Mommy-daughter date!

I was lucky enough to get 2 tickets to go to a fundraiser at the Rozsa Center here. April Verch was performing with her band. She is a fiddler AND a stepdancer. The Copper Country Suzuki Association had been given 12 tickets and I was able to snap up two--one for me and one for Eva. Jared and I have been trying harder to have mommy/daughter or daddy/daughter dates to spend time with the kids one on one. So this was perfect! PLUS they had a champagne brunch (I'm sure the champagne was good but I'll never know), and quite a spread: omelets, roasted vegetables, prime rib, seafood, fruit, cheese/crackers, and some to-die-for desserts. The band was great, as well! I have really gained an appreciation for how difficult it is play the violin, not to mention, oh...playing the violin WHILE stepdancing! I can't imagine! But what great exercise! I think Eva really enjoyed it, plus one of her friends (Katie) was there, too, with her dad. Bonus! To be continued with the next mommy/daughter date.....






Eva with her friend Katie




April Verch band

Traditions....

So we are coming up on Thanksgiving pretty quickly here! And with that comes our annual Thanksgiving trip to Green Bay to have the Turkey dinner with my sister Linda and her family. We've been doing that since the first year that Jared and I were married. My mom and aunties Ruth and Carmen usually come, and sometimes some other sisters (Jeanne, or Annie). This year, though, Jeanne can't come (BOO!), but I think Annie and Helen (BONUS!) will be coming. So we will head down on Wed around lunchtime with a whole sackful of food to last us for the 4 hour trip and arrive around dinnertime (except, of course, we won't be hungry because we've been eating the whole way). I think my sister Linda likes the arrangement because Jared does nearly all the cooking (I make the token cheesy potatoes, some rolls, and maybe a jell-o salad, but that hardly compared to what he does--the turkey, the stuffing (from scratch!--not the Stove Top stuff. My aunt Carmen is always very impressed, and that's saying A LOT!), the squash, the gravy (from scratch, too, and always very good). I think Jared likes the arrangement too because he can order people around (in a loving way, of course!), and he is immediately able to go watch football afterwards with NO dishes to worry about. Since I'm in the kitchen for a fair amount of time as well, I sneak out afterwards, too. But it's great because the kids love being there and playing with their cousins, and it's great family time, too. Isn't that what good family traditions are for? And we always try to remember to take a picture of the spread before we eat, because that's always what Jared's mom insists on whenever there's a large gathering. ;) So I'll try to dig up a picture of a past Thanksgiving to share. And I'll of course take one this year, too! (Sadly I couldn't dig up a picture. They're not very well organized!--but I'll post one later of this Thursday). :)

Happy Birthday, Oliver!

(Has it really been a month since I posted something??? How does that happen?) Anyway, Oliver had his FIFTH birthday last month!!!! How is that possible?? I remember so clearly (with the help of video) the moment he was born! It really does seem like yesterday. Sadly, our camera died during the birthday party, so I don't have any photos to share about the birthday party itself. Suffice it to say that fun was had by all, and that a mother needn't stress over a 5 year old's birthday party. But let me reflect on my little boy. Lately I call him "mijo" (which he says he likes) or "hombre". Since he's a boy, he has all kinds of special effects noises that are innate, and he loves to "replay" things for me in slow motion (cars crashing, Legos fighting, that sort of thing). Usually, first thing in the morning, I can count on him to be a cheerful little boy who wants a little cuddling with momma (and then for me to play Legos with him, of course!). He doesn't like to eat first thing in the morning (he has to play first!), and he frequently is so polite when I ask him if he'd like eggs or oatmeal for breakfast...."no thank you, momma..." He loves going to school, and he loves playdates with his friends (even if he has major meltdowns when leaving...). He has recently developed a real love for coloring, and is asking more and more frequently what things say (that are written down), and "Momma, I know how to spell 'hot wheels'" or "cars" or "dvd" (I love that last one!). And so he's growing up pretty quickly. I'm sure that first and second grade will come and go before I know it, and then he'll be in THIRD grade, and not so little any more. But I have made him promise that he'll always cuddle with me, even when he's in eight grade, or 18 years old, and he says he will. So that's good enough for me. :)