Feeling hot hot hot

We'll, we've had a few nice days in WI, and we have to take advantage of every single one of them. That means lots of pool time!! Pool time at home, pool time at the park, where ever we can! Summer here means no shoes, delicious Popsicles, and water, water water! This was our heat wave in Milwaukee, 95 degrees, which I normally do not like, but I was enjoying every second...kids too!

A day out with THOMAS

On friday, June 12th Jeff took a day off of work and we took the kids to the Island of Sodor to visit thomas. Oh wait, we didn't really go to the island of sodor, Thomas the Train just happended to be passing through good ole Green Bay WI! We didn't tell Maddy where we were going, just that we were taking a special vacation. We made a stop to Bay Beach (thanks Terri for the trip last year) before Thomas. We only had 2 hours to kill, so we stopped there first. The kids had a great time on the rides, Winn and Maddy both! This was a good trip to prepare them for St Romans, which to Maddy is all about the rides.






Then off to thomas, boarding at 1:15pm. We got there in the nick of time, because they pretty much started to board right after we checked in. We got to ride in a double decker bus, which took 2 laps around the national train museum, where Thomas made his magical stop in Green Bay.







The rest of the day was spent touring old locomotives, very cool. It sometimes was a little creepy walking through there OLD engine/train cars. There was a mail car, a dining room, kitchen, sleeping quarters, etc. The trains look so much bigger when you are standing next to them!















We also had a surprise visit from MR Bottom Pants, I mean Mr. Topham Hat, who again, those who aren't grandparemnts, kids, parents or aunts or uncles, is the so-called leader of the railways on the island of sodor. Jeff thinks he is a little over bearing and often mean..... He seemed pretty harmless there:)



There was so much for the kids to do: music, of course trains (your choice wooden, electric, yadda yadda yadda), arts and crafts, story time, and of course the kids favorite tattoes!!! They had those things on there for an entire week. Yikes!! It really was a fun day spent together. Then it was off to home, next day was a busy day travelling to IL for my triathalon. That post will be in Que Sera Sera.

Brew Crew

I will continue on about our squirrel adventures in the month of may. This may continue on until I catch you all up, and let myself catch up as well. I don't have any excuse about why I haven't posted in a long while, well, I guess I can give a lot of excuses. First off, our dear little Maddy has now declared that she does not take naps anymore. Let me tell you, this was a HUGE adjustment, probably more on my part, but on hers as well. I feel that she still needs them, till at least 6yrs old. We now have figured out a system and it seems to be working out alright. I do realize that this was when I usually did my blogging, so that COULD be why I am so far behind. Maybe, maybe not!
Mid May the Ehrhardt's made a quick decision to take the family to Winn's first Brewer game. Now, of course he went when I was pregnant,but that does not count. It was a great day, shorts weather (in May that was a miracle)!!! We decided to do the whole tailgating thing, which was a lot of fun! Jeff and Winn went to buy some tickets (standing room only) and Maddy and I held down the fort. Maddy wanted to play the bean bag game with the college kids next to us, but I talked her out of it. Yikes, she sure does like to mingle with the older crowd. Uh oh! We weren't planning on sitting (obviously since we didn't have seats), but I figured that with Winn, there usually is not sitting involved. Maddy had a great time playing in all the sports themed things, racing sausages, running to first base, slides. Winn of course wanted to keep up, but still a bit too small. He doesn't think so! We made it to 8:00p, 2 hours I think is respectable with a 19 month old!!! It was a lot of fun.

where did May and June go???

Seriously, where did they go? We have been so busy these past few months, I feel as though I am in a whirlwind. I noted my last post, and it was about the weather, today it is like 95 degrees out, and I am complaining!!!! Yikes, can we ever be happy with the weather. So, May was all about dance recitals, Mother's day, cousin Joe's birthday, Danny Gokey day, Brewers games, weddings...Could I fit anything else in??? Probably, if I had to!
Maddy had her first EVER dance recital early May. It was quite the experience for her. Such a big girl, sitting so well with her class through the dress rehearsal and the big night. It was so cute to see! Maddy did so well. She would like to sign up for ballet and tap again in the fall...following in cousin Liesl and Aunt Mimi's footsteps!





Next up...a bit old, but our own hometown American Idol Danny Gokey visited Milwaukee during the finale week on American Idol. I just had to go! It happened to be a great day, and my friend Yasmin, Holly & Lauren, and i took the kids down to the Summerfest grounds to cheer on Danny Gokey. Maddy was chanting Danny Gokey with the crowd, too funny. We could barely see him, but Lauren got a few extra zoom pictures for proof! We had a fun time, nonetheless.

Spring???? Maybe????

I realize that it is only 51 degrees out, but it honestly felt like the perfect summer day. I was hosting playgroup today, and only one of the ladies and her daughter were able to make it. We sat outside and had some coffee, the kids ran around and played. Walked down to Heidi's house, and the kids played there so well together. Winn and Maddy both had ear infections last week, so it has been a bit hairy around the E house. Oh yeah, Jeff was sick too:) Winn was so good today...I feel bad saying he hasn't been 'good', but I should say he hasn't been himself!!! I guess all we needed was a day outside. I think the Wisconsin March weather was very trying, and we are all looking forward to some nice, enjoyable weather. Don't you all agree? I will take any sunny and somewhat, warm day I can get around here. Once again, this is why I will be sad to leave this neighborhood. I had such a great morning, kids playing great, sunny day, and nice conversation with my wonderful neighbor. Again, can I just make my yard bigger, and expand the house a bit, is that too much to ask??

a bit behind....

So I have been a little behind in my blogging lately. Probably because I feel like I have been in a vacation fog. I have sooooo many pictures of the kids from various outings, so I will write a small bit about a few and post some cute pictures.
I bought a membership to the Discovery World downtown. They have an aquarium there, a huge replica of a boat, amongst other 'discovering' things. The kids absolutely love it. We go way too often, but Maddy really enjoys it. She is learning so much there (mind you, its about fish and boats and the water treatment process????) It's fun to go down there with Jeff, then we can play man to man defense and it works much better.










Mid March we had a awesome little warm spell. We headed over to Wirth Park (the little wirth) to play specifically on the teeTTer ToTTer (I love to say that combination of words....imagine that). They are the only park that is near us that has one. Winn was like a mad max thunderdom there. He ran to the ladder, climbed up, ran across the movable bridge, and took off down the slide. He is much more of a dare-devil than Maddy was. I see the glimmer in his eyes...yikes!!

Get your peanuts here

We went to the circus last week friday for the first time in many, many years. My parents wanted to take us, well, mostly Maddy. She could not contain herself! We told her about it 3 weeks prior, and she would ask every day. So the day finally arrived. We went out for fish fry (yes, Lent time) and hamburger for Maddy at Mjr Goolsby's, great place for a family dinner...ha ha. But seriously, there were lots of kids there, either for the circus or the Admirals game. But the fish was great! Then off to the circus. Little did we know that the circus is 3 HOURS LONG......
We had a great time, Maddy loved it. Whenever I looked at her, she was clapping or giggling at the clowns. It really was a fun time. They even shot someone out of the cannon, I was sure that the Shriner's circus would not have a cannon, but sure enough. I was seriously impressed by the elephants, I can't believe they can do some of those tricks???? There was this totally 80's guy in the cage with the tigers, running around to some hideous 80's rock/metal music...I didn't get a picture of that, but you can picture in your mind, black spandex, gold shoes, no shirt, hairy, typical 80's hair band guy...maybe you don't want to picture it!