Amerifest 2010

This morning we attended our church's annual Amerifest service and event. We went to the 8am service since Jodi was helping with the 'inflatables' starting at 9:30am. The choir was fantastic, I have to say.

We honored all our veterans with a standing ovation - quite moving.

The weather started out okay; we joined Jodi at the inflatables for a bit.

Paeton loved climbing up the big slide by herself.

And she really LOVED going down. This was a pretty steep slide but she was fearless.

The rain started to come down - and pretty hard. We took cover inside of the church for awhile and met up with some friends. We then went outside to the food tent and got some grub. Here's Paeton and Riley hanging out in their strollers.

Paeton's friend Riley.

And here's Paeton being goofy.

The girl's ate hot dogs, chips, watermelon and beans for lunch.

We met up with the Stanley family in the food tent - here's Paeton with her friends Brooke and Clayton.

Paeton started to get a little stir crazy in her stroller so we ventured back out to the inflatable area.

Paeton and Riley played for awhile in the tots area - everything was soaked from the terrible rain storm we got but they didn't mind.

We left around noon and soon after the sun came out and provided for a great rest of the day for all the people who attended Amerifest. A special thanks to our friend Mike Poelzer for organizing such a fantastic event. We can't wait to see how much money was raised and how many pounds of food everyone contributed to the Waukesha Food Pantry.

Zoo Trip

Yesterday, Paeton and I went to the zoo around 9am while Jodi helped a friend from church move. Jodi met up with us at 11:30 when he was done. Paeton and I visited a ton of the exihibits before Jodi got there - but we waited to go to the 'Family Farm' until he was with us. We bought food for the goats and Jodi took Paeton in to feed them. I think it's her greatest memory from the zoo trip; it's all she wants to talk about.

Picking which goat to feed.

Jodi and Paeton in the goat arena.

Feeding more goats.

Paeton really loved feeding these goats. I could barely stand the smell so I happily stood on the sidelines and took pictures.

Since Paeton really loved the goats, we've been talking about how Tori and Dean bought a baby goat for Liam and Stella - if you watch this show you know what I'm talking about. Liam and Stella have really bonded with the goat and it's so cute to watch them play with him. Jodi thinks I'm nuts...I think he'd be really mad if I brought a goat home.

Happy Father's Day!

Paeton greeted Jodi on Father's Day with big hugs and kisses, a fresh cookie sheet of cinnamon rolls and presents. She had been slaving over this breakfast for quite some time wearing her care bear apron. Precious!

She was so excited when daddy came downstairs to see what she had made.

We had a great day together as a family - Happy Father's Day Jodi!

Pewaukee Lake

This entry is a little outdated but 2 weeks ago when Jodi went with his parents to a wedding in Fargo, ND, my friend Brooke, Paeton and I went to Pewaukee Lake for the morning. It was very cloudy but warm.

Paeton was little unsure at first but soon warmed up to the fact that she was playing in a huge sandbox :)

Brooke took her down by the water to check it out.

Paeton LOVES Aunt Brooke.

I think Paeton was digging for something here....?

The lifeguards were raking up piles of seaweed as you can see in the background.

Even though it was cloudy, it was warm as mentioned before - Paeton needed to cool off in the water.

She got SOAKED.

She loved chasing after our BIG tennis ball and watching the other kids play in the water.

Brooke and I kept trying to get Paeton out of the water but she didn't want to come play up on the sand once she got in the water.

Finally she came out of the water and we took a very tired little girl home for nap.

First Few Weeks of Being 2

Paeton has been two for about 3 weeks now. Turning 2 has come with many changes it seems, most of which are really fun. She's talking non stop, can follow directions better than ever and just in general seems to be so fun to play with. It's also come with it's share of tantrums...trust me.

We got to have a really fun play date with Paeton's friends Austin and Cole.

We've been practicing going on the potty lots. She likes to read books while she waits.

Transitioning to her new classroom has had it's ups and downs that often start when we're leaving for the day. Here she is super excited to get to school with her teddy.

We love our 2 year old!

2nd Annual Daddy/Child Camping Trip

This past Saturday morning, I bid farewell to my precious daughter and my loving husband for 24 hours to go on a daddy/child camping trip. With my increased hormones from being pregnant (at least that's what I'm blaming it on)...I was pretty nervous about the whole thing.

Paeton in her carseat surrounded by stuff.

Jodi - probably exhausted already from just getting back from a business trip.

All the 'non-cold' food I sent them with.

After a few exchanges of text messages, I knew they were there safely, had set up camp and found their friends who all had arrived the night before. Here's Jodi proving to me that Paeton took a nap :)

Their campsite.

The kid's toys.

All the tents.

Jodi and Paeton spending some quality time together.

Paeton and friends. Paeton was the youngest child on the trip.

Paeton, appearing to be happy that she's eating some food.

I love how Paeton still crosses her legs when she's sitting - she has done this since about 8 mos old.

Some of the men feeding the kiddos dinner. As you can see the rain has started and they are all taking shelter under the pop up.

Our friend Bud with about a billion kids - he's clearly surviving this trip through laughter.

Paeton - looking wet and dirty.

More kiddos!

Here's the organizer of the event - our friend Matt. I think as he stands in the middle of a puddle trying to keep the fire going, he's wondering - "Do we stay another night or head home?"

Finding fun things to do while it rains.

Still smiling, Matt encourages everyone to stay. However, only 3 men stay the final night throughout the continuous rain and cool temps - one of which was my husband. I was so thrilled when Jodi texted me the following morning that he and Paeton were okay and were coming home soon.

I think all in all, they had a great time and will definitely attend this trip next year. Thanks Matt for organizing this!