I Miss Mayberry: Paint, Bellies, Museums and Football...

We had so much fun on Sunday. We drove into Chicago and went to church with Chris and Kelly. Then went to brunch at Kitsch'n. It was a very cute place but the food was only OK. Chris was far more intrigued with the hand dryer in the men's room than he was with the food.

After brunch, we went to get the paint for Little Man Cantwell's room. Now, you have no idea how important the choice of color is for a baby's room. We poured over the 136 paint chips that they had at the apartment earlier in the morning, and after lunch we browsed the rest of the 1013 shades of tan and green Menards had to offer. After much discussion and deliberation, we weighed the pros and cons of the Spanish Olive/Barley Wheat combo against the Sassafras/Almond Beige duo settling on the Sassafras/Almond Beige feeling it offered the woodsy feel we were going for while making the room as bright as possible in the absence of good natural light. After such a draining decision we all felt we should nap, but there was no time. Back to the apartment we went with paint, stir sticks and drop cloths in hand.

Grandpa Dano and Daddy Chris donned their painting apparel and dove right in. Grandpa Dano with a roller and Daddy Chris with a brush knocked out the three Almond Beige walls in no time.

To pass the time while this phase of the project dried, we took a little day trip to the South Side of Chicago. Our first stop was at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. (I will be sharing more on this trip in a future post.) We then traveled over to Lake Michigan where Kelly wanted to get her 24.5 week Baby Belly picture. It is a darling picture, but I hope she doesn't end up sick due to her coatless pose in the frigid weather.

There was no more time for frivolity. Back to work ASAP. Grandpa Dano and Daddy Chris went straight to work on the Sassafras wall. In case you are curious, Sassafras is green. It took two coats of paint, but not much time at all to get it done. While the paint crew was busy doing their thing, Kelly whipped up a pot of chili. Thankfully she took the heat level down a notch or two just for us lightweights. Thanks Kel!

All the painting was done just in time for the kick-off of the Superbowl. We ate chili, chips, guacamole and choco chip cookies while watching the football game that was on between the commercials.

Then it was time for the tired grandparents to head home. It was a good day. I love days like that. Probably the thing I will remember the most about this day was seeing Chris on the ladder and thinking "My little boy is painting his little boy's bedroom. How is that possible?" Time has gone by so fast and I feel like I missed so many things about him. I have tons of good memories and some not so good. That all goes with being a parent. But I feel like there is so much more that I can't remember.

I have enjoyed beyond words watching all of my children grow and become amazing young adults. And even though seeing Chris step into his new role of being a parent is yet another reminder to me that my days of being the center of their world is gone, it is fulfilling. It is a blessing beyond belief to see him ready to take on the joys and challenges that the rest of life will bring him in raising his children. I pray that his joy and pride will be as abundant as mine has been. God has been so good to us and we know that it is only by His grace and mercy that we are blessed with these wonderful children of ours. I give only God thanks and all the glory for all he has done.