The Stokes Family Blog

Making the best of it.

2012-01-22T20:09:00.001-06:00

After a dreadful cold streak the temps finally warmed up this weekend. And by warmed up I mean above 25 degrees (hey, I'll take what I can get!). We made the best of Sunday by inviting some friends over and sledding in the backyard. It was fun to watch Jackson and his friend get more and more daring as they became comfortable flying down the hill. And the adults shared many laughs watching the other two kids, identical twin girls, maneuver in the snow and down the hill. After our cheeks were apple-red we moved inside for a warm fire and playtime. I'll endure a few bitter cold days for a day like today!

Team work!

I love this face!

Mom acting as a backstop so the boys don't run into the trees.

Smile!

Little Einstein?

2012-01-18T04:28:00.000-06:00

OK, I won't go so far as to make that statement, he's 4 and we attended the Einstein Science Expo, not the Nobel Prize Award ceremony. However, it's fun to see Jackson so excited about everything science. This is the second year we have attended the science expo and this year Jackson was much more active in and appreciative of the demonstrations than last year.

We were fortunate to be able to attend with another family. It was good to have the two boys together, they encouraged each other when there was hesitation trying something new. Here are just a few of the fun activities we were able to participate in.

A cute game the boys played while they waited their turn for another demonstration. There's air being blow up from below the ball and you have to control the amount of air with a lever and get the ball through the hoops.

Just having fun and being goofy.

I was amazed at how much he enjoyed this. I missed getting the photo when it was wrapped around his neck. That was a bit disconcerting to me...

Now THIS is a bubble!

Jackson stopping on the launch pad to launch the rocket he ma. He had enough air force underneath his rocket on this launch that it hit the ceiling. The boys though that was awesome.

Looking through a really strong telescope at the 'planets' that were hung on the opposite side of the expo hall.

Learning about powerline safety. This was my favorite station : )

The boys enjoyed watching the little stick man get electrocuted and catch fire. I guess that'll drive home the message to stay away from electricity.

Jackson and his buddy demonstrating to the crowd how to operate a railroad handcar.

A Colorful Project

2012-01-14T17:21:00.000-06:00

I saw this art project on Pinterest.com (my new obsession). It was a fun and easy family activity and the finished product hangs in Jackson's room!

The starting point. Crayons with paper taken off on a canvas.

Prop it up against a heat source (could have used a hairdryer too).

Wait for the melt.

Crayons are completely melted.

Add fresh crayons across the top.

Voilà!

I can see!!!

2012-01-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

For the first time since I was 14 I can see without glasses or contacts. A grandual intolerance to contacts relegated me to glasses for the past 4 months. After exhausting every other option with my ophamalogist it was apparent I was no longer going to be able to wear contacts. It also became apparent VERY quickly that my spinning, running and 4 year old play activities were not condusice to wearing glasses. So, upon the urging of my wonderfully supportive husband, I got LASIK today.
The procedure, in its most basic steps, it as follows:

cut a thin layer off the top of your eye with a laser
doctor peels layer back
a second laser ablates your cornea
doctor replaces flap (meticulous process that took the longest) and seals it down with a paint brush looking tool

Chris was lucky enough to get to watch the entire thing on a monitor and got some amazing photos of the entire rocedure. Here's how it went....

Right before the procedure. I was a 'little' nervous

My eye as the first laser cuts the flap on my eye.

Doctor's tool under the flap that was just cut. She's ready to pull it away from my eye to expose the cornea.

Flap is cut, doctor is pulling it away from my eye.

Flap is removed, cornea exposed (grey gritty part) and ready for second lazer to ablate it into its new shape.

Post procedure. I have to wear these goggles to protect the cuts from infection for at least 12 hours and through the night. Small price to pay for what I can see now.

The first 3 hours after surgery were rough but things are going well now.I can't believe I can see without any help!

Winter?

2012-01-11T04:25:00.000-06:00

I'm the last person who should complain about our lack of winter in this state; I have zero tolerance for cold weather. But really, this is winter in Wisconsin? We've been here 11 years and this may be the most lame winter we've experienced. I'm great with this, the rest of the State...not so much. I can understand given the many wintertime hobbies and tourism, this State counts on traditional Wisconsin winters. For their sake I hope we get walloped with snow, for my sake I hope we stick with what has been status quo this year.

Capitalizing on the warm weather, we spent most of last Saturday moving firewood, rinding bikes, taking walks and playing on the swing set. It felt more like early spring than the middle of winter. We had a snowball fight with the two chunks of snow that had escaped the sun. Come to find out, Maggee likes to each the ice/snow balls, Jackson does too.

We continue to relish our outdoor family time as long as we can. I would be OK if winter reared it's ugly head now, we have been spoiled. That said, the snow had better be gone my May 1st...last year we were DUMPED on (~15") mid-April. Do we have a deal Mother Nature? : )

The rule: Don't eat yellow or brown snow...ever. Stellar parenting advice.

Merry Christmas Arizona!

2012-01-02T19:19:00.000-06:00

WARNING - LONG, LONG POST!

I hope everyone's 2012 has started off well (the one whole day of it!). But I don't want to focus on 2012 just yet, I want to talk about how we closed out 2011. This year we had a destination Christmas with the Syring's in Phoenix, AZ. I have to say, the weather was unbelievable but Christmas without cold doesn't compute with this Midwest family and we found ourselves on many occasions reminding each other that it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Never-the-less, we were in AZ with Mike, Mara and Rohan and it was great! Here's how our time in AZ went day by day:

DAY 1 - We're HERE! We arrived in the afternoon and pretty much spent the rest of the day catching up, getting a rental van and enjoying a nice walk around the Syring's new neighborhood (we love the new house and location!!!).

DAY 2 - Our day started early because we had a decent drive to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We had a rental van which allowed us to chat and the boys to play. All I can say about this there is no doubt this amazing landscape should be on the list of Wonders of the World. It is spectacular and when people say you have to see it to understand they're correct. I have never seen a landscape that mesmerized and awed me continuously like the Grand Canyon. We were lucky enough to see it as the sun rose and as it set. Besides the amazing views, the Canyon also offered us glimpses of mule deer and elk.

We had a hotel for the night and the boys enjoyed the pool and all of the novel amenitites a hotel offers to young children (bouncing on beds, pillow fights, late night bed times...). The adults also partook in a little novel fun by instigating an all out pillow war. The pictures are hilarious and Jackson and Rohan had a blast (we did too!).

On our way back to Phoenix we stopped in Flagstaff to enjoy two favorite spots we had discovered two years ago: Thorpe Park and the Railroad Cafe. The Cafe is a little diner with trains that run around tracks near the ceiling. You can imagine how entertained Jackson and Rohan were!

It was Christmas Eve so on our way back home our talks involved hyping up Santa's arrival and figuring out what we should leave him to eat.

DAY 3 - Merry Christmas! My present to myself, Mara and Mike was to get everyone up at 4 am and go for a 7.1 mile run. It was excellent!!! And then my day was made when we woke the boys up and told them Santa had come. Both were blurry-eyed but excited and headed downstairs to see if they had been naughty or nice. Jackson was pleased to see Santa found him in AZ, Rohan was all smiles from the time he woke up Christmas morning until he went to bed. I was excited to see Santa Mike found me in AZ and left me the gift of laughter in the form of the book, "I'm Better Than Your Kids". I have laugh enough to cry every time I have opened this book. THANK YOU MIKE!

After presents we enjoyed a good amount of park time that involved football, soccer, a playground and feeding the ducks and geese. The evening was wrapped up with a Packer win over the Bears (sorry Honey!).
DAY 4 - A trip to Phoenix wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Matador coffee house. So we headed out for a nice walk to get our caffeine fix. I love their cafe au laits, an appropriate drink to have at a place called Matador : )

A trip to AZ isn't complete without a trail run! We decided to do a Stokes and Syring tag team run. Chris and I stayed with Rohan and Jackson while Mike and Mara did the first half of their run and then vice versa. The boys we enthralled for about an hour playing with rocks, trucks and cars. What more could two boys ask for?

That evening we did one of my favorite things to do in AZ, go climbing. Mike and Mara belong to a gym called AZ on the Rocks of which I have been a few times before but Jackson and Chris had not. I would have bet money that Jackson wouldn't have climbed more than 5 feet off the ground, simply because a few months ago he was in a harness and had the option to climb and got about 3 feet up and said no way. This set up was MUCH larger and intimidating. Well, I was wrong. Jackson took to the wall and had a blast. After he was tired of the harness he and Rohan free climbed on a wall with crash pads underneath them. Both of those monkeys were free climbing up the wall and jumping to the crash pads below. Is this my kid?Chris enjoyed the climbing as well, but I'm not sure as much as I did. Once again, I could have climbed a lot longer but my forearms wouldn't have it; 2 hours was all they could take. If I could go more often I'm sure conditioning would help but unfortunately the closest climbing gym to us is in Milwaukee.
DAY 5 - To wrap up the stay on a high note Mike, Mara and I hit the road at 6 am for a nice run. Kudos to Mike for getting up after first deciding not to, that was awesome and meant a lot to me.

Before heading to the airport we hit the park where the boys can feed the ducks and geese and then it was back to Green Bay.

It was a great trip and I enjoyed spending the Holiday with the Syring's. Jackson and Rohan got along famously and that makes me wish even more that we lived closer. Maybe someday? THANK YOU to Mike, Mara and Rohan for hosting us and putting up with us : ) We hope to see you all again soon!!!

NOTE - I only have a small sample of the photos from our trip here. If you want to see more check out my brother's blog, he has a TON!

Christmas is a little different this year...

2011-12-21T21:09:00.001-06:00

This Christmas we're doing things a little different. We're spending Christmas in Phoenix with my brother and his family (YAY!!!) which means Santa had to come to our house a little early (there was no way I was paying to haul all the presents down there! He'll get a few though...).

Santa arrived last Sunday and didn't disappoint our little guy. Chris and I did well not over buying, instead we put extra money into his college fund. It's a good thing too because my parents were in fine Grandparent form and spoiled him rotten. That's their job as Grandparents though! : ) He also received a HUGE package from his Grandma in FL which contained about 5 large gifts. And finally, the Bowers got him his race track set which was an instant hit. Thank you to everyone for thinking of Jackson on Christmas, it means a lot to him and Chris and I!

We leave tomorrow morning for AZ and can't begin to convey how excited we are. I can't wait to see Mike and Mara's new home; I hope the Syring's are ready for us!

Jackson got a ton of Packer attire. He decided to try them all on at once. What you can't see is that the has a jersey and Packer underwear on as well.

Mom, Jackson and Grandpa all working on un-packaging stuff and putting things together. It takes a team with the armor these toys were clad in.

Jackson gave his Grandparents the Christmas present (Packer poster) he had been working on for the last week. As you can tell his mind was on what to open next and we were all left admiring his work of 'art'. He put a lot of love into this poster and I was proud of him for thinking of making a gift for his Grandma and Grandpa.

Chris and I, a rare photo where one of us isn't behind the camera!

Santa brought Jackson the game Go Fish. He and Dad were in the middle of a Go Fish marathon.

Where I spend the winter season...

Rudolph is who this deer was dubbed. Another stuffed animal to add to the plethora already in his bed. He no longer uses a pillow, he sleep on his animals.

Proudly showing off his Highway Hauler truck from his Grandma and Grandpa.

I love his expression!

I found this picture of my Dad and my son sweet.

Winter Outdoor Activity

2011-12-17T21:36:00.001-06:00

We need a winter family activity. We don't snowmobile, downhill ski, ice fish or snowshoe (yet) and that needs to change. Winter up here is WAY too long to not get out more than we did last year. An opportunity presented itself during a conversation with the owner of an athletic store I frequent (InCompetition Sports). Mark was telling me about Bay Area Youth Nordic Ski Club, an organization he's involved with that hosts a 6 session cross country ski clinic for kids over the winter. Sign us up!

Our first clinic was today and lack of snow was an issue, that's kind of important. Despite this 'minor' issue, the organizers did a great job still finding a way to get the kids started with the fundamentals of cross country skiing. The little preschoolers (Penguin group) were given ski poles and began learning to use the poles, keep a ski stance and the alternating motion of the hands and feet. That's about all you can do if don't have snow!

To keep the kids active for the rest of the 2 hours the Club set up obstacle courses ranging from ladder runs, parachute play, hurdles, and on and on and then wrapped up the session by having the kids run the ski course. They were all toast by the time the 2 hours was up and the melt downs had started. Jackson was a trooper though, my little red cheeked boy was and smiling wide when he told me he "couldn't pick out the bestest thing" he did today.

We'll see how this goes when the skis go on and the snow comes down : )

120 kids this year!

To wrap up a great morning we enjoyed warm hot chocolate and a Christmas cookie!

Christmas Traditions on Mycena Circle: Lights, Elves, Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

Look, it's Santa Daddy!

The Christmas lights needed fixed so Chris took advantage of a gorgeous day last weekend while Jackson and I played soccer. There are oh so few days (if any) like this left. :(

The Elf on the Shelf is back for a second year. Jackson decided to call him "Melman" - the giraffe from the movie Madagascar. Melman shows up in a different location each morning. Here are some of the places he has been so far: stuck in a crevasse of the TV, top of a picture, refrigerator, top of a fan, the fireplace mantle, and sticking up through the cushions in the couch. Jackson thinks Melman watches him for Santa and reports back if he's being naughty or nice.

I would like to keep Melman in the house year round....

Another holiday, another excuse to create a ginger bread house! We always have so much fun doing this and it takes us all evening so it's a good family activity that we look forward to. We did one large house this time, with Chris creating the structure out a of a shoebox and packaging tape. Jackson and I shopped for the decorations and were scheming on our decorating strategy. Jackson is all business when it comes time to decorating, just like his Mom.

Too much sugar.

Ta - dah!

2011-12-11T06:43:00.000-06:00

If you follow our blog you've likely seen the new smile Jackson has been sporting for pictures. It's forced to say the least...

His first take of his school pictures turned out worse than the example above, I wish I had scanned it before sending them back. I decided it was worth the $5 to have them retaken but for 4K you have to go to the photo studio. So, Jackson and I showed up at the photo studio of a well known (excellent) local photographer to have a re shoot.

Side Note....as I recall, my cheesy school photos were never taken by a professional photographer.

I assumed the retake session would include the usual... a chair, a pull down background and two shots. I was wrong. The retake ended up being a personal 1:1 session with about 25 different shots taken which I was able to choose from! At first all we were getting were the cheesy forced smiles we had become accustomed to. However, lucky for us, this gentleman was also the photographer for the Packers Organization and had shot the previous evening's Monday night football game and still had the photos on his camera. A quick discussion about that followed by photos showing Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and that was all it took to bring a natural smile to this boys face.

The icing on the cake...they never charged me the $5!

'Tis the Season

2011-12-03T05:30:00.000-06:00

Surprise! Christmas is just around the corner! That's how the Christmas season presented itself to me this year. It wasn't until we spent the better part of an afternoon and evening getting the house Christmas-a-fied that it hit me, Christmas is 1 month away! After the initial panic (I have given ZERO thought to presents this year) it also hit me that we're leaving for Arizona in less than a month. Yipeeee! Then panic set in again...what to pack, what to ship, how to orchestrate Christmas 1,000 miles away, how to pull off an early Christmas at home......and then I stopped.

I realized I was getting caught up in the exact rat race of the Christmas Holiday I vow not to every year. Christmas isn't about being stressed out, panicking due to lack of presents or the logistics of a family vacation. Maybe to some it is, to each their own. However, Christmas to me, and the message I want to convey to Jackson, is that Christmas is about so much more than that.

My two goofballs. I love this picture of the two of them!

The wonderment of Christmas...

Annual Stokes Christmas Tradition: Ringing the bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign. Nothing brings in the dough than a 4 year old ringing a bell, in an Aaron Rodgers jersey, saying Merry Christmas!.

Shamless ploy but for a good cause!

From trot to turkey, we gobbled it all up!

2011-11-27T21:47:00.000-06:00

The Stokes' started a new tr adition this year, doing a turkey trot race the morning of Thanksgiving. Chris and Jackson did the 2 mile and I did the 5 mile race. Jackson is recovering from bronchitis so they took it easy, I'm recovering from a busted tailbone and I.....did not. Surprised? I didn't think so. Since it hurts horribly when I sit I figured this was a good alternative. I ended up running the race WAY to fast in the beginning and then 'bonked' at the end. I clocked about 45 sec faster per mile than what I usually run. Jackson did excellent and LOVED the excitement of the event, Chris did too.

We rewarded ourselves with excellent company and marvelous food at my parent's house. We had Thanksgiving with them and our family friend Pat. The food was delicious and the Packer vs. Lions game was the dessert : ) GO PACK!

Pre-Race

(I was soooo freaking cold!)

Post Race

Now let's eat!

My Dad enjoys some pie with his Cool-Whip. This is a Thanksgiving tradition...or a tradition anytime he has pie.

I love ya Dad!

Time to eat!!!

My boys nap at my parent's house after a good meal and a great football game.

Letting the air out of an Iowa GIANT!

2011-11-27T19:05:00.001-06:00

Blog posting by Chris.

Possibly the best Whitetail hunt ever! For those of you who know me that is saying a lot. The 2011 Iowa bow hunt I just experienced surpassed even my expectations. Seeing 10-35 deer daily, 6-18 bucks daily and bucks ranging from 1.5 year spikes to a 6.5 year old main frame ten with splits and kickers everywhere was incredible (185+). First my biggest thanks to the Wieck family who not only have been my best friend for 25 years but fed and housed me for the duration of the hunt.

Also a HUGE thanks to Josh S. for setting up stands for me to hunt, running 30+ trail cameras and showing me why I need to stay in the stand 11 hours a day, filming me (even though he called me off a 160+ ten point that was only 3.5 years old; too young) and just putting me on to the legendary Iowa giants. I did log where, when, what and how many deer I saw daily but the main stats are as follows: 5.5 days hunted, 127 deer, 51 bucks, 64 hours logged on stand and one 6.5 year old main frame 8 point with two kickers on the ground (see pictures). The shot was 26 yards and he tipped over in sight not 30 yards from the shot.

There were so many positives to this hunt but there was one negative. As I leave the state to follow the passion of my hunting I find myself longing for home more and more. Thank God for technology so I can stay in touch with my other true passion, my family. It is hard to leave Jackson for long stretches of time but he has shown he is following in his Dad’s footsteps and shares deeply in these hunts I travel on. As far as my wife, she is the greatest and most supportive wife on the face of the planet. I love her with all my heart and through her all things are possible, even bow hunting. Guys, be jealous it’s OK.

Maggee meets the deer.

Jackson went to the taxidermist with me. He thought the African mounts were "pretty awesome".

Missing Dad.

2011-11-21T19:22:00.000-06:00

Chris has been gone the last 8 days, deer hunting in Iowa. Outside of our Jamaica trip a year and a half ago this was the longest he had been away from Jackson. I knew it would be tough on Chris but I wasn't prepared for how tough it was on Jackson. Jackson has always been fine as long as I'm around (Mommy's boy since day one) but this time he wasn't fine, he missed his Daddy dearly.
Chris wasn't gone 24 hrs and Jackson began with "I miss my Daddy". Talk about heart breaking, his and mine. I missed Chris too and hated to see my little guy so sad. So, for the next 8 days we made plenty of phone calls to Dad and kept busy with Daddy-themed projects, outings and friends.

Jackson proudly displaying the stone he crafted for his Dad.

Up close picture of the stone. Yes, that's a pig he put in the cement.

Dad's present wrapped in bows. The green paper is Jackson's Daddy Calender. He cut out deer pictures and decorated it. The silly string is what we nailed Chris with when he got home. Sorry, no pictures of that, too busy spraying!

A nice delivery at work from Chris. He missed me too : )

Concentrating on his help with Dad's welcome home cake.

Jackson had free reign to decorate the cake. Can you tell? Among the toppers: fish, does, buck, turkey, fishing rod, and 1/2 a container of sprinkles. Oh yeah, the bracelet he made in Sunday school that morning was also smashed into the frosting.

: )

Unfortunately, our projects and outings had to be scaled back a bit given my broken tailbone (long story involving a football game and a 4 year old) and Jackson's battle with either bronchitis or influenza since last Friday (still hasn't resolved itself).

Doctor's office this morning.

Diagnosis: Influenza or bronchitis. If the 103 degree fever lasts another 2 days (day 5) start him on the prescribed antibiotics.

The morning Chris was supposed to leave for Iowa he was instead with me at urgent care for my tailbone.

This is me waiting for the doctor. I look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

No worries, Chris was still able to leave for Iowa, just a little delayed.

As for the big homecoming, I'll let Chris post about that. He is excited to blog about his trip!

A little of this, a little of that...

2011-11-15T21:21:00.000-06:00

That sums up this posting. It's a spaghetti bowl of photos and a video. Let me start by explaining the photos....

Chris is gone for his 9-day deer hunt in Iowa. But, before he could go, Jackson and I had to make sure he had plenty of Chex mix on hand for his drive time and tree time (we probably could have come up with a quieter snack). He is well stocked.

New season, new activity! The latst and greatest activity is indoor soccer. Jackson and two of his friends signed up for a 6 week session that began two weeks ago. He seems to love this even more than playing outdoor soccer, which he has been doing since the start of summer. I love it because it takes a small portion of the never ending energy out of him.

N-e-v-e-r E-n-d-i-n-g energy.

I had to include the funny picture of Chris and I on date night this past weekend. We had a lot of fun finding these shirts. However, we received some interesting stares and laughs at a gas station on our way to the party : )

The last video captures the daily lunacy of our household (all parents can relate to this). I love that Jackson brings out the goofiness in Chris and I. This "performance" started out serious and then he showed his true colors....see the video at the bottom.

Jackson helping me make TWENTY cups of chex mix. Most of which was for Chris' 9-day Iowa deer hunt. I know, we went a little overboard but it's only because we love him and want him well taken care of. We miss you honey!

Come on, you have to taste it to make sure it turned out OK!

Date night: A tropical-themed party. Thank God Goodwill carries this stuff : )

Sunday was declared by Jackson as "fort day".

Fort building is exhausting! He fell asleep while I was reading to him.

Indoor soccer, a new favorite. Still doesn't beat football though...nothing does!

Yes, he's standing on the garbage can. Wait for it at the end, he adds a little spice to the show : )

Yummy in the Tummy!

2011-11-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

I was racking my brain as to what to make for dinner tonight; something we could eat off for the next few days. Then I remembered an old favorite from when I was a kid, chicken pot pie! Wow, this is just as good as I remember it and I had an excellent helper/taste tester. It was yummy in our tummies!

The finished product. Success!

What was not so yummy for the tummy was the Halloween candy Maggee got a hold of. Houdini, as I like to call her now, some how found her way up on the kitchen counter to a Halloween bag my parents had given Jackson. Below is a picture of what was left, strewn all over the house. We found additional wrappers later. Some of the miniature candy bars she ate whole, paper and wrapper included. They were seen later...

Maggee is now for sale. OK, she's not but I have contemplated it over the past few weeks.

And now that Halloween is over the retail industry has decided to once again bypass Thanksgiving and go right into Christmas. This has started the "how long until Christmas" questions from Jackson as he now sees Santa, etc. all over the place. To placate his excitement I took the Christmas ads in Sunday's paper and we circled what we might put on his list to Santa. Oh the wonderment of a child.

I Want Candy...I want Candy...

2011-11-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

Jackson was obsessed with getting as much candy as possible this year. He woke up in the best mood and immediately started talking about all the candy he would get today, even offering to share his chocolate treats with me (I'm a chocolate snob, no Hershey's for me). Candy is an excellent motivator....

Jackson teamed up with two buddies this year for trick-or-treating and they put a hurt on the neighborhood candy stash. They made out like bandits, even having to stop and dump their basket twice into our larger bags. How much candy does a little boy need?!?!

This year we lucked out with nice weather, cold but not raining. After trick-or-treating everyone came back to our house where my parents had been handing out candy and warmed up with some chili and a fire. Believe it or not, after dinner the boys forgot about devouring their candy and simply played.

It was a 'sweet' Halloween!

Jackson wanted Maggee to be a princess this Halloween. I had fun honoring his wish! Maggee...not so much.

The crew pausing for a quick picture.

Jackson posing with his 'co-workers'.

Jackson and I Halloween morning, He was so excited to get on with the day. No proding needed to get dressed, etc. I wish all mornings were like this!

***I have no idea what this new smile on Jackson is all about. He recently had school pictures taken and this smile made another appearance.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!?!

2011-10-30T20:33:00.001-05:00

Well, if you live in Wisconsin you had better be! And Jackson sure is! Chris surprised him with a Packer helmet and the boy was on cloud nine. He is ALWAYS ready for football.

Haunted Houses

2011-10-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

We spent a lot of the weekend outside: 2 long runs for me, going to Jackson's soccer game, pulling out the garden, attending a birthday party, and a long walk Saturday night under an amazing sky. Unfortunately, Sunday afternoon turned rainy and forced us inside. In an attempt to exhaust Jackson's never-ending energy we played football inside during the Packer game.

To stay entertained we decided to take our Christmas tradition of making gingerbread houses and make Halloween haunted houses. As is Chris' typical style, his turned out awesome. Jackson and I decided to go the 'throw as much random shit on your house' strategy. It worked out well enough. : )

The Stokes Family with their haunted houses. Jackson's smile is priceless.

My Halloween ghouls!

Concentration. He told us he was building a haunted forest.

Stupid decision on my part to wear white. Amazingly I didn't get anything on it! The next stop for Jackson and I was the sink to wash his hands!

A preview of Maggee's Halloween costume...

It was one of those days...

2011-10-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today was just one of those days. However, the surprises below, one from Mother Nature and the other from my husband, helped improve my mood. Perfect timing.

Unbelievable Sunset

Debbie's Got a Gun......

2011-10-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

Aerosmith sings a song that goes something like that but I think it was "Janie", not Debbie :)

Saturday we met up with my parents and went and shot clays. My Mom had never shot a gun before but was willing to try! She did fine and shot twice but the kick was a bit much and she called it good after that. My Dad also took a turn and did surprisingly well for someone who likely hasn't shot a gun in a decade.

After shooting we went and had pizza and did some cosmic bowling to finish up the evening. Sadly, Jackson bowled better than me...in both games.

I threw in two pictures from my seat at Sunday's Packer game. I had a great time tailgating and watching the Packers beat the Rams up close and personal!

Careful, she's got a gun!

"You got a piece of it Dad!"

Chris giving my Mom lessons before she shoots her first gun.

Larry is a good shot!

Jackson giving Grandpa pointers on his game.

Jackson waiting patiently for his ball to get to the pins : )

Packers vs. Rams...Packers Won!

Sweet Seats!

Football Fanatic!

2011-10-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

Like most little boys, Jackson loves football. He loves playing it, watching it and talking about it. So Friday night we went to our local high school's homecoming game. The energy was intense and for all Jackson knew we were at a professional game the way he reacted. When we got there we lined up at the fence to watch the players run into the stadium...and then chaos erupted.

Jackson's good friend Drew and his brother and father were at the game too. When they saw each other the boys went NUTS!!! What luck to be standing right by them in that crowd! We ended up sitting with them at the game and the boys played their hearts out and cheered whenever either team scored : )

All I can say about these photos is BOYS WILL BE BOYS!

Saturday we were fortunate enough to go quail and pheasant hunting with some friends in the up in the Northwoods. They had a friend with extra birds from their game farm and offered them up to us. So Chris and Charilie planted the birds and Ashley and I hunted. Jackson walked with us and Maggee was out in front. Ashley and I didn't fair so well in the dense brush and pines. This was NOT the typical Iowa pheasant hunting I'm used to. Charlie and Chris did a bit better but many of the birds lived to see another day.

In the end it didn't matter the number of birds we got, we had a great time!

The first bird shot. Jackson didn't realize when he asked to hold it that it was bleeding pretty bad. Note his face in this picture : )

A Perfect Fit!

2011-10-02T20:11:00.001-05:00

It's been far too long since I had shot my 20 gage over-and-under but it was my own fault. For 5 years the firing pins have needed some TLC and they finally got it. So on Saturday and Sunday we went out and shot clays and went grouse hunting.

Shooting my 20 gage was like putting on my favorite pair of running shoes, it fits perfectly. I was really enjoying getting reacquainted with my old friend and ended up shooting about 110 shells over the two days. My shoulder is a little tender but the smile on my face says it was worth it!

Pheasant hunting has always been my favorite hunting past time, but since leaving Iowa we haven't done much of it. We're lucky to have an opportunity in the next few weeks to hunt them and I couldn't be more excited!

Maggee also got in on the action and let her instincts take over, she did amazingly well both days. I know, it shocked the shit out of us too. Jackson was the 'Master Helper' as he called it, handing Chris clays to throw and helping me pick up the spent shells.

While we didn't get (or see) grouse it was a beautiful fall weekend and Maggee was in her element, Jackson was content just being in the woods and Chris and I just soaked it all in.

Time in the Woods

2011-09-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

Well, we didn't spend all of our weekend in the woods but Friday and Saturday nights we did.

Friday evening started and ended very special. It started when I arrived home from work to a dozen yellow roses! Thank you my Love! We ended the evening with a hike in the nearby woods. Jackson spent most of his time veering off into the woods looking for frogs and flowers (for Mom!). He is so inquisitive now, it's amazing to watch him learn so much so fast. Friday's hike was one of those family outings you do on a whim that turns out better than any outing you could have planned.

Daring...

I'm going to net you!

It's getting dark!

Finally, a place where there might be frogs!

I love my Daddy.

Mom and Jackson ready to find bugs and frogs.

How my Friday started. Surprise!

Saturday Jackson went deer hunting for the first time. Chris, Jackson and I sat in a ground blind and waited patiently for deer. Jackson lasted 2 1/2 hours in the blind, respectable for a 4 year old. I bated his patience with peanuts in the shell, a time consuming activity that holds his interest and fills is belly. The rest of the time was filled with a million questions, Jackson's new past times.

While the deer never came we did see two bucks as we were walking out. They were across the field in the fog fighting. We could hear their antlers banging together. We all were in awe.

Dad carries his little hunter.

Ready to spray Mom with scent spray. Not likely to make a difference when you have a chatty 4 year old : )

Mom and Jackson cozy in the blind.

Spraying Dad with scent spray.

TWO REALLY QUICK VIDEOS

We don't have very good luck with cameras....

How do you scare the animals in the woods?

Quarry Quest

2011-09-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Quarry Quest. Quarry Quest is a unique opportunity to tour a working quarry, ride and explore giant excavation machinery, among many other fun activities that all involve big machines and/or dirt. A little boys dream!

This is the second year we've been able to go and we enjoyed it immensely. The last time we went Jackson was 2 and was just getting into diggers and machines. This year he was in his element, and that's an understatement.

The lines were long but we went with some friends we met through soccer so the adults talked chatted our way through the wait and the boys played non-stop. Needless-to-say, the 4 hours we sept at Quarry Quest resulted in a nice nap for Jackson on the way home.

Jackson and his friend Ben. They look like two foreman discussing design plans.

Chris teaches Jackson how to work the sling shot to hit the targets. I'm sure he didn't get any ideas from this.

Chris, Jackson, Ben and Tom keeping tabs on each other so they don't get separated in the crowd.

Jackson operating the digger with one of the volunteer operators.

This is just a miscellaneous picture showing Jackson and I making our first apple crisp of the season with apples from our tree.

Who Knew!

2011-09-11T19:53:00.000-05:00

Friday while we were all in the car I saw a little boy on the sidewalk riding his bike without his training wheels. I said to Jackson, "One day that'll be you!". He was quiet and then he said, "I want to try that!".

Off they came. The next thing I knew I was perched at the top of the hill on the side of our yard ready to push my son down the hill. I remember thinking to myself, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Well, it turns out Jackson can ride his bike without training wheels, who knew! Turning seems to be a bit of an issue but we'll work up to that :)

Rock On!

2011-09-09T21:25:00.004-05:00

The NFL hosted one of the largest parties Green Bay as ever seen at Lambeau Field last Thursday and we decided to brave the chaos. And chaos it was but in a good way. There was 70,000 people and the entire Lambeau area had been transformed into a state of the art concert stage and event village.

My favorite part of the party was the Kid Rock concert. He is an amazing performer and had Jackson and I dancing and yelling to our hearts content. This was one of the most fun events us, as a family, have ever attended. It's hard to even begin explaining the energy, fun and pageantry that went into this event. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

I'll leave you with a funny story. When I went to bed Thursday night I woke Jackson up to go to the bathroom and as he is standing in front of the toilet, weaving from exhaustion, he says to me, "That was some party, huh Mom ." Yes, is was some party!

Fighter jet fly over

San Diego Comes to Green Bay!

2011-09-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

It was our pleasure to host Steve Stokes (Chris's brother) and our nephew Zachary from San Diego over the long Labor Day weekend. Its been too long since we saw them (it always is).

True to what they love to do, Steve and Chris managed to get in 36 holes of golf and lot of basketball games with the boys. Another big hit during their trip was fishing. Zach and Jackson were in heaven having found a location where the fish were a plenty. They ended up going fishing three times while they were here. It was my pleasure to torture Steve and Zach by taking them to Lambeau Field. I don't think Steve or Zach will ever be the same from the trauma they had to endure : )

It was great to connect Jackson with his family and put the real person to those names he says every night in his prayers. And I couldn't have asked for Zach to be a better cousin to Jackson. He was so patient with Jackson and they played so well together. Thank you Zach!

One heck of a large mouth bass. Jackson let Chris reel this in after feeling it tug and then jump a few times.

Chris and Steve

Zach is all business fishing.

Outside Curly's Pub at Lambeau Field

Zach and Jackson's trap for us adults. Every toy in the basement was in this elaborate contraption and served a very specific role. Their imaginations are amazing!

Quite the pair : )

Jackson ready to run a play at the Kids Zone at Lambeau Field.

Jackson trying to reach the pedals of the race car game.

The boys 'playing' with Maggee

4k...NO WAY!

2011-09-01T21:41:00.000-05:00

So this is the point in my life when time is put on fast forward. Actually, I think the button was pushed the day Jackson was born. I cannot believe he's in 4k (preschool) already! He was so excited he could barley go to sleep last night. This morning he popped out of bed, raring to go. Me? I was fine until I dropped him off in his little classroom and had to leave. He was bounding off to say hi to a friend and I had to ask him for a hug goodbye. I needed it, he was fine : )

These tow photos are for pure levity. Maggee has always been my 'special' dog. This proves just how special she is.

What dog lays in the shower? She has NEVER done this before.

Wow...

Surprise! We're Coming to Visit!

2011-08-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

On Thursday Chris and I decided to head to Iowa to see the Bowers' family. Luckily our dog sitter was available and the Bowers' were happy to have us. We had no plans other than a nice adult dinner on Saturday night. It's a good thing too becuase Chris ended up coming down with a milder version of the flu that Jackson and I had battled the past two weeks. He was a trooper though. I piqued his interest by suggesting a trip to see where the American Pickers home base is (Le Claire, IA), it's one of his favorite TV shows.

Jackson may never be the same after this trip. I drug him with Taylor, Jen and I to go Homecoming dress shopping. The moment we walked into the store he said, "Mom, I don't like these kind of stores." And at that point he had no idea just how long we wer going to be there!

Besides going dress shopping and to Antique Archeology, we also hit up my childhood favorite ice cream store, Whitey's Ice Cream! Taylor and Kaylee entertained Jackson for the evening and us adults headed out for some good food and drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings. We had a really great time, it was much needed by all.

The time went by WAY to fast, it always does.

Chris is down for the count : (

Jackson enjoying the puzzle game on my iTouch as we dress shopped for Taylor's homecoming dress.

You scream, I scream, we all scream for......Whitey's ice cream!!!

Jackson enjoying Kaylee's scooter.

Chris at American Pickers Antique Archeology shop. This is his mecca.

This was not Jackson's mecca. He never woke up to see any of it.

Now what?

Another monkey up in the tree.

Relishing Every Last Moment.

2011-08-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

As summer slowly winds down we're trying to relish every moment and all of the fun activities. So Wednesday night Jackson stayed up later than usual and we all enjoyed two hours at the NEW Zoo. It's free from 6-8 PM and I can't resist FREE! We had a great time, despite me feeling a bit achy. Little did I know this was the start of the flu :(

Saturday marked the first day I felt like I was back with the living so we headed to Whitefish Dunes SP and enjoyed Lake Michigan for an afternoon. This Park has the most unbelievable geology and beautiful scenery. A favorite State Park of mine.

Enjoying the beautiful evening with Mom.

Jackson and I ventured out onto the tidal flats. The water is crystal clear and right where we stopped the rock dropped off, similar to what the shoreline cliffs do that are out of the water. It was awesome to see!

Sunday was all about fishing. Jackson and Chris went fishing without me in the morning and then we all went as a family in the evening. Sunday may very well have been the most beautiful day of the summer.

Here are some random pictures of Jackson after he got a haircut this weekend (he looks so grown up!). After the hair cut, on our way to the car he asked to put his feet in the fountain. I said "Sure, why not." Well, his feet are in but...

So is the rest of him :) We had no extra clothes, no towels...no worries. He rode home buck naked.

Frog City One, Two & Three

2011-08-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

I had to do a post about a new fascination Jackson has, frogs. Jackson has affectionately named two locations along the trail frequent as Frog City One and Frog City Two. These are two marsh areas along the trail full of frogs and turtles. When we head that way we take a net and spend time catching and releasing leopard and bull frogs. Every now and again we find a confused toad.

Well this weekend we found Frog City Three, conveniently located behind the house. We spent a lot of time back there until Saturday night until Jackson spiked a temp. The picture at the end sums up how he felt. But once he was better we headed back down to the pond and stream to see the frogs : )

Just a beautiful sunrise taken during an early morning drive to Madison.

The family heads to Frog City 3.

Jackson holds up one of his many frog friends.

Another frog "friend".

He has the fever eyes. Not feeling so great...

It Was Time...

2011-08-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

Gabby Jay Stokes: July 21, 1996 - August 11, 2011

She was 15 years old, she lived a great life.

Her body said it was tired and it was time.

(Now if someone can help me explain that to a 4 year old...)

Classic Gabby. It left you wondering what was behind the eyes.

Jackson giving her a hug.

Jackson taking care of Gabby.

Maggee and Gabby welcoming Jackson home the day he was born.

Gabby thought Santa's cookies should be for her. She did get one : )

Up, Up and Away to Start the Weekend!

2011-08-07T20:47:00.005-05:00

Friday we went to the balloon event in Seymour, part of their city's summer festival. I was skeptical at how spectacular hot air balloon lighting can be. My skepticism was put to rest as soon as the sun went down, it was pretty cool.

We also enjoyed part of a day touring a nearby farm called Mulberry Lane Farm. Of course I bought a Groupon 2 months ago so we all enjoyed it at half price, it was all that much sweeter! OK, even at full price this would have been worth it. There was a lot more hands on fun (milking a cow, riding a horse, holding goats, etc.) than any other zoo or farm experience we've been to. It was a fabulous day!

Alternate link to photo album:

August 6, 2011

Happy Birthday Month Mom!

2011-08-03T20:48:00.000-05:00

My Mom doesn't just celebrate her birthday on her birth day, she elects to celebrate the entire month. OK, that's exaggerating a tad but she makes the most out of it that's for sure! Last weekend Jackson and I headed down to swim at their condo and brought Grandma a birthday cookie made by Jackson and I. No worries about Grandpa, he got a cookie too (realistically depicting the 5 remaining hairs on Larry's head).

After swimming we managed to head home right as a giant storm was rolling in. My instinct was t grab the camera. I had to post this amazing photo of the storm front.

On my Mom's actual birthday (8/2) Chris, Jackson and I took her out to dinner. The best part of dinner was the wait staff singing happy birthday to her. They announced to the entire restaurant that she was celebrating her 21st birthday. Obviously they got it wrong, it was her 22nd!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Giraffe on Parade

2011-07-28T06:44:00.000-05:00

After three weeks of strategizing on and then executing Jackson's request to have a giraffe float for the Appleton's Children's Museum Parade the father-son masterpiece was done a mere 30 minutes before we left for the parade. Jackson walked the parade route with 1500 other pint-sized parade goers. About half way through the parade he looks at Chris and I and said, "This is awesome!". It's a new perspective being IN the parade versus watching it and he thought that was awesome. Now to convince his he can't be in EVERY parade : )

Read to go!

Jackson and his masterpiece creator...Dad!

The cheering section. My Mom and her friend Pat came to watch the parade. Thank you!

Mom and her (not so) little giraffe : )

What a turn out!

He made the news!

Appleton hosts annual children's parade: fox11online.com

Tay and Kay: Day 2 at Château Stokes

2011-07-24T16:45:00.001-05:00

Day 2 at Château Stokes was less exciting than Day 1 mainly because we spent more time in the car than we cared to. We needed to head back up to Door County to pick up the everyone's art projects after they had been fired so into the car we went. We tried to break up the trip by heading to PC Junction for lunch and then hitting up Fish Creek for a quick shopping stop and play. All in all, the highlight for everyone was getting gout of the car at my parent's house in Appleton. Jackson, Tay and Kay were ready for the pool!!!

When we arrived at my parents I informed Chris of our surprise DATE NIGHT that I planned! Sadly, neither of us could remember when our last date night was so it was overdue. My parents kept Jackson overnight and Chris and I were able to enjoy an evening together, complete with grilled fish and salads on the deck. Sunday morning Chris came with me on my 6.2 mile run which really made my day. And to top it off, he went shopping with me, helped me pick out clothes, gave me constructive feedback and even carried my bags. You know that scene from Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts goes shopping...well, I'm definitely not Julia Roberts but I felt that way thanks to my personal shopper husband. And, are you ready for the real topper......Chris gave up free tickets to a hunting expo to shop with me today! THANK YOU HONEY!

A little fun while we wait for our train stop to be ready

Basketball passes the time and excites the appetite!

Ok, it's not beer (it's root beer) but it would have been funny to see my sister's face when I sent this to her!

Oh the tourist charms of Door County.

Feeding the ducks

Me and my wonderful, intellegent and beautiful Nieces!

Tay and Kay: Day 1 at Château Stokes

2011-07-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

My nieces are in town visiting from Iowa this week. We are so lucky to have gotten to visit with them numerous times during this trip. They have been staying at my parent's condo and relishing the pool during our record heat. However, they came to Château Stokes Thursday night for a few nights with us!.

So, Friday I took the day off work and Taylor, Kaylee, Jackson and I headed to Door County for the day. We hit the Hands On Art Studio first and had an unbelievable time. If you can I would highly recommend this place for kids and adults! Especially the glass studio, we could have spent hours there but with a 4 year old we were lucky to last the 2.5 hours we did!

After expressing our creative sides, we headed to Peninsula State Park and Nicolet Beach for a picnic, paddle boating, sun and fun. It was a marvelous day and the beach didn't disappoint. We wrapped up the evening by grilling pizzas, making cherry cobbler with Door County cherries and taking a walk on a nice evening (finally it has cooled down).

Tomorrow we'll be......

How to make the summer feel longer? ... Mini-Vacations!

2011-07-10T20:59:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: blog post and photo captions by Chris : )

This weekend was no longer than any other, obviously, but to make it feel longer we took a mini-vacation to Washington Island, WI. The highlight of the trip was Jackson's first boat ride; a boat we could actually drive onto! The island is traditional Door County Wisconsin with tourist stops, small cafes, and shopping. One must see, if you go, a beach made of completely smooth and weathered limestone rocks; one of five such beaches in the world. Because of the composition the water is crystal clear and fifty feet out the shelf quickly drops into 50+ feet of water, very cool and very cold! On the southern end of the island we hit a sand dune beach and played ball and made sand castles. We found an ever disappearing animal find as well, a monarch caterpillar. This fell right in line with one of the story lines on Jackson's new favorite show, WILD Kratts. If you have a kid(s) and like nature, a must see (PBSkids.org). On the way back we stopped at Peninsula State Park. One of the busiest and neatest parks Wisconsin has to offer. After some more water time and an impromptu sand fight we ended the trip with an ice cream cone. The weekend rounded out with the usual house work and a stop at a park. See pictures, not sure who had more fun, Jackson or Michelle. :)

Video from Peninsula State Park - Nicolet Beach

A Fabulous Fourth

2011-07-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

Is it possible that we had BOTH a beautiful Memorial Day weekend AND a 4th of July weekend? Yes, it is! And to celebrate the beautiful weather in this great County of ours the Stokes' enjoyed the majority of the days outside swimming, fishing, playing, hiking, gardening or setting off fireworks. There definitely wasn't a shortage of activities or festivals to partake in. Sunday was a highlight day as we hit up the DeYoung Zoo in the UP of Michigan, went to a 4th of July festival in Marinette and then spent the evening fishing and playing at Lake Noquebay.

Gabby set off some fireworks of her own at home by somehow tearing off one of her toenails. I came from being outside to find what I thought was a massacre by our dogs of some unwelcome animal. I soon figured out Gabby was the culprit. Would you believe they actually have a Youtube video to help you 'fix' such a dog ailment? Lucky for us, they do! Gabby now wears a toddler-sized sock, secured with electrical tape around her back foot. No worries, we have plenty of those types of 'bandages" and a little boy willing to share to help is puppy : )

I hope you all had a fabulous Fourth of July!

Getting goofy as it gets late : )

Better Late Than Never!

2011-07-01T19:58:00.001-05:00

I'm tardy by an entire week on this post but that's how things go sometimes. I'm not going to bore you with all the intimate details of our past weekend...OK, I'll admit it, I'm lazy! The pictures and captions tell the story better than I could anyways. Here's a summary version of what the Stokes' did last weekend:

Toured a bison farm (via hayrack ride)
Finger and brush painting
Enjoyed a new zoo in the Northwoods
Picnicking and playing up north
Relaxing on the deck (our favorite 'room' of the house) and playing at home

Golf Anyone?

2011-06-22T21:24:00.002-05:00

What's better on Father's Day than 9 holes of golf with the family? We were lucky we got an early tee time because about 10 minutes after we hit a the 9th hole the sky opened up...and it's still coming down 3 days later!

Chris and my Dad love to golf and, while I enjoy playing it, I'm horrible at it so I didn't play. Instead of torturing my Dad, Chris and the rest of the golfers on the course I decided to caddy...I mean co-caddy. Jackson truly enjoyed the time on the course, especially driving the golf cart.

We piqued his golf interest by taking him to the driving range the day before and letting him hit some balls. He has a golf set from his cousins (Thank you Nick and Zach!) that he needed to break in so we all went out Saturday evening. While it was painful to watch at times, Jackson did hit a few and that was all it took to get his determination to hit one harder and further (like his Daddy).

The icing on the Father's Day cake (or cookie as you'll see in the pictures) was Chris getting time to himself at the Scheels indoor archery range. Family time, golf and shooting his bow, what more could Chris ask for on Father's Day? : )

Celebrations!

2011-06-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

This past week we spent our time celebrating some notable events. First, we celebrated our Country by to the Appleton Flag Day Parade. We also celebrate two very pivotal moments with friends. We attended a neighbor's graduation party and celebrated the birth of a friend's baby. You can't help but smile and enjoy yourself when your days are touched by these kind of events. We don't have a ton of pictures but in the ones we did snap smiles abound!

Flags in hand and ready for the start of the parade. His enthusiasm faded when I explained we had at least 30 minutes to wait.

We spent the 30 minutes playing 'smack the gum bubble before it disappears'. This game never fails to get Jackson and I laughing.

Chris and Jackson swear there was a fly on the bill of my hat...I highly doubt that.

Jackson and I with a friend's newborn little boy. It was so much fun to see her and meet the new little man. Babies are so exciting!

Before the baby was born Jackson was convinced it was a giraffe and named it Melman (from Madagascar). He was very excited to meet him and wasn't disappointed that he was a little boy :) This picture warmed my heart!

No resemblance (thank goodness!)

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-05T20:21:00.001-05:00

Our weekend was spent outdoors, almost 100% of the time. Unlike last weekend, Chris and I were smarter and slathered on the sunscreen (I"m peeling like an orange right now).

Friday was my birthday (yeah!). Unfortunately, I was up at 4 am and headed to Madison by 5 am. I returned to Howard at 5 pm to start my birthday fun with a 4 mile trail run. At the end of the run Chris and Jackson met me with a picnic and presents. For my birthday they got me a massage and had Merry Maids at the house to clean that day. YES!

Trail head where my birthday officially began. Running with bears makes things interesting...

Post Run Picnic

Too much birthday cake post-sugar courage: Dukes of Hazard style exit.

Saturday was HOT! So out the pool came, along with the neighborhood kids. Lots of Icee Pops were consumed.

The neighbor was cleaning out her garage and look what she found for Jackson, a four wheeler. Mark my words: He'll hurt someone, hurt himself, have it taken away, or destroy something before he out grows this thing. The first thing he hit, the house. Enter the helmet.

Sunday was Breakfast on the Farm, an annual tradition for us. For a little boy nothing beats a morning with a good farmer's breakfast, tractors and animals. This event is ALWAYS a huge hit!

We finished our Sunday with impromptu swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's pool. Jackson stripped down to his underwear and in he went. Who can tell a 4 year old they can't take a dip with their Grandma and Grandpa? Not me!

We wrapped up our Sunday afternoon with planting a rock garden on our deck. I came up with the idea and Chris laid out the plant types and locations. We're very happy with the way it turned out. Now we can only hope the hardiness of each plant will truly stand up to our winters.

A full view of the finished planting.

I had to post this picture - check out Jackson in the background. He has the sprayer pointed right at his face.

Memorial Day weekend, finally a GREAT weekend spent outside!

2011-05-30T19:59:00.001-05:00

Well we ALL finally got the weather we wanted/needed and spent three days outside! The weekend got off to an auspicious beginning with Michelle spending a solid 10 hours at work and coming home to run a personal half marathon (13.1 miles). Who does that? Yes my wife and the greatest Mom in the entire world, sorry to all Mom's but I may be a little bias, but seriously she is the best and everyone else is just fighting for second. The next thing we tackled was putting in our garden. We did not get it all done but Jackson tapped into his inner farmer from both sides of his family tree and really worked hard. After some work on the Stokes' Family Ranch we went to spend a glorious evening with some new friends up on the Bay of Green Bay in Marinette, WI. We had a great time playing in the sand, riding four wheelers and fishing. The food was great too, thanks Tracy for cooking! The last shot of Jackson is from soccer. Jackson in no Pele but I think he could take Beckham. As seen in the last photo Michelle tapped into her inner farmer too, nice tan. :) All-in-all we had a great weekend and we hope you all did too.

Blog Entry by Chris / Photo captions by Michelle = TEAM WORK!

My cheering section

Giving Mom a pep talk at mile 9 of her 13.1 miles

Jackson's new favorite activity - looking for worms!

A big help planting the garden and cleaning up too!

An afternoon along the Bay of Green Bay

A successfull fishing expedition with Dad

An action shot from his first soccer "game" : )

Jackson gets covered in SPF110 and Chris and I......stupid, stupid, stupid. We're paying the price now.

Summer Has Arrived

2011-05-22T06:08:00.000-05:00

While the temperatures up here don't reflect summer, the activities are starting to!

Friday night we headed to Appleton for our first Timber Rattlers baseball game of the season. Friday may very well have been the nicest day of the year so far. We couldn't be outside enough!!!

Jackson Movin' and Groovin'

Chris and I sharing swing duty

Saturday Chris tried one last time to get that elusive turkey (unfortunately the bird still evades him). So Jackson and I enjoyed a Saturday to ourselves! True to frugal form, I found cheap, but fun things to do. It started off with visiting the National Railroad Museum. They had a free day in honor of National Museum Week (who knew!). Jackson and I enjoyed a train ride in an old locomotive. The conductor was super nice, talking to Jackson about trains and even posing for a picture with him. After the train ride we headed out on the grounds to climb the observation tower, wander through the museum's outdoor trains and then inside for more of the museum aspect...complete with an indoor train warehouse.

After the trains we headed off on a picnic. Unfortunately, I could tell by the radar we were racing the rain. So I had Jackson eat his sandwich on the way to the park that way all his time there could be spent playing. We squeezed in a wet 30 minutes and then headed home where we spread out a blanket in the family room and finished our belated lunch with an indoor picnic.

The rain stayed all afternoon so we played baseball in the garage, Jackson chased me on his bike and we had races to the cul de sac and back in the rain. As I like to say, it's the simple things...

Struggling for other indoor things to do I spied a birthday gift and had an idea. Jackson received a Play Doh breakfast making set that he pretends to make and eat eggs, bacon, smoothies, etc with. Well, he can't eat the Play Doh so I thought why not make dough he can eat? So I made and chilled some sugar cookie dough and we set out to make a Play Doh breakfast we could eat (raw or baked). We both enjoyed this activity...

Congratulations!

2011-05-19T21:20:00.001-05:00

First and foremost...

Congratulations to my sister-in-law Mara!

Last Saturday she became Dr. Mara Syring, D.O. This is a unbelievable accomplishment and the Stokes' are so very proud of her! We're also proud of Mike and Rohan for their unending and continued support through this process and as you enter your residency. Congratulations!
As you might have guessed, Mara's graduation ceremony and party didn't happen in Green Bay, or Wisconsin for that matter. The ceremony was in Kirksville, MO and the picnic/party was in De Moines. We were nomads for the weekend and my parents were brave enough to ride with us to split the drive and gas. I wonder if they're regretting that? No matter, we loved going with them!

So, where did 20 hours and 1100 miles get us last weekend? See the map below. It was worth every hour, $, and "are we there yet" to be there and share in Mara's amazing accomplishment and special day.

View Larger Map

Jackson and Dad at the ceremony

Rohan is so proud of his mom!

Just before the ceremony.

Mom, Dad and Mike. A rare photo where Mike isn't acting like and ass :)

Mara getting hooded

Diploma in hand. Yes!!!

Unfortunately for the picnic/party in Des Moines the weather did NOT cooperate. The high was MAYBE 50 with sustained winds of 20 mph, gusting to 30 mph. We made do with borrowed hats, coats and gloves.

Thank you Nate for letting us borrow your hat for Jackson!

Rohan with me in the truck trying to get warm. His lips were BLUE!

Even numb fingers and noses won't stop a good swing among cousins.

A Marvelous Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T21:34:00.001-05:00

I was woke up to Jackson in my face saying, "Mom! It's Mother's Day!!!" And then giving me a big hug and kiss. My Mother's Day was complete at that moment, the rest of the day was just icing on the cake. Chris let me go for an 'unkown' run where I take my phone and call him when I'm done. On Mother's Day that was 12 miles later...I was in the neighboring town when I called : )

Jackson and Chris brought me a change of clothes and I changed at a gas station and off we went for picnic and play at a park. The rest of the day was spent outside on the swing set, playing soccer and taking walks. It was just too beautiful to be inside this past weekend. I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day!

Jackson on his new bike ready to go on a walk with Mom and Dad.

From mothers day May 10, 2011

Swinging like a monkey on the monkey bars...with a little help from Dad.

Looking a little weary after a 12 mile run, but very happy.

Mom and Jackson belly swinging at the park.

Soccer time!

Jackson was preparing for his first 'real' soccer practice by trying on his cleats and shin guards while we kicked the ball around.

The First 'Real' Birthday Party

2011-05-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

Saturday our family experienced a first: throwing a 'real' birthday party for Jackson. We were on the fence on whether or not to do one this year, but in the end decided to throw one. We invited the friends he talks about the most, along with their siblings and parents (16 people in all). If there wasn't a birthday cake and presents it seemed more like a BBQ with kids running around and hot dogs and burgers on the grill.

The weather was excellent (thank God!). It was perfect for the game we played: throwing water balloons off the deck into various sized buckets. That was a hit, for the adults and kids! We had a great time and so did Jackson. He has some amazing friends a equally amazing parents.

After the party Jackson crashed for a bit while we cleaned up. When he got up we wanted to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day so we hit the road for a nice walk (he rode his new bike) and then to a park before dark. It was a great way to end the day before bed. We all slept very well.

Happy 4th Birthday My Love!

2011-05-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

I took the day off of work today to spend with Jackson on his 4th birthday. It started with breakfast of his choice: French toast and breakfast in bed ("Like Dad does for his birthdays!").

The day started off excellent until one mistake on my part.... I scheduled his routine yearly pediatrician check up on his actual b-day. We did this last year too without issue, however, I mixed up his shot schedule and thought the rest of his shots came before kindergarten (next year), I was wrong. So, three shots later I have a little boy who is limping around, whimpering and cranky. Luckily, we were headed to my work to see some very thoughtful colleagues who bought Jackson a b-day gift for his special day. That turned things around and helped distract him from the band-aids and pain.

Chris came home from work for lunch to see Jackson and enjoy some family time. After lunch Jackson was in need of a nap, especially after the shot ordeal. So, he and I laid down for nap. Well, his shots and my 4:15 am wake up to get the Y this morning caught up to both of us so we slept for THREE hours!

We slept away the afternoon which, surprising to me, was the highlight of my day with him. We snuggled face-to-face and both woke up rested, happy and ready to play. He woke up and looked at me and said, "Today is still my birthday!" Right after that Chris came home and the neighbor boys came over to greet Jackson with cupcakes, candles and gifts. HOW SWEET!

My parents arrived shortly after the neighbor boys left and we enjoyed angel food b-day cake (by the handful) and more gifts. Jackson was very impressed by the skateboard he received from his Grandma and Grandpa. They'll be impressed by the medical bills I send them : )

Jackson's big gift from Chris and I was a new bike. He has long outgrown his last bike and needed a new one to keep up with the children in the cul-de-sac. I can't wait to see them ride this summer, unfortunately it was raining here today :(

Jackson chose Red Robin for his b-day dinner. My parents joined us and we had a great time watching him bask in all of the b-day attention. By the end of dinner it seemed he was b-day'ed out. Sure enough at 8 pm his eyes betrayed him and off to bed he went.

This birthday I can sum up as the first one where I can honestly say that time has flown by but I cannot remember life without him. It's good : )

Tanta, Tay-Tay & Kay-Kay!

2011-05-03T21:42:00.000-05:00

"Tanta, Tay-Tay & Kay-Kay!".....that's what we heard for the 4 days preceding the Bowers Family's arrival last Thursday. Jackson was so excited to see them and Chris and I made the mistake of telling him Monday that they were coming on Thursday.

We had an excellent time with them and were lucky enough to have my parents up to stay the weekend as well! Their stay with us proved to hold 'firsts' for many of us:

Taylor and Kaylee both went fishing for the first time.
I nailed four strikes in a row during while bowling.
Kaylee got her first Hollister shirt (at a garage sale for .25 cents).
Jen painted Mom's face (see video).
Jackson painted my feet.
We were all chased by a rabid baby squirrel (no kidding).
Maggee ate half of the face off a cupcake cake Jackson, Tanta and my Mom had made.
Everyone tried (and liked!) quinoa.
Jen went the wrong way in a round-a-bout

All-in-all, we had an excellent time. We love hosting the Bowers Family and can't wait to see them in a few weeks!

Thank God Jen was the one who did this...I think Mom will have her revenge someday!

Happy Easter from the Stokes'

2011-04-24T18:48:00.000-05:00

Easter was a whirlwind, but in an excellent way. Saturday night my parents came up and we had a make-your-own sushi dinner. They stayed the night so we could enjoy Easter morning festivities together. We also tried a new Church, closer to where we live now and we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the new place! The afternoon was spent playing with friends (Jackson), preparing Easter dinner and just plain being outside. It was a great Easter and the weather couldn't have been more perfect (finally!).

Please see the videos, there are a couple doozies : )

Dressed for church.

Take a picture, we rarely get dressed up like this!

Dying eggs

An Easter bomb went off.

Jackson goofing off before church.

Easter dinner on the deck. Finally!!!

Some quick videos that highlight the Easter weekend.

It's Magic...

The Magical Fridge Delivers!

Discovering the baskets

We are those neighbors...

Falling up the slide, but he recovers!

This weekend in three words: Birthday, Bunny & Turkey

2011-04-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

This weekend we attended a friend's birthday party, enjoyed some Easter activities and tried our hand at turkey hunting as a family. Wow, what a hodge-podge!

We eased into the weekend on Friday night by doing some mall browsing. We bought nothing except for this:

A giant pretzel.

It was the healthiest thing I could find for him at the mall!

Jackson found himself in the 75% off rack. I'm just glad we found him!

Saturday it was off to a birthday party for a friend from Jackson's former daycare. And, true to past form, Jackson and Alexander didn't miss a beat and hung out like old friends. It's so fun to watch all the boys play well together and wear each other out!

Can you tell they are buddies?

With Easter fast approaching Jackson and I took advantage of Festival Foods' Easter fun day. The highlight...getting to see 'The Bunny' himself! Jackson was sure to tell him he wanted jelly beans in his basket. While we were there we bought supplies to make Easter nests. If you have never made these they are really easy and fun! Check out the recipe here.

The Easter Bunny!

Cookie decorating at Festival

Easter Bunny Nests!

Chris turkey hunted most of the day Saturday through cold, wind, rain and snow. I was impressed, there's no way I would have stuck that out. Sunday we ALL went out to stalk birds. Chris set up a nice blind complete with three chairs, binoculars for each of us and a warm blanket. Jackson had a BLAST and asked a million questions. Believe it or not, we actually had a Tom within site. Unfortunately, he was already paired up with a hen so we couldn't call him in. Oh well, the experience of it all as a family was awesome!

We wrapped up our hunting adventure at a scenic overlook eating a picnic lunch I surprised Chris and Jackson with. We picnicked in the truck because the 30 mph winds made 40 degrees feel like 16 degrees.

Glassing for turkeys

'Hunting' in comfort

Father and son walking to the blind together

The sign of a successful hunt...

Mother Nature wasn't cooperating Saturday or Sunday and I had an 11 mile run I had to get in so I did the ENTIRE 11 miles on the treadmill. For me, this was the perfect way to wrap up a GREAT weekend.

It was a thumbs up weekend for everyone.

Mastering Many Hats

2011-04-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking figuratively about our day-to-day activities, though I suspect most of us do wear many hats in our lives. I'm talking literally about a recent Stokes outing to a party store. Jackson was having a blast (me too!) and Chris was armed with the camera. Can you believe we didn't buy a thing at this place?

The Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland)

Where's Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne?

Future Viking Fan? NO!!!

Where's my burrow?

Your Highness?

On Friday we surprised Jackson and took him to see the Easter-themed movie Hop. He loved it!

The Good Life: Parties, Fish Sticks, Puppies and Popsicles

2011-04-03T21:21:00.000-05:00

We're coming to realize that the spring will be a busy birthday season for us. It seems all of Jackson's little buddies have birthdays in April and May. So, similarly to last weekend, we went to a birthday party this weekend. By the time Jackson's party rolls around we'll have seen his friends about every other weekend for the last two months!

Merrick's 4th Birthday Party.

The Pinata was a great idea...and no one got hurt!

Post Pinata candy scramble.

Time to blow out 'all' those candles!

The rest of the weekend was just a little of this and a little of that. I'll spare you the details and leave you with the pictures and some brief descriptions.

My Dad, Jackson and Chris are busy coloring the puzzle my parents bought for Jackson.

He LOVES it. It was the first thing we had to do Sunday morning (6:30 am).

Jackson posing as my master chef helper while making healthified tilapia fish sticks.

(I'm sorry, but I can't stand feeding him the processed 'fish' sticks from the bag.)

Jackson taking care of his Gabby girl, our old lady (15 year old Brittany).

Jackson helping me make the first fruit and yogurt popsicles of the year. All winter we have been freezing the fruit we don't finish before it starts to go bad. It works great for this recipe!

Let's Party & Think Spring

2011-03-27T19:36:00.001-05:00

Saturday was a birthday party for one of Jackson's friends, Drew. We had a great time at the party with his parents and enjoyed seeing Jackson play until he crashed (from exhaustion and the downward slide of a sugar high).

Let me set the stage for one of the classic moments of the party: Drew received a bath toy from his Grandparents that he and Jackson wanted badly to play with, in the tub. We said they could not take a bath. When Drew's Grandparents were leaving they called to Jackson and Drew to give them each a surprise, the surprise was on us. Jackson came running around the corner with nothing on but his left sock and Drew was not to far behind with only a t-shirt on. They were both getting ready to get into the tub to play with the new toy. I was laughing so hard I about fell off the couch. Thank Goodness Drew's parents are super laid back so everyone just had a good laugh....and then I huddled them both back into the bathroom to get dressed : )

Jackson being silly dawning the pirate patch and silly straw he received from Drew's party.

Drew and Jackson enjoying the ultimate b-day gift

Jackson taste testing the cake frosting a bit prematurely

Sunday's highlights were all outside. We'll think spring in the hopes it returns. But in its absence we are making the best of things. Foolishly, we had put the swings back on Jackson's play set thinking the warm weather from a week ago would stay. Never-the-less, Jackson wanted to head out and swing this morning. I was more than obliged to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful sun and blue sky. We enjoyed an odd combination of sledding, swinging, sliding down the slide and snowball tossing.

Playing catch with snow balls instead of footballs : (

To continue with my wishful thinking I headed out a little before lunch for a long run. I wished these runs were done in weather above freezing but whining doesn't change the temperature so out I went in multiple layers of clothing, hunting socks, stocking hat and giant ski gloves. Chris and Jackson were just a phone call away to come pick me up from where ever I decided to stop. An 8.2 mile run later I was sitting in B&N enjoying my family and a warm Cafe Au Lait. I love the weekends!

Enjoying the post-run relaxation (with post-run facial redness). Note the hunting socks I wore to prevent my toes from freezing off...nice.

Chris' favorite way to relax...anything hunting : )

The Stokes' are Sick

2011-03-20T18:36:00.001-05:00

We have Spring Fever!!! : )

Saturday blessed us with just the kind of weather to ease our ailment. I fed my fever by getting up before the sun and enjoying a 5 mile run and zumba with friends and was home by 8 am. After I got home we all headed out doors for the rest of the day. I'm sure our neighbors think we're crazy for cleaning out our cars and the garage at 8 am but we needed to get out and enjoy the morning. Before we knew it the neighbor kids joined us and Jackson was off until lunch playing hide-and-seek. Even the dogs had spring fever and wanted to be outside constantly. Maggee ended up exploring the woods and pond, coming back a complete mess. Jackson comforted her during her bath....

This picture was from a day last week when he played outside after school until dark. It's good to be dirty!

A gorgeous moon Saturday Morning (5 am) before I left for the YMCA. My breath got in the way of the lens as I snapped the picture.

After lunch we headed about an hour north to Dave's Falls to enjoy a hike a beautiful surroundings. We paid no mind to the closed gate when we arrived, we drove all that way and the day was too beautiful to turn around and head back! Luckily, our truck was left unticketed while we hiked.

Tossing a 'stick' (small tree) into the rushing water.

Jackson walking through a giant puddle for the hundredth time.

Jackson trading his soaked socks and shoes for Dad's spare socks.

St. Patirck's Day

2011-03-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

While Chris was gone to Iowa a week ago one of Jackson and I's projects was to decorate St. Patrick's Day t-shirts for our family. We invited my Mom up to help and partake in the fun. It's rare Jackson sits for craft-type activities very long but he did good. I'm guessing it's because the activity involved painting shirt, not something we usually encourage, let alone provide the ammo for. After painting two shirts, his and Chris', he still felt like painting so I took a past craft project he and I had done and gave him free rain. Then I gave him a bath! : )

Nice Rack!

2011-03-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

That title got your attention didn't it! I'm talking about deer racks.

Chris went back to Iowa last weekend to go shed hunting with friends in the area he hopes to get drawn to hunt in this fall. He was pleased, to say the least, with his finds.

It's a Love - Hate Relationship

2011-03-13T18:11:00.002-05:00

Jackson LOVES Maggee.

Maggee STRONGLY dislikes (tolerates) Jackson.

A must see video:

So innocent, right?

Absolutely not.

He smothers her with love. Literally.

Iowa Bound

2011-03-07T20:56:00.000-06:00

This weekend we took off to Iowa to visit the Bowers family and some dear Amiga's of mine. It did my heart good to see Jen and her family. It was no surprise that Jackson loved every second of the weekend as much as I did. He proclaimed it was "The best weekend ever!" Jen and I got a little time to ourselves Saturday morning and enjoyed a workout at the North Scott Fitness Center. It was a lot of fun to workout with her, I wish she was closer so I would have a workout buddy :(

The other highlight of our trip was seeing Leah and Shawna, longtime friends. Jackson enjoyed the play date at Shawna's Saturday afternoon asking me more than once if we could go back. The Bowers watched Jackson while Chris and I enjoyed a night out with Leah, Shawna and Shawna's husband Andy. Leah and Shawna are the kind of dear friends I need to see more often, they are the comic relief that grounds me. I wish that kind of friendship on everyone.

This confirms that I'm old. Taylor is driving.

Jackson and Kaylee: Two peas in a pod all weekend.

After a brutal 7 mile run my Yoga partner helped make things right. Namaste!

Kaylee target practicing with Tony for the first time. Rock on Kaylee!

Sunday night was craft night for Jackson and I.

We were messing around with the wood burner. My handwriting is better with this device than with a pen. Yes, this is actually better.

Exercising the Mind and Body this Weekend

2011-02-27T20:26:00.001-06:00

Exercising the body at the YMCA Family Night.

(Thank you to the Thoresen's for letting us know about this Saturday option!)

If only all forms of exercise were this much fun!

Exercising the mind (and building abilities) through building blocks.

(Thank you Grandpa for making these!)

The sunrise greeting me early Sunday morning on my way to exercise my mind and body at the YMCA. I can't wait to get outside and run again!!!

OK, this has nothing to do with exercise but I had to include photo of our resident male cardinal coming to feed. Maybe he's feeding to have the energy to go exercise?

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-20T17:42:00.021-06:00

The day after I returned home from my Arizona vacation it was Valentine's Day! For Jackson, the day started off with heart shaped banana bread and ended with he and I taking a walk in the woods. We then made 'hearty' and healthy and heart-shaped whole wheat pancakes for dinner.

I hope your Valentine's Day was special and it's intention is sprinkled throughout the year!

Breakfast of champions!

Dinner of champions!

Ready for our walk. Bundle up!

While on our walk we came across the dreaded yellow snow. Jackson, "We don't eat yellow snow." My response, "Absolutely not. Or brown snow or black snow.... Just don't eat colored snow."

Jackson wearing his Arizona on the Rocks shirt I brought him back from the climbing gym Mike and Mara are members of. I hope he gets to try climbing there some day!

Time for a little R&R, now that I'm back from vacation...

2011-02-13T21:27:00.001-06:00

From picket post mtn

I just returned from 5 days in AZ with Mike, Mara and Rohan! This seems to be an annual visit, with this being the 3rd year I've been out there. And, true to previous years, there was little sitting (YES!). With the Wisconsin winter getting the best of me by now this was just the kind of vacation I needed.

Day 1 - I'm here!!!

My first stop in AZ was a trail walk with Mike and then a 1 hr and 45 min deep tissue massage compliments of Mike and Mara and their friend Jeanette (thank you!). If you have not had this type of massage before you should try it, it's fabulous for releasing tension and lactic acid in your muscles. But this type of massage is not for the squeamish, there's some serious pain involved before you find the relief. Jeanette did an unbelievable job.

We capped off our evening with a chicken, pine nut pesto pizza on the grill and a long walk.

Miscellaneous photos from the whole trip

Day 2 - We started the morning off with a 5 mi trail run and a 75 min personal yoga session provided by Jeanette. The trail run is definitely up there as a highlight for this trip. I LOVE to run and this run was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed (see Day 3 photos of rck climbing for the trail run photos). Yoga was challenging, just as it should be, and I was grateful for that. I was proud of the poses I could do and earned the nickname 'Bird of Paradise' for a pose I nailed. Mara earned the name 'Firefly' and Mike earned the name....well, never mind : ) After the intense morning we soaked in the hot tub before we headed out for the afternoon.

Lunch was at the California Pizza Kitchen (I loved their simple but delicious Asparagus & Arugula Salad) and then we enjoyed an afternoon of shopping and play time in the park with Rohan. After grilling portobella mushrooms and sweet potatoes for dinner we relaxed with some wine and cheese and chatted the rest of the evening away.

Day 3 - Mike had to attend a seminar for work so Mara and I used that morning to hike Camelback Mountain. This is the second time I hiked this mountain up one side and down the other. I enjoyed it even more this time, despite the crazy wind and my seeing impaired-like ability to lead us (I suck at navigating!). After the hike Mara and I punished ourselves further with a great workout at the YMCA.

After picking up Mike downtown, we headed out to the Caldwell's to see them and their beautiful new daughter. We had some great food, fun conversation and I really enjoyed holding baby Mila, she's so tiny! I also got a puppy fix through smothering their Min-Pin, Stella.

That evening we hit the climbing gym. First off, Rohan is a little stud! He really has a grasp on the moves and loves being there. I second that, I loved being there too and really enjoyed climbing. This is a challenge I wish I could take on more routinly. Mike and Mara have advanced to expert level and I would love to challenge myself with the routes they take on.

Day 4 - We got up and out early and headed northeast towards a town called Superior to hike Picket Post Mountain. Mara wins the award for total super star by hiking 3/4 of the mountain with Rohan on her back! When we did turn around it was because there was no way she could traverse the final area with Rohan and the towering canyon was screwing with me mentally. I'm proud I made it as far as I did. I have a weird fear of heights that hits in these exact situations: towering, open, rock faces with steep drop offs that I have to climb. I've only succumbed to this fear twice before, both times it caused me to freeze up.

After the hike we earned our lunch from a dive sandwich place in Superior that we ate at a near bye train park to let Rohan run off his energy. Then it was time to hit the road and hit the hot tub before a nice good-bye dinner out at Bombay Spice : (

Day 5 - Dropped off at the Phoenix airport at 5:50 am for my flight, I landed in Green Bay at 2:30 pm. Jackson and Chris were waiting when I got off the plane. Having Jackson run to me and throw his arms around me was awesome. I missed his SO MUCH!!!

A GIGANTIC THANK YOU to the Syring's for thier hospitality, energy, chanallenges and good times. I never fail to need a day of rest when I return from a visit. You know my idea of a vacation!

For more of this awesome vacation see Mike and Mara's Blog!

Super Bowl Sunday is FINALLY Here!

2011-02-06T21:06:00.002-06:00

And the winner of Super Bowl XLV is:

THE GREEN BAY PACKERS!

Before the BIG game dominated our evening we enjoyed some 'odd' fun of that included the simple things: A squirt bottle, oobleck (corn starch, water and food coloring), finger paints (in Packer colors!) and the Village dog park. Enough to entertain Jackson and us!

Give a kid a squirt bottle and...be entertained.

Let the creativity (and mess) begin! My philosophy is: A dirty child is a happy child.

Note my Packer tribute

Time to have some real fun with the oobleck

Jackson enjoying the dog park as much as the dogs did!

Focus on the dog in the middle - it's a young German Shepard dressed in a packer cheerleading outfit....No kidding

I think the husky will be pummeling the poodle(?) for the Frisbee.

When it was time for the game we fired things up with some 'Packer Popcorn' (I have no idea why I called it this but Jackson liked it!).

Super Birthday!

2011-02-06T14:45:00.000-06:00

I have to post about the first BIG thing that happened this weekend, the posting on the second BIG thing will come after the Packers win the Super Bowl! But this post should focus on Chris. Yesterday was his birthday! And, staying true with our tradition, Jackson and I made him breakfast in bed. We opted not to do the funnel cake that we did last year (his Mom used to do this for him) and instead made french toast. After we presented him with breakfast in bed, we gave him his gifts. Jackson got him two long sleeve hunting-themed shirts (his current ones are a holey 16 years old, no kidding!), and I surprised him with Cirque du Soleil - Dralion tickets for he and I this spring!

Chris then headed out to check out a bow he has had his eye on. He assures me the 'let off' of this bow will benefit him substantially. No convincing needed, we all have passions that need to be fed!

I've also added some photos of Jackson 'snow painting' (see photo captions for explanation).

Signs of Love

2011-02-04T20:28:00.001-06:00

I downloaded some photos from this week and the theme I picked up on was the different ways we show love.

This week Jackson was showing his love for the dogs with lots of hugs and snugs, especially to Gabby "because she's old" as Jackson puts it.

Chris and Jackson (mainly Chris) showed their love to me while I was knocked down with a horrible sinus infection by letting me rest (I was a sloth) and making me a beautiful Get Well card. Do you know how long it took them to peel all the backs off these foam shapes to create this?!?! So sweet!

I showed my love to my boys by making a 'healthified' mac 'n cheese recipe for them from Fitness Magazine. I found the recipe on a favorite blog I follow (Carrots 'n Cake). It turned out amazing!

Admission

2011-02-04T06:47:00.000-06:00

With as pessimistic as I can be about the cold weather I have to admit it can be beautiful. Last Saturday I was on my way to the YMCA and stopped to take these photos as the sun was just waking up. There's nothing like a good sunrise to wake me up and put me in a good mood!