Bill & Kate Plus Two

A Visit to the Park/Zoo

2009-08-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Bay Beach Part 2

2009-07-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that Katie left her camera at her parents house. Since it might be a while before she posts some pictures I will do the honors for her. These are not new, they are from our day last week at Bay Beach. Most of the pictures are of Sophia for no particular reason.

Bay Beach

2009-07-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today we took our 2nd annual trip to Bay Beach with the German's. It's hard to believe that last year was the second time we had met Geremu and Sophia was just a baby. It's amazing how things change in a year. Here are a few pictures of our day. The first thing on the agenda is always the train ride.

Then on to the rides. This year Sophia decided to join in on the fun. I was a little nervous she would try to stand up and jump on in the during the ride but she seemed content just sitting back and relaxing.
After the rides we had a picnic lunch. Here's the crew minus Geremu. I think he was chasing away the seagulls that were enjoying his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After lunch it was on to swimming. Apparently I didn't get too many shots in the pool but here's one of our bathing beauty.
Then we moved on to the Bird Sanctuary to feed the ducks and geese. The kids (and adults) loved feeding the birds. We just need to remember to wear our old shoes next year.
Here's what my kids looked like on the ride home- what a fun day!

Wildlife

2009-07-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

I figured I better get posting or I'll have another guest appearance, which I actually didn't mind since she is a much better blogger than I am. As Ann Marie mentioned we had a few set backs in our moving experience we are now starting to feel like home in our new house. Carson even tells people he is glad we moved. One thing we weren't quite expecting at our new house however is all the wildlife. During our first morning at our house we were so excited to have our windows open and feel the breeze and then we started hearing roosters. We thought it was kind of cool at first but I didn't realize exactly how early roosters start cock-a-doodling in the morning. Also, within a few days of the move we saw two huge cranes right next to our house. We thought the were pretty cool and they hold their own against our dog.
Then one night Billy looked out his window and saw a deer right below us. He looked right up at our room and anytime we would whisper to each other the deer would move it's ear. We also took a trip to a zoo since our daughter shares our love for animals. She particularly likes the ones she gets to feed.

Sophia isn't crazy about her stroller or hanging on to her parent's hands but she would hang on to Carson's so the two walked hand in hand through the zoo. It actually worked out quite nice.We also took time to ride the carousal.
The other night I had a quick girls night with Ann Marie and when I came home I asked Billy how the kids were. He responded by saying, "did you give them Mountain Dew before you left". He had been golfing earlier in the day with a friend of his and I might have neglected to mention both kids took about a three hour nap. Here are a few photos of my daughter while I was out.

At least she had her clothes on :).

I'm back...

2009-07-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

that's right! I noticed that this blog hasn't been updated in a week so here I am logged back in. To be honest, I couldn't remember the exact e-mail address so it took me a few tries to log in:) I was pleasantly surprised that the password hadn't been changed yet!

The new house is beautiful and the family is slowly getting settled in. There was one minor flooding incident shortly after they moved in. I'm calling it minor since only 5 poops (assuming everyone fessed up honestly) had been taken in the house before the back-up in the basement took place. It was quickly cleaned by professionals (not Billy).

They are already hosting dinner parties, so feel free to invite yourself over.

Billy is entertaining guests with his fly swatting abilities. Apparently the fly swatting game has different rules than baseball, it took Billy more then 3 strikes to find success.

The weather has been perfect lately and their family took a trip to the NEW Zoo earlier this week. (Okay I think Katie said they did that but I might be making that up.)

Today Katie and I took the boys to a local swimming hole.

Sand Angels= Dirty Boys

Movin' On...

2009-06-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Let me first start by introducing myself, I'm AnnMarie and visiting here from A Wish With Wings. I've been friends of the family since moving to town. I invited myself to guest blog since Katie has been so busy lately despite the fact that Billy called me bossy just last week. (In his defense, I admit to liking things done in a specific way otherwise known as my way) Anyways, I somehow convinced Katie it would be a good idea to give me her log-in so I could blog for her tonight.

Our family had the privilege of playing with Carson and Sophia yesterday as well as last night. A good time was had by all.

Sophia punched out early for the night and slept like a champ.

The boys really wanted to sleep in the tent but since it was suppose to rain we compromised and let them sleep on the covered porch. It was a chilly night and they were tuckered out from a hard day of play.

After breakfast the boys partied in the tub before we headed over to the old house for the kids to reunite with their parents.

While the kids finished up the packing...

Billy cleaned the floors.

(I had to capture this on film since I don't know how often Katie sees this)

Rumor has it the driver of the U-Haul jumped the curb as he was pulling out of the U-Haul parking lot the day they rented it. Oh, the memories they will have.

The Old House

The New House

One Happy Family

Sophie's new thrill

2009-06-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

This week has been a pretty busy one. Aside from slightly packing for our big move next week, Billy taught at an engineering camp during the day and had football practice two nights so the kids and I have spent some quality time together. On Sunday we all went to Billy's home town to visit everyone and celebrate father's day. We caught a great parade and the kids had a blast. I think Carson got more candy than he did on Halloween.

Sophia also enjoyed the parade.

This week Sophia has started a new habit. Apparently since she has turned 1 1/2 she feels she no longer needs diapers and should start to potty on the toilet. Although I thought this was cute at first, it has turned into a real battle. She rips her clothes off at least four times a day and insists on sitting on the toilet even though she has never actually went potty on the toilet. Wednesday Carson saved the day. The two were playing in Carson's room together and all the sudden I heard Carson start screaming at Sophia. I went to his room fully expecting them to be fighting over a toy or something and I found Carson holding Sophia's diaper up and screaming, "she has a poopie". He was pretty proud of himself and I was very relieved he caught her.
Most this week I have walked in on her taking her diaper off after she woke up from her nap but yesterday I peaked in her room while she was sleeping and saw her rear in the air and no diaper.

Picture perfect

2009-06-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today Carson got hold of our camera and started taking a few pictures of he dear old dad. Billy decided to pose for the camera. I'm pretty sure he didn't know the camera was on video and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that I am posting this.

This evening we had Ann Marie and the boys over to enjoy the sunshine. We got out the sprinkler and it entertained for the boys for a good 10 minutes. I got a few good action shots.

We love summer!

2009-06-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

I think it's a bad sign when you've forgotten your user name and password for your blog. I'm not quite sure what to say about my absence and I won't give any excuses but I really can't stand the harassment I've received from the three people who actually read this so I'm back.

Is there any better time than summer, really? We have had such a nice week. To summarize in a nutshell we took a trip to Eau Claire to visit cousins & grandparents, a train ride, a day at Menominee park & zoo, a train ride, a birthday party, a train ride, and a night with some family friends. Carson has been in all his glory since he has had three train rides this week. I'm not sure life could get any better in his eyes. I think all the fun activities and family time has been great for all of us. Tonight as we were putting Carson to bed he said, "I'm longing to be a good boy." Above are a few pictures of our week.

I'm back!!!!

2009-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I took a little break for the holidays. Now that I've had two unexpected days off of school I really can't say I don't have the time. I feel like I may have to play catch up. The biggest news we have is that Sophie is now officially a walker. She is still a little wobbly but definitely a walker. I actually think she looks a little like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters (we've been dressing her in lots of layers these days) and Billy thinks she looks like a little monkey, either way she's pretty darn cute. She is also learning so many things lately. Her favorite activity is still looking at herself in the mirror but she also like helping me in the kitchen. Today she found an old raisin wrapper on the floor and opened the garbage cabinet and threw it away. This may not seem like a big deal but when she just learned to walk a week ago and she is already tiding up the house, I was certainly impressed. Carson is also all kinds of fun. Almost everyday he says or does something that just makes us laugh. Last night we were talking about how school was already cancelled for Friday and that he would get to stay home with us. This was right around bedtime and Billy was going to put him to bed. For whatever reason, he favors me for doing most things such reading him books, putting him to bed, and even wiping his butt ( I tried to tell him if he really loved me more he should have Daddy wipe his butt but he didn't seem to get it- I still get stuck doing it most of the time). Anyway, he started to say he wanted mom to put him to bed and then said, "Dad you're canceled". I thought it was pretty funny but it didn't work. Overall, we've had a wonderful unexpected two days off.

Slumber Party

2008-12-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend Billy's brother and his family came to visit and help celebrate Carson's birthday. It was so nice of them to drive up in the cold, busy month of December. The night started with presents and birthday cake and moved onto fun games and of course the actual slumber party. The kids must have discussed their sleeping arrangements for an hour. They were all excited to sleep on the air mattresses which left the most comfortable bed wide open. It was nothing short of a miracle that all of the kids slept through the night, which was a good thing since we had to get up early for church. Carson made his first singing debut. He attends Sunday School at our church (when we are home) and they have been practicing for this performance for 6 weeks. So you can just imagine the anticipation we all had for this big event. Carson did well, he held up his star at just the right time and gave our whole family a huge smile and wave. It was adorable, all two minutes of it. Then the preschoolers were out the door and the rest of the service continued, for 86 more minutes! Aside from the extremely long church service, the weekend was great.

Birthday Boy!!!!!

2008-12-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

Four years ago..... Where does the time go?????

Today we celebrated Carson's 4th birthday. I can't believe he is already such a big boy. He was so excited for his big day. Our usual sleepy head came bopping in our room this morning at 5:45 am with a smug look on his face. I'm pretty sure he thinks he grew at least a few inches last night in order to turn four this morning. In fact, as we were leaving for the day he asked, "When I get as big as you two will I be able to sleep in your bed with you?"

After school we decided to really celebrate at where else other than our favorite restaurant Chuck E. Cheese (which actually has really good pizza). This year was extra special as our good family friends came to help us celebrate. The kids had a blast as well as the adults. Then we ended our day with swimming lessons. I think this may have been a little much for the little man. He found himself in his first time out during lessons for spitting water on another swimmer. Needless to say he did not pass the class. Maybe we should have gone home after dinner.

Snow Day!!!!!

2008-12-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm a few days late with this post but I just looked at some pretty cute pictures that I wanted to add. Tuesday morning we awoke to a winter wonderland and school was cancelled. We were over joyed. Carson helped Billy with the snow removal and both the kids helped make a pot of chilli.

Primping Princess

2008-12-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've always dreamed of having a daughter who would let me fix her hair and it looks like my dream is coming true. We have one primping princess on our hands! This week, Sophia's latest thing is sneaking away any given chance to climb up Carson's big step stool to look in the mirror and brush her hair. This morning she got a new tooth brush and she was so excited. It's like she's been watching us do this for a year and now she wants a turn. She will actually move the brush up and down and then pretend to spit in the sink.

Polar Express

2008-12-06T12:25:00.001-08:00

So we take Carson and Sophia to the Railroad Museum in GB, for a reading of "Polar Express", a train ride, and to see Santa. When Billy ordered the tickets, the lady told him "be sure everyone is in their PJ's...adults too" we were hesitant, but I had to cooperate as hey...it's for the kids right?? So a couple of days before we go I said "Billy...are you sure adults wear PJ's too?" Oh yeah...he said. (He even called again, just to make sure, and the lady on the other end assured him that this was the case) Ok..so we get all dolled up, PJ's, Robes, Slippers..pretty much the whole 9 yards. You know how this is going to end right? We get the parking lot and start to see people walking in, and I said..."Umm..Billy, I don't' see many adults with their PJ's on." Yep...it was us and like 3 other adults who, I guess, were also fed bad information. Luckily we did bring shoes to change in too...at least, so we didn't look like COMPLETE idiots.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Last week we took a whirlwind trip throughout the midwest to visit relatives and and had a wonderful time. Sophie found many little helpers at every stop. She adores her older cousins!

We also decided to celebrate the kids birthdays since it will be the last time we will see each other until Christmas. Let's just say the cake was the highlight- Sophie was in heaven. She loves to eat!

Let it Snow

2008-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our first true snow fall. Monday mornings can get a little dramatic due to our sleepy, sleepy three year old. This morning was appearing to be no different until we mentioned that it was snowing. Carson literally flew out a bed and ran to the nearest window. He was so excited. He went down stairs to find his boots from last year (which are now two sizes too small) and headed outside before 7 am. We didn't wake up in time to shovel this morning but we told him we could do it this afternoon. All day I was hoping the sun wouldn't melt all the snow away, luckily it didn't. Sophia appeared to enjoy the snow as well. Although, we may need to work

on the snow apparel.

Best Friends

2008-11-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

At present time Sophie has two best friends, one of course is her brother. Carson has always been a pretty good big brother but recently has taken on more responsibilities. He loves to watch her as she goes up the stairs, insists on babysitting her in his room and now he enjoys to feed her a occasional bottle. Sophie complies with all of his requests admirably.

Her second best friend is Gabby. Their relationship more often revolves around food. Gabby loves eating Sophie's food and Sophie love to eat Gabby's food.

Bear Feet

2008-11-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago Billy and I got away alone on a little shopping trip and came across some bear slippers that we knew Carson would love. They were a bit small so we decided to exchange them. Carson was a little devastated at the time but got over it. I finally returned them last night but the new pair were exactly the same size, a little too small. Carson wasn't going to give them up this time and insisted on wearing them to bed. Since it was late I agreed but took them off his already slightly sweaty feet as soon as he fell asleep. Well, about 3 am (when I was dreaming peacefully) my son frantically screams my name so as any mother would do I ran in his room wondering if he was sick or had fallen off the bed- nope he was missing his slippers and couldn't possibly sleep without them. We tried exchanging them for another size tonight but had no luck. We decided to keep them even if they are a little small- I need my sleep.

I'm a blogger!

2008-11-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

After being completely inspired by my good friend, AnnMarie, I've decided to join the blogging community. I'll be honest it feels a little weird but I'm very excited! Billy and I thought this would be a great way for our family and friends to keep up with us since we are not the best at calling or emailing the people we love the most. We don't live the most exciting lives but our kids do and say the darndest things and we would like keep track of it all.

So what's new? Friday night we took the kids swimming at the YMCA for a little family fun. We went with AnnMarie, Cullen and Geremu and had a blast. Carson and I missed swimming lessons on Thursday night so we decided he needed a little extra practice (it's pretty obvious he's missed a few weeks). We had intended on going but on our way I missed our turn (it was dark and raining). I thought I knew the way from the next exit, which was about 2 miles away, and ended up getting completely lost. Carson kept muttering from the back, "this is making me so sad". So, after driving around for about 40 minutes we were back at home with no lessons. Good thing gas prices have dropped.

Today we spend the first four hours of our day on the phone with At&t trying to set up our new Internet. Long, long story short it was a very frustrating process and we ended up canceling and sticking with our old service. So good news is our email will not be changing, bad news is it costs about $16 more a month for the old service. Our day had a much better ending with the Germans coming over for dinner and a movie.

I've decided to attach a few pictures from Halloween since I actually sent them to my family on Halloween but my email was not working properly. I also don't quite know how to work this blog site so their pictures are in the wrong spot.