Neenah Pool Time

We finally spent a day at the Neenah pool, after not going yet this year or at all last year. I'm so happy we went, because the boys had a blast! Chris and Emily had a daddy-daughter day at home this afternoon (she would not have lasted in the pool as long as the boys wanted to stay, and she needed a nap in the afternoon). She did great, although she only napped 45 minutes. That meant more time to play with the boys' toys while they couldn't tell her to get away!

At the pool, we swam for over 3 hours. The Neenah pool has a great zero-depth entry, and so much room for the kids to play. The boys had fun in the fountains, went down the long curvy water slide with me a couple of times each (not the slide in the first picture below, don't worry), we played in the sand some, ate a snack, and spent so much time in the water. Andy even found 3 friends from preschool and kiddie camp there and had fun playing with them a bit. Andy was quite upset leaving (but it was time for dinner and Jack was exhausted, asking to go home). I hope to take him on his own some night in the next couple of weeks. He and I can really explore the deeper water then.

Andy getting used to the water. It felt really nice and warm. It was kind of a cloudy day, but when the sun came out it felt perfect.


Lots of space to play! It got busier, but it never felt too crowded.

Working hard at the sand-play area.

Jack and Andy were building a lake.


I bribed Andy to try the slide with me by telling him he could have a treat afterwards. He picked an ice cream cookie sandwich and Jack picked some mini-cookies. Both were delicious :) And they both enjoyed the slide so much that we did it again once we finished our snacks.


I'm already looking forward to next summer where we may need to start getting a summer pass. The whole family will be able to come swim so easily. :) Soon (hopefully) Andy and Jack will be swimming like fish...

July VACATIONS!

I'm finally getting back to the blog, after a great July vacation - and just taking a vacation from blogging for a bit. Our July has been packed with fun, and the week after the fourth of July was our vacation week. The kids and I went up to Door County to vacation with my parents and brothers and their families, while Chris went on a 5-day mountain climbing trip to Colorado with a good friend. He successfully summitted 5 14-ers (mountains over 14,000 feet) so it was definitely a good trip for him. And the kids and I had one of our best Door County visits yet. We stayed in a bigger rental house - so there was plenty of room for the expanding family (5 kids 5 and under, plus 7 adults).
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves mostly (great pictures that my mom took), but will go over a few highlights of the trip for each of us. For Andy - he loved going out on the raft on the lake, surfing on a big inflatable turtle, playing with his cousins, going to the parks, helping to break open the pinata and eating ice cream. For Jack - he especially loved playing in the sand & kiddie pool, playing legos with Andy, going to the Farm, eating lots of popsicles, staying up late, and running around outside in the yard. For Emily - she loved all of the extra attention, floating in her boat at the lake, going for walks in the stroller, tasting cake at cousin Ben's birthday party, and cruising around the furniture while hanging out at the house. And me, I loved all the time to visit with family, including my two adorable nephews, exercising every day with someone - either biking or running, spending time outside and in the water, eating delicious food, having help with the kids while Chris was in CO, and really just having a wonderfully relaxing vacation in Door County.

Fourth of July 2011

We had a great Fourth of July this year. We spent a couple of days in Delafield and a couple in Madison. The boys had fun with lots of family! They got to spend a lot of time with their cousins Ben and Jude. Jack and Emily fell asleep early on Saturday night, so Chris & I took Andy to the fireworks on his own, while my parents stayed home with the younger kids. Andy LOVED them - we found a perfect spot on the lake to view them. It was nice to have some time with just Andy - he was pretty amazed by the display.

On Sunday, I went to my cousin's bridal shower and had a very nice time. After that, we headed out to Madison to visit Grandma Reinsel. The boys played SO well with all of Chris's old toys - legos and transformers, their favorites! Emily was a little cranky and overtired, but she loved going out for walks. On Monday we enjoyed Grandma Reinsel's neighborhood picnic. Ice cream sandwiches, hot dogs, kids' games, and music. The weather was perfect. The boys both won a can of Hawaiian Punch. They were huge fans (of course!) After that, the boys played some more with Grandma and toys, and they didn't even want to stop for dinner. But they had to eat dinner to get the delicious ice cream pie that they loved both nights :)

Our weekend continued at home because Chris had Tuesday off work too! We relaxed at home, got some cleaning done, went for a run, and played outside some. If it looks like there are tons of pictures of Emily - it's because she's the only one I can get to sit still and smile for me lately. She is really cruising along the furniture though and can even stand on her own for a couple of seconds. Oh, and Jack is almost completely potty trained now. Finally! It's been a great week, but I'm sad that it's already July. This summer is going too fast.

Strawberry Picking

We are so lucky to have a place right down the road from us where we get to pick our own strawberries. In the past, the boys have enjoyed the tractor ride to and from the field the best, but this year, I think they actually enjoyed picking berries even more. The boys and I went in the late afternoon this week after Chris got home from work. He stayed home with Emily, since she's not quite ready for it yet!
Here are the boys, riding in the wagon behind a tractor.

Jack ate tons of berries this year. I'm actually not sure if he put any in the container - they all went straight to his mouth (Oakridge Farms is great with kids - they encourage them to eat all they want!)

Andy did not eat any, but he loved finding "jackpots" of the berries under the leaves. He would say "I found TREASURE! Jackpot!" and if it was a "King" berry, it was a big red perfect one. A "princess" berry was a small, red, perfect one.

Jack eating more...

And more... His face, hands, and shirt were bright red by the end.

Andy, hard at work

On the way back to the car on the tractor, after about 45 minutes of picking. We got a bunch! I wasn't planning on making jam, but I did end up making a small batch today since we had plenty of berries. I tried a new recipe and it turned out great.

Yesterday, Andy had Emily laughing like crazy. It was super cute!! He is the one that can get her to smile and giggle the best.

Being silly together :)