Long Time, No See!

It has been quite the year so far! This is my first blog of 2007 and it is JULY. I'll have to remind you all to take a look at this again since I'm sure you've all given up on me.
We are getting settled in our new home in Shawano, Wisconsin. This week I just got the computer set up and got internet service running. (Yeah, we have been here since March, but I'm slow, OK :) So now I hope to put at least weekly updates on this here blog and learn how to import pictures on to it (hopefully Jen can tell me how).
Recent interesting notes include that Elise and I went on a Mom-and-kid camp out to Madeline Island (in Lake Superior, close to Bayfield, WI) with our old WAKO group from Ashland. We set up our tent all by ourselves, cooked our own food, etc. It was neat to show Elise that moms can do just about anything and we had such a fun, fun time together. We played on the beach most of the time, and the rest of the time was spent sleeping. So, yeah, we were at the beach to whole time! I have cute pictures, so I'll try to get those on soon.
JJ still constantly provides us with humor! He loves to make people laugh, but sometimes the funniest things are when he is just being himself. Jonathan and I have to hide behind magazines sometimes because we don't want to embarrass him; but he is so JJ. Just last week Jonathan gave him a piece of mint (in JJ terms "govermint") gum. He rarely has ever had gum, so Jonathan reminded him to spit it out when he was done with it. After about 15 seconds JJ raced to the garbage can, with me watching, then went out and told Dad that he was done with it. Jonathan started to tell him that he can chew it longer so it is not wasted. I gave him a look and shook my head. For I had seen JJ with drool running out of his mouth, and had just realized that JJ couldn't figure out how to swallow his saliva without swallowing the gum. So he had to spit it out before he majorly "overflowed". I know some of you will be able to picture this in your mind, if you know JJ, and get a chuckle out of it.

No House Yet

Our trip to Shawano was fun and family-filled. We were able to spend much time with Pyatskowits and Hamanns (my mom's side of the family). We looked at 10 houses, I think, but nothing was quite right. We will continue looking when we move to Shawano. We will be staying with Al and Gloria for a while, but hopefully not too long, for their sake. We are thinking of looking in other surrounding small towns like Gresham and Cecil, WI for housing. We saw some really strange stuff in some of the houses we looked at, like painted-shut windows, wobbly second stories and walls that were so bowed they looked like a wall in a fun-house at the carnival. There were a couple that we liked, but not well enough, so we'll keep looking since we have my cousin Billy-the-Realtor at our disposal!
JJ had great fun with his Pyatskowit cousin Isaac (just turned 5) and they sledded on the inch of crusty snow Shawano had. They were being wild, crazy and having so much fun, that you knew at some point someone would get hurt. Sure enough, JJ took a header off the sled and scraped his face on the snow. Think really bad encounter with a many-clawed cat and add swelling. Poor kid; but it is almost all healed already. He wasn't even phased; just the price for fun as a 4 year old.
My mom and dad came up to Ashland for a few days this week as well, and we had fun enjoying each other's company. We geocached near the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center and drove to Ironwood, MI so that I could ski. They had snow over there, lucky town, and I was able to ski 8 kilometers in the beautiful winter wonderland. It was just breathtakingly beautiful. I got a good workout and the kids had fun watching me a little and Dad took video of me. Interesting to watch myself ski.
This week will be lots of packing and saying good-bye to people. I'm taking the kids to things for the last time, so we'll be taking lots of pictures. Maybe in a couple weeks I can get them on here.

Sleigh Ride

Yesterday JJ took a sleigh ride with his class at Bad River Head Start. Mom and Elise went to watch the two big, black horses pull a wagon with 20 kids in it. Elise even got to pet the horses. The horses had jingle bells on their harnesses just like the song. So we sang "Dashing through - there's no snow, in a two-horse open sleigh, o're the roads we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bob-tail ring, making spirits bright. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song today!" The kids had such a blast! I took a bunch of pictures and I'll actually try to get them on here today. After we move and settle in I'll try to figure out how to put pictures on myself and do that often.
We're going to Shawano tomorrow and we will look at 11 houses on Saturday. What a day that will be!
I have packed only about 15 boxes so far. I need to get going on that. We will be staying with Jonathan's parents when we move at first as it will take a little while to close on a house. They are so generous to let us do that.
JJ is, at this moment, reading books to Elise. He loves "reading" books to her that he already knows, like the birdsong identification and alphabet books, so he can teach her things she doesn't know. Is this just being sweet, or sly domination:)? At least so far he has taught her B, E, M and Q.

We're Moving

The latest news is that we are moving to Shawano! What a change it will be for all of us. Jonathan is looking forward to working with his tribe and his brother and JJ and Elise are looking forward to playing with their cousins and Pepper the puppy. Megan is more focused on the packing/finding a house at the present time. We are going to be able to buy a house, which is exciting, but may prove to be time-consuming during the holiday season. Jonathan starts his new job Jan. 8. Megan and the kids are busy taking pictures of all the special people/places so that they can make an Ashland photo album.
Busy day! That's all for now!

Visiting Ohio

I am still figuring out this blog, so some things are not quite right yet. Bear with me as I get it all set up in the next few weeks. Can't get rid of those extra links! Pictures will hopefully come next week or the next.
We have been visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Troy, Ohio (Megan's parents) since Sunday. Jonathan is at a sturgeon conference in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, so the rest of the family is on "vacation." Today JJ, Elise, and Megan made popcorn balls with Great-Grandma Mercer. Boy are they yummy. This is something that Great-Grandma did with Megan many years ago.
Yesterday we brought Subway to Grammie at school for lunch and visited her. We also went to Duke Park to play and ran into Grandpa there, who showed us all of his work tractors and mowers in the barn. Very cool!
Monday we took Daddy to the airport and saw him off. He will be flying back in on Friday, so we will get to go back to the airport to pick him up. This is a very fun activity for a 3- and 4-year-old.
Congratulations to Megan's cousin Jenny who just had twin babies last week. Charlie and Ava are doing well and Jenny deserves all the credit for being 200% Mommy! Best of luck Jenny and Brian!