Bay Beach, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Bay Beach, Green Bay, Wisconsin

For those of you from Saskatoon, Bay Beach is like Kinsmen Park on steroids. :) It's a great park in Green Bay that's been around for years. I remember going when I was a little girl. The original owners sold it on the condition that the ticket prices must always stay low. So for 25 cents a ticket (most rides just take one ticket) there are hours of fun to be had. They have about 10 kiddie rides. This is the first time Liam has ever been on a ride by himself. He was into the idea but once the gate closed and the airplane started to move I could tell from the look on his face that this might not have been what he expected. As the plane circle and then started to move up a bit Liam's expression went from "what is this" to "get me out of here". Thankfully the crying soon subsided when he noticed that the little boy behind him was having a blast. After this first ride there was no turning back. I was so proud of him. I almost cried as he ran up to each ride, gave the ticket to the worker and excitedly found the car or boat he wanted to ride in. Our little man is growing up. It was so much fun watching him.

Butterfly Kisses

Carrying on a tradition from my family, Liam and I occasionally stop for a few butterfly kisses. I love this little man!

Hanging out with family

While in Wisconsin we were able to visit with our Uncle Tom & Aunt Becky (who we stayed with), our Opa & Oma (my mom's parents) and our Great Aunt Hilda (my Opa's sister).

Who needs a public pool when there's this?

We bought Liam a blow up pool while in WI and he had a blast keeping cool in Tom & Bec's backyard. Their dog, Riley joined in the fun and as you can see Liam and Daddy enjoyed some father/son time. My favorite shot here is Liam and Riley drinking from the sprinkler.

Madison, Wisconsin

After our trip to the zoo we drove to the University of Wisconsin, Madison campus. That's where our cousin Logan will be starting out this year as a freshmen. We checked out his dorm but as you can see with all the excitement of the zoo, Liam crashed on the way to the campus and napped while Daddy and Uncle Tom carried him from point A to point B around parts of the campus. It's an amazing campus. Madison is just one location of the U of W and it has approximately 60,000 students. We walked from Logan's dorm down by the lake and to the Union, a central meeting place for students and just anyone who wants to be there. We stopped into a really neat building there that is decorated in an old german style. From there we walked down state street and stopped in at State Street Brats (the sausage on a bun...not teenagers with attitude :) for supper. State street is where I took the picture of the capital building.

The Madison Zoo

While we were in Wisconsin we drove down to Madison (the capital) to go check out the zoo and see where our cousin Logan will be going to college. The zoo was great. The best part...besides being with family and seeing the cool animals...was that it was free! It was a really fun day. Liam's favorites were the giraffes, bears and a really friendly pelican.

Ice cream with friends

Here is Liam with some of his friends that live on campus. This was the night before we left for Wisconsin.

Kidlet #2

Here's the picture from the Ultrasound at approximately 19 weeks. We decided not to find out the gender of kidlet because we like surprises. Now at 21 weeks we are both healthy and doing well.

Family Vacation

Bright and early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning we will be taking off for a three day road trip to Wisconsin. We will be staying there around 10 days. If I can get to a computer we'll see about posting while we're gone. Hope you have a great couple weeks. Enjoy the sun!

He volunteered...really.

The vacuum cleaner used to scare Liam when he was younger but now he likes to "vacuum" and help mommy.

The look of excitement

This picture was taken back on Easter Sunday this year. We hid eggs for Liam and this year he was much more into it. I love that he captured the excitement on Liam's face when this picture was taken. He had just spotted the egg by the TV.

Haircut

I got a haircut back in April and mentioned on my Facebook that I would post a picture. Well, some time has passed and I'm almost in need of another haircut but I thought I would post this picture anyway. Besides, I think it's a good picture of Liam and I. Do I really get to spend every day with him? Sometimes I am just struck by the blessing in that.

The Cool One

I mentioned in the earlier post about Brad's graduation that he is now the cool one...this picture definitely clinches it. Maybe the person taking the picture should have given me some warning. :)

Waiting for the wedding to start

Liam did a great job this weekend. Sunday, the day of the wedding was probably the hardest for him because he was finally out of the car and wanted to run. We've never seen him so bouncy. All in all he did very well and it was neat for him to be there to see the Derksens.

Brad's NBC Graduation

This April, Brad (that wonderful but slightly quirky brother of mine) :) graduated with his BA in Biblical Studies from Nipawin Bible College. It was a great day that included the receiving of his diploma, receiving the Grad of the Year award (presented to Brad by Lindsay), pictures, saying goodbye to friends, and of course a few tears by the emotional, proud and pregnant older sister.

I say a few tears, but it was more like a mini hoover dam explosion. I've always wished that I could cry like they do in the movies. You know, a single tear down the cheek. But no, for some reason my face feels the need to cringe up like the face of a two year old that has just eaten a piece of lemon. So there are tears but there is also this, "please shoot me to put me out of my misery" expression on my face. No doubt I embarrassed both Brad, myself and most of the people standing around me, but it's not every day that someone so special to me accomplishes so much.

It's not just the diploma, which shows that Brad worked hard in his academics to warrant receiving those two letters beside his name (BA). It's remembering Brad as a young boy growing up into a teenager and then coming to Bible College for the first time. He was a timid and yes we should say, skinny freshmen but he has grown into someone who loves the Lord more deeply, is learning more fully how to rest in His Savior, trust the plan that God has for his life, and interact well with those around him. In a society where going to Bible College is often considered a waste of time and energy, I am so proud of Brad. He knows that all he has and is...his time, his talents, his resources, his dream and plans...all belong to God. I know that he will continue to learn lessons as he walks the path of life but I am so thankful for the foundation God has given him through the ministry of NBC. It has been a privilege to watch him grow into the man he is today. I look forward with anticipation to see what God has for him.

Brad, all those years as a child who was 4 1/2 years older than her brother, I thought I was so much cooler than you. It's debatable whether I've ever been cool (a discussion for another time perhaps) :) but as I have watched you grow into the man you are today I realize that you are by far the cool one! Now that we have "switched" roles, I thank you for being a great brother. I'm so proud of you. Congrats again on your graduation.

Ian & Amber

Lindsay, Liam and I were able to travel to Alberta this last weekend to attend my cousin's (Amber) wedding in Calgary. We were also able to stay with our friends, Kyle and Kassy in Sundre while out there. The wedding was on Sunday at Foothills Alliance Church, NW end part of the city. It was great to be there to celebrate and visit with the Derksen family. It was a beautiful wedding.

Kelly & Janine

Back in March Liam and I traveled to Saskatoon to celebrate with my cousin, Janine and her husband Kelly. They got married in Hawaii in February and at this afternoon wedding shower we were able to enjoy watching footage from the wedding and pictures that were taken on the island. They are a great couple and it was fun seeing them and celebrating with them. Oh...and Lindsay...Hawaii looks great for a anniversary one of these years. :)

Will the thumb be green this summer?

That's the question I always ask on the outset of gardening season. Will it rain? Will it be too dry? Did I remember to plant the cucumbers just right? Do I have a two year old helping me plant this thing? The only answer I know is to the last question. Have you ever had a two year old help in the garden? Mostly it's fun when I remember that the perfectionist in me is best left uncovered. It's been fun having Liam help out. I'm guessing that some day he might not want to be seen in the same room with us old folks so I want to soak up all this attention I get from him while I have it. Of course he loves to water and dig. Even when the digging is happening where things have already been planted. That happened this afternoon and I must admit a little tension could be detected in my voice. There comes the perfectionist again. :) We are just about done the planting process. I just need to find places for my herbs and some flowers. I have a flower bed that goes around the south and east of the house. It's a mess and needs some work but thankfully there are already perennials there. I feels great to be outside and not be freezing. It felt like a long spring and it's so good to have the warmth. To those of you that are also planting and weeding...happy gardening!

We're Still Here

Just when life starts to slow down, our camera dies and has to be sent away for repairs. I was thinking about blogging the other day and the fact that I can't post any pictures. Can I write anything worth reading without pictures to accompany it? I have friends that are good at that. I also really enjoy writing but find lately that my brain doesn't get to use that part of itself much. I could write about how after being potty trained for a few months, Liam has reverted back to peeing in his pants. Usually not so much that he needs to be changed but enough to throw up one's hands and say, "why, what's with this? Or I could write about what most of you know. We are expecting our second little one at the end of November. So needless to say life on the "how am I feeling" front has not been 100% but I've been learning how to cope with the nausea. I am 13 weeks now and hope that by moving into the second trimester I will start to feel more myself. That's what happened with the last one at least. We are getting ready to plant the garden. Lindsay is working until the end of June and then will have about two months off. We will end to Wisconsin at the end of June to visit family and will come back and spend most of the time left in the summer around home. All in all we are doing well. If I come up with any "gotta write that in the blog" moments I will let you know. :)

Recent Photo Shoot

Brownie anyone?

I shouldn't be encouraging such behaviour...but he looked so cute!

Liam and the porcelain throne

No, that's not a clever title for a children's book I'm thinking about publishing. :) Liam and I started working on the whole potty training thing on January 22. That was not a fun day. Liam was stuffed with candy and even more liquids and I was tried of having my whole world revolve around Liam's bladder. I decided to go with the "Potty Training in a Day" method that a few people had suggested. Teaching him what to do in the bathroom only took a day but it took a little while longer than that for him to understand that when he felt the need he should go in the potty. Those first few days were not fun but the results have been good with Liam. I was very surprised that he caught on so quickly. I had heard many people say that boys often take longer to train. He now is day trained with the occasional accident and goes through the night without a diaper or pull up. I'm so proud of him!