Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to You!!

Here's one of our many Holiday cards that were sent out this year.

Snow Angels

THIS is what I woke up to after the 1st real snow fall of the year....

I thought maybe this winter won't be so bad afterall....

Then,... a few days later we got dumped on. Yuck. 12" of snow & frigid temps do not make a fun winter. It was even too cold to make Frosty.

I think a tropical vacation is already needed.

Team Edward or Team Jacob...

Yum...

Yes, I am a "Twilight Mom!"

Fairwell to Summer

I am so sad to say goodbye to yet another summer.

It continually amazes me how fast time can fly. I posted previously that I would try to post more frequently....obviously that plan back-fired. So, here I am again, preparing to write another novel about our summer family happenings and post a million and one pictures. Most of the pictures will have to wait, due to the fact that we just bought a new computer and I don't have access to them as of yet.

The kids had an absolute blast this summer. McKenna & Zander didn't want swimming lessons to come to an end. Gage was lovin' the beach as well. The water, sun, splish-splashing around....it really was an awesome summer. It took McKenna and Z the full 8 weeks to jump off the dock by themselves as they were so timid. I'm so proud of how far they've come! Hopefully by next summer they will really know how to swim. I can't even imagine missing "this" and being at work. I am so lucky to be at home with them.

McKenna never lets me forget how happy she is that I'm her mommy. She just melts my heart. She's learning her ABC's and starting to write them as well. I really need to work on this with her, seeing she starts school next year. CRAZY! She is such a girly girl. I don't see a spec of baby or toddler in her anymore. (cry) Her obsession with Ariel and the other Princesses continues. She's getting so tall too! She's already in a size 5. Stop getting bigger and stay my snuggle bunny forever McKenna! I was talking with my friend last week and we were saying that theoretically McKenna could be off and married in 15 years.....that thought made my stomach turn. Could it be that someday I would actually have to "give up" my little girl so she could go on and start a family of her own? How do parents do this? With the rate kids are growing up these days, I may send the kids off to a secluded island so they can stay innocent and protected for a VERY LONG time. McKenna is such a caring little girl. If someone is ill she will always remember to to add them into her prayers at night. Such a gentle and nurturing spirit she has.

Zander, like McKenna is growing up so fast too. He only has a spec of toddler left in him, and I'm not sure how long it's going to hang around. He has always been my "wittle wover", but now he has his "L's" down pat, so he's now my little lover. He's also extended his love to all insects, bugs and any other creepy, crawly, furry thing he can get his little hands on. (Ahh!)

Over the summer we've adopted the worlds HUGEST butterfly (aka Alien Butterfly), worms, countless baby frogs, one of which got lost in our vehicle (RIP really tiny frog). I'm not sure if it was a raisin I tossed out that day, or something else....hmmm. One day he just walked into the house with a baby bird in his hands. He was so gentle with it. (Yes, eventually the mommy bird came back for it.) Our latest pets were 3 furry caterpillars he brought back from "the farm". Holy crap those things are worse than our fish. I never knew how much caterpillars ate and pooped....a lot! They eventually turned into butterflies and flew away one night while he slept over at grandma's house. (or at least that's what we told him...don't worry, no caterpillar murdering going on in this household...they were put on a tree in our backyard. Lord only knows how they're going to survive this winter, but that is not weighing in on my conscious.) Zander has reached a HUGE milestone. No more pull-ups at night! YEAH!!! Only big boy undies for this little man. 2 down 1 to go.

Z and Kenna had their 1st Dentist appointments this past month. I had them watch an episode of Loser and Kate plus Eight (Booo on you Jon!) when the kids went to the dentist to prepare them. I must say they did amazing! They might have even liked it. They handed their "ticket" to the Dentist for their 1 free ride on the Dentist's chair. Before getting on McKenna looked at Z at told him it was going to be like riding on a roller-coaster.....okay, so I may have pumped her up a bit too much, but she still thought is was a pretty cool chair. No cavities for both....YEAH for great dental hygiene!

Gage also experienced a first of his own. His very first haircut! He didn't seem to mind it too much. I swear he looked so much older when he was done. He went from mullet baby to fro hawk baby. Soooo cute! (he's already due for another!) Gage went in for his 1 year well-baby check-up. He measured in at 32.25" and 25.8 lbs. Seeing that was over 2 months ago, he's grown even more. He's transitioning into size 4 diapers and 2T clothing. All of my kids had chubby patties, so it's no surprise that Gage is already in a size 6 for shoes. He still only has 4 top teeth, but a third bottom left tooth poked through 2 weeks ago, so I'm assuming the bottom right will follow. I swear Zander had a full set of chompers by this age. (His 1st tooth poked through at 3 mos.) Gage knows so much more in just the past couple of months. His 1st word was ball, which he has graduated to "backaball" (basketball) and "bolball" (for football). He is a sports fanatic already! Gage plays catch constantly. We're thinking he might be a lefty. He and Zander now share a room. Gage wakes up every morning at 7 am (or earlier) and yells for me. He can see our room from his crib. It's so cute when I look over and see his chubby little cheeky grin smiling back at me just waiting for me to pick him up. It doesn't even phase Z that his little brother is yelling "MOM!" I laugh because he's sort of dropped the mama thing and I'm already just mom. As for the baby in him, it's quickly being replaced with "toddler". I swear I was just preggers and here I am getting rid of all baby items already. Just unbelievable how precious life is and how truly fast it goes by. Patrick Swazey's wife Lisa Niemi was on Oprah this past week & she mentioned that we tend to forget that our life is on loan to us. It's so true. We just go through life on auto pilot to get supper made, cleaning done or whatever it is, and just like that the day has gone by. I'm really trying to make an effort to live in the moment and really soak up this time I have staying at home with the kids and Jason. It is so worth the sacrifices made.

Because the kids are growing up so fast we decided to invest in some family portraits from a professional photographer, Sarah Gwidt Photography. (click on name) Besides the fact that she's an awesome friend of mine, she also happens to be an A.MAZING photographer! I highly recommend her if you are thinking about getting portraits done. It was only 43 degrees out when these shots were taken and you can't even tell!!

I can't forget to include Halloween pics! Gage HATED his froggy costume!

McKenna was again, an array of things. She started off as The Little Mermaid, and ended up as Snow White.

Zander went from Optimus Prime (Transformer) to Nemo (of course).

( I have to add that my mom made the Snow White dress)

(Here's a picture with my 97yr old grandma & the kids.)

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY GAGERS! 7/25/08

To our sweet baby Gage, I can't believe you are ONE! It seems like it was only yesterday I felt your kicks from the womb, & here we are today chasing you all over the place. It's amazing what you've accomplished in one short year. You are almost ready to walk,...taking FIVE steps already! You certainly let it be known when you want something or are mad. You get a pout face & immediately put your head to the ground. It's almost comical. McKenna & Zander just adore you. Z still kisses you all over, & Kenna still tries to tote her little (chunkeroo) baby brother around the house. You've made this family complete & we love you so much!

Happy FIRST Birthday to our Lil' Squirt!

Zander & Gage had a joint birthday party this year. Seeing that Gage can't quite talk yet, Z declared this to be a Nemo party. Of course this meant Nemo themed food, cake, decor & more!

Zander's Nemo cake was made by Grandma Bartel & Gage's Squirt cake was made by Auntie Tina. What AMAZING cakes they were!!

Gage especially loved diving into his very own cake. I think everyone took turns helping him eat it too!

The kids had a blast hanging out together.

Thank you to those who were able to share in the celebration. It was a beautiful day & we all had a blast! The squirt guns & Nemo water toys came into good use!

Sticking with the "fish" theme, there were lots of Nemo gifts received. Zander even received a REAL fishy of his own from Cousin Kelly....which of course, he named... Nemo. The kids especially had fun with the pinata. If you watch the video at the end, you can even see there was a cat fight. They were all eager to get the candy out of the pinata & into their bellies!

It's just amazing how this summer is just flying by! Here we are ready for August & for my little man Zander to turn THREE in just 9 short days! I am so glad I am able to be home & watch my children grow. It's so funny to hear the things they come up with. I'll share a little "McKennaism" with you.....Just last week as we were leaving the beach from Kenna & Z's swimming lessons, the young life guard went to hold the door open for us to exit. While exiting, McKenna was just staring at the life guards stomach. Once McKenna finally passed her, she came running up to me & says, "Mommy! There's an earring stuck on that girls belly!" Seeing that I didn't feel like corrupting my 4 year olds mind quite yet & tell her that people get other parts of their body pierced besides their ears,.. I simply told her that it must have fallen out of her ear & landed on her belly. :)

Here'a a clip of Z blowing out the candles for his baby brother.

It's candy time! The girls went from cheering to fighting. Oh what candy will do to a toddler!

Dive in for some FUN!

For all of you fishies out there that know where we live, we hope to see you there!

(click on picture for larger view)

Summer Lovin'!

The kiddos started their 1st day of swimming lessons today. They "swam" at an outdoor beach where Jason spent many summers as a child. It wasn't even 9am & the temp was already reaching towards the 90's! Ugh, just humid & not 1 cloud in the sky.

Once we arrived, Zander was scared to actually go into the water because of the "sharks." He's watched Nemo 1 too many times & is convinced there are sharks in the little lake.

Speaking of Nemo, when I went to register the kids yesterday, of course they were so excited that they had to pee. Once we went into the bathroom, Z pulls his shorts down & instead of going tinkles in the toilet, his little Nemo fish which he carries around everywhere (kinda like Flounder, remember Tracy?) plopped into the toilet. McKenna told Z that it was just like the movie & Nemo was trying to escape from him. Instead of letting Nemo escape into the sewer, Zander MADE me fish out his fish from the public toilet. (no pun intended, yeah right) Surprisingly the toilets were immaculate, & after I washed my hands 5 times, so were my hands (& Nemo). Oh the things we do for our children! Once the kids finally made their way to the "sea" as McKenna called it, they had a blast splashing in the water & making their mud pies.

I love these pictures below.

Here they are patiently waiting for their swim class to begin.

Gage didn't mind the beach so much either. I wasn't sure what he would make of the sand, seeing he hated the feel of grass. Look at him just checking out the sand on his little fingers wondering what to make of it.

Surprisingly, he just loved it. (Yes, he tried tasting it as well.) He loved the water even more. The day prior we went to the Meyer's household (Jason's sister's family) & the kids had a blast splish-splashing around in the kiddie pools. I swear Gage just gravitates towards Karlee. I think he loves that someone else is little like him (Well, even though she makes him look like a giant).

This past weekend I attended a wedding in Madison for a friend of mine from high school. It was an outdoor wedding at the Overture Center for the Arts. Unfortunately, Jason had to work, but I had so much fun hanging out with my high-school friends & reminiscing about the good ol' days. I must be getting too old to have as much fun as we did, because here I am 3 days later & I'm still sore!! (lots of walking & there might have been a glass or two of wine) Our hotel was right across from the Capitol. It was a beautiful wedding, with a beautiful bride & groom, beautiful company & beautiful weather.

Thank you for the beautiful time & congrats Taylor & Sarah!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad 36yrs! (23rd) , Happy B-Day to my brothers Kevin (24th) & Brian (26th), my Mom (27th) & my Father-in-Law Lee (21st)!

Whoah, that's a lot of occassions in 1 month for 1 family!

Growing up too fast

Well, I said I would try to post more frequently...

I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks. Wow, this summer is just flying by.

Speaking of flying, the family we bought our house from stopped by last week & "Mr. Seller " had his air glider thingy with him. The kids thought it was really neat & couldn't resist getting in it for a photo opp. Well, a couple of days ago as we were eating lunch, I heard a noise that sounded much like an airplane. When we looked outside, we saw "Mr. Seller" flying above our house. There is an Elementary School next to us & his kindergartner was having her recess. He flew above & waived to her while she was playing, then cruised on over to us. It was really neat.

Last week we also went to visit my Grandma Lepak. The kids love visiting her because she always treats them with her candy stash from her bingo winnings. She was so happy to see Jason too. (I think she secretly has a crush on him) I can't believe she's almost 97yrs old!

The kids were so good that we decided to take them shopping when we came back to Appleton. Mental note, rewarding kids with chocolate covered frozen bananas in the car is not a good idea.

When the kids are not good they are little devils. They were getting into the pens yet again & when I took the pens away I couldn't resist. Having a red pen in my hand didn't help the situation.....Jason got a kick out of it when they woke up in the morning & his little demons greeted him.

Gage has been full of surprises lately. We brought out an old toy that McKenna & Zander used to help them with walking. I wasn't even sure if Gage would know what to do with it.....well.....he does! Watch the videos at the end of this post. My little baby is almost ready to walk! He cruises all over the floor with it. He's also a master at going up the stairs AND crawling ON TOP of tables! Such a little stinker he is, & he's only 10 months old! I took him to the Dr's yesterday because I thought he had pink eye (again). Turns out my little 24.2lb chunky monkey has really bad allergies. Poor thing wouldn't stop rubbing his red glossy eyes for the past month now. I hope whatever it is he is allergic to will go away soon. Gage loves mimicking Kenna & Z. He will yell at them already if he feels he needs to be heard. It is SO funny! Oh how they are growing up too fast! Updates: Gage has 4 top teeth coming in to add to his 2 little sharp bottom teeth!

He also gave in & now crawls on the grass.

Gage is also officially sleeping through the night! Amen!

Jason had his annual Neenah Street Ball this past weekend. I started my blog around this same time last year. I can't believe it's been a year already.

The kids had a blast. This year they played on a different court section & it was right by the water. It reminded me of when Zander was born, because the hospital was right across the way. I remembered walking the hallways & hanging out in my hospital room just waiting for Z's debut. I would look out the window across the river & there was a fountain that kids would gather throughout the day to splash around in. Little did I know,...fast-forward 2 years & I would be on the other side of the river watching my little one splash around in that same fountain.

(See the hospital in the background?)

There were also some blow up jumping "toys" to play on as well.

(Grandpa Bartel & Gage with Z looking out the window)

Seeing that my mind was on giving birth to Z, I couldn't help but think of just that when I took this picture. (see what I'm saying here? LOL!)

(My little man)

(Zander & Brecken always have fun together.)

Lastly, guess who made their annual appearance? Our frog! When we moved into the house last year, we were outside & noticed a frog on the deck. The kids were just in awe. It came to visit again & the kids just loved it! Of course I had to run & get my camera. I wonder if McKenna knows the story about the frog who turned into a prince......Hopefully next year I will post about it again.

Check out Gage's latest moves....

My little stinker!

Almost walking!