a paleontologist, and my personal favorite, a bat keeper. I admit that I was thinking “please say bat keeper! Please say bat keeper!”

When it was his turn, he said, “my name is Leo, and when I grow up I want to be a…”

PAUSE (Leo looks down at me, sees camera in my lap)

“… a photographer!”

Yay!

His reaction after making eye contact with me and me beaming a huge smile at him.

I’m fairly certain this was his favorite part of the night, jumping off the stage after the ceremony:

Leo’s teacher, Miss Alyssa.

Jonas’s favorite part was the Graduation Celebration Cupcakes.

Congratulations Leo!