New Years Eve

It may have been 6:00 on the clocks but it was midnight somewhere. We were not able to get Snooki to fall from the ceiling but we had the next best thing - lots of balloons!

We thought the balloon drop would be the highlight of the evening - the half hour of chasing balloons and trying to pop them proved to the be the big hit.

Christmas 2010

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Owen and Cole had a lot of fun hanging out with the cousins and spending time with the Grandparents.

I wish Owen would let us know if he likes his present ...



Now we're getting some work done!


Group photo before the big event. Cole was so excited he couldn't even sit up.

Adventures wtih the Christmas Tree

We arrived at the tree farm at 4:25, just a few minutes before they shut down the "cut your own" area of the farm - the only option according to Nick. With just a few minutes to select, cut and drag the tree back to the bundling area it was actually a very stress free event. No wondering through the woods trying to remember if this tree was as good as the first tree (or was the first tree).

Owen was a big helper. Here

Timberrrr!!!!!

Mission accomplished.

And then the tree sat in the porch for three weeks in a bucket of frozen water.

Literally a huge chunk of ice. All weekend we were telling our Owen how much fun it will be to put up the tree. For several days we were telling him. He was excited. You would think Nick would bring the tree in to defrost. Of course he didn't.

So when it came time to bring in the ice bound tree Nick came up with some "great ideas". First he poured hot water on the top of the ice ... this worked until the water cooled and started to turn into more ice. Then he put the portable heater next to the tree to defrost it. Since this plan was going nowhere and bedtime was approaching he moved on the plan three - the chisel. With each swing of the hammer ice went flying until a sudden plea for towels was made - lots of towels! There was water flowing everywhere, right out of the hole he punched in the side of the bucket.

Eventually the ice was removed and Christmas was saved (except for the bucket).

Luckily I shared this story with his co-workers and they bought him a new bucket ... and laughed at him.

We have a basement!

We finally broke ground on our new home. Here are a few pictures of our progress.

Owen felt we were falling behind schedule. Fortunately his Fisher Price keys didn't fit in the ignition.

this is a funny place to put a swimming pool ...

With the forms in place, Owen thought the house looked like a castle.

We have a basement!

Cole 8 month update

At 8 months Cole:

Can sit unassisted
Rolls and rolls and rolls
Is eating solid foods including meat and other yummy stuff.
Loves to watch big brother, even when he isn't getting in trouble
Will smile at anyone
Still has spiky hair
Requires no rocking at night, in fact rocking him makes him more awake
Loves daycare
Falls asleep easily in the car
Is a long baby (over 90% for height) but continues to be just a little bit shorter than Owen at his age.
Is the only one wearing Christmas outfits in the middle of September (thanks for wearing hand-me-downs Cole!)
Enjoys chewing on Owens puzzle pieces.
Enjoys chewing on just about anything else.
Loves getting a hug from Owen each morning during daycare drop-off.
Is generally on his own since Owen takes up so much time - thanks for being an easy baby Cole.

Pumpkin Farm

It's that time of year again ... pumpkin picking!

This year we took Owen and Cole to a local pumpkin farm to find the perfect pumpkins. Cole was a little young to pick out his own, luckily Owen was there to pick one out for him.

Little monsters is right

Owen had a lot of fun going down the slide. Who knew burlap bags were so much fun?

Go-Carts? Not much pumpkin picking going on here.

So many pumpkins! This is harder than I thought.

Search for a lawnmower

Owen came to the realization that Daddy will need a new lawnmower next summer to take care of the lawn. The push mower will not be enough on a 2 acre lawn.

Obviously we need to bring his expectation in line with reality ... below is the big guy's recommendation.

But Daddy, it will only take 5 minutes to mow the lawn!

From House Trained to Potty Trained

It has been a long road, but Owen is nearly fully potty trained. He still wears pull ups at night and has an occasional accident (sometimes I think he's just being lazy and doesn't want to bother walking to the toilet) but is well on his way.

During the summer we struggled for weeks until we introduced him to "outside peeing". As all guys know peeing outside is far superior to peeing inside. Owen quickly picked up on this. This led to the first breakthrough - "House Trained". Just like a puppy, Owen knew to go outside. This was for number 1's and number 2's. So Melissa spent a fair amount of time walking behind him with a plastic bag. The house trained phase was fine when we were at home, separated from our neighbors by half a mile of corn ... public places was a different story. Several instances we had to whisk Owen away after he pulled down his pants in the middle of a park, or busy zoo.

After a few inappropriate public displays we moved on to bribery. Owen quickly racked up an impressive collection of matchbox cars, toy farm machinery, and Cars paraphernalia. Luckily we were able to use some of Nick's old toys to supplement or this endeavor would have been quite costly.

Today Owen is down to one or two accidents a week and has even gone in public restrooms. We figure another month of nighttime pull ups and we'll be all set.

Who is training who exactly?

First Day of School!

It was the first day of school for Mommy today. Owen and Cole have been braving their new daycare for several weeks while Mommy "gets ready for the school year".

Mommy tries out a new teaching technique she is excited to try out on her students.

Cole 6 Month Update

At 6 months Cole:

Has started to eat solids

Can sit up while supported

Is a VERY content baby - it takes a lot to make him cry.

But when he does cry, it takes a lot to console him.

Loves to watch his big brother.

Makes everyone like him because of his quick smile.

Doesn't fall asleep while being rocked. He just sits and smiles at you.

Considering how happy Cole looks, he probably just saw Owen get yelled at.

Cole's very first bite of solid food. mmmm ... rice cereal

Sometimes you just have to get comfortable

Settling In

Cole and Owen have really settled into our new house... After a full day of running around (or in Cole's case: watching Owen run around) they both decide to take a much needed rest. Cole is following in the footsteps of his older brother Owen.

Gone Fishin'

Owen and Cole took their first fishing trip. Since Owen tends to exaggerate the truth anyway, this was a pretty good fit for him.

Cole has just realized that some of the fish are bigger than he is

Aunti Diana helps Owen show off his big catch.
He described the fish as being much larger of course.

Owen and Cole pose with Grandma and Grandpa after a relaxing day at the lake.

Moving and Odds-n-Ends

We are moving to Beaver Dam in a few short days...

Owen has learned to use the tape-gun

Cole is super-excited about the move

Location of future house...

If Owen helps with the move, he was promised a sand pile like Grandma's and Grandpa's

Cole, our little thumb sucker

Grandma and Grandpa got a two seater bike. Owen is taking it for a test run.

Good thing Grandpa can pedal for Owen or they would get no where.

Vilas Zoo

A spring trip to the Vilas Zoo for Mother's Day:

So you think Grandma and Grandpa will let us keep it at their farm?

No zoo trip is complete without a picture on a cement animal

Cole got his own shot due to safety reasons. Check out the cool Wisconsin gear courtesy of godfather Brandon.

A new fashion statement. While some may ask "Why?"

Owen asks, "Why not?"

Thomas the Train in Green Bay

Owen is a HUGE fan of Thomas. Him and a buddy from Pulaski enjoyed a "Day Out with Thomas"

Whoa... Thomas IS real...

Sir Topham Hat is WAY bigger in real life.

Owen's first tat - "Thomas 4-ever"

Showing off their matching ink

Taking a ride on Annie and Clarabel

Cole came along too

The day ended with the Bouncy Maze...

Here Owen is fighting for position with a much larger foe

Owen's audition for the TV show "Wipeout"

We didn't think we would see Owen again after he entered the maze.

Luckily his buddy could be bribed out of the maze with popcorn.