OH boy . . .

I have been reminded by many that I have not updated our blog in months so here goes. Although there are many days that I just can't wait 'til 8pm (bed time) and swear the day is crawling by I am not sure where the past two and a half months have gone. Here is what we have been up to:
SEPTEMBER

• Wylie started Kindergarten Prep Monday through Fridays for three hours. I think he really enjoys all the activities that they do, he thrives on structure and keeping busy. Thank goodness for my "peek at the week" given to us by his wonderful teacher so I know he is doing something on a daily basis because when I pick him up everyday I always ask him, "Wylie, How was your day& What did you do today?" Wylie responds like a typical teenager, "Good and Nothing!"
  

• I took Wylie and Kasey to Chicago for three nights. We had a great time and kept very busy while we were there. In one day we all (me, Wylie, Kasey, Ella and Jess) took the train, rode the city bus and took a water taxi. In between all the transportation excitement we went to the Shedd Aquarium, had lunch and went to the Children's Museum. At the end of the nine hour day spent downtown Chicago as we walk in the door Wylie asked "what are we going to do fun today?" That was our cue to open our bottle of wine.
  

• We went to Sever's Corn Maze with my close friend and her family. It is a fall festival full of kid friendly activities. They have a petting zoo with exotic animals; kangeroos, ostrich's, a zedonk ( yep half donkey, half zebra), monkey's and many more. I learned I do NOT like ostrich's as they would eat you if they could, they are just mean mean birds (they are a bird, right?) The kids enjoyed a corn pit to jump in, listened to music, took a hay ride and did the kid's hay bale maze. It was a great family event we spend with wonderful friends.

• Jacques' youngest sister, Greta got married. . .
  

• I got to get out with the girls and see one of my favorite bands, LoCash Cowboys. I drank too much, danced too much, and it took me a good two days before I was back to myself. It was truly one of the most fun nights I have had though in a while. So much so that you will see in October, I did it again only back to back nights . . . OCTOBER:

• Kasey was asked to be a "friend" at her friend's dance class. So we dressed Kasey up and went to dance. She was so excited to go and even to see her friend but then when class started she froze and sat on my lap and refused to participate. So little Miss Tori stole the show and joined in. It was one of the cutest things I have seen in a while. She loves music and is not at shy, as long as you don't try to pick her up. Kasey below in the pink. Tori is in the blue stripes.

• We did some more fall festival, picked apples, more hay rides more fun. The kids really loved picking apples, I think Wylie must have picked 20 or more and wanted ALL of them. They ate their first hotdog on a bun and realized Mom was not lying when I said it was better to eat it on the bun than plain.Tori fell asleep for the first time in the car since she was a little baby which is darn near a miracle and has not happened since which is just not right when you read what we did the following weekend in October.

• I decided it was finally time to take Tori up to see my 97 year old Grandma for the first time. So my Mom and I drove up with all three kids ( 6 hours one way) and drove back home after a short 3 hour visit with my Grandma. You guessed it, Miss Tori did NOT sleep one minute in the 12 hours we were in the car. She is a stubborn little thing, which worries me slightly because I thought Kasey was stubborn but I think Tori might have her beat. I am in trouble in my years to come. I don't know where they get that stubborness . ..My Grandma looked great and it made her so happy to get to see all the kids and to finally meet Tori after 15 months. My kids amazed me yet again by being so great in the car ALL day, they just continue surprise me and remind me that they are such well behaved, nice little kids. Remind me of that next time we talk if I am complaining about my day . .

• I had two nights out with the girls to listen and watch LoCash again. It was a fun time, again danced a lot, drank a lot and had a good ol' time. No need for any drunken pictures, you haven't seen my Halloween update yet.
  

• So Halloween ended the month of October wonderfully. Jess and Ella joined us for a few days to hang out and trick or treat. Ella wasn't sure of the whole thing but we did manage to get one picture of her as a pink care bear before she took off her costume and refuse to put it back on. Kasey was a cat (again), Wylie was a nascar driver (#88 Earnhardt) and Tori well she was nothing, but a cute baby sporting some cute halloween clothes. The weather was great, the kids in the neighborhood were crazy, must have had over 100 trick or treaters and Kasey is still talking about those scary faces. "Those are just masks," she tells me as if she is trying to convince herself of just that. We also had our good friends over to enjoy the night.
• Oh yeah and I can't forget our Halloween party that me, Jess and Sarah attended at a golf club and listened and danced to the Dweebs all night. It was a fun night and we are so fortunate that Jacques caught our "after bar" all on video as we stumbled through the front door and feel in the hallway (don't worry we had a sober cab). I have since deleted the video after Jess and myself both watched it and laughed, I watched it again a few days ago and realized there is no need for anyone to ever see that video. Plus, no need to give Jacques anything to black mail me with. Fun times! ( sorry Jess for the pictures) NOVEMBER:
• That brings us almost up to date minus all the funny things my kids have said that I have been too busy too write down and now which can't remember. Shoot. Oh well, for those of you that know and see my kids often you have probably heard many funny things so I don't feel so bad. Tori has started talking and saying a few words, mama, da, ball, baby and figuring out how to get what she wants and if you don't listen she will grab your finger and walk with you to show you what it is she "needs" so badly. She is truly a character and is nothing like I remember the other two being. I can't wait to see her turn into a little girl. I do believe we are in trouble for when she does start talking, between her and Kasey we might not ever get a break from listening to them. The car used to be my quiet time and now it is non stop talk from Kasey about anything she can think of and in depth. Oh, and if I say "Kasey, Mom is talking to Dad" or something like that she says all snappy "but Mommm, I just talking to you." No kidding she talks NON STOP.
  
• My brother, Dan was in town with Ella for five days so that was nice to get some more time with Ella. Our kids just love spending time with her. They miss her a lot when she is gone. Asking already how many days until we can see Ella Bella again.
  
• We got our first family picture in years. . . .
• Things we are looking forward to: My closest friend is having her third baby tomorrow, she will then have three kids under 3 1/2 years old (just like me 16 months ago). I am looking forward to helping her out as I know how hard the first months can be.
  
• Thanksgiving we are having my parents, Dave and his girlfriend over before nap time then heading to Jacques' sister's house here in Hudson for after naps for some more food.
  
• Jacques and I are heading to Lutsen in December for our 6th wedding anniversary. We are looking forward to the two days away. I am also going to finally use those brand new skiis I bought 7 years ago (had them checked today and we are set to go). Wish me luck! and then CHRISTMAS WITH THE FAMILY! I love the holidays and I am so excited to see the kids excitement this year! The kids make the Holidays! Happy Thanksgiving to you all, sorry for the long blog. I will try to do better in the months ahead.
  

Where has the time gone . . .

I am sorry for not updating our blog recently. I still do not have time to do a good entry, post pictures and give you all the full update. So here is the quick version.

Since Kasey and Tori's birthdays the time has flown right on by. In August we finished up softball season, Jacques had a couple "away" weekend tournaments, leaving myself at home with the three rascals for the weekends, we took a family trip (minus Tori) to Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, Wiscsonsin for 4 days. It was beautiful, pictures will hopefully be added soon as I did send some out via email after we got back. And Wylie has also started preschool. He goes 4 mornings a week for three hours. He did great the first day and enjoys it. His teacher sent home a post card saying " Wylie has had a great first week of school. It is exciting to see him explore and learn already. He has a gentle side and seems to really grasp right from wrong. It will be fun to see him learn and grown." - Miss Nikki ( his teacher)

Kasey enjoys her time with me since Tori naps during some of Wylie's school time. It is a good thing for all of us. She is really into painting, her care bears, the curious george movie, riding her big bike, and picking flowers.

Tori well see is a handful, mostly because she is just the third child and the two others kids still need a lot of help doing stuff too. She is walking now all over, so that is an adjustment. She does not like to be held and has a mind of her own. She is very independent. We don't want to wish the days away but we are still waiting for her to get "a little bigger" so we can start doing more stuff as a family.

We are all hoping winter does not come to quickly and when it does we hope it goes by even faster. I don't know how I make it each winter. This one will be better than last considering I could not leave the house for 7 months last year but it still isn't great. Next summer we will be able to see the light at the end of our baby stage years- with no hard feelings. :)

Happy Fall to you all!

Kasey's Pink Birthday Party

In Kasey's mind she is already three because we just had her "pink birthday party." When asked months back what kind of party she wanted she said, " a pink one." She wanted pink decorations, pink cake, pink party hats (which I forgot to buy and I am still hearing about) and specifically everyone who comes to her party to wear pink. As you will see below most everyone were good sports about it and wore pink (even Uncle Dan which was her toughest sell).
The party went really well considering we did after naps but kids were too excited to ever fall asleep so they were extra tired. We were also coming off three days playing with cousin Ella and all that excitement of her staying at our house. We got to go to the park and even the beach. So now that Kasey is three she doesn't get sippy cups anymore, she has to go in the bathroom and go by herself (unless she needs help with #2) she has been potty trained for over 6 months now, and get her own water out of the fridge if she is thirsty. A few little things but in the mind of a three year it is too much:)

Some facts about Kasey:

Size clothes- 4T

Favorite color- obviously PINK

Favorite food- she just told me Kiwi

Favorite toy- her calico critters house and mouse family and her pet shops and pets

Favorite tv show/movie- Still loves Dora

Funny Quote this month- " Mom how come you put those on everyday (meaning boobs)?" so I sort of explain that girls have them and we can talk more about them when she is older. Kasey then says, "okay when i am four you can tell me all about it, but i want pink ones -ok?."

To my daughter, Tori one day . .(pictures below)

The Joy of my life


It all started on a hot summer day
camping together hours away

When my water broke out of the blue
Not even in my last trimester this could not be true

I head to the hospital with thoughts running wild
This is way to early for my precious child

Transferred to a hospital with special care
While all I could think was this was not fair

They tell you the odds of what can go wrong
And I have to sit there and try to be strong

Everyone is saying it will be alright
But the truth is my daughter is in for fight

A fight she could win a fight she could lose
An outcome that I could not chose

Eight days later the day had come
To finally meet my little one

The first precious moments I had to miss
I was so thankful I got a quick kiss

Not even three pounds you looked so small
I hardly saw a baby at all

The tubes and wires were a frightening sight
I just hoped and prayed you’d be alright

I learned rather fast that there were highs and lows
The emotions I had nobody knows

I came and I held you each and every day
Embracing it so and wishing I could stay

And then came something I could barely believe
You were breathing on your own and ready to leave

I anxiously waited and then answered the phone
Yes, it was true, you could finally come home

We were so fortunate you got stronger every day
And joined us at home after your 65 day stay

We knew the challenges were not over as you face your fist year
But you beat the odds before there is nothing we fear

The first year now behind us it is now in our past
The memories and emotions will forever last

You were a fighter a trooper right from the start
For someone so small you sure captured my heart



- your mom

What a difference a year makes . . .

A year ago today was the scariest day in my life. Miss Tori Joy was brought into the world weighing less that three pounds. Today, she is still as fiesty as ever and is up to the 20 lb. mark. It was an emotional day for me specifically. Here are a few pictures from her 1st birthday.

"Tent" Camping

Wylie loved going camping last summer and remembers it clearly. He talks about how we had to leave early because Mom had to go to the hospital. Shortly after Tori was born we realized the mountain ahead of us, financially, and decided it would be best to sell our brand new travel trailer. Good decision on our part but Wylie just didn't understand. He thinks it wasn't very nice of " that Man" to come take our camper. The same time the "man was taking our camper he got stung by a bee the first time. That was a really bad day in Wylie's world.

So months ago we made reservations to rent a cabin at Yogi Bears-Jellystone in the Wisconsin Dells and told Wylie we were going "cabin camping." Talking it up real big how cool it was going to be. Only to cancel the reservations a month ago because we thought paying over $600 to "cabin camp" was a bit ridiculous. Ok, so we have learned not to tell the kids ahead of time of our plans even if we have made reservations. Because everyday (literally) it was "how many days until cabin camping?" and I would tell him. Wylie would then ask, "how many naps is that?" This is his way of keeping track of the days. Well now we broke his heart when the mean man came and just took our camper, and canceled cabin camping, what can we do to make it up to him? We finally decide to bite the bullet and take the kids camping. Yep, real camping. We had to hype it up a bit and talk day and night about "tent" camping to make him forget about cabin camping. We bought a new tent, set it up, got all our stuff out and cleaned, etc all with him so he could help. Friday morning we are ready to go, weather forcast not looking so ideal. Isolated thunderstorms every day and night. How in the heck do we cancel yet again . . . that is not an option so we head out to Baker Park Reserve on Lake Independence.

I now know what my parents complained about when we used to ask them "how many minutes until we are there?" Yep, they were right that does get pretty annoying. So to make a long story short and sum up our trip it was a great experience for our kids. You realize as parents that you are doing these things for them, not you. So yes it is a lot more work then staying at home no question but to see how excited they are about the simple things: a campfire, walking sticks, bike paths, beach, worms, smores, sleeping in a tent, playing in the dirt, staying up late, sleeping in next to each other, picking flowers, eating hot dogs (twice)it is for sure worth it. They loved all of the events, most of which weren't real event just activities together.

A few things we didn't quite think through- we never looked at where our site was in comparison to the restroom. We are SO lucky we were about 40 yards from the bathroom which I became very familiar with. Between having to go myself and taking Wylie and Kasey I would guess we visited it at least 30 times. We forgot flashlights and lanterns, realized we need a way to bring our bikes next time (we got real good at speed walking), bring napkins (they do get messy), a screened in cover for the picnic table would be nice, cups (we really did forget them)and last but not least extra blankets because it actually gets cold in at night.

All about Dad . . .

WE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY TOGETHER, REMINDING DAD HOW MUCH WE LOVE HIM!!!

Fathers are wonderful people
Too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises
As often as we should...

For, somehow, Father seems to be
The man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts
And nurses all our ills...

And Father struggles daily
To live up to "HIS IMAGE"
As protector and provider
And "hero or the scrimmage"...

And perhaps that is the reason
We sometimes get the notion,
That Fathers are not subject
To the thing we call emotion,

But if you look inside Dad's heart,
Where no one else can see
You'll find he's sentimental
And as "soft" as he can be...

But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
To his partner and his wife...

But Fathers are just WONDERFUL
In a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
And accolade of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires
To fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness...

And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
He's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
To be ALWAYS ON OUR SIDE.

~Helen Steiner Rice~

Once upon a time . .

on a sunny afternoon Dad decides that it is a good time to take the kids fishing. So we get our rods, tackle boxes, worms and life jackets and head to the St.Croix River. Mom is a little overly cautious and makes Wylie and Kasey wear life jackets because she has a big fear of them falling over the River wall.

Kasey and Wylie waiting for Mom & Dad to get going.



Walking to the river excitedly . . .
Kasey and Wylie waiting patiently (at first) for the fish to bite.Wylie says, " ohhhh Dad, it's pulling, it's pulling."
Wylie is very proud of his first catch of the day, a sheephead. Not too long later Kasey caught her first catch of the day. She wouldn't get too close to it though.Mom asks Kasey, "How big was the fish you caught?" "It was this big!" ( picture below)Through out all this excitement Tori eats her puffs, chews on Mom's car keys and get antsy waiting for the outing to end so she can get down and move around. Mom then packed Tori in the car and drove to get Starbucks while the kids finished up fishing hoping Tori would fall asleep. Her plan was unsucessful . Tori complained loudly the entire time. We drove by the river honked twice at Dad and the kids but they were too busy to hear mom. Mom parked the car and had to get out and go down and get them.Mom at this point was a bit annoyed because she knew that Tori needed her nap before we even left, and almost always Mom 's right when it comes to knowing the kids. Even still, it was a fun outing right here in Hudson. THE END

My birthday weekend . . .

So it was my 29th birthday on Friday and I have to say I am okay with being in my last year in my twenties . . . next year might be tougher! We had a good day. Jacques didn't work and we took the kids to the park, had lunch together and then had some friends and my Dad ( my mom was at my grandma's celebrating her 97th bday) over for dinner/cake. It was a beautiful day and we were outside 'til 9pm when I realized it was time for the kids to crash, which they did within minutes. Their mean Mom usually makes them go to bed by 8pm, nice out or not! Wylie and Kasey went shopping with Jacques to pick out the decorations, cake and gifts. I knew I was not getting much since I have become a Bon Jovi groupie, attending my 4th concert (in four months) in July in Detroit with three friends for the weekend. I know it is a bit much!! The kids picked out pink decorations and The Car Movie plates, party hats etc. (it went real well together :) ) They picked out a delicious chocolate cake and a few gifts. I did get the ipod shuffle so I have to now try to figure that out in "my spare time." I went shopping with a good friend Saturday afternoon in Stillwater and out to dinner so that was my "my time." It was fun! All in all just had a nice weekend, weather was great, spent time with family and friends. Going out tomorrow ( Monday) with two childhood friends for dinner to top it off! Here are a few pictures.

My Mother's Day

I had a good day. We spent the day together, didn't do anything special, but we did it together. We went to Target to get Tori her essentials, food, food and more food. My parents, Dave and Jocelyn came over for dinner. Jocelyn made my Mom a video of her kids (myself, Dan, Dave) and her grandkids (Wylie, Kasey, Ella and Tori). It was really nice and actually pretty sad.Thank you Jocelyn for reminding me to enjoy each day because it doesn't last long. Sometimes it takes something so small to make you realize how life goes by so fast and how fast your kids grow up. I am ready to be done with the baby stage but I am not ready for my kids to grow up quite yet. I don't want to have nights where I don't hear Wylie and Kasey running around giggling and nights where I don't get all the hugs and kisses WITHOUT even asking. Being a Mom is certainly the hardest job I could imagine. But at the end of the day, I would not want anything else. They are the best thing in our life and we are so blessed.

Signs of summer-

1. Those happy faces !
2. Tori didn't have to wear a jacket or hat today ;)
3. The kids got to play outside two days in a row!
4. My tulips are growing.
5. All the neighbor kids (including our own) are out riding bikes,scooters etc.
6. Jacques had his first softball practice and starts games this week
7. We hosted their pre-season party
8. We have scheduled/planned Tori and Kasey's summer bday parties
9. Wylie finally took off his socks while wearing his crocs, he has an issue switching seasons. He tries to pull down the sleeves on t-shirts cause he is used to long sleeve shirts, pulls on his shorts because he doesn't want his legs showing and as stated above has a hard time getting rid of socks when it warms up :)
10. No snow in the 10 day forecast!!!!!!

Cousin Time . . . Finally :)

After 8 LONG months we finally got to have some quality cousin time. Dan, Jess and Ella came to our house Wednesday through Sunday. We have not gotten to see them since we brought little Tori home from the hospital. So this was a long time coming. Wylie, Kasey and Ella did so well together and for the first time really "played" together. Ella just loves Kasey even though Kasey had some rough days . . . a lot of tears and a lot of pretend boo boo's. All in all it was a good visit. I had a nice night out with Jess, got to hang out with Dan, and even got our whole family here one night (mom, dad, dan, dave, jess, jocelyn and all the kids). It was really nice. Here are some pictures of our fun!

March for Babies ( March for Tori)

Just a quick update- We did walk this morning in the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk. It was rather cold and a bit windy but we bundled everyone up and made it. It was a good way to finish our fundraising run. We truly THANK all of you who donated to this wonderful charity. They do great things! We ended up raising nearly $1500- THANK YOU!!

Family Time

I don't have much to report on here. Nothing too new is going on here besides the normal. We are still waiting to have nice weather around here. My parents came over tonight to visit with our family and it was so nice. It has been a LONG LONG time since we had a nice dinner and evening together. My mom is now 2 months post surgery and doing pretty well, ofcourse it is driving her crazy not doing much but she is doing well. My brother Dan, his wife Jess and their 2 year old girl Ella are coming up Wednesday-Sunday and staying at our house. We are all excited to see them. We haven't seen Ella since we brought Tori home from the hospital. We just love family time, and hopefully we will get a lot of it.

We did get out to enjoy a few nice days this past weekend. Went on lots of walks around the neighborhood, played ball, played on the playground, it was just great! I was not ready for another ten day forcast to be so crummy.

Tori took her first bath by herself tonight. I usually take a bath with all three kids in the big whirlpool tub. But now that she can sit up I put her in the kid's bath by herself, she sat there and started getting mad, making her yelling sound. Wylie and Kasey were standing watching because they just can't get enough of Tori. I told them "this is your time to go play with dad, just you guys" but nope they wanted to watch Tori take her first bath. Anyway, after Tori kept getting more irritated, which was odd, because she LOVES bath time, I put Wylie and Kasey in next to her and she was fine and happy. What a little stinker . . . she just wanted them too.

Kasey, well she is into her mouse. That could be her favorite pet shop character, named Mouse, or it could be her blankie which has a mouse on it whom she calls mousy, or now the newest addtion to her mouse family is her imaginary friend, Mouse. I am not sure where she gets her imagination but it is so darn cute and funny. Yesterday, she cried because I stepped on Mousy in the kitchen, this morning she realized she forgot him in her crib and was sad because "mousy is going to be so sad." Wish I could have videoed this afternoon Kasey running around the living room. When I asked her what she was doing she chuckled, " I can't catch Mousy!" So I play along and told her, "oh, I see him, he is under the foot rest now" and she sighed in relief "oh, there he is, mousy is so silly." I had to tell Wylie about how this is her imaginary friend and not to laugh at her, but I still see him chuckling at her once and a while but he hasn't said anything more. What a nice brother . . . most of the time.

This winter may have proven to be good for something, these three kids just LOVE each other and they don't want to be apart, but mostly there is not one sign of jealousy towards Tori. They adore her!

Tori reminded me . . .

For the first time today, I realized how fast time has really gone. Watching Tori do all her "firsts" makes me happy on one thought and very sad at another. I get happy because the past 4 years I have done A LOT of baby things. I mean I did have three babies in 3 1/2 years. Yikes! Since Tori's very early arrival (11 weeks) I have felt stuck in the baby stage for extra long. There have been many days where I just wish it away because it is so hard, mentally and physically exhausting. She has been the light of my life and I feel so bonded with her, sometimes just the sight of her brings tears to my eyes. I even cried one night during her middle of the night feeding, the time I am usually most tired and crabby, I just sat and cried and didn't want to put her in her crib. I sat and thought about how we could have easily lost her, how she is our last baby and how they do just grow up so fast and they aren't always going to want their "mom" the way they do now, or give me endless hugs and kisses.

Which brings me to today. It is such a little thing, but she has learned to sit up by herself for long periods of time. So she can self entertain and you can just see how happy that makes her. For whatever reason it just made me think about the day differently and not count the hours til nap time or bed time but sit and enjoy this time while I have it . . . and you know what . . . it made for a pretty good day! It is something I have told myself many, many days. Each day and each little moment, milestone, funny phrase, even a bad thing here and there are precious and to remember them because they go so fast.

I am happily married to a selfless, handsome, hardworking, wonderful man and father and have been blessed with three awesome, healthy kids. Probably something I have reminded myself of numerous times but now that the end of having a baby is drawing near I am trying to enjoy each day! These are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs right now, You're Gonna Miss This, by Trace Atkins that sums it all up.

" You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this "

So close . . .

We made it nearly 6 months with out Tori getting sick but the streak has ended. All three kid are sick, including Tori. They have a bad head/chest cold. Last night was a miserable night. Kasey was up three times by midnight, then finally came to sleep in bed with me (her first time ever). You don't want to share a bed with her, even if you have a king bed. Tori was up every hour and a half not able to breathe real well. So I called the doctor this morning. I have to watch her chest, without a shirt on every hour to make sure she isn't retracting when she breaths. It will be good to get the first sickness over with and next time I won't be so nervous. Needless to say we were back to a HO HUM day but worse. A lot of tears were shed (Kasey mostly) and a lot of movie watching today. Little Mermaid is a favorite of Kasey's right now and everytime I try to sing the songs she says, "Mom, mom no singing." Wylie's favorite movie is the movie Cars, Tori, well she doesn't watch movies, she just loves when you carry her all the time or constantly give her attention, she does like her swing too!

40 Degrees in Wisconsin

Only in the Minnesota/Wisconsin would you get so excited about reaching 40 degrees. We had a great day today, it was sunny and we got out side to play lots! It made me realize even more that we need nice weather soon! We were happier playing inside too! We went for a nice long walk, Tori bundled in her stroller, happy as a clam and Wylie and Kasey rode their big wheels around the neighborhood. Came home and they wanted to take their "big two wheel" bikes (with training wheels) around the culd-a-sec. So off they went like they had been riding them for months, yet it was their first time today. Kasey at 2 1/2 is riding it too, amazing:) I tried to get a picture but I had my hands full with two on bikes and Tori in the stroller, trying to keep the wind and sun out of her little face. Here are a few pictures of the happy kids today. . . . BAD NEWS . . . it is supposed to snow tomorrow. Another HO HUM DAY . . . ugh . . . Good day today so I will end with that:) Smile.