Jumpoline

This trampoline has been passed down from the Thompsons to the Rackhams to the Knutsens and now to the Stewarts.  We even know who wants it next.   

We haven't had time to put the net up yet.  Any opinions on if nets are worth it?  I think they look worse, but am willing to use if it's really going to help.  (We will have a 1 or 2 person rule.)  Any thoughts?

Abby jumps.

Eliza gets silly.

Yesterday I came down to breakfast and my kids said the neighbor's dog was catching and eating mice from our back yard!  He was still back there (fairly close to our window) rooting around in the ground.  Suddenly he snatched a little creature up!  I was amazed!  However, I was doubtful the old dog would be quick enough to catch mice.  I was hoping he was catching these little voles who dig tunnels under our grass.

But no.

Under close observation I saw he was, right disgustingly in front of me, chomping up a baby bunny!  Sad!  They were so tiny and helpless!

I then shooed him away.

Later I walked in the back to see if he left any icky remains in the grass.  Thankfully, he hadn't.  I did find the rabbit's nest--a little hold dug under the cover of some new plants.  It was all lined with Mommy Rabbit's soft fur.  Poor things.

Search and Find

Can you find the baby in this stack of folded laundry?

Spring Break Vacation

We wanted to do something a little extra for spring break this year.  Typically the kids and I just hang around town and see friends.  But this year Daniel took a week of his paternity leave!  We decided to take a mini-vacation and visit Green Bay and Door County.  First we wanted to get at taste of Packer pride so we toured Lambeau Field!

This is the kids checking out the picture of the Packer's locker room.  The room is actually in the shape of a football!

This is the tunnel the players run down to enter the stadium at the beginning of a game!  As we walked down they played a recording of the announcer and crowds cheering over the speakers.  That way we really felt like the Packers do at game time!  At the end of the tunnel are some cement blocks built into the floor--they are from the old stadium's tunnel.  This way all the players step where the Greats did from years before.  This was our favorite part of the tour.

At the field with Charlotte in her wrap.

Here we are with Vince Lombardi.

Next stop National Railroad Museum.  Lots of great old trains!  Loved it.

Charlotte turns 2 months old!  Capturing a few smiles in our hotel room.

The next day we drove to Door County.  We ate lunch at Al Johnson's, a very fun authentic Swedish restaurant.  They even have sod and goats on the roof.  Check out the link!

Since the wind and cold were too much for the hiking we'd planned (You know how babies gasp in the wind?  Charlotte could hardly breathe!) we spent a while at a playground/park along the beach.  Charlotte spent that time sleeping in the car.  It was chilly but beautiful outside!

Our little 2-day vacation ended with a trip to see The Lorax on the way home.  

Eliza said it was the best vacation ever.

Tid bits

I wish this picture showed his height, but the first branch is quite a bit off the ground.  

No small feat to get up to it!

Bill gave us some sweet OSU stuff for Charlotte for Christmas.  

Here she is sporting the cheerleader uniform!  Go Beaves!

We enjoyed a good laugh as Daniel knelt Charlotte down for family prayer.  (Emily, remember this outfit?  If memory serves me right, you gave it to Andrew when he was born!)

She's been smiling since 5 weeks old.  However, it happens much more frequently now!

The kidsgot cute Easter dresses and a tie this year.  Too bad I missed the photo ops of them all dolled up!  But hey, nothing's wrong with  pj's and baskets.

Something's wrong with me.

I'd love to blame all my blunders on brain cell loss due to having children.  Perhaps that is why I've goofed up so much lately. Or maybe baby-brain is a myth and I am just a whack-job. The frightening thing is the sheer quantity of my missteps in roughly 2 months.  Fortunately, at the end of most of these stories, there is a "fortunately."

Here 'goes.

We lost/misplaced an invitation and I totally forgot about a birthday party Eliza was invited to. She completely missed it.  I felt terrible.  Fortunately, she was spontaneously invited to that friend's home on her actual birthday and enjoyed pizza, cake, and a play date.

Eliza missed a field trip because she was sick. However, due to her sick days and an unclear note home, I believed the field trip was the Monday that she returned back to school.  I sent her with a special lunch and much excitement and anticipation about her trip to the children's museum.  Well...she got the cold hard truth at school and shed quite a few tears.  Fortunately a class-mate told her it wasn't that fun anyway.  By pick-up time Eliza was doing swimmingly and hardly even mentioned the incident.  (Though it took me a while to forgive myself.)

On a hectic night I showed up with all my kids to piano lessons, which we had established the week prior, were cancelled.  Fortunately her plans had changed, she was there, we did two 1/2-lessons, and had more time for dinner between our other commitments.

I was feeling spontaneous one week-night and decided to surprise Daniel with a date to a movie.  It was the film's last night at the dollar theater and I knew he really wanted to see it.  I rushed and got a babysitter and arranged the whole night.  Go me!  We were even on time for a movie that started at 7:30.  Too bad it started at 7:00.  So to keep our date night we rented a redbox movie and bought two cartons of ice cream we'd never tried before.  Fortunately,I discovered a new favorite:  Blue Bunny Banana Split.  It is ice cream perfection.

I made the 20 minute trek Costco for two purposes. One, to rotate my tires (I remembered the car).  Two, to return some odd smelling ribs.  I forgot the ribs.  Nothing fortunate about this.

I was inspired by a friend to write Charlotte's birth story in full.  I wrote well over 2 heart felt pages and left the computer without thinking of saving it.  You guessed it.  Someone innocently restarted the computer and my document was gone. Does it really take 33 years to learn to save a document?  Poopy pants.

For Easter dinner I decided to make rolls. 2 batches.  Let's see if I can explain.  Mixed batch 1.  Set batch 1 in an oven with a little residual warmth from earlier baking.  Perfect for rising.  Then I mixed batch 2.  I pulled batch 1 out to form into crescent rolls.  Stuck batch 2 in the oven to rise.  Worked on the crescents.  Then it was time to preheat the...you guessed it...oven.  I turned it up to 350 and finished with the crescent-making.  Suddenly I jump to the smell of melting saran wrap!  Blast it all!  I baked my bowl of rising dough!!  I was supremely disappointed.  Fortunately, I did not dump it right away.  After I got the first batch in the oven I realized I could pull off the hard top and rescue the dough underneath.  Jeepers.  Still ended up with 2 dozen from that bowl.

I hope next month goes a little more smoothly.

If you have a similar story to share, please do.  Then I will feel like you are laughing with me, not at me. :)

Some fun moments

My boy just loves this baby.  He's very attentive and keeps a close eye (and ear) on her.

I just laughed when I saw this scene late one night.  And to think Abby is sometimes hesitant to share her queen bed with Eliza because Eliza gets in her way.  No kidding!

(Eliza's foot is actually on Abby's chest.)

Abby and Eliza both were on Destination Imagination (called D.I.) teams this year.  They are teams that work on a central challenge (building or acting or something else creative) and compete after a few months of practice.  Also part of the competition is an instant challenge that the receive and complete on the spot.  It's all child-driven.  Kids do all the work--ideas, script writing, costume making, set building, everything.  Judges are very strict about adult "interference" as they call it.   The kids in grades K-2 are non-competitive, whereas 3rd on up compete for 1st-3rd place and also a spot in the state competition.  

Abby's group did a spoof on the story of Cortez and Montezuma.  They came up with such a clever and very funny script.  I was so proud of my actress daughter!  She is quite a hit on stage!  I can't wait to see her future in acting.

Abby's team (3rd-5th grade)--full of great friends!

Eliza's team wrote a story about the best toy ever.  The kids were adorable and she had such a fun time practicing all season.  Here she is as an assistant toy maker.  As kindergartners, she and one other girl were the youngest on their team.

Here they are!

 And here's wee Charlotte!

We had a hard time forming a baby D.I. team.  So we just let her lie around.

(March 29, 7 weeks old)