3 boys and a girl heading to WI

We boarded the 4 wheeled black mini van Monday Afternoon, June 11th around 6:00 p.m., 10 days earlier than we had anticipated, due to the unexpected passing of Erin's grandfather. We got as far as Dalton GA; decided it would be safer to get a hotel and get some rest and plow through the rest of the ride early the next morning. Brad and I rated the boys a "c-" that night as we knew they travel much much better during the morning hours. Matthew, well, he was Matthew. He screamed the last few hours of the night away as he didn't want to be in his car seat and kept resisting any comforts we attempted to provide for him. Sam, he was an angel as he was just so excited to see the family. We checked ourselves in the hotel around 1:30 a.m. and got a good 6 hours of rest, enough to feel safer on the road, and to let our ears have a break from the screeching terrors of Matthew's lungs.



We awoke around 7 a.m. , enjoyed a buffet breakfast, Sam's FAVORITE, and re-boarded the 4 wheeled black mini van around 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, heading to "sconsin".



The boys had a GREAT day in the car, despite their restraint. Matthew napped on schedule, and Sam enjoyed playing, "I py, with my wittle eye", and watching every movie we owned. They both napped in the afternoon and we really only stopped a few times to let their legs get walked. Unfortunately we were entering Chicagoland area around 4:30, just in time to enjoy the wonderful chicagoland rush hour traffic. Traffic added an additional 2 hours to our travel time, however, the boys enjoyed seeing the trains travel in and out of the city and kept them very very well entertained.



Today, Brad and I gave the boys a "A" for travel and we were proud of them!


We arrived at Gaga and Papa's a little after 8 p.m., which to my boys it was after 9 p.m. Florida time. They were both so excited to get there and were greeted with hugs and kisses and wet smooches from Sassy the dog.

MJT-first shoes

Matthew's first pair of shoes Size 5 1/2 W

Sam's first pair of shoes was: 5 WW

Not sure about his new diggs!
Take these shoes OFF me.

Blog Hiatus

Well well well well well...it's been forever since we last posted. We are finally back from WI as of this afternoon around 4:00 p.m. It was a very long ride, 18 hours, but we made it, everyone in one piece. We had a blast in Wisconsin visiting with everyone. The boys had a party everyday! The look on their faces when they got home was priceless. They ran from toy to toy in pure excitement. Brad and I were completely amused as they entertained themselves. I have TONS and TONS of pictures from all our ventures that I will post the next few days. Stay tuned and I promise this is the end of the hiatus!

Breaking news from Acorn Chase Dr

Matthew decided it was time to take his first few steps today, 6/2/07! He's been thinking about walking, but today he just did it. It was his time to do it. He is so cute as he tries to maneuver around the house on his 2 little feet. My little 10 1/2 month old is now walking. It's hard to believe. As you'll see in the video footage, Sam is struggling with this. Sam just wants to play with Matthew and Sam gets frustrated. Brothers they will be forever!

Matthew's first few steps (part2)

Matthew First few steps (part1)

Sam riding his bike

Tampa cousins

Table for 12 please. 2 highchairs, 1 booster and 6 boxes of crayons later, we sat down for a lunch after spending the day at the beach.

Last weekend we headed to Tampa to spend time with the fam. Sam was so thrilled to be going on a trip, and so thrilled to see all his cousins. And most importantly, seeing all his cousins at the SAME time. We visited the beach and went to the pool. The kids had a blast. As you can see, they boys were EXHAUSTED and slept like champs.

Thank you Gaga and Papa for letting us stay in your condo. It worked out perfectly.

Dr MJ to the rescue

"And what seems to be your problem today? Lack of sleep? Brother bruises? Pacifier suction to your face? Swollen raw knees from crawling on the floor? Oh yes, I have most of these problems myself, I'm sure to help you!"

Just like daddy

Like father like son. Sam LOVES his peanut butter. It has gotten so loved that he asks for a peanut butter spoon for lunch. He has gotten very profient at getting the step stool out to reach the peanut butter and help himself. It could be worse right?

Sushi Rolls?

Well, Matthew LOVED them, until daddy accidentally left some of the wasabi sauce on one corner.... Sam was quite impressed that his brother actually ate something he didn't!

Look Matthew...

I have a q-tip in my ear! Oh what it means to be brothers!

Mothers Day 2007

Happy Mothers Day all you hard working mom's!

My boys gave me a wonderful day full of Mom fun. It started out with a early wake up call (suprise suprise) from my dear man Sam who was bearing gifts! He was so cute as he crawled in bed with me holding his present saying, "Happy Mother's Day mommy!". The boys had a great day planned. We quickly got ourselves up and headed to the Original Pancake House for an early breakfast and then headed to the beach. The skies were covered with thick black clouds, with the rain about to fall, but we decided to brave the elements, knowing what the inevitable was.

The clouds hung around the beach all morning, but that didn't stop us from having a great morning together as a family. Sam met some friends while we were there and us parents became history! I have to admit, I love when that happens! Below are some shots of our mothers day!

Hammer & nails, who could ask for more...

How awesome was this! Twice a month Lowe's offers a Kiddie workshop. The topic of this workshop was "flowers for mommy". With a little help and a little guidance, Sam made me this perfect herb planter. It now sits on the window sill and Sam waters it every other day! What a great Mother's Day gift.

Making the planter. This consisted of many little nails with pre-drilled nail holes!

Then he picked which herbs he wanted to grow...

The finished product!

Oh yes, and Matthew was there as well!

He enjoyed listening to all the hammering going on!

Thick black smoke

has filled our air once again. The wind has shifted as we are once again living in a burning fire. The smoke is so thick, it leaves ash on our cars. The smoke is so thick, our playdate was once again canceled. It is dangerously yuckie outside. I sure hope that somehow someway these fires stop burning. It's so sad.
This afternoon as we stood in the garage watching a rain drop fall out of the sky, we're praying that it waters the fire and puts it to ash.

Water bums!

That's how we relate to the boys. Where ever there is water or sand, count them in! These two are freeks when we drive past a pool. Sam's friend Kevin was trying to teach him to swim. They both wear the "red" necklace which means a parent must be with them at ALL times in the water. Once they learn to swim, they can graduate to a yellow necklace, and less parental supervision. I can't wait for that day! But Kevin and Sam are far from that!

The zero depth entry is fantastic!

Matthew just wants to run after Sam. He wanted to stand in the water and did NOT was us to help him! As you notice, the ball, behind him, that was in his site at ALL times. He just LOVES it! This is the expression on his face when ever he is standing! He just loves it.

Ocean Soundscapes

The Ocean

So many toys, so much sand, so much water....where do I start?

Daddy helped Sam make this sand castle.

Little Matthew ate more sand than he ever imagined possible. He was in heaven! I think the sound of the waves actually mellowed him out for the morning.

Daddy and Sam enjoying the sand dunes.
This is one of the many joys of living in Florida, being so far away from home. The scenery of the beaches in Jacksonville is amazing. We visited Port Saint George this past weekend. Port George is about 9 miles south of Amelia Island. There is truly nothing there but beach. This beach was amazing. You were able to park your car on the beach! The kids were amazed at how 'large' this sand box really was. The hardest part was trying to clean everyone off and get everyone motivated to get back in the car and go home! It was a great morning. Weather was 82/partly sunny skies. We can't wait to go back.

Ring around the Rosey!

It just doesn't work mommy...

Well, we've decided to re-introduce the roles of the potty. After a few weeks of potty neglect, Sam seemed willing to accept his potty seat all over again. It's so strange how this whole potty training thing works. One day he is ALL for using the potty, the next day he is on potty chair strike. So, as we've been advised, we let Sam be our guide. He is still young, and the doctor always tells me that he may take some time as he is a boy.

So..with that said, we introduced a new strategy. Strategy focuses on jelly beans. If he goes pee pee and poo poo in the potty he receives a "bean". This is working, however, he will not poo poo in the potty. Just plain and simple will not do it. I think it is a privacy issue he is dealing with. Sam is a creature of habit. His habit consists of pooping in the SAME corner every day at virtually the SAME time. Unfortunately for the past 3 days we've witnessed no pooping. He tells me that he has to go, sits on the potty...and waits. I close the door and I just hear him grunting in there, but no poo poo.

Today after about 14 minutes of him alone in the bathroom, I decided it was time to intervene. I was sure that he had pooed and was ready to clean him up. When I opened the door and walked in there he was, sitting proud on the potty. When I asked him how he was doing he said, "I'm good mommy, how are you?" I asked, "Did you go poo poo yet?" Sam, "Mommy, I can't, it just doesn't work and I WANT a bean, what can I do mommy?"

He sat for another minute before he left the bathroom and was devastated that he wasted all that time in the bathroom and nothing worked and he wasn't able to have a bean.

So, tomorrow we'll HOPE he poo's...Sam hasn't missed a pooping day since I can remember, so let's hope the poo poo fairy is looking down on him tonight and makes it for a easy potty day tomorrow!

Independence at a glance...

Look what Matthew can do!!!

From the ground up!!! He can pull himself to standing position and stand for little over a minute or until Sam crashes into him and Matthew flops himself on the ground. Tonight I counted to 85! That is 85 seconds.....NOT TOO BAD!!!
So proud of himself!

Any guesses on when he'll take his first few steps???

So proud!

Great coordination for a 2 year old!

At the pool!

The weather is finally hot and we have been able to enjoy the pool. The water is still a little cool, but on 95 degree days, it sure feels great. Sam is showing off in these pictures how he went down the "big bird" slide all by himself!!! I have to say this year Sam is a little more cautious around the water. If you remember my post from last year, he had NO FEAR!

Happy 60th Papa Stan!

Sam was unsure of his brother wanting a piece of the cake!

Blowing out the candles!

Happy Birthday Papa Stan! We hope you enjoyed your cake as much as Sam did!

Busy as can be

That has been the story of the month of April. Today is the FIRST weekend that we are plan-less and have nothing to do except well, nothing! It's a little depressing as my children have had so much fun playing with lots of family and lots of friends, and today, well, it's back to just mommy and daddy. April started off in Tampa. From Tampa we went to Atlanta. From Atlanta we went to Orlando from Orlando we came home and had a fantastic visit from Erin's parents and grandparents and from that we had a swing by visit from Brad's parents as they packed up their Sarasota condo and started their journey back to Mequon. WOW!!!

We thank all of you for coming to visit or opening up your homes to us. May is going to be a long one as we prepare for a little weekend get away in Savannah GA and then home in June.

So...if anyone is looking to escape the norm, you know you're welcome here!
We miss you all already.

The Bartosz's visit!

Great Grandparents!

The "magic" school bus...

or a motor home! My grandparents decided to swing by Jacksonville on their way home to the North Woods after being gone for 6 months. They parked their motor home about 20 minutes away from us and visited often. Brad and I took the boys to visit them when they first got here and Sam thought it was the coolest "magic school bus" he had ever seen. He asked Grandpa a few times if he could drive, but it wasn't in the plans. Grandma Arleen spoiled Sam as he ate cookies, m&m's and drank his milk. Matthew thought it was just great to have more hands to play with! It is moments like these that we will cherish forever. Their stay coincided with my (erin's) parents being in town so we had a party almost everyday!

A present!!!! It is a remote control car! How did Grandma know it is Sam's favorite?
Caption Matthew at your command!
Daddy, I see you!