SOLD

My parents sold there house! I know it was a huge blessing to them with some bitter-sweet feelings. We moved into that house in March of 2001 and I lived there until 2009 when I got married. For some people, eight years probably doesn't sound very long, but it was the longest I had lived anywhere and it finally felt like home.

My Dad hired 3 guys to help load the piano, heavy furniture, and tools. At one point I looked out the front door and saw my Dad and the three workers bent over the dollie. I sent this photo along with this text message to him:
Q: How many people does it take to air up tires on a dollie?
A: 3 Mexicans and 1 Polack 

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I wonder what he's thinking.

So excited to be in such a big truck!

Class of 2012

Probably my favorite part of our Waukesha mini-vacation was getting to take Julie's senior pictures. With fall colors in full bloom, there were so many beautiful places to choose from. We started in the living room.

I absolutely love all the windows that are in the front & sun room of my parents home. They make for great pictures & a warm, sunny room to drink my coffee :)

LOVED this white fence that goes around the yard.

Couldn't decide which one of these I like best. What do you think?

We took the rest of these photos around the Fox River in Waukesha. It was beautiful there.

Waukesha, WI

The last week of October James flew out to Connecticut for a few days to attend marketing training seminars for work. Jacob and I decided (well, I was the one to make the decision :) that would be a great time to visit my parents and two younger sisters in Waukesha.

So Jacob went on his first plane! We flew out of St. Louis and changed planes in Kansas City, MO, then landed in Waukesha. I think Jacob did pretty well for a toddler. His ears bothered him a little bit, but by the time we landed in Waukesha he was sound asleep and didn't wake up until we were off the plane and I put him in his stroller.

Julie is a waitress at the most delicious Chinese restraunt. (I know because we ate there Saturday night :)

Jacob saying "Bye!" to Julie before she goes to work. 

One day Mom, Jacob, & I drove about an hour to Roscoe, IL to visit my Grandpa Button-Box. His last name is actually Major. But I've called him Grandpa Button-Box my whole life; so to say "Major" sounds silly to me. When my older sister was real little, my Grandma always had a box full of assorted buttons that she played with & that's where the name came from and we've used it ever since!

Grandpa Button-Box will be 91 in March! He took us to Ray's. It's one of his favorite restaurants. Everyone knew him there and he didn't even need a menu to order :) I got the rueben sandwich and it was delicious!

This is my dad. It is rare to capture a smiling picture of him WITH his eyes open.

I GOT ONE!

Grandma (my mom) got Jacob new Elmo pi's, complete with an Elmo doll while we were there. I can't put into words the excitement that Jacob express when he saw them!

Jacob, Julie, Me

Definitely loved this trip :)

 

Fall is for photos :)

We have had pictures taken of the three of us, but not actual planned out family photos where we all look (somewhat) decent, or color coordinated. And since Jacob is almost 17 months, I figured we better do it before he goes off to college. 

One Saturday afternoon we went to Woodland Park, Jacob's favorite place to play and feed the ducks. It was was warmer than usual & Jacob was getting over a cold. So between a few meltdowns, Lisa was able to take our camera and capture some great shots :)

Goin' on a trip!

    We took Jacob on his first vacation! We went camping at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana for 4 days the first weekend in August. My parents and three sisters were there, too. I was a little worried about the weather, but it turned out to be perfect! Sunny & in the 80's everyday, while cool at night!
    Even though I grew up camping, doing it with a 1yr old was quite different. It wasn't bad, though. The sun just woke up a little earlier since we slept in a tent and he had some trouble falling asleep in strange sleeping quarters; but once he fell asleep, he slept well.
    I think the biggest excitement for Jacob was simply being outside all the time. He's definately an outdoorsy type. There were also several people at the campground that brought their dogs. And Jacob loves  dogs! Every time he would see one his pacifier would drop out of his mouth and he would take off, walking as fast as his little legs would carry him, pointing and saying, "Oooohhh! Ooooohhh!" I was glad all the dogs we met were friendly enough for him to pet them and poke them in the face.
   Since it was our first experience camping with a toddler, we kind of forgot to get our camera out very often. So I'll be adding more pictures as they get emailed to me from my family :)

My little adventurer :)

Trying to open the bubbles Grandma Cichon brought for him!

Jacob had no problem adjusting to the dusty camping style...

There was no way to keep this little guy clean! I kind of enjoyed the break though, it was tons of fun.

Napping on our air mattress. At night, Jacob slept on the sleeping bag between our air mattress & the wall. That way, if he did wake up, he couldn't sneak out!

Trying on hats in the the lodge store. 

LOVE this one ;)

Nature Center at Turkey Run

This little tunnel was just his size! In the window behind him, there was a snake he kept peeking in at. 

Eeek! Don't get any ideas, Jacob. I hate snakes!

Father & Son time before bed. Reading one of Jacobs favorite books; Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

Sharon, Dad, & Julie

About to start their hike! On the other side of that cement wall there are stairs going up to a suspension bridge crossing a river. Once you cross it, there are miles and miles of beautiful trails to choose from!

For dinner one night, we ate at the lodge. It was nice to be served & not have to do dishes. And even though the food was delicious, I still think my dad is the best chef ever!

Hanging out after dinner.

This night was the first time I had ever seen Jacob run. I have seen him try to run, but it's always been just a fast walk. But tonight, it was crazy watching him... There was a bounce in his steps and he was running super fast all over the room!

Dad & me :)

Dad & Mom

This little guy was about ready to crash. I think these were the most active days he'd had in a row. He LOVED it!

There are few things in life better than a shoulder/back rub from my Dad. 

Eating lunch! 

The Grandparents took Jacob for an afternoon while James & I went out on some trails. 

We're in the middle of the suspension bridge! 

Mixed feelings about not coming across any bears. But kinda glad we didn't after all the attacks we've been hearing about! (not in this area though)

These were some intense strength training & cardio trails! This was the top of 3 ladders we had to climb at this part of the trail. Other parts had flight after flight of stairs while some were just a steep incline/decline.

Certain trails brought us into the valley; there was a nice cool breeze down there. 

There were also a lot of streams of cold spring water, making its way to the river.

So. Beautiful.

More to come!