Boulder Junction Vacation

This weekend we went to visit Brooke, Jay and Mika and experience Beef-a-Rama. Were we in for a whirlwind time. After arriving shortly after 8pm on Friday night the kids tried out the new hot tub, ahhhhh. I think they really enjoyed their warm swimming pool.

In the morning Brooke and Jay left for their Rump Roast Run and we stayed behind to wake up a little more and prepare for a day of BEEF! We met them after they finished their run and were ready to hit the town. The girl in green holding the beef is a 5 time winner. I am going to run next year and beat her. No one should be able to monopolize all that meat.

Also along for the day of fun were Jay's parents, John and Gloria. Catherine enjoyed hitting all of the booths handing out free food with Gloria. Lots of little snacks to keep her busy. Liam liked the pirate ship with real pirate activity (they were shooting flour out of the cannons on the boat).

We spent the better part of the morning visiting little shops and eating lunch in an Irish pub. Unfortunately the day was overcast and chilly or I am sure that we would have stayed longer for the parade of beef. We went home at around 2pm to have some down time after all of the excitement. Brooke surprised the kids with cupcake baking and decorating which they loved. Sadly, Catherine got a little too close to the fresh-from-the-oven cupcake tray and got a nasty burn on her chin.

Brooke, Liam and I took a walk in the woods to keep Liam busy. He liked the large variety of sticks and rocks for him to choose from. He also liked that he could run pretty much anywhere and not get yelled at.

By nighttime the kids were exhausted and went right to sleep and the adults could spend some much needed kid-free time in the hot tub relaxing with some drinks.

On Sunday morning we went to the Outdoorsman for breakfast. It was delicious! Liam spilled his whole glass of chocolate milk in mom's lap but other than that things were great. Just look at how happy Catherine is with her breakfast.

We went back to the camp and went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful colors and get the kids out and active. Brooke taught the kids some tight rope walking and then we got to go for a canoe ride. Catherine even helped to paddle.

On the walk back to the cabin I got stung twice by a wasp which is why my pant leg is hiked up. Then when we went into the house to sit down I got stung three more times by the same wasp that was somehow in my shirt. Brooke saved me by getting the wasp off of me only to get stung by it as well. That was one pissed off wasp. Sorry Brookie.

We said a sad farewell to Mika who had begun to get used to all of the extra cuddling and was thinking maybe we were moving in. The kids certainly made themselves at home in her cage. (Hey, where can I get one of those. Is it still illegal to cage children? What if they are enjoying it?)

Thank you Creaghs for an exciting and memorable vacation, we have the burns and stings to prove it!

P.S. On the drive home the kids didn't even make it to Minocqua

Ready to Dance

We enrolled Catherine in a ballet/tap class that is every Monday from now until the spring. At the end of the dance year they have a recital (which I hear is a real hoot). Stay tuned for updates on her progress...

In these pictures Catherine is showing me her "moves".

Catherine's First Day of School!

Catherine had her first day (and week) of school last week. So far things are going great. She came home with a Problem Solver badge today!

The hardest part is seeing Liam so sad when he can't ride the school bus.

Fishing with Papa

On Sunday we were able to go fishing with Papa! A fun time was had by all. Incredibly we remained on the lake (and in the boat) for a couple of hours, trying as we might to catch those elusive fish. Finally we were able to get a few, along with many laughs and many cries of "Liam NOOOOOO".

Highlights:

1. Catherine and Liam's smiles when they reeled in the fish

2. Liam throwing all of Papa's waxworms over the side (sorry Papa) I guess he watched E.T. one too many times (SAVE THE FROGS)

3. Catherine crying and scaring all of the fish away after dropping one of Papa's measuring tapes in the lake ("Mom, you have to swim down and get it!")

4. Don fishing

Uh oh, broken

As if dislocating his elbow and getting a staple in the head weren't enough, it seems that Liam also found time to bust through the front window. Hooray. Thanks Liam. I guess that is the last time he is going to squeeze between the couch and the front window. Oh wait, he doesn't seem to be learning from his mistakes...

Mom and dad sure are having a fun time paying for this stuff.

They say that children are priceless? I am thinking that I could put a price on this one... think Liam, tied to a stake in the front yard, with a FREE sign around his neck. Any takers???? I am pretty sure nobody in this neighborhood would do it.

Mini Golf

We have had some pretty nice weather lately so we decided to take Catherine and Liam mini golfing. Liam fell asleep on the way over to the mini golf course so we left him in the car and had a nice game with Catherine. (Not to worry, the parking lot is right next to the mini golf course so every couple of holes we would go peek in on our sleeping boy.) Catherine liked the game quite a bit and enjoyed the challenges that each of the different holes brought. After a while she did get frustrated and would just pick up her ball or push it with her putter into the hole. It was a nice break for the three of us to be able to play a game without the constant worry of "Where is Liam and what is he doing?"

Corn!

Eat your heart out Uncle Matt! We had a corn party and boy was it great. Liam kept saying "Corn is AWESOME!"

911

Liam got to visit the emergency room today! We got up, ate breakfast, and were lounging in our pj's having a regular lazy morning and decided to play a little wrestling and tickle torture. Liam and I were having a good time when Catherine decided to join in on the fun. While I was busy tickling Catherine, Liam launched himself over me and went head first and upside down into the entertainment center. Before he even got over the initial impact I had grabbed him and made a run for the kitchen. Then the blood started flowing!!! Screaming ensued: Liam in pain, me for Don to come quick, Catherine in sympathy for Liam's wound. I ran upstairs to throw on some clothes (there was no way I was going to the ER in pajamas), and we were out the door, in the car, and on our way to the hospital. A few minutes with a nurse and one staple in the head later and we were back home again good as new.

A quick note: If you need to go to the ER, Tuesday morning at 8:30am is a great time. There was nobody in the waiting room and that is the fastest I have ever had a doctor respond to an injury ever. Wow. (He did try to use the stapler upside down at first - Don wanted to know if there was a wet bar in the doctor's lounge...)

Liam's Third Birthday

Liam made it to 3 - Yippee!!!! Thanks to all those who rescued Liam from danger, drowning, or destruction. Let's hope that we can keep him going for a couple more years at least. Here are some of the highlights from his exciting day.

Daddy's Bay Beach Birthday!

Don turned 32 this past Monday and we all went up to Bay Beach.

Mommy and Catherine on the train:


Here's Liam shooting down the bad guys:


Here's Catherine and Mommy trying to touch hands on the swing:


Here's Daddy and Liam in the caboose on the train:


After that we had a fun lunch at the Hu Hot and Daddy never had a better birthday!

Beaker's Ode to Joy

Catherine wanted to share this with everyone. My favorite is the top center one when he starts hitting the high notes.

Liam's First Major Injury!!!

How has he made it this long?

I had to take Catherine to her 6 yr old doctor appointment today and sadly Liam must accompany us on these trips. I hate to take either of them there when they are well since we invariably come home with a new illness. Anyway, we had a crazed wait in the waiting room with lots of running around, me yelling at Liam to stop climbing over the toy house and just play in it, stop running over the old people's feet who are waiting for hearing tests, and mostly not to play with the gate to the front desk because those ladies certainly don't need him back there. (In my opinion they are asking for trouble by having that little gate anyway)

We finally get ushered back to the other waiting room and Catherine is told to wear a little gown so I am helping her change into that and Liam is touching all of the thermometers and other gadgets he can get his hands on. I finally just picked him up and said that he was going to be held and that was that. TIME OUT!!! He didn't like that one bit and started his best 'I am having a seizure' wiggling and squirming. All of a sudden he starts screaming like he has been stabbed. He keeps repeating "Don't touch it, don't touch it" and cradling his arm. I figure he just pulled a muscle or something so I just let him cry for a while. Then he really starts screaming and wailing. (Meanwhile I am waiting for the nurses to run in and find out what the heck is going on in this room, but no one shows. Does this happen a lot?) I decided that something was really wrong because he never carries on this long with injuries. At least we are at the doctor's office!!!! What a stroke of luck. I wait, and wait, and wait, for the doctor to come in. Finally I poke my head out and say "Um, I think my son has a broken arm or something, can I get some help?" The nurses fight over who has to go in because they are all busy. Unlucky nurse gets nominated and she comes in to take his temperature? What the heck?!? There is something wrong with his arm... hence the screaming and the clutching of the arm... Whatever. She assures me the doctor is on his way. Hooray, the doctor finally arrives and takes a look at Liam's arm. "How did this happen?" is of course the first question. I give my best "Who knows?" shrug. Next is the incredulous, "This happened in here?!!?" After feeling various points on Liam's arm the doctor makes the assessment that he has popped out his elbow joint (quite painful) and it needs to get popped back in. He proceeds to do just that with some quick twisting and a flip of the arm. Amazing. A couple of stickers later and everyone is happy. Time to head home for that drink.

P.S. Catherine got a big thumbs up on her health.

Catherine CAN'T stop

I have caught Catherine several times now biting her nails, unfortunately that also includes (gasp) her toenails. When I told her it was gross and she needed to stop she looked me right in the eyes and said "Mom, I really want to stop but I just love it too much." Then she walked away. So much for that little talk.

Catherine's First Sleepover!

Catherine had her first sleepover this past weekend, spending the night at Aunt Jen's house! Luckily her blankie shreds made it back safe and sound. Now if only we can get her to sleep in her own bed for a whole night!

Million Dollar Smile

Father's Day

I know it is long past but we just downloaded the picture and I thought it was a really nice one of Don with the kids. A perfect Father's Day photo!

Mr. Chips Strikes Again!

First Pool Day of the summer

It was finally hot enough to put up a splash pool on the deck and let the kids play. They thought it was a blast and had a great time getting in, getting out, getting in, getting out...you get the idea. After a while Liam became disgusted with his ill-fitting swimsuit and decided to go au naturale. You would have thought he would have been extra protective of his body now that he was "free" but it didn't slow down his daredevil nature at all.

Mr. Liam Bean