Firefly, Hazen, Blue Harbor

Due to some technical difficulties we could not download the pictures off of our new Cannon 40D. So I am posting our summer pictures in November. I will not comment much, but I will say that I love family traditions of spending time together in summer. Wisconsin is a beautiful place in summer. Enjoy the photos.

Happy Fourth of July

Ever since I started reading my mother's Better Homes and Gardens I have wanted to make a red, white, and blue dessert for the Fourth. I have never made the festive dessert, but she is kind of a sweet fourth of July treat. Eva is 8 months old.

My Darling

Anytime I talk about Eva I guard my heart by saying that I know she will only be this sweet once. Being with her is like holding a special edition that will soon be discontinued. It is like if a life staple, like food or gasoline, was going to be discontinued you would want to determine how you could get as much as you could as fast as you could. All I can do is say that I love her and cry a few tears. Childhood is a precious thing and I am not going to let it rush by.

Chicago

Well, for the first time in 3 years and 3 months Luke woke up and jumped out of bed and put on his clothes practically before his feet hit the ground. He said, "I have to get dressed, I have to go to Chicago." We had a hard time distracting him until 9AM when we officially started the drive. Once we were there he just kept saying, "I am excited," as he skipped around.

We love going to visit Julie and Tom in Chicago. We had such a great time. They have a son, Jake, who is going to be two in August. Luke enjoyed watching traffic for a total of three hours. I enjoyed going out to eat twice, grilling out, and just being away from home. Dave liked learning about Julie's new camera. Dave has been asking for a digital SLR camera and now he has been fully inspired to get one.

We had a great time going to the local park and hanging out with Julie and Tom. I love staying at their place on the south loop. I also fully enjoyed using her BOB jog stroller and taking Luke for a jog on the lakefront. I used the swivel wheel the expandable sun shield and the cup holder.

Growing tomatoes with Grandma

Anytime we have a question with our yard we call grandma and grandpa. They both have a special knack for keeping things beautiful outdoors. We just hang up the phone and they arrive with their suburban, enclosed landscaping trailer, John Deer tractor, professional blower, hoses, rakes, fertilizer, and beautiful flowers. This time they were focusing on teaching Luke about tomatoes. They mixed potting soil and fertilizer into two containers. Then they planted two types of tomatoes. We have been watching them grow and now they are triple in size.

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day with my family at Camp Woody. We camp in the back yard of my Aunt's house. Luke was all excited about the campfire being on. He loved tossing the big frisbee with his cousins. Eva just loved all the attention.

Here is Luke and Boden going down the slide at a rapid fire rate. Luke also loved the burley ride we took in the morning to a local park.

Seven Years of Love

Dave and I got married seven years ago in Madison, WI. Every year we go back to celebrate our marriage and reminisce of the days we met and how much fun we had on campus. I do love Madison and I can't stop smiling the whole time I am there. We got in a few dates... dinner at the Italian Restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner, canoeing in Lake Mendota, biking around Lake Wingra. It was much like the day we got engaged. It is fun to return to my college town with Luke and Eva. I love sharing Madison with them. It is "The Snapple," the Greatest Place on Earth.

My Mom with Eva and the flamingos.

Dave canoeing past lake shore path and the crew house. It reminded me of all my runs along the path and the ones that ended with a jump in the lake. It also reminded me of the white pier that Dave and I swam off of in our early dating days. We canoed near The Edgewater, the first place we went in public when we were engaged. I will never forget looking at my ring sparkle there as we ate dinner.

Luke is playing at James Madison Park. In college, I overlooked this park from my "penthouse" apartment. I could watch the men living in the vans in the parking lot, people playing basketball at all hours, and great sun sets. I laugh about finding a sleeper sofa on the curb and making it our own. I laugh about my roommate riding her scooter in 2 feet of snow with her goggles on. I laugh about the Christmas tree we had with no needles. I laugh about my other roommate dating 3 guys at the same time while she lived there. I loved doing my Nordic track in my bedroom over looking the lake while I listened to Sarah Groves. I liked our acoustic lounge Jackie wanted to sing in. I loved that we had a self portrait of Jackie on the wall.

Here I was re-creating my wedding pictures. I just used Luke instead of Dave.

The picture above shows me practicing spinning with Luke. This is the same place Dave and I practiced our fox trot up on top of the Monona Terrace before our wedding reception. What a great day!

We had a great time walking by the farmer's market. I remember going to the farmers market in college and wishing that I had more than one person to cook for. Now I have this family that I love so much. I never would have guessed it would be so good.

Dave, I will love you forever.

Mother's Day

The Friday before Mother's Day was beautiful. The weather made it seem like spring was really here. I had a very special day with the children.

Mother's Day is deceiving because Luke and Eva are supposed to appreciate you for a day and they do not even know it is Mother's day. So, husbands have to appreciate their wives in honor of the children. But the Friday before Mother's day was such a gift where Luke and Eva really loved me all day long. It started with a mother's day breakfast at school. Luke and I sat a one of his small snack tables and ate a breakfast snack together. His eyes were bright as he was narrorating what everyone was doing. Later, Luke made me a gift at school and when I picked him up he galloped to get it, looked inside, and then shouted, "My Gift," and ran to give me a long hug. I cried just a little. On the way home the grade school was having a half day so there were many buses wating to pick up the children. As we drove past, Luke asked to go back and watch the buses so we made a U-turn and went back to school. We got out of the car and watched all the dismissal activity. Luke stood with a wide stance and his hands clapsed behind his back appearing to be very serious about his bus watching business. Both kids napped at the same time. And then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the beautiful weather. In the evening I went out to eat with 9 great friends that I am doing a bible study with. It is always great to get in some Ladie's nights.

On Sunday we went to Eberts with both sides of the family and then we went out to eat with Dave's family and had a wonderful time. Luke enjoyed reading books with all the familiy members and looking out the window at a bus parked outside.

I have realized that I do not like change. I love my kids just the way they are and don't want them to get one day older. I wish I could always have a 6 month old and a 3 year old around for the rest of my life. The only problem, I will be alive for 60 more years and it is not possible for me to have 30 more children so I can always have young kids. Even if I had 8 more children they would still grow up. When the children are older and I miss this young stage I may need to get a pet; a dog or a horse. I will need something that I can give unlimited kisses to and pet.

Happy Easter 2009

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up we always celebrated it at my Grandad's home in Sterling, Illinois, with my extended family. I love spring -and it was always slighly warmer there than in Wisconsin. One of our Easter traditions, that I loved as a child, was hunting for our Easter baskets. My dad, the bunny, would hide them 25 feet up a tree, over a 6 foot stone fence, on a beaver's dam, and other creatvie places. This year I was the bunny. I hid the baskets for Luke and Eva and I loved watching Luke run to find both. Now he has been carrying around all his important items in his basket. He has his blankets and stuffed animals in them currently.

I also loved Easter because I loved wearing an Easter dress. My grandmother would buy all the girls Easter corsages that we would wear to church. We would bring home an Easter lily from the front of the sanctuary. Everyone in the family would sing, "Christ, is risen, Allelulia" throughout the day as they felt lead. They would sing the special "Grandy way" where you do a heel raise for every high note. After church we would lay out on the grass on a pink sheet and absorb the sun that we had not felt over the long winter. We would climb the magnolia tree and take our pictures there. Now, I was the one carrying my daughter in her dress. I love her so much and kiss her all the time and I still want her to know that I love her more. I want to give my children the special memories I have of Easter.

Sweet Spot

I am so thankful for the wonderful child care that I have found for Luke and Eva as I work on Tuesday and Thursday. Before Luke and Eva were at a day care called All About Learning. Dave dropped the kids off and picked up so I did not have to say good bye to the kids on a daily basis. Yet every day I hated to leave and I wanted to quit my job. I imagined them in one room for 10.5 hours with rotating hourly workers.

Now, Eva stays with Marilyn and three of my co-workers kids. Eva gets held and loved all day long. Marilyn even has two pictures of Eva framed and hanging in the wall of her foyer. I am so fortunate to have her to love Eva. I enjoy working again because of her. Here are the boys letting Eva drive the space ship to Pluto and then then sun.

Luke's school has also been a wonderful place for him to receive consistent love. He will have the same two teachers until he is 5.5 years old and starts attending Kindergarten. Every week a family brings the sharing basket. Last week we brought the basket with strawberries, cantaloupe, bananas, grapes, flowers, many crackers, gallons of milk, and cleaning supplies.