Despite the fact that our hotel was amazing, we did not spend much time there. We were having too much fun with our family at their home in Cleves. There are two things you can count on when visiting Bill, Cathy and the kids: laughing too hard and eating too much. Cathy is such a good cook and she makes sure no one leaves hungry. Some of the highlights were Skyline chili-spaghetti, pineapple upside down cake, fluffy eggs and bacon… and of course delivery pizza, because their local pizzeria is …

Eric and I have a lot of similar history. We hung out in the same towns as teens and probably crossed paths a few times before we finally met at 20 and 21. (I’m the “older” woman.) Both of our dads are from the great state of Ohio. Mine hails from Toledo and his grew up in Cincinnati. Our moms are both from Wisconsin. We have a lot of other things in common, too. For example, we’re both really really good looking. Really.
Anyway… for the past few summers, we’ve all …

Today I’m over at my friends’ apartment with Micah and we’re keeping their 3-year-old daughter company, also known to some people as “babysitting.”  The little one is napping and the not-as-little one is watching Spongebob, so I have a moment to write. Do you know how much fun it is to play with a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old at the same time? They are hilarious. I hope Barry and Jayna don’t get a complaint from their neighbors about the noise this morning. You know, I just couldn’t help myself.
It was …

At Eric’s softball game the other night, Micah found a bunch of kids playing with sidewalk chalk and joined in on the fun. I have a box of this stuff, but never imagined he’d get the concept so early. He loved it! I am going to break out the old clothes and chalk and have some fun in our driveway as soon as it cools down. (Supposed to be 91 today!)

That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the magical change we have experienced in Micah’s bedtime routine this past week.

It all started last week when he decided one night that I wasn’t going to leave his room. Ever.
Per our usual routine, I changed his diaper, took him upstairs and found his pacifier, put on his t-shirt (summer jammies) and tucked him in. I nursed him and as soon as he was asleep I popped the binkie in his mouth.  Now normally, he would remain asleep and I …

We got to see fireworks twice this year! The second night, on the 4th, we went to go see Rockford’s Sky Concert. This fireworks display is big by anyone’s standard. It is set to music, which you can listen to by tuning in with a radio. We brought our boom box, but ended up leaving it in the stroller because someone else already had their radio blasting. The best part about the show this year was the view. We watched it from the roof of the building where Eric works, …

…to start explaining the toilet. He is just about 15 months, but it’s not his age I’ve noticed, it’s this brand new skill he’s picked up lately. He likes to copy every thing I do. This morning I was picking up clothes off the floor and putting them in the hamper, which sits in Eric’s closet. I closed the doors to his closet and opened mine to look for something to wear. Little Micah found a pair of pajama pants in the basket of clean clothes, picked them up, walked …

I think sometimes bloggers, including myself, have a tendency to show only their shining moments. I don’t think that’s always a bad thing, because the blogs highlighting the best ideas and cutest photos do capture my interest. Sometimes I like to see the human side of an author, though. A while back I declared that I would share some of my more humbling moments in an effort to embrace the ordinary.  Because behind every bright and shiny blog, is a  person who spills ketchup on their new jeans and forgets …

Sometimes you have to be a pain in the butt to get the pictures you want. You have to interrupt the party and say, “hey, let’s all stand over here and smile while I take a photo.” But, when you have four generations of males all in one place on one day…

Here is Micah with his dad, his grandpa and his great-grandpa (Eric’s maternal grandfather). Micah’s shirt says “Dad is my Hero.”

And this is the whole clan, my mother-in-law’s extended family. I set the timer and jumped in.

Father’s day was …

Tonight I finished going through all the photos I took of Josh and Char last weekend.  Here are some of my favorites, not including the ones I already showed you…
(You’ll also notice I updated my watermark. Last night I figured out how to create a nifty little automation in Photoshop that resizes and adds a watermark all at once. Saves me tons of time!)