May happenings

I thought I'd start my May post with a picture of one of my favorite things about May---lilacs! I didn't realize when we bought this house that there were lilac bushes, because we were here in June, after they had finished blooming. So the lilacs were a very nice surprise for our first spring in Wisconsin. There were two bushes here, and we just added a new white lilac bush last year.  It only gave us one pretty flower this year---hoping for more next year.

The first Saturday in May we went down to Chicago to help Abby and Neil move to a new apartment. We had also just purchased new furniture for the living room, and Ben had asked if he could have our old love seat. So we also delivered that to him on this trip.

Yes, you can get a love seat into the back

of a Ford Escape. Tight fit, though!

Abby and Neil moved to a new neighborhood, Logan Square, near where Abby lived her first year in Chicago. Their new apartment is much larger, and it is on a very nice street, within walking distance of a lot of stores and restaurants, etc. Here are just a couple of pictures of the new place, before all the boxes, etc. arrived.

This is about half of their very large living room.

After moving everything and unpacking a lot of boxes, we walked to a really neat restaurant for pizza.  When I saw this beverage on the menu, I had to have it:

A root beer with a fancy name. :)

The next Monday our new furniture arrived!  This is not a great picture--a bit dark, but you can get the idea. The couch and recliner look like leather, but they are not leather---micro-fiber fabric I think they called it. I see that the other chair just really looks like a dark blob.  You'll just have to come and see it, I guess. 

A bit of a change from the old plaid stuff

Speaking of the old plaid stuff, we still had the old couch to get rid of.  Since we couldn't find another home for it (even Goodwill and Salvation Army didn't want it), we had to just put it out with the trash.

Kinda sad to see it being hauled away

The second week-end of May, the Wissinks came to Wisconsin. They got here just in time for Panera with the Brassers.

 Hope and Aunt JoAnne

Jeremiah and Uncle Lew were playing a little

game, shooting something across the table.

 Rachel and I both think that this looks like Abby 

holding Hope. It's not--it's Rachel.

 The main reason for their visit was the "thirty-one" party that I hosted for Rachel on Saturday. I don't have any pictures of that, and it was a pretty small party, attendance-wise. Only one person came who wasn't a family member.  Abby drove up from Chicago for the party (or really to see Hope and Jeremiah) and JoAnne also came.  Rachel actually got several orders from people who weren't able to be at the party, so it really was a pretty successful party and I got lots of nice hostess specials. :) 

Jeremiah talked Auntie Abby into a little 

baseball after the party. 

We celebrated Mother's Day a day early with a great dinner at PF Chang's before Abby left for home.  And I was pretty spoiled for Mother's day.  Flowers delivered from Matt and Cheryl, a pretty hanging flower pot for outside from the Wissinks, a beautiful hydrangea from Abby and Neil, and a gift certificate for some yummy snacks from Ben. 

We hit Panera one more time, on Sunday for lunch.  We figured that it would be less busy than most other restaurants on Mother's Day, and I think we were right. 

 Happy Mother's Day to Rachel!

And Happy Grandma's Day to me!

We went to Michigan about 10 days later for Jeremiah's pre-school graduation. It was so much fun to be there for that, and to see him with his class.  They walked into the church waving streamers (Jeremiah was the most enthusiastic waver, I think!) and they sang some of his favorite songs.  He is great with all the songs and the motions, too.

On to Kindergarten!! 

(not sure his Mommy is ready for that!)

And a few pictures of Hope to show her accomplishments:

Look how well she is sitting up!

She's moving, too!

Got herself stuck!

"Maybe if I'm patient, someone will rescue me."

Bath time!

So....May brings lilacs (and other spring flowers), Mother's Day, and also my birthday.  This year was the big 7-0 for me!  Actually 70 doesn't feel much different from 69, though, so I can't complain.  For my birthday my kids gave me sort of a "plant of the month" deal---a different plant to be delivered every month for the next 6 months.  The first one arrived today--a miniature potted rose plant. It has three yellow roses blooming, with lots and lots of buds promising more.

Let the record show---it is only June 3, and I am caught up on my blog posts......for now.  Our family vacation is next week, so stay tuned for pictures from our time at the lake.

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!