Bay Beach Amusement Park

We started off the day on Saturday with a trip to Appleton's Farmer's Market. I loved it. It is the best one I have ever been to. Plus I found the perfect pair of earrings to match a bracelet that my parents gave me. As we left the kids got to climb inside a police car and push the button to make the sirens go...Cool.

Then we went to Bay Beach Amusement Park. Fun:

Can you guess Nathan's favorite attraction? We're the caboose.Off we go. Chug a chug a choo choo! What a darling pair.Brielle was insistent that she wanted to ride the ferris wheel. Neither Mom or Dad were thrilled with the idea of going along. Dad kindly agreed. As they sat at the top of the ferris wheel leaning uncomfortably forward (because Brielle refused to sit back...if she sat back she wouldn't be able to see), Jared decided to share his true feelings with Brielle, "I'm a little scared. How about you?" Brielle answered, "No! This is fun! Wahoo!" She LOVED the whole ride!
The bugs. Both kids insisted, "AGAIN!" when we went to get them off of this one. The fighter jets!Nathan drives another train and gets to ring the bell.How does a three year old express her thrill and excitement? By strangling her younger brother.The teeter totter at the park was probably my favorite ride. With Dad and Brielle on the other side, we were just about perfectly balanced! Jared and I played for several minutes after the kids had had enough. Have you enjoyed the fun of a teeter totter lately? It had definitely been too long for us. We were laughing hysterically.

We spent that evening BBQing and chatting with the Bourneman's, a wonderful family that has been so kind to us since we moved here. We really enjoyed ourselves.

All in all, a great weekend...until Brielle ate ice cream on Sunday night that happened to contain pecans. After quelling her immediate allergic reaction with Benadryl we put her to bed only to be awakened at 11:30 to her awful cough...wait, she hasn't had a cough. After a worried analysis of the situation we discovered that she had broken out in hives and was swelling and scratching all over. A second dose of Benadryl calmed the cough and a call to the after-hour nurse with great instructions and a priesthood blessing for Brielle calmed our nerves enough for us to get a little rest. Today, a visit to the doctor. Next step...the allergist. I am so grateful for the prompting that got us out of bed and gave us the presence of mind we needed last night to handle the situation despite being exhausted.

Berry Picking

For our FHE activity tonight we went berry picking with the Allens, an amazing family in our ward that we really enjoy being with. We all had a blast. Then we came home and made crepes with which to enjoy the freshly picked berries. Yum!Libby (Brielle's age), Whitney, Everly, Chris, Kanza, Cheyenne, Nathan, Kristen, Jared and Brielle...fun, fun, fun!We were told that the motto for this kid-friendly picking spot is: "If you don't come back with a red face, you haven't done your job." I guess Nathan did his job really well! :) He loved them. Brielle is quite the strawberry picker!!! She won't eat them, but she LOVED picking them. She had the most fun of any of us I think. It was hard to convince her to leave.

Nathan and Jared. A great team!

Great work girls!Check out the rainbow!The welcoming committeeHappy 4th of July! Looks patriotic eh? Jared and Brielle made fresh strawberry lemonade as well. Yum!

WWCR - Tempted, Succombed...Failure?...Success?

Cheese of the Week: Buffalo Wing Monterrey Jack

Rating: See Below

Quote of the Week: See Below

I went into to the store today (Yes. Today. Late. I know.) to buy one of the cheeses on our list of "must-try"s. As I entered the cheese section (which is VERY large), I met the cheese-taster-lady. She had a large tray of different cheeses to try. As I studied the selection, carefully calculating which one cheese I would try, I stalled, earning more calculation time, by telling the cheese-taster-lady our summer cheese mission. Her eyes lit up. "You must try Buffalo Wing Monterrey Jack cheese! It is by far our bestseller AND it is on special." Well, you put the words "bestseller" and "on special" in the same sentence and I am hooked. (I know, being married to a marketer, I should know better.) I completely forgot about the purpose of my mission (we have more cheeses on our "must try" list than we have weeks left in Wisconsin) and walked over to the Buffalo Wing Cheese (she didn't have that kind on the sampler tray--maybe that should have been a hint) and selected a block of the marbled cheese. It didn't even occur to me that that might be a stupid decision until I saw Jared's face as he sniffed the cheese while opening the package. "This is quite reminiscent of bacon cheese," was all he would say. I was crestfallen. But it was a BESTSELLER and it was ON SPECIAL!! It couldn't be like bacon cheese! Jared's first taste rated it slightly better than the dreaded bacon cheese (which, by the way, tasted fabulous in a bacon and cheese quiche)...at least it wasn't processed. I reluctantly picked up a piece, set it on a cracker, and took a bite. Hmmm. Delicious!! I absolutely love it. Jared's opinion improved significantly when he ate it with a cracker as well. Nathan, however, was a different story. After popping a piece of the cheese in his mouth and chewing a bit, his face screwed up in disgust, his arms started flapping, and he opened his mouth with a pleading look on his face that said, "GET THAT STUFF OUT OF THERE...QUICK!!" So, you decide, was my tangent a success? Or was it a failure? I vote success. I have found a new favorite.

Review: Rich Monterrey Jack flavor coupled with the taste of buffalo wings minus the heat (The name didn't clue us in on that at all :) ). Yum!

Rating on a scale of 1-10: 10 (at least, according to me)

Quote of the Week: "No way! This is good. Really good!"

WWCR...coming, I promise

Thanks Aunt Joan for reminding us about WWCR! :) It is coming. I promise. I forgot to buy a new cheese until today. We will try it tonight and give you a report.

Father's Day Weekend

From my list of suggested activities, Jared chose to spend Saturday in Door County to celebrate Father's Day. We had an absolute blast!! Here are some highlights (by double clicking on the pictures you can see a larger image...you probably all know that, but I just recently figured it out. Thanks for the tip Mom): The Farm - these are all really fun pictures to look at. I love the kids' faces.

As you can see, it was a very interactive farm. Such a neat experience.

The beach was the next stop. This one wasn't planned, so we didn't have swimming suits. However, the lack of appropriate gear didn't stop Brielle from getting completely wet or Nathan from burying himself in the sand.

After going to a waterfront playground, we stopped at the Swedish restaurant that we had heard so much about due to the goats that they have grazing on the roof. Yes, that is sod you see on the roof. I guess that is somewhat common in Sweden, but goats on roofs are not. After a very full day with no naps, I was worried about what lay in store for us during dinner. I was fearful we wouldn't get to eat. However, within about 5 minutes, our son (who never sleeps unless in his bed, or occasionally in his car seat) was fast asleep, head on the table. Brielle was not far behind him. So Jared and I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner of Swedish breads with Lingonberry jelly, Filet Mignon, and Swedish Pancakes with strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. YUM!For Father's Day I made a yummy mango salsa to eat with pork loin, potatoes and fresh green beans. Before eating, the kids gave him the presents they had made. Nathan colored a picture and Brielle had painted a frame for him and made a card that said, "I love you Dad." We ended the day with a beautiful drive through the country.

It had been a difficult week for all of us. We were kind-of in a slump. So this weekend was just what we needed. Anyone want to come to Wisconsin for a visit? It will be fun. I promise.

Our Frogs

Jared awakened on Father's Day to find the following exciting gift...

Yes, you did see that right. The frogs that grew from the eggs and polywogs that we caught are what? A tenth of the size of a quarter? Crazy.

Left side: Frog. Right side: Almost Frog.
We released the ones that had fully developed into frogs yesterday so that they could get food (they need live prey and there was no way we were bringing live bugs in our home for them to catch)...or become food.

WWCR - Authored by Jared!!

There are several things I have never done:
· Eaten Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese
· Sent a Text Message
· Gone Sky Diving
· Visited Alaska and…
· Contributed to a Blog
I have no intention of ever doing some of these things (Sky Diving and eating Mac ‘n Cheese). But today, I take a long overdue step into the digital age and write our Weekly Wisconsin Cheese Review. If you know me, you may be wondering why I am taking this step. The truth – it’s better than folding laundry.
So here we go…
Tonight we decided to follow my sister-in-law’s advice and tried Gouda cheese. With a small hurdle to clear (last week we tried Blue Cheese) we have decided that Gouda is Gouda. Gouda is Gouda than blue cheese. Gouda is Gouda than the yucky bacon cheese I picked a few weeks ago (that makes KaraLynne a Gouda cheese chooser than me). The kids think the Gouda is Gouda since it has red wax to pick off and play with. And, writing about the Gouda is even Gouda than folding laundry. The only thing that could make Gouda Gouda is if Gouda was Gouda than ice-cream. Last week, after our not so Goud cheese review, I thought a Gouda idea would be to do a Weekly Wisconsin Dairy Product review instead of the cheese review. My first pick would be my new favorite ice-cream. If you ever come to Wisconsin, you will need to try Pirates Booty ice-cream. It is the 2008 Wisconsin State Fair Ice-cream Flavor Competition Winner which means… you guessed it, it was Gouda than all the other ice-cream flavors! So, if my Gouda wife were to agree, every Wednesday you would be hearing about Goud dairy treats and not just cheese. But, since I am smart, I will be a Goud husband and listen to my Goud wife and continue trying all the cheeses Wisconsin has to offer – well at least the Gouda ones, no more blue cheese for us.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I was lucky enough to be born to the best mother ever and tomorrow is her birthday. I often pray that the belief that "we learn best from example" is true...if so, there is hope for me as a mother thanks to the 30 years I have had to learn from her example. My mom has an amazing ability to love, teach, and nurture. It seems to me that the admonition to "put family first" comes easily to her as that is how she lives her life. I am eternally grateful for her and her friendship. I love and admire her:

• Beautiful singing voice and musical knowledge
• Love of reading
• Determination - One example of this is she has a desire to become very good at playing the piano. She sets difficult goals for herself and keeps up a rigorous practice routine and, by-golly, she is very, very good.
• Testimony and knowledge of the gospel
• Listening talent - She is SUCH a good and loving listener...just what a daughter needs in her mother.
• Love to play games - Thanks for the HOURS of delightful late-night game playing
• Ability to constantly support and love all around her without thought of herself
• Courage - 2 knee replacements in one year is not for the faint of heart.
• Ability to cook amazingly delicious food
• Leadership
• Writing - Man, can she put together an incredible Keynote concert or sacrament meeting program, as well as a delightful blog post.
• Willingness to go outside her comfort zone for someone she loves

That just scratches the surface. Thank you for who you are Mom. I love you!

WWCR - We went out on a limb and...

The limb broke.

Cheese of the Week: Blue Cheese

Rating from 1-10: 1

Quote of the Week: "Are you going to be sick?" (That is Jared's way of asking, "Are you about to toss your cookies?")

Since both Sara and Joan recommended Blue Cheese, we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen Cheryl's warning comment until it was too late. Here is the summary (notice one of these things is not like the others):

I think this is only the second one that Brielle has liked. Go figure!

We were wondering what the words "piquant" and "earthy" meant as we read them describing blue cheese. Now we know. It actually tasted okay until the aftertaste hit. Then it was very bitter. I know that blue cheese is an aquired taste, so I decided I needed to try more than one piece. After 3, I was done. I will have to acquire that taste another time. (Maybe someday we will be as classy as you Joan and Sara. :) ) Luckily, one of the other interns at KC loves blue cheese, so we gave it to her. We are glad someone will enjoy it!

Our Wisconsin Recipe of the Week, Stuffed Eggplant, wasn't a big hit either...very labor intensive and not very good. So I won't share that recipe with you unless you REALLY want it.

The Power of a Sticker

Is it strong enough to change a non-fruit and veggie eater into a fruit and veggie lover?

I sure hope so.

It was strong enough to get Brielle to eat a piece of apple and some grapes today.

Mini-miracle.

Tomorrow...veggies.

Will the sticker hold enough sway? We'll see.

Wish us luck.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit!

As mentioned in my previous post, we were blessed to have my parents here for a week and it was wonderful! My mom did a fabulous job of recapping the week on her blog. So, I just wanted to share a few of the highlights for me. (Sorry for the funky formatting. It had a mind of it's own tonight. From now on, I am not going to try to use the "bullet" feature.)
Seeing my children through the eyes of their Grandma and Grandpa:
Somehow it becomes so much easier to love the kids' quirks and laugh at the difficult times when Grandma and Grandpa are there loving their quirks and laughing at the mishaps of the day. It was a good reminder for me how precious my children are and I how blessed I am to get to be with them everyday.

They brought the kids candy ("nandy")necklaces. As you can see they LOVED them!

Seeing my children's love for their grandparents:
Every morning, as soon as Nathan would wake up, with groggy eyes he would look around and in a croaky voice ask, "Where Bampa go?"

Nathan loved having grandpa chase him. Even on the phone, Grandpa can make him laugh.


Brielle followed Grandma Kay around constantly (no wonder Grandma was so tired after their week here!). She always wanted to be with Grandma. Only grandma could push the stroller, read bedtime stories, feed her at dinner etc.




• Playing games with Mom, Dad and Jared after the kids were in bed each night. We had a blast talking and laughing together.




• All of the books, books, books: My kids were in heaven having two extra, very willing, readers around the house.
Seeing a side of my father I rarely see:
He was so relaxed after a few days away from the office, his calling, his schedule and list of "to-do's" that the constant weight of worry eased a bit. Three different times on Monday evening something tickled his funny bone and he laughed so hard he almost cried. He did a couple of completely hilarious things as well. I loved seeing him be able to totally relax and let go for a while.

Shopping and talking with my mom:
This is a highlight anytime I get together with her. I treasure her friendship and our conversations. It is always fun to shop and admire beautiful things together.

Exploring a new area together.
We spent the weekend in Door county, the "Cape Cod of the Midwest," and it was so much fun. I think the highlight was the traditional fish boil we attended. The experience was fun and interesting and the food was delectable.

The fish boil

The grand finale




Enjoying the food

And last, but defintely not least, feeling the love and support that my parents always give to me:
They are able to overlook my quirks and mishaps like no else and they always love me for who I am. They were so helpful, giving, and supportive in all that we did. What strength and security I always derive from them. It was sure hard to let them drive off in that "red tin can" on Tuesday evening. I miss their presence, as do Jared, Brielle and Nathan, but we are treasuring the memories that they left with us. Thanks for coming Mom and Dad. And thanks for your love and examples.

A few other pics I loved:

FHE

Nathan wanted to lead the singing too later that evening.

"See the lighthouse Nathan?"

The family at the lighthouse