Happy Halloween!

We did a little Halloween celebrating early because Halloween weekend will be very busy (I'm in Houston for a quilt show and Ed is in St. Louis, retrieving more of our stuff.) Thomas will get to trick or treat on Monday--wish I could be there to see it!

Two little tigers. TJ's costume was one my mom made
for Jenn some 28 years ago. 

Great Grandma Millie and two little tigers. Thomas ran around the assisted living
facility roaring at the residents, which they loved (except for the one lady
who had been dozing!).

TJ's favorite part of visiting Grandma Millie--riding her cart.

Big tiger roars. He's so darn cute in this outfit!

Pearl Lake weekend

We spent our last weekend in Wisconsin at Pearl Lake, closing up for the year. We had two sunny but cool days to put the pontoon boat away, take out the pier, watch Niki's sectional cross country race (she's running in the state meet next!), and watch football. Josiah enjoyed his first trip up to the lake. Actually, he may not have noticed...he's pretty laid back so he eats, sleeps, and poops anywhere.

Final pontoon ride of the season...driving with Buppa

Watching out the back of the boat--how TJ spent most of
 the final pontoon ride of the season (except for when he was driving)

Final tally in the garage: 2 speedboats, 2 pontoon boats, 1 model A,
1 riding lawnmower, 1 or 2 jet skis...a tight fit and definitely not all ours!
Note the decorative balls still hanging from Jenn and Pat's wedding--a nice touch!

Jenn directs the backing in job of the pontoon while Thomas "steers"
in his Halloween costume.

Pat uses brute force to turn the pontoon boat toward the garage opening.

So glad I didn't have to help with this! Dad and Pat taking out the
pier on a chilly late October afternoon. Brrr...

Jenn and I were tasked to remove the cement blocks supporting the pier
 at the water's edge. We found a family of frogs hibernating--probably 6 of them
stacked on top each other in the holes of the cement blocks, each as big as a fist.

Thomas, Gwenny, Abby and Josiah: the great grandkids

Mom and dad with their grandsons

The guys watching football. Jo-Jo looks comfy, doesn't he?! 

Cookies & Smiles

Thomas and Grammy made pumpkin cut-out cookies this week. Check out his apron--it's one that Mom made for me and Jenn when we were little! It took a little convincing for him to wear it, but considering how well floured he was by the end, it was a good choice. 

Spreading flour out before rolling the dough

 Rolling the dough. TJ loves using the rolling pin, in conjunction with his new favorite phrase:
"I do it myself!"

Some of the finished product!

Enjoying the fruits of his labor...one of five, yes five cookies he had that day. (Two unfrosted and three frosted. The boy is smart--he spread out his asking among the three of us, which is how he ended up with five!)

And the day would not be complete without some sweet Jo-Jo smiles. He's getting pretty generous with these grins, especially when he first wakes up in the morning. We like it!

He's got a smile and a mini Heisman pose going on here...

We love daddy!

Ed came over from Kalamazoo to spend the weekend with us. We watched football, relaxed, ate, napped, and just chilled out with the boys.

 They both look happy to see him!

 Relaxing on daddy's leg

Shoulder ride during our afternoon walk

2 months!

It's hard to believe that Josiah is already 2 months old, especially with all of the changes that have happened since he was born! He's starting to smile and talk a little--amazing how gratifying a cute little baby smile is, especially first thing in the morning. 

His unofficial 2-month stats: 

13 lb. 2 oz. (courtesy of the mail scale at Olympus)

23.5" long (courtesy of a ruler on the kitchen counter)

Almost smile close-up

Hey mom, I'm 2 months old!

 Measuring up to my bear. And also looking a bit like I'm about to take off to the left!

Here's a smile!

Pumpkin farm

We took advantage of the gorgeous Indian summer weather by taking the boys to a pumpkin patch last weekend. Lots of kids, lots of Packer and Brewer shirts, and LOTS of pumpkins. 

 The boys sitting amongst the pumpkins. Thomas kept letting go of Josiah, who almost kept landing headfirst on a pumpkin! Spotters directly off camera prevented any head injuries.

 Farmer TJ!

 Feeding the goats

TJ and his pumpkin. We picked a smaller one out for Josiah, too.

Earning our keep

 Mom and Dad are in the middle of a landscaping project right now, so the boys and I decided to pitch in on Sunday and to help earn our keep for this extended stay in Milwaukee.

Lugging rocks

Jo-Jo wants to help with the digging.

Raking dirt

Filling the wheelbarrow

Transporting the dirt; figure that Thomas adds an extra 30 lbs to the wheelbarrow...ouch!

The "before" picture: the old deck has been replaced with a patio, and our
job is to fill in dirt along the sides, create a rock retaining wall, and then plant.

Temporary retaining wall in place; rocks ready to be moved into place.

The finished landscaping: looking good! 

Mini NU reunion

The boys and I met Ed in Chicago for the weekend. We stayed at our second home-away-from-home, the Cooks' house, and then visited with the Simms family, in from Colorado for the marathon. Our own little Northwestern reunion with some of our favorite NU grads! 

Thomas and Abbey in her car again

Hanging with the Simms family...
two sets of former college roommates now have four little boys!

Thomas and Zack playing near the leaf pile

The boys getting underdogs on the swings in the park

My boys back at home, watching football. So cute!

Lots to cheer for

We've been super busy on the weekends...with so many good games (baseball and football!), it seems all we do lately is change clothes to support the current team of the moment.

 Three little Wildcats in training! Too bad the NU games have been painful so far.

 Two little Brewer fans. Please keep winning, Brew Crew!

Three Packer fans! 

Life in Milwaukee

As the move progresses, we're the boys and I are spending a little time in Milwaukee. Grammy and Buppa are enjoying having the boys around, and I'm grateful for the help! 

Lots of fun things to do here, especially with the beautiful Indian summer weather we've been having! Here are some random pics so far.

 An open house at Mequon's fire department. Check out TJ driving the fire truck!

 In the firemen's lockers

 Look at our little chubba chubba!

 Grandma Millie meets little J.

 So the undies are still very much a novelty rather than an every day occurrence, but they're so cute!

 Wide awake!

Love this sleeping position!