Team Tomashek

Parallels between the Chilean Miner ordeal and our walk in Christ

2010-10-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

It started with a fall,
A separation
Now they were trapped
In darkness
Days of not knowing if anyone could help
Unable to save themselves
Then...
A message from above
"You will be saved"
For the first time, Hope
Hope leads to Faith
"Someone is there for me"
Faith and Hope lead to perseverance
In the face of trial
A leader rose up among them
Preparing them to be rescued
But still completely unable to save themselves
Messages come from above
Keeping hope alive
Messages of need from below
Are answered
A Breakthrough!
Only one way out
Through the narrow way
From Darkness
Through Darkness
Into Light
Into the embrace of the Rescuer

We are all in one of two places. We are either like the miners in the first 17 days, trapped with no concept of being rescued. Or like the miners in the last 52 days, knowing that we will be freed from an imperfect existence to be once again in the fellowship of those we love and who love us. The only difference is faith in a Rescuer.

Jane walking

2010-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

A couple days before her birthday, Jane took a few steps. Three weeks later, she was running to me down the hall. That's amazing.

Morgan's first birthday

2010-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this is Morgan... She's so big now.

Jane's First Birthday

2010-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Jane in January

2010-02-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

Scott's birthday

2010-02-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2010-02-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Tree Hunt

2010-02-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Maria showing Addison (my brother's son) where the Frasiers are on the map

I love that Scott teaches the kids how to cut down the tree.

John was trying to hold up the tree as Scott finished cutting it down. Where'd he go?

Addison, John and Andy trying to keep warm

The girls with Grandma

Morgan- the wonder of a child

My Aunt Mary Lou joined us for the first time.

The beginning of the end of my camera- this is the first year that Morgan sat on Santa's lap and told him what she wanted for Christmas. She was SO excited; can you tell? Unfortunately, this was the day my camera started to die.

Say "Hot Cocoa"

Scott's pie

2010-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

Scott, my very talented husband, makes THE BEST apple pie. Just wanted to make you drool.

Christmas Eve

2010-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

Our friends, the Johnsons, came over on Christmas Eve to celebrate with us. Tyson's dad does wood carving, and he made each big kid their own special box. Morgan's had ballet shoes on it.

This little boy is Tristan- the baby from my first blog post.

Days before Christmas

2010-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

The taking of the Christmas picture.

Pancake Saturday

2010-02-07T11:20:00.001-08:00

We have a tradition around here- Saturday is Pancake Day. Scott enjoys showing off his creativity.

The Missing Snow Shovel

2010-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

After I took this picture on December 10, we had an amazing snowfall of 14 inches here in Green Bay. The snow shovels were lost out in the backyard until the snow melted down a bit at the end of January.

Girl Choir- Maria's first concert

2010-02-07T11:08:00.001-08:00

Maria joined Girl Choir this year, so I get to conduct my daughter. Very fun. On rehearsal nights, she stays and does homework while I conduct older girls, too. When we ride home together we chat. This is precious time. She also looks quite lovely in the dress. :)

St. Nick's Day

2010-02-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

I don't remember ever doing St. Nick's Day when I was young. I remember when Maria was in preschool, she came home and cried at the table, "I guess Santa doesn't love me... (sniffle)... he didn't come to my house." That sealed the deal- we do St. Nick now.

Maria's 10th Birthday

2010-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome back. I know I haven't blogged in a while. I'll try to get you all up to speed.

Maria's girfriends, our immediate family and the Brown-Lorches surprised her with a pizza party for her tenth birthday. Maria was definitely surprised- she cried.

Maria had a family birthday party on her actual birthday, Sunday afternoon.

She looks so old... ah!

Cabin Series #3: October

2009-11-03T10:30:00.001-08:00

Our friends gifted us with another respite at their cabin this last week. It is our first non-summer get-away to the cabin. We had a wonderfully quiet, relaxing time. What a joy to be together as a family; we don't have that very often. Here are some memories...

Feet from the Loft

Our first snow at the cabin, Saturday morning

Maria did this puzzle all by herself.

Scott and Maria, with some help from John and Mom attacked this HARD puzzle. Each little postage stamp gives a clue to where it is located and what is next to it... whew!

The Baby Pine Tree Street

The mosses and lichen were hanging from tree branches, covering bark and fresh on rocks.

I love this picture of the Statue of Liberty, a young Molly, and my Packer dude.

Ok. Look very carefully at the next one. Look at the right birch tree, the top V in the branches, the right branch of the V, and you will see the wingspan of the young eaglet. He is still brown mostly. Amazing!

Dad and Jane ready for a walk (Baby Bjorn included)

This is one of my two favorite trees on the property (so far anyway). This is a Red Pine right on the lakeshore. Its bark is glorious. (My other favorite is the Aspen that dances for me out the bedroom window where Scott and I sleep.)

Morgan climbing the hill

Morgan and John racing down the hill- check out the tamarack trees, they were everywhere up north-the orange against the green... hmmm... that gives me an idea for my orange kitchen.

Pacifier

2009-11-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Maria used to do this with a pretend tupperware pitcher cover. Just thought it was funny that they both did it.

Plagued

2009-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

A week and a half of sickness. First it was one child with influenza, then two more cases. Then Scott broke out in hives for 5 days (like eyes swelling shut, lips to puffy to open). And three days ago the baby started a fever. Last night, after an ER visit with a 103.7 fever, we discovered she had a severe double ear infection. To quote Scott, "All we need are some hopping frogs."

Unshakeable

2009-10-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

I went in last night to get Jane around 2 a.m. (she was coughing and crying). I thought Morgan was drinking from her sippy cup. I heard that water gurgling sound the air makes in a sippy cup when a little one is drinking. I turned on the hall light to check Morgan’s temp “as long as she was up”. OH MY! She was sound asleep- that was her nose! Poor baby. Well, this morning we were doing our morning potty break, and I said, “Morgan you had a hard time sleeping last night, huh?” Morgan, her chippy self, responded, “No I didn’t. I had a lovely time.”

Oh, to be sick with influenza, have a 103 temperature, and think the world is a “lovely” place. Kids are unshakeable.

Cabin Series #2: the smile

2009-10-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jane is a gentle soul. She is rather quiet, not quick to smile or laugh. She is usually thinking intently about something, and normally looks like this...

So when you catch her doing this...

Your heart melts.

I love you, Janie Jo.

Shiner

2009-10-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

I think Jane beat Noah for earliest shiner. Eight months! This girl keeps me on my toes. I was changing her clothes (on the floor next to the changing table, because we can't do it on the changing table- she's too wiggly). I turned to grab a diaper or something, and "WHAM!" Jane's face met the changing table's lowest shelf. Instant no-breathing cry. Yowza! After ice and a mild panic attack on my part, she had her first shiner. Of course, being the goofy mom I am, I had to document it.

a long day

2009-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Jane had a long day and actually fell asleep in Scott's arms. This hasn't happened since she was a few weeks old. How precious!

Apples

2009-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

We met up with our friend Nancy and her daughter Anya Rashi for some apple picking a few weeks ago. It is wonderfully hopeful to see us all healthy, outside having fun. As of right now, all four of our kids have influenza. Here's to better days!

Flag Football

2009-10-14T18:39:00.001-07:00

The orange butt... That's John. Ha! He's playing center for his flag football team, the Buccaneers. He is having a blast learning more about the sport he has come to love. He enjoys watching Packer games with Scott, and getting a chance to play is great, too.

Papa Andy and Grammie Mary came to the first game. Forgive me, it still makes me a little misty with gratitude that my dad is around to see this stuff. How meaningful for John. Papa Andy gave Scott and John his tickets to the Lions game this coming Sunday. Thank you, Papa. Go PACK!

The Climb

2009-10-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jane is very into climbing right now. She loves stairs, pulling up on furniture, walking on furniture, playing the piano (standing on the floor on her tippy toes), but most of all she loves climbing Mount Mom.

I was trying to take her picture one afternoon, and she kept coming for me... must climb, must climb...

Baby Darth

2009-10-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Who is that masked man?

"It's Baby Darth, Mom."- Morgan

Power of One

2009-10-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Maria, her two friends and I went to a Christian music festival this past Saturday called the Power of One. I went to my first Power of One when I was 16. It has sessions during the day with speakers aimed at teens more than tweens, but we went for the music at night. Maria's favorite bands are BarlowGirl and SuperChic[k]. And wouldn't you know it, both of them were there. The above picture is BarlowGirl performing. We had a blast!

Jane Standing

2009-09-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a short clip of Jane standing up by herself.

Cabin Series #1: The dock

2009-09-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

We go up to Minocqua every year to a cabin owned by some family friends. They have generously let us use their home for a week during the summer for six years now. The following series is our vacation.

Maria, John and Morgan were intrigued by the fish off the dock. Their bare feet are dangling in the water trying to lure the fish towards them. The fish will nibble on your toes if you wiggle them.

As you can see by my sweatshirt, it was chilly in the mornings (some nights were almost at freezing). This morning John kept dinging me to go swimming, so the moment I said "ok"...

Scott and Morgan had to stir up some bravery to get in.

First Cheerios

2009-09-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

Worship Team Annual Family Picnic

2009-09-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

This year's Annual Family Picnic was at my house.
It was absolutely wonderful to have everyone over.

I like to think of the above picture as a "where is Waldo" concept piece. I call it "Where is Bjorn?"

Jane was my deflector shield for ladder ball.

This is Mr. Bruce. He was one of my children's favorite people. He is their Sunday school teacher, full of creativity and love for his students. In this picture he is holding a sleeping Tristan. No, that's not Jane- too much hair.

Volleyball in the field behind our house (that's M and J's school).

Blueberry Muffins

2009-09-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

The beauty of food prepared from scratch. Michigan blueberries, and the perfect sticky dough (if I do say so myself). My friend Beth takes pictures of her food. I decided to as well. Good fun!

Ballet class is coming

2009-09-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

Morgan has been waiting to turn three for one reason...

Ballet class. It starts in two weeks. She can't wait.

first cracker

2009-09-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

too many stuffed animals

2009-09-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get these put in storage for Jane, but a little sneaker pants found them.

Then another sneaker pants...

A day outside

2009-08-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's like she has the sky in her eyes they are so blue.

John spent his time outside trying to figure out why the sprinkler only goes one way.

That is, when he wasn't spraying Morgan with the hose.

Jane's first dip in the baby pool. It was finally warm enough to try.

Those of you who know Morgan see what's coming...

Oo! That was cold.

The second batch

2009-08-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

We lovingly refer to our strange spacing of children as "batches". Maria and John are the first batch, and Morgan and Jane are the second batch. These pictures are of the second batch on bath night. Too cute. And yes, Morgan is asking Jane if she can dowse her with a cupful of water.

Girl Choir Camp

2009-08-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Maria is joining the Green Bay Girl Choir program in which I am a conductor. Because of this, I have had her choir added on to my responsibilities. I wasn't sure how that dynamic would play out for the both of us, but we did camp for a week, 12-6 every day for five days at UW-GB two weeks ago. It was awesome! Maria is an expressive and hard-working musician. I love being her teacher and I think she enjoyed being my student.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Day 2009

2009-08-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Maria and Scott volunteered at Heritage Hill again this year, now on Laura Ingalls Wilder Day. Because they were volunteering, Maria was able to meet Dean Butler (Almanzo from the TV series) and Bill Anderson (Laura's biographer). She is so at home at Heritage Hill. Scott really enjoyed his time making popcorn over the fire, too. I'm looking forward to next summer, when I'll be able to be away from baby Jane for the day unhindered, so I can join them. Maybe Grandma T would make me a skirt and everything?!

Maria and Dean Butler. I know, the lighting is horrible... but who cares?! It's Dean Butler!

I brought John, Morgan and Jane later in the day. It was wonderful to lay out on the lawn, with Jane pulling up grass, Morgan running around and John figuring out games from the 1820's. Life is good.

Scott making popcorn over an open fire.

We ran into some friends from church. We learned how to make yarn dolls from Maria.

A garden grows

2009-08-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, our bit of earth has become quite a garden. We had stuffed tomatoes with dinner tonight and have been enjoying an abundance of snap peas, lettuce, green beans (well, not an abundance of that thanks to the bunny family that lives under our deck), and cucumbers. And oh, the sunflowers. I send the kids out to pick weeds, to harvest (and to snack apparently), and now to clear out the dying vines. John, especially, enjoys the harvesting. I can't wait to have an even bigger garden next year. This was the best Mother's Day gift ever. And thanks to my mother-in-law and father-in-law who gifted me with bulbs last birthday, we had beautiful flowers to enjoy this year. There is nothing quite like bulbs to make you feel settled.

Maria

2009-08-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

So I have my loonies and then there's Maria... This is her favorite way to spend a summer day- reading. She can knock off a chapter book like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in an afternoon. What a treat to share a love of fiction with one of your children. She is half way through the Chronicles of Narnia. She read all the way through them last August. Must be her August book of choice.

My Loony Birds

2009-08-12T12:33:00.001-07:00

Morgan and John are my Looney Birds. These two together are T for Trouble and so silly. They were snuggling on the couch on a lazy summer afternoon, so I tried to capture this gentle, warm moment...

And then John picked his nose and we all got the giggles...

And Morgan picked John's nose...

And then some tickles...

Row, row, row...

2009-08-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

I wish I would have had Maria as my big sister. She is amazing- so loving, nurturing, genuinely interested in her little siblings, patient... a mom in training. Last night before bed, as I was leaving the room to Morgan's great distress, I heard Maria say, "Morgan, do you want to hold my hand?" What a kid. She refers to herself as "a mother's helper". Oh baby, is she ever.

In these pictures Maria is singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with Jane, who is just loving it- tons of giggles and smiles.

Eating 6 months

2009-08-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Jane eats many different foods. It is an adventure feeding her. I need a "Mom Bib" with all the spraying, talking while she is eating, bubble noises with a mouth full of food. Jane's favorite is still oatmeal with peaches, but she also thoroughly enjoys squash and even tried real bananas with Aunty Carrie the other day. She, like her eldest sister and mother, is not a big fan of meat. (Yeah for the vegetarians- we're 3 to 3, herbivores vs. omnivores, in the house).

Butterfly

2009-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Maria and Scott have been working on this non-sew quilt since she received it as a gift from Grandma and Grandpa T for Christmas. It was finally completed on July 20. Way to go, Team Tomashek.

Six months

2009-07-22T13:58:00.001-07:00

Jane is doing so many new things. She sits up on her own (after a few minutes, she leans for something and falls over). She enjoys the Johnny Jump-up.

She also has two bottom teeth poking through this week, along with new babble sounds like "baba, gah, goo" and one strong "DA" when she spotted Scott. What fun!

Morgan's 3rd Birthday

2009-07-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

I love a summer birthday. Water, sun, sundresses... good stuff.

Morgan wanted a pool for her 3rd birthday.

Morgan dumping water on Audrey's head (Audrey loved it).

This little bear was a gift for Morgan from Papa and Grammie, and the bubble machine was from Grandma and Grandpa T. Morgan and "Polo" are inseparable. This is 7 a.m. the day after Morgan's birthday, playing bubbles with Polo and John.

My best friend Jamie and her daughter Taylor.

Their family is moving to Madison in a couple of weeks... sniffle.

Grammie bought hula hoops for everyone. The girls are having a competition (these two have been best friends since they were 2 and 1).

T is hula hooping... can you even believe it?!

Morgan asked for chocolate cupcakes, with "prinkles" and pink frosting, and making an "M" and having ponies...whew... She knew what she wanted. I added the pinwheel for fun!

Baptism

2009-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Our annual church picnic and baptism was this past Sunday. Pastor Jim made the invitation for all those who wanted to be baptized, and our John's hand shot up. We believe the bible teaches baptism is a way to declare your love for Jesus and your decision to follow Him. John made the decision to follow Jesus (moving to his own personal faith) this spring, but we had not really talked about baptism as we were waiting for Him to show some interest. And he did, with great enthusiasm. We are very proud.

It was a great day at the Lenz's cottage- wonderful food and friends. We have found a loving church family here in De Pere. Here are some of those friends...

Natalie (baby G3 is on the inside:) ), Tim and their beautiful little ones.

Paco and Shana

Pastor Jim (my boss and friend)

It was also a nice day to be with our little family of six (yes, around water...eek! It was a little hard to keep track of all of them- life jackets, everyone).

Behind Maria is my dear friend Marianne (we are in a women's group together called Bloom and she made Jane's dedication cake).

Morgan was fascinated with the Jim's fish holding tanks. She played a long time with that little net, catching and releasing fish. Sorry, all my PETA friends.

Fox River Trail

2009-07-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

We stopped for lunch at the Boat Landing just north of De Pere.

John and Morgan running off some steam.

Jane needed to nurse, so we stopped at Sunset Park on the trail. Just some grass, some trees, and an amazing view of the Fox River. John and Maria laid out in the grass, while Morgan played around on John's scooter.

Can you imagine living there?! Those windows overlook this beautiful park and the river... sigh.

Wildlife Sanctuary

2009-07-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

My turtle family

DUCKS! GEESE! OWLS! Oh my!

Summer would not be complete without a trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary. In an effort to not spend money while supplying our family with respite and memorable experiences, we have found some great "new to us" freebies in the Green Bay area.

1. The NEW Zoo's free night on Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m.

2. The Wildlife Sanctuary (not really new to us, but we definitely don't do it as much as we could.)

3. The Fox River Trail- we walked 3 miles in about 3 hours on Friday, just enjoying the plantlife, trees, water, gardens... oh, and Zesty's frozen custard (not so free, but "quite tasty" to quote Morgan). See the later post for these pictures.

Hope you are encouraged to get out there and enjoy your community. :)

Fireworks

2009-07-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

The three eldest Team Tomashek kids snuggled up in one blanket watching the fireworks from up on Scray's Hill. We were about 2 miles away from the fireworks at a fire station on a hill in East De Pere. Perfect for a crowd-phobic mother, a newborn baby who was sleeping, and three sleepy yet excited kids.

Bavarian House

2009-07-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Ms. Landerman, Maria and John's art teacher, for giving us this gently used 3-D puzzle. We spent 2 afternoons completing this during that stretch of weather that should not have been called summer last week.

Chalk

2009-07-05T20:07:00.001-07:00

Maria's friend came over and shared with her a new art form- chalk smearing (or as I would call it Chalk Impressionism). Each square is unique and very beautiful.

They spent most of an afternoon doing this together. They even let John join in. We gave Morgan her own square... she get's a little... hmmm... destructive.

Ah, summer. To spend an entire afternoon doing something creative, fun, refreshing, and relaxing.

Evidence: Maria's feet are as large as her grandma's and only 3 whole sizes away from mine... AH!

King of the High C's

2009-07-02T17:49:00.001-07:00

John was in the musical Pirates! for one of his summer school courses. John played the King of the High C's. He sang solos and had many lines memorized. We are proud of our super star.

Father's Day

2009-06-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Captain Andy

Jane's first boat ride

We took our first boat ride on my dad's new boat on Father's Day. We headed out on Green Bay from Menominee, Michigan over to Green Island for dinner. What a great way to celebrate the gift of having another Father's Day with my dad. :)

John's photos

2009-06-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

John and his friend Aiden took some photos a few days ago. What an eight year old boy would choose to photograph...

Zoo

2009-06-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays are free nights at the zoo, so the kids and I headed over for a stroll.

Maria, John, Morgan and I each fed the giraffe a cracker.

Jane practicing her "giraffe"...

This peacock was in love with Maria. I thought he was going to spread his plumage and show her his stuff. He followed her around the zoo. She stood for awhile on a deck and he just sat with her... the two of them having a moment.

Maria took all the animal pictures. They turned out well.

And the penguin pictures...

It was a great day! Thank you, Grammie and Papa for letting us use the double stroller. Whew... that made life a LOT easier. And thank you, Grandma T for having dinner waiting for us when we got home. Yummy!

Wii-knee

2009-06-17T18:23:00.001-07:00

Just thought John's picture was funny... Wii-knee. This is a picture of his knee in his PJs. Ha! All those years of pun-fun at the Eickman house have paid off.

In the sink

2009-06-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

This morning was a little harried. Maria was in the shower (we actually have a timeline on the fridge for shower mornings so the kids get done without me yelling, "MOVE IT!"). John was getting his clothes together to go in next. Morgan was still sleeping. I was getting ready to get to work in an hour. Scott was somewhere in Orlando, FL. And Jane... Jane decided to pee all over the changing table and herself and her clothes- a good morning-size pee. So, with no "open" tub, she got a dip in the sink. She loved it and I loved how comfortable it was to not be all hunched over a tub. Jane has found her new bathing spot. :) Oooo... I just thought of how much water we will save, too. Yeah!

Polly Pockets

2009-06-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

Morgie put her "girls" to bed on the ottoman before she went to bed last night. Too cute.

Our Junior Girl Scout

2009-06-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

Maria bridged over from Brownies into Junior Girl Scouts on May 31. These girls are her dear friends ("sisters"). They have been the same girls since the beginning of first grade (with one addition 2 years ago), and they are all going on to Junior Girl Scouts in fourth grade together.

My mom leaned over to me the other day and said, "These girls will be friends for life." And she would know. She is still the best of friends with 3 other ladies that she went to kindergarten with. They have seen so much together- first loves, weddings, babies, funerals, cancer, divorce, grand babies and now retirement.

It is a joy to dream for Maria. What will her life be like? What will she see in her life time? Who will find a home in her heart for her whole life, a treasure that she will carry with her into eternity? There are friends like that. My mom has them... I have them... I pray and trust that my Maria will, too.

a bit of earth

2009-06-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

It makes a mother's heart so full to see her children actively useful, using their hands and their minds for the betterment of the world and themselves. And what better way to do that then a garden. Oh the lessons we learn from the dirt, the growing cycle, the seasons. God reveals Himself and His plan for new life as we sow and reap. This was my only wish for Mother's Day. My heart overflowed this day.

A bittersweet surprise

2009-06-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Scott flinched as he opened the door to the garage a couple of weeks ago. A mother bird was frantically flapping at the window pane trying to get to father bird on the other side of the glass. Scott quickly opened the garage door and clapped his hands to direct her out.

Scott decided to scope the area for a nest- that being the reason she stayed in the garage all night.

And yes, a mother bird thought Maria's old bike helmet a good place to build a home. Oh no...

We called our friend who used to do animal rescue, and she called a naturalist to discuss a way to get the nest safely out of the garage (we really needed to shut that door). We came up with a plan and moved the bike helmet with gloved hand 2 feet at a time at the same level every 2-3 hours until it was outside. Scott rigged up a secure place below the eaves outside. This event WAS our Saturday. And unfortunately, mother bird never returned. We (ok.. I) shed a tear and resolved that we had done our best to save one of God's precious creatures. We keep the garage door shut now to prevent anymore more hatchings. Sniffle...

Jane's new trick

2009-06-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Jane has learned a new trick- rolling over from her back to her belly.

She simply tucks up her legs to her chest and whoosh...

Jane also has become quite the avid side-sleeper. This makes for a wakeful night as I find her crying in the middle of the night looking more like this...

... and unable to roll back over. Being a baby is tough. We love you, Jane. Keep trying.

Forty years...

2009-06-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Scott's parents, Don and Diann, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 7. Todd and Scott decided to throw a party for them here in De Pere. Don and Diann had their marriage blessed at Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday morning, and then we were able to have the family over at our house for lunch afterwards. What a great day! I had some thoughts as I watched this day unfold.

I hope Scott still kisses me like that when I'm 60.

You can't pick your in-laws, but I really love mine.

Even though we had to have overflow seating in the garage and it rained, I'm glad we were able to host. It was fun to see 35 people at my house. Selfishly, I enjoyed feeling the warmth of family.

Later on, Todd and his family stuck around so the "Illinois cousins" (as we call them) could stay and play. Morgan wanted so badly to be a big kid, so she pulled up in Jane's high chair and ate with them at the counter.

Todd and Wendy's youngest turned 2 a couple days before the party. It was so nice to be able to see him "blow" out his candles and sing "Happy Birthday" (really well, too).

First Day of Summer Vacation

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

John was up last night vomiting so he is quarantined to his room (playing solataire and doing math games).

The girls and I went outside to play fort with our quilts (thank you, Beth, for your gift that keeps on giving).

Maria's Big Day

2009-05-21T07:52:00.001-07:00

Maria had a Famous People presentation at school on Tuesday. She was Georgia O'Keeffe for the day (how appropriate... born on the same day and both artists). And then the third grade held their concert and Maria had a solo. Look at the microphone. This is how much taller Maria is than the other third graders. She sang so beautifully. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Jane Black and White

2009-05-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hide and Seek

2009-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Little giggles from the living room...

Where are you, Audrey?

Where are you, Morgan?

Where did they go?

Found you...

A visit from old friends

2009-05-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

When we started our old bible study group, there was one child and when we left Neenah, there were 13 children. If we were still together, the four families would be up to 14 with one on the way. Whew... Here are 8 of them. The Pease family drove up from Waldo, Wisconsin to meet baby Jane and hang for a couple of hours.

Sisters

2009-05-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Sing with me... "Sisters, sisters"

"There were never such devoted sisters..."

"Never had to have a chaperone, no sir"

"I'm there to keep my eye on her."

Morgan Chess

2009-05-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

Morgan pulled out the chess board a few days ago and taught me her version. Set up is pretty random. I tried to bump some of her pieces off the board and she would take her pieces back and put mine on the floor... interesting. I figured out by watching her that a good move involved bouncing on everyone's pieces saying "boing". We just tried to get to the middle of the board.

Jane's comment: "This game is rigged."

Scarey Ninja Face

2009-05-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know where she learned this, but Morgan uses this "face" to intimidate you. She calls it her "scarey Ninja face".

So John started doing it....

What a team...

Rice Cereal

2009-05-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, you are supposed to wait to do rice cereal until they are 4 months old. Well, now I understand why my parents started at 1 month with me. This kid can EAT! She would nurse every 2 hours and it seems that I never have enough. I decided to start feeding her solids, just once a day and see how it went. She loves it, and her tummy is handling just fine. We're only a couple weeks early. I think she just likes to do things early.

John has this trick to make Jane smile. He wiggles her chin with his fore finger while doing baby talk. How precious.

Heritage Hill

2009-05-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Scott and Maria spent today as interpretters at Heritage Hill (a living history museum here in Green Bay). They ran the game called "Graces", which is basically catch with sticks and an embroidery frame. What a great father-daughter day. Maria has wanted to volunteer at Heritage Hill since she was 5. This is a dream come true. She bought her bonnet 2 years ago at Heritage Hill on a Laura Ingalls Wilder day. She was excited to be able to wear it. And she loved her orange dress. What a great day!

We made it!

2009-04-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you God, I made it, the kids made it and I'm still in a good mood. That is totally supernatural! I watched Tristan, born one week after Jane for 6 hours today. From 3:30-6:30 p.m. I had 5 little munchkins. And we had FUN! Tristan loved the rings and the little ones on the blanket was so adorable. Thank you, Beth, for the advice on what to do with "twins". At one point I was bouncing one on the bouncey chair with my foot, rocking the other to sleep in my arms and talking on the phone. Whew...

Jane just couldn't keep her paws off of Tristan.

Must get closer... At one point after this shot Tristan was sucking on Jane's hand. Too cute!

After Tristan was picked up, the Boys Scouts showed up to build kites and the girls and I hit the basement to watch a Barbie movie.

What a great day.

5 a.m.

2009-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

The boys went to bed at 10:45 p.m. No "encouraging" from the parentals worked, but sheer exhaustion did the trick. Baby Jane was up at 5:15 a.m. to nurse and I leaned over to Scott, "Do you hear voices?" Yes, they were up at 5 a.m.! We had some pancakes, made a volcano, and then realized that our sump pump wasn't working, so we had to send everyone home early. After all was said and done, fun was had by all.

Boys and balloons

2009-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

It was a balmy 76 degrees here today. Perfect weather for John's sleepover and for a water balloon fight.

It's 10:23 p.m. and Scott and I are trying to decide how to "encourage" them to stop talking and GO TO SLEEP!!!

You can do it, Jane!

2009-04-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

When it's tummy time for Jane, Morgan always wants to lay down with her.

Sometimes we color with Jane...

Sometimes we show Jane how to lift up her head...

You can do it, Jane!

Morgan is such a good teacher. :)

Baby Jaguar

2009-04-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Morgan loves this outfit. It's a size 24 months and she is normally in a 4T. She doesn't care. Baby Jaguar joins us for dinner, crawls around meowing and shows off her swoshing tail.

John's Birthday

2009-04-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

So we enter the Blog World with a celebration...

John turned 8 years old today. What a great day! We celebrate the gift that he is to our family- his humor, his problem solving abilities ("Hey, John, can you figure out how to start the dishwasher?!"), his geniune heart... we love how God made him.

John singing "I'm 8 years old."

"OOO, Legos." Cousin Andy and John oggling the new set.

Heaven help us. Tomorrow we have 4 boys plus Morgan and Jane sleeping at our house (Maria has opted to flee to Taylor's). It's supposed to be 80 degrees here. Sounds like a good day for a water balloon fight.