Too many balloons!

We had a few things to do today - one of them was - fill 300 or so water balloons. We have a Primary (Children's Sunday School) activity tomorrow morning. Nate, Elin and one of our friends Emily were big helps today. We are going to do something fun tomorrow as a reward for my big helpers today.

Thoughts by Nate . . .

Nate is rubbing two pieces of wood together.
"Mom, guess what?"
Me - "What, Nate?"
Nate - "If I rub these pieces of wood together it will make fire."
Me - "Oh?"
Nate - "Yeah, but it will take weeks."
Mom lets out a sigh of relief - house is still safe for another day.

Random Pics...

Here are a few random pics from our kid's recent visit to Mama's and Papa's house. Both kids think my Dad's airplane is cool, but they're still a little nervous about the loud engine or taxiing around, so the most they do now is sit in it. But they still give it a thumbs up...

Fun in the backyard... and heading to the forest.

Nate and bubble bath... what a combo.

Ride On!

Here are a couple of pics of my Dad and I doing a century ride in southern Wisconsin... a beautiful but warm and windy day. I always enjoy riding with my Dad, but we only get to do 2 or 3 rides together per summer. Can't wait until the next one, Dad!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Tomorrow is Nathaniel's 5th birthday, but we had a little celebration yesterday. Nate had a few friends over and we did a little party- food, cake, playing, rockets, pinata, etc... Everyone had a good time and Nate was ecstatic to have his friends over for his birthday. He especially liked all the cards his friends made themselves for him... just look at that smile:

Nate's Mama and Papa (my parents) sent Nate a 7-ft rocket that blasts 100 ft in the air... and it really does. This was a highlight of the party, and I got a good work-out pressurizing the mechanism prior to blast-off.

And... Blast Off!

It was funny- retrieving the rocket was almost as fun as blasting it off... not sure why.

Everyone liked George... but Elin was especially happy to see Curious George visit our house... it took her a while to get up the courage to hit him with a bat, though.

Poor George took a lot of hits... but I thought he looked surprisingly well considering.

Elin thought it was necessary to eat all of her candy at one sitting.

Happy eating! Of course it was more fun to eat up on the playset, not on the picnic bench underneath.

Everyone got in on the candle action... puffy cheeks all around. I don't think there was time for a wish.

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Jan and Mimi visit for Nate's birthday... he was excited to see them (and it didn't have anything to do with the presents they brought, right?) I think we'll- I mean, he will- have a great time with the home-made soap, "grossology" book, erector set, and of course the frog anatomy model. Thanks for visiting!

Nate with Mimi (his great-grandmother) working on shrinky dinks.

We Like Berries!

So, we like berries - really like berries. I haven't found out how much Nate and Elin could actually consume. I think they would break my produce budget if I let them consume 'til their hearts' content.

Recently, we have started getting raspberries and blueberries in our garden. Here are some berries I found first :)


Below are pictures of what happens if Elin finds the picking bucket first.

Picnic and a Hike

There's a nearby forest preserve that's perfect for some easy hiking and picnicing... boardwalks throughout the preserve make it perfect for little ones. Nate and Elin always have a good time and it's a beautiful area, so we try to frequent this place.

Here's Elin with her "oh my gosh!" look... not sure what it's all about.

Dad and Elin... my favorite daughter.

And there go the two munchkins... "We're off to see the wizard!" Fortunately, it's hard to get lost as long as they stay on the yellow brick road.

And finally... lunchtime. Always the best part! And no, that's not beer I'm holding, it's peach juice (really).

Free Furnace Cleaning Service!

What do you get when you mix this pipe...

with this water hose...

like so?

A FREE furnace cleaning!!! All it takes is 20 gallons or so...next to nothing! It's so easy even your 4-year old could do it! Don't forget, you could get some pooling of water in and around the furnace, making a small swimming pool in your basement, so be prepared. And be sure to dry the fan and circuit board in the furnace when your done... water is not so good for these things. Happy cleaning!

P.S. It does appear the furnace did survive - this, uhm cleaning!

Happy 93rd Birthday Grandpa!

We celebrated my Grandpa Sikich's 93rd birthday on the 4th of July... here are some of the festivity pics. It turned out to be a rainy day in Chicago, but we still managed to have a great time under the table umbrellas and indoors. Less swimming for most people, but that didn't slow down Nate- he was in the pool most of the time. It was pretty crazy with so many little ones running around... I was beat by night time. Enjoy...

Yummy chocolate ganache cake for my Grandpa, and mini-cakes for the little ones with summer B-days.

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Happy 93rd, Grandpa... we love you!

I think Nate enjoyed his cake...

And, of course, like brother like sister...

My family really knows how to bring on the desserts... her are my Aunt Nancy's famous apple pies.

Grandpa with the great-grandkids... from 2 to 93, quite a span.

Elin wanted to be in the pool EVERY MINUTE... she couldn't get enough.

And Nate was pretty much a prune by the end of the day.

Here are Lexi and Sadie, our kid's cousins. Poor Lexi had stiches on her nose just the day before.

The kids couldn't get enough ice cream... my parents stuff the refrigerator with it before the parties... thanks Mom and Dad!