Elise's Tea Party 6th Birthday

The birthday girl looking all pretty with her tea party buffet.

The whole tea party set-up. Very pink, sparkly and Hello Kittyish!

The fancy cupcakes Elise designed and Mom made.

Elise's 6th Birthday continued

Hope, Kara and Brook with their game prizes - Cindy Lou Hou headbands!

All the girls with their tea cup flower arrangements they made for a craft.

Hailey, Kara P., Kara T., Becca, Grace, Elise, Brook, Hope

Becca and Elise opening gifts.

Elise's 6th Birthday continued

Hailey, Becca, Kara, Elise...opening gifts.

Elise and Grace enjoying the tea party lunch.

Clockwise from Elise: Grace, Hailey, Becca, Kara T., Hope, Kara P., Brook

Girls enjoying a tea party lunch of bologna and cheese roll-ups, macaroni and cheese, fruit, veggies, jello shapes and pink lemonade.

September 2009

Seth having his first violin lesson, age 1. JJ teaching his first violin lesson, age 7.

Elise all pretty dressed for church. She is wearing a dress that Grammie (LaRayne) made for Megan when Megan was a little girl.

Elise's first day of kindergarten. JJ's first day of second grade.

Madeline Island Part I

We went to visit Madeline Island in the summer. It is one of our very favorite places in Wisconsin! In fact, one of our favorite places in general. The kids love playing in the water, watching sailboats, riding the ferry over, climbing the rocky hiking trails and more. If we don't get to the island at least once a year we just don't feel right. We had a perfect day. It was cool and warm depending where you were on the island. It was warm enough on the beach for the kids to want to play in the water (which means it was just this side of being ice).

Madeline Island Part II

Dad and Seth on the ferry boat looking "out to sea" for sailboats.

JJ and Elise found this rock ledge to hide in.
You can't tell in the picture but it was really high up above the water.

A rare picture of the whole family!
We love Madeline Island!

It is always a blast to ride on the top level of the ferry boat!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Day Part II

Each of the kids got to try their hand at churning butter, with a more modern churn. Elise didn't want to stop, and we were all a little disappointed we didn't get to eat it on something!

The kids' favorite activity of the day was washing clothes by hand. I couldn't pull them away. This actually prompted JJ to want to learn to do laundry at home. Yes! He's been learning!

Elise did really well at rolling the hoop. It is harder than it looks. There were about 10 kids all in this area in Laura dresses rolling hoops and it looked like they were on the set of the TV show.

All the little Almonzo look-alikes. JJ was the cutest, of course (on the far right).

A few of the many Lauras. Elise was the only one with red ribbons in her hair. She was proud to be the only one with that detail covered. Laura always had red ribbons in her braids when she was little.

Friends in Ohio in July

Bekah, Seth, JJ, Elise, Zeke
In July Megan, JJ, Elise and Seth traveled to Ohio. We stayed for two weeks, so we had lots of time to spend with family and friends. Here we were in the Bowling Green area visiting Jen and Israel and their kids. We had a great time just playing together, and visiting the BGSU campus with the big kids. It all ended too soon with crabby, tired kids and Megan had to head home early to spare us all!

Here you see Bekah, Elise and JJ on the sculpture outside Olscamp Hall at BGSU. It is the "Thinker" turned on its back, otherwise known on campus as "Thinker in the Bathtub."

Seth trying to get one last drop out of the Sundrop bottle. The unofficial drink of the state of Wisconsin. We start 'em young!

Nora Mercer, Elise, Seth, JJ, Trayce Mercer
Some fun times with Mercer cousins!

JJ, Elena and Kiersten Quinlan, Elise
Special "girlfriends" from Xenia. Spent the day with them, and they remember playing with the puppy and using lots of Kiersten's perfume! JJ just joins right in and makes the girl fun just a little rowdier than normal.

JJ's 7th Birthday

Seth tooling around while the boys hit the pinata. This is the first time JJ has had a sleepover birthday party. We limited it to his 3 boy cousins, Tucker, Isaac, and Griffin. They had such a great time being boys together.

Here they are scrambling for pinata candy and army men. Jonathan isn't trying to get some for himself, he's helping Tucker (several years younger than the other boys) get his fair share! The army men were a hit.

Tucker, JJ, Isaac and Griffin

JJ lovin' his birthday cake. I'm proud to say I did make that Lightning McQueen myself! It was worth the work to see how much JJ loved it.

Touch-A-Truck

In May Shawano County Highway Dept. hosted Touch-A-Truck. They have over 50 vehicles the kids can climb in. And the Sun-Drop truck gives each kid a pop! More caffeine than my kids get all year. Whew. JJ loved it all, and Seth loved anything with an oversize steering wheel.

As long as he could have both hands and both feet on the steering wheel, he was happy.

Elise really got into "driving" Seth around on the lawn mower. Maybe this is why now, at 15 mo., his favorite things are lawn mowers of any kind - Mo Mowa!

May Violin Recital

Mrs. Kristin Gontea, violin teacher, Elise and JJ

JJ and Elise played with Jonathan in their last recital of the year. They played Canon in a round. Jonathan played one part, and JJ and Elise played the other part together. They did a great job! JJ did a good job of leading Elise and keeping his place. Elise progressed so much through the year from not being able to play at all, to playing a more difficult piece with 2 other people by the end of the year! Great job musicians! And of course they looked so cute.

JJ Meets a Green Bay Packer Part 1!

JJ waits for a Packer to pick him. The Packers have this thing where every practice they come out of Lambeau Field where they suit up and ride kids bikes over to the practice field. It is a really cool thing I think only works because it is such a small city and people are so courteous to the players. The kids have to mind their manners and the parents are all very cool about it. What a neat opportunity. The Packers organization is so family friendly. This is the first time we've ever done this and JJ was stoked! A real Packer might ride his bike!

Finally a Packer chose JJ! It is #46 Devin Frischknecht. He is a rookie from Washington State. 358 pounds, 6'3" and 22 years old. He handed JJ his helmet and hopped on his bike.

Good thing I got this picture when I did because..

JJ Meets a Green Bay Packer!

Devin broke JJ's pedal off after just a few yards. JJ just pushed his bike and Devin walked, until Mom suggested he ditch the bike.

JJ then carried Devin's helmet for him the rest of the way through Lambeau Field parking lot, across Oneida Street, to behind the Don Hutson Center where Training Camp is held.

(out of order picture - this is once we got there, watching practice)
Mom and the boys enjoying some football. Mom wishes she could have watched more.
Go Pack Go!

Once JJ and Devin arrived at the field, Devin signed JJ's new Packer t-shirt, then took off to play some ball.

Seth enjoyed the whole morning. Such a boy! He was great at spotting the ball during practice and scrimmage!