Our first leaf pile of the fall!

Quarry Quest with Grandma and Grandpa

CJ and Daddy's big score...9 perch and a bullhead! CJ caught some on his little kid pole!

So the summer has flown by and now it's officially Fall.  We have been busy!  We have been up at our cottage a lot, and had a few different friend groups up there to visit.  We even went to Laona a couple times where they have a steam train we rode and then went to a little "camp" with a petting zoo, and some outdoor things to do.

As a family, we went to Quarry Quest.  It's an event held every year where kids can see and ride on huge constuction equipment.  CJ was too scared again this year to ride on most of the big rides, but we did a couple rides and did some of the games/festivities.  It was lots of fun. 

CJ has started swimming lessons again.  He has graduated out of the parent/child and into the big kid class.  He is doing really well!  He's still with his best buddies Stella and Layla (who he has been with for probably 2 years or more now). We have had many a play date with those two and their families and even had the group up to the cottage this summer. 

Evy has passed a few more milestones.  She can sit up on her own and is now pulling up to a stand!  I even got her first one on camera! She's still army crawling around and is getting pretty quick!  No little teeth have popped yet, but she still acts like she's always teething.  Now she's got a cold...the runny/snotty nose of the winter has started already!

Cliff has started the hunting season again.  He's been bow hunting a few times already and I am already becomming a "hunting widow" for the year.  He's up at the cottage now.  Has been since friday and won't be back until monday. When he's not fishing he's hunting.  He found a buddy up north that goes musky fishing with him, so he's having a great time now that he's not always fishing alone.  School started, too.  He's back to teaching during the day and has one night class/week this semester. 

I am the same old same old that I always am.  Nothing new, except for the curly hair seen in the pictures above!  I decided that I needed a change, so I got a perm.  At first I wasn't sure, but it has grown on me and now I really like it! 

Well, better get going.  CJ's babysitter Carly is taking him to Little Farmer for fun and caramel apples today so we have to start getting ready and have to head out for an errand, too.  Hope everyone is well!

Summer

It's been a busy summer so far...

We have been up at the cottage a lot: Cliff has been fishing and we have been spending time at the beach or bumming around up north. CJ learned to ride a two-wheeler with training wheels because he saw some of the neighbor kids by the cottage riding around and he wanted to "ride my bike with my friends." He's doing well, and now says he wants Cliff to take the trainers off!  We will see... CJ has become much more comfortable in the water, and has been putting his whole body underwater lately.  He is really excited about that! 

Evy is growing fast.  She is log-rolling now to get to where she wants to go, and can sit up by herself for a decent amount of time.  She loves swimming, and likes to sit in the water and splash.  It's amazing because it doesn't seem to bother her when she gets splashed, even in the face!  We have been working on baby food and some cheerios, but Evy is so far not interested at all in anything besides milk.  Oh, well.  We have time! 

Cliff has been doing a lot of fishing, especially up north.  He has recently joined a musky club and is excited to have a fishing buddy up near the cottage.  Besides fishing and hanging out with the family, Cliff has also been working on his research.

With the passing of my grandma, I have been having a bit of a hard time emotionally this summer.  I have been trying to keep busy (which is not difficult with 2 kids and 2 homes!). CJ and Evy keep me going with their constant energy, and CJ is a great snuggler when I am having a bad moment. Of course, Cliff has been helpful, too. I have been forgetful and "not all there", so I apologize for any forgotten birthdays/anniversaries, etc.

I hope everyone is well, and that you are all having a safe and fun summer.  Love you all!

 At the pool

 CJ as a "sunglass fireman"

 Evy

CJ with Daddy and the fish they caught (CJ reels them in)

CJ is 3!

Sorry the pictures are sideways, I still can't figure a way to turn them on here!

Hey, everyone! Happy Easter to all! Just a quick update...

CJ is now 3! We celebrated his birthday at our cottage with a little Lightning McQueen party with just Cliff, me, Evy and CJ. We had cupcakes with our neighbors Cliff and Eddie. Then we celebrated again at Mom and Dad's when we went up north for Easter. The kids did 2 egg hunts and had a great time playing. They made Easter cut-out cookies with Grandpa Duane, too. CJ is doing well.

Evy is 4 months now. She still isn't rolling over, but she almost gets there. She really wants to sit, but isn't quite ready yet. She talks a lot and screams at the top of her lungs (in a good way). She smiles and laughs. She really likes her big brother and he is good at making her laugh. Evy is mostly sleeping through then night and this week has been taking really good naps. She now likes to be put down when she's tired and then falls asleep on her own for a 1-2 hour nap twice a day. I miss rocking her to sleep, but it's better for her this way! She's a much better sleeper than CJ was! She started sucking her thumb now, too. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it makes her happy...

Cliff spent his spring break working on the cottage. We now have all the walls painted and are just in need of some moulding. The floors are all done, too. We got a new bunk bed for one of the rooms. I am looking for a couple of things to finish the bathroom, but it is almost done. Cliff and Jan did a really good job!

Nothing new with me. Just enjoying my kiddos and working.

Well, it's off to Monkey Joe's today for a playdate with CJ's two little friends from swimming. Hope you are all doing well! Miss you all!

Dana

Growing fast

Pictures are a little out of order. . .

CJ and daddy playing in the yard

Evy's first visit with Santa...CJ was still scared!

Evy, Noah and Ethan (this was taken yesterday)

CJ and his new farm

Rylie, CJ, Kynzie and Evy (sorry, I haven't figured out how to turn the pictures!)

Well, Evy is now 2 months old...and growing like crazy (as you can tell from the photos, she's quite the little chunk!) We've made it through Christmas and New Year's without any troubles. Everyone is doing well.

Cliff has now finished teaching his first interim class. It went well, but was very time-consuming. Now one week off and back to the regular schedule. He's not on vacation, though. He always has research to work on!

CJ is doing well. He went once a week to the daycare at UWO during the interim so that I could have a day with Evy and could get some house work done. He had a really good time playing with all the other kids and supposedly he was well-behaved. No potty accidents, even in the new environment! CJ enjoyed being with all the many families around Christmas, and had lots of fun playing with all his cousins!

I have been enjoying my time off with the kids, and am a little sad to have to go back to work in 3 weeks. When I start back at work, I am going down to a 2-nights a week schedule instead of 3. I am really looking forward to that! I will have much more time with my babies that way.

Evy is doing really well. She is growing like crazy and is really a good little baby. During the day, she has lots of awake time, but actually lays in a crib a few times to sleep. At night, she has been sleeping in a crib at least part of the night, and often goes at least 4 hours between feeds. Of course, she has her bad nights, too! She coos a lot now, and smiles a lot when you talk to her. I absolutely love that! CJ thinks it's neat when she coos and always asks "what is she saying to me?" He loves to hold her and gives her lots of affection.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Evy went swimming for the first time. She did really well...we were there for a good 2 hours and she didn't make a peep. She kicked her feet in the water and floated around on a big mat just looking all around. I forgot the camera, though, so we missed out on those photos!

Sorry it took so long to get this out. We are going to the Dells in a few weeks, so hopefully I will get those photos out a little quicker!

Love you all and miss you!

meet evelyn

On Saturday, Nov 19th at 1238am, Evelyn Margot Moll was born. She weighed in at 8lb 10oz and is 20.5 inches long. She looks a lot like CJ did as a newborn, though is much chubbier. She's got light brown hair, about 1 inch long already. She's a bit of a crabby girl, though has been a little happier today. Last night she actually let mama sleep for a few hours in a row, and today she slept in her bassinet for 2 solid hours! She is nursing well, a huge step ahead of how her brother was at this age! Mama is doing well, a little sore, but otherwise fine.

Labor was fast and furious, much to my surprise. I really wanted an epidural when I hit the hospital doors, but I was already 9cm and she was born 30 minutes after I got to the hospital, so I was unable to get any drugs and ended up with a completely natural childbirth. From first contraction to birth was only about 4 hours and I didn't even really think I was in labor until about 10pm friday night. We were actually out to eat with friends and then were in Appleton shooting our bows until about 9:30. Fast labor is great in some ways, but extremely intense and I have to say I was a bit out of control. Cliff did really well and was very supportive through my craziness.

Evelyn is doing well and CJ seems to be very happy with her. He goes straight for her when he comes in the door to visit and likes to hug and kiss her. He has asked to play with her and says he would like her to go home with him. He has been very gentle and when she cried today he told me I needed to give her some milk! What a little helper! Mom and Dad have been staying with CJ and Cliff has been staying here with me and Evy (or Evie, as we are not sure yet how to spell it). Cliff's mom Lori has come to visit and Erica and the girls were here as well.

We will be heading home tomorrow morning, so hopefully the transition will go well. Can't wait for everyone to meet our newest addition!

CJ the dragon

For Halloween, CJ was a dragon. He liked his costume a lot and had fun wearing it. We went to Festival (the grocery store) for trick or treat in the morning. It was cute...they went around to the departments and got treats related to that department. For example, he got an apple in produce and a string cheese in dairy. Then we went to our downtown celebration and did trick or treating at the stores. It was REALLY crowded, but CJ had fun. We met with some friends, so he wasn't alone. Mom and Dad went with us, too. Since both Cliff and I worked on Halloween night, we didn't do traditional trick or treating through the neighborhood.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

4 more weeks and counting. . .

These are pictures from the diaper shower Erica and Megan threw. Thanks!

34 weeks pregnant

"Grandma and the girls"

getting big!

My "diaper cake"

Me, Lori, Mom, Marge, Annie, Tami, Grandma, Shari, Megan, Erica

32ish weeks

my baby boy playing in the leaves

I am now 36 weeks pregnant, so I should have about 4 more to go. Things are still going well. Lots of crazy baby movements, sporadic contractions, but all around feeling pretty good. We put up the crib, which CJ asks if he can sleep in with "baby sister" when she comes. He likes to go upstairs and see the crib, and has grown attached to a small burp cloth that Lori made for the new baby.

Erica and Megan (for those of you who don't know, Megan is my cousin) threw me a very nice diaper shower with my mom's side of the family. It was so great to see everyone! Thanks to all for the diapers and wipes! And thanks to Lori (my mother-in-law), who made "baby sister" aka "november" (those are the names CJ gives her) some beautiful bedding!

Cliff has been busy hunting and he also put a deck railing up at the cottage. It was a lot of work, but it looks really nice.

Hope everyone is doing well! Hope to keep you updated as best I can with baby news. . .and I'll try to put CJ's Halloween pictures up asap after trick or treating this weekend! Miss you all!