Downer Classic

Today was the Downer Classic. We planned on going, staying a couple hours, then coming home. But we were all having such a great time we ended up hanging out pretty much the entire day. We watched some friends race, Pro Women, kids fun races and the start of the Pro Men. The street was full of people, and it was all around just a really fun day. Although, C's favorite part of it was playing with a bulldog puppy named Lester. Lester seemed to taking a liking to C too -- he even sat on his lap for a number of minutes. Cute.

Bradford Beach

Here's the thing -- my kids are really pretty great. As long as they are kept busy. Seriously, if I can keep these two on the go constantly, they are so awesome and amazing -- we have such a great time. But left alone, at home, all they do is bicker and fight. It's so annoying. (And probably very common.) Still, I try to keep them going as much as possible. Last year I had fairly steady part-time office hours -- from home, but still, we were kind of stuck there. With my new project, I tend work at night or randomly throughout the day. I didn't realize it, but the newfound sense of freedom is absolutely amazing and we sure have been taking advantage of it this summer. This afternoon, we spent a few hours at Bradford Beach. Want to know something crazy? I have never been there. Even when I went to college in Milwaukee. Even the couple years afterwards that I lived here. Never. Ever. I could see this particular beach getting a bit crazy during the evening or on holidays. But for the couple hours we were there today, it was an absolute blast.

Front Teeth

This crazy front tooth has been hanging on by a thread for days. C's been tormenting me with it for days. And finally, it's out! Yippie! Any smile is great, but gummy baby one and missing front teeth smiles are two of my favs!

Lazy Dog Days

Again, it's crazy hot here. I'm dripping in sweat in the dusk just writing this. After a trip to the library (bonus, it's air conditioned), we went to a friend's house. The kids played on a slip 'n slide and inflatable pool, while my friend and I sat on outdoor chairs spraying cold water on ourselves. H was invited to spend the night there, and C's been moping around feeling all sorry for himself. He refuses to eat when H is not around. It's crazy. We are just waiting for Brian to come home. It was his last day at his company, and he starts a new job tomorrow (still in the Milwaukee area)! The whole thing is bittersweet. He really liked where he was at -- he had interesting clients, it was a good company, and he got along really well with his co-workers. Plus, he wasn't there that long, and it absolutely kills him to be leaving so soon. But an opportunity presented himself, that he had to take. We are very, very proud of him. It will be exciting for him.

P.S. In case you were wondering, why yes, we do keep air mattresses out on our porch all summer. Brian and the boys camp out here quite regularly (although, the basement is the preferred place when temperatures are as high as it is right now), and until we have real outdoor furniture, there's certainly plenty of space. We actually hang out here quite a bit. Clearly, Storm thinks the space belongs to him.

Big Bugs

We used to find cicadas and cicada "shells" all over the place. But the boys still get especially excited whenever they find a real live one. Cicadas really are very cool. Here's a close up, in case you are interested.

Beach Day

The boys spent last night at my parents. As much as I adore my kids, it's always kind of nice to have a night free. Ok, it's really nice. I went on my first group bicycle ride of the season last night. Ouch! But super fun. I had a nice run this morning. And then I met my dad -- who chaperoned their golf lesson, my mom, niece, nephew and the boys for lunch and a little beach time afterwards. The kids favorite thing to do is fish, and thankfully my mom is ok helping with worms (she digs her own up from the yard) and H doesn't mind touching fish. They caught a ton today, and had an absolute blast.

Sad news of the day ... we came home to a couple crows (bullies of the birds, if you ask me) in our robin's nest. We scared them away, but it was too late. It was heartbreaking watching mama come back to the nest and carry the empty eggs away. She came back, sat in the nest for a bit and flew away. I'm sure she's already moved on, but I'm still upset. Stupid crows.

Cars

A little fun with the race cars tonight. And why yes, C IS still in his pajamas at 6:00 p.m.

Players

Yesterday was the 11th Annual Player Invitational. Over the years, we've missed only one of them. It's a great day, benefiting an excellent cause -- the One Step at a Time Camp for children with cancer -- and is in memory of our friend Jeff, who battled leukemia as a child and was a camper at One Step. Over the past years, Brian's golfed, and I've met up with him for dinner. But last year, Lora somehow talked me into actually golfing. And, we had such a blast, I signed up to golf again. How do I put this ... I absolutely stink. Putting is pretty much the only thing I can do half way decent. I can't believe I found a group of people that actually puts up with my shenanigans. And guess what? Once again it was super fun. Best ball. That's my kind of golf game. As a group, we hit par, which I thought was awesome. Until we found out that the winning team had 11 under. Whatever. After golf, there's dinner, auctions, and just hanging out with some pretty awesome people. While we didn't bid on tickets to a soccer game in England again, I did get a new tennis racquet that I'm pretty excited about. What a perfectly great day.

Robin

Last week while our friend Eric stopped over for a bit, we noticed a robin building a nest in one of our birch trees. He commented that she looked like a jumbo jet trying to land. The nest was built, and then she was gone for a few days. I was thinking, what a waste of time! But this morning I looked up and noticed she was there. And not moving to nest. She left for a few moments, I ran onto the deck to look into the nest and noticed a couple eggs. I guess robins lay an egg a day, usually stopping at four eggs. So a couple more should still be coming. And while it may not be a bunny or deer, I am pretty happy to have new birds to fuel my wildlife obsession. I'm pretty excited.

Shorewood Criterium

The Shorewood Criterium kicks off an eleven-day series of bicycle races spanning across Wisconsin. We all had a great time, hanging out with old and new friends, and cheering the racers on.

Another Day at the Beach

The boys had so much fun at the beach yesterday, that the minute they woke up, they were pestering me to go again. We didn't go first thing, but definitely were some of the first visitors of the morning. Being alone on the beach ... glorious. I think we are going to find ourselves here a lot this year.

Beach Day

It's official. We are melting here. 98 degrees today, and we have no air conditioning. There's only a few miserable days a year, but we honestly may be breaking down soon (although, central air is not an option -- a downside to living in a stone mid-century modern home). The boys and Brian spent the night in the basement last night -- the only cool place in our house -- and probably will be again today. I was upstairs (it was too crowded for me in the basement). As for Storm, he doesn't know where to go. Upstairs with me. Downstairs with them. He's totally confused, and has taken to wandering the halls all night long. Melissa and I had planned a beach day after seeing each other a couple weeks ago. The excuse was to bring Finn his shirt and sock that ended up in my bag after the boy's sleepover, and to get C's shorts that were left behind. But really, we all just wanted to see each other again, and today turned out to be an ideal day to spend at the beach. The kids frolicked in the freezing cold Lake Michigan water and burning hot sand. Melissa, Emma and I alternated between standing in the water, and hiding under the shade of a tree (ok, hiding under the shade tree was Melissa and me). It really was pretty great. After going our own ways, H, C and I were home maybe an hour before we decided it was time to go back to the beach -- this time, the one by our house. It was seriously a good 15 degrees cooler there, and absolutely heavenly. What a perfect summer day.

Art by C :: Self-Portrait

And yes, those are tiny little pigs (his favorite, of course) in the background.

Did I ever tell you the funny C story from school? I don't think so, and I can't believe it. When I was unpacking C's last day of school backpack -- you know, the one that comes with paperwork from the entire year including this artwork -- a bunch of little pencil top erasers came spilling out too. I also pulled out our pencil sharpener from home. The one that has been missing for months. When I asked him about the pencil sharpener, he just giggled and said that was how he had so many pencil top erasers. He had a pretty sweet gig going. If someone gave him a pencil top eraser (it could be used -- most were), he would sharpen their pencils for them in school. Oh man...

Brian's Father's Day

Brian woke up to breakfast in bed. Specifically, C's bed -- which is where he ended up after C came in to our room in the middle of the night after having a scary dream. Sleepless night still happens now and then, and frankly, our bed just isn't big enough for three (or sometimes even four) of us. It usually ends up with one of us moving to one of the kid's rooms. We had grand plans of leaving town for the night right after H's soccer game yesterday to celebrate Father's Day. But it's still been quite busy lately, and we ended up enjoying a nice day at home. Brian went on a run while H rode his bike next to him. Then we went to Lion's Den Gorge to go on a nice, long hike. Afterwards, ended up at the pool for a good part of the afternoon. Not a bad way to spend the day. And I sure hope Brian enjoyed it, because he deserves nothing but the best. He's such a great father, and every single one of us just think the world of him. Lucky us!

Dads

My Dad (25), Me (2.5), My Sister (1 mo.) circa 1972

My Father-in-Law with Brian

Happy Father's Day, to all you dad's out there! Brian and I are pretty lucky to have some amazing men to call our fathers. They both always worked so hard in order to give their families the best life possible. They taught us to be kind, caring people -- to think positive and to enjoy life. Brian's dad passed away less than two weeks before H was born, and we miss him a ton. I know he'd be so proud of Brian & Pam and the families they have created. Like their partner's in crime, our moms, we wouldn't be who we are without them. Thank you!

Last Game :: U10 White

Today, H had his last game of the season. Nina came out to watch which was super fun, despite the fact that it was down pouring the entire game (hence, no good action shots -- didn't want the camera to get too wet.) The team won, and better yet, H had a couple great assists and scored two fantastic goals. The dude has come a long since the beginning of the season, and we couldn't be prouder. It's been so fun to watch. Last year, he wasn't even sure he was going to try out. But he did -- and he ended up on a really nice team, had a couple great coaches, learned a ton, made some good friends that he would have never known otherwise, and absolutely adores the sport. It's been a great year.