brotherly bond

It is so much fun for Matt and I to watch the bond between our boys grow stronger every day. From the time they wake up in the morning playing between Caleb's crib rails and laughing to the time Casey sings Caleb twinkle twinkle little star before bed, they are truly a blessing to watch.

Caleb loves when Casey wants to play catch with him. Casey likes to wrestle with Caleb. We are working on teaching Casey some boundaries. He is learning that he has to wrestle different with Caleb then he does with daddy. They also enjoy making a mess in the sandbox and splashing together in the bathtub (usually in that order).

You can see from the pictures below how much Caleb loves being with his big brother (not to mention how cute they are in their matching gear). What a bless two boys have been.

Mitchell Park

We can check off another park on our list. On Thursday I decided we needed a break from the water so I took the boys to Mitchell Park. After being there 5 minutes I wished we would have been swimming...it was hot!

The park was very nice. They had a beautiful picnic area that would be great for a large get together. Casey's favorite part was the teeter tauter and mine was the baby swings...they were in their own area separate from the big kid swings.


They had a nice grassy area to run around and a huge hill to climb. My guess is that it would make a great sledding hill in the winter. Casey had fun running up and down it several times with a little girl he met at the park (what is with him and the ladies?)


We will definitely go back again to play, and have a picnic.

The heat is on!

All of you who live in Wisconsin can relate to this...every year about the end of February beginning of March I start to wonder why I still live in Wisconsin! Then we have our first hot streak and I say to myself...this is why I live in Wisconsin...I am so cranky when the weather is hot!

The past week we have gotten weather that is well into the 90's and humid (of course). So what do you do with two kids when it's hot outside? You play in the water!!!

On Monday I let Casey skip his nap to have some alone time with mommy. We played in our little pool and got out the beach ball sprinkler. Casey had a blast running through the ice cold water...brrr! The ice cream truck stopped right in front of our house that afternoon so I got Casey a push up. It melted before he had the chance to finish it.


Tuesday morning we met some friends at a local wading pool which I thought was supposed to be open...opps! After waiting in the hot weather for an hour (because we thought someone was coming to unlock the gate) and watching our children's faces turn tomato red from being over heated, we decided to jump the fence and go in anyways. The kids are too young to realize we were totally breaking the rules. It was a blast and a much needed cool down. As you can see, Caleb enjoys the water too...just like his big brother.


Today we met my sister and her girls (all 4 of them) at Fox Brooke beach in Brookfield. The water was perfect and so was the weather...83 and sunny (much better than the 90's). We arrived about at hour before the beach opened so the kids played in the sand and on the playground equiptment. I bought Casey a bright yellow hat to wear in the water so I can see him easily...he is a fish. His favorite thing to do is run and jump onto his belly. He then pretends to swim. It won't be long before he is swimming on his own. This week he started swimming lessons without daddy (it'll be ok honey).

Here's Riley and Caleb having a snack in the shade. Caleb was such a trooper today. No morning nap...he crashed before I pulled out of our parking space!
The beach was so nice I even got in and swam around a bit. That's when you know it's a clean beach folks. We will be going back again real soon.

Happy Father's Day!

10 reasons Casey and Caleb are so lucky to have a dad like Matt

1. He is the most patient man I know
2. He would do anything and everything for them
3. He is an amazing Godly role model for them
4. He is a big kid himself
5. He loves to take them places like the zoo, camping, and pet stores
6. He disciplines them with love
7. He treats their mama like gold (hopefully they will treat their wives that way too)
   
8. He loves them more than any hobby or job
9. His love is shown through his actions as well as his words
10. He tells them all the time how much he loves them and why he is proud of them

Everyday when Matt gets home from work the boys are so excited to see him. Matt is the best daddy any kid could ask for! Happy father's day honey, we love you!

happy birthday girls!

My sister's twins, Hailey and Riley had their 3rd birthday party on Saturday. It was easy to see that they were very excited it was their special day. Being in the middle of a princess like Hannah and a new baby is tough. But we all made sure that they knew it was all about them
that day!

Here the girls are with their crown cakes.
The purple cake is Riley's and the pink is Hailey's.


Of course there was a pinata filled with yummy treats. At first just a couple of pieces would come out at a time. Casey was thrilled that he got a lolly pop!


We dressed Casey and Caleb like "twins" for the occasion.

Here is my dad holding his two youngest grandkids...Caleb and Lucy.

This is the first picture I have with my neice Lucy and I.
She is an Averill...can you see the resemblance?
Happy 3rd birthday girls!

We love Lucy

8 weeks old

On Wednesday afternoon my sister brought Lucy and Hannah over for a visit. Lucy is already smiling! So far she is a very happy baby...alot like her cousin Caleb. We decided that they are going to be buds someday just like Hannah and Casey.

Hannah is such a good big sister (the twins might tell you a different story)

She's a great cousin too!

Casey loves babies...especially baby Lucy and Caleb
Caleb wasn't sure what to think of Lucy
This is just a random picture of the boys playing together...so precious

Jacobus Park

After playing at Elm Groove Park the other day I decided to do some research about parks in the area. The Milwaukeemoms.com website had a great list of local parks as well as ratings. I made a list of parks that I want to visit with the boys this summer. The first on the list was Jacobus Park in Wauwatosa. We stopped their for a brief visist before going to the doctor (Caleb has an ear infection...poor baby).


Jacoubus is located on Honeycreek Parkway which is a block south of N. 68th and State Street. It was a great park! The park had a jungle gym for the big kids and the toddlers. The surface was squishy and safe for Caleb to crawl on. They also had swings, a sandpit, bathrooms, a wading pool and a large grassy area for kids to run around and play.

Casey and Caleb gave it a 4 out of 5. If would have been a perfect 5 if it were a tad bit bigger.


Here is the list of the other parks we hope to visit this summer:

1. Alcott Park in Milwaukee (97th and Wilbur)
2. Pewaukee Lakefront Park
3. Sussex Village Park off of Main street
4. Mitchell Park on Capitol Drive in Brookfield
5. Marx Park on Barker in Brookfield
6. Kinderberg Park in Germantown
7. Hales Corners Park on New Berlin Road
8. Menomonee Park on Townlind road
9. Willowood Park on Silver Spring in Menomonee Falls

Daddy camping trip

Last weekend Matt and Casey camped at Kettle Moraine State Park with a bunch of other guys and their toddlers from our life group at church. Matt hasn't had the chance to blog about his adventures so I thought I would post a few pictures from their trip. Casey told me how he caught a weed fish, built a sand castle and swam in the lake. He also brags about how he shared his donuts with Austin. Matt said that they had a great time and the kids got along really well. He can't wait to do it again next year. Enjoy the pictures!

Casey and Austin

Eli riding around the camp site

Casey and Lizzy catching a catnap

Brooke taking Casey for a joyride

Movie time...ahhh their dads can finally relax

Friends

In the last week Casey has had a lot of fun hanging out with one of his princess friends...Lilly. Seeing as though her mommy is my good friend Gretchen, it works out well. Caleb and Calvin are only a couple of months apart (and look a lot a like) so I think they will become buds as well. Right now they enjoy licking one another's heads and sharing cheerios (or whatever else they can find on the blanket).

Last week Friday we met them at the ZOO and Casey and Lilly were double trouble. At one point we turned around to find them with their nosed pressed to the glass of a monkey exhibit. That's right, they climbed under the gate and smudged up the glass with their cute little paws! They also enjoyed holding hands as they ran away from us. At one point Casey gave Lilly a good yank on the arm to get her to go where he wanted. They were copy cats that day for sure.


The cutest was on the train. Lilly squeezed on the seat next to Casey for a quick hug before the train took off...aren't they cute?

This was the only time poor Gretchen was not chasing Lilly around the ZOO!

Here I am with MY boys (that's right Lilly...Casey is mine until he's 30)

Today we met Gretchen and the kids at the Elm Grove Park. We had never been there before and we just loved it. There was a beautiful jungle gym, a teeter tauter (Casey's new favorite thing), a sand volleyball court to play in, a pool, and a really nice path to walk on. It was great! We can't wait to bring daddy there. Thanks for the fun memories Weis fam!

I really can count...

Amy pointed out to me that I only had 10 fun facts posted rather than eleven in my last blog entry. I swear that there were 11! Caleb was on my lap pushing buttons as I was trying to finish up. I bet he didn't like what I said in number eleven! Regardless...it is fixed.

Caleb and I have been enjoying some peace and quiet while daddy and Casey are off camping with some other guys and toddlers from church. It sounds like they are having a good time. While they are roughing it in the woods I have had the chance to hang out and order pizza with friends, go to the mall and watch 2 chick flicks! Caleb is being such a good boy and is loving all the one on one attention. He even let me sleep in until 7:15 this morning! I'm looking forward to when Matt can take both boys for a little male bonding:)

Joy