Autumn Hustle & Bustle

So far this fall I have admittedly been a crappy blogger. I spent all summer hearing about the inevitable "off-season lull" at work (meaning when the bite in the air is too much for most motorcycle riders) but despite the near-freezing temps I am still waiting for the promised lull and the lazy days that I think should go with it. So now that the baby is down for a snooze it is time for me to catch up on the last month and change, starting with the arrival of yet another baby into our friends-family! Little Miss Alana Bansemar made her debut on October 8 to proud parents Shawn & Melissa and big doggy brothers Brewer & JoBu.

Mel, me, and the star, Alana


Hello little one! Welcome to our crazy world.

Melissa & Alana had excellent timing as it just so happened that Kyle, Robin, and Miles were in town that same weekend for a wedding we were all attending in Illinois. So the Kroenings and the Maios all piled into the Pilot and headed to West Bend to greet the adorable new addition. Genevieve and Miles were pretty well behaved considering they were surrounded by stuff that they shouldn't touch (torture!!). After the visit we stopped at Culvers to feed the hungry baby bellies and by the time we got home it was snooze-central. And to anyone in the market, we can assure you that four adults and two giant car seats can fit in one Pilot. It's not graceful, but it works.

One daddy in...


another daddy in...


...and two babies out.

As the little ones slept we parents went out to Matt and my league bowling date. That's right, yet ANOTHER addition to the list of thingsIsworeI'dneverdo. We're partnered up with a guy Matt works with, Dan, and his wife, Angie. They're fun people and it's actually a pretty good way for us to force ourselves to get out together once a month. Anyhoo Grandma & Grandpa Maio volunteered to watch the kiddos while we were out (thanks!!) so Kyle & Robin came with us and graciously volunteered to taste-test the yummy bar food while we showed off our lack of bowling skills. When we returned home the kids were fed and ready for a bath. Matt protested having them in the bath together and warned Miles, "I'm watching you". Oh that silly daddy. They were so cute together in the tub and we captured plenty of future blackmail photos.

Hey, yours is different


Fun in the tub!


Who can catch it?

It's always fun to get together with our friends, but now that we all have kids it's also nice to get a reality check and realize that we are not the only ones who are totally drained by the end of the day.

Cozy pillow. Cozy blanket. Cozy brewski.

On Sunday we loaded back up in the car and headed to Illinois for the wedding of Lisa & Joe (a former Raider teammate of Kyle and Matt's). None of us had been to a Sunday wedding of late, but it actually worked out beautifully because Saturday's weather was total garbage and Sunday's was sunny and crisp. The ceremony was outdoors but blissfully brief, and we later found out that the lovely bride had long underwear on under her gorgeous gown. The things we do for good photos! We headed inside for a cocktail reception followed by an early dinner and were back on the road by 6:30. Actually worked out perfectly for those of us with kids in tow. There was a little boy there who was just a few days older than G, and his great-auntie was borderline obsessed with getting photos of the two of them together. She even took pictures of Matt, G, and me dancing at the reception. Hi, stalker. Anyway the Kroenings stayed until Monday morning and had a snowy welcome home in Rochester. Yuck! We haven't gotten any flakes here but I know it's not far off.

Super stylish


Coming soon to a holiday greeting card near you...


The happy couple!


G and her buddy


There's cake at this thing? Hooray!


G and her favorite dance partner

Anyway since then we've done a lot, including wrapping up our first series of swimming lessons at the Y. Unfortunately the last class was the same day that Genevieve got her tubes so obviously we were MIA that night, but otherwise G and her dad headed to their class every week in September and October. She did pretty well and towards the end really seemed to start to understand what 'kick!' meant. We also did a lot to practice making the kiddos wait to get in the pool until mom or dad is ready, which I'm sure will serve us well at the lake next year. Assuming we get to swim next year. The best part of swimming lessons was that Genevieve was so exhausted by the end of each class that she would fall asleep in the car and be out for the rest of the night. Love that!

Yes, she was actually hollering across the entire pool.


Going after an illusive toy


This pool is fun!

And now that the tubes adventure is behind us, we've been getting ready for G's second Halloween! Last year she was barely 6 weeks old and couldn't hold her head up. This year we'll get to watch those wobbly legs walk down the sidewalk in her little costume. Amazing. It was lovely this morning so I took her out to grab a few spooky shots in a little dress I got on uber-clearance last year.

A little apprehensive of walking where she can't really see what's underfoot.


Maybe if I just stand here and look cute mom will pick me up


Ha! Got her


Gimmie candy!


My favorite shot of the morning


The vicious attack poodle, making sure no squirrel even THINK about coming near us