Benziger babes

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato Theo getting ready to sing at the Congdon Park Holiday Program I think listening to music, learning to sing, and playing an instrument are important skills for the developing mind. Music is like learning another language; music is a universal language and it is all around us. I grew up dreading piano lessons and lying about how many hours I practiced violin (and later the viola) but I am very appreciative that I can still read music and appreciate the dedication and commitment to master a song and courage to perform in front of a crowd.  Last week, Marit had a holiday party at Hidden Valley Preschool where parents were invited to come play at school. Marit made us a little ornament and she enjoyed showing us around her school. Weekday events can be difficult for me to attend but luckily I had a half day of cardiology clinic and was able to sneak out from 11:45-

"I am a big number now- not one, two or three but four. On my next birthday, I will be five. Then six, then seven, eight, nine, ten, and 11! Four is a big number, like 11." - Marit, age 4. It is fair to say that most four year olds love parties, especially a birthday party where they are the center of attention. Usually we let the kids invite the number of kids that they are turning old plus their sibling and cousins. However, Marit has never had a proper birthday party where she invited any friends and so this year we decided to give her a proper birthday party. We picked the date and then she decided the theme: unicorns, rainbows and pajamas. I send the invites while she told me who she wanted to invite: Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy, Daddy, her brother Theo, and her cousins Evie and Josie. Luckily Grandma JoJo and Papa were babysitting over the weekend and brought her cousins up so they could celebrate her birthday and then we had a mid-week party with most of her Hidden Va

Date weekend - first stop Chicago Seth and I got away just the two of us to Mexico City last week. We left on an early morning United flight to Chicago where we had a 12 hour layover. We took the El into downtown and met up with Seth's parents, Bob and Kim, for a lovely afternoon in the windy city. We walked along the river to the Driehaus Museum  in the historic Nickerson Mansion that features art, architecture and design of the last 19th and early 20th century. The mansion is impressive with detailed woodwork from floor to ceiling as well as a central stairwell that is covered in marble from the Main Hall up to the 3rd floor ballroom. The mansion has been renovated since being occupied as the American College of Surgeons headquarters from 1919-2003 and opened officially as a museum in 2008. After our tour, we headed to the new Eataly Chicago , a vibrant italian marketplace with restaurants, cooking classes, and amazing market of italian wines, cheese, meats, pasta, olive oil