April: A Summary

Here are a bunch of random photos from the month.  It's been full of ups and downs, including Easter fun, silly family time, and saying goodbye to Great Grandma Moore, who passed on April 12.

We'll start with Grandma, who died at age 88 surrounded by her kids.  I don't know a better way that any mom would want to go than surrounded by her little chicks.  Her funeral was sad but full of family, none of whom would be around if not for her.  Check out this amazing photo of her and husband, Glen, from the late 40's.  What a dish! 

The funeral was last Thursday and we decided to take both the kids.  Genevieve was full of questions but we had been talking about it all week and continued to talk about it thereafter so hopefully her little 3 year old brain could start to wrap itself around our simple explanations of what was going on.  Both kids were total angels during the mass and the luncheon.  It was also the first time a lot of the family got to meet Lukas.  Although a sad reason to do so, it was really nice to catch up with those who we haven't seen in years. 

boo boo with cousin john.  lady killers!

cally, john, maggie, becky, and lukie

cally volunteered to be official baby-holder.  maybe we can convince her to move here from the cities for a little more baby time?

sibs, spouses, and cousins

gg and auntie barb - lovely ladies

lukas and uncle peter - who apparently both own the same plaid shirt - chat mano a mano

Matt attended the burial on Friday in Wautoma where Grandma was laid to rest next to Glen.  We are grateful that we got to see Grandma before she passed and spend time with her while she was here.  We know she loved her grandkids and her two great grandkids, as well as her great grand Poodle (Kathy found a book that Grandma had made in one of her assisted living places, saying that her favorite pet was Ralphie because he was so gentle and sweet.  There was even a pic of her and Ralph in the photo collage at the funeral!).  I know we'll think of her every time we head to the cottage!

Before life took this crazy turn, we had to prepare for Easter here at home.  Which this year meant dying eggs with our big girl: 

time to color those eggies

putting the eggs in 'gently'

on the hunt for eggs on easter sunday

that bunny left them everywhere!

sizing up her loot

no candy for boo boo?  maybe next year big guy

Other random silliness this month:

literally being a sassy-pants

playing t-ball with dad, with a seriously ghetto tee

here's how i found her after their rousing game

story time.  apparently 'happy pig day' is pretty suspenseful

matt finally figures out the plot

I had a TV appearance for work the other day, in which I was just supposed to model some of our spring clothing.  Imagine my surprise when I arrived and my colleague told me she didn't want to be on air and that I would have to do it.  Awesome.  Less awesome were the phone calls I got all that day letting me know that the station listed us as Hal's (a competitor) House of Harley.  So they're making it up to me by having me back next month to talk about more of our events.  Liquid diet starts...now.  Embarrassing footage here.  I am super famous.

And finally, last weekend was the semi-annual smoke fest.  Where the wives all lose their husbands for 12 straight hours of their version of fun and my poor Pilot draws stray dogs from around the neighborhood with the stale smell of smoky goodness.  Matt's odds of winning this year weren't the best so he took time last weekend to do a test run.  I will totally admit they were terrific.  So all he had to do was a repeat performance.  Or come in dead last.  Whichev.  Better luck this fall, darling.  At least the kids had fun.

gg on the thompson's rope swing, screaming with a fear/delight combo

some of the competition

these are the faces of some serious bbq-ers

Forehead, Meet Floor

It took 3.5 years but the inevitable head smash finally happened on Monday.  The one where the series of sounds goes like this: "THUD....quiet pause.....waaaaaaaaahhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  We were about to head out the door to the grocery store so I was in the mudroom getting jackets and she was in the family room.  When she calmed down enough to talk, her story was that she was "playing swing" between the couch and the coffee table/ottoman.  Yeah, that'll do it.  This goose egg formed on her melon faster than you can say neuro consult.  Needless to say we did not make it to the grocery store that afternoon.  But one good nap and a snack later she was back in business, playing "swimming" by jumping onto the couch via the arm.  God help me. 

what a sad little face

hello little tumor

poor kitten napped with an ice pack (meanwhile why won't this dang photo rotate???)

the next day: color coordinated shirt & cranium

Five Months!

Spring is here and the Dude is five months old.  While you know synapses are firing left and right from day one, Lukie is starting to reach that point where changes and milestones are more apparent.  The lad has discovered and absolutely fallen in love with his feet.  He's reaching for them all the time and I'm just dyyyyyyyyying for the moment he figures out to shove those little munchable toes in his mouth.  He's rolled both from front to back and back to front, and is working really hard to sit up on his own so he can keep a close eye on whatever GG is doing.  He enjoys making his voice heard by blowing raspberries and screeching like a little howler monkey, and ev.er.y.thing he gets his hands on goes straight into his mouth.  Except for rice cereal which I think he's not such a fan of, as evidenced by his blowing wet cereal raspberries right back in my face.  Yummy.
 

hey, what'cha got there?

oh I have one too.  excellent.

pulling the toes, chewing on fingers, happy kiddo

mid-"bouf" (what he says what he's razzing)

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeach - feel the burn!

getting stronger

crawling is inevitable.  too soon for this mama

ma, i'm going down!

ha, i got back up

and now i'm shy

what the heck do you call that stuff?

shove it in, lady

uhhhhhhhhhhh, perhaps not

but i'll keep trying

And now a little glimpse into just how much Lukas loves Genevieve.  She is the only one who can really make him belly laugh and it's usually by getting right in his face.  A little background: she was trying to tell him a joke she heard on Clifford, the punch line to which is supposed to be "Cock-a-poodle-doo".  Although less PC, G's version is funnier. 

Great Wolf

It's been a while since we've seen my parents.  But the idea of driving to Roch with two was daunting.  And my poor parents have driven here so many times they could probably do it blindfolded.  The natural answer was to meet somewhere in the middle.  And since G is at a perfect age for things like, say, indoor water parks, we hit up Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend mini-getaway.

We arrived a little earlier than my parents which gave G plenty of time to ooh and ahh at all the people wearing "betweens" (ie, flip flops).  She has always refused to wear flip flops and told us last year that she will wear them when she's grown up, or age 3.  Which ever came first.  This was the point that I realized what I forgot to pack - shoes to wear in the park.  Dur.  Grandma and Pop Pop finally showed up and she was SO excited to see them and get on with the water slides.  First though we checked in to our suite, grabbed some lunch, and I ran over to the outlet mall to buy us all betweens.  From there it was ready, set, water park!

We expected G to be hesitant to slide at first and she was, but that uneasy fear is fading faster and faster and before we knew it she was on the kiddie slides on her own.  One of them was actually pretty fast so there was this semi-permanent look of fear as she came whizzing down which was hilarious. 

having fun...but so scared...but having fun...but so scared...

She did the kiddie slides, the wave pool, another kiddie area, and even braved a big slide with daddy.  Lukie hung out in his stroller with Pop Pop most of the weekend which seemed to suit both of them just fine. 

wheeeeeeeeee!

quite proud

leave us alone, we're busy

chillaxin

g and daddy braving the big slide together.  she was almost airborne upon landing

she *might* have hogged this squirting jet ski

but she meant serious business

Saturday night we headed to a restaurant across the street (also the site of our group lunch during out camping, um, adventure last summer.  I had never been so happy to be in air conditioning).  By this point our girl was over hungry and way over tired.  Obviously this lead to a full fledged meltdown while waiting for our table.  I had to leave and take her outside to cool off but once she was over it we were all good.  Later that night after everyone was asleep Matt and I had a margarita on our little porch and spied on the life guards as they packed up for the night (as an aside, these life guards meant business.  I have no qualms taking my kids back there in the future). 

pre-meltdown.  flash forward to spring break 2028?

Sunday morning Lukie was up early and when I went to get him I noticed Grandma and Pop Pop had absconded with the lad.  It was super cute to find him happily entertaining them and soaking up 100% of the attention from the doting grandparents.  We got ourselves together and headed to breakfast where G loudly declared to the waitress, "I'm HUNGRY!"  All righty then.  We tanked her up and it was back to the slides for a few more hours before heading out.

swimsuit?  check.  betweens?  check.  let's rock

despite his love of baths, lukie was not a fan of getting his tiny toes in the water

fam

oh mommy, even though i'm not swimming i'm sooooo sleepy

mmm, bathing suit strap.  delicious.

mom, i know they're cute but don't you find these trunks a tad superfluous?

howling like the great wolf

give that to me

That girl managed to stay awake past Madison on the drive home but once she was out, she was out.  The best part about 24 hours in a water park?  The kiddos both slept for about 12 hours Sunday night.  Swimming in what amounts to giant toilets = totally worth it.  Looking forward to doing it again soon!