T-Bones Fun!

We had an extra special night at the T-Bones game last night with our neighborhood crew. We had a special package for batting practice on the field before the game, behind the dug out seats and Jacob even got to throw the first pitch of the game!

Here's Jacob taking some swings during batting practice. All of the adults (except me) took a turn batting.

The kiddos watched from outside the cage.




...including Maverick.



His favorite part was probably playing in the seats and running down the aisles before game time.

We had great seats! First base line first row behind the dugout. The hardest part was keeping the kids from sitting/climbing on the dug-out!

Maverick rested on the dugout while watching the parashooters jump from the airplane above and land on the field.

The kids enjoyed their proximity to the mascot, Sizzle.






Jacob did a great job throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the game.

Here's a QUICK video of his pitch.  It all happened so fast that I barely caught it in time!

Fun, fun night! :)

The Boys are Back in Town!

The boys had a WONDERFUL week at Grandma and Grandpa's! They didn't seem to miss us at all...but were very glad to see me on Saturday morning :)

We took advantage of the cool Wisconsin weather and played outdoors much of the weekend (as they had done all week!)

Maverick tried to turn a bucket into a pool!




Of course, Grandma was all to happy to cuddle him dry afterwards.

My Mom and Dave live in a log cabin. Isn't it just beautiful? On our last plane trip to see them, the pilot invited Mitchell into the cockpit. I couldn't hear their entire conversation, but as Mitchell turned around to leave I heard him yell over his shoulder "yeah, and she lives in a log cabin." Apparently, he was informing him that he was off to visit his Grandma. :)

And no trip is complete without a picture in front of the Welcome Bear.





One of the boys' favorite outdoor pasttimes - Tractor rides!

Our quick 45 minute plane ride home turned into a 3 hour ride due to plane delays, but luckily the boys were good! Here is Maverick entertaining himself a bit on the floor of the airplane. He actually pointed at my camera which was in my carry-on bag, looked at me and said "Cheese?". I felt obligated to take his picture!  (If you look close enough, you can see that he's also holding it on his tractor ride above.)

...and one of his tired big brother.  Notice the orange and purple stuffed lizard that he's sleeping with.  Apparently he won it at a county fair carnival game with Aunt Kelli.  "Lizzie" has barely left his side...even when he's sleeping!

Here is Mitchell relaxing on the outdoor sidewalk as we waited for our parking shuttle driver to arrive to take us to our car. He loves wearing Mommy's sunglasses. Yes, we've purchased countless pairs of Mitchell sized sunglasses, but can't ever keep track of them. Mommy's seem more popular anyway!



They were both home, fed, bathed with fresh haircuts and in bed by 8pm.

THANKS again to Grandma & Grandpa for watching the boys. Mitchell has accidently called us "Grandma or Grandpa" instead of "Mom or Dad" about 100 times....I think that one is going to take a while. :)

27 Weeks and Growing!!!

Baby #3 is 27 weeks along now...and growing. I literally feel bigger every day! I'm still feeling great though...he/she is taking it easy on me so far. :) No crazy cravings, no weird symptoms (besides the bulging belly), check-ups continue to go well and he/she kicks around like a ninja. I'm glad he/she is going to stay put for a few more months because I'd like Maverick to get a little older/independent before the arrival...but I'm also very anxious to see what the newest Folks is like! Will he/she look like Maverick....like Mitchell....or another unique little thing?


27 Weeks Along with Baby #3




27 Weeks along with Maverick in 2009 (I love this pic!)



27 Weeks along with Mitchell in 2007

While the boys are away....

My mom called earlier this summer and asked "Can we keep the boys for a week this summer?" Without hesitation, I answered "YES!" Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our boy time, but we also value grandparent time.

My sister and I spent lots of summer days at our grandparents growing up and we absolutely LOVED it! It didn't hurt that they lived on a farm and there was never a lack of things to explore.

My mom and I made a trip down to the ol' farm with the boys last week to visit my Grandpa and to meet my cousin's adorable baby (finally!) Things remain unchanged at the farm- just a little more dated and strangely enough things seem smaller, but I know it's just because I'm bigger. This place will always bring back such fond memories...and I know my mom's house in Wisconsin will do the same for my boys!

So what will Jacob and I do this week? You should see our list of house projects and odds and ends that we've been putting off waiting until we have time....well thanks for the gift of time, Mom and Dave :)

Dog Days of Summer

Pilot continues to fit right in to our family :) Mitchell laid down on the floor to pet him yesterday, and fell asleep! Pilot didn't seem to mind the company...

...but I think Maverick missed his playmate because he had to lay down and investigate what was so great about this position.

Apparently, Tex thought they looked pretty comfy because he joined in on the group nap too!

Rocket Blastin' Maverick

Mitchell invented this game.  Both seem to enjoy it :)

Our Newest Family Member, Pilot

Nope, the baby has not arrived yet (thankfully!), but we added another four legged member to our family. We're the proud owners of an 8 month-old black labradoodle that we have named Pilot. With Tex nearing 11 years old, we recently decided that maybe it was time to bring another dog into the family. With one mention of this to my sister, she was on the hunt for the perfect dog for us....and she seems to have found him! Pilot was a neglected pet and was finally abandoned by his owners. He has a perfect temperment and has been the perfect dog....except that he is not potty trained, so we're working on it!

He is very calm and good natured with the boys. He DOESN'T shed (whooo hoo!). He and Tex get along very well too!

Here's a little video of our not-so-little guy!

Backyard FUN!

We finally did it....we got a swingset! I learned a lesson from my good friend Trish's experience and we bought it including installation rather than trying to find the time and patience to put the thing together ourselves! One man spent the ENTIRE day at our house putting it together and Mitchell would NOT leave his side! He probably drove the poor man crazy with questions "What's that for?" "What are you doing now?" We took a quick lunch break and when we walked back out, I heard Mitchell ask "How's it goin' now?"

It was literally one of the hotest days of the year (105 degrees?), so I talked Mitchell into watching from inside for a short while. That didn't last long before he wanted to go back out again.

And here is our finished product...except that we haven't ordered the mulch yet to put underneath it.

Both boys seem to really enjoy it!

Mitchell is all smiles playing in the sandbox.

Peek-a-boo!

Onery little one threatening to throw sand at me.