Tree.

Family

Here we are, with our new home in the background. Austin took the picture...how did he do that? :)

Only in Wisconsin...

...will you find a 'vending machine' for live bait. Ha!
I've driven by this many a times, and decided it was time to get a photo of it. I laugh every time I see it!

Sunflower lovin'

As we headed towards a friend who had her kids in tow and was visiting her parents yesterday, I looked to my right and out my car window saw sunflowers. Love. So, I slowed down and turned onto the dirt road. I took some pictures of the yellow beauties. When I was done I performed a perfect "Y turn" on the road, I glanced into my side view mirror I saw love again. The farm, the dirt road, and the image in the mirror.....a perfect capture. The straight-on shots can't compare.

This was taken with the camera on my phone...edited in Instagram.

We are super excited to have cherries right in our own backyard! Austin is especially excited - they are a bit sour, but so good!

Swings

Every spring/summer I enjoy listening to the cranes sing in the field adjacent to our house. Music to my ears. I've loved their songs since high school, when I went on the same biology field trip to the International Crane Foundation all 3 times it was offered to students. Someday I want to take the boys there. Soon. (The quality isn't great; I had to keep my distance and I had a 24-70mm lens on).

The weather has been unseasonably warm, so we've enjoyed time after school running around barefoot, swinging, walking, and playing with sticks.

Nature

Mommy Nature has been showing off lately...blessing us...

...with gorgeous sunsets,

...pinkish-purplish skies,

 ...and a full moon.

Seeing Double

Saturday.
Driving home from visiting friends and my parents.
Rain fell.
Clouds parted.
Welcomed sunshine.
Glanced out my window.
Saw double.

Made a wish.

A Mama's nest

We have some new neighbors, so to say. They moved in right next to our garage, in a nice tree, just below eye level. A robin! She laid four perfect, blue eggs. I took a peek and some pictures while she was away.

Time passes...mama sits on her eggs...and stays so near.

The next time I had the chance to take a peek into her nest while she was away I was amazed to see three little, itty-bitty birdies, and the fourth egg started to crack and move in front of my very eyes. Right then the fourth little robin was free from his/her shell. I have always been fascinated by bird nests....and to have one so close to peek in on without disturbing mama has been awesome. Top that off with seeing an egg hatch in real life....fascinating.

I took a peek today and the four babies have grown so much, they are taking up the whole nest. I'll see if I can take a picture tomorrow and post it.  Here's the newest picture! I took it after school today....count the 4 beaks? All healthy and growing fast!

Big Deals!

The Big Wheel I earned by saving Pampers codes....well, it has been assembled by yours truly and is being ridden by the boys...


The snow has finally melted...

The grass is starting to show signs of growth...

Games of catch with Sasha can resume...


I've been able to open windows in the house to let the breezes flow in...

The sandbox is once again open for business...


Everywhere I look there are signs of green shooting up through the dirt reaching for sunlight...

Caterpillars are out and about...and being caught for a few moments to allow a 5 year-old to get tickled...


Ugly feet are still ugly, just now in flip-flops and bearing color on the nails...

A Red Head and a Sleepy Head

I love my bird feeder. My brother got it for me for Christmas, and I have it hanging so it's in view when I'm standing at my kitchen sink. I find myself looking at it often...I'm obsessed with it. I love watching birds...they are so fascinating. I want them all here, in my yard, feasting, drinking. Hey, I provide. Feed them, and they will come... Lately, I believe deer have been eating every last seed at night. I can  fill it up after work, see a few birds nibble here and there,  and by morning the seed is gone. Gone, I tell ya! The suet cakes are still there...and today, for the first time, a red-bellied woodpecker came to peck. I've had hairy or downy woodpeckers, but never the red-bellied. With a red head. Confusing!

********************

Ethan's bedtime ritual...well, has changed. And it's ok. It works for him to have his closet light on and show me tractors in his little book. But tonight, he was awake longer than I thought in his little bed after I walked out...and later I heard his barefeet pitter-pattering around on the wood floors upstairs...(just love that sound), which meant he was wide-awake, and not in bed. I gave him a few minutes, because I knew exactly what he was up to. He crawled into our bed, shimmied himself perfectly under the covers, and laid down and drifted off to sleep. In my spot.

No flash used, just my one-bulb closet light, and no baby toddler was woken up by the picture-taking.

It's late.
Off to bed.
Sweet dreams!

Skates

During the winter months when I was growing up, my parents frequently took my younger brother and I to the two ice rinks in town. We always had a blast - trying to recreate the moves we'd see in the Olympics..haha, not really. But we did have fun, whether our parents were on the ice with us, or they took us because we begged them so much they buckled only to sit in the car and watch us. We didn't care. Sure it was great to have them on the ice with us, but as long as we were on the ice....plus we knew we'd have a warm car and a thermos of hot cocoa waiting for us!

Naturally when I moved out I took my box of skates. The same ones that have been sitting in the same box now for just over 10 years, unused...but this fall at a second-hand store I bought Austin a pair of double runner skates. And today, we laced up our skates and took to the ice! Today our WI weather was perfect - a balmy 31 degrees.

Austin surprised me by how well he skated! I surprised myself at how well I skated...and I was expecting to fall on my 'seater' (per Austin) but I didn't. I did, however, notice my ankle strength, rather the lack thereof.

About half way through our time on the rink he says to me:
"Mama? Can we come back tomorrow after school? I want to practice some more."

I replied with: "Yes. It is fun, isn't it? Sure, we can come back."

Guess where we'll be tomorrow after school?

Mr. Sun

Some mornings are magical.

Take today, for instance...

Our timing was perfect, Mr. Sun and I.

I smiled, because sitting on the passenger seat next to me was my camera bag.

So I drove slow, thanking the man above I had no cars behind me.

My left hand gripped the steering wheel, my right hand held my camera.

I pointed the camera out my front windshield, which is still so dirty.

Click, click, click....I blindly snapped away as my eyes followed the road straight ahead...

Click.

Love.


What a fabulous Friday.

O Christmas Tree | 2010

The snow.

The walking.

The cold.

The searching.

The comparing.

The measuring.

The decision.

The cut.

The dragging.

The ride.

The resting.

The snipping.

The lights.

The decorating.

The watering.

North

About a month or so ago, I was sitting inside Sceeters with two other women that have kids...and during our conversation it came up that out of the six of us adults (meaning us 3 women and our husbands) 3 of us have summer vacations since we teach, and three of us didn't....but could and did have time off the first week in August. I mentioned something about Bayfield...beaches...and another mentioned biking...and from there the trip was planned. On the calendar. Booked. 

We took our much anticipated mini-vacation "North" (per Austin) with these two other families...the adults were outnumbered. Six adults, seven kids. The kids' ages? All the way from 10 down to 19 months (Ethan).

We stopped just north of Mellen to see Copper Falls:

We enjoyed walking down to Bayfield's marina, and having three delicious pizzas delivered to our hotel's roof-top deck. A quick change into suits gave the kids a nighttime swim down by the little beach near our hotel. The next day we boarded the ferry and with bikes, went to Madeline Island. We biked to Big Bay State Park where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and plenty of water, sand, and sun time:

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at The Pier restaurant (which has been totally remodeled and is simply awesome - both physically and the food! I had gazpacho and Spinach-stuffed Tortellini with portabella mushrooms, and can't wait to have it there again!) I also sipped on a huge sangria....then the kids headed down for another nighttime swim. By evening's end, the boys were tuckered out, but didn't want to sleep. I hope nobody heard me singing a slew of "You Are My Sunshine", "Hush Little Baby", "Twinkle Twinkle", amongst other songs way out of tune and off-key for 30 minutes. Hey-who cares? It worked.

Marie brought a magazine with that she just had been happening to read, and it featured Bayfield....The Candy Shoppe (yes, I bought and ate my Wine Bread. Cherry this time. Divine....), Hauser's wine and jams....sampled and bought both)...

On the way back home we went to Bayview Beach for another picnic lunch, sand, and water time....

...and a snack: