Yesterday the family took a collective sigh of relief. On Saturday, Matt's little sister, Liz, made a beautiful bride and took on a new name. More pictures to come.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Rende-vous at Kangaroo Lake
We are just back from our second family reunion in Door County Wisconsin with Matt's mom's family and it was certainly time well spent. The weather held beautifully and I've decided that our little spot at Kangaroo Lake Resort is one of my all time favorites. Maybe it is because spring is still new and being outside still seems novel, but I just have great feelings about the place. It is peaceful, understated and all-together lovely.
La famille. We were 25 in number this year between the sisters, their parents, their families, the boyfriends, and the fiancee.
One of the things that I especially liked about the weekend was all the down time. We sat. We ate. We threw rocks into the lake. We played corn hole. We sat by the bon fire. We caught up with each other. Below are a few snippets from the weekend.
Uncle Jack and Uncle Michael brought their lacrosse sticks. Ella dutifully mowed the lawn with hers.
La famille. We were 25 in number this year between the sisters, their parents, their families, the boyfriends, and the fiancee.
One of the things that I especially liked about the weekend was all the down time. We sat. We ate. We threw rocks into the lake. We played corn hole. We sat by the bon fire. We caught up with each other. Below are a few snippets from the weekend.
Uncle Jack and Uncle Michael brought their lacrosse sticks. Ella dutifully mowed the lawn with hers.
After watching his dad catch the ball with it, Noah actually tried to get the ball in the pocket.
The dudes looking all tough. Sort of.
E&N wandered over to Aunt Kris' kayaks. In keeping with their personalities, Ella immediately jumped in the kayak for an adventure and Noah checked it out for safety.
Ella constantly wandered over to the swings. That girl loves a good swing.
The water was still a bit chilly but neither seemed to notice much.
Then I got stuck in the lake with the kids.
And of course, we finished off the night with ice cream at Wilson's.
Until next year...
MIA
I fully admit that I've been a slacker with the blog lately and I realize that 'I'm busy' is a lame excuse. The fact is that I don't really have a great excuse. I can, however, fill you in on what we've been up to.
With the onset of spring, one of our daily activities has been driving in our cars. It was amazing to see the gender differences as they approached the cars the first time. Ella checked it out, put some stuff in the trunk and then lost interest quickly. She'd put her feet out as we drove and then stand up. In general, she was a disaster of a driver.
Noah was all business. He immediately sat down, put his hands at 10 and 2, and was ready to drive.
Nini (my mom) came to visit and as usual, the kids adored having her around.
Dad was able to join us as well.
Noah continues to find small places to sit. We were packing the car for our trip to Chattanooga and I found Noah on the back porch like this.
Ella has made it known that, at times, she prefers to eat some meals while sitting in a big girl chair. We're working on that one.
And Noah continues to 'work' in the dirt. Ella continues to talk on her 'phone' all day long. the following items have been her phone in the last 24 hours: her shoe, a Clif bar, a TV remote, both cell phones, and a rock. I did not have a picture of it, but you get the idea. She's a talker.
And finally, we all headed south for Liz's graduation from Covenant. Congratulations Liz!
With the onset of spring, one of our daily activities has been driving in our cars. It was amazing to see the gender differences as they approached the cars the first time. Ella checked it out, put some stuff in the trunk and then lost interest quickly. She'd put her feet out as we drove and then stand up. In general, she was a disaster of a driver.
Noah was all business. He immediately sat down, put his hands at 10 and 2, and was ready to drive.
Nini (my mom) came to visit and as usual, the kids adored having her around.
Dad was able to join us as well.
Ella has made it known that, at times, she prefers to eat some meals while sitting in a big girl chair. We're working on that one.
And Noah continues to 'work' in the dirt. Ella continues to talk on her 'phone' all day long. the following items have been her phone in the last 24 hours: her shoe, a Clif bar, a TV remote, both cell phones, and a rock. I did not have a picture of it, but you get the idea. She's a talker.
And finally, we all headed south for Liz's graduation from Covenant. Congratulations Liz!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Puddles, Dirt and Other Kid Stuff
Here is the scene: it has been raining heavily on and off for a couple of days. The kids have figured out that the back yard is a very fun place to play. It is Sunday afternoon post-nap and we have trees to plant in the yard. If you are quiet, you can hear the sound of the ground slurping up the massive puddles that are scattered about the yard.
Knowing that I relished my time playing in mud and puddles as a kid, I wanted to give Ella and Noah the opportunity to step bare footed into a puddle and to feel the dirt in their fingers. I chronicled the experience.
Ella immediately found water to stand in.
Knowing that I relished my time playing in mud and puddles as a kid, I wanted to give Ella and Noah the opportunity to step bare footed into a puddle and to feel the dirt in their fingers. I chronicled the experience.
Ella immediately found water to stand in.
...and splash in...
...and to put on her head...
Meanwhile, Noah was doing manly things like checking out a pile of dirt.
(Side note: If you look closely you can see that he is spitting out some dirt. It apparently does not taste as good as he thought that it would. If you were to hang out in my back yard, you would hear me say, 'No, we don't eat the dirt,' over and over again.)
...and testing the depth of a puddle...
...with a ball in hand, just in case he needed to throw it or something...
He then wised up to the fact that Ella was playing in the 'deep water' so he decided to venture over. (Have I mentioned that they are both walking??)
And together they climbed, splashed, squealed, and got supremely dirty.
All in all, a good intro to the world of backyard messiness.
And a little video of them toddling around...I love the fact that they are so serious about their play that they can barely look up at the camera.
And together they climbed, splashed, squealed, and got supremely dirty.
All in all, a good intro to the world of backyard messiness.
And a little video of them toddling around...I love the fact that they are so serious about their play that they can barely look up at the camera.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Easter Morning
Easter this year was, again, a reminder of the life that we have in our Savior. The story of the cross never ceases to humble, amaze, and change me.
After the service a dear friend of ours, Brent, took pictures after the service. I love 'em!
After the service a dear friend of ours, Brent, took pictures after the service. I love 'em!
For those of you with little ones, you'll appreciate the series of pictures. Getting one with everyone looking is just not really going to happen at this stage.
Monday, April 13, 2009
15 Mo Check-up
Yep, today marked another check-up with the kids' doctor. All in all, they are healthy, though both are still on the lean side. For the first time, the kids seemed to know what was coming when the nurses cleaned their legs with the alcohol wipes. Wailing and sobbing abounded so we (Mom and I) took the kids to Oberweis to get milkshakes. Once Noah got his mouth around the straw he did not give it up until he was done. Ella happily ate hers from a spoon. Hopefully, they will both take a long nap and I'll finish the remaining bits of the shakes.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
D A D D Y - O
I've been meaning to post this for almost two weeks but am just getting to it now. Pish was in NY for a few days and then worked late the following nights. The kids had not seen their dad for 5 days, so we kept them up one evening so that we could all spend time together. When they finally saw him, both of them let out shrieks of excitement. It reminded me of one of our favorite CDs: Fascinating Creatures by Frances England. I always think on her song 'Daddy O' when Pish gets home. Some of the lyrics are below.
I had a great day full of friends and play
But my favorite part is always coming home to you,Daddy-O
Did so many things, where do I start
Gonna tell you everything and not leave out a single part
D-A-D-D-D-Y, oh how I love ya
Oh, how I love ya
D-A-D-D-D-Y, oh how I love ya
Oh, how I love ya
So here is how the our time played out --it was so typical for each of the kids. Ella showed off her walking skills and carried froggy around the room. Noah, who does not do anything until he is 100% sure that he'll succeed, took a few steps but made sure that he had a safe landing spot.
Once they were exhausted from walking, Noah settled in on Pish's belly to explore every last detail of Pish's wallet. He carefully took out the cards, inspected them intently and then worked diligently to get them back into the wallet.
Ella, in perfect Ella-ness, found a small nook under her Daddy's legs and spent time burrowing and cuddling with Froggie. It was darling.
I had a great day full of friends and play
But my favorite part is always coming home to you,Daddy-O
Did so many things, where do I start
Gonna tell you everything and not leave out a single part
D-A-D-D-D-Y, oh how I love ya
Oh, how I love ya
D-A-D-D-D-Y, oh how I love ya
Oh, how I love ya
So here is how the our time played out --it was so typical for each of the kids. Ella showed off her walking skills and carried froggy around the room. Noah, who does not do anything until he is 100% sure that he'll succeed, took a few steps but made sure that he had a safe landing spot.
Once they were exhausted from walking, Noah settled in on Pish's belly to explore every last detail of Pish's wallet. He carefully took out the cards, inspected them intently and then worked diligently to get them back into the wallet.
Ella, in perfect Ella-ness, found a small nook under her Daddy's legs and spent time burrowing and cuddling with Froggie. It was darling.
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