Happy Anniversary Stan and Linda!

The reason for our trip to Wisconsin was my Uncle Stan (my dad's only sibling) and Aunt Linda were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary and my cousins were throwing them a surprise party. My uncle Stan is my Godfather and 35 years is a lot to celebrate so we decided to make the trip. They were completely surprised about the party and all the guests. It was a great chance to catch up with my dad's family.My dad and cousin RyanEnjoying the tons of good food!Every kid needs a picture like this with her dad- Wisconsin is a great place to have itKate and my cousin KellyRyan, Kelly and Kelly's boyfriend JohnKate and Uncle Stan. And then.....Kate hasn't fallen asleep in someone's arms in months. Stan has always been a Baby Whisperer
Ryan's wife Leah enjoying her great, well organized party!Grace found it easier to just set the bags into the target. Why throw them when you could just put them right in?The day was lots of fun! After the picnic Stan and Linda invited us back to their house to hang out and eat some of the leftovers so we got to spend more time with them. Congratulations!

Visiting Grandma Trish

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church with some of my family. It was a great treat to hear my Uncle Don as the Cantor and Grace was excited to spend more time with Sidor and Aurora, even if it was being quiet in the pew.

After church we went with my mom and dad to see my grandmother. The nursing home she lives at has a great playground. I have visited many nursing homes and I have never seen a playground at one. What a great idea! It gives the kids a place to stay busy and there are chairs all around for the residents to watch them. Grace was very excited to play there.It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending an hour together!

WI Trip- Geib Cookout

Our trip to Wisconsin was very busy. The first day we arrived at my Uncle Don and Aunt Sheila's house to set up "camp." They were so kind to allow us to stay with them. It was a perfect place for us since they have everything we could have ever needed for the girls.

My parents arrived via airplane shortly after we got there. My cousin Bart was playing Wii and we all decided to join in. We were showing my dad and Uncle John how to play baseball when there was a little accident. My dad swung his "bat" hard, really, really hard into the pole that runs from the floor to the ceiling in the basement. It shook the room. I don't believe anyone took a picture of the result but he had to wear a brace the next day on his finger/hand. It was black and swollen- no more Wii for a little while...

Several of my family members came over for a cookout. It was so great to see everyone!My cousin Justin, my cousin Angie's boyfriend Peter, my cousin's Audrey's husband Marty, my cousin Angie and my Uncle MikeJack, my cousin Teresa, her boyfriend Rick, my cousin Audrey and meKate and my Uncle PatGrace had a blast with her "new friends" Sidor and Aurora- my cousin Audrey's daughters. They had a great time playing together!Sidor and GraceKate was apparently very hungry...She is trying to steal Grandma Trish's hotdog. It was great to see my grandmother.It was my Uncle John's birthday in a few days so we surprised him with a cake as he walked out the doorKate and my Uncle JohnMy cousin Angie and meThe girls loved playing with my cousin TeresaJack, my cousin Sean, Rick, Teresa and meMy Aunt Tina and Aunt Sheila took the girls for a walk with their "babies." Right after this picture I watched them get to the end of the driveway and heard Grace tell my Aunt Tina she needed someone to hold her hand in the street. I love my rule-follower Grace ;o)After a hard day of playing, the girls enjoyed a bath and a story

The Long Drive

We started our drive to Wisconsin after the graduation. We were armed with lots of movies and snacks and games to keep Grace busy. I'll admit we were a little scared and didn't know what to expect on the 12+ hour drive. Both girls were great! A++ Grace only asked to watch one movie which is surprising because it's a special treat. We sang lots of songs, played lots of "math" and she read lots of books.

Grace, Kate and Jack loved the stops for gas and bathroom breaks. Kate would literally squeal out loud when we opened her door! Grace and Jack liked to take looooooooooooooong walks around the rest areas- I think just to drive me crazy. I was ready to get there. We needed to make one last stop of Friday night before we got to our hotel room. We were pulling into the rest area and I was telling Jack no fooling around, we have to be very quick when I parked and saw this out my window...Me: "Oh No"

Jack: "Uh oh"

Grace: "Why you say 'oh no?' Why? Oh, PLAYGROUND! Look! Playground!"

Apparently in Illinois they use their tax dollars to pay for playgrounds at every rest area. Who knew? I'm not a mean mom, I did let her play for five minutes while Jack called a client. And she was very good and got back in the car when I asked her.

Grace loved staying in the hotel. She thought she was so big sleeping in her own bed in the same room as Jack and I and Kate. She really liked the breakfast ;o)

The drive in the morning went great too. We were playing one of Grace's favorite games about where she lives- city, state, address, etc. and I decided to add on phone number. We told her the number 4 times, just 4 times and she had it. It's funny to hear her say it since she uses the same inflection I used to say it to her. It was amazing she learned it so fast!

Grace was disappointed when we crossed into Wisconsin. She asked where all the cars were. What?! Apparently she thought it was "Wis-car-sin."

Great car ride girls!

So Proud of Daddy!

Jack was asked to speak at our church school's 8th Grade Graduation. He has just finished up his tenure on the school board and served as President of the board for several years so this was a nice honor. (For those of you keeping track of his speeches- this is his second commencement address). Jack did a great job addressing the students and their parents and gave them some great advice to live by. The girls were excited to be able to watch Jack. We were so proud of you Daddy/Jack!

I Have A Confession to Make

At least once a day (well, 2 or 3 times a day) I strip Kate down to her diaper just to tickle the rolls on her tummy and her thighs. She squeals with delight when I do it and I just can't stop ;o)

Grace's Buddies

Grace sleeps with her two dollies and Pumpkin every night. In this exact position...

Happy 1/2 Birthday Kate!

I can't believe you are already 6 months old! You change everyday and love learning new things! You have gotten really good at rolling- if you see something you want, you can roll all the way across the floor to get it before I even realize you are looking at something. You LOVE to put things in your mouth and we have to be very careful with Grace's little toys she leave lying around.
You are still the smiliest baby I've ever seen. You never meet a stranger and allows have a huge smile for everyone. You are really starting to babble. You get excited when someone talks back to you and you get even louder with your babbles.
You and Grace continue to have a great relationship. You are really starting to interact with toys and play with her.
I can't wait for the next six months- I hope it doesn't go by so fast!

Teeth!

Kate has been a little cranky lately and we found out why when two teeth popped out from the bottom gums at the same time! Grace LOVES to feel them. She is always asking to wash her hands so she can feel Kate's teeth. I imagine this won't be a fun game for too much longer...

First Cousin "Slumber Party"

While at Craig and Laura's house, Grace and Isabella had the opportunity to sleep in the same room together. Grace has had "slumber parties" with Lily so she stepped up right away to tell Isabella the "rule"- no talking or you would have to leave and sleep in another room. (She learned that from the sleepover with Lily). They were in the room alone about two minutes before Grace started to scream over the monitor that Isabella was "talking." She was really just babbling to herself but according to Grace it was against the rules. Then Grace started screaming again about the bug in the room. We never found a bug, I think it was the fan, and finally they fell asleep. They did great the second night with no problems. This was the first of many "cousin slumber party" I'm sure.

Cousins!

This photo shoot was a little wild... Here are 4 of 32...
Poor Kate and Aubrey....

After the Race....

Go Jack and Jeff!

Jack and Jeff embarked on a 13.1 mile trail run in the woods of Georgia. They seemed to enjoy themselves and came out with minimum bumps and bruises. Their time was good but if you ask them it could have been better had it not been for some boy scouts that led them astray. Sounds suspicious to me....

They had a big crowd waiting for them. We were so excited Aubrey joined us too! It was her first of many Grunewald Family picnics waiting for her crazy uncles to finish their latest adventure.

Kate's First Storytime

Our local grocery store has a storytime every Friday. Grace loves to go because it always ends with a snack and a craft! We didn't have anything going on this week during storytime so I took the girls. Kate did pretty well for her first storytime, especially since it was in the middle of her naptime. She loved to watch Ms. Mary sing and tell stories.Our friends the Pierces joined us tooAnna and Noah- so sweet!

Last Day of School- Swim Day!

Grace's last day of Mother's Day Out was a water day. The kids were asked to bring their swimsuits to school to play in the water. Grace was so excited she wore her suit to school. She was walking around the house laughing saying "I go to a silly school! First we wore pjs and now swimsuits! This is just too funny!" It was a rainy, cold day but the teachers said all the kids wanted to change into their suits (we saved that step ;o)) and they sat in the room in their suits. They did get to go outside for a few minutes but I think they had more fun playing inside in their swimsuits. So silly!

Grace had another great school year. Ms. Becky and Ms. Laura gave her a good report every day- good listener, followed directions, played well with the others. We are so proud of you G!