Fast and Fun Fall

We've been busy so far this fall (I'm basically considering fall when school starts) and haven't taken too many pictures but I'll do a brief post about what we've been up to.

I have a couple days of the week where we don't have school or activities and I have to be honest, I really love those days. The busy days are nice because they go fast and Kate just adores all that she has going on, but Collin is happiest (and easiest at home) and I already spend so much time in the car - I only have one big kid - good grief! Last week, however, brought somewhat unexpected trips/errands on all my "days off." Thankfully, the kids mostly do great in the car and out and about and I am super used to dragging them all over and back by myself. And let's face it, life is an adventure, right? I can't remember which day, but we had to run to Baraboo and after shopping/errands we had lunch at a yummy cafe on the square. 

My lunch dates:)

We had a busy weekend last week, Mom and Dad came up to finish a project - the sun room project in February was completed (well, almost) when Dad and Dave (okay, mostly Dad and actually Mom and Kate and I tried to help too) put the trim up on the exterior of the new windows. Friday night we all got to Face Time with the Brown's in Oki (yay!) and then on Saturday Dave, Kate, Collin and I went to Soldier's Grove, WI (not far from Lansing!) to the Driftless Area Arts Festival with our good friends, the Plamann's. After a later start, we hit the festival just as it started to rain:( A normally awesome car rider, Collin, did not nap and was NOT happy for the last part of the trip (was a 1 hr 40 min-ish total trip). So that was surprising and left us a little ragged when we arrived. But, all we needed was some friends and super yummy local food to cheer us up:) After we ate and the rain let up, we wheeled our dueling double BOBs around the festival checking out the booths and corralling the four kiddos (ages 4, 2, 1 & 1). 

Super excited for the festival

Then things started looking up!

We bought a few small things, Kate painted a pumpkin and we enjoyed the really sunny and warm weather that came after the rain! When we hit the road to come home, we were sure Collin would fall asleep immediately, but again - no! It is a VERY curvy and hilly route back to Juneau County and the combo of the screaming and the road was not very much fun. Good thing I had purchased a Ginger Brew from Driftless Brewing Company for the road. We stopped the van and turned his car seat around to face forward. We have kept this option open for this very type of occasion when we thought he would be totally distracted by it:) It did work and he calmed down and then fell asleep. So, we now have our 19 month old facing forward...supposed to wait until 2 years old or longer, but ugh. We tried. 

He loves it!

When we returned home, Mom and Dad were hard at work (God bless them, how did I luck out with these two?!) We tried to jump in and help and soon made some plans for supper out on the lake. Dave was itching to take the boat out and it was nice out, so we packed up for a boat ride across the lake to Carlson's Rustic Ridge - a pretty classic Wisconsin supper club. Collin was a little antsy so we throttled down and got there a little quicker:) Kate's preference anyway. 

Just starting out on a nice evening cruise!

It was a busy but wonderful supper where the kids devoured the soup and salad bar and we watched some weather approaching via radar apps on our phones. All of sudden, Dad and Dave were telling us it was time to leave - some rain coming our way! It was pitch black at this time and I was not quite as comfortable on the water at night, but it turned out just fine. Another quick but calm ride back across the black lake. We docked, got back home and started bath/bedtime with the kids when we heard the downpour! It was so loud! We all came out to the great room and commented that the timing could not have been better - if we had been caught in that....uff da, not good. The wind was super strong too and took down some small trees. But thankfully, we were fed, happy and cozy inside watching football:) Barely. 

These girls love boating!

Like Kate at his age, Collin loves waving to all the other boats on the water. In fact, he wouldn't stop:)

This week is Homecoming week in New Lisbon and Kate attended two days so far and has a Family Fun Day tomorrow - it is only for 1.5 hours and Collin and I come too! It's our first one and I'm excited and curious as to what it is like. On Tuesday, it was Sports Day and I tried to put her in a Minnesota Twins jersey, but she insisted on a Hawkeye shirt. I was proud but literally reasoned in my head, "They won't be too cruel in 4K, right?" Today was Wacky Day and it was supposed to be mismatched clothes and funny hair. I spent a half an hour trying to come up with an outfit with her last night. That was difficult and then I braided her hair into five braids for bed to make it super curly in the morning. She didn't fight the outfit this morning but was not cooperating with the hair so we ended up with just a big headband and I put three weird ponies in the back of her head. I was thinking of all the crazy things we could do, but I guess we'll save that for the years to come.

Wacky Day

Just a normal day in Kate's life...big difference, huh?  :) 

Let's see, anything else about the kids...Collin is just silly. His naps are still all over the place though I guess I'm not expecting too much any more and that is better. Last night, he had a bad night so I'm hoping that tonight goes better! His big word of the week is, "Owie!" He says it all the time (well, he is getting hurt all the time) and sometimes says it when he is not hurt. He likes to watch and yell at football games. Dave does too, but he definitely has some Rosendahl in him:) He has a big, "Wow!" for almost anything. Loves his new cat sound, "Meow," it is very drawn out and any squirrel or small animal will elicit this response right now as well. He will sit and watch TV when Kate gets a show. I like this/don't like this. It is obviously hugely useful but I don't love the fact that they both are so into the television. Something I definitely try to use only when it is super beneficial. And he is only 19 months! Obviously, my first child never watched TV so young;)

When he falls (all the time) he usually bounces right back up. We have had some bigger falls (a pseudo-black eye/cheek right now) too and I hate it! Tonight, I set him down on the garage floor (cuz he fell on the one step up to the garage two days ago - so was trying to avoid that for the time being) and I hit the button to open the garage door. I stepped back in to grab a coat from the closet and he just went running out as soon as he saw daylight. Hit his head on the rising garage door. Gift idea for Christmas...cool band aids, ice packs, etc. :)

Kate is loving school, does SO much art and tells me she likes it when she can go two days in a row and doesn't have to wait a day to go back. Dance and gymnastics are also much anticipated and I don't have any convincing to do with her (unlike me at her age - sorry, Mom:) Their favorite thing is still to chase each other. When Kate came home from school today, Collin was asleep (Dave picked her up) and she did not like this. "Mom, I just want to come home from school when Collin is awake!" 

On our walk tonight, I had the kids in our new double BOB, pushing them both around with, you know, my little finger:) and was so happy we did splurge to get the stroller. I felt pretty swanky. And then we got passed by a guy "walking" his dog. On a Segway. Then Kate asked what it was and I was describing it and trying to convince her I was saying, "Segway" and not "subway." Then she paused and said, "Ohhh...I get it. It is for older people. Great Grandma should get one." That would be pretty cool and it is her 88th birthday today (what?!) but I think the drawing Kate did is probably more Grandma's style:) 

Baby #3 Update: Still have not even talked about names. Ahh!! At the last appointment we couldn't find the heart beat, had to call in someone else to eventually find it. Such. A. Stinker. The second ultrasound is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon finally (please pray everything looks good!), feeling good! some heartburn and a little bit of sciatic pain but finally feeling more movement. I'm 23 weeks!

Kiddo Update

One of the reasons I wanted to blog was to basically journal what the kids are doing so I can go back and remember (how is it that every milestone feels so important and monumental at the time and then the first time someone asks me when Collin started crawling, I can't remember?!) So, I'm going to try and catch up a bit on the kiddos...

Kate 

• She is chatty as ever and if you don't give her your attention she says, "Mom, you look at a person when they are talking!" This is stemming from me asking for her eyes when I am talking to her....it all comes back out of their mouths! 
• Kate can count to 30. And then she goes a little haywire... "28, 29, 30, 4060, 4070, 4080, 4090.  :)
• She is still SO good with Collin but still picks him up too much. The last couple of days Collin sits on her lap when they are playing in the playroom. The biting and scratching from Collin has calmed down a bit, so that is a relief! Right now, their favorite past time is to chase each other and scream as they run around the house.
• She started preschool and is doing great. From what I can tell so far, she is helping the teacher, Mrs. McGuire quite a bit and adores her. Her favorite friend is Gracie, she sometimes naps longer than the others and wakes up and most of the kids are outside already. She likes going to the art room and is doing a LOT of coloring, drawing and artwork lately. 
• Kate talks about soccer a lot, she is excited to play again but it isn't until spring.  She is however starting dance next week and we started gymnastics this past Tuesday! She was so excited, was bouncing off the mats before it started and did great for her first time. I was somewhat preoccupied with a very antsy 18 month old who was not prepared to sit still and be quiet for 45 minutes. It was sort of a disaster for me in that respect and if at all possible, I just cannot take him there. I hate having to find sitters for more and more things! Kate said her favorite element was the '"runway" (vault) and I did get to see her do that at the end. It is 45 minutes, once a week for only 8 weeks, but I'm guessing she is going to want to continue this activity as well:)
• Kate is so serious when she is "playing Mommy" with her babies. She takes Bitty Baby (her American Girl baby) to her school, changes her clothes each day, she just walked past me with her doll in a carrier and said, "Having an 18 month old is a lot of work..."  

First day of gymnastics

Collin

• Collin loves to come up to you and just nuzzle your leg. Kind of a little hug, he is really quite affectionate. His stranger danger seems to come and go, dependent on his mood/sleep. When we have had friends over, he was constantly going up to Amber, Cassie, etc and wanting to be held and would cuddle with them. He grabbed the hand of a lady at church (Dave knew her, but the rest of us did not) and he just walked with her all the way to her pew. Kind of cute, like he was ushering her to her seat, but a little upsetting that he would just go with a stranger! Then the other day, I needed our neighbor to come over to watch the kids during my ultrasound and he was not happy that Barb was here! 
• Collin is starting to eat better! He has started to eat Cuties and started liking watermelon. He loves the lentil soup that I make and has been eating more and more. Makes me very happy! 
• He needs a his hair cut and I have finally decided we should do it:) At least the front, the curls in back are cute. Dave wants to take him to a real barber for his first, and probably subsequent haircuts. I know that he will look older when we cut it, not sure I'm ready!
• Collin has started wanting to carry around a baby and he always says, "Shhh" when he holds one. He says, "Baby!" when he sees one. At the MOPS meeting, the gals said he went up to one of the babies and was very protective of her and wouldn't let anyone near her (sleeping in a car seat):) 
• He still walks around with his hands clasped behind him and he also seems to have some sumo moves. He stomps each foot and squats down and then runs away. Where does he get that?!
• He is getting better at saying, "please" and "thank you." Gets excited when he sees animals or a ball and we are learning more animal sounds, which he likes to say. Loudly. He has started to say, "Ya" for "yes" which is pretty awesome and helpful. He shakes his head emphatically for no:) Usually when I ask him if he is tired! When I hand him things, we count and I'll say, "One...." and he says a kind of "two" and sometimes "three!" Which we also do when picking him up and lifting him into the air...so fun to hear all the new words and get more and more communication from him. I love it. 
• With naps, he is SO all over the place! Each day is different (school, just starting MOPS twice a month, running errands, appointments, Kate activities) so I know it is hard and I don't even know a time of day that is consistent each day. It would make my life more easier or at least more predictable if he took one nap each day but if we are home, I can sometimes get two out of him and I love that! And he is obviously way happier if he has more rest. Suppertime can be a little hairy on the days when he is short on naps. I will be very happy when we figure this out. 
• Collin likes to sit and look at books. For a pretty good length of time, for an 18 month old. Also magazines, there was one of the Kate's High Five magazines that had a bunch of cars in the back, for two weeks he would climb up on the couch and just sit there looking at it. Lately, he climbs up and just chucks all the magazines on the floor, but he likes some of Kate's old books. And anything with trucks/trains/cars:)  

They are changing, growing and being ridiculous every day:) We love it. 

Outnumbered:)

Hey there, I'm pretty sure you already know this, but I realized that I never really mentioned this pregnancy on here, so here ya go! 

Sometime in early/mid May, I took a pregnancy test at night while Dave was in the hospital all night. I actually couldn't believe it was positive and after sitting down and letting it sink in, I started looking on Pinterest for cute ways to tell Dave. I have never done a "cute" way to announce to Dave (or our family, really). With Kate, he came into the bathroom after I was in there for awhile, I was just standing there staring at the positive test. With Collin, I very plainly told Dave after taking a test in a hotel room in Chicago the night before Dave and I flew to South Carolina for a vacation/anesthesia meeting. It was something we were expecting but also something we weren't getting our hopes up for, after a rough time, we didn't celebrate too early. I kind of hate thinking of that now, knowing it was Collin in there and he would eventually make it into our arms! So, I thought I could be cute this time and surprise Dave....

But...I was tired and didn't come up with anything. I had considered not telling him for awhile and maybe get to the doctor before even telling him. Right. The next morning, instead of my regular K-cup, I popped in a decaf one. I thought it was pretty easy and clever since we have the Keurig - he wouldn't even know! Oops. I forgot to take the cup back out. As soon as Dave went back to make another cup, he saw the decaf and asked why I made that. I panicked and kept my head down and said I wasn't tired and didn't need the caffeine. (worst lie ever!) He never bought it, said, "Are you pregnant?!" I said no, I just liked that coffee. (I am so bad at lying) "Are you pregnant?!" "Ummm..." I just looked up at him and nodded my head. I was excited, especially seeing his reaction, but I was so bummed I blew another opportunity to make a special announcement! He picked me up and spun me around and couldn't stop smiling. A really great moment, but come on, Erin! 

Okay, you don't need the whole first half of the pregnancy discussed, here's the synopsis...I felt pretty sick, the trip to California was a little hard for me, the fatigue was OFF THE CHARTS, I started feeling better by 14 weeks, we had an early ultrasound to help date and find the heartbeat (due date moved to January 20), this little one is a stinker and every time we go in, we cannot get the heartbeat. It takes a long time and I do NOT enjoy that part! But luckily, so far we get it eventually and it has been very steady at 140 bpm. 

My little bump out berry picking in July

We were going to wait as long as we could to tell Kate, but when Dave was stuck at work and I couldn't get a sitter for my first appointment, the kids had to come along (long, ridiculous story -tell you later)! She has been excited and flip-flops between wanting it to be a boy or girl. She talks to the baby a lot and tells me every day that my belly is getting bigger. 

16 weeks -whoa! They say your body remembers.....yup.

Digging my maternity shirts, so comfy

I first felt the baby move on August 10, but so far this one is not super active. I know it is still technically early, but I felt the others much more even at this stage. So...we'll see if that continues (I don't love this either! I get nervous when I haven't felt baby move in awhile) We are not planning on finding out the gender (never have) and we have all kinds of baby gear, so though it would help in our grand room-rearranging plans, I just really love finding out at the delivery! 

We haven't really discussed names yet (yikes! we always struggle!) so I'm hoping we can really feel that out a bit soon. We are also working on a plan for Kate and Collin to share a room and then will keep the nursery a nursery with some sort of guest bed. Kate is super excited about the room sharing, so hopefully that continues. 

I'm 20 weeks, halfway there:) Gotta go. Eat. 

UPDATE: I wrote this last week and then forgot to publish it! Yesterday we went in for our ultrasound and for some reason I was really nervous (I guess I didn't realize how much our pregnancy past was going to affect me). Thankfully, we saw baby right away and a heartbeat and proceeded to check things out. These ultrasounds are so fun, taking the time to really look at everything. It is MIND BOGGLING what they can see...we just love it. Dave was super focused in on the babe (looking for gender?! we didn't find out) and he told me later he enjoyed it the most of all three for some reason, and when he came home, he kept saying, "There's a baby in there!" Not sure what he thought was happening before:) but I guess finally seeing our Peanut really made it hit home for him:) 

As I have said before, this Peanut is a stinker. Though we were able to see most things clearly, the tech could not get a good look at the spine. We tried everything, I went to the bathroom, I walked around and did some yoga poses, I turned onto my belly briefly and laid on my sides. One. Stubborn. Baby. Didn't budge. Oh, that reminds me, the cord was up around Babes' neck and we didn't like seeing that one bit, but of course they can move around and change so often, they don't get worried about that yet. But I keep praying it has moved! Oh - we also saw that my placenta is anterior and she said that could be why I haven't felt quite as much movement. Or this stubborn one could also just be super laid back and chill. We'll see!

So...we get to go back! Another ultrasound to try and check the spine. I'm not sure when, I am waiting for a call once the radiologist talks with my doc. Here are a few pics of #3...

First Day of School!

Kate started 4K! (preschool or junior kindergarten) She goes to New Lisbon Elementary Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m and then another Friday each month and there is a Family Fun Day on another Friday for a few hours. I'm still learning a lot on how this school does it, but so far so good. 

The day arrived. I was excited and thought I'd do fine. I did. Until I left her. Then I cried as I pushed Collin in the stroller back to my van. And some more in the van. And then I was fine! :) She had a great day, loves her teacher, had gym, played with Blayne, sits at Table 2, read a book about a dinosaur, slept really well (these are the bits I can remember right now:) and can't wait to go back. Here are the pics...

Happy to take a photo this morning!

Someone didn't want to be left out..."cheese!"

Heading out the door...

Big backpack

Such a ham:)

I haven't figured out parking yet...we parked a couple blocks away and walked in

Dropped her off to her breakfast (second one of the day)

Labor Day Weekend

Well, we hadn't really planned out a deliberate Labor Day weekend, but we ended up having a phenomenal holiday!

First of all, I should mention Thursday. It was a rainy day and I was quite busy with a trip to Madison with both kids to take my van into the Toyota down there. Collin didn't sleep on the way down (as was my grand plan) and we didn't have much time to do anything else (just a brief trip to a park) before we had to get to Kate's open house at the school in the evening. It was pouring rain by then and I was sort of waiting around for Dave to join us, but he was of course stuck at work and eventually said we should just go, he wouldn't make it. So, we headed over and saw her classroom and where all her stuff needed to go, I very much enjoyed it and asked the many questions I had (I feel like they have told us nothing, how am I supposed to know this stuff?!) At the end, Dave was leaving the hospital, so we stuck around and he saw her room and where her things needed to go as well. We headed home and thank goodness I had made bread and soup already, it was the perfect meal to warm us up and chill us out (very hectic, full days for us both!) While I was driving Kate home, she said, "That open house was not very fun. It was not like a party at all." I think she thought all her friends would be there or they could play, she was definitely disappointed! 

Dave was able to come home early on Friday and he took Kate out on the boat to swim at a beach while Collin napped at home with me. Well, Collin ended up refusing the nap (in his crib and happy, but doesn't sleep) and so they came back and he took both kids to the pool to swim so I could have a quiet house to relax in tackle my to-do list. After swimming we grilled some yummy pork chops and then decided to go to town for ice cream (Culver's). 

I was nervous that the two kids would be a lot to handle for Dave at the pool, assuming that Collin would just want to run around on the concrete while Kate wanted his attention in the water; but his report was that Collin floated by himself for the first time! (in a life jacket). I was stunned. He didn't love the life jacket and so we had been just holding him in the water. But Dave had him in a puddle jumper and he just floated and loved it! Very cool. He does have less fear of the water in general, compared to Kate, so I guess maybe we should have expected it, but after convincing Kate to love and do this stuff, it is always surprising when Collin just goes for it. 

This is from the next day - Dave was right there:)

On Saturday, the Swoboda's drove over to see us!! We have missed them so much since they moved to West Des Moines in the spring and they came to Mason City on Friday and then drove over for a one-night visit with us before stopping back in MC on their way back to WDM. Derek had an engagement in Madison and thus the trip was killing two birds with one stone; however, on the ride over, we were informed he was just going to stay with us the whole day, sweet! Somehow, this was also the first day of college football (that snuck up on me!) and so it was kind of a perfect day of visiting, playing and watching our favorite teams (thankfully not against each other:) The Hawks survived and the poor Badgers kept us up WAY too late for that sad finale. But, we had a wonderful time catching up and even got the kids over to the pool for a bit in between games. Aniyah is two years younger than Kate and they love playing together. They are also both tall and love to be active, It is pretty amazing to watch our girls together. And Collin just kind of played by himself (mostly) and was silly and happy with his toys. 

Everyone playing in the pool!

Cuties:)

Running off some energy!

On Sunday, we bid farewell to our friends and then after naps (for everyone but me!) Dave and the kids hit the beach while I cleaned the house a bit. I was then convinced to take the boat out for supper (it is nearing the end of the season, Dave suggests this plan only once or twice a day...) and I acquiesced:) It was still rather busy being Labor Day Weekend and I was worried it would not be a quick endeavor and we already started late (for early birds like us and the senior citizens) but we found a table inside at Shipwreck and sat by the window so they kids could still see the many boats, people, volleyball games, etc. The boat ride home was very warm and beautiful, calm water and I enjoyed snuggling and playing with them on the boat. Kate does not enjoy the "putzing" back we do after dinner, always wants to go fast:) Collin was pretty good, but is very busy on the boat, so we are on our toes! 

Fun in the pond

On Monday, we slept in and then made a dessert to bring to Plamann's for a somewhat impromptu early supper/late lunch. Kate and I made jello cake:) and we headed over to their beautiful home. We caught up and played and they made a fantastic meal for us, Collin loved everything! He was eating lettuce salad, grilled eggplant, watermelon, chicken, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and basil...that was fun! We tried to eat outside, but of course, at that particular moment a cloud dumped rain. It was pretty random and kind of funny to watch us get everything and everyone outside and then all go running back in:) Dave shot the two different bows that Ryan has (for hunting) and then Dave had to go as he was heading to Grundy Center, Iowa to work for the next few days. We had to say goodbye and after a little longer visiting, the kids and I left as well. 

So many helpers:) (Clara and Kate)

At one point, everyone in the kitchen had a child in their arms!

It was early bedtimes for the kids as we had Kate's first day of school in the morning and the night went perfectly, which I very much appreciated. I guess Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and as I said before, I am pretty much okay with that. I always welcome the changing seasons. I will say that we have had a very fun summer and I will cherish the memories, but I just love fall:) Bring on the fall fun and memories!

A Quick Brown Family Lake Weekend!

I am so grateful that in our busy schedules and complicated lives we were able to carve out a day or two to get (almost) everyone together again before our girls head back over the ocean to Okinawa. Dave wasn't on call, though did work later on Friday, Dad could only come up later on Friday night and leave Saturday as he had a flight to San Fransisco early Sunday morning for work (yes! The earthquake happened the morning he flew out there!) and of course, Tony is in Japan. We were able to Face Time with him Saturday night while he was out in the field, very cool to see him out there!

Anyway...Andrew, Kylie, Tara, Quinn and Mom all came up (in Andy's truck!) on Friday morning and made a pit stop at the house on the way to the Dells to do some shopping. After finishing up some cleaning and feeding of the kids, we joined them on the very hot and humid day (not my kind of weather). How fun to get together to soak up little (but growing!) Quinn and check out the rock on Kylie's finger! So many fun things happening with us all right now. 

We are finally ready to go join the shoppers! Collin saying, "Cheese!" :)

After sweating off a few pounds shopping, we decided to add them back on and go eat at Moosejaw:) We were miraculously able to sit immediately on a Friday night (early bird gets the worm) and Dave drove down after work to join us. A good meal (I think I ate something off almost everyone's plate...kind of a talent of mine lately) and then we were ready to go home and put the kids to bed! 

You gotta love Moosejaw:)

I'll state the obvious here, it was so fun to have Quinn around and freely take her from someone and hold her or try to get her to sleep:) Dave and I were eating it up and Dave wouldn't stop smiling and gushing about it, someone is getting geared up for another newborn! He also swaddled her up and sat in the rocking chair at bedtime and pretended he couldn't help with our own rambunctious kiddos bath/bedtime. I'm on to you, Lenninger. I guess the payback will be all the times I'm nursing and he will have to take care of that fun/trying/sweet/exhausting time of day.  :) 

Saturday morning was very foggy! But despite the weather, Dave took a full boat out to play and ski on the calm water. Tara and I stayed home with the two youngest and I'm so glad we did. It was wonderful sis-in-law time. The crew arrived back around lunchtime and we also had my aunt and uncle drive over from the Cities to drop off a crib they came across for free. We have tried to arrange a time for them to see our house and it has never worked, so we were happy they would make the drive and quick stop. We showed them around, had lunch together and they were here when Kate caught her first fish! Daddy made the cast and handed her her reel and soon she said, "I think I have a fish"...and sure enough she did! I think that was the only catch made for the weekend. :) 

Collin wanted to hold Quinn:)

Gpa holding his grand kids before he had to leave:)

Check out her fish! (in the pond out back)

Some people were able to paddle board and kayak, go for their walks/runs, etc. We played Shanghai (after giving Mom lots of crap about not wanting to play) and it was kind of a musical chairs card game with various parents ducking out at times. I won't mention who won:) but if you play with us frequently, you might have a guess, she was the scorekeeper and had to doodle a lot of fancy things around her winning score. 

Sunday morning we went for a group walk (three strollers!) and got ready to go on the boat once again. It was cloudy and we were a little bummed but we just went across the water to the Buckhorn State Park beach and did a little playing in the water. Soon it was time to head back and for our crew to head home. I had a lovely time holding Quinn in the sun room with Dave, Kate and Collin playing while the rest packed up their stuff. 

Ready to relax...

The happy couple! and Collin...

Love this sunbathing beauty!

The sun peeked out for us. A little.

After the Iowa contingent successfully left, Dave convinced me (didn't take too much) to go back on the boat and out to supper. So, we went back out and by then, the sky had cleared and it was absolutely gorgeous. We have really lucked out and our evening boat rides have had the most beautiful sunsets. We had a nice supper and got home in time for a pretty normal bedtime:) A great, relaxing weekend!

Catching Up...

I have enjoyed the fact that our summer seemed to slow down a bit, mostly in that we weren't traveling for a change! And we also had some cooler weather, which I am fine with but Dave always mourns much harder. He never wants to give up summer (and the boat) and I am always ready for fall and football way before him:) 

Our first weekend back at home, we hosted the Peterson's! My best friend and her family came up to us as it had been WAY too long since we had been together. We are all feeling the distance and schedules more this year and I would say we are not taking it that well. The sad thing is it will just get harder as the kids grow, but I know we will just continue to make it work! 

The big kids

The little boys

Waylon and Kate are 8 months apart (Kate older) and Collin and Lawson are 2 months apart (Collin older) so we parents get to talk a lot about our kiddos and it is fun to have them so close in age/stages/development. We also had a nice campfire outside after kiddo bedtime which was super fun. So much to catch up on, it is honestly overwhelming when Cass and I have phone dates. In person is so much better:) 

We were able to enjoy the nice weather on the back beach, at a park in town and in the front driveway riding bikes, etc. We have plans to all be together for our 10 year Luther reunion (what?!) in the beginning of October, so we will see them again then, if not sooner!

Just a little dirty from the beach:)

At the park after some ice cream

Our sweeties!

I guess we had a pretty full week after the Peterson's left. On that beautiful Sunday, we got the urge to take apart and re-organize the garage. This (as I expected) turned into a huge undertaking and it took most of Monday as well. It was messy but worth it, and I have to say that Dave did it all. I was manning children, though they were able to play out there and "help" more than ever before. We still have a ways to go with installing some storage structure, but it is better now! Wish we would have done that before we had our guests and spent so much time in the garage/driveway with toys:) 

On Thursday night, we unexpectedly hit the Juneau County Fair. I'm not sure Kate had really been to a fair before and it was fun to see her reaction. I am not stretching the truth in any way to say that the rides looked like the exact. same. rides. that Dave or I would have ridden on 25 years ago. It didn't look like they had even been repaired or washed. Awesome. We successfully avoided them all until very late at night when we were leaving and then all of a sudden Kate wanted to ride one. What?! No. 

Ready for the fair!

We had supper at the 4-H stand (ahh, memories!!) and then walked through the various animal barns. Fun and impressive. Then we walked through the 4-H building (ahhh, memories!) I loved it and again just felt like I walked back in time. We also saw all the entries for various food, plant, homemade stuff, etc. Since I am making more and more of that stuff, I told Dave I was going to give some of the ladies a run for their money some year:) We'll see. 

Our cukes look just as good!

Check out the corn the 4-Hers grew!

I think we then had some FFA shakes (Dave was all for us enjoying every aspect of the fair:) well, I think I had one sip of mine, Kate managed to steal almost all of my treats. There's a talent. There was also a new dairy barn dedicated at the fairgrounds and it was very nice. We went through and ran into some of Kate's dance friends. They had cattle there and we got to talk to them and see their calves, Elsa and Abacus:) 

Meeting Elsa (not in the picture) and Abacus

We then wandered over to the grandstands to check out the rodeo. It was 7:30 p.m and I wasn't too keen on paying the money to go in, assuming our children would start to show their need for sleep. And after a beautiful sunset, it was actually quite cool! We weren't exactly prepared for an evening outside. But, as usual, Dave convinced me it would be fine:) We saw some friends right inside the entrance and we ended up just staying right there, sitting on/standing by this tall divider thing. Kate could see and weren't stuck up in the grandstands. We also got to see the cattle and horses and cowboys on the side. She definitely warmed up as time went on and eventually was climbing up the fence and talking to the referee guy on his horse (with another girl her age)! Fun to see. She didn't want to leave, but Mr. Collin sounded the alarm. After more fair food on the way out of the fair(!), we finally got home and had a late bedtime. (sad sidenote: not sure if I had a regular 24 flu bug or ate something questionable at the fair, but I was definitely ill that night and the next day:) Thank the Lord I was better on Saturday and so far no one else has suffered. 

Time for the rodeo

A new fave spot for Collin

We didn't have plans Saturday. We were home. With no plans.  What?) And it was nice, well it was hot and humid, but it is August! I got up before the others and did some yoga and went for a walk (isn't it amazing how you feel after you've been sick? I felt so good and just wanted to do everything!) Collin took a long nap and Dave decided to powerwash the house and all kinds of things outside. It took awhile, but it was well worth it! The house looks great, it is amazing how dirty things get out here in the woods. Blah. 

After we did some work, we wanted to have some fun! I threw some chicken in the crockpot, made some cucumber dill hummus (cucumber and dill from our garden) and we hit the boat to go swim somewhere. After taking awhile to find the right place (and a new one, a beach over at the Buckhorn State Park) we enjoyed some time in the evening sun. Kate was having a blast and the weather was perfect, but again, our little timer Collin let us know it was time to go. He is really struggling with his naps lately, sometimes we get two a day, sometimes one, sometimes they are long, sometimes short. I have no idea what each day will bring and our busy plans don't help much:) That day, he didn't get his afternoon nap and at suppertime, he was not happy! So, we made a quick journey back and had supper. The little man ate like he had never been fed in his life! He is my picky eater and he had nearly a whole chicken breast and some wild rice. I was so happy:) 

Hanging at a beach at Buckhorn State Park (across the water from our neighborhood)

It was a beautiful evening...

And to cap off the day, Kate and Daddy had a campout in the backyard. I have been dying to go somewhere and camp, to explore a bit of Wisconsin, but it just hasn't worked out yet (and may not this summer, I guess!) So, I begged for at least a backyard campout. We decided Collin would stay inside and I would stay with him in case he woke up and Dave would go out with Kate (Dave's choice). We made a fire and Kate was very much enjoying the alone time with Mom and Dad and staying up late. Unfortunately, we had a very brief but steady rain that forced us prematurely into the tent. It did stop, but by then, it was probably time to just go to bed. So, I left them out there and went inside. 

She couldn't keep her eyes open for my flash

Goodnight, my campers!

I brought Dave some coffee in the morning and woke them up for church and I could tell instantly that Dave had not slept well:) It was just a little hard to tell him that Collin didn't make a peep the whole night! As I unzipped the tent to come in, I heard Kate say, "Mama!" She was on her cot and was beaming at me - I guess her night went well! (she has a nice cot, Dave and I....not so much)

And in very exciting family news, on Friday morning, I was informed of my brother's engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Kylie Kruse! Woo hoo! We have thought of her as family (and her family:) for awhile, but it is just so exciting to have it all official and to celebrate this couple. The fam is coming up this weekend for our annual summer vacation and what a wonderful time to be together. Love you guys! That's the next post! 

The happy couple! (at Collin's 1st birthday)