Eat Your Broccoli

Recent Summer Photos

2011-09-14T20:27:00.004-05:00

We're savoring the remaining days of summer...
Lots of park time, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, zoo, walks, runs, bikes, popsicles, barbeques, dog swims, kiddie pools, sprinklers, sandboxes, beaches, bug catching, flower picking, vegetable growing, shorts wearing, barefeet, really tired dogs, and really tired kids!

First Day of Preschool!

2011-09-08T20:09:00.005-05:00

Henry started 3-K last Tuesday. He goes to Gingerbread House, here in Sun Prairie. His teacher's name is Suzie and she seems great. Henry is loving school.
Today he told me "Mama, I don't miss you anymore when I'm at preschool."
I love getting the quick update from his teacher when I go in to pick him up. Apparently he's a great listener.
She says,"he's doing great!"
You can already tell that he's a bit more social, especially with adults when they ask him questions. I think he's definitely liking that interaction with the teachers there.
Gingerbread House seems like a really great place for him. I like getting the weekly lesson plan and look forward to hearing about his mornings there! It's the perfect environment for a little growing, inquisitive mind like his!

She and Him

2011-09-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

These were taken the day before Henry started preschool. It was so sweet. I was already feeling a little "my baby is growing us so fast," and then he goes and cuddles his sister like this...

Joon the Pillow, Bench, etc.

2011-09-08T19:48:00.003-05:00

Joon is frequently used as a comfortable chair, pillow, etc. She's pretty patient with Tess and Henry. Tess takes special advantage of "Jooey." If she's lying on the floor, 9 times out of 10, Tess is there too, lying with her or sitting on her.

Movie Day

2011-09-08T19:34:00.002-05:00

The week before the kiddos of the playgroup started school, we had our 2nd annual movie morning. Our friends have a large projection screen television and surround sound. It really feels like a movie theater in their basement!
The kids all sat nicely for the at least the first 15 minutes or so, until someone needed a refill on their box of popcorn. They watched Gnomeo and Juliet. Such a cute movie.

These photos aren't the greatest...iPhone+dark=poor photo

Corn Fest

2011-08-23T19:52:00.003-05:00

Sunday was the 58th annual Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival! We ate some corn, and ice cream, went on some rides. Drank lemonade too.

Burke Park

2011-08-22T21:12:00.001-05:00

This is Henry's go-to face for pictures these days.

First bob.

2011-08-22T21:06:00.003-05:00

The way a child handles their first haircuts really speaks volumes about their personality. Tess was in the zone at her first haircut experience. She was drooling she loved getting her haircut so much. She sat there, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in that little yellow car, and didn't move.

My Cookie

2011-08-22T20:49:00.003-05:00

Tess is about 17 months now. She started walking a few months ago and gets around pretty good. She really never went through too much of that Frankenstein walk that toddlers go through. She is pretty confident on her feet. So much so that she prefers to walk everywhere, even when she should be in a shopping cart! Ugh. She has started telling knock-knock jokes and talks a whole lot. I guess it's easy when everyone around her talks so much (especially her 3-year old brother!) More so than Henry ever did/does, she seems to be so impressionable. I know, all kids are, but she takes a word, phrase, etc. and owns it! It's pretty cute. I'll say, "Here you go, Bud," when giving something to Henry, and whenever she is giving someone something or wanting something herself, she says, "Here you go, Bob." Hilarious. She says "thank you" and "you're welcome" when appropriate, and gives lots of kisses and cuddles. She says her dog's names ("Howa" and "Jooey") and lots of other "Tessisms." And those eyelashes? Still growing.

Sandy Beach

2011-08-22T20:34:00.004-05:00

A few Fridays ago, our friend Max turned 3. His mom had a Sponge Bob party for him at Sandy Beach in Lake Mills. It really is a great beach; clean and well-cared for.
It was Tess's first time at the beach and she loved it! Both Henry and Tess preferred to spend their time on the shore, playing in the sand.

From the Zoo

2011-08-15T20:58:00.002-05:00

We were lucky enough to get in 2 zoo trips last week!
Below is a pic from our Wednesday trip with one of our playgroups. I can't believe all the kids *let* us take these. So cooperative, they were.

New Helmet

2011-08-10T14:25:00.003-05:00

When Henry got his new bike and helmet, everyone had to try on his new headgear. The dogs were especially anxious to get it on their heads. They look like they just got punished!

Hot, Hazy Days

2011-08-02T21:19:00.004-05:00

It's hard to have summer here and not be able to enjoy it. We usually get outside everyday, even when super hot, but we're enjoying the heat from the shade of the backyard. Fall sounds so good on days like these.

Tess in Specs

2011-08-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

Portlanders

2011-08-02T20:32:00.005-05:00

Our summer has been nice and busy. Unfortunately, the blog tells a different story! I'll be a better poster from now on. Promise. I'm going to do something about this template too. It seems to be going through some kind of design crisis.
Anyway, this past weekend Matt, Sara and Emelia were in WI for a wedding. We were able to fit in some time with them between all their busy-ness. Emelia is six months old now. It's hard having them live so far. She changes so much in such a short period of time! Her cousins love her. They get up in her face and poke her in the eyes, (that's Tess showing her love ;) make her take her pacifier, and tickle her chin.
We'll hang out again during the holidays! Don't grow too much until then, Emelia Rose!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T20:54:00.003-05:00

It has been a long time since my last blog post. I'll do an early summer recap one of these days, but today, it's just a post about our 4th of July.
Once again, we headed to Tosa for the annual parade on North Avenue. It's a great parade, but I swear it gets longer every year. It's always hot too, but I'd rather have that than raincoats and umbrellas. Tess really enjoyed the parade this year. She noticed every dog and will soon be a pro at chasing down parade candy. After the parade, we went to my parent's for a cookout. I made these delish Butterfinger cupcakes.
It has been a busy weekend, so early bedtime for every Halberg in this house! Happy 4th!

Henry the Lion

2011-06-07T21:32:00.006-05:00

We headed to our Henry Vilas Zoo for the first time this year back in May. There's a new lion cub there, named Leopold. He's about 5 months and very playful. This is Henry the Lion, his dad. He comes right up to the little viewing station. In these photos he's only a couple short feet from us! He's so fun to look at... Tess called him "puppy."

Here is Claire and Henry's annual zookeeper and animal photo. That lion is picking his nose!

Sassy Cow Farm Adventure 2011

2011-06-07T21:14:00.003-05:00

Gotta do some blog catch-up!
May 21st was the annual Sassy Cow Farm Adventure and Open House. We purchase our milk weekly at Sassy Cow, so we get to see the Creamery quite a bit. It's always fun however, to take a big 'ol bus ride down to the farms and see the cows, take a tractor ride and view the milking parlors. They feature their own delicious ice cream and cheese curds as well. Several Madison-area restaurants utilize Sassy Cow curds at their restaurants. They're nice and big, and when fried, are just irresistible!
While at the Open House this year, we got to visit the brand-new calves, sample and try-our-hand-at-naming the new ice cream flavor, play farm games and ride little kid-sized tractors.

Zoo Trip

2011-05-28T20:39:00.005-05:00

Matt, Sara and Emelia were in Milwaukee for a few days. Tomorrow is their big party in Chicago. Should be super fun. We'll finally be celebrating their marriage. Baby Emelia is certainly worth celebrating as well...
We caught up with them yesterday and went to the Milwaukee Zoo.

Once again, the zoo train was a big hit. Tess loved the elephants. She could've watched them all day. Uncle Matt bought Henry one of those wax elephant things out of the machine. I remember when those were a quarter. $2.00 now!

Chocolate Cherry Kisses

2011-05-28T20:18:00.005-05:00

I recently joined Pinterest. It's addicting. It's also been great for organizing all of my internet finds. I love having the app on my phone. It's a great go-to for recipes. Everything I want to make is right there, on one big board.
This is one such recent Pinterest "pin." Cherry chocolate kisses. Great for making with kids, 'cause while they're opening the kisses, you can make progress on the dough. These were gone in a day and a half.
So tasty.

Cruisin' at Copps

2011-05-24T20:15:00.002-05:00

Our grocery store got a couple new carts. Exciting, huh? They have the cozy coup ones too, with the car on the bottom of the cart. I much prefer these new ones. The cozy coup carts are super clunky and difficult to maneuver. With these, I don't knock over any product!

More Portland Pics

2011-05-24T12:16:00.003-05:00

Purged the ol' iPhone today. Some more great Portland pics to share...

Multnomah Falls

"That's quite enough kisses, Uncle Matt."

Emelia

Asleep on the plane with Opa

Portland, OR

2011-05-10T19:53:00.010-05:00

Tess and I, my parents, along with my brother Thomas and niece Corryn, traveled to Portland, OR at the end of April to visit Matt, Sara and baby Emelia! The trip was full of good family time and lots of fun. Tess did great on the flights, either completely happy and awake, or asleep on Opa. We arrived later in the day on a Friday and hung out at the hotel that night. Tess didn't get to sleep until 9:30 that night, and that was Portland time! She was such a trooper.
Saturday we hit the Portland farmer's market and purchased some fresh salad fixings, leeks and morels for quiche, a tasty pate, and other delicious treats, sampling everything from jellies to tamales along the way.

It was a beautiful day. We took proper advantage of the sun and headed for the coast!

Saturday night we had a cookout at Matt and Sara's house. They have a super cozy home with lots of character, near the University of Portland. Sunday was Easter and my Dad's birthday. We went to church and spent the day at Matt and Sara's. We had a delicious Easter dinner, followed by a lamb cake and a chocolate birthday tart for Opa.

Mid-day, we took a jaunt over to St. John's Cathedral Bridge and Park, where Matt and Sara got married. It's a nice park, with weeping willows and lots of pretty green space.

Monday we hit Powell's Bookstore. It's the largest used and new bookstore in the world, and I could have spent the whole day there! But alas, we were on to bigger and better things. We drove to the Columbia River Gorge and it's waterfalls on the Oregon side. All views were just magnificent. The sun was shining bright during our stops at each of the Falls sites. It was the perfect time to visit too, as the amount of water falling was just massive. And with the sun shining down, the views were spectacular!

Our last adventure was a tasty dinner out at Tasty n Sons. It was great having Jim's aunt and his cousin Emily and her family join us!
We were sad to leave on Tuesday morning. Matt, Sara and Emelia were the perfect hosts. I certainly enjoyed meeting my beautiful pumpkin of a new niece, and seeing the great sites of Portland!

Yesterday at the Children's Museum

2011-04-20T20:06:00.003-05:00

New Lens!

2011-04-19T15:03:00.005-05:00

Jim got me a great birthday present this year. A new camera lens! So thoughtful, isn't it? Before receiving my 35mm f/1.8G AF-S lens, I used my 18-50mm kit lens for everything. It's amazing what a difference, using a lens that's more geared towards the photography you're doing, makes! Lens choices make photography way more fun. My new lens is great for taking indoor photos (and low light situations), which I do a lot of living in WI in the winter with kids. It's also great for taking portraits and captures sharp details of close-up shots. And the autofocus mode is a real bonus feature. I'm a big fan. I'm looking forward to playing with it a bit more. This week takes me to Portland, OR, where I know I'll be using it to take lots of close ups of my new cute lil' niece...

henry is popping bubbles

Henry loves his red shoes

had to get out the water table in 80 degree weather...

Party Down Day 2.

2011-04-07T20:05:00.007-05:00

I miss Party Down.
After the kids were done partying down, we sent them off with a cute yellow candy-striped bag with candy dots, jelly beans and a cookie inside.Day 2 was our family party with a few other friends thrown in. I made strawberry tulips and fruit salad, we had relishes, "Sunshine" chips and ordered Potbelly's "Just Sandwiches." They came in a box all cross-sectioned with toppings all on the side. It was great. I love those Potbelly hot peppers.

The kids did the terra cotta pot painting, did plenty of playing, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Tess, with a candle in her Dirt Cake! I loved making that thing. The kids seemed to have fun with it too.

Everyone also loved these adorable chick cake pops from The Cake Pop Shoppe.

They were strawberry on the inside and super delish. Tess wore a onesie from Etsy seller Stitcheroos and I made her a spring-y skirt to go with it.

She is such a ham.
A huge thanks to all our friends and family for making these days so special for Tess, her brother, and parents!

Celebrating Tess. Part One.

2011-04-06T19:59:00.010-05:00

My girl turned a year old on the 31st. I remember her birth day very clearly. I'll spare you the details, but I did want to particularly mention what a beautiful, warm (hot) Spring day it was. It was special; taking home our precious new life in the warmth of Spring. Accordingly, the parties in her honor just had to have a spring theme...
We did a lot of celebrating with Tess last weekend; had a playgroup party on Friday and a family and friends party on Saturday. Everything was perfect. I think everyone had fun and I really enjoyed putting it all together.
I made the invites, having looked on Etsy for days and days to find something perfect, finding a lot of cute stuff, and then just figuring, "I'll just do them quick myself." Plus, then I could use the same invite for the playgroup party and the family party. Tess's invites featured different colored butterflies and also different matted paper backgrounds. Pretty yellow envelopes finished the job.
I made some tissue paper pom poms to hang and bought a banner from CocoNeenies (on Etsy). We have one she made from Henry and have used it the past 3 years.

We had snacks and cupcakes for the playgroup party. I made veggie pizza (a popular food item of our playgroup moms and kids) and a fruit salad and put out cheese and crackers (Spring Ritz) and cheddar Chickadees (Target-brand) and Annie's Bunnies. I made white cupcakes with pink frosting and topped them with some cute paper pinwheels from Etsy seller The Cupcake Social.
The kids did a craft project painting their own little terra cotta pots. I had bags of dirt and a pack of seeds for them to take home.
Tess enjoyed the snacks and playing with her friends. She did however miss out on smashing a cupcake...

Tess is 1!

2011-04-03T10:44:00.003-05:00

My little rosebud turned a whole year old on Thursday, the 31st. It was an emotional day for me; remembering my pregnancy with her, the worries towards the end, her delivery and her absolute beauty upon arrival. Our first year with her has been wonderful. She has a fun, spunky personality, an easy-going attitude, a special love for her brother, and a giver of great kisses and cuddles. I feel blessed to be her mama and I look forward to all the adventures she'll have and blossoming she'll do, in this next year! Now the fun really starts...
Happy Birthday, Tess!

Spring Skirts

2011-04-03T10:31:00.003-05:00

Those few warm days of spring weather (way back when, in March) inspired some sewing. I used the free "Lazy Days Skirt" pattern from Oliver + S and had several together in no time at all! It's a great beginner's project and involves no buttons or zippers. Just elastic. Took about 20 minutes and, viola, cute skirts for Tess. One of 'em will make up the other half of her bday outfit!

The Domes

2011-03-29T20:31:00.009-05:00

Jim had his Fantasy Baseball draft on Sunday. He was going to be no fun, so we headed to Milwaukee, to the Mitchell Park Domes, for the "Storybook Tales: Once Upon a Train" display. We went with my family and had a good time walking through the exhibits.

I've always enjoyed visiting the Domes. They're such a unique part of Milwaukee's skyline and any tourist adventure. Henry was happy with the train exhibit, which featured storylines from popular fairy tales. There was so much to look at and we were especially fortunate to have a nice, sunny day to enjoy it all.

Dude, Where's My Spring?

2011-03-27T20:34:00.004-05:00

What happened to our Spring?
It's been hard to watch the snowflakes flurrying. Maybe if I take the snow shovels and boots back out, the warm weather will return.
These two were enjoying their time on the porch. Henry loved giving hugs and Tess loved that she could stand up there and hold on to the bars, all by herself.

Monkeys

2011-03-23T20:57:00.002-05:00

Another great Etsy find! (I've had a lot of those lately) This is actually Tess's hat, and whenever I take it out, Henry has to parade around with it first. He then tries to put it on her head and she gets fiery mad at him. I assume it's because he is ruining a good hair day...

Pi Day

2011-03-14T19:41:00.004-05:00

Monday. And, the first weekday after springing-ahead. Plus, there was no pie in my house to celebrate pi day! I was sort of dreading this day. The time change typically takes several days, sometimes weeks of adjustment. The kids are usually crabby, having missed out on that hour and not napping well to catch up. Mondays we usually find ourselves at home. No pressure, just playing at home, not risking an in-public tantrum. Today felt different though. The sun and warmth of the day really perked us all up. We got lots done this a.m., hit the library, had some fun and even squeezed in a wagon ride with the dogs. We're ready for spring days. Bring on the Mondays too! Well, until November...

Picasso

2011-03-10T21:29:00.002-06:00

Painting playdate with friends. This particular painting turned out to be quite the piece of work!

Dad With Kids

2011-03-10T21:22:00.002-06:00

After a weekend trip to meet friends at the Madison Children's Museum. We love it there...

Pants Off Dance Off

2011-03-10T21:14:00.003-06:00

This was taken on our most recent snowed-in day. Henry with no pants, Mom's hat on head, watching Word World, his most favorite TV show ever. Perfect day.

This Girl.

2011-02-28T19:23:00.002-06:00

She's almost a year old. At this time last year we were a bit worried. She was small and we didn't know how small she was or why. I would look forward to each weekly doctor's appointment, hoping my measurements had reflected positive growth. In the end, she was perfect. On the small side, but you certainly wouldn't know it now. She is perfect.

I'm feeling like she's looking more like Henry these days. She did early on too. She has his mouth and nose. Her eyes are certainly her own. She's was blessed with long lashes. She's working on two more teeth up top, trying to do the typical crawl, but just fine with a butt scoot. She enjoys standing while holding on to a couch or toy and she's totally adventurous, in a troublesome sort of way. She's the one that goes for the cords and outlets!

I watched the movie "Babies" on Saturday. It was sweet and fun to watch those babies interacting with their environments, exploring, learning. I feel like Tess's first year was just as fast as that movie recapping those babies' first year. I will certainly be enjoying my last month as a baby mama. Tess and Henry make it pretty easy.

Snow Week

2011-02-05T20:20:00.003-06:00

Plows and diggers are still cleaning up around here. We had gigantic snow mountains in our neighborhood blocking the already narrow curbs and paralyzing the view of drivers. There was a lot of work done today to push those hills and mountainous piles into our common areas. It's certainly a work in progress.
The snow did keep us inside for most of the week, but it was only a secondary reason...Our icky colds were probably the main reason for our isolation. Henry had a couple days on the couch and Tess is just starting to mend from her bout with a cough and runny nose. Henry was lucky enough to have a fever with his bug. I've quickly learned that "being sick" isn't just kleenex and medicine and suction bulbs. It's super-crabby kids, clingy arms and a lack of sleep for everyone involved. Well, it's snuggles too.
Henry has never really fallen asleep in locations other than his bed. The kitchen floor was apparently comfortable after a long tantrum that stemmed from him not wanting to take off his winter jacket, then wanting it off, then wanting it back on again. Fun times.

Snowy Playdate

2011-02-01T19:41:00.004-06:00

We had a real fun friend playdate last Friday. We headed to Sophia and Bella's house where they have a sledding hill and ice rink in their backyard. The rink is their neighbor's and they share their hill with them. Apparently their neighbors are real hockey buffs. This rink was huge, nicely groomed and lit! The kids swung some hockey sticks around and sled down the hill a few times. Tess was really into laying on the ice. I kept sitting her up on the rink and she would just lean over wanting to lay on it! Silly girl.

So we sat her in front of the hockey goal where she got lots of attention. Tess always gets lots of love...her friends are so sweet.

Here's a group photo with a few kids missing.

Cousins.

2011-02-01T10:50:00.004-06:00

I forgot about these. They're actually from the day of Henry's birthday party back in December. Henry and his cousin Corryn.

Super Bowl Excitement

2011-02-01T10:25:00.004-06:00

I was hoping to watch the Super Bowl/Packer Media Day online this a.m., but Dora won out. It's hard to argue with a sick kid.
We're super excited for this Sunday's game. We've been good Packer fans all year, dressing our children in their head-to-toe gear, attending football parties and either watching or listening to all games. The recent Atlanta Falcons game and Bears game were awesome. Our Super Bowl plans will probably entail just hanging out at home and watching. The game is on pretty late (for those of us with children who go to bed around 7 pm), and if we want to catch it all, we'll just stay here.
Cannot wait! Go Pack, Go!

Dells Weekend

2011-01-31T14:21:00.002-06:00

January 20th started our WI Dells Wilderness weekend. It was Tess's first waterpark adventure! This trip has become an annual thing, having done it the past 4 years. It's a great winter break. The Foxes joined us again this year.
Tess wasn't super-into the water yet, but I'm predicting she will be a water-lover, given her fun-lovin' personality. Henry had fun, but preferred to stay shallow this year. Steph and I got some shopping done at the Tanger Outlet Mall and the boys got to hit HoChunk to give them their money too.
I would say the trip was a complete success, but we did however forget Blue Blankie when we left. Surprisingly, Henry has been pretty okay without it. We currently have a stand-in blue blanket and the resort did find Blankie just this past weekend. What took so long? They're sending it to our friends and hopefully we'll have it back to Henry soon...

Holiday Recap

2011-01-08T19:34:00.003-06:00

This happens every year. I end up blogging about our Christmas holiday weeks after the fact. My last post of the year the past few years has always been about Henry's birthday. Perhaps it's because that pretty much does me in for the year! All the planning and hoopla and then Christmas?! So much busy-ness.
Christmas was great though. We did our thing here Christmas morning and then spent the day with my immediate and extended families. Sunday we spent the day with Jim's family. There was a lot of gift opening and Henry was relieved when on Christmas morning, Santa had left gifts, but wasn't actually still in our home. The whole "Santa comes to your house" concept was a scary one for him (and, I don't blame him).
And like every year, this time of the year also allows for some great visits with friends who are in town. It's a wonderful time to catch up.

Jim also took a few days off between Christmas and New Year's. It was nice to have him around to organize, spend time at the Children's Museum and hangout.

Happy 2011!

Treats

2010-12-19T20:47:00.002-06:00

I think birthday party favor bags are so fun to make. I try to start collecting things in advance (then it seems as if no money was spent on them!). For Henry's party this year I made reusable snack bags for everyone and filled those with a few treats. Threw in some fun chapstick, stickers, suckers and playdough too. I also ordered these awesome dump truck/bulldozer cookies from Etsy seller BeesKneesCreative!

Henry's 3rd Birthday!

2010-12-19T19:48:00.004-06:00

Today is Henry's 3rd birthday!
Yesterday we had a birthday party for him at the Madison Children's Museum. They have a great set-up. All of our friends and their parents gathered in one of their brightly-colored and decorated Community Rooms, ate snacks and yummy cupcakes made by the on-site Bean Sprouts Cafe, and then we set everyone lose into the fun of the Museum! Lots of family, and friends were able to attend and everyone seemed like they had a great time!

Henry definitely enjoyed himself, but seemed to be more comfortable once the singing was over.

Today we took Henry to breakfast where he enjoyed cinnamon pancakes and chocolate milk. We then returned home for present-opening (an awesome construction train set) followed by train-playing for at least a couple hours while Tess napped.

In the afternoon we went to see Santa, did some remaining Christmas shopping and got birthday cupcakes at Gigi's Cupcakes.

This time around we got the Midnight Magic, Caramel Apple, Red Velvet and Hunka Chunka Banana Love cupcakes.

I think he had a good weekend, but he still doesn't fully get the "birthday thing." I would have liked to have seen a little more excitement, ya' know? Maybe we're still not at that age, or maybe he's just not a guy who gets all that excited about stuff. Maybe I overhyped it too. This whole 7 day stretch of the year is going to get pretty old and overwhelming if we don't embrace it though.

Sister and Brother

2010-12-18T20:30:00.001-06:00

The Olbrich Gardens Holiday Trains in Hipstamatic

2010-12-18T20:02:00.003-06:00

I took Henry and Tess to Olbrich on Friday to see the Holiday Train exhibit. By this time last year we had been there about 4 times. Henry would go back and forth from train to train (there's 2) and then follow the train for as far as he could see it and then go back to where it would reappear. He was the crazy train guy. He was a bit more tame this year, but did his share of following and going back and forth. It was nice too cause it wasn't too busy. There was lots of room for him to get around. This was also Tess's first Olbrich experience! It's surreal to remember so clearly, being pregnant with her and then thinking "next year at this time she'll be 9 months!" and she's here now and she's 9 months. And Henry is 3?! Oddly enough, I can believe that Henry is 3, but it doesn't seem that Tess should be 9 months already.

No Ears.

2010-12-15T13:01:00.002-06:00

I thought the blog was due for another bathtime pic. Tess will be 9 months on the 31st! Tomorrow is her 9 month visit with Dr. H.

Tired.

2010-12-15T12:53:00.004-06:00

Dude fell asleep hanging out in the kitchen. He was transferred to the couch and then put to bed after dinner a bit after 5:30. He slept another 13 hours.

New Hat

2010-12-15T12:50:00.001-06:00

My good friend Becky made Tess this cute hat.

Cupcake Run

2010-12-15T12:38:00.002-06:00

We usually have something planned every day of the week. One day a few weeks ago there was nothing planned! So, we left the house and went on an adventure to the new Gigi's Cupcakes at Hilldale Mall. The store is totally adorable. The cupcakes are beautifully-decorated (with like a 3 inch layer of frosting on each) and the flavors all sounded so good!
We ended up with a Birthday Confetti, (Henry's pick) a Sea Salted Caramel (my pick and a good one at that...), a Chocolate Chocolate Chip and a Strawberry Shortcake.
Another great thing about this place? You can place an order online. I've also heard the Spumoni cupcake is the best...
When we're in the neighborhood again, or just need another cupcake adventure, we'll definitely hit Gigi's.

2010-12-04T21:10:00.003-06:00

My apologies. It has been almost a month since my last blog post. We've been busy preparing for the holidays and a birthday party, working on sleep issues, and digging out of the snow. I've been doing lots of work too, but that has overall been pretty enjoyable.
Our Thanksgiving was great. We enjoyed dinner at Jim's aunt and uncle's and dessert at my aunt and uncle's. Jim and I went to the Badger game last Saturday and we also decorated for Christmas. The tree is an even bigger hit this year than last. Henry did a better job spacing out the ornaments, but enjoys taking them off and on. We get a lot of broken ornaments this way. We're pretty much done with our Christmas shopping, the holiday cards will go out this week and the baking starts tomorrow! We've also gotta' hit the slopes!

A Christmas Dress. Done.

2010-11-10T20:56:00.002-06:00

I have had time for a bit of sewing lately too.
Although, something that would have normally taken a couple hours to sew took a couple of weeks instead...

King of the Mulch Mountain

2010-11-10T20:46:00.003-06:00

The Token Creek dog park was getting some TLC this past weekend. "The men" (as Henry likes to so officially call them) were putting more mulch down on the walking path around the park. Apparently it was real fun to climb the hill of mulch in the park. It was fun watching the dogs climb up and roll around on top.
I think the 2nd photo up there is funny. Henry looks so small and the mulchy mountain, very big!

Go Pack!

2010-11-10T20:39:00.003-06:00

Tess's cuteness is just too much sometimes. Lots of people get bombarded by Tess photos sent from my phone.
I had just purchased this hat at the grocery store.

600th Post!

2010-11-10T20:21:00.003-06:00

That's a lot of blogging!
Hard to believe there's been that many considering the lack of postings in the last week. Overall though, I'm finding it difficult to post more than once a week these days. Or, I just post about 3 or 4 smallish recaps. Sorry about that.
The thing is, I do some work from home and while I'm not being a mom (which is constant!), I'm getting in my work hours. On top of that, my sweet girl has had a difficult time sleeping. So, when my work is done, I'm in bed!
I hope this too shall pass and that Tess's whole sleeping conundrum is some kind of funny, short transition to long, blissful 10 hour nights. She obviously hasn't learned that messing with sleep is not funny.
The below photo is from my iphone's Hipstamatic app. I thought it was fun to look at. It features blue tape art on the window of the Madison Children's Museum from early last week. It was a nice day at the museum. Not too busy. So not-busy, that I was able to teach Tess how to spell her own name and tape it up on the window!

Halloween

2010-10-31T20:41:00.003-05:00

We've had a very fun few days of Halloween celebrations!
It started Thursday and Friday with playgroup parties. Friday afternoon we trick-or-treated at the businesses in downtown Sun Prairie. Tonight we enjoyed another round of trick-or-treating and a Halloween party at the Augustine's.
Tess wore her pumpkin outfit, compliments of my grandpa, for both playgroup parties, and our lion costume today. Henry was a Packer! We bought him a Donald Driver jersey and I made him some cozy fleece Packer pants that will now double as pajamas.

It was fun watching all of the kids getting excited about the trick-or-treating tonight. Everyone busying and bustling around getting their costumes on and finding their bag or pumpkin bucket for their treats. The dads took the kids out and they all came back with big smiles, excited to show off their hard-earned treasures...

Pumpkin Carving 2010

2010-10-24T19:54:00.003-05:00

I seem to post in threes.
This pumpkin carving happened last weekend. This year the pumpkins seemed to go downhill pretty quick. We had to get rid of them on yesterday. The rain overnight made them look even more frumpy and sad. They had a good week on the porch though and the seeds were delish. I think we still have a few of those left, however.

Sitting Pretty.

2010-10-24T19:43:00.002-05:00

Savoring the Warmth

2010-10-24T19:28:00.003-05:00

Our last couple of weeks have been spent outdoors and at the parks in an attempt to savor the remaining days of warmth the year has to offer. I think we're headed for lower temps, and it hit us this weekend. I hate wet leaves.
Good thing we made plenty of piles of them to jump into while they were still dry.

Blossoming Friendships

2010-10-17T21:12:00.002-05:00

All the kids piled into the sandbox.
Henry and his good friend Claire.

Baby Viewing

2010-10-17T20:44:00.004-05:00

Carissa and Niki were here last weekend for October kid-viewing.
I love Niki's face in this one. They're fun visitors.

6 Months

2010-10-17T20:18:00.004-05:00

This post is a bit late. Tess turned 6 months late last month. I think I just forgot to write a post about it at that time and then a few other events came up that just sort of put this one on the back burner!

Anyhow, Tess has been just great. She's developing her cute, fiery, little personality, sitting up on her own (no, she still doesn't roll over!) eating some solid foods for dinner, drinking from a cup, and sleeping...is just okay. Her naps are typically great, but she still wakes me up 2-3 times nightly. Some day soon she'll figure it all out, but in the meantime, I'll let her tell me what she needs to better guide her through it.
At her 6 month check up she was 15# 11 oz. I'm not sure what her stature was but she was at the 71st%ile, which seems a bit inaccurate to me. Good thing I'm not a stickler about my kids' points on the growth chart (or might I add, just growth charts in general).

She's got a mohawk now too. That middle hair just will not stay down!

Pumpkin Train

2010-10-09T15:38:00.004-05:00

We've been busy enjoying lotsa' WI fall happenings. The weather outside is absolutely gorgeous. It smells wonderful and the the colors on the trees, amazing. Lots of tractors and combines too. Some of us are looking at the fall foliage, while others are looking at farm equipment!

This a.m. we traveled just 10 or so miles to Marshall, WI to Little Amerricka for their pumpkin train. We went last year and Henry and Corryn had a blast. We were also bundled in jackets, scarves and mittens. This year we met my family there, Jim's mom joined us, and Tess picked out her first pumpkin as well.

And here's your annual Barb juggling-more-than-she-can-probably-handle pumpkin photo.

Tractor Ride Buddies

2010-10-09T15:32:00.002-05:00

Cooper and Henry at Anderson's Pleasant Patch Pumpkin Farm last Sunday.

North Freedom Train

2010-10-09T15:21:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, we prepared Henry for a special surprise. It was a ride on the North Freedom Train at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, in North Freedom WI.
It was about a 45 minute adventure; 7 miles across the scenic Baraboo Hills. We all rode in a coach car, in a train that was built around 1915.
Henry loved the surprise. His favorite part of which was watching the engine couple and uncouple from the coaches...

Trapped

2010-09-29T20:23:00.003-05:00

Jim accidentally took my car keys to work this a.m. We had plans for a park play date, but alas, a bust! So, our friends came over to us, we took out the Halloween decor and spread it around the house, made some super delicious apple crisp, got a special gift from Alice, and had a photo shoot outside. It was a nice day to be trapped without a car.
On a side note, Henry is very excited for Christmas. Getting out the Halloween garb conjured up all his Christmas excitement. All day it was "is it Christmastime yet?" I think this kid needs a countdown calendar!

Elegant Farmer

2010-09-29T19:26:00.006-05:00

Wow, there've been lotsa' September blog posts!
And here's another!

Last weekend we attended my cousin Megan's wedding in Milwaukee. We spent the weekend there at my parent's and then went apple picking on Sunday. Henry was obviously excited to see tractors and Tess was looking forward to sinking her sore gums into a nice juicy MacIntosh.
In the end, we got a bushel-full of apples to make some nice fall treats.

Henry and Claire

2010-09-22T20:39:00.005-05:00

More Museum

2010-09-22T20:17:00.004-05:00

We hit the Children's Museum again this past weekend. Henry got to show Jim around for his first time there, and we did a few activities that we missed during our first visit.

It was definitely nice having a 1:1 parent:child ratio. Henry had a lot more fun with Daddy there.

A Christmas Dress

2010-09-16T20:36:00.003-05:00

I just received this fabric in the mail. It's earmarked for Tess's first Christmas dress. I have a bad habit lately of starting sewing projects and not finishing them. I have this fabric now, but when will the dress actually be completed?

First Sandy Toes

2010-09-16T20:27:00.004-05:00

Tess loved sitting in the sand with Henry on Monday. She had a mouthful of it by the time we were ready for our picnic lunch, but she seemed to enjoy that too. Her first solids!

Doggie Paddle

2010-09-16T20:15:00.005-05:00

Sunday was the annual dog swim at Goodman Pool. Before they drain the water, it goes to the dogs! Howie and Joon have had the event on their calendar since last year's dog swim, so we were sure not to miss it.
The event's proceeds benefit Madison's police K9s. There were fetching competitions, vendors, food and plenty of tennis balls...

Her First Swing

2010-09-11T21:31:00.002-05:00

Drinking Buddies

2010-09-11T21:18:00.004-05:00

Megan is a good friend of mine from my high school days. Unfortunately, her and her family live far away from us :( Her daughter Avery is the best. She is the sweetest sweet pea. So glad we got to see them this past week.
Henry said that night after our visit, "I wish Abery was here. I miss her when she's not here, NOW."

5 Month Old Pumpkin Pie.

2010-09-06T20:37:00.002-05:00

Tess turned 5 months old last Tuesday.
These past few months have just flown by. Maybe it's the combination of the fun, busy summer we've been having and the fact that there's another kid to keep us on our toes, but March is 5 whole months behind us.
Tess is a bit more vigorous with her hand and finger chewing lately. She's been gnawing on those things for 2 months now. I'm hoping something will pop up very soon. I just hate seeing her teething frustrations.
She's also still working on rolling over. She's very close to the back-to-front roll, and is a definitely more tolerant of tummy time, but hasn't really been practicing the front-to-back version. I feel like I've been talking about this quite a bit lately, but I'm SO much more lax with baby milestones this time around. I feel like I was relatively lax with Henry too, but with Tess, my confidence that "she'll eventually figure it out on her own timeline" always wins out. Plus, there are other, more major Henry issues (ie: potty training) that seem to occupy more of my milestone-thinking time!
Tess is also sleeping in her crib for all her naps and night time sleeping. She still fits in the swing, but it's a lot less roomy for comfortable sleep. She does great in the crib...
I think she's been enjoying her first summer though. She's certainly been able to experience a lot more than Henry did at this age, simply because we're out and about and exploring everyday. It's so nice having friend-playgroups, family and Madison to entertain us!

Madison Children's Museum

2010-09-06T20:10:00.006-05:00

Last Thursday we finally went to check out the new Madison Children's Museum! The old museum closed last January and the new one opened just about a month ago, just northeast of the old locale. Looking around the museum, you can see the great usage of sustainable materials. There's even a recycled gym floor from Milwaukee. It's all very inspiring!
We've been so excited for its opening, but waited until some of the kiddos returned to school, so it wouldn't be too crazy.
It was still pretty busy during our visit. We purchased a membership for the year 'cause there's so much fun to be had there. Henry is at a great age for all the interactive things the museum has to offer!

Token Creek

2010-09-01T20:55:00.005-05:00

We've been to the dog park a lot this summer. It's great having a bigger car for us all to pile into and go.
Howie and Joon have always gotten pretty exhausted with just one time around the park. Joon usually finds a stick of some kind and demands to play fetch the whole time, while Howie pretends he's playing too, but not very effectively. They mostly play with each other, sometimes being temped by another dog running by and leaving each other to chase that other dog, but usually they stay relatively close by and find stink to roll around in.
Gotta love a tired dog.

Farmer's Market

2010-09-01T20:51:00.002-05:00

Jim, Annabelle and Henry

Animals

2010-09-01T20:47:00.003-05:00

The boys + their kiddos at the zoo this past weekend.

Silly Henry

2010-08-25T20:19:00.002-05:00

Mumma: "You're the schmoopie!"
Henry: "No, I the Hank!"

In the bathroom, bending over the other night during bathtime, Henry looks at my cleavage and says very seriously, "mumma look, a butt!"
I know I'm a bit more busty these days, but butt-sized cleavage is a bit out of control...

Phew!

2010-08-22T21:09:00.005-05:00

Busy weekend.
I think laying low tomorrow is a good idea. I'm exhausted. The kids have been off their schedules the past few days and have hit the hay much later than they should.
Saturday we spent some good time with Jim's extended fam and parents at Irish Fest. Sunday we went to Sun Prairie's Corn Fest and back to Milwaukee to celebrate Annabelle Fox's 4th birthday!

All the weekend's events have made for some late nights around these parts. The weather has been nice too, but we've had long days in the warm sun.
We had fun with the kids though. Henry had his first experience riding on some of the Corn Fest rides all by himself (and actually enjoying them). I'm proud of him for doing this. It's fun watching him become a bit more adventurous.

5 Years.

2010-08-19T21:40:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow.

Cupcakes

2010-08-16T20:59:00.002-05:00

After the zoo we went to Kopp's for lunch (delish, as always).
In the Galleria behind Kopp's is a super cute bakery: Miss Julia's Bake Shop. While I prefer to get my cupcake fix from my BFF Alice, we decided to check out Miss Julia's. Henry and I selected several to take home with us. We chose a strawberry lemonade, old fashioned chocolate, coconut, red velvet, polka dot and tuxedo flavors.
The little shop opened in April and is owned by Brookfield locals. The cupcakes are delicious.
Jim says "I'm actually kind of mad at you for bringing these home."

Milwaukee Zoo Take 2

2010-08-16T20:51:00.002-05:00

We headed to Milwaukee this a.m. to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, and my mom's Zoo Pass. The Zoo Pass is a great investment. It was nice not to have the pressure of a long day at the zoo cause you paid $13 plus parking to get in! We just did all the outside exhibits, stopped for a snack, rode the train and left! For some reason though, we missed out on the lions and tigers again. Not sure where those exhibits were hiding...

George

2010-08-15T20:59:00.002-05:00

We said goodbye to our 1995 Geo Prizm on Friday. It had about 180K on it. There were a few things that needed repair and unfortunately it was too much money to spend given the age of the car, miles, etc. It was so nice to fill up that car with a mere $20. I had many great times with George, driving to and fro from Madison back to grad school in Normal, IL . We enjoyed many a trip from Madison to Milwaukee too. I'll always remember the 2 flat tires I received while driving to work one day, late for a meeting. George was actually so reliable. I hope the Rawhide Boys Ranch can give him a well-deserved second wind.

Don't Eat a Cream Puff With a Baby in Your Front Pack Carrier

2010-08-11T21:35:00.006-05:00

It was a great day at the 2010 State Fair yesterday. Super hot and humid but everyone kept their cool as we traveled the grounds on our traditional family fair outing. This year was obviously Tess's first State Fair and she seemed to enjoy it. Well, she didn't hate it. Henry had a great time too. It's fun watching him interact there. And much like last year, he loved the big slide. He even climbed most of the stairs by himself!

We saw the animals, got our omelet and grilled cheese and apple cider donut in the WI products building, drank lots of lemonade, perused the bazaars, enjoyed a Saz's combo platter, went up and down most of the aisles in the expo building and had a cream puff.

The best attraction this year though? The nursing station in the expo building. Mad props to the State Fair (and other sponsors) for giving us nursing mamas the opportunity to feed our babes in a nice quiet, cool, comfy place. It was truly a lifesaver. We surely would not have lasted as long as we did yesterday without it, as I would have had to go out to my car to feed. Tess definitely has preferences when it comes to nursing. She seems to dislike being under the nursing cover in hot weather, (I don't blame her) gets easily distracted, and really dislikes noise while she's eating (which in the bustle of the Fair, is difficult to avoid!) So because of the nursing station, she was a happy camper. Until I dropped a dollop of my cream puff on her face ;)

Summer Countdown

2010-08-09T13:11:00.004-05:00

This summer has gone by so quickly. I know we'll miss it. The back-to-school stuff doesn't affect us much at this point in our lives, but having to say goodbye to the warmer weather will be tough. It has been nice going to the zoo, meeting at parks, filling up the pool, jumping through the sprinkler, playing in the water table, being artists with our extensive collection of sidewalk chalk, and riding bikes. After this hot, sweaty, humid week we're experiencing, we'll welcome fall with open arms. Unfortunately the winter will lure it's ugly head soon after.
Cold weather however, does mean more sewing and the return of our skis...

Four Months

2010-07-31T19:12:00.005-05:00

It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is August. If that's true, then I've got a 4-month old! Tess had her 4-month visit to the doctor this past Tuesday. She's 13# 4 oz and 24" long. Dr. H says, "she's just perfect"...
Tess is also getting some teeth. We've had a difficult week with the immunizations and new chompers. I wish we didn't have to deal with this so early. Henry didn't get teeth until about 6 months old. Maybe this means though that she'll get used to it earlier on and sort of become immune to the process!?
Tess isn't rolling over yet, but loves to sit and stand. She'll be able to walk before she can roll onto her back!

Hipstamatic

2010-07-25T20:12:00.004-05:00

I've been taking lots of photos with my Hipstamatic Iphone app. It's super fun. It's a toy camera app with 3 different lens types (you can actually purchase other lens types through the app store). I just love the variation in the photos. It's fun to snap pics and see what they turn out to look like!

Haircut

2010-07-24T21:35:00.004-05:00

It's nice having a child who doesn't mind a haircut anymore.Hopefully we'll avoid reliving those times with Tess. He would literally scream through the whole thing! This time Henry sat in the car chair. Next time we're going to try to hold off on the sucker until after the haircut. It's quite the magnet for hair. Maybe next time we'll go for the mohawk too...

Milwaukee...again

2010-07-17T20:17:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful visit in Milwaukee today with friends and family. Gina and her brood were in town, so we got together with them and Alice, and headed to the kiddie pool across the street from her folk's house. It was a sweltering day. Perfect for a dip in any sort of body of water, really.
Aly made some delish cupcakes in celebration of Gina's 32nd year. After feasting on those, we headed over to my parent's for a visit. Henry is getting good at watercolors. Move over, Monet!

Milwaukee Zoo.

2010-07-17T19:58:00.004-05:00

This past Monday we took a trip over to Milwaukee to meet Alice, Dria (and Ryder) and Annie (and Grace, Norah and Jack) at the zoo. Henry had never been to the Milwaukee zoo. I hadn't been there since like high school? I remember it well though. Lots of exhibits and animals are newer, but the soul of the place was still alive and well.
I had actually forgotten about the train at the zoo. Besides the stinky penguins, it was the first thing Henry noticed upon walking in. We rode it as our last stop.

The newer dinosaur exhibit was great. Henry was very unsure of the whole thing, clearly evidenced by Aly having to carry him through the dino display, but he did enjoy it...

More She and Him

2010-07-10T21:01:00.003-05:00

Henry: "I wanna hold Tess. She smells good."

Movie Date

2010-07-10T20:31:00.005-05:00

We took Henry (and Tess) to their first theater movie today. It was the Thomas the Tank Engine movie, Misty Island Rescue. Henry watched very intently the whole hour and a half run time. The popcorn was a hit too. Tess didn't get to have any popcorn. I certainly had plenty for the both of us. I wish I could resist that buttery goodness...

July 4 Weekend

2010-07-05T20:13:00.007-05:00

Friday, Henry and I went to Sandy Beach in Lake Mills with our friends.

Saturday we went to a family cookout in Milwaukee.
Saturday night Henry and Jim went to see Rhythm and Boom fireworks from a nearby park.
Sunday we went to the Northside farmers market and had family and friends over for a cookout and sparklers.

Monday we hit the Tosa parade and Greenfield park for more play with family and kabobs.

That's our busy holiday weekend in a nutshell.

No Rest for the Weary.

2010-07-02T20:07:00.004-05:00

Like many kids his age, Henry likes using the watering can. This past week, we had a great visit with my cousins and their kids. At my cousin's home in Oconomowoc, Henry got in some quality time with the watering can, frequently requesting it be filled up again and again.
He'll work for cheap.

3 Months Old

2010-07-02T19:22:00.006-05:00

Tess is now 3 months old. She gets sweeter and prettier everyday! We just broke out the Bumbo seat today. She seemed to be a fan. Tess continues to sleep well, going 8-9 hour stretches. This past week she had an 11 hour snooze! She has started to become a drool factory and loves her brother Henry. His fascination with her is finally mutual. She gets wide eyes and big smiles when he is talking to her or just being plain silly. She coos constantly and still hates tummy time, but loves the bath. Bath-giving has become a nightly ritual to entertain and prolong bedtime a bit.

Tess is also finally bringing home the bacon. Since the beginning of June I've been back working one day a week at NHA (Nutrition and Health Associates) and am able to bring her with me as she is nursing, until she is 6 months old. It's been so nice working with friends and having a baby around the clinic. It's a really great situation!

Good ones...

2010-06-26T20:56:00.005-05:00

from the Iphone.
I've been taking a lot of pictures on my Iphone. More so than my fancy dancy SLR camera. My Iphone is much more accessible and the photos it takes actually aren't too bad. There is that annoying lapse from when you press the button to when it takes the pic, but it captures lots of stuff I wouldn't have otherwise gotten. Here are some keepers...
Henry dancing with his cousin Corryn. Sweet moves, kids.
Henry showing his sister much love.
Throwing grass into the kiddie pool
Roo Carissa with a brand-new, sleepy Tess
Jim with Henry and Tess

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2010-06-20T21:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day!