Meeting Santa Claus

Thanks to the wonderful workings of "word of mouth" of a fellow Mom, I heard that Santa would be visiting with children at the local credit union this week and it was open to the public.  As such, I got the kids dressed up for that special picture I always dreamed of capturing - but as if it were the holy grail, this photo has slipped through my hands oh so many times.  Between crying...rather screaming babies, the ghost white face of a stiff as a board child so afraid of the Jolly old Elf she couldn't breathe or the falling beard, horrid back ground, etc. it seemed this picture wasn't meant to be.  With Danny being 8, we've had to explain that not every Santa you meet on the street will be the real deal, it could be "him" but could be his helper - this has put quite the damper on the magic of Christmas let me tell you.  Like every good brother, he felt the need to share the news with his sisters - I'm pretty sure it went right over their heads but still, I didn't realize that talk needed a parental warning.

Well, we were blessed with the real deal this year.  Yes, St. Nick himself!  It was eyes stinging with tears and stares of amazement from not only the kids but from myself and other parents as well.  We were rewarded with kids that welcomed the opportunity to chat with Santa....for as long as they wished.  They were so very star struck, my kids (you know the ones who have been working on their wish lists for over a month) couldn't remember a single gift that they wanted.  Yes, it was amazing.  Santa allowed plenty of time for pictures, so I took lots of them.  He asked the kids to smile nice for Mama - Santa even said cheese!  I took pictures of the kids one by one with Santa and then a group shot to boot.  I took 70 pictures in all.  I was going to capture the picture I had always dreamed of - it was my Christmas wish being granted right there by Santa himself in person!

After chatting with each of my kids, Santa invited all the kids to sit on the floor while he read not one but two books to them.  Santa sat on the floor and read Twas the Night Before Christmas from memory and with such flair that my cheeks hurt from smiling.  Next he read The Magic of Christmas.  I've never seen kids sit so still while anyone read to them!  All the while, smiling parents helicoptered around trying to find the best angles from which to capture this magical time with Santa himself.  Wow!  It was so very amazing.

Mama's holy grail photo awaits you.........

Karina's first haircut

During our most recent trip back to IL we took Karina for her first haircut.  I wanted it to be special just like it was special for Danny and Cecilia's first haircuts.  We took Karina to a specialty salon for the occasion, in fact the same salon as Cecilia's first haircut.  Karina was pumped!  She was really excited about getting her haircut.  All morning she talked only of going to see her hair on the floor.


Karina "before"

Karina picked out a movie to watch, I was surprised she picked Barbie over Dora - maybe she thought it was a "big girl" movie since she was getting a "big girl" haircut.



Karina decked out in her cape, car and hair clips.  She drove almost the whole time.

The stylist gave Karina an airplane to hold and look at while she cut the back - it worked like a charm!

Karina getting her first blow dry. It was loud at first but she got used to it. Nail polish was compliments of cousin Nicole followed by Guita. It was a very posh weekend for Karina!


Danny elected to visit his Tio Eteel rather than witness his sister's first haircut.  Cecilia came along eagerly however, once at the salon she lost her enthusiasm.  She's not even watching the movie...

Karina's cut was completed with clips and glitter.  She received a certificate with her baby curls and a picture attached.  Both Karina and Cecilia picked out a small gift from the treasure box. 

Karina "after"

4th of July

The 4th of July fell mid-week in 2012 - what a bummer!  On the Saturday prior to the 4th, we went Canoe-ing for the first time.  On the way, Cecilia pulled out her 2nd tooth so as to not lose it in the river.  We had so much fun canoe-ing!  Well, so much fun after Mama got a much needed lesson on driving a canoe after I unintentionally crashed my canoe into the river bank which threw my butt out - but luckily kept Cecilia on board.  Having never paddled anything in my life, it took a bit for me to get the hang of it.  (No pictures were taken, as my camera is not water proof.) 

That evening we went to a neighboring town's fireworks display and met up with a couple of friends and their kiddo's.  We listened to the local Symphony Orchestra for while before the fireworks began.  The fireworks display was really nice.  It was a bit loud for Karina's taste so we covered her ears and she watched the show.  Traffic was so nice - we were home in 15 mins after the show.  So nice compared to the 60+ mins we are used to from the congestion after the IL shows we have been to.  Although, I do miss seeing the fireworks with my sister and neices - we had such a nice tradition going.....

Cecilia, smiling to show off her 2nd lost tooth.

Danny and Cecilia watching the fireworks.

Mario covering Karina's ears so she could comfortably watch the fireworks show.

On the 4th, Mario, Danny and Cecilia went for a long bike ride in the 100 degree heat.  Karina and I elected to sit this one out.  I rescued the kids about 2 hours in after they had exhausted their water and Gatorade supplies.  Mario continued on the bike ride so met him at Riverfest an hour or so later.  Riverfest is our local carnival along the Mississippi River.  We watched a magic show for kids and a water ski show, the kids went on a few rides, we ate drank lots of lemonade and listened to a few bands.  Given the heat, we were thankful for lots of misting stations and the kids got to swim in the fountain!  They loved swimming in the fountain!  Cecilia made a friend in a 1 year old girl - also named Cecilia wearing a shirt with the same phrase.......my Cecilia loved it!  We didn't stay for the LaCrosse fireworks since it was a "work" night for Mario and we had already seen a nice display a few days prior.

Danny getting some "air".  Unfortunately, this is the "biggest" ride of the carnival.

Cecilia and Karina on the train. 

Bye Mom - see ya!

The fountain below is in Mario's view from his office at work.  I love that when he looks out his window he can see the fountain that his kiddo's swam in. 

Karina wasn't so sure of the fountain diving at first.

Danny loved the fountain "swim".  He was doing laps around the fountain!

Cecilia in the fountain.

D, K and C in the fountain!

Here are a few random shots from the day that I couldn't help but share.

Danny's pig won the pig race - this was his prize.

Cecilia's patriotic hair.

Karina "the destroyer" climbing the canon.

Butter Days

Yes, Butter Days.  That's the name of the parade and carnival we attended in a nearby community to kick off the summer.  Parades and Carnivals are right up my ally - I can't get enough of them.  The kids love them, the honey....well not so much.  As families work through their delicate balancing act of doing for others, the kids and I had an awesome time and we were so happy that Mario came along for the ride.  

We went to the parade first.  Danny and Cecilia were right on the curb while Karina sat with Mario under the shade of a store front awning and snacked.  See Karina is brilliant, she let her brother and sister do all the smiling and waving and dashing for candy while she raided the candy bag in the shade!  "Butter days" brought TONS of tootsie rolls and dum dum suckers - but the kids also got some other non-traditional items like baby carrots, milk, string cheese and my all time favorite from Wal-Mart.......popcicles.  This was a very hot and sunny day and the popcicles were a VERY welcome treat.



The Shriner's mini-cars were a bit loud for Karina. 
I loved that they reminded me of Houby Day Parades and the Shriner's magic carpets.

I loved this float!  There were so many creative floats but this was breath taking!

After the parade we hit the carnival.  The carnivals in my new home are so much more affordable!  Parking is free, entrance to the carnival and mid-way is free.  Ride and food are still pricey though.  Usually the "kids stage" is in the free section too.  If you want to drink beer, you have to buy the "button" to get into the beer tent - where kids are not allowed - so a parent would have to drink alone, I guess.  The button also buys you privilage into the main stage area.  We tend to not buy the buttons.

As soon as we got out of the car the kids (right on cueue) ask to be fed.  We oblige and buy corn on the cob (for Mommy), corn dogs, chicken strips, fries and brats for lunch.  No beer because we aren't going to buy that button to gain entry into a tent to pay for an over priced beer - even if sweat is dripping from our eyebrows! Bottled water from the diaper bag will suit everyone just fine.

First we watched a show.  He was a jack of all trades carnival act.  He was a comedian and juggler and performed "death defying acts" - which were midly disturbing.  (I love the politican's sticker on my kids......really not so much.)



When the performer stood up, the woman he picked from the audience asked to see his bare back - yep, there were many red indents from the nails-----ewwwww!  Go to College kids!

 Next we hit the rides. Karina was so very brave, too brave! Danny and Cecilia each took Karina on a carnival ride. These are her first rides. Karina was chomping at the bit to get on these rides! First, Cecilia took Karina on the choo-choo train! The girls got to drive and blow the whistle.

Cecilia and Danny each picked two rides.  One was a bust on the fun house.  The other was a bit better.  Cecilia chose the giant slide and Danny picked the biggest one we would let him ride alone.

Karina, not to be upstaged had a full blown tantrum on the carnival ground.  She was insisting she go on the "cockodill" ride.  It was a mini rollar coaster lead by a dragon.  We let Danny take her.

It was faster, louder and bumpier than Karina expected.  While she didn't cry, he held on for dear life!  As soon as the ride stopped, she wiggled her way out of the safety equipment and stood up and even let the ride operator pick her up - she was getting off, hell or high water!!

We wrapped up the day by petting a few baby bunnies, goats and kittens and watching a little bit of a softball tournament, while the kids played in a grassy area.  We found some shade under a tree and had a couple of beers (almost always on hand in the cooler).  As we buckled the kids for the ride home, the "I"m hungry" cries started immediately so we stopped at a "drive-in" and ate dinner on picnic tables while watching the waitresses deliver food on rollar skates. 

There is something about the sound of the clicking seat belts that triggers hunger pangs in my kids.  Maybe it was the buckles from their high chairs....I wonder if I belt them at the dinner table, if they'd eat better.......

School is out and Summer Vacation is here!

Warning:  This is a large post, jam packed with details about our summer.  I am hoping to journal our summer vacation via the blog. 

The kids and I are completely psyched about summer.  We planned and executed the final days of school with flair.  We celebrated Cecilia's last day of pre-K with M&M cookies and a play date.  We celebrated Danny's last day of school with a bike ride (to & from school) and to the local drive-in restaurant for an ice cream treat.  I hope to spend more time on bicycles this summer, it is so amazing to see my little Cecilia peddling along on her 2-wheeler!

Cecilia (5) Karina (2) Danny (8) at the Frosty Mug celebrating the beginning of summer vacation.

We kicked off summer with a road trip to Lake Geneva.  Many of my happiest childhood memories were formed in this area.  While so close to our destination of Lake Geneva, I gave the kids their annual tour of Lake Como.  First stop, my Grandma's house.  It is so amazing how small it looks now.  Unfortunately, it is run down, the grass was knee high and the new owners cut down the sky high pine trees that lined the driveway.  Grandpa's flowering vine was still flourishing amidst the disaster around it.  The next stop was the drive along the lake shore followed by a visit to the natural spring.  The kids loved touching and drinking the freezing cold spring water (except for Karina who pursed her lips and shook her head, reminiscent of an old Seinfeld episode).  We drove by my cousin's house, who still lives in the small town but no one was home.  I also showed the kids the house that was built around a tree.  They were amazed to see the top of the tree coming out of the roof.  We also took a peak at the places where my Mom used to live.  Danny surprised me by how many details of this tiny town he had captured from previous tours.  He remembered that the streets are in alphabetic order and named after flowers and trees, that my Mom and Grandpa Donn used to live across the street from each other, the spring empties into the lake and that the lake freezes in the winter - he is a sponge I tell ya!

We continued on to beautiful Lake Geneva.  We drove through the town and peaked at the lake.  Danny recognized the funeral home, I guess his memories of this town will be a bit different from my childhood memories. We spent two nights at a resort with its own water park.  The girls debuted their beautiful retro-swim suits.  Danny had a great time on the tube and body slides.  He played basketball and played on the ropes coarse in the pool and warmed up in the hot tub.  He made friends easily each day.  Karina was more timid in the water than last year.....THANK YOU GOD!!!  While I don't think she had as much fun, I didn't have to pull her out from under the water, not even once this year!  She liked being held and bouncing and spinning in the deeper water.  Karina also requested to go into the "hot water" when she was chilled.  Cecilia was SUPER BRAVE!!  After Danny bribed her with a $1, she ventured down the tube slide with her brother and loved it!  Danny took Cecilia on that slide no less than 20 times!  Cecilia was very flexible and understanding, she could go on the tube slide with Danny, at his discretion.  Otherwise, Cecilia stayed with me, either in the deep water (with her life vest) or in the "baby area" at my discretion.  I tried to be fair and take turns on the different turf, but I felt bad that Cecilia couldn't always do what she wanted.    

Karina took a nap at the water park while I snapped pictures.

On our first morning, we went out for breakfast followed by a trip to the cemetery.  We said prayers over the five graves of loved ones who were laid to rest there.  Once the kids were finished with their prayers, they went exploring while I visited a bit longer.  Danny liked looking at the dates on the head stones and doing the math of their ages when they died....he's so smart.  He was very affected by the ages, at 8 he already understands that it's NEVER enough time.

The kids are praying at my Dad's grave.

On the final day of our trip, Mario took Karina so I could go on the slides with the big kids.  We went up those 66 stairs 13 times in that hour.  I hadn't even caught my breath from each stair climb when we were beginning the next climb.  There were no lines, no waiting, no resting!!  We squeezed every minute of fun we could out of our final hour at the water park.  Danny and I alternated going down the slide with Cecilia while the other went solo either on the tube slide or the body slide.  Cecilia wasn't quite ready to go down on her own yet.  I wasn't a fan of the body slide at all!  It was pitch black and it drove me nuts that I couldn't see what was up ahead, I didn't know whether to breathe or hold my breath, yuk!

After that jam packed hour of fun, we piled in the car (our final trip in the mini-van) and headed out to my Mom's cottage.  We met my sister Pam, her husband Rob and three of her children (Robert, Jack and Anna) for an afternoon of fun.  It was the perfect day with kids playing with their cousins, the adults chatting, swimming and bar-b-que'ing.  The men did some work around the house for my Mom, but for the most part it was a relaxing day in the country.

Cousin Anna and Karina being silly in Grandma's golf cart.

Week one, down and it rocked!  The house looks as if it were a snow globe and someone turned it upside down and shook it.........Mama has some work ahead of her!