Time to say Good-bye! :(

The end of April marked the end of my babysitting for Shane and Jody Dooyema.  They are going to be moving to Sioux Falls, SD in June.  I have been taking care of Erin since she was about 3 or 4 months old, more than three years ago. Kate was born  last January, so we've had the two of them together for about a year. To say that we will miss them is a huge understatement! They have sort of been our substitute grandchildren, since our 4 don't live nearby. And knowing that I had one or two days of babysitting each week, sort of gave some structure to my week. And I really appreciated the fact that Shane and Jody were so willing to be flexible with me, so that we could also make our visits to our own grandchildren. It was a great situation for me, and I hope that it was for them as well.

Bob has been a big part of this whole babysitting thing, although Erin made it clear that Judy is the babysitter and Bob is the player.  What that means is that he did not do diapers or bottles, etc. but whenever he was around he was usually on the floor playing with the girls. And I'm not sure about Erin, but I know that "Bob" was one of Kate's very first words---maybe right after Daddy.

Just a few pictures from their last day at our house. Kate loved to carry a baby doll around, but another favorite thing for her was to grab one of my kitchen towels.  And sometimes she would put on on her head! :)

Bob read lots of stories to the girls.

And thanks to Shane for this picture when he picked them up the last day.

We will definitely miss this family, but we wish them all the best in this new venture---new job(s), new home, new church community,  AND pre-school for Erin!

Easter in Brookfield

We were happy to have the Wissinks join us for Easter week-end.  We love having them just a bit closer than they were when they lived in Ankeny. We certainly like the 4.5-5 hour drive better than the 6+ hour drive.  Of course we usually have the advantage of choosing our time so that we can hit Chicago at a good time---Adam and Rachel aren't always able to do that. I haven't counted the number of trips made, either by them or by us, but I know that we see them more often than we did before. And we love that!

On that Saturday we went up to Sheboygan and checked out a children's museum there.  It is called "Above and Beyond" and it is very cool!  Jeremiah had a lot of fun there.

Hmm, that clown looks slightly familiar!

Making music

Manning the check-out at the grocery store.

I loved when he stopped checking my groceries,

picked up the phone, and said to me, "Excuse me,

I have to take this call."

Jeremiah and Grandpa building with magnets

The giant pin screen

Jeremiah is posing next to his "face."

Doing some serious reading in the old-fashioned school room.

Jeremiah wasn't sure that he wanted to go through this tunnel.

"I'm afraid of heights, Grandma!"

But once he did it, he loved it!

A fireman's uniform just his size!

I think this may have been his favorite area.

And Hope just enjoyed watching all the activity.

On our way home we stopped in Cedarburg, since it was almost on the way. Well, only a little bit out of the way.  We had a late lunch/early dinner at the Cream and Crepe Cafe, a favorite of the Wiers ladies. And you can't eat there without having a dessert crepe.

Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.

We also stopped at our other favorite Cedarburg spot---Amy's, for caramel apples. I didn't get any pictures, though.

While hanging around at home Jeremiah and Grandpa got in a little baseball in the front yard. 

He helped Grandpa feed the birds.

 Jeremiah found one of Auntie Abby's old 'treasures."

And he helped Grandma make a pie for Easter dinner.

Hope got to take her bath in Grandma's kitchen sink.  She loves her bath!

Easter morning we found two little bunnies in the living room.

.

I had to post both pictures to get them 

both looking at the camera. :)

Jeremiah helped Hope find her Easter basket, which 

was easier than finding his own. I somehow

didn't get a picture of J with his basket. :(

One more of the cute baby bunny

Of course we all went to church on Easter morning.  After church there were Easter "bags" from Grandma with a few more goodies.

The Brassers joined us for dinner, and Aunt JoAnne brought a whole bunch of eggs that she had filled so that Jeremiah could have an Easter Egg Hunt.  So after dinner she went outside and hid them all.  She was pretty clever with some of her hiding spots---Jeremiah had to really look hard to find them all!

Jeremiah and Aunt JoAnne

Checking out all his treasures---lots of 

candy and even some money to 

take home and put in his piggy bank!

March---California Trip

It has become pretty obvious to me that this blog is mis-titled.  I think it should be titled "Playing Catch-up"  since that seems to be the recurring theme.  I am now two months behind, so here goes with my first catch-up post--our March trip to California.

We were in Redlands from the 7th of March until the 18th.  The first week that we were there, Matt was gone on his Washington DC trip with his students.  So we were there to help out with some babysitting and getting Josie to and from school.  Josie goes to school every morning, and they live just a couple of blocks from school, so we would usually walk her to and from school. Sometimes it would be just Josie and me, and sometimes we would all go, and sometimes there would be scooters or bikes involved for the kids. It's a very enjoyable walk on sunny, warm mornings, especially when you know that it's still cold and snowy in Wisconsin.

Sunday lunch at Panera

Frozen yogurt and yummy toppings 

at Major Brain Freeze

At the park

99 cent bubbles from Walgreens--

a great investment!

Faces painted by Mommy--she's more

creative than Grandma.

Evan's decked out for July 4--a little early.

Sometimes a guy just needs a little nap. :)

Fresh sand in the sandbox--

another great investment!

The Sunday morning pancake tradition continues, and Grandpa always has help when Josie and Evan are around.

When Matt came home from his DC trip, he had a week of Spring Break.  We had planned our trip so that we could spend part of that week there so that we could have some time with the whole family. And we managed to get in a few fun outings during that time.  The first day he was back we went to a children's museum in Temecula--Mr. Pennypickle's Workshop.  It is a very unique place with a  unique name--not like any children's museum I've ever been to before.  

Evan and Josie are ready to go!

Checking out the gears

The music area

In the basket of a hot air balloon

Evan's going to make that globe go flying....

...and there it goes!!

Not sure what this chair was all

about, but Evan liked sitting in it. 

Right next to the museum there was a display of all kinds of metal art pieces---all kinds of creatures made out of metal.  The guy who was working there tried to talk me into buying one to bring home to Wisconsin.  He said it could withstand the winter weather. :)  He had to settle for getting us to pose for a picture with the octopus. 

All good outings should include ice cream,

and this one was no exception.

Another day we went to the mountains and did some hiking at Forest Falls.  It was a very warm day in Redlands, but just very pleasant at the higher altitude.  It was a great day for a hike and a picnic lunch. We definitely saw evidence of California's drought--not much water in the stream, but we could see how high the water had been at other times.

Of course he got wet!

A lovely view as I sat and waited while

the rest hiked a bit farther.

Cheryl and Josie exploring

On Tuesday Cheryl had to work, so she missed our outing to the California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside. The Visitors Center was closed that day, except for a school field trip that was there.  But we could just walk around on our own.  We saw, and smelled, lots of citrus trees in blossom. Beautiful! 

 At one of the highest points in the park--

a beautiful view from up there. 

Walking back down the hill

The kids got to ride their bikes, too.

Taking a little rest.

On our last day, we didn't leave until late in the afternoon, so we made a couple stops before going to the airport.  One stop was at Bass Pro Shop, where the kids really enjoyed the fish tank and all the animals all over. The elevator was a big hit, and so was the delicious fudge!

Checking out some ATV's

We also stopped at Victoria Gardens, a beautiful outdoor shopping mall.  The kids enjoyed a ride on a little train there. 

After lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, it was off to the airport and back to Wisconsin.  We always go home with lots of good memories, as well as pictures.:)