Voting

I was reading a friend's Blog last night and it inspired me to write this post (thanks Colleen).  A week ago Tyson said something to me almost in passing and it took me by surprise and made my heart swell with pride.  Our life lately has been one of chaos and I haven't had the time to tell him how much his comment meant to me.

As you know, last Tuesday was election day.  Tyson confessed to me that this was his first time voting.  He had an off-site meeting and cast his ballot during a break.  He came home to spend the rest of his break with the kids and I.  We talked about how each of us voted and then as Ty was walking up the stairs to go check his email he said  "you inspired me to vote."  It really took me off guard, I never thought that something I could say or do would inspire someone.  It really meant the world to me that he shared that with me.  It has changed the way I see myself.

Thank you sweetheart!

This election really brought out my passion for voting.  I don't care who you vote for, just go out and vote.  It honestly bothers me when people say they aren't going to vote because they don't like either candidate.  There is a line on the ballot that says "WRITE IN", you do have the choice to write in whom you want to vote for.  They may not win, but that's the  point of Democracy.  I took Alex and Logan with me to vote last week, firstly because I had to, but secondly so they know the importance of taking advantage of the wonderful right we have in this country to choose our laws and leaders.  As a woman, I find it hard to be apathetic about voting since 100 years ago, women didn't have the right to vote.  There were women who were willing to risk everything to fight for the right to vote.  Every woman owes them a huge debt of gratitude for their sacrifices.

I voted for Barack Obama.  He is the first presidential candidate that I have ever listened to that I truly believed he will do what he says.  I stayed up late to see if he had won, and I cried when they announced it.  The next day Oprah had a show about the election and there was a quote that I love.  U.S. Rep. John Lewis said "I felt that Barack Obama had been tracked down by the spirit of history and was aligning himself to be used for the common good."  For the first time in a long time, I have hope and I am excited to see what he will do for this country as President.  I hope that others will see what he has accomplished and be inspired to work hard and achieve their dreams.

I know that some people who will read this voted differently and don't share my enthusiasm about our new President elect.  I ask that you keep your negative comments to yourself.  I respect the fact you disagree with me and I would never say anything negative about you because of that fact.  Please show me that same respect.  

Halloween

This was the first year I took Alex trick-or-treating. Since Ty was out of town I went with a friend that lives down the road from us. Alex had a great time getting candy and Logan had fun riding in the stroller and watching the geese fly overhead. It was a beautiful night for walking around the neighborhood, a lot of our neighbors brought their fire pits out on their driveways and sat there handing out candy. Alex was a Notre Dame cheerleader and Logan ended up just wearing a festive shirt. You will see why in the pictures below.

I think she looks really good, maybe she'll be a cheerleader for them in 2023.

As much as Logan loves dogs, he didn't want to be one for Halloween.

So he wore a bat shirt instead.

There's a new Snaggletooth in town

For those of you who don't know, my nickname as a baby was Snaggletooth. This is because my first tooth was one of my top front teeth and it was the only one for awhile.

Well yesterday Logan had an accident. He is really starting to walk now and unfortunately missed the chair with his hands and got it with his mouth. He knocked out one of his front teeth...root and all. So I called the pediatrician on call and talked to a nurse at a dentist's office and basically he won't have a front tooth until he gets his adult teeth. We have to watch the other front tooth and make sure it doesn't change color and also watch for infection and swelling. He is doing just fine and is eating and playing and walking. Here is a picture of his new smile and the marks in the chair where his teeth hit...yes, that's how hard he hit the chair.

An Unexpected Harvest and More...

It's been a long time since we have posted to our blog.  So there are several different pictures of life events starting with the most recent.  Let me explain the title a little...we didn't see any blossoms on our trees this spring, nor any honeybees.  But low and behold in July we saw apples and pears on two of our trees.  We recently harvested our fruit, Logan loves the apples and we have yet to try the pears, they are still a little green.  But we thought we should pick them since it's been getting rather cold at night (much to the kitties dismay).  The cats have had a good hunting season as well.  They became outdoor cats when we moved here and have since killed 3 birds, 2 ground squirrels and 6 small moles.  We were surprised since they have been indoor cats since the fall of 2003.

This is a picture of the largest pear from our tree compared to what I think is a normal sized pear:

These next few pictures are some weather related pictures we have taken.  The first one is of a storm that came through in July.  It was so odd to see the bands in the clouds.  The storm proceeded to dump lots of rain and lightning and thunder on us.  The next is of the fog that started to rise off the fields this fall, it was pretty cool.  The "thing" you see in the backgound is a lovely water tower they were building in our view.  It's now finished and stands there in it's bright blue glory (growls under her breath).

We recently buzzed Logan's hair and he looks so cute...  Some additional summer pics are included as well...

Look at that Farmer's Tan!!!!

St. Louis Rams Training Camp

On Saturday we were trying to figure out what to do for the day.  I remembered that Ty had mentioned that the Rams had their training camp in Wisconsin.  So I ran upstairs and checked online.  Sure enough they had a scrimmage planned for Saturday.  So we hopped in the car and drove up to Concordia University where the Rams were holding training camp.  They had started earlier than what was posted online, so we didn't get to see a lot of the scrimmage, but we got to see enough.  Ty had a great time and took some really good pictures.  

Alex Turns 3!!!!

Our little girl turned three last week.  We did a small family party.  She told me she wanted princess cupcakes so I made chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting and princess candies on top.  She got lots of fun gifts from family and friends.  We gave her a basketball hoop, she loves to play basketball with Tyson.  She also got some princess body wash, a Dora dress up doll, a My Little Pony, clothes, books, Backyardigans DVD, Princess shoes and a Cinderella Barbie.

Fishing Trip with the Kids

Today was our first voyage out in the boat with the kids.  We had purchased life vests for them some time ago, and have been waiting on the right day to get them on the water.  Our trip this morning was to Pierce Lake, which is just down the road from us in a state park.  We lasted about an hour before the kids had seen enough of the boat and were ready for land again.  All-in-all, it was a pretty positive experience.  Neither of them knew what to think of the water.  We didn't catch any fish - to the chagrin of Alex who was very interested in the concept of getting a fish.  I don't know how she would have reacted if we would have actually boated a fish.

On a down note, we did see something horrible that you don't see everyday as a part of this trip.  As we were pulling the boat out of the water, a couple and their bulldog were putting a boat in.  Erin and the kids were talking to the woman, and I told her what a pretty pup she had.  As we were concentrating of loading the boat, we heard a commotion on the other side of the dock.  The dog had jumped into the water and, without anyone noticing, had gotten stuck under the boat (I think his leash had gotten caught - who lets a dog with a leash on in the water?).  When they realized that the dog was gone, they fished him out and started trying to recessitate him.  They pumped at his chest for ten minutes before they stopped - it was really a tragic event.  That dog died right next to us.

Henry Vilas Zoo

Since Tyson is out of town, I took the kids to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, WI.  It's a small, free zoo.  Alex loved looking at the animals.  Logan thought some of them were okay, others he didn't like so well, like the goats.  Alex wouldn't feed the goats, so I did.  Logan thought they were going to escape and eat him.  All in all it was a nice zoo, small enough that you don't get lost or feel overwhelmed by trying to see everything.

The male lion, we could hear him roaring when we walked in the zoo.  He's beautiful.

Logan and the man eating goats.

The First Golf Lesson

Yesterday was beautiful, so we all went outside.  Alex loves to play with Ty's golf clubs and he was showing her how to hit the ball with one of my clubs.  I think we have a little golfer on our hands...

Happy Birthday to Logan!!

Today is Logan's first birthday.  We had a simple party at home with some cake and a couple of presents.  He loved eating the cake and making a mess.

My Birthday

My birthday was yesterday and it was a really good one.  Logan gave me a present early and slept through the night, so I woke up refreshed on my birthday.  Ty made me breakfast and we went and did a little shopping.  We relaxed and watched the Masters during the day.  For dinner I had my favorite Spicy Peanut Chicken and Ty made Creme Brulee.

After the kids went to bed we played Scrabble.  Notice the word "quite", that was my word and it scored me 68 points!  At that point Ty gave up and let me win. 

Additions to Logan's Room

We finally got the rug and heads for Logan's room.  It looks really cute.

The Haircut Part 2: Logan's Turn

Logan's hair has been getting pretty shaggy, so I decided to cut his hair.  I got him standing up against the bathtup and let him look at the toys in the tub to keep him occupied while I cut it.  He looks a little like Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber, but oh well.  Here are before and after pictures.

Playing outside

Today was a beautiful day here, so we all went outside to play.  Alex was excited to play on her playset and with the kids around the neighborhood.  One of the good things about living in a small town is that all the kids run from house to house playing and no one worries that they are safe.  Of course they are all older kids that do this.  I don't let Alex out of my sight!  Alex had fun chasing the cats around the yard and the cats enjoyed the sunshine.