She blinded me with Science!

This past weekend we went up to the Museum of Science and Industry with Uncle Gary, Aunt Erica, cousins Clayton, Olivia and Isaac and M's niece Courtney (obviously also a cousin to K, but I'm just trying to simplify any confusion!)

The museum was impressive as ever, however it is quite special right now- there was an incredible STAR WARS exhibit!!! Needless to say the kids were VERY excited about this! They rode on a air cushion, to simulate the Hovercrafts in the movie, built a hovercraft using magnets, programmed a robot and saw several of the props used in the Star War movies and actual costumes worn throughout the series.

We also saw most of the other exhibits in the museum- all that we could in the 7 hours we were there! :)

For dinner we went out to Giordano's Pizzeria (thanks again Gary and Erica!)...oh was it good! No, delicious! By the time we got home we were all exhausted!

Today we are going to get caught up on rest, laundry and most importantly, FOOTBALL!

Coins for California

My senior class is taking on a service learning project to help the victims from the CA fires. I'm so proud of them! (just click on the link or copy and paste it into your address bar)

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/02/community/porter_county/doc576b4de54b5ebdcf862573860051a5e6.txt

We will be donating all the money collected to the Red Cross in Southern California! Thank you for being an inspiration Bill, Michele and Kiersten as well as our friends out in CA! I hope that it helps!
I just wanted to share what my class is doing...sometimes I defend my career as more than babysitting...and I know other teachers do as well.

Our little BuZzEr!

Seriously, can she bee any cuter than this???

Happy Belated Birthday and Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was Uncle Bryan's and Great Aunt Judy's Birthday!!

Happy Halloween! We hope you get more Treats than Tricks!

(Thanks for the cute cards grandma and grandpa W, Kiersten and Aunt Heidi and Uncle Bryan!)

Weekend in Pictures...

After spending nearly 2 hours in traffic in downtown Chicago- ugh!-we stopped at Aunt Janet's and Uncle Pat's Wednesday night. K loved playing with a pink telephone, all their stuffed toys (especially Bucky!) and all the wonderful little trinkets. Thursday morning we went to Perkins for breakfast (thanks again Aunt Janet!) and G found his new favorite- gingerbread pancakes. On the way out of Madison, we saw only what could be found in a place like WI- no you don't need to adjust the color on your screens- it's a Pink Elephant!

Between Wisconsin Dells and Eau Claire, we found a scenic nature trail with an outlook at the end. It was so nice to get out of the car and take in some fresh WI air! We were able to see the magnificent fall colors at their prime!

Friday morning we headed out to Mall of America! Little did we know it would take between 8-9 hours to get through the whole thing! K was such a wonderful little shopper! She either was pushing her own stroller or she rode/slept in it. We knew it had been a long day when she took 2 naps! :)

We visited an Aquarium that has been awarded "Best Shark Encounter" by Discovery Travel Channel. It was really neat, but it has a lot more to do to catch up to the awe of the Chicago Shedd Aquarium. At the end of the shark exhibit, there was a play area that K just loved! She was all over the pirate's ship and found the treasure (even though we already found our little treasure a long time ago! )

After a long day at the Mall and Aquarium, we met up with G's cousin Amy and Nick and their new little bundle of joy- Jack! K wasn't too sure about her mommy holding another baby, although she really was enamored by all of Jack's dark hair. We had some delicious pizza and yummy brownies for dinner(thanks again Amy and Nick). It was great to catch up and visit since we don't get to see each other much. They are doing great adjusting to parenthood and Jack is the happiest baby! *He must be getting some quality sleep!

Saturday morning we packed up and started to head back south. But first we stopped in St. Paul at the Children's Museum. Sesame Street had an amazing exhibit there and K was just beside herself. We haven't seen her get so excited in a long time!

We made a short stop at Chippewa Falls, WI to tour the Leinenkugel's Brewery. It is a beautiful setting and the buildings and backdrops were impressive!

We also stopped in Wisconsin Dells for dinner that night and then stayed for the night. Sunday morning we visited with G's grandma who was hospitalized for a bad fall she suffered a couple of weeks ago- she was in good spirits and we had a very nice visit with her. She filled us in on some of the others in the facility. She's really funny with her impressions! On the way to visit great grandma, K brushed her hair in the car. She really seems to like the feeling of the brush on her not-so-full head of hair! :) We also got to see grandpa and Ms. Diane for a short visit and lunch. (Thanks again for lunch! ) Grandpa did very well this year with his produce stand and is looking forward to a wonderful winter as well. All is good. K really likes going to the farm and seeing all the pumpkins and she made a new friend with grandpa's kitten Brownie! Brownie took a liking to K as well and followed her around the farm! Too cute!

What's a trip to WI without stopping at the Mars Cheese Castle??? Just that- a trip to WI. Don't waste your time next time you are in WI to stop at this tourist trap! We thought that there might actually be something to it considering it made it on the Food Network as a Great Place to Visit- Not so much people!

After the disappointing Mars Castle, we headed to M's parents to pick up Mollers. K was so excited to see her grandma and the baa's (sheep). Although extremely exhausted and so far from anything that resembled a sleep schedule, she still had a great time there and ate up all of grandma's strawberries!

It was a great vacation and we were able to do a lot! Definitely one of the best vacations. Now it's unpacking time, catch up with housework, laundry and all that fun!

Another GREAT Birthday Weekend!

This past weekend was a bit crazy...G and M's dad changed out the brake pads and roters on the Equinox Saturday morning and then that evening we went to Cousin I's birthday bash! Sunday we took full advantage of the nice weather (near 80!) and did some landscaping and cleaning up outside while K took a 3 hour nap. (She spoils us rotten!)

Back to the fun part... I's birthday party!!! It was a great time with lots of wonderful people! I know I mentioned this before- but seriously, I heart Aunt E's fabulous family! They were there along with Aunt E and Uncle G, cousins C, O, and I, all of Aunt E's family and some extended family G, K and me! Cousin I got some awesome Spider Man gifts as well as a Leapster and a game to go along with it, tools, clothes, magnetix, cards, etc. He was so excited to open all those gifts in front of everyone too! It's just something that you can't recreate or even try to! The kids all enjoyed playing together and the babes played as well. It was like K and Aunt E's nephew were on a date sitting at the same table across from one another- adorable!

Well we are making final preparations to go on our trip this week. It looks like it will be cool in MN, but the fall colors are at a peak right now as well! Lots of pictures to be had!

Stay warm!

Please Pray!

A friend of mine from college has a dear friend who is undergoing a heart transplant today. Please pray for her, her family, the doctors and the family that lost their loved one but gave her a new heart!
She is not much older than G and I and this will be her second transplant! She is a very strong young lady and I truly believe that with God all things are possible and God is definitely guiding her on this journey.
http://www.angelamoore.typepad.com/

G's grandma is recovering from a hard fall that required some surgery as well. She is doing much better and will have lots of therapy. She's a "tough" one as the doctor said! :)

And lastly, but not least, please keep our families in CA in your thoughts as well that the fires may stay far from their homes and that their loved ones are safe as well. It's a very scary situation, but they are all taking it in strides!

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12

HALLOWEEN TREAT!!!

K received a wonderful surprise in the mail today from St. Louis, MO!

She was determined to open it up and see what was inside.

Socks! Halloween Socks from Aunt H and Uncle B...K loves socks!

Thank you Aunt H and Uncle B for the socks and card!!