Feeding the Ducks on the Fox River

They love cheerios!

This guy became my friend... apparently no fear at all.

Here we all are... freezing our tushies off!


My Mom had to squish in between the two car seats... not an easy task in our Ford Escape.

Our New Christmas Tradition

We are starting a new tradition in our home... stomach flu at Christmas time. Two years ago, April and I began the tradition while visiting our families in Chicago. We had such a wonderful time, we thought we'd make a tradition of it. This year on Christmas Eve we all came down with the stomach flu at the same time... like clockwork. While I was changing kid's bedsheets at home, April ended up going to the ER at 2:30 a.m. for some meds and IV fluids. I felt so bad that she had to driver herself there.

Somehow we made it through the night. Neither April or I slept at all, but the worst part for me was that I was headed to a 24-hour ER shift that morning. So when I got to the ER, the nurses were kind enough to hook me up for IV fluids and Zofran (anti-nausea). It was enough to get me through the day, but some patients were wondering why I was working with an IV in my arm.

So I am happy to report that we have left it all behind us... for now... but I'm really looking forward to next year for another round!

Our Early Christmas

Because I had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Santa Claus was kind enough to come to our home a couple days early. On our "Eve" we put our cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer, which were all chomped up in the snow. Then on Christmas morning we all had hot chocolate and sat by our tree to open gifts. Nate and Elin had a blast and Nate was very grateful to Santa and to his Mom and Dad for his gifts. I think his favorite is his new art easel from Grandma Jan and Grandpa Zan.

Figuring out how things work.

Nate has found a renewed interest in Legos.

Tower building.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round."

New warm slippers!

April's stocking full of goodies.

Nate had to dig out a treasure chest, this didn't last very long.

More cans than you can count.

Picasso hard at work.

Kid's Pics

We have a local friend who took some Christmas pictures in our home, and here are a few of them. Now, I don't know how everyone else fares with their young ones during pictures, but I've learned that I still have a lot to learn about "patience". I definitely prefer spontaneous pictures.

"Daddy... you didn't see me do that, right?"

"Who said he could kiss me?!!"

"Mom! Quick... I have a surprise for you!"

My two girls.

"I know I can get whatever I want with this face..."

Christmas Decorations...

April and I both love Christmas decor... almost as much as fall decor. Here is our family room. Our stockings were hand-knit by April's Mom, Janet, and we've had the same tree since we first got married... a Target special!

And here is the exterior decor... very festive at night with the lights on!

Elin in her winter hat and gloves... she loves her hat and gloves, and she'll let us hear it if we try to take them off.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

The real snow has arrived! We've had 3 snow-storms now, but the last one was a real snow-storm. I shoveled about a foot of snow off the drive, and the snow hill on our driveway is already above the mailbox. The worst part... the 2 feet of heavy snow that the city plow leaves at the bottom of the drive... I was having chest pains heaving that to the sides. Nate loves it, though. Here's a picture of him soaking in the rays on his lawn chair...

Construction at the Foreman's

Well, I won't quit my day-job, but I really enjoyed putting up the dry wall in our garage last week. For some reason, our builder only insulated and dry-walled half of our garage, so finally we got to the other half (a 20 degree difference in the winter). It doesn't take much thought and is good exercise. Our friend, Peter, assisted in the process... a good thing, too, since the 12 x 4 sheets were so heavy I would definitely get a hernia lifting them alone. It turned out well, and now our cars will actually turn over when we start them.

Apple Juice Anyone?

Nathaniel has been coming up with a lot of interesting questions lately. For example, a couple days ago I got a succession of questions including "Dad, does space go for infinity?", and "Where does all the water in the world come from?" Then an easier question came, "Dad, how do we make apple juice?" (He'd recently learned how to squeeze oranges for orange juice). I explained that there a large machines that press the juice out of the apples. But he believed we could also suck out the juice with a straw, so I suggested we try it. He did, and it didn't work very well. So he ate the apple, and that was that. Now on to the other questions...

Nate's Gingerbread House

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Nate was given a gingerbread house kit from his Mama and Papa. Now, I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, there was no such thing as a pre-made kit. All we had were graham crackers, homemade frosting, red-hots and M&Ms, but it was enough. And we had fun, darn-it.

Anyway, it was the only thing we heard about until we finally busted it out the next day and put it together. Nathaniel was very particular about decorating it (where did he get this from?), and in the end it turned out great! Thanks Mama and Papa!

Yummy...

One of our traditional favorite weekend breakfasts is Swedish Pancakes. This is a specialty I first learned from a friend in college, but April grew up with it, also. Nathaniel is the biggest fan, now able to down 5 pancakes in one sitting. The only problem... as the cook, I don't get to sit at all as this is a high-maintenance breakfast.

Thanksgiving at the Dells

This year we did something a little different for Thanksgiving... we spent the holiday at Kalahari, a giant indoors waterpark at Wisconsin Dells. If you've never been to one, picture a huge waterpark with multiple swimming pools, lots of giant waterslides, and millions of people all under one roof. Lots of craziness, but lots of fun.

This trip was for our kids, and we also spent the holiday with my parents, sister Shawnta and brother Mike, and their kids. We had a great time in our 3-unit hotel room (even though April and I had to sleep on the sofa-bed because of Nate's snoring and Elin's coughing... ugh!), and we enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving buffet at the hotel (yummy and easy... a great combo). All the kids loved the waterpark, and Nate really didn't want to go home. But he got over it when we he realized Christmas is next!

Bittersweet...

Winter is here! Pull out the sleds! Build a snowman! Drink some hot chocolate! Listen to Christmas music! Decorate the Christmas tree! Sit by the fireplace!



Winter is here! Pull out the shovels! Freeze on the way to work! Catch the flu! Wipe kid's snotty noses! Eight hours of daylight! Dig out snowed-in cars!

Nate's Baby Monsters

A lot of children have imaginary friends. Nate, however, has baby monsters... 101 baby monsters, to be exact, and they usually hang out in his pocket. They seem to cause a lot of problems around the house, but they can do a lot of good things as well. They have become a regular topic of conversation in our home. The little monster in this picture (the blue one, not the other one) we found recently at FAO Schwartz, and we couldn't resist but to indulge in Nate's little fantasy a little.

Tonight while going to bed, Nate said, "Mommy, what if the witches come into my room?" We're not sure where he got this from... maybe Scoobie Doo? April's answer was, "Well Nate, you have 101 baby monsters to scare them off with." Then Nate took April's face in his hands and whispered, "Mommy, don't you know they're just pretend?!"

Our Other Kids

For those of you that haven't met our cats, this is Sebastian (left) and Sachi (right, pronounced 'Sochie'). Combined, they're like having another 1 year-old running around. They eat, sleep, poop, and play sometimes. But just like a 1 year-old, when they are sleeping and look this cute, you just can't resist them.

Gobble Gobble!

Nate made this Turkey during art-day (Mondays) at school... it's made of corn husks, bay leaves, pepper corns, sun flower seeds, and a chili pepper. He was very excited about it, and wanted to make another turkey at home. We'll have to go grocery shopping for the supplies.

Las Vegas or Bust

We just returned from our trip to Las Vegas. I had a medical conference there, so we decided to turn it into a mini-vacation. April had never been to Vegas before, so this was a real eye-opener for her. Now... we are not gamblers, but we found there was plenty to do to fill up our time. LOTS of shopping and LOTS of good food, including a sushi restaurant where we ate twice. We went to the Cirque du Soleil show called "O", which was an incredible show- if you've never seen Cirque du Soleil, definitely try to go- they travel all over the country.

Mary, April's sister, also joined us for a couple days, so that was nice, especially for April since I was in conference half of the day. Overall, it was a fun trip. But we also learned that if you have any relaxation planned in your vacation, then better try somewhere else.

Mom and Dad- thanks again for watching the little squirts, we couldn't have gone without you!

Nate's Goin' Campin'

The other morning I came into Nate's room to find him packed up and ready to go... camping. Not having any clue that we were going camping today, and realizing it was about 40 degrees outside that morning, I asked him where he was going, and whether or not he had enough layers on. He answered, "We can all go camping at the campsite. I packed my blankets, so we we'll be very warm." I told him I wasn't planning on camping today, and wouldn't be able to make it. He said, "That's okay, Daddy, I will just take the green car. I'll need to borrow your keys to the green car, okay, Daddy?" So it begins...

I searched his bags, and found that he was, indeed, ready to go with 2 blankies, his Froggie, pajamas, socks, and a lunch box with 3 apples and a pomegranate. I think it would have been a long night.

Buzzy Bee Halloween

Stubborn?

stub⋅born 

Pronunciation [stuhb-ern]
–adjective
1.
unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unyielding: a stubborn child.
2.
fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute.
3.
obstinately maintained, as a course of action.
4.
difficult to manage or suppress.
5.
hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

I love that little guy!

So any of you who have met our son Nathaniel for any amount of time, realize that he has a "little" bit of energy and can strategically exhaust all adults within a 45' radius in minutes or possibly seconds. There are days I want to take a nap at 10:30 am. With this energy though, Nate is almost always happy, smiling and giving. Every time a friend comes to our house they must leave with something. The friend's mom too. Many of our front porch pumpkins have found new homes because of Nate's generosity.

Nathaniel also likes to make presents for Jason and I. Today he wanted to make a pretty crown for me. To diversity, I told him - "How about we make it for Annie?" -his buddy next door. We worked on it lots this afternoon. Tomorrow we have to give this artwork piece to Annie. But tonight as I was cleaning up the glitter - I really wanted to keep this evidence of Nate's best parts!

P.S. Don't forget to check out Nate's quotes as we do try to update them. He says the funniest things somtimes!

Watch Out Lance Armstrong!

Tonight Nate made me proud. After just a few tries, Nate took control of his bike, without training wheels, and tore up the road! Look at him go! Yes, he had several educational falls, but in the end it was all worth it. Once he got the hang of it, he didn't want to stop riding. Our next step... keeping him on the SIDE of the road, so we don't have Nate roadkill. Keep it up, Nathaniel!

Our BIGGEST Pumpkins!

Nathaniel was a very happy boy a few days ago when he received a holloween gift in the mail from his Mama and Papa... an 8 ft. high blow-up/light-up pumpkin stack. The last few days have been somewhat difficult as we have not had a chance to put it up yet. We were finally able to do it last night, and boy was Nate thrilled.

It's the first of it's type in our neighborhood, and I was a little reluctant at first, but I have since come around to enjoy the finer qualities of giant blow-up/light-up toys. For one thing, airplanes appreciate using it as a location marker. We no longer need outside lights or flashlights at night-time. And our entire family can use it as a flotation device in the next storm flood. Really, it is a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to many more hours of pumpkin fun (especially Nate). Thanks Mama and Papa!

"Are these instructions in English or Chinese?"

"Where's the front???

"Hey, it really works!"

"Ahhh, I love my new pumpkins."