fishing trip

Last Friday, we packed a picnic lunch and headed north for a fun evening fishing trip with our friends, the Strucks. One of the doctors that Bart works with has a nice 2nd home right on the water, with the perfect dock for fishing off of. It was such a great evening and here's why:

First, I got to hold hands with this man...

Watch Ky's excitement when he caught this fish...and another one...

Watch my hubby fish with his sons...

Laugh that this was the biggest fish we caught all night...

Pretend not to think it's cute when Kade cries like this because all he wants to do all evening is throw rocks in water...

Watch Ky and Logan watch the tiny fish swimming in the water...
And end the evening watching the perfect sunset...

Hope we can go again real soon!

kids' day!

Yesterday was such a fun day! Our mayor has declared June 25th every year Kids' Day. So, a bunch of places in the area were offering free things and free admission to all the kids. There was so much to do and we were able to cram a lot into one day.
First, a large dental group was offering free exams and x-rays, so I was all over that. The boys both loved being at the dentist. No one got scared or nervous. In fact, they thought it was all so cool, they did just what they were asked and they made friends with everyone. They both have great teeth and no cavities. Hurray! Also, they were doing some fun drawings for prizes and I won a Sonicare toothbrush! I can't wait to pick it up. My teeth are going to be so clean!

Next we went to the library for a fun story time puppet show. Plus, the kids got to meet this dog from the puppet show.

Next we went to a museum. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while since I had someone tell me the boys would like it. Wrong. It was boring, even for me. So, we didn't stay long.

Next, we headed over to Lambeau Field. We got free lunch, the boys got to sit in a fire tuck, we got to meet some of the football players, watch a video of highlights from last years' football season (which my three year-olds loved), get their faces painted, and jump in the inflatable football stadium. Actually, all the other kids jumped in it. My boys realized that it looked like a football field, so they spent all their time in there tackling each other. (Which, by the way, is what they spend most of the time at home doing.)
Next we went to the movie theater to see which free movies they were showing, but they were either not 3 year old appropriate, or we owned them, so we headed over to the Railroad Museum instead. We've been wanting to go there for a few weeks, but admission is kinda steep. But, since the boys got in free for Kid's Day, it worked out great. This was my favorite part of the day. There were so many real trains to explore. Many of them you could go in. Some of them you started in the front and walked all the way back, through the dining car, through the sleeping car, through the kitchen, etc. Since there were trains from different eras, it was neat to see the differences. I couldn't help wondering what it would have been like to travel that way, sleeping in the cute little bunks as the train moved across the country. It was so neat! We even got to go on a little train ride at the end.
When we finished there, we headed over to the little amusement park in the city. This has to be one of my favorite things about living here. Usually the rides are all a quarter or two, but they were free for the kids. The boys' favorite ride is the "chooer airplanes." They rode this one three times. The last time, Ky's chooer (gun) wasn't working, so he started bawling. It was cute and heartbreaking to see him going around and around with huge tears running down his cheeks, and just the saddest face. But, he loves that ride, it was late and we had been going all day.

Before we left, I decided to get a little crazy. I love the Tilt-a-Whirl, and decided to see if my boys would too. So, we stood in the long line at the end of a very long day. As we got closer, I started to get nervous that I was making a big mistake. I starting picturing them crying and screaming for several minutes while the ride spun them around and around, with nothing I could do but sit between them and tell them it was going to be okay. But, I made them ride on it with me anyway. Let me just say that I have never been on the Tilt-a-Whirl when it spun around so much! It was almost a little too much for me. But, both the boys laughed the entire ride! They never once got scared or nervous, they just laughed and laughed. They couldn't stop talking about it on the way home, they had to tell Bart all about it first thing this morning, Ky even woke up in the middle of the night wanting to tell daddy about it. I'm so relieved that they didn't hate it, and happy that they had such a good time on it!

What a great day it was. We did enough to make for an exciting week, and we did it all in one day! I just wish Bart could have been there with us.

i {heart} corner buildings

I distinctly remember the first time I went to San Francisco and I saw several uniquely shaped buildings caused by the intersecting streets not being perpendicular to each other, or by more than two streets intersecting at the same place. I instantly fell in love with these corner buildings. (By corner buildings, I don't just mean buildings on a corner--they have to be the skinny, triangular ones.) I know I have seen others, some in person and some in pictures. There are some great ones in Europe I would love to see in person someday.

Well, last weekend when we were in Madison, I spotted some more great corner buildings and had to take some pictures. A few of these shots were taken while risking my life--I had to stand in the middle of the intersection and hold up traffic when the light turned green. It's okay though because I {heart} corner buildings.

We actually stopped and went inside this corner building for some Jamba Juices. Yum! I think they tasted better because they were from this cool building.

mini vacay

Last weekend we went to visit Bart's brother Bret and his family. We had such a great time and the weather was perfect!
We rode a bus downtown and the boys thought it was the coolest thing they had ever done. They were entertaining everyone on the bus with their excitement over riding on the bus.

My adorable nephew, Cooper. I can't believe how much he changes every time we see him!


Can't get enough of those blue eyes!

Sorry ladies, he's all mine!

I thought you were supposed to avoid lens flare...I love it!My boys are best friends!
I love this picture of Kade and his dad

At the farmer's market the boys made necklaces out of fruits and vegetables. The best part was watching them try to eat them right off the wire

golfin'

Since the boys were about 18 months old, one of their favorite things to do is play golf. See proof here. They have gone through 3 sets of plastic golf clubs, not because they treat them badly, but because they play with them that much. So, rather than buying another set of sure-to-break, backwards-because-my-boys-play-left-handed plastic clubs, Bart coughed up the money and bought them some real, left-handed clubs. I thought that giving two three year-olds heavy metal golf clubs would surely lead to a trip to the emergency room within the first few days, but it's been a few weeks and so far no injuries. They actually do a great job of watching where their brother is and staying away from him until he's done swinging. Bart's excited to take them to a real golf course soon to really try them out.

These pictures were taken before they got their new clubs, but they are still fun, so I decided to post a few. Notice the duct tape, bent shaft, and how they hit the ball with the back of the club. Too funny...

little gym, little athletes

The boys just finished their awesome sports class at the Little Gym. They've been going since February, and they have learned a lot since then. They learned some fun games, gymnastics skills, and sports skills in hockey, golf, baseball, track, and tennis. It was fun to see them interact with the other kids in their class, and also to really stick together.
The last day of class, the parents got to come in with them and they showed us some of the things they had learned the past few months.

Jumping on the airtrack was a favorite activity.

Ky executing a perfect forward roll

I made some bright, colorful cupcakes that match the interior of the gym to thank their teachers for everything. I got the idea here.
At the end, their teachers awarded all the kids with gold medals. Kade and Ky wanted to go up together (awww cute!). Their teachers said that they were both natural athletes and very good at golf and baseball, that they were always energetic and had lots to say.

Their class. Notice how much smaller they are than the other kids...but that never stopped them from keeping up.

ready to move on

Sorry, I know Ashli's posts are much better than mine, but this was too funny not to share. This is a sign that the faithful Packerfans are ready to move on!