Ian's newest trick

Grandma and Grandpa Schneider are arriving today.  Ian is so excited and cannot wait to show off his new trick!  My apologies for the sideways video, but I just had to share.  I am pretty impressed that he can do this:)



Flyin' Solo

Casey and the boys scheduled an impromptu trip back to WI to visit the family.  Casey was nervous to fly with both boys solo (rightfully so), but he made it like a pro.  I helped him pack up on Wednesday night and dropped them off Thursday morning on my way to work.  Milo couldn't wait for his first airplane ride! 

Casey kept me updated with pictures and texts the entire trip.  Ian was thrilled to be riding on an airplane and as long as he had his blankie in hand he was good to go!

The plane from Denver to Green Bay was not full (shocker!) so Milo was able to remain in his car seat and have his own seat on the plane.  A huge help to Casey I am sure.  He fell asleep before take off and woke up 15 minutes before they landed.  A blissful trip indeed...

Aunt Megan picked them up at the airport with Ethan and Taylor in tow.  Ian could not wait to see his cousins.  I was pleased to have alone time, but bummed that I missed out on their interactions.  They had a blast!  Not only have the boys grown a lot, but 2 more boys have joined the family:)  Watch out next summer when all 5 of them can cause some trouble!

July 2011

                                                                          July 2009

                                                                      Maya and Milo

                                                     Ahhh...the beach.  How I miss you so!

                                            All the cousins (sans babies, of course!) playing

Casey and Ian met up with Kyle and his daughter, Addison, at Birmingham's.  One of my favorite places in Door County!  Nothing beats a Birmingham's cheeseburger and fries with a side of Leinenkugel's.  Brad (the bartender) was working, looked at both of them and chuckled.  I bet he never thought he would see the day that Kyle and Casey showed up to his bar with their kids in tow!

                                                    Ethan and Ian - a match made in heaven!

Milo enjoying some of Grandpa's pancakes.  They sure are delicious!

Everyone had a great time.  The trip was too short and it was hard to say goodbye, but I was so excited to get my boys back home.  I enjoyed my alone time.  Not having to be on someone else's schedule was so foreign to me.  I found myself humming 'Glory Days' a lot, but the truth is I wouldn't trade it.  Alone time is nice, but my boys are my life and that is fine by me. 

Of course, I saved a majority of my tasks for the last minute so I was scrambling on Sunday to get my list completed.  I found time to enjoy the pool with Kate and the girls in the morning.  Can't neglect my tan!  And I also got a manicure, but then it was down to business.  Ha!  Casey called around 7 to let me know their flight had been cancelled.  Oh no!  We spent a couple of hours texting and calling trying to figure out what was going on.  I was finally able to rest once I knew they were in a hotel and would be able to fly home Monday AM.  Casey nailed it and I knew he would.  He is an awesome father and my boys are SO blessed to have him.  This is the picture he sent me Monday morning - troopers!!

Cuties

Alas, a low-key weekend!  Friday night we met up with the JHP crew at Rhythm on the River.  The "real" festival is on Saturday and it can be a lot of fun.  We decided to skip the big day this year, so we headed down Friday night to listen to some music.  We got hit with heavy rain, but it didn't last long.  We took refuge under a table umbrella until the dark clouds passed.  Casey took Ian to a play area in one of the tents and I stayed back with the little ones.  Okay by me:)

 Peyton and Milo

 This smile gets me every time!

Saturday was a busy day for me - but all about me, so that made it better.  First stop was to Aveda to chop my mop!  I am feeling lighter already:)  Not to mention the added bonus of getting a few extra winks in the morning because I don't have to do much with my hair.  Woohoo!

Then I met up with my friend Lisa for shopping, lunch and a mani.  It truly was a blissful day of spoiling myself.  I needed it!  I was happy to get home to see my boys though. 

Milo is on the move and there is no stopping this kid.  He desperately wants to be doing whatever it is that you are doing.  Ian is starting to get aggravated by his little brother and has little patience for having to share EVERYTHING.  I can't blame him really.  It must be hard.  Milo doesn't know what it is like to be the only one so he often gives Ian the stink eye, but I try to sneak in things just for Ian from time to time. 

 Milo really wanted to help me load the dishwasher.  I snapped a quick picture and it brought back fond memories of when Ian wanted to be my little helper too.  Aren't they the cutest?!

 Ian spent most of his weekend "working" outside.  It is nice that he can play outside and I am SO thankful for the screen door because it allows more flexibility for everyone.  Milo cannot wait to get outside with his big brother, but for now he just has to watch eagerly from the window.  Milo has become rather chatty in the past couple of days and we are pretty sure he was yelling "Ian" yesterday.  It is so cute to watch them interact - Ian will stop by and talk to him through the window sometimes...or in this case, show off his Otter Pop in a subtle manner. 

Ian's Jobsite (aka one-third of our backyard)

For those of you not following my business blog (you should be!), I wanted to let you know we now have an online store!  We are so excited to take this next step into small business ownership.  We are working hard to launch new products this fall and if you become a follower/subscriber you won't miss a beat.

Stop by and check it out - you just might find something you can't live without it!

http://itsthelittlethingsllc.bigcartel.com/

4th of July

    I love the 4th of July!  Summer, BBQ's, and fireworks.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Last year it rained and I was 8 months pregnant, so it wasn't hard for this year to be an improvement.  Ha!

 Friday night we got home from Lily's and there was a storm brewin'.  Ian is fascinated with thunder and lightning and asked if he could watch the storm.  He quietly sat in the doorway for a couple of minutes and watched it roll in.  Made me miss the Midwest thunderstorms... 

 Saturday AM I laid Milo down for his morning nap - Ian laid in bed with me and we watched some old school cartoons.  Loony Tunes and the Smurfs.  Apparently I dozed off for a second because the next thing I knew there were giggles coming from the boys room.  Ian crawled into Milo's crib and woke him up to play.  They were SO adorable that I couldn't really be mad about it.  Saturday was a low-key day.  We hung out around the house waiting for Daddy to come home from work so we could go to the Black's BBQ.  Ian helped me make salsa and ice cream sandwiches.  Both turned out fabulous.  I do want to perfect the ice cream sandwich recipe before sharing with y'all though.  Stay tuned!

 I love the Roosevelt Park pool!  It is my secret weapon really.  The boys love it too and it is a wonderful way to pass the time.  However, I did learn that the pool is much more fun (and easier for me!) when we have the Courtney crew in tow.  Hurry back from Michigan, please:)

Plus, the biggest bonus of all is they both crash afterwards.  Milo was bagged before we even got to the car!  We went on Sunday and Monday - had a great time and can't wait until this weekend.  We are excited for Daddy to be able to join us.

 Sunday we headed to Denver for a BBQ with the Nordlof's.  We thought it was going to rain on us, but we were blessed that it moved around us.  Linnea had fun playing with Ian and Milo.  She wasn't eager to share her toys, but did a great job all things considered.  She was the "teacher" so she could show everyone how to use her toys.  It actually worked out quite well.  Ian needs somebody to keep him in line.  ha!

 I knew Monday was going to be a LONG day so I tried my best to run the boys ragged.  In the morning we hung out at the house so Milo could nap and I could get all our stuff together for the pool.  Daddy was supposed to join us, but ended up having to work.  Bummer. 

It was a hot one outside, so we tried to find fun things to do inside.  Ian invented the "Milo Monster" game.  He would run back and forth from the couch to the loveseat while the "Milo Monster" chased him.  Quite humorous indeed.  Then we played a game to see who could make the funniest faces.  I was impressed with the face I got when I said, "Milo, give me your best monster face!"

                                             Ian chimed in with his silly face and his Ninja face!

 Casey got home from work around 7:30 PM.  We gathered up our things and headed out to find a spot to watch the fireworks.  In the past we have always joined the Courtney family at Coldstone Creamery and watched them from their lawn.  This year we stumbled upon a great spot - a large parking lot where people gathered to set off fireworks before the show.  Very fun.  

It was so cool to see Ian's excitement.  This is the first year that he truly got what fireworks are all about.  It was so cute to hear him say, "Oooo...I like that one!"  There was a little boy next to us that Ian enjoyed playing with before the show.  Once the fireworks started he asked if he could take his chair up by the boy and sit with him.  They were adorable.  Milo did a great job too.  I couldn't believe he was up that late, but I guess...who could sleep with loud booms surrounding them?  The hardest part was the 40 minute drive home, but a small price to pay for family fun!  Milo fell asleep as soon as we drove out of the parking lot.  Ian chattered about the fireworks all the way home and when we got home he said he wanted to play.  We told him it was bedtime for all and not another peep was heard.  A huge thank you to the City of Longmont and all the sponsors who provided us with a great fireworks display!

As some of you may know, my camera frustrates me on a regular basis.  The battery dies often, takes a long time to charge, shutter time is an eternity so I miss most of the good shots...yadda, yadda, yadda.  However, the one good thing it does do is take pictures of fireworks.  I love to take them because you never know how the shot is going to turn out.  Casey and I got some pretty cool pics.  I couldn't pick my favorites, so I put them into a slideshow for you to enjoy as well:)