Nineteen months ago, I attended the groundbreak ceremony for the new Ann & John H. Lurie Children's Hosptial of Chicago. With my mother by my side, I had the privilege to join politicians, philanthropists, doctors, nurses, and patients as the dream of...

Just another goofy four-year old on a school field trip to the farm (October, 2009). Sometimes I forget that Charlotte is not a regular kid. Yes, every morning and evening as I help her dress for school or get ready for bed, the scars remind me. In...

Another photo from our October staycation. We got too busy to blog daily as we had guests in from France. We took them to the John Hancock Tower for the best views of Chicago. More on that soon! We are grateful for books that inspire excursions,...

Ah, staycation....First we had a visitor from California, then we hit the highlights of Chicago with Daddy. After that, Charlotte had to go to Kids' Kastle (our wonderful local home daycare) so I could work on a conference paper. Daycare is a treat for...

Philippe took Monday off to have a stay-cation day with us. We headed out early to the Museum of Science and Industry to beat the crowds. I had "scored" a museum pass from the Chicago Public Library, but it turns out that the MSI is free all weekdays...