Jokisch Family News

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T18:56:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to all our friends and family. We have been truly blessed in 2010 and look orward to everything 2011 will bring for our family. We rang in the new year with our friends at the Mayhall's. The kids had a great time running around and playing together while the adults enjoyed food, games, and great friends too!

Christmas with the Jokisch's

2011-01-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

We visited with the Jokisch side of the family on Sunday. We had a nice relaxing day just hanging out, watching football, and playing with the ipads while the cousins played with their toys and each other.

Christmas with the Reader's

2011-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a really nice Christmas Eve with my family. It was fun to hang out, visit, and eat lots of great food! It was a wonderfully Chritmas Eve with much loved family.

Christmas Program at Church

2011-01-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

The kids had their first singing program this year at church. It went well and Jack even had a speaking part that he practiced alot with Grandma and did a great job remembering:)

Making Christmas Cookies

2011-01-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to try making my Grandma Dee's butter cookies. It's one of our traditional family Christmas cookies. They turned out great and the kids loved helping out.

Picture with Santa

2011-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Curtis Apple Orchard

2010-12-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a trip to Curtis Apple Orchard this fall. The kids had a great time riding ponies, playing on the inflatables, and picking apples.

Fall Photo Shoot on the Porch

2010-12-08T19:58:00.001-08:00

The kids and I were just playing around on the porch one day and I decided to take a efw pics! They were really being little hams and the pics turned out so cute I couldn't even pick so here's a bunch:)

Scarecrow Days

2010-12-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Waiting around at the Scarecrow Daze Parade:)

1st place winner in the annual Scarecrow Daze Scavenger Hunt:) So much fun!

1st and 3rd place scavenger hunt teams:)

Fall Pics 2010

2010-12-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

Labor Day Weekend

2010-10-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Beautiful sunset at the Lape's Labor Day partyWe gave Ruth and Clisby a sign to hang at the house for next summer!
My two love bugs!
Papa, Jack, and Alex
Nonna and Alex
Love playing dress up!

More of Jack's B-day

2010-10-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Celebrating with Nonna and Papa:)

Jack's Birthday Party

2010-10-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Jack turned 4 and we celebrated with our friends and family with a carnival party. I was supposed to be at our house . . . but the weather had other ideas . . . so we headed to the church for some clowning around and games:)
Knock those cans over!

We missed the blowing out the candles pic . . here is Jack eating his cake!

Ready for some presents:) He was a very lucky boy!

Jack's 4

2010-10-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Jack turned 4 September 10th! I can't believe what a big boy he is getting to be.
He got the keys . . .
to what??
Check the garage:)
So cool:)
Jack and Alex both loved the new Gator:) They ride it around and pick up sticks and rock hunt!

1 year in Shelbyville

2010-09-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

Jokisch honored by Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce

State Farm Insurance Agent Jeremy Jokisch on Thursday was honored by the Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce with a certificate honoring him for completing his first year of business in Shelbyville. Present for the occasion were (from left) Chamber Chairman Tad Mayhall, board member Hope Mayberry, board member Tim Miller, Jokisch, and State Farm office personnel Rhonda Ruholl, Krystal Beck and Jessica Campaney.

Jack's Starts Preschool

2010-09-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Jack began preschool this month. He was so excited and absolutely loves it. I love hearing his stories about Mannerly Monkey and listening to all the songs they sing. I can't believe how fast he's growing, makes me happy and sad at the same time:)At the bell in front of Tiny Tech.
With Mom and Dad outside of Tiny Tech.
Dropping off his backpack . . .
washing his hands . . .
and now time to play!

Mexico

2010-08-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I headed off for the Riviera Maya for a much needed vacation:) We had such an adventurous and relaxing time - ziplining, cave rafting/swimming, and just hanging by the pool. On our last day we hung out in a poolside cabana all day and enjoyed dinner out in Playa del Carmen. It was a great vacation together!

Playtime with Old Friends

2010-08-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Some of my girl friends from college and I got together to spend some time with each other and all the kids. We had fun chasing the kids and then enjoyed a dinner out. It is so nice to see each other's kids growing and changing and playing together:)Mr. Fix-It
Jack, Alex, and Evan hammering away!
Bubble time

Tara and baby Jackson
Jessica and Audrey
Water time
All the moms and kids. Can't believe we actually got them to sot together:)

Some of my very best friends from college. We had an amazing dinner - four hours of great conversation, laughter, good food, and wine! Perfection:)

We're Here to Stay!

2010-07-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order:) Jeremy signed his official contract with State Farm in June. His first year as an agent was probationary, and since he did such an amazing job they had him sign his contract a bit early! I am so proud that he is doing well in a job he loves. Congratulations sweetie!
Maggie (trainer), Jeremy, and Chad (State Farm upper level guy)

Jeremy and I going to lunch to celebrate:)

My First 5K

2010-07-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 5K in June, for a great cause, Race for the Cure. It was a challenge I had been training for with some friends for the last 3 months. I did good, finishing in 30 minutes, and can't wait to run another one! Here are some friends that ran the race too.

Father's Day

2010-06-26T19:09:00.001-07:00

We had a relaxed Father's Day at home. Jeremy did show what a great dad is is - giving up his day to put up Jack and Alex's new trampoline! We are so lucky to have him:) And don't worry, since these pics we have put up the net.

Wisconsin Dells Vacation

2010-06-26T17:04:00.001-07:00

We took the kids on their first vacation ever to the Wisconsin Dells! It was a blast, we went with 3 other families totaling 8 adults and 9 kids five years old and under. We were a sight to see everywhere we went, but the kids did such a great job and loved being together. The parks were not enough we had to swim in the enourmous tub too!

All the kiddos ready to swim. As you can see Jack is quite the ladies man!

Not quite yet Harrison! Maybe another 20 years:)

Yummy, Puppy Chow was our favorite:) The mommys' favorite too!

We had so much fun playing in the water all weekend. Jack was very adventurous, doing the water slides over and over. Alex's favorite was definitly the Lazy River. We went around and around and she even fell asleep on me, so sweet because she doesn't really do that too much anymore:) All in all we had a great time with kids and our friends and will definitly do it again next year.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went up north to Nonna and Papa's for thier annual Memorial Day Weekend party. We had a great time helping get ready for the party and playing outside. Jack and Alex finally broke out the pool that Nonna bought FOREVER ago and were awesome helpers filling up tons of water balloons for the water balloon fight.

After our long drive home we spent Memorial Day morning with our neighborhood friends. We enjoyed some yummy food and the kids had fun playing soccer, digging in the sand, and climbing trees. Then we took the kids over to see our new house. They were so excited to see their rooms and play in their new yard!

Mom's on a Mission Cook Out

2010-05-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

This weekend my Relay for Life team "Moms on a Mission" grilled out to raise money. It was the perfect day for a cook out. We did really well and had fun too. Here's Lisa putting some hot dogs on the grill.

Amy setting up the cash box! Corie getting things ready. She and Amy made all the awesome signs! Serving up some foodMe manning the grill Lacy serving up hot dogs and hamburgers Beth and Lisa soakin up the sun!

Dancing, Dancing, Dancing!

2010-05-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day weekend we traveled down to southern Illinois to go to Jeremy's cousin Tara's wedding. I was fun to see some of Jeremy's extended family and the kids had a ball! They were dancing and playing all night long:) It was so cute to see them dancing with each other. Alex was so serious learning to do the Electric Slide. It was so adorable! We stayed in a hotel and Jack and Alex loved swimming in the pool and jumping on the beds with their cousins. We ended the weekend with a yummy Mother's Day breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

A Day at the Farm

2010-05-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

The other weekend Marie (one of the girls that works in Jeremy's office) invited us out to her farm to visit the cows and calves that they have. The kids had a great time running around on the property and watching the cows. Jack loved petting the calf that Roger carried clear across the pasture for him to see. Alex however got quite shy and didn't want much to do with it other than watching! They also loved riding the four wheeler. Jeremy took them each for a ride:)

Traveling and Visiting

2010-04-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend started off very eventfully. I signed Jack up for preschool next year! I'm not sure who is more excited me or him. Either way I had to wait 7 hours in line to make sure he got a spot, but it was totally worth it when I saw how happy he was when I came home and told him about his new preschool. After that I packed the kids up and made our way up to Chicago. Our first stop was to visit my Aunt Laura and cousins Carissa, Alexis, and William. We all had a fun time playing the Wii, watching Jack do a little break dancing, and taking a walking to the park.

We went up to my parents for the weekend to visit because my sister and Ryan were in town. So sad we didn't seem to get any pictures with them, but we did have a great time. Even though it was a bit cool we made it to the park and got to play outside in the backyard. Jack was so excited because they just put a new addition on the house but haven't filled it with furniture so he had tons of space to wiggle around and a whole room that he thought was his private dance floor!

Jack's Boo-Boo

2010-04-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jack had his first serious boo-boo! Over Easter weekend he was climbing on some furniture and fell backwards hitting his head on the radiator. He came running in crying and all of a sudden there was blood gushing from his head. We rushed to the emergency room (luckily Nonna and Papa were here and stayed with Alex) and found that it was not as bad as it seemed. They cleaned him up and used a medical super glue so he didn't even have to sit for stiches. Jack took it all in stride, he was most interested in all the machines and medical things in the ER and he was so cute, telling everyone how the doctor fixed him! I'm just glad my baby's ok:)

Easter

2010-04-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have a lot of our family visiting for Easter AND the kids were agreeable and let us take some cute pics!

After we had our yummy lunch we had a visit from the Easter Bunny. He hid eggs throughout the backyard and Alex, Serenity, Jonathan, and Jack had a great time finding all the goodies. Alex was a little candy monster so we eventually had to confinscate all the candy, which made her very unhappy! But all the kddos had a great time egg hunting and playing together:)

Spending Time with Nonna and Papa

2010-04-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

For Easter weekend Nonna and Papa came to visit. We had such a busy and fun time. We went to the park and enjoyed chasing/feeding the ducks. Even though the duck seemed a bit full (they are very well fed) Alex and Jack had a great time. We hosted Easter at our house this year for Jeremy's and my family, so Nonna helped me get all the food ready on Saturday. The kids even pitched in to help make/eat the brownies! We finished up the evening with Easter egg coloring and some play time. Jack also had his first head wound, but check out the next post to learn all about that excitement!

Easter Egg Extravaganza

2010-03-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

We have had a weekend full of easter eggs! Our first hunt was at the park in town. It was sunny but very cold and windy so we hunted and went home pretty quickly. Jack and Alex did great and had so much fun with their friends.

Egg hunt #2 was at our church on Sunday morning. It was a cold and rainy morning so the kids hunted for eggs in the sanctuary. Jack and Alex had fun huntung for eggs and then enjoyed eating the treats right away!

Play Day!

2010-03-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

We had quite the play day last weekend. Jack and Alex went bowling for the first time and had a ball! It was so cute to teach them to bowl, although it did take quite a while since their balls roll at about 2 mph:) They enjoyed playing with the computer screen too, funny but I remember always wanting to do that too!

We had fun palying with Daddy all weekend too! Daddy is such a hard worker right now so we really cherish our time with him on the weekends. It always amazes me how the kids find my laundry baskets so interesting, they were playing choo-choo.

Visiting the Easter Bunny

2010-03-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

We went to visit the Easter Bunny this weekend. Jack was so excited and loved sitting with him. Alex on the other hand got up for about 10 seconds and then was done, so the back of her head was the best picture I could get:)

Happy 2nd Birthday Alex!

2010-03-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Alex turned 2 on March 5th! Wow, I can't believe that my baby is two now:) We had a nice dinner at the pizza place in town and then came home for some cake and presents. I think I had to light the candles five times so the kids could take turns blowing them out! Alex had a great time unwrapping her gifts and trying on all her new clothes.

Weekend with the College Girls + Fam

2010-03-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

Each year we set aside a weekend to get together with the girls I went to college with and their families. It is so much fun to relax and enjoy spending time with each other's kids. The guys get along so some how they always manage to sneak away to a bar for an hour or so for some guy time w/o all the kids noise! The kids had a great time playing Jack is 3 1/2, Mason is 4 1/2, and Evan is 2 1/2 so they have a great time playing basketball, baseball, and tools! Landrie and Alex are both 2 (only like 10 days apart) so they had a great time running around together. Audrey is 3 months old so she was just taking it all in, next year she'll be running around with the rest of them! Here are some fun picks from the weekend:)

Family Time with Nonna and Papa

2010-02-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

I had a long weekend off school so the kids and I headed up to my parents to visit. We had a great time going to Monkey Joe's (a giant gym type place with lots of inflatable slides and mazes). The kids jumped and played and Jack even did a great job helping Alex up when she couldn't make it herself. After Monkey Joes we fueled up with lunch at Portillos, which Jack loved because he got a chocolate shake! Then we spent the evening hanging out with Uncle Chris and Aunt Lindsay. It was a great weekend with family and the kids were wonderful little travelers.

Fancy Brownies

2010-02-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Made these amazing brownies and thought they looked so pretty!

New House!

2010-02-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Yeah! We just bought a new house. We had to go through a bit of a bidding war that just about made my stomach turn inside out. But it was worth it, even though we won't move in until June. It has lots of space and 4 bedrooms so our guests will no longer have to sleep on a blow up mattress in my living room:)

Birthday Party Fun!

2010-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

In mid January we went to Elise's Birthday Party. It was a princess and prince party and the kids had a great time. Jack loved dressing up as Alex's night in shining armor, aww! Kelly way outdid herself with an amazing castle for the kids to play in along with the fun games and silly dance party. It was a great time for children and adults!

Last weekend we traveled up to Bloomington to see our friends. I got to go out on Friday night and visit with some girl friends. Then we went to Emily's (Jack friend) birthday party at the children's museum. The kids had a great time playing with their friends i had a good time catching up with the moms. We ended the trip with lunch at Noodles before we headed back to Shelbyville.

Indoor Fun

2010-01-19T19:32:00.001-08:00

January has definitely been a month of indoor fun. We have painted, done playdough, and played lots of games. Jack did his first real picture, it's Mickey Mouse! He was so proud and I really was too:)

NYE 2009

2010-01-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun time ringing in the new year with our friends and their families. The kids had a pj party in the basement and the adults had a good time upstairs:) Looking forward to a great 2010! Here a pic of the girls.

They were nestled all snug in their beds. Now if only they'd stay there:)

Battle of the Sexes! It was a great game but I do think the male questions were a bit easier:)

Happy New Year!! I could not believe that Jack made it to midnight. And he was going strong. When it was time to leave at 1am he hid under a table because he did not want to leave!

Lisa and I loving our new cameras. We were so snap happy we decided to take pics of each other taking pics!!:)

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

While we were up north the snow just kept falling and falling and falling. So my parents took the kids outside for some fun in the snow while Jeremy and I had some fun at the mall. They had a great time and it was Alex's first time in the snow ever:)

This was the first time the kids have been "sledding" and they had a great time:)

Nonna sledding with Jack and Alex:)

Christmas with the Readers

2010-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Cary on Christmas morning to enjoy some time with my family. Despite the snowy weather we made it up there and had a great time visiting:)

Playing with Papa

Enjoying time with Taylor and Ryan. So happy they made it home for Christmas:)

Lovin Aunt Taylor

Painting with Nonna

Christmas in Shelbyville

2010-01-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009

We spread out reindeer food so they would have a little treat too:) Oatmeal mixed with glitter so they would be sure to see it sparkling from the sky.

Jack and Alex setting out cookies, fudge, and milk for Santa. Actually Jack was leaving the treats for Santa and Alex was trying to eat them herself:)

Opening presents Christmas morning! It took a while to get through the presents, like always the kids wanted to play with every toy they opened right away.

Playing with all the new toys on Christmas morning.

Christmas with the Jokisch's

2009-12-28T12:27:00.001-08:00

We did Christmas with the Jokisch's the weekend before Christmas and had a great time. Janis made a yummy dinner and the kids loved playing all afternoon and evening with their toys and each other.

Toys, toys, toys! All the kids are loving their toys:)

The boy playing with their toys:)

Jack, Serenity, and Alex reading together. Serenity is always such a sweety to them.

Serenity got a tea set that Alex absolutely loved! She pushed it around serving tea all day.

Christmas Pics on my New Camera

2009-12-13T18:47:00.001-08:00

Jeremy and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary last weekend in St. Louis, but our official day was this weekend. We can a nice weekend at home with the kids and Jeremy gave me a new camera, so I spent the weekend fiddling with it and taking pictures of the kids. Here are some of the cute ones:)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-29T19:56:00.001-08:00

Even though we've changed locations I still hosted Thanksgiving:) This is one of my favorite holidays and I love having everyone (my family and Jeremy's family) all together. Here's everyone enjoying the food.

The kids playing after dinner:)

Snuggling with Papa.

The day after Thanksgiving we took a trip over to Grandma and Papa's house to decorate cookies. All the cousins were there and they had a great time decorating cookies and playing. Janis set the kitchen up perfect and had all the trimmings for making great cookies. There were so many cute pics I had to post a bunch:)

Playing music with Papa!

Helping me put the tree together. We couldn't quite get it together enough to put up a real tree this year as we (or I mean I) had hoped. The one in the basement just seemed easier and faster, but I will get my real tree eventually!

The kids had so much fun decorating the tree, I loved it! (Much better than last year when Jeremy and I did it and they climbed in and out of the plastic tubs.) Alex had a blast and kept running back and forth from the table to the tree like the ornaments were going to disappear. She would hang about 3 or 4 on the same branch! Jack was more serious about it, having to get the ornaments just so.

Ta-da! Here's the finished product.

Sibling Love:)

Visiting Santa

2009-11-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend Grandma and Papa can to visit for the day so Jeremy and I could have a date night:) We went to an awesome restaurant in Effingham called Firefly Grill, it was one of the best dinners I have ever had!

While we were out Janis and Johnny took Jack and Alex to the opening of the Festival of Lights in town. They got to have dinner, visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, and see all the lights lit up!

Alex was not a fan of Santa and would only go near him from the safety of Grandma's arms:)

Some Cute Moments

2009-11-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

Jack got the Super Student award in tumbling class! So proud:)

Playing doctor:)

Leaves, Leaves Everywhere!!

2009-11-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

We spent a day this fall working on the leaves that accumulated ALL OVER our yard.

Helping with the leaves.

Playing in the leaves.

Jack practicing with his fishing pole:)

Fall Fun Update

2009-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

We went pumpkin picking one afternoon at Buxton's Garden. The kids had a good time playing in the pumpkin patch and finding their pumpkins. Of course Alex wasn't very cooperative about a cute fall picture, maybe next year:)

Our church had a fun night planned for the kids the weekend before Halloween. We all lined up our cars and decorated our trunks and the kids went from trunk to trunk trick or treating! It was so cute and another chance for them to wear their costumes.

Jeremy handing out the candy. Alex got the hang of trick or treating very quickly:)

Hayrides at Turnk or Treating:) The kids were waving to the farmers.

Jack got to wear his costume to tumbling class. It stayed on for about 3 minutes:)

Happy Halloween

2009-11-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some pic for Halloween. The kids had a great time trick or treating and playing with Nonna and Papa. It was a fun weekend:)

Trick or Treating

After our trick or treating we came home to see the trick or treaters at our house. Jack and Alex really enjoyed passing out the candy! It was fun to have so many trick or treaters since in the past years I think we've maybe had 3 or 4 in the whole night.

Curtis Apple Orchard

2009-10-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

There was no school on Monday so we made a trip to Curtis Apple Orchard with our friends. We had such a great time, even though it was quite a muddy mess. We'll definitely try back next year on a sunnier day so we can try out all the mazes and other fun stuff.

Playing around at the apple orchard.

And they're off!

Just too cute!

Apple picking

Enjoying our pickings:)

Jack and Caroline in deep conversation over lunch!!

We enjoyed our sack lunches by the car. A few months ago this trip would have been a major headache, but Jack and Alex are becoming so much more aggreeable. Of course Emma (the oldest in the pic) was a huge help, pushing Alex around all day and entertaining her. I am biding my time until she gets a bit older and can babysite:)

Our final stop was Tuscola which could have been a disaster with 3 toddlers, but they were suprisingly well behaved, so I was able to get Jack his winter coat. It was a great day with the kids and our friends.

A Pirate's Life for Me!

2009-10-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Scarecrow Daze. Jeremy had a truck in the parade for State Farm so the kids dressed up like pirates and threw out candy. It was such a great time and the kids did an awesome job! Here is Serenity, Jack, Jayden, and Johnathan (cousins).

All the pirates!

Everybody getting ready to go. Okay, funny story, so the guy in the bear suit stood there for about 20 minutes without the head on and Jack never noticed him. As soon as he put the head on Jack was so happy the friendly bear had come! His excitement was so cute;)

That's my pirate:)

Jack and Daddy passing out candy and business cards!

All the kids loaded up and tuckered out after such a long walk. They did an awesome job and walked almost the whole way!

A great family pic, although it seems that in every family picture one of my children decides not to look! After this photo we went and enjoyed all the fun and games at Scarecrow Daze. It was a great time. Later that night Jeremy and I had fun too! We participated in an adult scavenger hunt and out team won 2nd place, We did awesome and it was soooo much fun! After we won we celebrated at the beer tent. It was a great weekend:)

Me and my babies! I love this pic of Alex and I.

Supper Swap Club

2009-10-10T13:15:00.001-07:00

Okay so supper club is the best thing ever! All my mom friends, if you've never heard of this or tried it you definitely want to:) Eight of us girls got together and started one. I cook once a week and 3 other week nights for is delivered to my door! It's awesome, so much less worry about what to cook for dinner:)

Here's a yummy meal ready to go!

Jack's Weekend

2009-10-05T19:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was a Jack weekend! Alex spent the weekend with Grandma and Papa and we took Jack to the homecoming football game on Friday night. Then Saturday morning headed off to St. Louis for a Cardinals game.

Jack had fun having his picture taken with Fred Bird and playing in the family pavillion. I think we spent a total of 30 minutes actually watching the game!

Of course we had to make a Fred bird . . .

then we had to buy the foam claw, you can see where all my "adult" drink money went!

After the game we went over to the St. Louis Science Center. Jack a had good time, but I think it would be better for kids a bit older. It was fun to watch him play around anyway.

Saturday night we stayed in St. Louis for Jack's very first hotel stay. We played in the pool and hot tub, which Jack seemed to like the most. In the mornig we played at McDonald's playland and went to the Halloween store. My plan was for Jack to be Mickey and Alex to be Minnie, however Jack decided he wanted to be a pirate. I guess he's too old already for mommy to pick his costume! Not sure how I feel about that, but he sure was happy in his pirate costume. He really wanted to wear it out of the store, but I convinced him to be happy wearing the eye patch for now!
On Sunday we went down to Southern Illinois to celebrate Johnny and Carla's (his twin sister) birthday. It was nice to see Jeremy's extended family becuase we don't get to spend very much time with them.
Soaking up some extra time with Grandma. Alex spent the weekend with Grandma and Papa and had such a good time.
Playing with a friendly kitty cat. Good thing they don't have my cat allergies!

Enjoying some playtime together after a weekend apart. They actually seemed like they missed each other:)

Happy 3rd Birthday Jack!

2009-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wake up birthday boy! Here is Jack's birthday morning picture. The story behind this is that every birthday I lived with my parents my mom woke me up and took my picture the morning of my birthday. So I am trying to continue the tradition. Of course anyone who knows my kids knows that Jack is the one who does the waking up in our house, but I still managed to snap a pic of him looking pretty sleepy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JACK:)

Jeremy's open house at SF just happened to coinside with Jack's birthday so Jack thought the bear was coming for him. He talked about how the friendly bear was coming for weeks and so he was almost in awe when he (Jeremy) showed up at the house. Alex on the other hand was not that impressed!

So to official celebrate Jack's birthday we went to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday night in Springfield, and that place was crazy! Bloomington seems so tame after that. I do not think I will be making a trip back there for quite a while. So while there Jack got his last birthday present, his fishing pole. He had been asking for one for weeks. So of course Sunday all he wanted was to go fishing. So after church we packed a picnic lunch and went fishing at the dam. I was a nice afternoon.

Fishing with Daddy. I have never even seen Jeremy fish before, but I guess for your son you'll do anything! We'll see if he catches the fishing bug:)

Jack and Daddy after their fishing. They didn't catch anything but Jack sure enjoyed it. He keeps asking when he can going fishing again:)

So Alex is such a little piggy sometimes! Here is Alex meeting a new friend, Alex eating her friend's watermelon, Alex taking her friend's watermelon! You'd thin we never feed her.

She just adores her big brother!

Labor Day Fun

2009-09-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Just to warn you this is a LONG post, but we had such a great weekend with family and friends that I didn't want to leave anything out. My parents came down to visit on Saturday so Jeremy and I snuck off to Decatur to stock up on some stuff and buy presents for Jack's birthday. While we were gone Nona and Papa took the kids to the park to play.

It's so precious when you see them doing something like this:) Nona captured this one on the way home from the park.

On Sunday we went out to Kelly and Tony's for a great party. Everyone had a good time, lots of food to eat and fun for everyone! Here we are getting ready for the party with Papa.

Alex enjoying a ride on the tire swing horse with Nona!

Okay, so the kids were in heaven! When we got to the party Brenda (Tony's mom) handed all the kids a Pony Buck which got them a ride on the cart with Mr. Lape and Pete the Pony. Alex, especially, was just overjoyed, except she did not want to share her pony ride with Jack. She threw a huge fit when I tried to get her to sit on my lap and Jack in the middle on the seat. She wanted to be a big girl and sit on her own!! So she got her own pony ride and I got to ride twice:)

Alex looking so so cute!

The kids showing off on the chairs. Can you tell some of us are teachers? The chair is actually labeled!!

After it got a bit too dark for the bounce house the kids took over the dance floor. They had great moves and it was just too fun to watch them. They did the chicken dance, the YMCA, line dances, and tons of freestyling!

Alex even got in there and was dancing with Sarah. Alex can sure wiggle those hips! After the kids dance session my parents whisked Jack and Alex home (which Jack was VERY upset about) and we got to stay and play with the adults. The girls and I did a whole lot of dancing and we even jumped in the bouncy house and went down the inflatable slide! It was definitely a night to remember.

Our neighborhood had and end of summer celebration on Monday. We all got together for breakfast around 9 am. It was so nice to spend time with our new friends and meet more! Jack and Alex had a great time playing with all the kids and animals. Jack and Caroline were pals all morning!

Jack decided to give Caroline a ride.

Now it's Caroline's turn

My little animal lover

Jack and Caroline hanging out

Alex climbing the tree

A fun weekend with Grandma and Papa

2009-08-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend Grandma and Papa (Jeremy's parents) came to visit. They spent the evening with the kids on Friday while Jeremy and I enjoyed a night out at a dinner party. Then in the morning they took the kids over to Cowden for the Pioneer Days parade while Jeremy worked and I spent some time at school. I love my new job, the kids are great, but it's a bit like being a new teacher because everything I teach is so new to me!

It was the first time Jack and Alex have been to a parade and Jack was so confused when they started throwing candy at him, no worries though, he quickly caught on! Alex loved seeing the little horses and the marching band. Here she is with Papa on the way to the fair later in the afternoon.

During Pioneer Days we were able to see what life was like long ago. Jack and Alex saw yarn being spun, played in the school house and explored a family home.

Jack was exploring a tepee, when he went in he wanted to know why the bed was all dirty, of course he asked this as he was standing on it!

Great pic, would have been even better if Jack had looked at the camera!! We are in line waiting to go down the giant slide.

So much fun! I loved riding the slide and so did Jack, Alex on the other hand screamed and flung her arms around all the way down:)

Getting ready to ride the Dragon.

The Dragon was Jack's favorite ride (much to my dismay). Even though at the last fair he could ride it alone, this time (actually 3 times) I had to go with him, and this ride was not made for adults! My legs were all scrunched up and I now have bruises on my back from all the jostling, I guess I'm getting old:)

Alex loved riding these little horses. I think she went on this ride about 4 times!

Ribbon Cutting

2009-08-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremy had his ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce this week! That's him with his team members - Liz and Brenda, and some of the members of the chamber.

Picnic Lunch

2009-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Now that Jeremy works Saturdays the kids and I have been getting creative with things to do in the morning. We decided to have a picnic lunch in the backyard, grapes, tomatoes, hot dogs, cheese, and pickles!

So much to share!

2009-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Surprise! We went to another fair. I love taking the kids to all the fairs around. They had a great time riding all new rides (well new to them, the rides actually looked like they were from 1950). Plus, Joe Diffie was singing so I got to enjoy some fun music. I tried to convince the kids to go watch him but telling them we'd come back to the rides wasn't going to work:)

Riding the pink elephants. This was one of their favorites.

I was so scared Alex would try to climb out but she loved it.

Bad to the Bone, my biker boy.

My silly boys!

Awww! Father and Son

On Sunday evening we went to a picnic that our church was having. We got to lots of yummy food, get to know people better and they had lots of water games set up for the kids. Its so fun to watch Jack participate in the games, and the older kids were so good at guiding him along!

Alex is definitly my little water baby:) She decided to plop herself down right in the middle of the game.

Well, I might as well just get all the way in!

Jack's first slip and slide run. He was playing kickball and this is how he slid into home:)

More to come after another trip to a fair next weekend!

Our state fair is a great state fair, don't miss it, don't even be late!

2009-08-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

You should be hearing the music from "State Fair"! If not you missed a classic movie. We took the kids to the state fair in Springfield today for the first time. They had a good time, Jack especially had a blast. He rode so many rides he has never been able to before.

Jack went on his first roller coaster. He was such a big boy and absolutely would have done it again and again! He's the 3rd little one from the front.

So cute. Alex loved the rides she could do and was VERY mad when Jack could do the others and she couldn't. I'm thinking next year we'll spring for the unlimited bracelets since she'll be able to do most of the rides and Jack managed to blow through $25 worth of tickets is about 20 minutes!

We braved the spinning rides too. Jack loved it and so did I!

Of course we visited the petting zoo. The kids loved it, they can never see too many billy goats.

Jack on his 1st pony ride. We tried to have Alex ride one too but she did not want anything to do with that pony!

We saw the Wild About Monkeys show while we were there and Jack loved it! Alex and I enjoying the monkey show.

Jack loving his Dippin Dots in the basket of the stroller!

Ending Our Summer Vacation with a Bang

2009-08-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Our most important announcement as the summer comes to an end is Jack is POTTYTRAINED! Oh my gosh, I wasn't sure it would ever happen, especially after how he responded when I attempted earlier in the summer. But one day he took his own shorts off and told me he wanted to use the potty and he's been using it ever since! So everyone who told me. just wait he'll tell you when he's ready, were totally right:) You'll also notice he got his hair cut. It's his bib boy hair cut. It is definitely growing on me, but sometimes when I see a pic with his long little boy hair I get a bit teary.

I can finally put Alex's hair up. Look at her adorable pigtails, of course sometimes they last longer thatn other times!

So I decided to brave the pool for the second time this summer with the kids. I know I should have taken them more but between the fact that they don't open until noon and the sheer work involved in keeping them in my eye sight every minute, I have just nor attempted it that much. Here is Alex splashing in the shallow part. However, this picture is way deceiving because she rarely stayed in the shallow part. Most of her pool time was spent seeing how far she could go before being totally underwater. I would then pick her up and bring her to shallower water and she would kick and scream until I put her down and she could run back to the deep part!! Exhausting! I can't wait to be one of the moms that gets to sit on the edge soaking up the sun and talking!!! Maybe next summer:)

Jack soaking up the sun!

We have been very lucky to find great people to spend time with in Shelbyville and enjoyed a backyard party last night. It was a great time for us and the kids. Alex especially enjoyed walking from plate to plate and eating other kids food! They were too busy playing so she decided to help them out.

Beth and Nikki did a good job leading a game of duck, duck, goose. You'll notice Jack is absent because he was loving the bouncy house too much! However Tatum did give him a duck, duck, goose lesson later (it was awfully cute) Jack loved the bouncy house. He was in, out, and through it so fast this was the best pic I could get.

Family Photos

2009-08-04T18:40:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the pics we had taken recently. Some of them are pretty cute and I count any picture where both kids are looking foward at the SAME time and not crying a success! We're scheduled to try again in the fall, outside this time, so hopefully the kids will have a little more fun and be more willing to smile and pose!

My baby girl! She's growing up so fast.

My little prince:)

Shocking, right?!?! We had a lot of pics like this!

Aww, Daddy and daughter:)

Midwest Tour

2009-07-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

The kids and I decided to take advantage of our summer by spending the week visiting family and friends around the midwest. THough traveling with kids is never easy I was truly impressed with what a great job Jack and Alex did. THey were troopers and I think they have their mom's love of keeping busy, busy, busy! We started our trip by going to Bloomington to visit our friends. We miss them SOOOOO much and it was wonderful to visit and play at the splash park. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to hang out with us, we miss you already and are looking forward to our next visit:) Here's Jack splashing around with Emma and Emily.

Alex and Kate resting after playing at the splash park. It hard to have so much fun

After the park we got brave and went out for lunch. 6 moms and 9 kids, whoa! But it went great:)

After seeing our friends in Bloomington we drove to Crystal Lake to visit my friend Beth and her two little ones, Kelan and Tricia. Jack and Alex had so much fun exploring thier "playland". Kelan and Jack both share a love of trains and had fun playing together, and I got my baby fix by holding little Tricia (2 months). I think that should satisfy me for a while!

Next we drove up to New Berlin WI to visit my friend Nichole and her two little girls, Payton and Allie. They just moved into a beautiful old farm house on a great piece of land. We had so much fun hanging out in the playroom, running around outside, and playing lots of hide-and-go-seek! They definitely tired us out and we were excited to put them to bed and hang out like old times.

Payton and Jack playing playdoh. They loved making Nichole and I cakes and cookies. They did a great job playing together, minus the occasional troubles with sharing. It's so fun to see them beginning to play together instead of just in the same room, at times they were actually conversing and working together! Yeah! Thanks so much to the Kutmas family for letting us visit:)
We ended our trip back at my parents house in Cary. We visited with my grandma who was in from Florida and lots of other family and friends. Dad even spoiled me by opening bottles of White Hall and Overture! Delicious!! Jack got spoiled when we visited a park in town that was huge. It was seriously like a castle and he and Alex had fun climbing all over and playing in the sandbox. When I asked him his favorite part of the trip this park was exactly what he said (NOT to my surprise)!
Can you find Jack? It's hard to see him in this giant playground. What a great week:)

It's Official

2009-07-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

The sign has gone up so it must be official! Jeremy has been working in the office since we moved to Shelbyville, but Saturday is his official start date. He has been working hard to get everything in order, we are so proud of all the work he is doing. I know it he is going to be great!

Here's the office. It's a really nice space and we spent the weekend repainting the inside from the yucky sterile white to a nice blue grey. It looks great:) Good luck on your first official day honey! I love you:)

Aunt Taylor Visits

2009-07-24T18:50:00.001-07:00

My sister, Taylor, came to visit this week. She is moving away to Arizona soon so we cherished our time playing with the kids and talking. Everyone had a lot of fun. What are aunts for if not to teach their niece and nephew how to drink water out of a hose! Jack and Alex thought this was quite a lot of fun:)

So much fun with the garden hose!

All wet after Aunt Taylor's hose lesson:)

We went to the zoo with Aunt Taylor and lots of other moms and kids from Shelbyville. It was so much fun. Jack loved seeing the animals, spending time with his aunt, and playing with his new friends.

Jack wanted to feed the goats. He had fun, but it was funny to watch him sprinkle the food the around to all the goats.

Alex enjoyed looking at the goats, however she was not too interested in them coming very close!

Jack loved riding the train around the zoo. I definitely think it was his favorite part.

Awww! What a great aunt:)

We Can Finally Play!

2009-07-20T18:10:00.001-07:00

Yeah! It's finally done. We spent ALL day Saturday finishing up the swingset. It was totally worth it to see how excited Jack was when he saw it all finished, and Alex has really been loving it too. We ended up leaving off the monkey bars /climbing wall for now to save my arm strength, and next summer when we put it on it'll be like a whole new swingset! Here's some pics form the day.

The boys and thier power tools. Okay so 3 drills and 5 batteries, but there was still a point where we didn't have a working drill!!!!!!!! Jack being "helpful" Watching the boys building the swingset Having lots of fun playing together:) Swinging like a big girl!

Popsicles and Playsets

2009-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Jack and Alex are loving their new backyard! It is flat and doesn't have a jungle growing all around it. We spend lots of time playing and eating popsicles outside. Alex has even decided she likes them now:)

This is the playset that we are in the process of building. We got it at Menards last week, it was a kit that we bought, but I didn't like the natural color so I spent all last weekend staining the wood. Now every night after dinner we all go outside and work on it. Seriously this is like 4 nights of work, it is quite slow going! Tonight Jack asked me about his playset as I was putting him to bed and I said "Mommy and Daddy will work on it more tonight." So 45 min. after I kissed him goodnight he came wandering out to the backyard, shoes on, to see if we were working! I couldn't believe it:)

We love all the sweet corn that is sold on the side of the road here. Alex looks like such a big girl :)

We're Settling In

2009-07-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

So we are finally done unpacking. I think anyway, it does seems that boxes have a way of appearing out of nowhere so we'll see. The first couple days were crazy. I don't at all mind the packing or the moving, but the unpacking is awful for me. I can't stand not having everything right in it's place or seeing boxes stacked up all over, so it took me a couple days to calm down, but now I'm beginning to enjoy summertime with my family.Here's the house. It's an old victorian and I absolutely love it! It really charming and very homey with lots of space for the kids to roam around:) I think my favorite thing about it is the front porch. The kids and I sit out there after naptime and have thier afternoon snack. I feels so small town like, and though I didn't grow up in a small town, it feels very me. We decided to go to the town 4th of July celebration. They had lots of stuff for the kids to do, they had a great time. Jack finally sat to have his face painted while we were there. Yeah! I have tried to get him to do this several times but he always refused. Today he sat so nicely and picked balloons for his face:) Jack playing at the dunk tank Jack loved feeding the ducks. Alex on the other hand did not, she was mad that they were getting all the bread. She kept trying to eat it herself! Papa found a little frog and Jack wanted to hold it. Jack never tires of these bouncy slides!

San Diego Cruise

2009-07-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last week Jeremy and I went on a much needed vacation. After all the chaos of moving and stress of unpacking it was nice to just get away. Although I have to say that as Jack gets older and I know he understands that were not there I feel much guiltier:( But we did have a great time and came back ready finish the odds and ends around the house that need to be taken care of.Our first stop was Catalina Island, which I loved. It was a quaint little island town (similar to Key West we thought). We had fun walking the streets and shopping. We had lunch in a cantina where I tried my first buffalo burger, it was yummy! Relaxing One of the stops on our cruise was Ensenada Mexico. We went out to this open air market where they hasseled you like crazy. That kind of pressure seems to have the opposite effect on me, I feel so pressured I can't decide what I want! I was also not in the shopping mood because I was soooooo burnt. Jeremy and I had a few too many buckets of beer poolside the day before and I turned bright red. It is the worst I've ever been burnt. View from the open air market in Ensenada

Playing at Nonna and Papa's This Weekend

2009-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

While up north for Taylor's wedding we had some time to play. Watching the trains is quickly becoming the kids favorite thing to do at Nonna and Papa's. They love blowing the whistle and making the smoke puff out.

Jack playing baseball with Aunt Taylor.

Everything is so interesting at Nonna and Papa's, even a giant piece of paper.

Alex striking a pose!

Jack took this picture of my mom and sister. Can you believe it?!?! He loves being a little photographer:)

Announcing Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Karpeles

2009-06-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Chicago for my sister, Taylor's wedding. Despite the crazy weather (tornado sirens during our pedi/mani appointment and a microburst that tore down tree limbs and knocked over giant potted plants during the rehearsal) on Friday, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day (although VERY hot) for a wedding!

Getting ready! So handsome! Practicing walking down the aisle. When it came time for the actual performance, Jack was so excited he sprinted down however Alex made it half way down, got excited to see Lindsay and started walking backwards! They were adorable and it was totally worth all the worry when they looked so precious. Mom and Dad watching thier baby all grown up! Me and the beautiful brideDaddy and Daughter Such a fun, but long day!

All tuckered out after a day with no naps! This might be the first time ever that my children have not had their afternoon nap (I'm not anal, just LOVE schedule and routine)!

Look what I made!

2009-06-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

Alex has begun to accumulate quite the array of clips, bows, & barrets (sp?) so I made this to hold them. I was quite proud!

WOOHOO, We Saw the Sun Today!

2009-06-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

So I feel like every day we've had the chance to go outside this summer has been rainy or cloudy. Finally this afternoon we had some sun so we went outside after naptime. We went on a bike ride/walk around the block. That was a big step for Jack, I've never let him ride his bike all the way around the block because I've been worried he'd just get tired and stop and then I'd be stuck with two kids a bike and a stroller to carry home! He was a trooper and even though he did say "Mommy me tired" when we got to the small hill on our street, he made it! So after all that work we came home and enjoyed popsicles! This is Alex's first popsicle! I think it's going to be yummy:)Not a fan!

Party Weekend

2009-06-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed up north again for a lot of fun. I started off Friday night with my sister's bachelorette party. We had an awesome dinner at PF Changs and then went to a comedy club. Can't believe just one more week and my sister will be married!

On Saturday we hung out with my parents all day. Jack loves making breakfast with Nona and Papa.

Jeremy teaching the kids to play bags, well the kid version anyway!Then Chris and Lindsay came over to hang out on the patio. Alex loves playing with Lindsay in the backyard. Relaxing with Papa Jack so proud of the log houses he built! (I used to do this very same thing with these very same lincoln logs when I was a kid!) On Saturday night Jeremy and I went to my high school reunion. It was so much fun to catch up with everybody and have a night out.When we got home for our weekend up north we went to our friend Kate's 1st birthday party. The kids had so much fun playing with their friends and eating yummy food at the park. It was a great ending to a great weekend!Fun on the playground Party Ready, even though I look a bit sad! Jack and Emily, cute little monkeys! Just another reminder how much we'll miss our friends in Bloomington:(

Out and About in Downtown Bloomington

2009-06-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today mom's morning at the park didn't work out b/c of all the rain, but we did manage to get out of the house for lunch on the square in Bloomington. Here are Jack an Emily sitting so nicely, after this they did quite the little dance show for those eating lunch!

Stacey brushing up on babies:) A few minutes after this pic Brayden was nice enough to remind her about the spit up too! (Doesn't Brayden look so much like Jack when he was a baby.)

Look at our cookies! Yummy:)

Party Day!

2009-06-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our summer vacation started out with a bang and a very busy day. We had two parties! We began the morning celebrating Emmalee's 2nd Birthday with our friends at the Children's Discovery Museum in town. The kids had a great time and were all tuckered out
Alex is ready for the party.

Jack working hard to make a lot of noise! Not too unusual!

So many fun things to play with. Just chillin at the museum. All tuckered out and relaxing with Nell!

Jack and Zach playing in the maze. Of course Jack got up but got scared, thankfully Zach was there to help him down! Emmalee (the birthday girl) and her mommy! Our second party this weekend was super fun but a little sad. Ginnell threw us a going away party at her home. I feel so lucky to have friends that care so much, leaving them is hard. We had a great time saying our official goodbyes, even though I'm sure we'll see everyone before we leave at the end of June!

Jack and Emily playing. They are so cute, they are such good friends and spend so much time together they are like brother and sister - play, cry, hug, play cry, hug! Jack has learned to say lots of sorries!

Ginnell and I, not sure what I'll do with out her:(

Jeremy relaxing at the party.All the moms hangin out with the kids! Alex and Aubrey, they're such good friends! Alex playing with Travis (Ginnell's husband), he's such a natural! Emily enjoying her cupcake! Looks yummy It was a great day because we got to spend it with such great friends! Thanks everyone for making our life here in Bloomington so full and happy, we will miss you!

Dora LIVE!

2009-06-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night Jack and I went out to eat and to see the Dora show with some friends. It was a great time. Jack had fun eating with Emily and Katherine. Then we went to Dora. Jack and Emily so excited to see each other (after like 10 minutes apart)! The Dora stage (after this pic they asked me to put my camera away!) So many smiles for Dora and Diego. The kids had so much fun singing along with Dora and recognizing all their favorite characters! It was so neat to watch Jack's reaction to the show. At intermission Jack would not even leave his seat because they said that Diego was coming on next. I tried to get him to walk around with his friends, but no way! Oooh! Dora is so cool! I was so nervous about keeping Jack up late, the show practically started at his bedtime, but he did great. Although he did start looking quite tired by the end. Jack had so much fun singing and laughing with Dora. It was so darn cute!

Miller Park Zoo

2009-05-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today we had a great family day at Miller Park Zoo. It is such a good zoo for my kids, there's just enough to see and do that they are totally entertained, but not very big so they can make it through with out breaking down! Jack's favorite animals were the monkeys and I love that he can tell me that now:) Here is my favorite pic from the whole day. They look so precious.

Jack got so close to this bird! He loved it, but it totally freaked me out. I was sure it was going to poke him and made him move along.

Alex getting excited about the bird.

Such a cute picture! You can tell Alex is still a bit unsteady, but she insisted on walking through the zoo.

Jack getting a good view of the sea lion show.

The sea lions during their show.

Jack was so excited the whole trip to ride on the carousel. Alex was okay with it at first, but by the end she was in my arms!

Jack and Alex were exhausted after their fun morning at the zoo (and so were Jeremy and I)!

Taylor's Bridal Shower

2009-05-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today I went to my sister's bridal shower. She getting married in 3 weeks! It was a great shower, good food and good conversation with family and friends. Taylor got some great gifts, lots of cooking/baking stuff, so I'm thinking that Ryan will be very happy. Here's a picture of the girls: my mom, my sister, and I.

Taylor, me, and Lindsay (my brother's girlfriend)

The bride and groom!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T18:23:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went up north to my parents to spend some time with family and friends. My mom did an awesome job making great food, and my dad made sure we had plenty to drink and lots of fun. It was a great weekend and a start to a crazy, busy summer! Here is Alex and Daddy relaxing on the patio.

It's a summer holiday tradition to make ice cream at my parent's house. Jack had so much fun helping turn the ice cream, which takes some strength, so a family friend helped him out.

Alex trying to get in on the ice cream fun.

My dad had a water balloon fight for the boys. Jack was a little unsure at first but he definitely got into the fun!

Jack tyring to get Papa!

Checking out the fountain with Aunt Taylor. The kids love just standing by this and watching the water.

Relaxing and winding down after a fun party.

Jack's New Bike & Fun at the Park

2009-05-18T18:29:00.001-07:00

This weekend we searched high and low for a new bike for Jack. After 4 different stores we finally found the one I was looking for. So as soon as we got home Jack started riding up and down the sidewalk. It was adorable, and another reminder that he is getting to be such a big boy!

Everybody got a new toy.

They are learning to play so well together! Well, at least there are moments:)

We went and checked out a new park this weekend, hard to believe that there are still a few in Bloomington-Normal that we haven't been to yet!

Just walking around!

Swinging is Alex's favorite thing to do at the park. It's amazing how different the kids are Jack would swing for about 30 seconds and be done, but Alex will swing and swing and swing the whole time.

Alex on the slide, you really have to watch her! She hasn't quite figured out that she has to sit to go down the slide, she'll actually try to walk right down it!

So I know this was a crazy long post but I hope you enjoyed!

Alex and her Fork

2009-05-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Alex shows us every day what a big girl she is. Last night at dinner she insisted on having my fork. I thought she'd just fling it around a little bit and be done. But she actually decided to use it! I had to help her get the food on the fork but she knew exactly how to use it.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T19:08:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Mother's Day early by going out to dinner at Jonah's with both our parents. It was so nice to get everyone together, and the kids did really well at such a grown up restaurant! On Sunday I enjoyed sleeping in, it was heavenly! Then I took Jack for a haircut. It is so short and adorable. After that Jack and I went and picked out flowers for the front yard and planted them. Jack was more interested in the worms than the flowers, but it was fun to hang out outside. I had been promising Jack all week that we would go to the park but it's been so crazy. So after nap we headed out to the park, but mother nature didn't agree so we had to improvise. We ended up at Chuck E. Cheese and had a lot of fun (especially since it was pretty deserted)! Alex and her dancing moves! It was a great Mother's Day thanks to my wonderful husband and great kids. I am such a lucky girl:)

Graduation

2009-05-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was my graduation. I can't believe I am finally done, I am so excited to have more time for my family! It was an early morning ceremony and the kids came to watch. It was so fun to see Jack waving from the stands and saying "My mommy". Here's the family after the ceremony.

The proud parents - No matter how old you get your parents are always proud of you:) The ceremony - It was long but totally worth it, I felt very accomplished and like if was finally done after walking across that stage!

Alex being adorable during the ceremony! She is such a little princess.

Ginnell and I - She's probably a big part of the reason I made it through the Master's program. She was always keeping us on track and was the best research partner ever!

For Sale

2009-04-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

So the time has finally come to put the house on the market! Seems to make this process very real all of the sudden. Jeremy's classroom training with State Farm is quickly coming to a close and he will be in an agency close by for May and June. When his training concludes in June we are hoping to have sold the house and be moving down to Shelbyville so we have a few months to settle in before school begins and Jeremy takes over his agency. Here are some pics of the house and a link to the site we posted it on (trying to do it ourselves first of course:).
http://www.fsbolocal.com/viewPropertyAd.htm?id=13563

Living/Dining Room

Kitchen So if you know of anyone who might be interested send them our way:) We would love you forever!

Girls Weekend

2009-04-19T20:04:00.001-07:00

So . . . this was my weekend with the girls and it was so much fun! I went to Chicago to hang out with my best friends from college and we had a blast. We ate Giordano's for lunch and loved our deep dish pizza. Then we spent the afternoon shopping on Michigan Avenue. After lots of shopping we went back to our hotel and had a fun time getting ready for dinner. My favorite thing about these girls is it's like we're ageless when we're together. We were getting ready and it was just like when we were all living together in college even though we're all married with multiple kids! I feel so lucky to have girlfriends that I can just pick right back up with like nothing has changed:) Thanks for an awesome weekend girls!We went to a ZTA reunion party at a bar, but it was sooo loud we couldn't hear each other so the girls in my pledge class escaped to a cute Italian restaurant so we could catch up.

The Kutmas Girls Came to Visit

2009-04-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today I took a day off work and my friend Nichole (from college) came for a playdate. She drove all the way from the Quad Cities with her girls, Payton and Allie. We were so excited for her visit and the kids had a good time playing.

Nichole and Allie Jack and Payton playing the piano. This was a great activity because they both could do it at the same time! Something we found out was very important when these two strong-willed 2 year-olds played together:)

Easter Morning

2009-04-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Easter morning was lots of fun. Of course it started off at about 6am for us!!! The kids enjoyed their baskets and had a good time on their egg hunt:) I love this picture! Jack found quite a few eggs and luckily it took him a while to figure out they had candy in them! Alex trying to make a break for it. I think she knew she had to move quick if she wanted any eggs. Alex in her bunny ears:)

Easter Eggs

2009-04-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night we dyed eggs for the first time. Jack is just the perfect age to start doing this like this, I love it! He was so amazed by the dissovling color and loved plopping the eggs in the dye. Alex was happy to watch her big brother:)Here is Jack's egg crew!The best part was after all his eggs were dyed and had their faces on Jack moved them all around the table, setting them is all different patterns.

Okay, listen up eggs!ALMOST! PERFECT!

Alex is walking!

2009-04-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

Alex is walking! OMG my baby is growing up. She is becoming such a walker and loves following Jack EVERYWHERE! You can see she also loves to brush her teeth, she makes her Papa so proud.

Mom and Alex practicing their building skills.

Jack amazes us all the time. It seems like just the other day he was always knocking things over and now he is such a little builder. Here he is making sure both little towers look exactly alike!!

Finally, it's all out!

2009-04-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we had a garage sale! It was a huge success. I had never had one before so I was very hesitant, but with lots of encouragement from Jeremy we finally got one together. And oh my it was hard work. I think I've spent 3 weeks preping for it, but when the cash came in and there was space for storage in my basement again I was happy:) It was a bit hard to part with all Jack and Alex's baby clothes. As you can see Jack thought so too, he was constantly in my piles trying things on! Alex enjoyed chilling out with Nona and greeting our shoppers:)

Alex's 1st Birthday

2009-03-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the birthday girl! We celebrated Alex's 1st birthday last weekend at the museum with a few of her friends. She had a good time, but I don't think she understood what all the fuss was about!

It was pretty hard to convince Jack to leave as the museum was closing.

Some of the kids enjoying the water table. This is one of the favorites here.

The family!

Alex loved crawling through this tunnel. Sometimes she got going a little too fast and ended up rollong down the hill.

Alex with Grandma and Papa, who drove a very long way to see her!

Alex with her party guests:)

It was a great 1st Birthday!

2009-03-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Alex turned 1 today! I can't believe how fast it's gone, she is such a big girl now. We enjoyed cupcakes and sang her Happy Birthday:) Jack liked helping her blow out her candle. It was a nice night just celebrating with the fam. Stay tuned for pic from her birthday party next weekend:)

What's this?

Yummy!

That was good!