Bases Loaded with One on Deck

I think we'll just stay inside!

I'm starting to get a bit nervous about the wildlife in our backyard.  We've come across a couple of distressing sites since being here. 

The first one was last week.  It actually started out as an exciting discovery.  It was a birds nest with 4 eggs in it.  The nest was built between two spotlights right outside the screen porch.  We were looking forward to watching them hatch, and were hoping to observe a feeding or two since it was in such an open and easily visable area.  We never got to see the eggs hatch, and James was the first to discover the baby birds, when he almost stepped on one.  At the time 3 had already fallen out of the nest, and the 4th one was on it's way.  I grabbed two sticks and tried placing them back in their nest without touching them, but the nest was a bit slanted and they just kept falling out.  I finally just had to leave them on the ground.  I went out the next morning and they were dead.  Something must have gotten to them that night, because the morning after that they were gone.

Today I see the boys hovering around something in the yard.  The screen door was open and I could hear some of what they were saying.

"I think it's head got bit off!"

"No." (pause while further inspection takes place) "Well, not it's whole head, just half of it!"

I sat there debating for a bit, but curiosity finally got the better of me.  I slipped on my shoes, grabbed the camera and headed out.  Sure enough there was a pretty big frog with only half his head.  The top part must have been eaten by something.  He was still alive, even hopped a time or two.  No eyes, no nose, just a bottom lip and a throat that you could see straight down.

Poor Kent has missed most of this, but he did have a run in with Punxsutawney Phil this morning.  We knew we had some sort of critter getting into our trash each night.  This morning Kent got to meet him when he went to dispose of his yogurt cup before getting in his car.  

For those of you wanting to attract some groundhogs of your own, they seem to be particularly fond of chicken legs.

Adjusting to Wisconsin

With 5 kids born in 5 different states, we've moved enough to know there are always a few things you have to get used to when settling into your new surroundings. Wisconsin is no exception. 

First off we'll start with language.  Not that it's a huge barrier here, but if I asked you where the bubbler was, would you be able to tell me?  If we decided to buy a house in Oconomowoc, Wauwatosa, Mukwonago, or Waukesha, would you be able to tell people where we live?  And I must admit it took several times of me asking the bag boy at Piggly Wiggly to repeat himself before I finally understood I wasn't allowed to take the kiddie cart I was pushing James around in outside since it was raining.   

Another big difference that happened to catch our eye right away is that you can have all you alcohol needs (not just beer and wine) met right at your local grocery store.  Now mind you, I am not in anyway complaining about this, but it does seem to make our grocery bills a little more a lot more expensive.  Milk, eggs, and bread can easily run you $100 when you add bourbon, tequila, and triple sec to the cart; $109 if you add some "Spotted Cow".  I had to have 2 margaritas just to help me recover from sticker shock.

Finally, we've noticed that the people who make pizza here must have been absent the day they taught triangles in pre-school (probably had too much snow that day) because they cut everything into squares.  We are hoping this is a Lake Geneva thing, and the people in Milwaukee know how to do it right.  Pizza is a pie, not a cake, so please cut accordingly. 

Slip Sliding Away

We don't have access to a neighborhood pool anymore, but something tells me the boys are going to be just fine with the one they have at the resort.

               

Getting a shot of them coming off the slides was easier said than done, but I had no problems getting this picture of Kent, James and Matthew just sitting in the water.

And Catherine, who is way too little to join her brothers right now, seemed perfectly content to sit by the side of the pool in her stroller and show off her teeth to all those who passed by.

              

 

Overdone

That is the word Matthew used to describe "Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian" The other boys (and Kent) seemed to agree.  I asked John what he thought the funniest part was, he said there were no funny parts.  So this is just to warn those of you who enjoyed the first one, like we did, and we're planning on seeing the sequel; you just might want to wait until it comes out on DVD.

Yesterday dinner, today dessert!

Well I might as well finish fattening everyone up and share with you the cookies I'm making today.  I found these over Christmas when I was looking for something different to make for a cookie exchange I hosted.  At first I was going to do these, but then I made the mistake of continuing to look through Margret's recipes and came across these! Rolos in a cookie!  I didn't even need to read the list of ingredients or cooking instructions, I knew these were the ones. I assure you they didn't disappoint.  They are now everyone's favorite, excluding Michael who doesn't really care for them, but we are talking about a kid who doesn't eat ice cream or birthday cake and used to ask for apples for dessert so his opinion doesn't count.  So for all you dessert lovers out there, add a bag of Rolos to your shopping list this week, I promise you'll thank me for it.

Mmm, Mmm Good!

Last night after I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I grabbed my tennis shoes and headed for the gym.  To be honest I hadn't really planned on working out, but I happened to make this for dinner.   I'm hoping my hard half hour on the elliptical worked off at least half a bite, but even if it didn't that's OK, it was totally worth it! In about six to eight weeks I plan on doing it again.  I figure by then the guilt will finally wear off, and I will have squashed the little voice inside my head that keeps telling me, "a moment on the lips..."

 

The Lady in Red

Catherine turned 9 months old this past weekend.  Not sure how that happened, but here she is, all big and not a newborn any more.  Crawling around everywhere, pulling herself up on furniture, being cute and happy all the time.

We are all enjoying every single second with her, the only problem is those seconds are going by way too fast.  Kent comes home from work every day and kindly asks her if she could stop growing so fast, but she doesn't seem to be very obliging.

Her crib is in our room, every night as I pass her on my way to bed, I stop and just stare at her for a minute or ten.  I stroke her hair and tuck it behind her little ear as I fight the urge to pick her up and carry her into bed with me so I can snuggle with her.  She just looks so peaceful with her little hand holding her face like they do every night.  It's her thing.  See:

This is how I always find her.  Isn't she sweet? 

I guess it won't be long before I'm posting about her first steps, and first words and all those other milestones that are just around the corner, but for right now I'm just going to hang on to the last few seconds I have left in this day, and go watch her sleep.

Good Night!