Mistake?

Last night we ended up at Dahlen's and Adam planted the idea of going golfing into the boys' mind. All thru dinner that is all the boys could think about. Seeing the rain looked like it was over, they went golfing in Wanamingo. The boys are free and its only 16 bucks for 9 holes and a cart (not much more than a few bucket of balls at the driving range!). Adam agreed to take Gerrit with and Gerrit insisted he take his 'big club' (driver which he can barely lift). So Emmit and I stayed with Anne and the dishes and they went golfing.

They only got caught in a little down pour but nothing major. Gerrit LOVED the whole experience. He has really large foam golf balls (compliments of a misorder at school) but didn't like them b/c they did not stay on the T. By the end of the round he was the first one off the cart and said he was first to T off. He is still learning when to talk and when to be quiet but otherwise was pretty good. He didn't want to take Adam's golf glove off the rest of the night either (or all day today).

This morning he was ready to go back to the course at 7 30am! All morning he wanted to play golf and didn't like the idea of playing in our yard. He hasn't quiet figured out that going to the golf course is a 'special' thing. Adam did give him a real ball to use in the yard which scared me. After a few hits from a T (which he found in Adam's bag), he was hitting them across our yard fairly straight! He even tried to use Adam's clubs!

We love how he takes in everything about sports and wants to do it like the big kids.

I'm a bit nervous to take him to a baseball game this summer!

The Fine Art of Tiramisu

Today I had the luxury of learning how to make Nick's famous Tiramisu!

Nick is our next door neighbor and an excellent chef/cook/baker. We get the benefits of leftovers or when he makes too much food (which is often). Nick has made Tiramisu for both boys' baptisms and it is better than any restaurant and now I have the secret to making it! Below are photos taken by Connie who also learned how to make it today. She took them with her phone so the resolution isn't the greatest. Here goes:

Nick, our teacher:

Nick giving instructions before we begin:

Step 1: dip the lady fingers (forgot the Italian brand we used) in very strong coffee:

Making more espresso

the 'bulk' espresso maker (I want one of these - much easier than our machine, and am thankful I live next door to someone who has a lot of them!)

the filling: stiff peaks - almost glue like consistency:

1st layer complete, ready to dunk more lady fingers and start the second layer:

not so fast on dunking more lady fingers - need to sprinkle chocolate 1st!

the finished product(s) [we get them tomorrow at the block party]:

Nick making us a special post-Tiramisu treat: espresso with creme' (basically, its the 1st few teaspoons of the espresso saved and lots of sugar added to it to make a paste, pour 1/2 cup full of espresso and add a doll-up of the creme')

mixing in the creme':

Surprisingly I loved the drink! I think I need decaf next time, but could get use to drinking them. What a fun little treat to learn to make and taste.

Up next: biscotti! (not until winter)

New Vocab

Gerrit's new phrase he used in the pool yesterday with Adam:

POOP BUBBLES

(aka: fart)

Where'd He Go?

My little baby is growing up!

Lately he has wanted to spend a lot of time taking a tubby.

It could stem from the fact that we pulled out his kiddy pool and he thinks the bath tub is like his pool, hence the goggles.

Swiper

If you watch Dora, you know who Swiper is....and we have our very own Swiper living in our house: GERRIT!

Last night we were sitting down for dinner and Gerrit was finishing his Tootsie Roll (he was given the candy b/c he went potty). It took him a bit longer to get to the table than Adam and I....

He was in the kitchen swiping a cookie!

He came to the table with a mouth full...I thought he had grabbed more than 1 Tootsie Roll until I saw the white part of the cookie as he smiled and said 'no' to my questioning him on the extra Tootsie Roll!

Adam could hardly contain himself but did keep it together. Needless to say, he did not get a cookie for dessert.

Consuming Our Lives

The hoop has been a major work in progress. Adam was so excited to get the driveway done that we bought the hoop before the cement was poured. So I haven't had my car in the garage in a month due to the box.The weather and Adam's cycling schedule finally matched this weekend long enough to get the pole in the ground. Saturday night, Dave and Brian came over to help with the pole while Luker and Gerrit played baseball and road bikes. Nick stopped over to add to the conversation and play with Emmit.After 48 hours, the rest of the hoop can be put up - which meant tonight. While Gerrit was swimming, Adam was assembling the rest of the hoop. Of course he needed some assistance with the backboard, so after David and David's ride, they stopped by to assist and cash in on their payment of beer. Just before the rains came, they got the hoop up - with Gerrit's assistance. Beer, popcorn and chips were enjoyed by the guys as well as Luke, Anne and myself while we waited for the rain to stop. Adam needed to try out the hoop in the dark after we measured to make sure it was regulation height (and it is). And thanks to Brian's precision, the hoop is level!We are ready for around the world and jump 21! Let the fun begin!

Dog Days of May

With the heat these last few days I decided it was time to dust off the pool and give it a try tonight (seeing the humidity was down). Gerrit loved it. We've had the pool for a few years and I think he is finally at the perfect age for it. He doesn't mind the cold hose water and will actually play in it. I think it will get lots of use this summer with it being harder to get to the pool due to construction and now having to pay for the kiddie pool. Plus, Emmit can take his naps and Gerrit can swim!

Emmit didn't mind his feet wet - I was waiting for the scream but it never came. Maybe there is hope for the kid! He did like chillin' on the blanket and watching everything. Gerrit invited Luker (and Maddie) to come play in the pool. They came but didn't have their suits. They tried out the cold pool and played with Gerrit which was just fine. Gerrit enjoyed running and jumping into the pool too as you can see from the top photos.

I'm looking forward to summer, I just didn't need the dog days of July to happen in May!

What the Boys are Up To These Days

Gerrit put on a new pair of shorts all by himself (yes, he put both legs in one side)

You will often find Emmit sleeping like this. He loves his blanket (or burp cloth in this case) whereas Gerrit didn't.

Adam 'watching' Emmit while I finish putting dinner together.

Problem Solved?

I picked up some muddy for Gerrit so he would leave the real stuff alone. Now to get him his own wallet/money clip, then he'll leave Adam's alone (we hope).

Fallen Turkey

Saturday mornings I get to 'sleep in' and Adam gets up with the boys. This Saturday I headed to the basement to see what they were watching and Gerrit was excited to tell me about the turkeys on TV.

He said they fell over.

{In case you didn't get it - they were watching a hunting show}

Not So Sneaky Sneak

The past 2 nights Gerrit has pushed down one of the 2 gates in his doorway and hopped over the gate left up. The first night he sat on the steps and I told him to go back to bed and he did. Last night he was found coloring in the dining room near the computer. Tonight we heard the footsteps but not the crashing of the gate (its a good thing Gerrit doesn't realize how loud he is when he runs thru the house). Adam and I were watching an old episode of Parenthood when I suggested he check on Gerrit. (Earlier tonight he colored all over his arm with an ink pen and I had visions of more ink on him and who knows where else!) So Adam went and found him upstairs standing at the top of the steps with Tootsie Roll juice (slobber) on his chin! He reached up on the counter and ate a Tootsie Roll!

"Muddy"

Gerrit has a new fascination with money lately. He knows where Adam keeps his money clip and will often be found taking money out of it and playing with it. He has 'washed it' in the bird bath, used it as a gun (all rolled up), and even sleeps with it at times. For a while there he would get up in the middle of the night and come downstairs to get money and then go back up to bed. We would know he did this because lights would be left on and we would later find money missing from Adam's wallet and in our bed! (Plus, he would tell us he went downstairs when we asked him.)

This weekend Adam gave him the change from a $20 to hold on to, only to realize later that Gerrit no longer had the money in his hands, nor could he tell us where he put the money! Adam learned his lesson that a $1 is about as much as you want to give a 3 yr old (the lesson cost him $15).

Tonight Gerrit went to bed just fine (so Adam thought). However, a few minutes after Adam settled down to watch some TV, Gerrit could be heard on the monitor asking for money. Once Adam gave him a $1, he went right to sleep!

So, if Gerrit asks for muddy, please be cautious in what you give him!

{I think I will try and find some play money and see if that will satisfy his needs}

In Good Hands

Living in the Theater district has been great to us! We get theater popcorn on a semi regular basis (or at least called when it is made and welcome to cover over and get some), food made for us, our garbage bins taken in, lawn watered, new lawn equipment we can use whenever we want, and tonight the boys were able to cash in on great neighbors:

That 'uncle Nick' thinks of the boys all the time! He is worried with the new cement driveway, Emmit will rough up his knees crawling this summer. He saw these knee pads and couldn't resist (even if they will be way too big for him). And the car, well that of course is for his buddy Gerrit. Its the car he bought when he got out of Vietnam (only his was brown).

We couldn't have asked for greater neighbors! I hope they stay long enough to keep an eye on the boys when we are gone like Mr. and Mrs. Flikkema did for my parents! :)

Up North: the proof

Here are the pictures I promised from our weekend.

Up North

Adam thought it would be fun to get away for the weekend and go to northern WI for a bike race with Dahlens. I thought a weekend away couldn't hurt us and was looking forward to it until it came time to packing! Ugg. Luckily we said we weren't bringing any food so I had one less thing to worry about - I still packed snacks for those unexpected moments of dire hunger by the 3 yr old (or the boys too). Gerrit ended up having way too many fruit snacks and all proper diet thoughts went out the window, but we survived and had a blast!

Adam and Dave set out earlier than the rest of us. Anne drove the rest after school/practice around 5. Luker kept Gerrit busy and Paul tended to Emmit which made my travels in the car pretty easy (until the last 1/2 hour when everyone was stir crazy!). Gerrit couldn't understand why it was taking to long to get to the swimming pool!

We finally made it around 9 and of course Gerrit had to go swimming with Luker. So the boys put their suits on, except Gerrit. Adam hadn't emptied the car all the way and they left to get dinner before we arrived. So Gerrit went swimming in his boxers. It worked and no one else was in the pool. Gerrit didn't care for the big pool as much as he did the hot tub - the water was warmer in the hot tub. Good thing the hot tub was large enough that he could play on the steps with is toys and not bother others. Finally he went to bed around 10 30 (I thought Adam was going to fall asleep before Gerrit).

Gerrit woke up bright and early wanting to play golf (they had a little indoor putting green near the pool). We told him it was too early and we couldn't get the clubs yet so he had to stay in the room a bit longer. He then asked if we could go home and get his clubs so he wouldn't have to wait. Good idea, but too far to drive!

Saturday the weather was perfect (I did feel a bit guilty I wasn't home planting my garden - next weekend). Sunny and low 70s. I guess last year it snowed! We'll count our blessings this year. Paul wasn't feeling well so he didn't race. Adam lined up with the long race and started it leaving Dave back at the start waiting for the short race to begin and wondering where Adam went. A few minutes later, Adam returned to the start realizing he wasn't suppose to start yet! And so the fun began. The guys started and we packed the kids up and headed into town. Luckily the race started in our hotel parking lot and ended in the town closest to us too. By the time we got to the finish line and hung out, Dave came in (28th). He was shocked to hear/see that Adam wasn't in because he knew he didn't pass him on the course. This of course gets me worried that he either had mechanical problems (he was riding Dave's single speed) or he was injured. Neither. Dave called it and said he had to have made a wrong turn. Finally, Adam came across the finish line (looking pretty ticked off too). Sure enough, he went 4 miles out of his way! He was not a happy camper for a while. Dave thinks Adam would've finished in the top 10 had he stayed on course. After a beer and a chance to catch his breath, he got over the issue and we enjoyed ourselves watching the racers come in one by one.

Luker was excited to do the kids 3 mile race. He was registered, had his number pinned on and was doing warm up laps around us all to learn that the kids race started and he wasn't there! Dave quickly rode w/ him to where we were hearing cheers and he jumped in a minute or 2 behind everyone and rode like a mad man to catch up. He only had time to get 1 glove on so Dave carried the other back to the finish line where we waited to see how much ground he had made up starting so late. He did very well and enjoyed himself despite the late start. He (and all participants) received a medal and a coupon for free ice cream! Can't beat that.

We headed to a great brick oven pizza place near the finish line for lunch. Ohh, was that tasty! (Not quite Punch, but still good). Following pizza and of course ice cream we headed back to the hotel for swimming.

I've never played so much catch in a hot tub before! Luckily no one else was in there to bother. It did feel good to relax in a hot tub again.

Dinner was at Garmish, a nearby resort/restaurant. They are known for their bloddy mary's which the other 3 adults ordered and I stuck to my trusty diet Coke. We ate outside and the weather was still warm at 6 30! We returned to the hotel only to learn that Paul was really sick and it was a good thing he didn't race or join us for dinner. So while the guys watched a romance movie, Anne and I sat w/ Paul and monitored the boys.

Sunday we all slept in. Emmit even slept longer than usual for his morning feeding - seeing he didn't really take a long nap on Sat. it was good he slept as well and as hard as he did. Gerrit too slept in till 7. He didn't have a nap and with as much as we did the past 24 hours, he needed the sleep. So at 8 Luke and Gerrit were in the pool and I sat with Anne watching them. Adam and Dave brought us breakfast from town - a gas station special b/c the grocery store didn't open till 9. It hit the spot and beat waiting for our food at the hotel restaurant like we had to on Sat. We casually packed up and headed home. The guys were going to go for a ride one more time but I think the race took enough out of them that they just wanted to get home.

We each took our own families in our own cars on the way back. Gerrit was mad he couldn't ride with Luke and Paul but we felt it be best if he didn't due to Paul's recent illness (he was feeling better this am). Both boys traveled very well coming home. Emmit slept most of the time which he probably was making up from Saturday's little sleep, and Gerrit too took a good nap. It was another beautiful day for traveling and getting home at a decent time allowed for playing outside before bed.

I don't know where the camera is so I'll have to post pictures later. This week will be interesting as Adam is out of town Tues/Wed. Luckily the boys and I will be going over to Dahlen's on Tues. for dinner to make it easier on me. With beautiful weather predicted all week, I know I'll be outside most evening managing Gerrit and trying to keep Emmit happy!

Pretty Close

I just realized I did not post the boys' comparison stats from the recent well visit...so here they are (drum roll please):

Gerrit (at 4 months):

height: 25.2"

weight: 17 lbs 13 oz

head: 17.1"

Emmit:

height: 25.2"

weight: 16 lbs 1 oz

head: 17. 01"

Wowzers! I had no idea they were that close!

Happy Birthday to Who?

Saturday, Dahlen's took Gerrit, and our friends Abby, Olivia, and Soren to House of Bounce (an indoor play area that is full of blow up bouncy things) for their birthdays. Gerrit, Ollie, and Soren all have their birthdays within a week of each other, so rather than a gift, Anne, Luke and Paul took the kids and did "something".

As much of a gift it was to Gerrit to do this fun activity and have lunch with his buddies, I too thought of it as a 'gift'! It was nice for us to have some time at home to get stuff done w/o having to worry about Gerrit. Adam did some yard work (which Gerrit would've wanted to 'help' with) and I did laundry and knitted (needed to finish up a hat for Sunday's auction). We thought they would be home by 2 after stopping at Mc D's for lunch. When it came close to 4, Adam finally called to check on them (and to see if they would watch the boys so we could shop for the lawn mower). Turns out, they had been home for a while and were baking cookies!

It's great that it did not even phase Gerrit that he would be gone most of the day from us. We missed him but knew he was having a blast with his buddies. Even though it was a later night than we had planned, he slept hard and in his own bed ALL night!

Happy Mother's Day

I often think its odd that I'm a mom - I alway think that because I'm the youngest in my family, I'm really not that old and grown up. Odd, I know but true. And now I look at the above picture and think 'wow' those are my children! I'm proud to be their mom and they are pretty good kids. I can't imagine our lives without them! Mother's day is not only a day in which we are celebrated (and now being a mom, I totally understand why Mother's day exists!), but it is a great day to say thanks for the chance to be a mom.

Before church the boys gave me this for Mother's day (because they forgot the other item I had hinted about wanting). I think they did a great job of picking out a meaningful bead to add to my bracelet. [Bill did a great job getting me the bracelet for Christmas as it is easy to get me a gift - just add a bead to my collection!]

We went to church and stayed for the brunch sponsored by the youth. We put bids in on 2 items and won both: a round of golf and carts for 4 here in town (which will be used when my brother's family comes in June) and a cedar vase made by a member of our church:

(I also won the little vase of flowers as a door prize.) He has made vases before for the auction and we never put a bid in before today. I was pretty excited when I woke up from my nap to find that in our kitchen! The picture does not do justice - it is beautiful. I made 2 baby hats and put them in the silent action too; I'm not sure who ended up with them though.

Following brunch I took a nap which was great because after my nap I was back in charge of the kiddos. Adam needed to finish up the landscaping as we are expected to get some rain so having the lawn seeded would be great before a nice rain. I did manage to try out my other Mother's day gift:

Just kidding, we did buy it last night though. Our hand me down 1980's Lawnboy was spitting out more oil and would eventually burn our grass that we've worked so hard for (the whole back yard was a 'rock pond' when we bought the house). So rather than try and squeeze one more year out of it, we went shopping for a new one last night. I was pretty excited because we left the kids at Dahlen's so we could get dinner and make an evening out of it - until we realized it was Prom! So all the nice restaurants you would go to w/o your kids were full of brightly colored (ugly) dresses and their vest matching dates. So after spending way too much time trying to find a nice place to eat we were so hungry and didn't want to rush thru a dinner that we paid good money for, we ended up at Chipolte! (It is actually a place we rarely go to w/ the boys b/c there isn't much for Gerrit to eat there at this point - he hasn't mastered eating a taco well.) So we enjoyed chips and guac. and our burrito bowls, the only thing missing was a margarita and I looked to see if they sold them in a bottle, but they don't. We sat at a high table too which we couldn't do if we had the kids. So even though it was not Victoria's (our 1st choice) it was still dinner w/o the boys.

And now both boys are tucked in and I'm able to sit down for the 1st time since my nap. During dinner Adam thanked me for watching the kids on my 'day off' so he could finish up the yard. It better rain these next 2 days! Now we can finally concentrate on getting the hoop up!

Spelling Words

This week I have been a mother to 4. We are watching Luke and Paul for a few days while their parents are at a conference up north. It is pretty easy to watch them because they actually watch my boys!

Tonight Luker was busy practicing his spelling words with me. (Odd that he is doing this with me, I was never a big fan of spelling tests and am thankful for spell check these days!) When he finished, Gerrit took the pad of paper and pen and said he needed to write his spelling words too. [A bunch of scribble marks on the paper were Gerrit's words.]

After playing for a bit, Gerrit came upstairs and said he needed to do his spelling again. I later found him sitting at the computer desk where he had written on some mail (luckily nothing important!).

I hope he is as excited about spelling words in 4th grade as he is now.

Not Quite Done

Just when I thought getting a new driveway/sidewalk would be an easy job with little work on our part:

I didn't think about the mess that would be left to deal with. The picture on the left shows how much space there is between the lawn and sidewalk. Rather than building a retaining wall, we thought we'd take a few layers off the lawn and make it flush with the sidewalk. Saturday afternoon, Adam chewed up the yard (part of it). We 'hired' Paul to come and help move the soil to low spots around the driveway. A little more tilling and then we can plant the grass seed. I spend the day keeping Gerrit out of the way and Emmit happy - I don't know who was more exhausted, Adam or me!

Many cars slowed down to see what Adam was doing and one neighbor rolled down his window and asked if we were planting corn!

The Park

We went to the park (playground of the Lutheran school) nearby as a family. It has been a while since we all went to the park together. Emmit of course watched from the stroller.

Need for Speed

Gerrit is actually slower and more cautious on his new bike. He walks it down hills and will sometimes try and stop by putting his feet down. He loves to stand up and ride and has gotten more comfortable trying to stop by pedaling backwards. When he has the whole stop concept down, we will take the training wheels off (maybe by the end of summer?).

Almost Done

This is my new favorite place to sit. I can see Gerrit a lot better (a greater distance) when I sit here. Nick and Shorty had this done so the boys have more room to ride their bikes...little did we know how much we and others really like it! It turned out great.

All that is left is to fix the edges of the lawn...easier said than done!

Shadow

A friend called Gerrit Adam's 'shadow'. She said every time she drives by our house she always sees Gerrit doing what Adam is doing. I had never really thought about it, but when she said 'shadow', I had to laugh because it is true.

Gerrit loves to do what Adam is doing. It does not matter what Adam is doing, Gerrit needs to do it to - from wearing the same cycling clothes, to mowing the lawn and other yard work.

Here are recent photos of Adam and his shadow prepping the yard for more landscaping!