State Fair 2011

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Piano

Emily also started piano lessons this week.  Her teacher is WONDERFUL.  I am looking forward to watching Emily learn and love music.  We have a keyboard to practice on thanks to some great friends.  After going to the first lesson I really want the real thing!  We are going to work with the keyboard, and take our time, think and budget and figure out what we really want for years to come.

Another visit to the Zoo

Riding the train. 

His bravery improved

Special summer dinasour exhibit

I thought she would fall asleep, she didn't

We bought a year pass to the zoo, we have officially gone enough times that it has paid for itself.  We can take lots of extras on our pass if anyone wants to go with us.

these days

I unload the dishwasher just to fill it up with all the stuff I have stashed in the sink

I am so joyfully doing laundry, for about two months my dryer squeeked with every revolution. Sometimes it would self correct 10 minutes into the cycle, some days we listened to that squeek for 50 minutes. My dear husband fixed it for me on Sunday while we all stayed home sick from church.

Speaking of sick, Dallas and Noelle had some cold, they both needed 24 hours of round the clock breathing treatments. So thankful for the nebulizer.

I am stuck in the middle of a good book. I want to finish it, but have only found tiny chunks of time to fit it in. I read three books while in Wisconsin. The Help, The Well Trained Mind, and The Girl with the Who Played with Fire. I am 1/3 of the way into The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest, since it is the last in the series, it occured to me that the heroine might actually die.

I have been occasionally forcing Noelle to stand and hold on to something to practice. She hates it.

Dallas would spend all day driving his race car in the back yard. We occasionally have to five the grass a one or two day break.

Emily has been painstakenly drawing a thank-you card to everyone for her birthday love. It might take a while, she only gets one done a day, but they are all really thoughtful. Look for them in the mail along Halloween time.

I have been un-needlessly stressing over booking a hotel for our little stay in FL. What I want doesn't exist, I should just suck it up and book something. Did you know that 5 persons occuping one room in most (all) hotels is illegal?

I broke out my new to me Grandma Johnson's Bernina today. Whoa, what was I waiting for! It runs like a BMW compared to my (grandma Johnson's) ole Singer. So sweet and smooth, and quiet! I have a little project that consisted of sewing straight rows, so I thought it would be a good test. I think I am sold. It is running pretty great, anyone know the last time it had a tune up? Nothing like jumping from a 40 yr old machine to a 20 yr old one.

ETA:
With a couple of emails from my Aunt Margie, and my dad, I am re-figuring. The Singer must be 45-50 years old, and the Bernina at least 25. And it was last known serviced in the 90's. I guess I will look around for a place to take it after I finish my newest sweet project... if only I wasn't trying to finish a book at the same time!

Madeline Island Trip 2011

Beach steps from our beds

I need better speed boat hair

It has at least one wheel

Our one attempt at a family shot, with an extra kid and missing Noelle's head

Noelle and Robert

 

First campfire smores

friends

he rarely left his swimsuits

Oshkosh 2011

What to do with all this room to myself?

I can only really comment on the Noelle photo, perhaps Rob can add some commentary when he has the chance.

what a busy couple weeks.  Here is my review, hopefully I will have time to come back and make more detailed entries. 
Emily turned five.  We had a party with rainbows incorporated into every detail, well as many as seemed practical and the budget allowed.  She has been busy writing thank you cards since. 
On the 28th, Robert left for Oshkosh with Dallas, Emily and Grandpa Dallas.  They rented a camper trailer and hauled it with our new truck, which deserves a post itself.  I was a mom of one again for four days.  It was really quiet on Thursday and I think I talked to the dog a lot, but it was really refreshing for me.  Noelle got to experience having all of my attention for a couple days.
 Emily lost her third tooth on August 2nd.  She decided to pull it out while she was coloring because it tickled.   I noticed when I was inspecting her mouth afterwards, that her second adult tooth has come in... behind the first adult tooth.  Guessing Em will be getting an orthodontic consult sometime soon.
Then on the 3rd of August we joined some good friends up on Madeline Island, it is one of the Apsotile Islands outside of Bayfield Wisconsin.  It is so pretty, you can see God's glory in everything.  And no cell service so we truly had some family time. 
For a couple of upcoming Mondays we are watching a little baby.  She is three months younger than Noelle, but way more mobile.  It was super fun to have her here yesterday.  The kids had fun kissing her and they all played house, pretending they had twin babies. 

That is the news, I will try to go back and do some picture heavy posts.  Gearing up for the State Fair trip next!

I want!

http://www.amazon.com/Household-Essentials-1600-Umbrella-Style-Aluminum/dp/B000BO96W8

I want this, Christmas presents in August???  Has anyone seen these used on craigslist.  Acutally $40 is not that bad.  I could use my umbrella stand hole on the deck, or stick it in place of the tetherball pole.  We don't tetherball much anyway. 

ETA: I just saw one for $15 on craigslist in DSM, don't you all go stealing my idea.  Wonder if it is stilll available