First Friday

Every first Friday of the month Racine has a party downtown. Paul and I had never been to it before (they just started it a few years ago), so we went for date night. It was pretty fun. When we got there we ran into 4 of 5 of my sisters and a few nieces and nephews. So fun. Of course we had a mini photo shoot. Left to right is Jolie (#6), Becky (#2), Heather (#3), Robin (#1), and me (#5)... We missed you Holly!

Everything was fine and silly until Jolie exposed Heather!! No we didn't get that on film, thankfully, but we got the just before and right after. Everyone in the crowd saw lots more of Heather than she had planned... :)

Paul was busy running races with the kiddos. They had a blast and I am sure slept really well that night.

last day!

Today is the last day Paul has to ride my mom's awesome light blue-green, covered in flowers, baskets on the back bike to go study!!! Tomorrow he will take the USMLE step 1 licensing exam!! It is a loooooong test, but he is ready for it. Send him happy thoughts and prayers! :) We can hardly wait to have more time with him! Hooray!

dance recital

My sister Heather owns a dance studio here and the weekend before last was the end of year recital. It was SO much fun. My sister Jolie is one of the choreographers, and my nieces Kyra, Chloe, and Alexandra were each in a dance class this year. My nephew Hunter also had a guest appearance in a dance. I wasn't sure how the boys would do sitting for so long, but they LOVED it. Especially Matix. He was just mesmerized. Very cute. Hawken danced in front of the seats to the songs most of the time.

Here is Alexandra, she is on the far right, stealing the show.

I didn't get a very good one from Chloe's dance, but she is on the far left.

Kyra was in a super fun hip hop dance and was the best one from her group (third from the left).

Hunter, with his scary make-up from his appearance in a Nightmare Before Christmas dance.

After it was over, we all went up on the stage and got to play with some of the props. So much fun! It was a family affair for us and we got to see 4 out of my 5 sisters, their kids, grandmas and grandpas, cousins everywhere. :) We all had a blast. (Matix with Alexandra in a TV)

Father's Day

Paul is an amazing dad. I don't really know how to explain in words how wonderful I feel watching him with our boys. He loves them more than anything. He is encouraging, fun, playful, gentle, loving, understanding, helpful, rambunctious and silly. The boys just light up when they see him home from studying, and Sundays, our days filled with daddy time, are everyone's favorite. :) He makes it a point to put his boys first. He is so committed and we feel so lucky.

From Matix to Paul:

J: Do you love daddy?

M: Yeah!

J: How much?

M: BIG!

J: What do you do with daddy?

M: Wessle and pay tains! (wrestle and play with trains) Daddy is too fun! Daddy have big muscles!"

Paul, Matix is your biggest fan. No one is as fun, or silly or as great as you are in his eyes. He soaks up every second he has with you and tries to be just like you. You are always there for him and have such patience.

From Hawken to Paul:

J: (pointing at a family picture) Who do you see?

H: Daddy!!

J: Who else?

H: Ummm... Daddy!

J: Do you see Matix?

H: Where Daddy? School?

J: Yes, daddy is at school. (I say for the millionth time that day)

H: I want daddy!!! I pay daddy? (I play with daddy)

Paul, Hawken loves you so much. He talks about you all day long, everyday. When you leave the room he asks where you are, his eyes get even bigger when you walk back in. You help him to learn how to do new things, which he just eats up.

Happy Father's Day to Paul, and of course my dad, Paul's dad, my step-dad, our grandfathers, and all the other daddies out there that make time for their kids and love them like they should. We love you!

Fathers Day ... made possible by mothers :)

I really am only the father I am because of our boys' mother. Jessie makes it amazingly easy to be a dad. She has this way of easily showing endless amounts of love to our kids. I watch as she will envelope them in an embrace, that I can see in their eyes and hers, all the emotions of love that our language cannot express in words. I see this and am encouraged that if I can show a small bit of that love then I would be doing alright as a dad. :) So today I thank Jessie for making me a father, teaching me how to love more than I ever thought I could, and always encouraging me with her words of kindness. I love you Jess and those Dewds and Bros. :)

weird weather

The days here in Wisconsin (weather wise), have been weird. It was hard to pack when we were leaving our newest forever summer home in Miami, knowing we were coming into a place that was still in winter... The boys didn't even have any closed toed shoes, they only wear flip flops or crocs, so we had to get some from a friend before we left. We have had a few really nice, almost warm days, but mostly we have been wearing pants and sweaters with everything. Boo.

So tomorrow... we are going to the DELLS!!! Hooray! Paul, again, will be studying (sorry hubby), but the kids and I, along with my sister Jolie and her 2 kiddos and my mom, will be going to the "Wilderness Territory". It is a resort with huge indoor and outdoor water parks. There is even a big area for toddler and preschool aged kiddos. We are so excited to go!! We have been missing our days at the beach, like in these pictures. These were taken a few days before we left Miami. Paul had taken a break and we spent all day there. It was so much fun.

I love the cityscape background. It still feels like there should be jungle there!

Matix waded out up to his neck and was LOVING it. :)

waiting

We are all having a great time in Wisconsin, well, Paul only gets to participate in a few of the things we are doing... :( Poor Paul is still waiting to get his token to take the USMLE step 1. He wants to keep up his study schedule until he takes the test so he doesn't lose anything. That means he is awake at 5am to study, takes a break only for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and studies until 8pm (breaks too on Monday and Friday night and all day Sunday). He is MORE than ready to take this test. He has been ready for a while now, and I think he is getting bored of the same old thing, and wants to join in all the family fun here. So, think happy thoughts for him, and pray for his token to come in so he can finally get it done. Thank goodness he has such strong determination and work ethic, and of course his sense of humor. :)

These pictures are from the drive up here. Paul was entertaining himself, I found them when I downloaded them from the camera. Silly Paul. I love him so much!

exploring

Hawken is loving all the exploring he can do here. Dandelions are blooming into the little white puff balls, perfect for blowing, and in Hawken's case, tasting. Too much fun.

Hunter

When we get in the car, the boys ask where we are going and who we will be seeing. I have a big family and they all live here in Wisconsin, mostly all in the same town, so there are lots of people to see. If it is Hunter we will see, Matix gets a BIG grin.

He loves Hunter and wants to play with him everyday. He especially loves to wrestle and chase around with him. It is so cute. Here they are walking to visit baby Ridge. Adorable. Seriously, we are going to be so sad when we have to leave.

trains

These boys are obsessed with trains. Thank goodness so many of their cousins have their own sets. It seems everywhere we go now, there is a new set of trains.

We went to my sister Robin's house tonight and even she had a train set back from when her (now teenage) children were toddlers. Pictures from tonight to come. It was very fun.

radio flyer bike

This boy needs a bike. :) Matix has a cute little plastic bike in Miami, but he has recently discovered this red radio flyer bike at grandma's house.

He rides it every chance he gets. He even got daddy to put it in the car to bring with us over to grandpa's house today. He loves it. I think maybe both boys will get one for Christmas.

Hawken is 1 and 1/2!!!

Hawken, is a year and a half old... 18 months... What?! Some days he still feels like a baby, and others it feels as if he is much older. We are SO impressed with all the things this little show-off can do.

• He is the tiniest little thing, but muscular and can run almost as fast as Matix can.
• He makes this ridiculous cheesy smile all the time. Love it.
• He can jump. On and off of things, down steps, you name it.
• He has amazing balance to the point that even Paul gets nervous watching him.
• He is happy most of the time, and is easy to calm when he gets upset.
• He loves his blankie and paci for nap and bed time, but will always try to sneak them out of his bed during the day too.
• He is very obedient, but only when he knows you mean it, otherwise he treats all parental orders as suggestions and giggles as he runs away, hoping you chase him.
• He is smart and can say way more words than we can count now. He is using some 3 and 4 word sentences now too, but his articulation is difficult to guess sometimes. "I love you mommy" "I show you" and "skoose me tease" (excuse me please) are some of my favorites.
• He loves his brother and doesn't like doing anything without Matix.
• He is a routine boy and rarely lets us get away with anything less.
• He loves to play outside, and would rather be nakey than clothed all day long (in nice weather).
• He hates being cold. Getting out of the tub, or pool, or even a cold Wisconsin summer morning are NOT his favorites.
• His favorite toys are cars, balls, and books.
• He eats EVERYTHING. No joke, he has 4 bowls (kid-sized bowls) of cereal for breakfast.
• He has BIG blue eyes and fluffy baby soft blonde hair. Everyone who sees him says how cute he is, it's not just me, I swear! :)
• He is a water boy and loves the ocean, pool, and bath. He has never been fearful of it.
• His favorite color is green. He prefers a green bib when he eats, green cars when he plays, etc. So funny.
• He is a mama's boy, and I love that. He often snuggles and kisses me just because.
• He asks "where daddy?" a million times a day and runs to Paul with open arms the minute he sees him.
• He is always moving. Dancing, running, jumping, spinning, clapping, laughing, loving life.

Hawken is such a sweet boy. We love him so much and can hardly imagine what else he will learn in the next 6 months. Happy 1 and 1/2 big boy!

Alexandra

This is Matix's new best friend. Alexandra. She is my little sister Jolie's youngest. Alexandra is exactly 1 year older than Matix, and bossy and stubborn just like he is. They are so good for each other. :) They love to play together and Jolie and I love to watch them become friends.

I don't have any pictures to share of Matix's little love affair with Jolie, but I am sure I will get some soon. He is just in LOVE with her. He has cried when she left the house and will even try to hold her leg to keep her from leaving. I am so happy both boys are enjoying being around family as much (if not more) than Paul and I are. They are going to be super bored when this summer is over. :)

Picture preview

Okay, we still exist! :) We are having a great time in Wisconsin with my family. There have been many memorable moments and although I am out of time to post every story along with the pictures, I will post a few pics as a sneak peek. :) Wrestling Hunter, new baby Ridge, game night, first Friday, riding bikes, holding baby chicks, Sunday walks with daddy, and a few more. We are having a great time. The boys spend most of their day asking to play with their cousins, Paul is back to his study routine, and I am loving seeing my family (it had been over 2 years since we have visited). Enjoy the pics!

We're HERE!!!

We made it to Wisconsin. Too much fun to post any of the pics, but we are here. The boys did great again and are now sleeping happily in the next room. I am off to visit my little sister, while Paul gets a good night sleep before he is back to the studying life of a med student. :) I will post pics soon!