feeding the duckies

When Annalise sees her cousin Keara and her friend Ali going to school, she always asks if she can go too. Well, it’s Annalise’s turn now. Annalise started Prairie Children Preschool on August 25th. We knew it would be an easy transition for her when we went to the open house on August 21st to meet her teacher Ms. Adams and Annalise was upset when we had to leave! On the morning of the 25th, Annalise woke up at her usual 6am and was asking if she can go to school right then. I told her that we had to wait until her teachers were awake. Aunt Kathy came over to watch the boys while I drove Annalise to school. Sean was the most upset, because he wanted to go too. When we pulled up to the school, Annalise jumped out of her booster and jumped out of the car. She took the hand of the helper who was going to walk her into the school and off she went. There were just a few backward glances toward the car before she walked into the building but that was it. No tears! Yay! She’s been having a great time going to school, and Mama and the boys are having some good times too at home.

Now, if only we could get more than an I don’t know when we ask her what she did in school.. . Oh well, can’t win ’em all!

Filed under: Annalise, Uncategorized on August 31st, 2009 | No Comments »

Kiddieland is closing.

After 81 years in operation in Melrose Park, IL, the amusement park featuring mainly rides most suited to younger children, will, as rumor has it, make way for a Costco or some-such.  This place holds many fond memories for those like my wife and her siblings who grew up in this area. We simply had to take the kids there before the gates were closed for good. And so, yesterday we packed the kids in the van and along with aunt “Bethie” headed out to Kiddieland on a grand “babenture!” (ed: loosely translated from its native “annalise”: adventure).

What a day!
The weather was forecast to be rather cloudy with increasing odds of rain in the mid to late afternoon. Perfect, we thought. Not too hot and muggy to make walking around outside oppressive and yet dreary enough to keep the crowds on the thin side. The real chance of rain wasn’t until 2-3pm, which meant we’d certainly be either home or at least en-route by the time it started pouring. We got off to a slow start and didn’t arrive at the park until around 11:30, 1/2 hour past opening and the first thing we noticed was the ginormous line of folks stretching a couple hundred yards or so beyond the entrance. Gulp. Alright, so perhaps we’re not the only ones who thought this would be the perfect day to visit the park. Sean managed to sneak in a decent nap while waiting and sometime after noon we found ourselves in Kiddieland.

What a wonderful place.

My first thought was disbelief that they’re actually closing in a few weeks. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was instantly struck by how clean and well-maintained this place was, from the rides to the signage to the people. While there were certainly signs of wear — this is clearly not Disneyworld — the carousels and mid-20th-century rides were obviously well-loved. We started off slowly, taking the kids around to all of the “kiddie” rides first. Unfortunately for Nathan, only a couple were large enough to accommodate an adult with infant. First there were elephants that go round and round and up and down, then cars, stranger cars, spaceships, boats and swings. Round and round.  By this time we were brave enough to take the kids on “the Little Dipper” rollercoaster. This is a small wooden coaster with a 30′ drop (if I recall the sign correctly). Based on past experience with our community pool waterslide, I was moderately concerned that at least one of the kids would be screaming to get off before  it was over. Was I wrong — they both LOVED it!

Their other favorite ride was the “Log Jammer” flume. The weather held out and it turned out to be an absolutely perfect day for our visit. We had managed to ride nearly everything in the park, and taken the kids on the rollercoaster a total of three times. By the time a light rain started, it was after 6pm and we were all ready to head for home. A fabulous time was had by all. It’s rather sad this gem of a park won’t be around for a few more years.

Filed under: Uncategorized on August 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

Since his birth, Suzy and I have been singing “Oldest Established…” from “Guys and Dolls” to our youngest, Nathan. His big sister Annalise has gotten into the act…

Filed under: Annalise on August 18th, 2009 | No Comments »

On the night we met, at one point in the evening Suzy revealed that she’d always wanted four children. To this day she claims this was part of a strategy — if I’d run away screaming or excused myself to the restroom never to return, I clearly wasn’t “the one”, but if I remained after this bit of news…well…maybe.

And so, here we are.

Nathan’s been a wonderful baby, but his recent regression back to overnight feedings makes me wonder if he perhaps really wanted to be the baby of the family. He certainly seemed to be doing his best to change our minds and decide that stopping at three wasn’t all that bad an idea, afterall! In any event, despite his best efforts, the final decision was taken out of our hands when a couple weeks ago Suzy got a positive test. The subsequent visit to the doctor confirmed it…and we couldn’t be happier. 2010 should prove to be a very challenging year.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ultrasound for baby Jaromin #4

Filed under: Uncategorized on August 9th, 2009 | No Comments »

Nathan took his first step on his own on his Daddy’s birthday (July 4th), just shy of his 8 month birthday.  He’s really trying hard to walk on his own, and being more daring about taking steps alone.  He walks pretty well just holding on to a finger or pant leg, and is now putting a couple steps together by himself before falling into our outstretched arms. What a champ! (Although he’s got the bumps and bruises that come along with learning how to walk!) He has been saying “Da Da” for a couple weeks now, and just in the past week he’s been saying “Ma Ma”. The other day we were in the kitchen and heard “Mama” clear as a bell from the playroom. We both looked at each other, and thought for sure it was Annalise or Sean, but they were right next to us and Nate was the only one in the playroom. He’s growing up so fast!

Filed under: Nathan on July 21st, 2009 | No Comments »

We haven’t blogged in a while, mainly because we’re chasing three very active kids.

Nathan

Nathan is about 7 1/2 months old and is on the move. He went from barely being able to sit by himself to crawling and pulling himself up to standing in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. He just may be our earliest walker yet (and we thought Annalise was early when she took her first step on her 9 month birthday.). He wants to walk so badly! His favorite pastime nowadays is standing in front of one of us and letting go, seeing how long he can stay standing by himself.

Sean

Sean is 2 1/2 years old and is such a joy. He is quite the talker and sometimes we even understand him! He loves his baby brother and is always talking to and playing with him. He also loves his big sister Annalise and will do everything she does. He is just about as tall as her (less than an inch separates them) and we are constantly asked if they are twins. He’s a great snuggler too (that’s Mommy’s favorite part).

Annalise the Ballerina

Annalise is now 3 1/2 years old and is quite the princess — though if you actually call her “princess” she’ll deny it: “I’m not a princess, I’m Annalise”. She insists on picking out her own outfits, and if Mommy tries to help she will definitely point out if something doesn’t match. She also wants to wear all pink, all the time. Now, if only she’d let Mommy put pretty things in her hair! (Although she’s getting better with that too.) She can’t wait to start pre-school in the fall and already has picked out her “Disney Fairies” backpack (which is just about as big as she is!).

Annalise and Sean are taking a dance class over the summer (well, more of a “jump and play around while there is music in the background” class). Annalise loves her ballerina outfit and shoes! They both look so cute dancing around.

Fred and Ginger, eat your hearts out!

Filed under: Annalise, Nathan, Sean on June 27th, 2009 | No Comments »

What a blast!

Last Friday, Woodcraft Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jim Harrold spent the day visiting my workshop to supervise a photo shoot of the shop for an upcoming issue. With him was Chicago-area photographer Mike Crews, his assistant John, and numerous road boxes filled with some pretty slick photography gear.

Left to right: Mike, photographer; me; Jim Harrold, Woodcraft Magazine, assistant John(?)

A Dust-free Dust Collection System

The process actually began the day before the shoot. Thursday afternoon, Jim stopped by, followed shortly by Mike. After introductions, they surveyed the space. Mike was pleasantly surprised by the lighting situation and they continued to plan for the next day. Though I had spent nearly every spare moment the previous week preparing the shop, I still found myself working late Thursday night, per their request, vacuuming dust off of my dust collection piping! Seriously.

My shop hasn’t been this clean since the day it was completed!

Shooting the drill station

Wide Angle

After a couple “welcome” shots of me standing in the entryway, Mike shot some overviews of the shop. While I’m not completely unaware of modern photography, I’d never before realized just how effective a good wide angle lens could be. My shop is only 14′ x 22′. In the past when I’ve attempted to capture a general “overview” of the space, I’d been frustrated by my inability to get much of the shop “in the shot” from within. Typically, when I think of a “wide angle” lens, highly distorted images come to mind. I think “fish-eye”. Consequently I was seriously amazed at how he could include all of the machines on the North wall in a shot with the camera aimed mainly west/northwest, with no obvious distortion. Brilliant! They then moved on to close shots highlighting some of the specific fixtures Jim plans to highlight in the article.

Outer Space

After lunch, the morning clouds had dissipated and we were enjoying a gorgeous, sunny afternoon. One of the shop’s features I’m most pleased with is its external dust collection closet. By keeping the monster in it’s own heavily-insulated cell, both me and my neighbors are spared the bulk of the noise generated by its 3HP motor and the resulting rush of air. Shots of the way the shop and this system integrate into my modest suburban home were next on our list.

Mike carelessly ignoring the high-voltage warning stickers on the side of the power box on the corner of our lot.

Dressers

From there, it was back indoors. This time, we moved Mike’s gear to the kid’s rooms to shoot some of the pieces I had built for them. Sadly we only had time for two of the three dressers — Annalise’s Butterfly Inlaid Dresser and Nathan’s Cherry and Walnut Dresser. My comment to Mike: these pictures look nicer than the pieces!

I sure do wish I could have shots like this take of everything I build. Sigh.

It’s a Wrap…

By 4PM it was “in the can” so to speak. Mike loaded his gear and Jim packed up for the airport. I had a great time with this. Jim is a very down to earth and incredibly interesting guy with a long list of accomplishments — and the stories that invariably go with them. Mike’s knowlege and skills were impressive, though what impressed me most of all was the way Jim and Mike worked together as if they were longtime partners, though they’d just met for the first time the day before.

Thanks to Jim, Mike, John and the folks at Woodcraft Magazine for this experience!

Filed under: Patrick on May 11th, 2009 | No Comments »

I’ve finally finished Nathan’s crib and posted it to my woodworking blog and Lumberjocks.com.

Filed under: Nathan, Patrick on February 19th, 2009 | No Comments »

Things are a bit busy ’round the Jaromin house these days, so we’ve neglected to post some pics of Annalie’s 3rd birthday party. She received “pretty dresses,” a raincoat and a handmade bunny from Grandma (below). Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Filed under: Annalise on February 11th, 2009 | No Comments »

On Saturday we celebrated Sean’s 2nd birthday! He’s such a “little man,” and an absolute joy!

Filed under: Sean on January 19th, 2009 | No Comments »