Is it September Already?!

Sarah at a friend's birthday party last weekend

The last few weeks of summer flew by and now we're back to the school year routine. Sarah hates to see Jason go to work so early and not be able to play as much. His school year is off to a good start. He's happy to have his co-worker, Matt, back with him this year. Matt is also helping our friend, Kevin, over at Brookfield East this year. Jason is excited about his student teacher this semester. It's always good to start out on a good note.

I'm going try my hand at substitute teaching this year. I'm subbing two days next week for my friend Cynthia whose father is not doing well. I'm glad I'm able to help her out, but wish it was under better circumstances. Subbing will help me keep my resume' updated but also give me a little control over how much time I want to contribute.

Sarah and I have activities set up for the fall. Between playgroup, library tot-time, music class and swim lesson, I think we'll be plenty busy. It's more about getting me out of the house sometimes. :) She's becoming more like a two-year-old all of the time. She gave Jason a run for his money yesterday when she refused to get into the car seat. Who would've thought that a 21-month old could arch her back and exert so much strength as to overpower her own dad. She's taken an interest in potty-training and is starting to say more words and put words together. She's also taken an interest in Thomas the Train. I put the DVD in that came in the box with Thomas and the track I got for her the other day. What a mistake! Now she wants to watch that thing all of the time and those songs will not escape my brain. We had a fun weekend playing outside and running around. I try to savor those unscripted moments with her. It flies by way too fast.

My folks and Kim and Cleo purchased a gps system for Jason and me for our birthdays. Many of you know about our "issues" in the car. This gift will be a great assest to our marriage! I no longer have to be the one to blame for not saying when to turn fast enough or saying when to turn when it's not solicited. Ahhhhhhh. Thank you satellites!

It was an interesting couple of weeks watching both the Democrat and Republican conventions. It's a crazy world out there. While I wish Obama had more executive experience, I'm still behind the Obama/Biden ticket. Doesn't it make you sick to hear people make racist comments? or to say he's not "Christian enough". Who gets to decide that for someone? I like John McCain but don't support his party's platform. I wish we had cable so I could be watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report. Both shows put such an intelligent, humorous spin on the whole deal.

On that note, I'm off to bed.

Virginia Trip and Birthday Party

We had a great trip to Richmond, VA a couple of weeks ago. Mom and Dad drove up from Iowa and we loaded up the car top carrier, packed the van full of Sarah's stuff, and headed east. It was so wonderful to have Mom and Dad along to help entertain Sarah along the way. She really was a trooper and went with the flow. There were a few fussy moments trying to get her to sleep in the pack n play in the hotel rooms. We'd finally give up and let her sleep in bed with us.

We arrived in Arlington on a Thursday night and made plans for our day trip into D.C. We took the metro train and walked the mall to see most of the monuments. We didn't make it over to the Jefferson Memorial or the Korean War Memorial, but we saw the rest. It was a super hot day. I appreciated everyone's willingness to walk the mall with me since I had never been there before. It's quite an amazing experience.

Sarah in front of her future home

Jason in front of the Washington Monument

We went to the Natural History Musuem to cool off and make the day more interesting for Sarah. We walked the Hall of Mammals and saw the dinosaur exhibits. Mom, Sarah, and I went into the Butterfly Exhibit. Sarah was really paying attention to all of the butterflies.

Sarah and I in the butterfly exhibit

We ended the day on the Washington D.C. Mall by taking Sarah on a merry-go-round and having some ice cream. She did much better sitting down than going on a horse like she did the previous two times on a carousel. We had a very full day taking the sights. We trained back to the hotel, loaded up the van, and headed to my cousin Val's house in Arlington. Sarah and a fun time playing with their daughter, Aida who is only 2 1/2 weeks younger than her. She also had fun hugging her other 2nd cousin once removed, Cassidy. Kim and Cleo drove up from Richmond so it was a fun little family reunion. Sarah was so excited to see Kim and so was I. I even teared up when I saw her since I hadn't seen her since her wedding.

Nicci, Sarah, and Dad on the carousel

Aida and Sarah

Cleo, Jason, Dad, Kim, and Garry enjoying good food and drinks

After saying our good-byes to the Heishusen-Young family, we drove down to Richmond. Jason, Sarah, and I stayed at a local Hampton Inn and Mom and Dad went on to the Battle residence. We met up with them the next day and enjoyed a tour of Richmond and a day around the house. We saw Cleo's boys, Kelvin and Brennan, and met his Dad, Cleo Battle, Sr. and Cleo's sister, Angelica. It was great family bonding time. Sarah spent the night at Kim and Cleo's in Mom and Dad's room so we met back at the house the following day to head out to the local amusement park, King's Dominion, for the day. It was a hot, hot, day, but we had fun going on roller coasters while Sarah went with Mom, Dad, Kim, and Cleo to the water park area. Jason and the guys stayed a bit longer to catch more rides after the Whitehead crew took Sarah back home. She had a full day.

We road-tripped to Virginia Beach the next day. I hadn't been to the Atlantic Ocean since a band trip in high school, so it was nice to see that part of the country. We boogie-boarded for the first time. It was fun to get out in the water. It took me a little longer to get in the water since Sarah had a slight temperature and wasn't feeling quite herself. I finally got her down on a blanket for a nap so I got to "play" after that. Jason was a trooper on the drive since he had Kim and I commenting on his driving the whole time.

Sarah napping on Virginia Beach

Sarah and Aunt Kim looking at the seagulls

On the last night of our stay, we went to a Mexican Restaurant with the whole family. We had a great meal and a fun night together. Kim still needs to find a place that serves margaritas like La Perla. :) We had to say our good-byes to Kim that night since she was heading out early for work the next day and we were staying at the hotel. It was hard to say good-bye, but we know we'll see each other next in October. Still...I miss her like crazy. It was great to see where she and Cleo live and be able to picture her environment.

(from left and around the table)Brennan, Dad, Kelvin, Jason, Mom, Kim, Cleo

Kim and Sarah on the front porch

Thank you for a great time Kim and Cleo! It was great seeing you all!

We went to Jason's aunt and uncle's house yesterday for a 2-year-old birthday party for Gabe who is Jason's 2nd cousin (his cousin Steve's son). It was a beautiful day to be outside playing in the pools and doing outdoor stuff. Aunt Ellen and Uncle Dick put on a great party and Sarah had a blast. Happy Birthday Gabe!

Sarah playing in the pool. She wanted to stay there all day.

Sarah playing a game in the picture below. The dads had to put a cup on their foreheads and the kids had to pour water into the cup. Pretty funny stuff!

Gabe pouring water into Bob's cup. Sean is watching and learning.

Sarah riding around in the toy car in the basement

Sean picking out a ball from the row of prizes.

Thank you Aunt Ellen and Uncle Dick for a great time!

We spent a lot of time outside today playing at the park and in the yard. Jason is soaking up these last few days of break before heading back to school. Marching Band Camp went well so he's already off and going for the school year. I'm helping teach a little music hour/play time class at church a week from tomorrow for babies through 4-year-olds. Wish us luck. :)

We hear that people check into the blog from time to time. Hope all is well and keep in touch.

cousins, museum, zoo

We've had a lot of family and social gatherings the past few weeks. While Jason played at Festa Italiana, I got to watch our nephew, Sean, while Meghan and Bob went to Meghan's 20-year reunion for Waukesha South. The first picture is of Grandpa Gillette holding them before they went to bed. Grandma and Grandpa came over to play with the kids, too.

We had a rare family day...just Jason, Sarah and me at the Betty Brinn Childrens Museum.

The first picture is in the "Backyard" area for toddlers.

On the dance floor area

We went to the zoo yesterday with cousin Sean, Aunt Meghan, and Uncle Bob. Sarah loves saying Bob's name and doesn't like for him to leave the room. The zoo was packed, but we had an enjoyable time watching Sean's reactions to being at the zoo for the first time.

This picture is of Sarah watching the elephants being groomed and doing tricks in their indoor exhibit

Sean watching the elephants on Bob's shoulders

Sarah at the giraffe exhibit

The above picture is of Sean's 1st time on the merry-go-round. You can't quite tell in this picture, but he loved it! Bob took some great pictures of Sean smiling and having a great time.

The picture below is of Sarah's 2nd time on the merry-go-round and she cried quite loudly the entire ride. However, after it stopped she clapped and said, "Yay!" followed by, "MORE!". Go figure. It looks like I was crying, too. :)

I'm sure there's more to report, but I need to get some sleep. I have lots of packing to do tomorrow in order to get ready for our trip to Richmond.

Sad day to be a homeowner

Last Sunday Jason noticed a huge crack down the trunk of our gorgeous maple tree in front of our house. After a few estimates and tree experts who told us it couldn't be saved, we made the decision to take it down. I cried when we made the decision and I still have a sick feeling in my stomach. We loved that tree and felt terrible that we had to end its life. The tree people think that the tree took up a lot of water with the heavy rains a few weeks ago. Since it was at its fullest foilage, it couldn't handle the weight of the limbs and cracked down the center. They've seen a lot of trees like it this season.

The view from across the street

The crack down the trunk

Another view of the cracked trunk

It was such a great tree. The colors in the fall were beautiful

Trimming off the limbs

More trimming

It was such a tall tree.

The view from inside the kitchen this morning. Some neighbors came and hauled some of the wood away and friends of the workers hauled more away this afternoon. One of the guys busted his chainsaw so he has to come back later to finish off the trunk of the tree. I want to put a sign in our yard letting everyone know that the tree was cracked and couldn't be saved. I've seen some people drive by and shake their heads. What are ya gonna do?

Coming down the hill at the park by the Wilson Center in Brookfield

Our baby is growing up too fast!

The above photos were taken by our good friend, Andrea Warp (http://www.arwphotography.com/). Each photo shoot gets better and better. We had a perfect weather day. Sarah definitely did better for the outdoor pictures than she did for the indoor pictures. Running around suited her much better!

I can't believe it's already July 10th. The summer is cruising by so fast. We traveled down to my parents' in Iowa the weekend of June 21st to be at the 1st service in their new church building at St. Paul's Methodist Church in Williamsburg, IA. It was such a powerful day since we've witnessed the long road the church experienced to achieving this goal. Mom and Dad put a lot of sweat and tears into the process and it was a joyful day to be there for the first service. We were thankful that Williamsburg didn't experience the flooding but were sad to hear the stories of all those affected in nearby Iowa City/Coralville and Cedar Rapids.

Mom and Dad came up to Brookfield the following week to spend some much needed time away. Dad helped Jason get a lot of projects done around the house and Mom loved watching Sarah so I could get things done, as well. It was so lovely to have them here for more than a quick weekend now that Dad's retired. Sarah absolutely loved having them here and kept calling for them in the mornings after they left. The best part was watching her reach for both of their hands when she wanted to show them something. It would melt my heart.

We had a nice family get-together on the 4th of July. Ron, Ann, Meghan, Bob, and Sean joined my folks, Jason, Sarah, and me in celebrating the day. The cousins were in the baby pool for a short time together and had fun playing with the sidewalk chalk and the bubbles. It was such a beautiful day and we spent most of it outside. A bunch of us played croquette. Bob is definitely the croquette master! He won all three matches much to the chagrin of Jason and his dad (they're usually ultra-competitive....it's pretty funny actually). We tried giving the cousins a bath together, but Sean wasn't about to let that happen. He was a little freaked out by the strangeness of the tub. Put Sarah into the mix and forget about it. :) All in all, I'm glad it worked out for the family to spend a relaxing day together.

Jason is excited to go to the Cubs game tomorrow. I'm going to drop Sarah off at the grandparents' house so I can finally see "Sex in the City". I think Jason is actually a little disappointed that I'm going without him. Let that be our little secret. :)

The rest of the weekend is up in the air which is kind of nice. I think we'll finally take in the Brookfield Farmers' Market and go on a long bike ride now that we have the bike trailer put together. Sarah has been a couple of rides and seems to do well in it. We're also getting excited for our trip to Richmond to see Kim and Cleo. Kim can hardly wait to see Sarah.

That's all for now!

We love the summer!

Cooling off on the 4th of July

Playing with the balls

Uncle Bob, cousin Sean, Aunt Meghan, and Sarah

It's been a crazy few weeks

I apologize ahead of time. I'm having trouble with the layout so it will be a little hard to read.

It's been a crazy few weeks for our family and once again, a long time since I've posted anything on the blog. I'll start with our nephew, Sean's birthday party on May 17th. It was a fun gathering to celebrate his first birthday. He was such a trooper since he had been up the night before with a 103 degree temperature as he was getting over his double ear infection. Since then, he's had tubes put in his ears and we're all hoping that it will help the little guy. The party was celebrated with a great meal of lasagna, salad, and bread followed by cake, presents, a trip to the park with all of the little nieces, nephews, and cousins. The guys even played some basketball. Good times.

This Sarah about to go down the slide at the park at Sean's birthday party.

After Sean's party, we started looking ahead to Kim's wedding in Jamaica and preparing for a busy Memorial Day weekend of socializing, packing, and going to the Brookfield Central H.S. parade performance on Memorial Day. My Grandpa Whitehead had seemed to be having more and more health problems and complications and was very frustrated. We got the call on Saturday morning that he had passed away in his sleep sometime the night before. He passed away the way he had always hoped. While we were sad to lose him, we knew he was in a better place and happy to be with Grandma again. We went down to Iowa on Sunday and over to Winterset, Iowa on Monday for the evening visitation and the funeral Tuesday morning. Kim flew in from Virginia so we were all able to be there. We stayed at our family friends', the Meases', while we were there. It was so nice not to be in a hotel room and to be with them. They're like my second Mom and Dad. The picture below is of Sarah riding their play horse in their basement. Sarah did great with all of the traveling, etc. She wasn't too happy during the funeral when I had to play the piano and sing and Jason played the saxophone. She's in a clingy, Mommy phase right now. My Aunt Jan and my sister helped occupy her when we were busy during the service. It was nice to see our extended family and friends and to hear all of the fun stories about Grandpa. He and his friends were quite the pranksters.

After the funeral, we drove all the way back to Milwaukee to unpack, do laundry, run errands, and re-pack for Kim's wedding in Jamaica. Mom, Dad, and Kim only had one day to do that while we had two. It was a stressful experience, but we all made it down there safe and sound and had a fabulous time. The first night was the welcome dinner so we got to meet Cleo's family and friends. It was a wonderful evening as we were right next to the water enjoying great food, music, and conversation. The picture below are of
Cleo and Kim welcoming everyone to the dinner.

Cleo, Kim, Vicky and Jerry Mease, and Jason at the welcome dinner

Below: Kelvin (Cleo's oldest son), Cleo's Uncle Charles, Brennan (Cleo's second son), Rebecca (Cleo's mom), and Cleo's Aunt Shirley

We slept in on Saturday morning which felt awesome. While we missed Sarah, we knew she was in good hands as she was staying in-between Jason's folks and his sister and family. We were relishing the opportunity to sleep in and catch up on a bit of sleep. We ordered room service and ate out on our patio overlooking the resort and the ocean. Jason went snorkeling with Cleo, his boys, and Uncle Charles. It went much better than our honeymoon snorkeling in Maui. :) While he was snorkeling, I went to Kim's room and we had a leisurely morning getting ready for the ceremony. We both had our hair done by a lovely Jamaican woman who crazily hairsprayed our hair to withstand the humidity. I was surprised when Kim asked me to do her make-up. Being the younger sister, I always looked up to Kim for make-up and hair advice. I was honored that she trusted me with that on her wedding day. The nerves started building up as we neared the ceremony time. It had been windy all day long and right when the ceremony started, there wasn't even a light breeze to be felt. We all dripped sweat throughout the ceremony, but it was still beautiful. The minister was charasmatic, yet focused the marriage on their committment to God and their love for one another. It was lovely! Once we got through the pictures on the beach and in the garden area, we moved onto the reception.

Below: Kim before the ceremony. She waited up there until the last minute to avoid the heat.

Below: Jason and I before the ceremony. He walked my Mom down the path and I walked by myself as the Matron of Honor.

Below: Kim and Cleo Battle's first dance as man and wife. They danced to the Etta James song, "At Last".

Below: Cutting the cake. Note the beautiful view in the background.

Below: Paul (Kim's former co-worker in Milwaukee and he introduced Kim and Cleo), Vicky, and Jason having a blast on the dance floor. It was very hot, but it didn't stop all of us from dancing!

Above: Brennan, Kelvin, Kim (Paul's wife), Paul, and Vicky

Below: Kim, Paul, Cleo, Kim, and Aunt Shirley

We had an fabulous night and everyone danced right up to the end. The dance ended around

9 p.m. so Jason, Kelvin, Brennan, Dad, and I got our suits on and cooled off in the pool. A fun way to end the night. On Sunday, everyone did their own thing. We eventually met Mom, Dad, Vicky, and Kim out on the beach and relaxed by the water. It was overcast the entire time we were there, but the sun still filtered through pretty strong. That night, we all met for drinks and dinner. Everyone mixed so well and had a truly enjoyable time. It was sad to see it end.

Below: Mom and Dad dancing to the local entertainer who sang and played the keyboard.

Below: Kim and I at Sunday night's dinner. Our bunched up cheeks hide our eyes when we smile.

Below: The view from our room

Below: The view from the end of the pier looking toward the resort. We stayed at Coyaba Resort on Montego Bay. It was a small, family-owned resort and we loved our stay. The food was excellent and the service was amazing.

Our flight home was uneventful. Since we got home late we didn't pick up Sarah until the next morning. I could harldy wait to see her. She had a great time while we were gone, but I think we were both glad to see each other. I had to take her straight to the pediatrician for her 18 month check-up where she measured 34 1/4 inches (95th percentile) and 26.4 pounds (85th percentile). She got some shots but all is on track. We went to school to see Jason since he was anxious to see her, as well. She was beside herself with excitement when she saw him come to the door. Too fun.

We spent the week getting back into the groove of things. We had a huge storm on Saturday night and water got into our basement. Our sump pump simply couldn't handle all of the water. We're in the process of seeing if we can save our carpet without the threat of mildew and getting estimates on a more powerful sump pump. While it was a record-setting rainfall storm, this isn't the first time we've had water when it's rained a lot. We now know that the previous owners lied on the disclosure statement when they said they didn't have water problems. A few neighbors have said otherwise. Ugh. We've kept a positive attitude. After all, it's just carpet. Many people have had sewage back up and high levels of water. We're blessed to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food in our stomachs, etc. It's all relative and life is good.

If you made it to the end of this post, thanks for checking in. Let us know how you're doing when you get the chance.