The return trip

After leaving Wisconsin we took the opportunity to visit the northern Halls and Cathie let us stay with her. Their new puppy, Zoe, is the sweetest creature. Right when we got there, I laid Lenora down to change her diaper and Zoe just crawled right onto her tummy and laid down, like "this is a warm squishy place for a teeny puppy to nap."

Cathie and Zoe.
Ashlee and Lenora are besties.

Len was feeling the cranky when Chris and Amy were able to drop by. She tried to be social, but was more of an angry pirate the whole time.

Ernie's belated birthday present, a book of Thomas the Train poems!

Ernie, Zoe, and Snuggle Puppy.

Giving goodbye hugs.

Enjoying some reading material from Cousin Ashlee on the ride home.

We were so good in the car, we got a tow truck!

And we plaid a Big Trucks to Spot card game on the road.

We got home happy and tired, and all in agreement that our vacation was well worth the travel time!

Wisconsin vacation

We had a great vacation in Warrens, Wisconsin with several families we met while pregnant with Ernie. There were six families, making 11 adults, 1 four-year-old, 5 three-year-olds, 1 ten-month-old, and one eight-month-old. We shared two large cabins near a Jellystone camping resort. We had so much fun, we're still tired from it all!

Baby Zeke wants to eat Lenora.
Playing water basketball at the water park.

Zeke and Lenora share a bath!!!

We brought Ernie's teepee tent and Jeremy read The Big Toe and Mi Ti Doughty Walker to the kids in it.

One of the cabin yards.

Boys playing with tractors, Emmett, Eli, and Ernie.

Andrew taught the kids how to hopscotch, because he's four, and four year olds teach new tricks.

Jess got each of the kids a special night time toy for our evening where we let them stay up late. Ernie is mesmorized.

When roasting a marshmallow, don't get too close to the fire.

Mmmm, mallow.

Ever since this night Ernie keeps asking us "Do you know what a s'more is?" and when we ask him what is in a s'more, he screams, "CHOCOLATE!"

Every vacation has to have some minor scrapes. Dave is consoling Eli in the foreground on a minor injury, and in the deep background SeSe is counsiling Teddy that he can rejoin the group after a bonk.

We had a great time!

First swim!

The Halls hosted us during Memorial Weekend for Len's first swim ever and Ern's first of the season!

Decoration Day

We had beautiful weather this year for Memorial Day, and the peonies were in full bloom for distribution.

Farm fun

Our church had the RGL (Religious Growth and Learning) picnic at member Leeza's farm just west of town. The kids both had a blast.

Len showing off her cute outfit before we left.
Bouncy house! This is where Ernie later spewed his mostly-eaten hot dog bite when his friend Lewis was just sooooo funny pulling down the roof of the bouncy house.

Friendly farm kitty!

And Ernie telling Leeza that this pony, Dolly, is actually a very nice cart horse, and that he, Ernie, is actually Farmer Dray.

The return of Jennifer!

Our dear friend Jennifer, who was our regular Monday evening guest for many many months, returned from California recently and gave us a whole day of fun. She and Cy brought seashells for Ernie and a GORGEOUS tea set for Lenora. And they graced the whole neighborhood with a performance of their hand-balancing act! These folks are in Cirque du soliel, folks. That's right, you want MY autograph for knowing them, don't you?

Buttz

Reading time + naked time = good times.

Len's first word!

It's so hard to count the "first" with stuff like this. She's beeing good at getting the right hard consenant for each family member when we enter a room, like "Dadadada!" for Jeremy (or "Diediediedie" as well) and "Bababababa!" for Ernie (Brother) and "Mamamamama!" for me. On Mother's Day my mom was holding her when she was plain worn out and she gave me an angry "get me!" look and shouted "MAH!" But I know beyond a doubt that earlier this week she said her first real word.

We were staying with Aunt Cathie in Minneapolis after the IRL and she had just woken up and was sitting on my lap playing with my shirt. Jeremy walked in to grab Ernie's clothes for the day, and she gave him a huge smile. He smiled back and said "Morning, Sweetheart!" or something like that. Then he left to dress Ern and she pointed her finger toward the door, looked me right in the eye, and said "D-ah-D." She hadn't been chattering or talking at all before of after, it was all about identifying a word with her favorite person.

Of course I melted into a puddle, but not before confirming to her that, yes, that was her Dad. I wish Jeremy could have heard it, but then, of course, it wouldn't have been the same.