JULY 4TH

This 4th of July goes down in the books as my favorite one to date.  Maybe because our boys are getting older, or maybe because we didn't go with our original plans because of

THIS...

 

We decided to skip the parade and head straight to the Weis' for swimming and lunch.  Our boys don't love parades to begin with.  They enjoy the candy that gets thrown at them, but that's about it.  I figured if we made sure that they got enough treats that day they wouldn't miss it at all!

So here's the set up...a nice blue pool for the big kids and a wading pool with a cool slide for the little munchkins to keep cool in. 

Caleb is a surfer!

The ice cold water felt great!  Yeah, that's me!

Here's Gretchen and I after making a whirlpool with the kids.

Casey taking a break on the hammock.  What a goofball.

 After lunch and swimming all morning we all headed our separate ways for a break from the sun and some naps.  We decided it would be fun (and more comfortable) to check out the fireworks at the Pewaukee beach.  SO FUN!  We got there around dinner time for a picnic dinner and some beach time before the big show.  The kids had a blast playing in the sand and seaweed (it was gross).  We got some ice cream for a treat and then shortly afterwards it was time for the big show.  Our boys have never seen fireworks before, they all had their little ears covered.  I would say Casey and Joshua thought they were neat.  Caleb fell asleep on my lap...not a fan. 

My all American hunk!

Casey and Lilly having a romantic encounter by the seaweed.

Caleb and Calvin building a serious roadway for the boats.

Joshua and Evan sharing a ball...or at least it appears that way!

My stud and I!

Watching all the action.

Happy 4th from the Buntrock boys!

June

June may have started off a little on the cool side, but by the end of the month we were begging for a cool front and some rain.  This has been the hottest, driest summer I can ever remember. 

On the first of the month Matt took the boys to the ZOO.  This is one of Matt's favorite things to do with the boys.  They seem to have had a great time!

Casey's shirt is so true.

Caleb the giraffe

Time to ride the train

Daddy and his big boy

As the month went on it warmed up and we were able to enjoy a lot of time in the water.  All three boys really enjoy the water.  Swimming is Casey's sport of choice.

Chillaxin

Snack break

Joshie hasn't figured out how to move this yet, so it is our "sit-on" toy

Casey and Hannah enjoying a little splash time together

Swimming at our friend's house after dinner

Casey and Eli keeping cool while their daddies work on our patio door

Caleb and Calvin sharing a ride in the Cozy Coop

Happy Birthday to Riley and Hailey!

We had the Reeds over for their parents monthly date night.  The project for the evening was tie dying t-shirts.  It was a lot of fun and they turned out really cute. Of course the girls got into a lot more than my boys, go figure. 

Everyone putting rubber bands on their shirts.

Hannah really made sure there wasn't any white showing on hers.

Lucy was really proud of hers.

Casey's looked pretty cool.

Riley sprayed herself a bit too!

The project for the summer was to put in a patio door.  Matt and our friend Andy spent an entire HOT Saturday working hard. 

Before they started we had a window...

During demo...

Ahh...there's a hole in the wall!

We let in some bugs that day, but no birds!

It's in!

Looks great, I love it!

Devil's Lake 2012

Free scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Friends

Matt and I have been truly blessed to have some amazing friends.  It is so much fun to see our children become the best of friends with their children.  Here are just a few of those special little ones that we love so much. 

Joshua and Evan are going to be on a football team together someday.

Casey and Eli have been double trouble since they were babies.

Caleb, Lucy and Calvin...a sweet trio.

Lilly and her boys. 

RAGNAR 2012

Matt Buntrock, Tim Buntrock, Jake Hoffer, Tom Chowaniec
Matt Weis, Marcus Musial, Rick Adamich, Jodi Ulrich

What is Ragnar you ask?  Well this is what the website has to say about it:
Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6-12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance, from 3-8 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country’s most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar.

After having my husband race in this event 2 years in a row, this is my take on what Ragnar is:
Ragnar is a crazy running relay where my husband gets the opportunity to be insane with a bunch of his buddys.  His team this year was made up of 8 awesome men; each ran 4-5 legs (which means they ran 4-5 different times).  They left Madison early on Friday morning and ran through the night and made it to Chicago late Saturday morning.  They were the first team out of 422 to cross the finish line!  This doesn't mean they finished in the fastest time, but it is still pretty cool!

Matt Weis starting the relay in Madison

Matt and his cousin Tom in the crazy green socks that Mat and Rick bought for the team.

Matt's cousin team slapping the bracelet on Matt as he gets ready to run from
 Sunset Park in Waukesha to Carrol University. 

At each exchange the team did push-ups before the next runner took off

When the guys "killed" their time they put a tally marks on the van

My hubby getting ready to slap that braclet as he finishes one of his 5 legs

Matt's cousin Tom was the last one on the team to run...so here the team is finishing the race in Chicago!

They did it!  First team across the finish line!

There were two teams that ran this year.  Here they are all together in Chicago. 

Way to go guys!  I am so proud of you!