Dog Sneezes are Funny

Last night we had dinner with our friends Indira and Nick Hadley who live in the River West area. It was taco night. Indira and Nick have a dog named Domino, a Black Lab/Dalmation mix. Of course, Sylvia loves dogs. We know that. And she was excited and curious about Domino right from the start, but the fun really began when Domino sneezed. Apparently a dog sneezing is far funnier than the 'dancing cow' routine, the 'hair in the face' game, or the famous 'throwing objects at other objects' trick. In fact, a dog sneezing is categorically the funniest thing that can happen - according to our resident humor expert, anyway.

Here's a picture of Domino at the dog beach last summer:


Sylvia quickly learned that even though Domino was twice her size, she could chase him. The two got along quite well and even tried to share their toys, though we attempted to dissuade them from doing so. All in all, a good taco night.

Invitation to a Spaghetti Dinner

Sylvia has become a big pasta fan. And it turns out that pasta is not just a food. It's a fashion statement!

Watch the video.

Let There Be Light(s)

In an ongoing effort to make our new condo feel like home, we've been on a roll this past week changing out (and adding new) light fixtures. Last weekend was the big trip to IKEA, and today, we installed ceiling fans in Sylvia's room and Chris and Darcie's room. Here are some of the highlights:
Ceiling fan in Chris and Darcie's room -


Ceiling fan in Sylvia's room -


Hallway lighting and new family photos -


Dining area lighting -


And because Sylvia wasn't tall enough to make it into any of those photos (and we know the reason people read this blog):

She's becoming such a grown-up.

Weathering the Storm

If anyone was worried about us after yesterday's massive storms in the Chicago area, fear not. We are safe and we even have our power. The storm (actually two storms with another on the way) hit the area pretty hard causing flooding, damage to buildings, and the loss of power to some 245,000 people. Major expressways were closed due to flooding. All of Chris' office was sent to the basement during the tornado watch. Darcie and Sylvia decided to watch through the window.

Today, because Chris' office is still without power, he gets to enjoy a "storm day" with the family.

Can You Ever Get Enough of the Zoo?

No, it seems that one can never get enough of the zoo. At least Sylvia can't. Yesterday, Sylvia and Darcie met up with Lily and her mom Veronica at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The rainy Chicago sky broke just in time for a sunny outing. The animals also appreciated the sun and decided to come out to greet the two girls and their mothers.

A couple of lions enjoying the nice weather.


Lily and Sylvia enjoying the nice weather.

They saw lions, chimps, swimming polar bears, and lots of other wildlife. They really enjoyed the chimps:


And they enjoyed each others' company:


By the way, Veronica owns Lotions & Potions, handmade body care products (http://www.lotsnpots.com/). Tell her Sylvia sent you.

Date with IKEA

Today was kind of rainy and a bit cool in Chicago, so we loaded up the car for an all day outing to the biggest indoor entertainment center around. We're speaking of IKEA, of course. Sylvia trooped along with Darcie and Chris for 3 hours of shopping and a forty-five minute drive each way. She did great. We essentially replaced 75% of the lights in our condo in the one trip.

This is the Calypso ceiling light which we installed in the entryway.

We also replaced the hallway light and the dinning room (area) light. Sylvia didn't come away empty handed. She got a new lamp for her book case...

... as well as a sneak peak at a few of her birthday presents.

(As a side note, the name of this post is a reference to a song by the band Pavement, one of Sylvia's favorites.)

It's okay.

We're back in control... of the website. If you haven't, check out the Photo section. We're adding new albums all the time.

The Weekend with Dede and Papa

We had an exciting weekend filled with picnics, park trips, and a few naps. First thing Saturday morning we headed to the farmers’ market to do a little shopping. The place was packed - with people and produce.

What to buy?


Sunday lunch on the lake fill.

For more photos of the week check out the photo gallery.

Beginning All Over Again

If anyone checked out the blog in the past 24 hour, you would have seen a very ugly thing. Due to some software issue, all images were replaced with big X's. We here at Sylvia & Co. take our images very seriously.

We are testing out a new web-building application, so we'll see how it goes. Of course, we'll be marching ahead, but we would also like to recreate the lost blog entries over the next few weeks.