Thank you, Tom Skilling!

Every summer, our neighbors throw two great block parties. This year's second soiree was pushed back to October, a risky move in Chicago. Fortunately, Tom Skilling, who as Grandma Zieg would have wanted you to know is never wrong, smiled upon us. We had nothing but sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s all weekend. Absolutely gorgeous. Plus, for the first time since the weekend of August 14, I was neither out of town nor working this weekend. Hurray!

Saturday got started in typical block party fashion. The kids waited at the edge of the sidewalk chanting things about block parties, bouncers and running in the street. As soon as the street was blocked off and they could run free, they went nuts. I'm wondering if we shouldn't all go in together and just get them traffic cones for Christmas instead of toys because it's quite possibly the happiest they are all year.

There was a bouncer, of course. Check out Jacob (who is pretending to be some version of Chewbacca that can shoot webs like Spiderman) and Fiona (pictured parallel to the bouncing surface) breaking it in.

It was so warm we busted out the kiddie pools and slip 'n' slides.

And no block party would be complete without riding your bike and/or scooter in the street. David is sporting the latest in preschool fashion: swimsuit, snow boots and Thomas the tank engine bike helmet.

Back in the bouncer. Olivia had a lot of fun until David said he wanted to play with her brother Jackson instead. Olivia left the bouncer crying because "I don't have a husband!" She later asked David, "Do you want to have the same kids when we grow up so I can be the mommy and you can be the daddy?"

The lovely Fiona. David and Jackson enjoying their water balloons.

After dark, we made s'mores...

...and watched a movie on a big screen one of neighbors set up. David crashed and burned mid-movie.

Today we went to church and came home to watch the Bears play the impressively bad Panthers. David, still worn out from Saturday's fun, took a football nap with me.

Refreshed, he spent the rest of the afternoon outside. The street was still blocked off, and the kids were all out. I really like the fall colors in the first shot. The second is of Jacob and David looking for trouble.