Dear Daddy,

Ryland:
Hey Dad- i sported my cloth diapers all day. I'm going green. Mom says she doesn't care about that... we're saving some serious cold, hard, cash.
Love you

Hey Dad, Emerson here. Just wanted to fill you in on some key moments of my day. Eating the blue cookie that's been looming in the kitchen

Yes, ... this is my smile. And yes, ... I am so happy.
oh my gosh...
Photo opp for all the boys... Mom didn't include all of them here- but there are some killer shots of me.
Me... completely dominating Jackson in our wrestling game. Kay- have fun. I'll keep you posted on our life while you're away. xoxox

Jackson's turn:

Hi Dad,
Just wanted to show you some of the stuff we've been up to today (just incase you were missing us in a bad way)

Dress up time.... I know these boots are a little fem- but they're the only pleather I can find in the house. Dad, seriously, I need some real super hero boots.
Just pickin the frosting off my cookie...

Okay-- I just found out, I have to eat the whole thing... not just the frosting, mom said.
Me and Ryland. I dont' know why his shirt says "I love puppies"-- he's never even seen one... Cheese! We love you and miss you...

Where we live....

It's going on 5 years....

This place consistently embraces me:

Red Onion's gourmet french toast and Monument Square with live music over lunch breaks; public fountains where kids fill their bathing suits with water; white sand on a windy beach. Sailboat population higher than mo-ped owners and harborside restraunts where the annual boating vacationers dock to eat.
People break out of the woodworks during the summer to attend pancake parties and firework displays and downtown festivals.
We live here. Yes, ... we do.
For more information on things going on this summer in Racine, check out:
http://racine.wi.net/events.php3

"Your Better than Drums"

Jackson loves rocking out to Skillets Comatose CD-

He thinks the song "Better than Drugs" is really "Better than Drums"

For a real appreciation for what Jackson is doing- check out:

http://www.skillet.com/

3 stooges

I know it's fairly ridiculous to have this be the first post of a pic with all 3 kids in it-- but truth be told, in 2 months, these are the first pics I've taken.



Jackson: *flubbers* over this new baby. He thinks he's the coolest thing since the discovery of earthworms

Emerson: still pretty unsure of his own ability to hold Ryland- so instead reverts into his own world of dress up... a couple pics of Racine's affect on a white boy. holla.

Ryland: Bliss-ville

Ode to Brian

Brian has an innate ability to smack into one of his 4 different personalities every time a camera is pointed in his direction. These are a couple of my favs that we've taken over the years....

Just thought you should know...

I love who I married. I love this man. He dances like a drunken fool in the privacy of our kitchen. He is a sponge to all things creative and beautiful. He is aware of his weaknesses and listens to his conscience. He's the guy that takes the cart back to the designated area and pays all his taxes, and plugs the parking meters. He puts stuff back at the grocery store if he goes over budget. He can take a lot of nothing and turn it into a haven. He will research paint colors for 2 months before choosing the asparagus green over the apple green for the bathroom. He loves "deglazing the pan" when he cooks and keeping extra cleaners on hand just incase he has time to detail our cars over the weekend.

He fills his free time with productivity; like mowing lawns and fixing drains and building arbors and drylocking our old basement. He wants a motorcycle from the mid-seventies and he is faithful to the Nebraska Husker football team. He compliments me on every meal I make infront of our kids and then tells me later the truth about it. :)

He loves the cold and crisp weather and wants to master the fly-fisher rod. After nearly 6 years of marriage I am truthfully claiming to like him more now than ever.

He's not perfect, ... but he's humble... which means he's on his way to perfection. And... he can throw me into fits of laughter that put my Billy Blanks workout to shame.

Ryland Smiles

Hair

Ryland - as many know was born with a noggin-full of hair... and this picture shows the progression of such a fine feature; it's uncontrollable, (even after douced with tablespoons of oil) and wild.

"I've got Worms"...Llyod Christmas, Dumb and Dumber

I can't even try to monologue emerson's thoughts on his new friend. It's been so long (if ever) that I've loved something so ... wormy. Emerson, however, literally loved this thing to death.

After petting the life out of him, he soon informed me that he thought the worm was "tired" as he realized that he had stopped moving. Here are some photos of this worms last precious moments on this earth.

Mudbath

It was all Brians idea....

Arbor Updates

A quick update on our Patio Project :

Brian has done a fabulous and detailed job with each step we take toward our outdoor haven. It's getting there. Brian hand-crafted our chunky table from leftover scrap wood (a table like this would have otherwise cost in the high- hundreds and thousand).

Great job, Brian. xoxox

Closeups

I can't think of any thing clever to say- so... thankfully, these pictures speak for themselves.