Zach at Anna's

My nephew is a week old!

 

Anna invited us over for dinner tonight to hang at their new awesome house.

 

We fed the kids, which I guess you're suppose to do, and they went and got all this energy.  It made it almost impossible to ogle over the baby...

so we turned on a movie.  I know.  We're smart parents.

 

Then we got some serious snuggle time with baby Zach Zach.

Imprinting on Uncle Jim.

Perhaps Zach's cuddliness is wearing off on Charlie.

Football Camp!

This is Owen and our neighbor, Rory, during warm-ups at football camp.  I just wanted to clarify that because Rory's mom and I thought one could look at this picture and also think perhaps they were at dance camp.

Roseville has a one week youth football camp for kids in grades 1-6.  The Roseville High School football coaches recruited the high school players to lead rotating drill stations.  Each high school player led a grade level through warm ups.  Then they led drills in their specialty area.

There were drills for things like blocking, kicking,

passing,

coordination and

ball control.

Evan liked the tackle dummy the best.

The high school players were like gentle giants with these kids.  It was really sweet to watch.

The last half hour of camp was spent playing games.  

 
This shot is endearing to me because Owen reminds me of my dad.  He'll be a great tackle.  The other thing I love about this picture is the sense of community I'm starting to feel.  The boy carrying the ball is a boy we have taken tennis with.  I realize now that these are kids that my boys will go through school with.  The inner city has a much more transient population with so many options for activities and schools.  It always left me feeling disconnected.

Another action shot.  I really don't like the thought of being that mom with the camera always in my kids' faces, but this was SO much fun for me.

Watching them in real time is fun too, but I love how I can see what they're thinking in a still.  Here's Evan attempting to block while he's running the ball.  I can see the excitement on his face.  He's about to be touched, but he also only inches away from scoring.

 Another thing I really liked about camp is that all the kids got a chance to try all the positions.  Nobody was pegged into a certain role because of their body size, speed, or lack thereof.

Evan is pretty good at receiver and he made a few touchdowns.  Watching him made me realize what an advantage little brothers have.

 At the end of the week they handed out T-shirts, awards, and certificates.

 They got together so the parents could get a group shot of the whole camp.

 And then they gave them Popsicles.

Owen didn't want his so Evan scored 2!

My Flower Girl Graduates!

After meeting my nephew, I loaded a couple of kids and headed down to the Madison area to celebrate my flower girl's graduation.  Looking back at a picture from that day 12 years ago, it seems seems like forever ago now.  If I look from a distance, we all look the same: same shapes, same smiles.  All of us, but Shannon. The biggest reminder of the time that has past.  Back then she was a toothless first grader.  Now she is a beautiful young woman, a high school graduate and soon to be a college freshman at UW- Stevens Point.

12 years ago I could hop in the car and drive wherever I needed to go for however long I wanted to stay.  Now I have so much more to pack and plan for. 

The plan was for me to just bring Mia.  At the last minute, Evan wanted to come too.  The two of them have been constant playmates since school let out.  So, after I was already in the car and ready to pull out, I turned around, went inside and packed for one more.  Grabbed one more car seat.  One more toothbrush.  And foolishly told myself it would be easier to take two than one.  

An hour into the trip, one started asking how much longer.  15 miles before we reached our destination, one had an accident.  The pickier eater didn't eat anything good and was crabby.  When we stopped by the Piper residence, I was ready to hit the sack, but Cindy fixed everything.  She washed the car seat and she gave the kids yummy snacks.  Walking into the house of your mom's best friend is like just like coming home - warm fuzzies all over.

At the hotel, we decided to split the kids up.  Evan slept in my folks room and Mia, when she finally fell asleep after 11 p.m., slept with he feet on my kidneys.  I DO love her.  I do. I do. I do.  She's cuddly and sweet, but she still sleeps sideways.

But we made it to the celebration.  It was so amazing to see my little flower girl all grown up.  She is poised, polite, mature and gracious.  A hostess with the mostest as she spent time with all of her guests.

Mia entertained herself with food and neither of my kids knocked the cake off the table!  Although they did roll down the handicap ramp a few times.

 

 Congratulations Shannon! 

Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your special celebration.

Welcome Zachariah O'Neil

Yesterday I went over to my sister-in-law's house to help her finish up some things before her baby comes.  She's not due for two weeks, but when I walked in - looked at her belly, looked at her ankles - I became a bit alarmed.  I told her she needed to lay down and put her feet up.  She said, "Yeah, I do feel a little better when I do that."  Yep.  She's ready to be a mom.  Already thinking about all that needs to be done before she thinks about her own needs.

She rested for a little while, then got us lunch and ran some errands.  When she got back, her ankles were a mess again.  I had finished painting their office and had to leave, but I made her promise to lay down with her feet up.  I picked up my kids from Grandma's house and told Connie that this baby was coming... soon!  She said she and Neil would go over tomorrow to finish cleaning up from the construction that's been going on over there.  However, the baby was not going to wait for that.

 When Gina texted me later last night that she thought she might be in labor, I thought, "How perfect.  He will be born on summer solstice."  His father was born on winter solstice.

Later last night, a storm ensued.  The wind was ferocious.  We got the call in the morning that our nephew had been born.  In a night full of fury, he came quickly and easily.  As we left our house for the hospital, we saw that all of our neighbors had giant trees down.  Luck was on the Letts side last night.

When we got to the hospital, they were about to move Gina to a new room.  Mia and I got to take Zach for his first walk!

Evan was so excited to meet his nephew.  He wanted them to name his Nolan.

Mia has been asking when this baby would arrive since she found out he was coming.  She could hardly stand waiting her turn.

Owen acted as if he didn't want to hold the baby, but when he did, he was a pro.  Calm and steady.  That's my Owen.  Owen thought they should name him Jordan.

Proud uncle.

It took a few days, but they finally decided on a name:

Zachariah O'Neil.

We left after about an hour so Gina could get some rest.  I am heading to Madison for a graduation party for our flower girl.  I'm so glad Zach arrived before I left.  He is such a good boy already!  I can't wait to see him again.

Puppet Wagon

 Owen and Evan are taking tennis again this summer.  And it's still at Autumn Grove Park.  This summer were have coordinated a playdate with Mia's ECFE friends at that park at the same time.

 Today we found out that every Tuesday at noon (right after tennis) at this very park, the Puppet Wagon arrives.  And every week they have a new show...

 and new games!  I've always wanted to see the Puppet Wagon, but it's never quite worked out.  I had no idea they also did games and activities with the kids.  And we learned about a program the Roseville Parks & Rec. department is doing called "Discover Your Parks." Each event will be at a different park, in a different neighborhood.  They do about two parks a week.  Each event has themed activities, recreation fun, crafts, refreshments, a bounce castle and puppet show!  We are going... TONIGHT!

 After each puppet wagon show, the kids can line up at the back of the truck to see what it's like being a puppeteer.  Mia went in the truck, but never figured out how to work the window.  Evan and Owen proved to me today that they are not too old to enjoy the puppet wagon.

 After the show, we ate lunch and headed to the library.  Gotta have some new books in the house to keep these kids reading this summer!  Our friends, the Yeagers, joined us.

 We asked them to join us at the park this evening too and they did!

 It's hard to believe that this use to be Owen & Owen.

(Just ignore the annoying loud voice behind the camera.  Better yet, hit MUTE.)

 The Yeagers brought one of their neighbors who proved to me that when Mia is the boys' age, we can still go and enjoy the puppet wagon.

Mia & Wyatt got in the puppet wagon after the show...

this time she figured it out.

(Better find that MUTE key again.)

Evan's Week in MW & Father's Day

We went Up North this weekend, but we didn't take Evan.  He was already there.  He spent part of this past week in Manitowish Waters with Ya-ya & Bumpa.  While there, they made donuts for the first time.

 He also made a flower pot full of cookie kabobs.

 It is the time of year when the trumpeter swans and snapping turtles lay their eggs over at Powell Marsh.  We saw both in action during our brief overnight excursion.

 Jim also helped my dad put up my mom's Little Free Library before he headed over to the property for some Father's Day R & R and to be eaten alive by mosquitos and ticks.  Anyway, one of my mom's cousin's has a son who makes the wooden libraries.  I'm thinking my neighborhood would be the perfect place for one.

 While they were putting up the library, Owen tried to do some casting.  He got the line all tangled so he came down the driveway for some help.

 As long as you stood in the sunlight, the bugs weren't too bad.  But as soon as you got in the woods or stood still too long, the bugs would attack.  Ya-ya got out her bug supplies which include bug repellent bracelets and ...

 mosquito zapping rackets.

The boys headed down to the end of the driveway to keep Jim and my dad from being eaten alive.

 Afterwards, we were relaxing on the deck when all of a sudden, a dragonfly ran right into my head!  I'm not sure if he was already hurt or if he hurt himself on me, but his tail was squished in the middle and he couldn't fly anymore.  He became our pet for the day and we eventually put him in a cage with some dead mosquitoes from the bug zappers.  We were glad we did because we later saw a dragonfly bite another dragonflies head off.  Apparently (as we later read in a library book) they are cannibalistic.

We decided to try mini golfing again too.  We probably should either let this go or do it more often.  The boys have zero etiquette.  They raced through each hole, taking all their turns at once, 

and Mia tried to see how many different activities she could do with a putter.

She fished with her putter pole,

and roasted pretend marshmallows with Ya-ya by the pretend fire with her putter stick.

The trip was too short, but it was fun.  I'm glad Evan got to spend some time alone with my folks and that I got to see my dad for Father's Day.