I should be sleeping!!!

I can't believe he used to be this little : )


How did he get so big so fast??!!??!!


Instead I'm looking through Conner's baby pictures!!!

Rain Rain GO AWAY!!!

We are suppose to be moving and it's raining...poring buckets of rain...just our luck lately!!! Things are just NOT meant to go our way. It sure has been that kind of a year for us.

Moving day!!!

Today is moving day...yay!!! We got our apartment in place but the carpets were cleaned this morning so we wont be able to move anything in till tomorrow, we are moving everything into storage this morning and loading up the truck with everything else that we are taking with so that they guys can just unload tomorrow. I wonder how Conner is going to handle all this moving around. Poor Neal has to go to work tonight and school started for him now too so he is going to be one tired guy.

Conner and I have to drive to Vesper this afternoon to get our contract signed for that house. We actually have two interested parties in that house right now which is awesome and we are really hoping that it sells now. But we are trying not to get too excited as we have had a signed contract before and things did not work out. So we have a busy day ahead of ourselves and can't wait till things settle down a little.

Playing in the dirt!!

I was transplanting some of my house plants and Conner was helping : )
Right before this he was jumping in the muddy puddles...so fun!!!
Washing up after the messy fun!!!
All smiles!!!
So fresh and so clean!!!!

I always thought I would be one of those moms who would never let their kids get this dirty and messy but he was having so much fun. I guess that when you don't have little ones it's much easier to say I will NEVER let my kids do this but once you have them it all changes...at least it did for me : )

Fun weekend!!!

On Sunday G'ma and G'pa came to see us!!! Conner was so happy to see them especially since he got some new cars and some mini M&M's...thanks G'ma and G'pa!!!

Sunday lunch!!!
Neal Mike and I have been playing poker a lot the last few days unfortunately I'm not doing so well I guess that it's not for real money so I'm way too willing to gamble : ) I would not get very far in Vegas...ha ha.
Loren and Mike on one of the roller coasters!!

Conner was a little scared of the shark person!!
He loved the duck....we spent lots of time with this little fella.
Loren and Mike waiting in line for the roller coaster!!!
Taking a break!!!!
Daddy Mommy and Conner went on a balloon ride which Conner just LOVED....he was a bit hesitant at first when we were getting strapped in but when we started moving it was all giggles.

Well it's almost the weekend again but I have not had the time to post anything from our fun filled time with Aunt Alissa and Uncle Loren : ) They came to visit us on Friday night and stayed with us till Sunday. We went to the mall of America on Saturday and I have to say that I was a bit overwhelmed by the size of that place. I could not believe all the levels and all the fun things they had there especially for the little ones. I have never seen an inside roller coaster and amusement park...I felt like a little kid trying to take it all in. I had an adventure of my own towards the end of our visit to the mall of America!!! I needed to use the restroom so I decided to break away from our little group and after telling them where I was headed I guess I did not pay close enough attention as to what they were doing...maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear and not what they were really telling me...anyway about an hour and a half later of endless wandering and searching and a bit of panic and frustration Mike came to my rescue and found me : ) My night in shining armor...ha ha. That's really how I felt after an hour and a half of searching in one of the biggest places I have ever been to. We were all reunited and tired of walking and ready to head home.

The ride home was quite entertaining for me as well...Neal and Mike were serenading me the WHOLE 2 hour ride home. I think I heard PARTS of every country song ever written and my personal favorite was "I feel like a woman" by Shenia Twain....classic!!! Neal missed a few exits too because he was so into the singing....I tried to get it on my camera but every time I turned it on they stopped singing....I guess that they knew it would be posted on my blog for everyone to hear. Conner slept only 15 minutes the entire day and did not go to bed till well after 11:00...I giuess after all that excitement he had a hard time seteling down!!!

Fun at the zoo!!!

Watching the bears!!!
Climbing the bears!!!
The petting zoo!!
Pulling the donkeys ear!!!
Uncle Mike holding Conner and watching the monkeys!!

There is a little free zoo not too far away from where we live and we were able to squeeze in a little trip there yesterday. Conner LOVES the bears and could spend all day watching them. I have been lucky enough to see two bears out in the wild...kinda. The first year we moved to Vesper Conner and I were going for a walk through our neighborhood and as we were turning a corner we saw a great big black bear walking the streets. I have to say that I panicked a little and rushed in the opposite direction for the gas station where it was safe behind glass doors : ) The second time I saw one we were heading back to Eau Claire from a mowing trip to Vesper and a black bear jumped out into the street in front of our car. Neal was napping and by the time he got his glasses back on the bear had jumped back into the woods.

Where does the time go??

Well this week has disappeared in a hurry for me. I have finally stolen a few moments of computer time from Neal and Mike. They have been on a roll playing games ever since Mike arrived on Sunday afternoon. We are having a good time though and are so glad to have Mike with us. Alissa and Loren are coming up tomorrow night and we can't wait to see them. The last time we saw them was at Mom's b-day party and that was back in March. We wish that we were closer to everyone : ( Neal's Mom and Dad will then spend Sunday afternoon and night with us...yay!!!

Uncle Mike is being tortured at the moment by our baby boy...so funny!! He's jumping on him and crawling on him and throwing random toys at him. Poor guy!!!

So we have some exciting news. We sold our house in Eau Claire and have to be out in 2 weeks!!! We did not have the house listed but our neighbor's friends are moving to town and came to take a look and fell in love with our home. Thanks Carrol and Darrel for sending them our way!!! We were planing on listing it soon either way so it worked out well but it just jumped up at us. The scary part is that they will be renting from us for up to the next 4 months. If they sell their house in Kenosha sooner we would be able to close sooner, so we are still hoping for two houses to sell. SOOO now we will have 1 1/2 mortgage payments and rent as well....scary!!! But at least there is light at the end of the tunnel and we have something to look forward too. Our other house in Vesper on the other hand we will NEVER sell!!! We were just informed that on Friday of last week another company closed their doors with no notice at all and another 500 hundred people lost their jobs and for a small area like that it's just not good at all. It stinks but it is what it is and we will just have to deal with it I guess. We have been on a hunt for an apartment and are hoping to get into a duplex as the moving in and out would be much easier. Most of our things will be going into storage anyway since we will probably be moving again sometime in the near future. I have to say that I am quite ready to be settled and closer to home. I am getting really sick of not knowing what is going to happen next. Ok I feel like I'm complaining way too much now. Things could always be worse!!!

Conner and his cars!!

Lets see...are they all straight?!?!?
Nope not quite right!!!!
Yup yup...this will do!!! Then he knocks them all down and says uhh-ohh!!

Conner likes to line up his cars and stack them as well. When they are all perfectly lined up he knocks them all down and then starts all over...so much fun. I wish that I found more enjoyment in such simple things : ) I feel like I finally have my little boy back, he has been playing so well so I'm really trying to enjoy it while it lasts. Almost all his teeth are in now so maybe his mood will be a little better now!!! He has picked up a few funny habits lately!!! He likes to jump in place or climbs unto something like the couch, chair, bed, coffee table and then jumps off. He LOVES to say uhh-ohhh...all day long every 2 seconds uhh-ohh...uhhh-ohh...uhh-ohh. His other new thing is that when he falls or hurts himself somehow he does not really cry but just runs to mommy so that she can kiss it and make it better but no matter where it hurts I have to kiss his fingers....too funny!!!

I miss my girls!!!

Madzia and Katie soaking up the sun and being silly playing in the field down the street from their house. I wish that we lived closer so that I could be silly with them!!! Are they gorgeous or what?!?!?
My mommy making head bands for Madzia and Kate : )

Busy bees!!!

Things have been very busy around here lately. Neal started his vacation and has only one assignment left for school then he will have a break from school for almost 2 weeks. We have been working on our house in Eau Claire a bit finishing up some projects!!! We only have a few things left now. We are getting ready for Uncle Mike to come up and visit for a little while...Neal has been getting games ready for the two of them to play!!! I'm sure that they will have at least a couple sleepless nights!!! We did get to go to the pool for a couple hours yesterday and Neal and I finally decided that we need to get Conner signed up for some swimming lessons. He is just so brave in the water....he jumps off the ledge and goes all the way under water and even knows how to hold his breath but we are just not quite sure how to teach him to swim since he is so little. He does not want us to hold him and just wants to go off on his own and swim....it's a little scary especially when we are in the deep end

I was planing on finishing my project today but when Neal was putting in the new closet door in one of the bedrooms he broke a very important part SOOO it will have to wait again. Maybe I can convince myself to go to the store to buy a new part. I'm trying to get motivated to work on Conner's baby book and get caught up with his scrap book but with all that we have going on right now I can't seem to set a side enough time to work on it....maybe it I had a nice little corner like Melissa does I would not have such a hard time. I hate getting all my stuff out and then putting it all away again. Those of you who scrapbook I'm sure can relate.

Just one of those days!!!

What a little clown!!!
Hiding out in the castle!!!

Conner has been supper cranky all day long....not quite sure what the problem is but I'm guessing that he's a bit jealous of baby Sasha : ) We did have a fun activity today, Carol and Jonathan were nice enough to have us over for a swim and play date. Conner was a bit wild in the beginning but he played well towards the end. Jonathan was as usual very well behaved and SOOO adorable!!! Thanks guys!!! It was a hot one today and the cold water felt great!!!

Well I know I said I was going to try and finish my project by tonight but I got busy and it got shoved to the side for now. Maybe sometime this week. Neal's b-day is tomorrow...yay he will be 26. We are not doing anything special this year for b-days and we actually are planing on going to Vesper to mow and clean up after Sasha gets picked up...ugghh!!! Not looking forward to the 2 hour drive each way....but that's ok. He also starts his 2 week vacation tomorrow and he is VERY excited as am I!!!

What a sweetie!!!

Conner did the sweetest thing today!! Dad was getting ready for work tonight and Conner was jumping up and down on the bed and off the bed and just running around like a crazy little child but when he saw daddy put on his red shirt he walked up to him and gave him the tightest and longest and most adorable hug ever. If that does not make your day I'm not sure what else would!!!!

Almost finished!!!

I'm hoping to finish my little project sometime tonight or tomorrow...the easy part is now finished and I think I might just be able to pull it off : )

Our goof ball!!

Not sure at first but he went for it!!!
Who needs a shower!!!

Conner slept in till 7:00AM this morning which was nice because I felt like I needed the extra rest. We bummed around in bed for another 30 minutes reading books then got up to have breakfast...Conner was not that hungry but I did get him to eat some oat meal and then I gave him some grapes. I cut the grapes up and put them in a little bowl for him like I usually do and left him in his booster seat while I loaded the dish washer. When I was finished I went and got him all cleaned up and got him out of his seat but he was not too happy for some reason and I could not figure out what the problem was...he was pulling at his onesie and and pointing and grunting I finally figured out what the problem was : ) He had shoved all his grapes down his onesie and he could not get to them as they were at the bottom of his diaper!!! He thought that it was pretty funny. He was a bit wild this morning so I was a little worried about meeting but before I put him in his car seat I told him we are going to meeting and that he would have to be a good boy and from that moment on he did not wiggle or make a sound....what a good little boy. After meeting we stopped at the farmers market...this was the first one that I have been to this year and I'm so glad I had made the stop. The fresh stands in Wisconsin are just amazing the strawberries, raspberries and all the fresh veggies...yummy. Since we do not have a garden of our own this year this was a great alternative. We got some young potatoes, sweet peas and dill weed and then headed home. Conner and I sat on the kitchen floor for about 15 minutes eating the fresh sweet peas right out of their shells and between the two of us we had eaten almost the whole bag. Conner likes them raw as much as he likes them cooked....he has to have sweet peas in everything, mashed potatoes, soup, mac and cheese otherwise I have a hard time getting him to eat. Conner went down for his nap almost immediately after our snack which was nice.

It seems like we wasted the whole afternoon but I really did not have the energy to do much and what are Sundays for anyway?!?!? When Neal got up we had supper...something that always brings me back to my childhood. Growing up my mom and dad never had much money and meat was always a Sunday treat but we always grew potatoes and one of our most re-occurring meals during the summer were young potatoes with butter and dill and fried eggs and that is exactly what we had for supper tonight....yummy....at least I thought so Neal is not a fan but he ate it anyway. After supper Neal worked on homework and Conner and I went outside to water the flowers....our nightly ritual : ) He loves to jump in the puddles and run under the water but today he did something especially funny...I almost fell over laughing. I have 2 hanging baskets in the front and they are the moss ones so when you water them the water runs right through them and Conner decided to stand right under the running water....he thought it was so funny and just giggled and giggled. I tried to get a picture but my camera stinks so I did not really get a very good one. The things he does sometimes just melt my heart.

Starting to take shape!!!

While Conner was taking his nap I decided to learn how to use power tools...I still have all my fingers...ha ha!!! Now I know why guys like to use power tools so much : ) Any ideas now????

One of those days!!!

Any ideas as to what this will be????

I'm often reminded by my mom and dad that when I was a little girl and I was told to clean up (sweep the floor or pick up toys) I would often put things under the rug!!! Conner seems to have inherited that same trait from me as I keep finding goodies hidden not only under the rug but in between cushions behind the refrigerator under the stove...etc. My sister always makes fun of me for my younger days as I would let my room get VERY messy. I would try on 10 outfits but never put them back and eventually my room would be a total disaster BUT when I would get around to cleaning it I would be very thorough : ) Everything had to be taken out down to a bare floor and I would slowly bring everything back in and I just LOVED that clean feeling. Well today I had one of those days...not that our house was a disaster but I just needed to have that clean feeling. I cleaned the house inside out!!! Neal mowed the lawn today and I worked in the flower beds, swept the driveway and sidewalk and planted some more flowers that I picked up in the morning. I finally got around to cleaning the couch and the glider....that was a big job but well worth it. I even cleaned under the fridge and stove and went through all the kitchen cabinets...I know I'm nuts. I washed windows a couple weeks ago so I was glad I did not have to tackle that job today too...ha ha!!! I think that cleaning has always been an outlet for me when all things seem to be out of control, or if I'm upset I always resort to cleaning!!!

I never did get to go for my run today wich I'm regretting now but Conner is a sleep now and Neal already left for work so no chance of getting that in today....there is always tomorrow though : ) Neal was feeling ambitious enough today to finish off the siding on the garage and install the faucets in the upstairs bathroom. We are so close to being able to list the house for sale. I'm actually a little sad though because now that we are almost finished with everything I'm wishing that we could enjoy it a little. A life without tools in every room I've almost forgotten what that feels like!!! Well we just hope that this house will sell...I'd hate to think that we will be stuck with two houses forever : )

I started a new project today as well. I've been inspired lately to be creative!!!! Ray Bradbery said that Life is "trying things to see if they work." SOOO lets see if the image that I have in my mind can become reality!!!

Mommys little helper!!!

Unloading the dishwasher!!

Re-organizing mommy's sock drawer!!! Folding laundry!!!
Helping dad cut up the watermelon!!!
Seasoning the potatoes!!!

I was going through Conner's pictures today and I was noticing that he is quite the little helper. He usually followes me everywhere I go and tries so hard to help!!! Why is it that when they are this little and not really capable of helping they have this eagerness for helping and learning but as they grow and get older that slowly starts to disappear???? I suppose that they figure out that chores are not as fun as they seem to be!!!

A pretty good day...

Our morning started out so well!!! I set my alarm clock for 4:30AM in hopes of getting my butt up early and going running but after hitting the snooze button for the 4th time I had decided just to stay in bed!! Nothing wrong with that right!!! Sasha was dropped off at 5:30 AM and she was such a good little girl. She sat on the couch and played with Conner’s toys until Conner woke up at 6:30 AM. After my 2nd cup of coffee and checking the news and weather and e-mail I made Conner breakfast. He ate so well…he had 2 scrambled eggs and ½ cup of yogurt with fresh cut up strawberries and crushed cereal and a whole cup of milk. We waited for Neal to get up and then headed for the park!!! It was such a beautiful morning…nice and cool and breezy. One thing that I do love about Wisconsin is the cool nights and mornings!!! We have not had to turn on the air conditioning yet which is so nice since I have a bit of an allergy to it. Conner had brought along one of his balls to the park….one of his favorite things to do is throw the ball up and down the slide. I’m not sure why but he just gets such a kick out of it and just giggles and giggles. On the way home we decided to walk down to the store to pick up some stamps since I was all out and had some things to mail. We then headed home hoping that both the kidos would go down for a nap. I was trying to get Sasha down but my efforts were worthless. I had Neal try and get Conner down for a nap and but Conner got SOOO mad that he threw up again…all over dad!!! Only mom will do sometimes. He has been so incredibly clingy lately…mom has to do everything!!! Well I finally got both of them for a nap!!!! By this time it’s almost lunch time…Sasha got picked up at noon and Neal and I ate lunch ALONE!!! We had steaks, potatoes and corn on the cob….yummy!!! I’m so proud of Conner…after his nap he ate a big lunch too, potatoes sweet peas and chicken nuggets. Conner and I were suppose to go to a “hip mama” play group this afternoon but it’s storming so instead I went to DQ and picked us up treats!!! Conner is playing with his blocks now and Neal is taking a nap!!!! I feel like taking a nap too but I might just have to try and get to bed early but I still need to go running too…ugghhh!!!

Trying to make Conner happy : )

This morning we walked down to the park to play for a little while. Conner is still not quite himself and even the park was not quite the adventure that it usually is.
A reward for being such a good eater today...at least he let me take his sunglasses off...silly boy!!!
We went to the pool for a little while this afternoon but Conner was just being so cranky that we ended up leaving after an hour or so. He is getting so brave in the pool, even in the deep end he wants us just to let go of him and he is even brave enough to put his face under water. Mommy is so proud!!!
Man he has it good!!!

I'm not sure about this...can we just go home now!!!

At the park!!

MOM.....I hate being strapped in here!!!
So COOL in his shades!!!
Peek-a-boo!!!!
WEEEEEE!!!!

I think he may be feeling much better now!! We went to the park and he played so well...swinging was by far his favorite part today....weeeee : ) It is such a beautiful day here today, nice breeze, sunny and warm we might just take a hike in the woods if I decide I feel up to it!!