On the Road

From J&J Online

Yesterday after the babies nap, we packed up all the kids and traveled to Green Bay for a couple hours of cheap entertainment at Bay Beach Amusement Park.  This ride was by far Alivya's favorite (conveniently we forgot the camera, so none of these children are mine, just pics I found online :(

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This was the only ride we all went on, and the one I think was Taylor's favorite.

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When I was a kid, This ride was my favorite, but Taylor and Livi, and most of the kids on it actually looked bored :(

From J&J Online

It was on this ride that Taylor started to get into the whole riding thing.  Last time we went, two years ago, Taylor wouldn't go on anything.  Not a problem this time.  It was interesting though, that all the other kids enjoyed the bells and steering wheels, while Taylor stared intently at the mechanisms that made the rides go around.  The only steering wheel he liked was the one in the first picture, that actually does make the car go in and out.  Livi wanted to do this, but didn't really get it.

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I was a little surprised when Livi wanted to go on the merry go round.  I was even more surprised when Taylor insisted on sitting on the bench, rather than riding a pony.

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This is the most annoying ride.  There are guns attached to each of the planes and they make this high pitched siren... very annoying! Really felt bad for this ride's operator.

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Which brings me to this ride, the only one we got Taylor on last time (kicking and screaming though)!  After our little picnic/dinner, Ava and Wes were getting really fussy and tired, but Livi wanted so bad to go on one more ride, so Jon took them on this, and I sat with the screaming kids in the car!  Both babies were out within two minutes after we started for home!

July 4th

From J&J Online

We had a nice calm peaceful forth right here at home.  This is a photo of Jon's mom teaching Livi to cut the tops off strawberries and clean blueberries.  She had such a good time doing this, though she ate more than she put into the bowl!  It was unbelievably hot and humid that day, so we didn't really spend much time outdoors, Taylor had already tanked out before this picture was taken.  I worked 3p-midnight, and got out just in time for the pouring rain.  It was a pleasant day in the ER though, never got too crazy.  I am thankful for this since I was both working alone for the last five hours and pretty sick from my sinus infection.

Jon is off today until Tuesday, little vacation of sorts... we are off to Madison for Taylor's study tomorrow, I work on Sat, then we have the first of three wedding shoots this summer on Sunday.  Monday is a day for recovering, hopefully!

Tattos

From J&J Online

Yes, I encouraged them... I think they are pretty cute, and temporary!

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This is Taylor's "I'm smiling for a picture" look...

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And Livi didn't quite understand what I wanted her to do.  She just got all stiff on me, clutching her arm like it was broken...

Since July 1st

I have been deathly ill... ok, so I had a sinus and double ear infection that was rapidly moving into my lungs.  I was pretty sick. I think the antibiotics that I started on Friday have finally won the battle, but are still working on the clean up.  The crap I keep coughing up and the difficulty I continue to feel when attempting to breathe is testament to this fact.  Still, I managed to work over the weekend, perhaps against my better judgement, Saturday at least... Looking forward to feeling better, and getting a little R&R for the rest of this week.  I finished my nightmare paper today, printed my two labs due on Tuesday, and am on break from school through Friday.  Jon also took a couple days off, so this IS my summer, today through Friday.

YUCK

From 2010, Best of

Too sick to take new pics, so more of this cutie...  wish I were dead...

Sickies again...

From 2010, Best of

Went to bed last night feeling a little sore in my throat... woke up this morning feeling really sore.  Yuck... the worst part is knowing what is coming, but not knowing for how long...  I took my midterm a day early since I know that I am not going to be up for it tomorrow.  I think I might have recovered some percentage points...  I guess we will see. In the meantime, please be a short bug, please be a short bug!

Midterms

My midterm is due on Thursday...  should I study or bake cookies?

Babysitter

From 2010, Best of

For the summer we hired a local college student to take care of the kids while I go to class.  I worried about how she might handle the bunch, but she had done very well.  She seems to like doing the girls hair, and when I get home from class they all look so darn cute that I just want to keep them ;0p  ! Who would believe that this little angel has a devil inside her?  Yeah, I didn't think so. ...

Sundays are like Fridays

Since I only work on the weekends now, Saturdays are like Mondays, and Sundays are like Fridays... sort of.  I do so much during the week that I can't tell anymore where one week starts and the next one ends.  Its humbling to realize that I am half way through Micro, but still I am only half way through.  I am definitely going to celebrate when the first week in August rolls around!

Papers

I am an ill sort of person, I like writing papers... usually...  my micro class has a paper assigned where I need to write a paper from the perspective of a protozoa.  Its this last part that has me down.  I can't seem to even organize this paper, much less write it.  I hate everything I have written.  I can't remember struggling this much with a paper... that is not to say that I haven't, but I can't remember it...  ugh

Social Monkey

From 2010, Best of

Ava has turned into quite the socialite.  Her favorite game right now is to look at someone behind her then quickly flip her head around to look at that same person over her other shoulder... she thinks its hilarious and could go on for hours!  She also enjoys playing mimic, where you say a word and she copies you.  Super super cute to hear all these words that she tries.  In the last week I have heard pretty good versions of button, Amy, up, pop, diaper, and many more.  She has little babbling conversations that sound like they should be real words with intonation and everything.

From 2010, Best of

Go fly a kite

From Blogger Pictures

Last Saturday while I slaved away at work, Jon and the kids went with Grandma K to a kite festival.  I had picked up a couple Disney kites from Wally world a couple months ago for a buck each.  This one was Livi's... she loves Ariel!

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Jon said that this red one was as long as three full school busses.

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Looks to me like Taylor really got into this.  Right up his ally, STRINGS!

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Taylor had a Buzz Lightyear kite!!! "It's a space ship Buzz!"

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Ava and Wes don't look too impressed ;(

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

71

From Blogger Pictures

The first thing I do when I get to lecture is write the date on my notes... a weird habit I picked up a long time ago...  I didn't think much of it on the first page of notes, but after writing it on my second page my mind drifted off, I can't even tell you what my instructor was rambling on about.  6/23/2010  This would have been Dad's 71st birthday.

I started to think about how its his fourth birthday that he hasn't been here with us, and I actually cried right there.  Thankfully my instructor was, for a change, not staring at me expecting me to answer something at that moment.

This picture of Dad is so telling to me because I think he was really proud of me and Jon.  I love that they had a really good relationship.  Mom and Dad never let anyone drive their Mustang convertible, but one day when I was teaching Jon to drive, Dad gave him the keys.  I was in shock... to go get ice cream cones no less.  Just one of those things about their bond, and one of those things about Dad.  I know he worried about us, but I think he knew that we would endure.  I really wish he could see Taylor now, what a good eater he has become...

From 2010, Best of

Too much micro going on here... will post real stuff again in August ;(

7 Years

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Today is our seventh wedding anniversary, although we were both too busy really to notice it much.

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Looking back at some of these photos reminds me how young we were... look at how pimply we both were...  nerves...

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One of the few genuine smiles our photographer managed to capture...  too bad Evan wasn't really up for the pic.

From Blogger Pictures

Technically speaking, this is a terrible photo, however I like it.  It shows that we planned that event for years, and enjoyed every last minute.  And we nearly fell over from exhaustion...!  It was truly a great day/night.

From 2010, Best of

Happy Deuxieme Anniversaire Zach!

Its so easy to forget when they were this small, kids in general that is... Zach is our nephew who we don't get to see enough since he is a Californian, and well, we live in Packer country.  Today is his Second birthday, and I would so much rather be there celebrating it with them, than here working as I am...  Ce La Vie...  So to Zach I wish a super wonderful birthday full of cake, presents, and a fair amount of mischief (because I am ready to share that part of parenthood ;)  To Melissa and Tom, congrats for surviving the first two years, good luck with the next two... the years that in some ways have been the most challenging, but also the most rewarding.  

Happy Birthday Zach!

Glasses saga

From 2010, Best of

So my nephew, above, frequently exhibits some obsessive compulsive behaviors.  A few days ago, it included him digging all the toys, etc, that had fallen behind, between and under our living room sectional. Amid the loot, Evan found Liv's missing purple glasses!

How could you?

From 2010, Best of

Discipline this adorable creature?  This one is also going to be trouble, if she wasn't already :)

Rare view

From 2010, Best of

You might have noticed that there are few photos of me popping up, so this is truly a rare instance.  Anyway, my peanut, sans gorgeous locks that Daddy allowed them to cut off his head last week... tear... tear...

Virus'

From 2010, Best of

Even with a nasty virus this little bean still wears a big smile.  Hoping the illness moves along quickly... Wes has it too...

Too Precious

From 2010, Best of

If I don't say so myself.

Sickies

From 2010, Best of

Poor little beana has a cold.  She's been coughing all day :(  Going to be a very long night.
Still she ate like a piggy, Grandma K gave her blueberries and strawberries and crackers and brie.  Smart taste! I guess she had some turkey in there too...  :)  And still so cute!

New hats

From J&J Online

From J&J Online

From J&J Online

The Saga Continues

From J&J Online

So this is what happened to Alivya's last pair of glasses.  Taylor. After Taylor destroyed her first four pairs of glasses, we figured it was worth the investment in the virtually "indestructable" titanium kind.  So far, Taylor hasn't been able to destroy them.  You might have noticed, however, that there have been several photos of Livi without glasses...

From 2010, Best of

This isn't because she doesn't need them, or because we haven't been putting them on, or because we just keep catching her without them... it is because they are M.I.A!  We can't find them.  I have taken the whole house apart in search of them, but have had zero luck.

Missing!

One pair of purple colored retangular shaped titanium "indestructible" but perfectly loose-able children's glasses.  

Last seen: Sunday May 30th, 2010, roughly 5pm...

If found please email me immediately...  

Something tells me that Taylor knows exactly where they are... and how many pieces they might be in.  This time though, he hid them really well.

Hair again

From 2010, Best of

So this is my adorable cute little baby boy... whose gorgeous curls were mercilessly hacked off tonight.  Tear...  okay, lots of tears...
I know it was getting all out of control and stuff, but his adorable curls!!!!!

Chef Jon

From J&J Online

This is what happens when Jon has to cook, and has a new lens to play with.

zzzzz....

From 2010, Best of

Already feeling like I need more time in the day and more sleep...  Tuesdays and Thursdays are lab days for me, followed by lecture...  I was good today until about half way through lecture.  As my eyes were drooping closed my tummy was also rumbling, it was then that I realized that I never got a chance to eat. Up at 6:30, kids up by 7, out the door by 7:45, kids to school by 8:20 all to make my 8:30 lab...  Lecture at 10:30, pick the kids back up at 2:30, eye appointment at 4:15... sadly this is becoming the norm in my life.

Back to the Grind

From 2010, Best of

Jon got a new camera lens, so out the camera comes again until the novelty wears off again. But we get some fun pics of the kids to look at...  Today was the first day of my summer class, Microbiology.  Its going to go fast, very fast. I have a quiz and lab already due by Thursday.  So posts here will be short and sweet for a while...

From 2010, Best of

Rain Rain

From 2010, Best of

The weather hasn't been nice enough for times like this.  Today Jon took the kids to the neighbors house to celebrate their daughter's high school graduation.  Unfortunately the hole event was well rained out as it poured and poured all day.

From 2010, Best of

From 2010, Best of

From 2010, Best of

From 2010, Best of