Halfway Through Summer??

I do not appreciate the fact that we are already midway through July. No no, I am not ready to see back-to-school gear at my beloved Target or fall riding gear at work. But on the upside we have been taking full advantage of the fact that it has at least been a 'real' summer, as opposed to the cold and rain we were treated to last year.

For the 4th of July we headed to the cottage. It was fun to hang out and play a little whiffle ball while Geeg went down her slide and hung out in her swing. As it turns out, she is nooooooooooooot so excited about actually going in the lake. She will walk up to about her ankles (so, 6 inches from shore) and that's where the fun ends. So I've been trying to take her in with me but so far she has been less than thrilled. Interestingly this is the same thing I did with Ralphie before he knew how to swim, so maybe I'm just destined to do this with all my kids, furry and otherwise.

The tot was also getting over a nasty diaper rash and just starting with a cough and runny nose (hello, two year molars. Just *so* glad to see you). So she did not partake in fireworks and fortunately she did not wake up from them either. She did, however, burn many a calorie doing Independence Day Laps.

Since the cottage was full of other grown-ups Matt and I went off to explore the White River while GG was napping. It really should be called the White Stream but it felt unchartered nonetheless. I'm sure there was an easier way to get in, but instead of looking for it we just hopped the fence.

Started at the top, ended at the bottom. Felt like Ethan Hunt.

At its deepest the water was about mid-calf, and it was crystal clear and nice and cool. It was really interesting to see the clumps of grasses growing in the middle of the water - seemed sort of out of place and we wondered how they got there. It was so quiet and serene, but as we turned a bend we heard a huge crash into the water and we both about wet ourselves. Turned out to be two huge deer who heard or smelled us and took off down the river. Scared the bejesus out of us both. But of course we decided we had to find them, so Meriwether Lewis and Sacajawea continued on. Sure enough we spotted them a few hundred feet on, and got a shot (as in photo, not as in gun) before they took off again.

Me and my exotic tour guide


Eerily quiet


I know you see me. And I know you know I see you. Just so you know.


Darn near lost a J Crew sandal to 12" of muck. We are so city.

It was a hot, hot weekend and after another fantastic dinner the boys headed down to make a campfire. They had a few beers. Then a few more. Then Uncle Stevie decided it was the right time for a swim. He had better pray these photos don't make their way to the wedding.

A classic Steve take-off

Um, protecting himself?

Steve's attempt at jumping with his arms straight in the air

Ahh, this explains a lot

The next weekend we got a visit from Grandma & Pop Pop. They came on Friday and we headed out to Maxie's for dinner. Mmmmmmmmm, sweet potato fries and fizzy margaritas. Being a true Eastie, Pop Pop ordered an appetizer of raw oysters. I have never tried one, so both Matt and I got our slurp on. Not bad. After stuffing ourselves absolutely silly we headed home. On Saturday morning we ventured to the Tosa Farmer's Market where we stocked up on our organic meats. It was hot as hell so once we were totally sweaty we headed home for lunch. After GG's nap the big event of the weekend was upon us: a Brewers game. Pete & Heidi have never been to a Brewers game, much less tailgated, and I blame myself. To make up for it I got us seats 13 rows behind home plate (I may work part time but I still know where to get my stash). We loaded up the car and headed to the park. Matt even sprang for preferred parking. Who says chivalry is dead?

Mandatory family photos

Chillin' with a cold one

Finding any shade we can

Already poppin' wheelies on her Harley. The guys at work will love this.

Game time!

The game was super fun and GG did very well. We left during the 7th inning stretch though, as I am not one to push the cranky envelope and the idea of sitting in the parking lot as 44,999 of my closest friends also tried to leave the stadium with a probably overtired toddler...clearly not the way to go. When all was said and done the Brewers won and we had a great time.

Welcome to Miller Park

Play ball!


In the 'Kids Zone'. She was crazy for the Italian. It brought a tear to Matt's eye.


Chorizo is on the run


Prince hits a slamma-lamma!

Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa

Matt and I have been debating forever about whether or not to refinish the hardwood floors in our kitchen. We knew the look would be a huge improvement over the perma-dirt that existed, but the idea of the noise, the smell, and the dust - not to mention giving up use of the kitchen for a few days - didn't seem like a rockin' good time. So we decided that I would disappear for a few days and let him take care of it without interruption. Last Friday I came home from work, packed up the mom-mobile, picked up Geeg at daycare, and off she, Ralphie, and I went to MN for a long weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa (henceforth known as Pop Pop).

The trip there was great through about the Dells. We stopped off for dinner which now takes AN HOUR (let dog out. Change child. Hit the restroom with child in tow. Wash and/or disinfect own hands, child's hands, table. Wait for food. Wait for food to cool down. Wait for minuscule droplets of applesauce to enter child's mouth. Work hard to keep patience in check. Glance at watch. Shovel remaining applesauce and chicken fingers in mouth. Get back on the road). But she was in a good mood so life was fine. As we approached Tomah I saw menacing clouds in the distance. By the time we reached LaCrosse the rain and lightning was in effect, and by the time we crossed over to MN the wipers were on full blast. This, followed by 15 miles of one-lane-only traffic, was not my idea of a fun time. She was screaming, the dog was drooling all over our stuff in the back, and then my gas light came on. We pulled into the driveway around 9 and I have never been happier to get the hell out of a car.

Outside of that adventure, we had a great time! On Saturday we went with Grandma to Oxbow Park, which is a combination zoo/rescue for injured animals who cannot be released back into the wild. GG liked looking at all the big birds (and identified the bald eagle handily - thank you Eric Carle books), wild cats, and the buffalo. And there were the goats, which of course Grandma was enamored with. Plus the space is small enough that we could just let her run loose like a banshee, so that was fun too.

Apparently I have been shortsighted in not purchasing a big, heavy swing. She could have pushed this thing all day


Styling mama's hair. Perhaps to look like a buffalo?

We met up with Pop Pop for lunch and then home for a nap. Except the little cherub decided that, nah, she was going to choose to not nap that day. ADORABLE . So we played naked baby in the pool (aka the 'cool') and took rides in the wagon, which was a HUGE hit. It's the wagon Grant and I had as kids, so it's one of the big metal Radio Fliers. Shockingly challenging to pull uphill with a chunky monkey riding in the back. Anyway Genevieve was cashed out by about 7 - no nap and all - so she hit the hay and Grandma and I hit up the 30% off sale at Old Navy. Because my kid needs more clothes. Wait...what?

Sunday morning we ventured out for a playdate with the Kroenings. The weather was not great and misted while we were at the park, but the kids still had a good time. It was so funny to see the two super busy and outgoing toddlers turn into shy little bunnies around each other. They got over it though, and it was fun to catch up with Kyle and Robin, and of course get some snuggles in with baby Henry!

After the park we walked a block over to one of Pop Pop's gardens to harvest sugar snap peas. The home belongs to a Dr. friend of theirs who is always traveling, so my dad gets run of the garden and also use of the garage to store the Duster. Which makes me wonder when he ever drives the Duster, but I digress. We plucked off at least 6 or 7 Ziploc bags worth of juicy snaps, not to mention the few dozen that didn't even make it as far as the bag. Yum!

Wheeeeeeee


The stare-down


We know you parent-types think it's all cute that we're all cute and can't fathom why we don't just run into each other's arms, but no, we are not that excited to see each other at this very second and no, we will not adorably sit together on the slide. Thanks for asking.


Catching some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's


Le jardin

After our busy morning Genevieve fell asleep in the car and mercifully stayed asleep as I hauled her to her crib. She was famished when she woke up a few hours later and Grandma decided to take the opportunity to give GG her first pedicure. She LOVED it.

Totally intrigued and loving it

Admiring her toes


Her newest 'surprised' face


And a little love for Ralphie, too

After a little more time outside Uncle Grant came home and went to play his drums in the basement. GG was really interested to see what the racket was, and we let her sit on the stool and play for herself. She was totally into it, which was both adorable and worrying. Also both adorable and worrying were the multiple trips she took with Pop Pop down the boulevard in the red wagon. They both had a grand old time and only gave me a minor stroke. No permanent damage.

Up, up...


And away!!!

We had breakfast with Grandma on Monday morning and then packed up to hit the road back home. GG was as good as she could have been, although I was totally prepared with a new Thomas DVD and other goodies at the ready. Another hour long stop and multiple construction delays later, we finally rolled into Tosa late-afternoon. We walked in to the kitchen and the floors looked awesome. Sure, there's a fine layer of dust covering most everything (the kind that gets in no matter how much plastic you tape up), but we're not on the parade of homes here and it'll get cleaned eventually.

Ralphie is super impressed

And now friends, a brief lesson in what happens when one attempts to climb a tunnel whilst wearing a tutu:

Going up...


...and coming down

Ahh, Walter's

As you faithful readers know, Matt recently had a milestone birthday. Since it was the big 3-0, I decided to give him a gift each day of his birthday week. Monday, Memorial Day, was a 6-pack of some crazy imported Belgian beer that he loves and he thought could only be found on tap at a cafe in the Village. Tuesday was a 6-pack of white athletic socks (don't laugh - what guy do you know who ever has too many of those?). Wednesday, his actual birthday, I sent subs, chips, and cookies to his work for all of his colleagues. Thursday was two new pairs of baseball socks (don't laugh - what baseball player do you know who ever has too many of those?). Friday was a Kindle. And Saturday we were going to 'go to dinner' with our friends Shawn and Melissa. Hi, spoiled much?

But instead of dinner, I planned a surprise party for him that night at his favorite local bar, Walter's.

It's significant that the party was at Walter's as it is the classic neighborhood bar which Matt loves, but as Wisconsin has yet to go smoke free (but will on July 5 - way to jump into the 21st century, Wisco!!) I have refused for 5 1/2 years to step foot in the joint.

So Saturday came and off he went to his baseball banquet for the Knights. He returned mid-afternoon and was greeted shortly thereafter by another surprise: Scott & Anna ditched the kiddies with Grandma and traveled from the hinterland for the weekend. Matt claims that their appearance set off a few alarms in his head, but I don't buy it. So the story was that we ladies were going to do some 'shopping' together first (read: set up for the par-tay) then meet the guys for dinner for the six of us.

Enter Shawn, whose job it was to get the guys to Walter's for a beer before dinner. He had to do some major stalling in order to give Karl & Kathy time to get themselves and GG to the party, but he played to his strengths, I guess you could say, and did a great job of holding Matt back.

Once they got there I think Matt was genuinely surprised. Even if he suspected something there is no way he would have thought I would do something at Walter's. Ha ha, gotcha.

Anna and Melissa helped me decorate the place with some classically tacky decor: streamers, balloons, etc, and some interesting additions. I had three huge photo collages created which chronicle Matt over the last 5 or 6 years. One was truly sweet and mostly shots of him and GG. But the other two were a little vicious, which is what he gets for never making a normal face in any photo, ever (see Exhibits A and B, below). Some were fun shots of him playing baseball, or dancing at weddings, and others were less flattering such as him with an entire pizza on his lap, or sitting on the couch with an exfoliating mask and giving me the bird. Ahh, good times.

The cuisine was...well, it was man-food. There were roasted potatoes, Italians with onions and peppers, chicken wings, and ribs. Makes me gag just to think about it, but it made the birthday boy happy as a clam. I built a cruller tower for a birthday cake, and had an open bar for our guests. There was one catch though: to get your drink for free, you had to show your official party badge:

I had these fetching pins made for the occasion. Thumbs Up For 30!

The cruller cake


Surprise!


Checking out the photo collages. Thank you, Snapfish


Hi, here's our family picture. In Walter's.


Someone had other plans for the lei


Annnnnnnnd we're happy


Steve: Hey baby, you're looking as good as that cruller cake
Erin: Puh-lease, you can take that line to go 'cause I'm here for the open bar


Exhibit A


GG taking the balloons for a walk. IN A BAR.


Foxy ladies


The Crew (missed you, Kroenings!!)


It's all in the family


Melissa: You should dunk your cruller
Scott: OK
???


Adorable. But my kid is still in a bar.


Steve: Who will love me if Erin is only here for the open bar?
Shawn: C'mere big guy


Presents!


Exhibit B


Tie-ing one on. Ha!


Oh dear, it's getting late. They're toasting buttered crullers.


The unflappable Mel


Unfortunately, I know what these two were talking about.


At this moment, Karl's entire life is flashing before his eyes

Happy birthday honey. Welcome to 30 - we love ya!