Bring on the zoo!

We began our summer with a day trip to one of our favorite areas, Madison, Wisconsin.  Anytime we visit Madison, Mat and I both always comment that we could picture our family living there.  With the exception that they probably even get a little more snow than we do, I really love the area.  There is so much to do and so much culture.  We've probably only chipped at the surface, but a couple of our favorite places are the zoo and the children's museum.  Sometimes we try to fit it all in, but on this day we just hit up the zoo. 

The weather was PERFECT...barely 70, so just warm enough not to be cool.  On our way to the zoo we stopped for a lunch at Rocky Roccoco Pizza.  I hadn't been to one in years since I was a kid myself!  It wasn't quite as impressive as I'd remembered, but it was a hit with the kids mainly because it involved pizza and games.  Then, it was off to the zoo!

 MJ is a great age for the zoo.  He is in awe of everything and has lots of questions! 

 Admiring the camels

 Charlotte's independence was really starting to come out around this time.  Set her down on the playground and she's off!

 

 Tunnel slides are always fun!

 MJ thought feeding the goats was the most fun!  They were very eager, aggressive goats, and MJ adored them!

 Charlotte, not so much...she preferred to be held safely by mommy. 

 

Look how he's growing!

 

 

This little day trip was our first glimpse of summer fun with the kiddos, and a reminder that we are SO blessed with a great, flexible schedule.  Mat is teaching all his summer school courses online this summer, so we have even more flexibility than normal.  It's such a treasure to be able to have these times together as a family!  

Sooo Thankful for DMS!

The end of May marked the end of MJ's second year at Dubuque Montessori School.  Last year, he just attended 2 mornings a week for 2 hours each, but this year he began preschool in a 3-5 multi age classroom.  We made the decision to send him 5 afternoons a week.  This was a big change at the beginning of the year; a change that I was very nervous about, but it really worked out SO well!  Him having a consistent schedule at preschool allowed Charlotte to have a pretty consistent nap schedule and thus allowed me to have a pretty consistent block of time that I could count on to complete some of my own school work. 

Most importantly though, MJ really thrived this year.  He loves going to preschool, and he looks forward to it each day!  His teachers, Mr. James and Ms. Cat are just amazing. I never have ANY reservations or hesitations when I drop him off at school.  I know that his needs are being met and they typically even exceed my expectations!  I really love the Montessori approach, and I think MJ has grown so much both socially and academically.  At the completion of this school year, MJ is writing his name, recognizes nearly all letters, can pronounce the beginning sound of most letters, is able to rhyme some basic words, sings his ABC's, counts to 10 independently, counts to 20 with some help, and name the continents (through a song).  He's also learned a lot about working independently, collaborating with others, and being a helper in the classroom. 

Here's just a few highlights of the fun happenings during the last month of school...

 Pajama Day at school is the one day all year the kids are shown a movie.  They wore their pj's to school and could bring a special blanket or lovey to cuddle with while watching Charlotte's Web.

MJ was thrilled for Tea Party Day.  The kids spend quite some time brushing up on their manners in preparation of Tea Party Day.  They are encouraged to dress up and they are served special treats and flavored teas on miniature china tea sets.  It's quite the production from what I hear! 

 

 

 

On MJ's 2nd to last day of school, I picked him up from school to find him covered in mud!  It was the day after a rainstorm and apparently MJ had quite a fun time splashing in the mud.  I was washing mud from his ears that night!! 

 



He was quite proud of his filth!

 

 

On MJ's final day of school, we were invited in for a special year-end celebration.  We were able to find someone to watch Charlotte (only 2 guests per child), so that both Mat and I could attend.  We began with some free play time where the kids could show their parents some of their favorite work.  Then, we worked with MJ to help him create a memory book.  The students then took turns sharing their favorite thing about the school year, sang a song for all the parents, and demonstrated a couple activities.  Then they received a special certificate and sidewalk chalk for the summer.  Last, we shared a great snack of fruits, veggies, meats, and cookies!  MJ really enjoyed having us at his school and sharing all of his accomplishments with us. 

 

 

 Proud Daddy

 Our baby boy!



MJ receiving his certificate from Mr. James

 

 

I'm just so pleased with DMS, and I'm looking forward to another successful year ahead.  Next year, MJ's schedule will stay the same and he'll attend afternoon preschool again with the same teacher in the multi age classroom.  I also just wrapped up my first year serving on the Board of Directors.  This year, I was elected to be the Secretary.  I really enjoyed the experience, but with new baby coming in the fall, I decided to continue with serving on the board but stepped down from my position as Secretary.  I'm really happy to have the opportunity who work closely with the school and its staff!  

Ahhh, Sunshine!

 

Spring seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.  It included one week of nice spring-like weather, followed by what felt like a month of rain.  Then, it suddenly felt like summer which meant SUNSHINE!  It was so wonderful to be out of the house, enjoying the weather, and our new neighborhood and backyard.  This meant lots of walks...at least once a day, sometimes twice.  MJ suddenly became interested in riding a bike and couldn't get enough of it!  

 

 

 Charlotte on the go!

 MJ liked to stop and pick "dandy-flowers" as he calls them. 

 

I love, love, love this picture.  We have a firehouse just a block or two down from our house.  There are water fountains and dog bowls with water as well, so of course we always stop here to quench or thirst.  It's just so Americana looking. The flag is usually flying high, often the firemen are sitting outside chatting, and a couple times MJ has even been invited to check out the fire truck up close and personal.  On this day, he pulled his bike over, parked it in the grass there, and was on his little tippy toes trying to reach the fountain all by himself.  He's sure getting big!

 

 

 

Warm temperatures and sunshine meant time for the pool, too!  It was way to early in the month for the public pools to be open yet, and swimming in the backyard is way easier, so we set up the kiddy pool and water table, and despite the ice cold water from the hose, MJ was in heaven!  Charlotte didn't care for being put in the actual pool too much, but she loved splashing along the side and playing in the water table. 

 

 

 Wheeeee!

 

 

 

Of course, the kick-off to summer isn't complete without ice cream!

 

 

Two spoons up for Yo So Sweet-our fave fro yo bar!

 

This picture really serves no purpose other than to say "Awwww!"  How cute are they?!  This was one day in May after I picked up MJ from preschool.  They're always so happy to see each other.  :)

 

 

 

My late May, Mat was wrapping up the end to another successful school year.  May is a verrry busy month for him with lots of extra hours put in, so any chance we get to include the kids in any of the year-end activities, we do so...not to mention I'm usually desperate for a little break.  Mat has a BBQ at the end of the year for the Business Club kids, and this is the third year MJ has gotten to tag along.  Charlotte and I joined it at the end as well.  Who knew a beach ball and some college kids could bring such fun?!


 

 

 

 

One of my favorite May events is the annual Arboretum's Kid's Fair.  This was a special MJ/Mommy afternoon while Mat stayed home with a napping Charlotte.  This event couldn't be any more perfect for kiddos MJ's age.  We had to time this right around afternoon storms, so we only had a little over an hour, but it was perfect!  There are games, tons of characters to get autographs from, and prizes. 

 



 This picture cracked me up!  Lets just say they don't spend much money on the character costumes.  It was a rather poor attempt at Minnie and Mickey, but luckily a 4 year old doesn't seem to know the difference.  He immediately said, "Do you remember me from Disney?" when he saw them!  He's holding Minnie Mouse's hand in the picture.  :) 

 

 Big hugs for Elmo!

 

I'm sure his years of enjoying this event are numbered, but I sure do enjoy these special dates with my little man! 

 





Our Little Ring Bearer

In late April, we headed to St. Louis for the wedding of Leif and Peggy.  Mat's brother, Leif, and Peggy have dated for years.  They were pretty serious back when Mat and I were dating through college.  Peggy was even at our wedding!  After some time, they ended up parting ways, but rekindled their relationship years down the road.  They even welcomed their own little one, our niece Lily.  Leif proposed this past fall, and they planned a spring wedding.  We were so excited when they asked MJ to be the ring bearer in their wedding.  Lily was the flower girl and the two couldn't have been any cuter.  Thanks for letting MJ play such a special part in your wedding day, Leif and Peggy!

 MJ was quite excited to wear his "wedding clothes".  He coordinated with Uncle Leif and the groomsmen.  Such a little stud!

 

 He was a bit protective of cousin Lily.  We kept reminding him that he's older and had to be the big boy and help Lily.  He took it very literal.  :)

 

 Here they are making their way down the aisle.  They were more interested in looking at all the people, but they did an awesome job!  Lily forgot to toss any of her flowers until the very end. 

 MJ was serious in his job and scoping out all the guests on his way down the aisle.

 Mema was great at bribing them with candy for doing a job well done!

 

 My other little sweetie in her wedding's finest.

 

 She wanted nothing to do with being held and contained during the wedding, but as soon as the DJ started the music, this is exactly what she did.  She dashed off to the dance floor and got her boogie on for the rest of the day! 

 

Mema and the littles gettin down!

 

MJ came and found me during the reception and asked if I'd dance with him.  Melt my heart!!  We shared a special little dance together that I will always treasure. 

 

We were so happy Grandpa Keyes was able to attend the wedding.  He'd been in a bad accident not too much earlier and has had a slow recovery.  We were blessed with his presence and glad to spend some time with him, as well as the rest of the Keyes Family.

 

Charlotte was just enamored with Aunt Peggy.  She loved her dress and kept wanting Aunt Peggy to hold and cuddle her.  It was cute how she just kept following around.  I had to go keep pulling her off Aunt Peggy so she could visit with all her guests!  Luckily though, Aunt Peggy sure loves cuddles.

 

Neither kiddo sat still long, bu we managed to quickly get a couple pictures!  I was feeling so tired this day from traveling and chasing the littles around during that early pregnancy stage!

 

Proud parents on this day and remembering 2001 when we were married and surrounded by many of the same family members.  We were so glad to share in Leif and Peggy's special day!

 

You know the kids have had a blast when the look like this after being in their car seats for less than 3 minutes.  They rocked it! 

 

 



Is it FINALLY spring?!

This winter seriously must have been the longest winter ever!  It wasn't even really that bad until mid February.  Then, it seemed so cold, so of course by the time March came around we were ready for a hint of spring.  Keep in mind that last March we were already playing at the parks in flip flops and enjoying the sunshine.  This March we were still playing in the snow and not one bit happy about it (well, at least Mat and I).  The snow barely all melted in time for Easter! 

So needless to say, once the ground began to thaw, the sun began to shine, and the temperatures began to rise, we were beyond ready to get out of this house! 

 Spring equals swinging in the park! 

 And taking walks together.  I love this picture of MJ walking Bubba. 

 So happy to be outside playing in the backyard! 

Mama was so excited to be able to take the kids for long walks!  Yes, MJ is wearing his fireman uniform.  :)  They love to walk down to the bridge and look for mac trucks.