Booming New Year!

Welcome to the world Verona Hana Hilzinger! After much anticipation, Lari (Paul’s sister) and Allan became parents to a lovely little girl today. Well done! Mum and bub (and excited dad) are all doing very well. That is a count of two nieces for us and an extra two cousins for the boys - and it is only February! The international expansion of our families is continuing with Blanche born in France and Verona, born in Japan.... 

Photo: A brand new Verona Hana Hilzinger

Winter chills

Our life in 2008 is starting off with a bang. Paul is currently in Nova Scotia applying for a new visa. To be honest, he is stuck there until he can get a flight back to Chicago. Chicago is receiving quite a dump of snow at present. Paul has accepted a position with a new employer and is about to start working out of home once again. Paul is really looking forward to this as he will be able to continue working on his ‘hobby’ full time. He can’t think of a better job! 

Our new niece Blanche continues to grow and look cuter. Jenni and Sebastien are about to make a move from Grenoble, France to Leceister, UK. I am a little upset as they will be selling their ultra-cute and very French apartment – and I have not had the opportunity to visit it! We can’t wait to meet our new niece and cousin. Luc has even accepted that Blanche is here to stay and his cousin quota has increased. 

What is it with kids and a change to status quo? Paul hasn’t been away for a while so Luc is having a hard time with it. I went to pick Luc up after school yesterday, to be informed that he had been hitting kids and had kicked one boy in the face. I was horrified and therefore cancelled our ‘treat’ visit to the supermarket (yes, this is a treat!). The afternoon didn’t get any better with Luc wetting his pants (and bathmat) when visiting the toilet (deliberate I am sure), putting up a champion resistance to bathtime, pulling his books from the bookshelf during a time out, and then spitting on my arm and the bench top (several times) whilst doing his teeth! AHHHH! I was furious. We had a big shouting match followed by some ‘understanding’ time with cuddles and apologies (from us both). After stories, the boys went to sleep. PHEW. 

Then…at 4am I had a visit from Nicolas. I couldn’t be bothered taking him back to bed so he slept with me. At 6am, I had a visit from Luc – who told me he had vomited in his bed. He traded places with Nic who went back to his own bed with a morning bottle of milk. 

After changing sheets and PJs, tidying up, giving the boys a breakfast of pancakes (using a cheat mix) and settling them in front of a Curious George DVD, I thought I would finally take a shower… Luc came in to visit me. Danger lurks when boys are separated so I asked Luc to check on what Nicolas was up to. He went to investigate and returned to tell me that Nic was ‘stuck’. Having no idea what this meant, I went dripping into the family room to see what was going on. I discovered that Nic had emptied the entire remainder of the pancake mix on the kitchen counter and was driving several cars and a space shuttle through it. This was the mix that hadn’t fallen on the floor and through the boys toy boxes of course. I used the Dust Buster until it was out of charge, then vacuumed and cleaned…. oh joy! This is not the first time that Nic has made a sandpit out of cooking ingredients. Brown sugar has been used to effect a couple of times (see photo below). We will be very happy to have Paul home!

We were lucky to have a visit from my mother /Hazel / Nanma just after Christmas. Apart from Rowan in March, Mum was our only houseguest during 2007. Mum’s visit was a great opportunity for all to become reacquainted. The boys have not seen Australian family for a year – so were somewhat resistant to a ‘stranger’ in the house at first. Mum went to visit the newest family member in France before returning to Chicago. 

We were fortunate to have some mild weather while mum was here – allowing us to get out and about (rather than our housebound status at the moment) and show mum some of Chicago’s sites. We visited the beautiful lights at the Zoo, the Children's Museum, Navy Pier, Field Museum, Millennium Park, Institute of Art, Sears Tower, a new years brunch / birthday party, a first birthday party and a neighbourhood New Years get together. There were also some rest days for mum to get over her first and second cases of jet lag!

Looking forward to some more visitors in 2008. Next victim: Paul’s brother Arthur. 

No white Christmas, but a Blanche New Year!

Welcome to the world, little Blanche Olivia Nobiron. 

It snowed before Christmas and it snowed after Christmas, but unfortunately, no snow on Christmas Day. This all became immaterial when my sister Jenni and her partner Sebastien became the proud parents of a little girl on the fourth of January. What an excellent way to begin a new year. 

It has been such a relief to poor Jenni who had been admitted to hospital a couple of months ago and since her release from hospital, was confined to complete bedrest… some confinement! While I am of the opinion that enforced bedrest would be an unbelievable luxury, it had been driving Jenni somewhat demented, having to wait while her ‘bun’ cooked. Some anxious times were had as the baby showed definite signs of wanting to come out early, but needed to be kept in to ensure all vitals were operational. 

Jenni and Sebastien agonised for some time over names that would work well both in French and English (as they currently live in France), seeking a third opinion from myself from time to time. Blanche is a family name from our mother's side of the family, Olivia is just cute and reminds me of Ian Falconer’s lovely range of Olivia books. 

The wait has been so worth it as the grins from the happy (and tired) parents attest. 

Chicago-St Louis-Memphis-New Orleans-Houston

We had a wonderful time seeing a little more of this rather large country. We had been invited to Houston, Texas to spend thanksgiving with Rowan and Shirley (my brother and sister in law) and Shirley’s family… or we invited ourselves, can’t quite recall. 

Instead of flying both directions, we thought it would be a great opportunity to include some side trips along the way. A brief amount of planning, a couple of guide books, a GPS box and a hire car saw us depart on Saturday 17^th November – bound for Saint Louis, Missouri. Driving through Illinois, we truly understood why this state is known as the ‘prairie state’: very little topography, not a lot of vegetation (unless one counts corn fields), and seemingly endless expanses of land. 

We booked the Adams Mark hotel in St Louis ahead, overlooking the rather lengthy titled Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. This was a lovely hotel with a great buffet breakfast. Each of the hotels we stayed at along the way, made the mistake of allowing the boys to eat free at the buffet breakfast… little knowing that the Gearon boys (although only 2 and 3 years of age), can make a serious dent on a buffet serving unlimited scrambled eggs, French toast, sausage, bacon and lots of fresh fruit – their favourite foods. 

The ‘big arch’ in St Louis is truly remarkable and timeless. A true ‘folly’, this piece is the defining monument in St Louis and is of gigantic scale – it is very hard to capture the enormity of it in a photograph. I applaud the construction of these monuments – extremely contentious and hugely expensive, but really able to give a city some presence and focus (think Eiffel Tower, Paris: Guggenheim Museum, Bibao).  We took the boys to the top of this in a rather cramped gondola/ tram/ ferris wheel type conveyor. The views were far but flat, yet we were able to witness the grandeur of the mighty Mississippi River below. 

From St Louis we travelled to Memphis, Tennessee. We tried to get off the interstate highways for a little while to see some smaller towns and to get a feel for the land. The interstate system throughout America is a very comprehensive network of roads, interchanges, looping connections, overpasses and merging lanes. We thanked the GPS system a hundred times over for guiding us through this maze, which can be somewhat daunting to the uninitiated, but extremely efficient to the well-versed or direction-loaded driver. The system ensures one can drive through several states without ever having to reach an intersection.  All amenities (with mostly chain restaurants / fast food joints) are located at regular intervals and the traffic volumes ensure these are well patronised. 

We checked into the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. This was out of our price range, but had been well recommended by Paul’s parents, the online guides we referred to, and my much trusted Lonely Planet guide. This hotel is huge, long established and of an opulent nature. The most oddly defining feature is a daily parade of ducks from their rooftop home, down an elevator, through the hotel lobby and into the lobby fountain at 11am each day, with a return journey at 5pm. This is a well-publicised event and hoards of people turn up each day to witness it. A ‘Duck master’ provides a description of the event, rolls out a red carpet and then escorts the ducks to the fountain. Duck motifs proliferate in this hotel. Another feature of this hotel is really comfortable beds. So comfortable that they have a mail-order service to provide these, and their signature linen, to satisfied guests. 

While in Memphis, we debated visiting Graceland (Elvis’s home). It was not necessarily high on our agenda… but we were there... so why not. We had told Luc that we were going to Elvis’s home. Luc has had some experience with Elvis, having heard his songs on the Lilo & Stich soundtrack and on our own ‘kids mix’ that we play at home. As we stood in line to buy tickets for the Mansion tour, Luc asked me “Does Elvis live here?” I replied “No honey, Elvis died. He doesn’t live here now” I’m sure their would have been a dozen people nearby that would have disagreed with me, but this didn’t stop Luc’s face falling “He died?!” Not that Luc really understands death yet, but he was shocked. Later in the tour, a line of people were waiting to pay their respects at Elvis’s grave. Luc wanted to know why the people were all standing in a line. Paul explained to Luc that this is where Elvis had been buried. Luc immediately wanted to go and “dig Elvis out of the garden”. A fascination with death, burial and resurrection was born!

From Memphis, we headed towards New Orleans, Louisiana, passing through the state of Mississippi (known as the ‘poorest state’ in the Union). 

Reaching Louisiana (the second poorest state), it was sad to see ‘Casinos’ appear as readily as gas stations and fast food outlets. These were not in the ‘Casino’ status that I have come to expect of Australia’s high-end and pretentious casinos, or Las Vegas’ embracing and exuberant casinos, but dirty looking pre-fab buildings, located road-side and often tacked on to gas stations or seedy diners. We figured that a road journey to a Louisianan must include a gas, food and gamble stop. It was rather disheartening. 

We checked into our ultra-luxuriant hotel Le Pavillon and wondered if we had checked into the right place. All marble, chandeliers, plush upholstered furniture, artworks and a bourgeois French appeal, the grotty travellers and two young boys seemed somewhat out of place! When we found out the hotel provided complimentary p&j sandwiches and piping hot chocolate from 10 to 11pm every night, we realised we had, indeed, checked into the right place ;-)  The boys took advantage of the rooftop spa and pool the next day (although only Paul braved the unheated pool). 

New Orleans has a skeleton of a really happening place. We could see it in the vibrancy and pride of the locals, the sheer volume and breadth of good places to dine and listen to music, and a huge focus on shopping and fine art. (Hurricane) Katrina obviously had a huge impact upon this poor city, as these options are largely relegated to the touristy French Quarter, while the rest of the city remains somewhat destitute. There is an eyrie quietness to the shuttered up businesses, and ‘for lease’ signs proliferate. An implied air of desperation lingers and we were strongly advised to keep away from certain quarters (due to muggings and street violence – even in broad daylight), and advised to catch a taxi when we went out one night (even though we were only traveling several blocks). The St Charles streetcar had just lengthened its route the week we had arrived and this was obviously a huge psychological hurdle cleared. New Orleans once survived on the trade that conferences brought in. Katrina helped destroy many accommodation options and the city has had a hard time reestablishing itself as a destination city.   

Luc’s fascination with death and burial was fed with a visit to the Lafayette Cemetery No 1. The defining feature of New Orleans cemeteries is that they are all above ground – as the city is below sea level, graves fill with water and bodies can be washed away in storm events. Cemeteries are therefore filled with family crypts and vaults. Bodies are ‘repackaged’ after two years, into more compact bags, and therefore these ‘burial grounds’ have large capacities. 

The Garden District is truly beautiful with some magnificent homes. Paul and I were reminded a little of Brisbane, with the lush vegetation and sub-tropical feel of the place. We could only imagine how stinking hot the place must get in the height of summer. We both agreed that we would love to spend some more time in this magical and exotic place – quite unlike anything else we have witnessed in the States (it felt like we had travelled to another country). 

Our last days drive on Wednesday (21^st) included driving right across Louisiana into Houston, Texas. Our approach to Texas saw us driving into some ominous storms which we managed to beat – thankfully. The storms brought with them some cooler and rainy weather – a little unseasonal and not at all what we had been hoping for!  Houston is all wide roads and strip malls. Accusations abound as to Houston’s lack of a ‘heart’. I sure wouldn’t want to be a tourist without a car in this city. Despite it being against all my urban design principles about what constitutes a good city, Rowan and Shirley were able to show us some really interesting places and give a bit of history and context to the spread-out city. I will have to write more about this at a later stage… 

Photo: the boys at the Downtown Aquarium, Houston. Looking up from underneath a fishtank

Return from Houston

Well, we are home safe now after our mammoth car trip to Houston, Texas. Thank you so much to Rowan, Shirley and cat Sushi for putting up with us and making our stay so memorable. We were able to see a few sights along the way with overnight stays in: St Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; and toilet / rest stops in Arkansas and Mississippi! I will attempt to blog about this trip some more... just need to recover now! 

Photo: Luc at the base of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (otherwise known as the whopping great arch in St Louis). 

Fun weekends

We have been doing some fun things with the boys over the last few weekends, in addition to a couple of birthday parties and flu shots for the boys (although, Luc wasn’t so keen on this one!) Chicago is very well set-up for activities and destinations for children. 

Recent trips have included the following:  

Montrose Harbor Kite Festival: 

An annual festival by the lake, children were able to make and decorate their own kites. Children were given a large paper bag was filled with a reel of string. With printed directions, cut lines and markings, some artful scissor-action some sticky taping and string tying, the bag became the kite! Children were then able to decorate their kites, add colorful tails and fly the kites. Despite a rather breeze-free morning, there were some very successful flights. The serious kite-enthusiasts were out in force with some stunning kites.   

Art Institute of Chicago: 

Paul’s first visit there, and an opportunity to see some of the expansive and very impressive Impressionist collection. We are waiting in anticipation for the opening of the new Modern Art section- It would seem that Luc has a bit of a thing for modern art and sculpture, and the modern collection has been safely stored away for some months now. 

Shedd Aquarium: 

As members of the Aquarium, we were invited to a special viewing opportunity of the new Beluga Whale baby. This provided us an opportunity to see the baby swimming with its mother before it went on public display. The boys really like the reptile collection with a Komodo Dragon and other lizards including colorful chameleons. 

Adler Planetarium: 

Nic did not like this so much – except for building a magnetic rocketship and the sensorial video display relating to conditions on the moon (complete with simulated wind and heat). Luc, on the other hand – a geek in the making – loved the Mars rock-sample-seeking robot and the movies about the planets. Paul was determined to take some emphasis off ‘fantasy’ science fiction (Star Wars et al), and to show to Luc what ‘real’ space travel was all about. This visit further fueled Luc’s obsession with space filght and black holes. He has been talking about the Planetarium lots! He still wants to be an astronaut. 

Pumpkin Patch & Luc’s School’s Halloween Fest: 

We are currently amidst Halloween season. We revisited the Pumpkin Patch in Oz Park. Exceptional weather this year ensured that it was very busy – but boys were still able to choose and decorate their own pumpkins, go on a hay-ride and play on some bouncy toys. Luc’s Halloween school fest allowed the boys an opportunity to dress in their Halloween costumes (in daylight hours), play on some more obligatory blow up bouncy playthings, see a ‘spooky’ marionette show and participate in some more pumpkin-seeking-painting. Paul and I took turns to help out children with pumpkin decorating. 

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival: 

This included a selection of (eleven) international films in a session specially devoted to the 2 to 5 year old age group (in the morning while children are still fresh). We saw some wonderful films, followed by a question and answer session with several of the film makers. The family favorite was Astons stones – a poignant Swedish film about a young dog who finds ‘special’ stones and takes them home- all the more special given Luc’s penchant for stone collecting. I loved the Knuffle Bunny film – an adaptation of one of my favorite children’s books. Written by Mo Willems, it is based on his own family and involves a story about his daughter Trixie’s firm attachment to a stuffed bunny named Knuffle, the impending disaster when Knuffle bunny goes missing and utmost relief when it is found. 

Willems wrote and did animation for Sesame Street for some years and has written some other favorite books including the Pigeon series, Knuffle Bunny Too, Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct and many more. He wrote one of my favorite lines “She went boneless” to describe that moment when children, in a rage, lose all ability to stand up and behave like a dead weight. Love it! 

Picture: At Montrose Harbor Kite Festival

On the move

Well, what have we been up to? 

We finally have a car. It took only two mornings for Paul to deliver Luc to school, before announcing that we really ought to have a car. Luc’s school is a 20+ minute walk from home (at a brisk pace with both boys in the stroller). The idea of a three year old walking that distance, trying to get a reluctant student dressed, breakfasted and there by 8am, plus the impending winter (where walking a mere 100 metres can be brutal despite being gloved, hatted, coated, layered and snow-booted), was enough to make a decision for us. That, and a very rare (paid) parking position opening up just near our home. 

When we first arrived in the US, I noted that a VW Jetta might be the right size car for us (medium size, larger than my preferred Golf, European – and therefore suited to snow). After going through all the permeations of car, origin, internal space, and features (everyone steered us away from buying an American car), Paul went to a VW showroom in search of a Passat. He came home nervously suggesting a Jetta that he had found, before realizing that this was the car I had suggested in the first place! He didn’t have to convince me too much.

Last Wednesday I got my driver’s license. All people planning on living in Illinois need to get themselves an Illinois license within 90 days of arriving. Our car insurance wanted us to pay some $200 extra for excluding me from the policy, so there was some degree of urgency! I was not feeling at all prepared and was a little flummoxed by all the information I needed to prepare for the exam…. Let alone driving on the wrong side of the road. 

The examiner at the counter made a big deal of congratulating me for scoring 100% on the written test. I didn’t think the exam was actually too difficult - given it was largely multiple choice, and my initial concern that I didn’t fully remember all the cases for license, suspension, revocation or cancellation or all the various and numerous penalties for DUI… first offense, up to fourth offense - varying by age group, blah, blah, blah.  I did however, notice a large stream of people being informed that they had failed the test and were being given instruction on how they could re-sit the test that day should they want to. The cost of sitting a driving test (including instruction and issue of license) is only $10. I remember it being a costly exercise in Australia (one that you really didn’t want to mess up). 

The driving instructor, who happened to know a little something about Australia, spoke about football (soccer, AFL, Gridiron, Rugby, Union), cricket and baseball the entire driving test… He was still chatting at the end, and hadn’t given me any clue as to whether or not I had passed! I was surprised that no parking component was included as part of the test, to my relief…. but given the high extreme shortage of parking in Chicago, and the need for people to touch park, it did seem a little remiss. 

After we took possession of our car, we travelled out the suburbs and visited the Kohl Children's Museum. This is an excellent indoor resource for children, with a variety of themed rooms / areas for children to be active or involved in imaginary play. Nic loved the car room with a gravity-powered racing track for lego-type cars, a car wash and the outdoor adventure garden. Luc adored the mini Dominick’s Supermarket (like a Safeway), the Potbelly Sandwich shop and the water play area. At the end of our visit, we visited a Pretzel café and Luc made and decorated his own pretzel. It was such fun. We became members of this museum in anticipation of returning sometime soon. 

Photo: Nic running through the prairie grass maze at the Kohl Children’s Museum