Adios 2021

 Since mid-November, we've had a nice end to 2021 and hope you have, too. 

Cheers to 2021!

We took our trip to Orlando (originally scheduled for March 2020) with Cara's parents over Thanksgiving. Read all about that here.

Mother Nature has been all over the place, giving us 5 inches of snow one day and a 60° day the following week. We dealt with thick fog that day, and had severe wind storms roll though, knocking out our power for a few hours that night. Thankfully, no major damage at our house.

Nick and I have seen a few live shows this fall (which is infinitely greater than the amount we saw in a year pre-covid): Charlie Berens, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and MST3K Live!

All dressed up with a place to go!

Iris got her second vaccine dose, while Nick and I got boosted. We're hopefully prepared for when the omicron variant heads our way. Cara also got her first haircut in 26 months. A whopping 4 inches cut off, but it had grown 13 inches over that period, so... :D We also watched the UW-Madison Volleyball team have an amazing season and win the NCAA Championship! Wooooo!

We've been dealing with some trust issues with Felix. We found he'd been playing a game banned in our house for several weeks with friends; he didn't ask because he assumed we'd say no. We're trying to work on reestablishing trust and communication with him. It's a process, and there's always something... Meanwhile, Iris has been (overall) acting more mature lately, so it's been a pleasant change from her immediately whining when asked to do something. It still happens occasionally (most often after swimming when she's tired), but overall, it's an improvement.

We had three family holiday celebrations this year. We continued the tradition our family started last year by celebrating Yule instead of Christmas, giving the kids presents and having a nice dinner on the solstice. Each kid got a new sled, an Oodie, a sweatshirt, slippers, fuzzy socks, an art kit and an Amazon gift card from us.

We spent Christmas Eve in Green Bay with Nick's parents and had a nice time there. It was wonderful to have Nick's remaining grandparents there to celebrate with us. 

We usually celebrate Christmas Eve with my family, but my sister's work schedule shifted our getting together to the 26th. We had a lovely afternoon/evening together. 

Now I've got the week off while the kids are home on their winter break. We plan on trying out their new sleds on the snow we're getting (a little too late to have a true White Christmas, but better now than after the kids go back).

Awesome things: Generous people, healthcare workers, Wisconsin Badger Volleyball, The Great British Baking Show, gift cards, Season 3 of What We Do In The Shadows, my King Arthur Baker's Companion.

2021 Holiday Card

 

2021 saw some return to the old normal amidst the new normal. Cara continued to be home overseeing the kids' virtual school year until early June. They did a great job overall, but were very happy to go back to Y Camp for the summer. We also saw the return of summer ball, which kept us very busy with many league and tournament baseball and softball games. We're looking forward to more in the coming year!

We made some baby steps leaving our little home bubble, taking a spring break trip to Superior/Duluth to see waterfalls and spending some weekends away with tournaments. We felt comfortable enough to reschedule our cancelled 2020 spring break trip, taking a short vacation to Orlando over Thanksgiving.

Nick's business has flourished over its first year (yay!) while Cara has had to return to the office part-time (boo!). The kids have returned to full-time in-person school, and both have done exceptionally well transitioning back. Iris is again doing swim team and is happy to be competing in some meets this winter.

We're also healthy and happy to report that we are all fully vaccinated and (in the adults' cases) boosted. Yay, science!

We're looking forward to things continuing to be bright in 2022. For next year, we hope your wishes are fulfilled, your fears are assuaged, and that we'll all get though this together. 

With love,

The Abts Family

Goodbye 2020

It's time to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to the new year, whatever it may bring us. Since summer wrapped up, we've experienced a strange blend of new and mundane. You may have read about some of it in our 2020 Holiday Card. To quote Inigo Montoya, "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

We started fall navigating the newness of the kids' virtual curricula and attempting to fill a school day's worth of time. (I'm chronicling our experiences separately here.) I think we've settled into something that works, since it lets me concentrate on my job during the day, with occasional check-ins with the kids. Iris still gets through her stuff too quickly, and I have to redirect her toward "school stuff" occasionally. Same old, same old by now. Same wake-up time, same views, same irritations (hence the "mundane").

Our newest family excitement has been Nick starting his own law firm in November. The pieces fell into place and the time felt right. It's been awkward trying to get things done during a pandemic, but done they are and he is open for business.

We let Iris join the local Y's swim team late this fall. They had the covid precautions in place to make us feel comfortable with the situation, and it allows her to interact with other people and puts her endless supply of energy to good use. We had the opportunity to see her "race" for the first time at an intra-team time trial last Sunday (with a masked, socially distanced, close-family-only audience). Despite being among the youngest, she's pretty speedy and clearly has some natural talent.

We also decided to shake things up with the holidays. Thanksgiving was spent alone at home, with video chats with family (with varying levels of technical difficulties).

We decided to do family presents on the Winter Solstice instead of Christmas morning. We had a nice family dinner, gave gifts (the kids picked out and bought their own presents for each other - so proud!), and played a family game. I've long felt that the kids haven't truly appreciated their presents when they get so many from us and grandparents during three events over two days. I think this is a tradition I'd like to build on next year. This was the first year that we included Felix on a view of our traditional Christmastime movie, Stalag 17. We've been watching it for 10+ years and learn something new each time. 

The gifts for each other were a hit.

While we couldn't go to any sporting events this year, we could at least be present in one way at Badger games:

We quietly bid 2020 goodbye, staying up until 11 watching Pixar movies before the ball drop. Nick & I felt a blackberry merlot was more appropriate than anything bubbly: a locally made wine, dark with a hint of sweetness (seeing as we had some good amidst the gloom and didn't go anywhere...). We'll save the foreign bubbles for tonight, to encourage 2021 to be a good year. 🍾

What we're looking forward to:

• Cara: getting vaccinated against covid, the next presidency, spending time with people in person, summer ball, traveling again, finishing my Spanish Duolingo course (halfway done!). 
• Nick: echoes many of Cara's sentiments, but includes getting his business going, having baseball/softball seasons for the kids, having a drink with a friend occasionally. 
• Felix: the vaccine being out and being able to socialize safely, being able to go back to school and be with friends.
• Iris: "Getting over with this whole year, because this year has kinda been a mess." 

Awesome things: Vaccines! (and science!), virtual meeting platforms that work, the return of the Great British Baking Shown, A.P. Bio, democracy, The Joy of Painting channel (the soothing balm this experience needs), the occasional sporting event on TV.

2020 Holiday Card

Welp. 2020 has been quite the year. Nick and Cara started the year in Pasadena, CA, where we watched the Badgers lose the Rose Bowl (alas!). March 12th was our last "old normal" day. Starting Friday the 13th, we've been heeding all covid-19 pandemic-related best practices (it's social-distancing day 275 for us today). The kids finished their school year virtually, then spent the summer weekdays outside at the local Y Camp. No baseball/softball this year, but the kids (and us) were able to get out and golf a fair bit. Felix turned 11 in July and Iris turned 8 at the end of August.

This fall has seen Cara continue to telework (which she'll be doing for several months of 2021 as well), so we pulled the kids out of their normal schools and put them into the district's virtual school program. Cara is chronicling the experience here. Our biggest change is that Nick started his own law firm in town and we bought the building in which he opened shop, all in one fell swoop. He's excited to be able to have control and grow his business. 

We're looking forward to a bright 2021, though you may not see much of us until either we're vaccinated or the virus peters out. For next year, we wish your hopes are fulfilled and your fears are assuaged, and we'll get though this all together. 

With love,

The Abts Family

Four Months In

Today marks four full months of physical distancing for us. As positive COVID-19 cases increase around us (for shame, fellow Americans), we continue to avoid any indoor congregating of people. We mask up any time we spend indoors in the presence of others. It's just not worth the risk.

That makes the idea of the kids starting the school year year up in a classroom setting so...unsettling. The school district is going to use "appropriate safety precautions," but don't specify them. Therefore, we're considering virtual school, which was never in our game plan for the kids under normal circumstances. But since there is no "normal" now, it seems our safest option.

Updates...The kids finished their school year with a whimper as the school days just ran out. The assignments ran out a bit before, so it was anticlimactic. But we tried to make the most of it.

Last Day*
*virtual school since 3/13/20

The kids started going to Y Camp daily (both are already so tan!) and Nick to the office. I'm still working from home and it had been so quiet! Except for when the work on our basement bathroom is occurring, but yay for that.

The kids dressed as villains for superhero week at camp. Yup. 

We had our first social-distancing outings around the 4th, seeing family at a cookout one evening (appropriately spaced outdoors), and seeing friends in a similar manner the following day. Nice to see people again in person.

Happy 4th!

We saw Nick's folks for the first time since March 6th. We picked up dinner, showed them the changes in our house while all masked, ate outside, and didn't hug goodbye. That's just how things go now.

Felix turned 11 yesterday! With no teammate-and/or friend-celebrations, he asked to go golfing as a family and include my parents. He also helped me make his cake: Alton Brown's jammy icebox cake.

I don't know what the future holds, but we're going to stick to isolating as much as we can until there's either a vaccine or until there is no more spread.

Awesome things: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, my new Nespresso machine (makes me feel like I'm in Europe since we can't go there for a while).

Anticipating Umbrella Academy season 2 and Brewers games!

Rainbows! 

At least there's one sport they can play... 

Annual 4th of July picture

Felix: 11 & Iris: 7.5

One Month In

It's Day 39 of social isolation / physical distancing / quarantine / whatever you want to call it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's been 3 weeks since my last post, and now it looks like we're about halfway through our projected quarantine, if it lifts on May 26th as currently planned. The kids won't be returning to school, and we've got to try to keep them somewhat motivated while we continue to telework full-time in our respective jobs. Nick's done some court appearances wearing dressy shirts/suit coats and sweatpants. Eh, it's what we do. My region has started to get the hang of our Skype meetings (no more everyone-talk-at-once roll calls, thankfully) (also, audio only, so I can stay dressed comfortably in my sweats).

Like I said, the kids, naturally, have some motivation issues with regards to school work. Their teachers are sending out lesson plans, but both fly through their assignments and have little on which to fall back once they're done. Iris especially. She's been getting herself in trouble with us by doing too much with the cats. Both have been using messenger to keep in touch with friends, which is nice.

I left the house for the first time in two weeks to get some groceries with Iris this weekend. We picked up my Walmart order using Nick's car. I was going to use mine for the first time in a month, but my battery's dead. (Son of a...). Not easy to take care of now, but plenty of time before I must.

Nick's been going to his office about once a week to pick up files. And now we both have colds. Grrr.

One thing that has changed: On the Friday before Easter, Nick and I did a three-room swap for the kids. Felix is now in the basement, where I put together his new loft bed/desk. Iris got his old room on the sunny side of the house, and her old room is now our office. It's a better fit for everybody, but it made for sore muscles the next day.

Easter was spent gathering as a family... on a Zoom meeting. We got 4" of snow that night. Sigh. At least it was mostly gone by midweek.

I've taken up jogging nearby to get out of the house. I've *never* been able to jog like I do now (for 20-30 minutes), so that's something.

This hasn't been easy for us, but we are grateful that we're in the situation we're in: employed, fed, secure, and most importantly, healthy. We'll keep doing this as long as we need to.

Felix: 10.5 yrs & Iris: 7.5 yrs

Rose Bowl

As usual, November and December were a whirlwind of activity. We spent some time with family at Thanksgiving, enjoyed holiday parties in December, and Iris started wrestling (at her own request).

She's a natural

Our traditional Christmas Eve theme picture. :o)

When the Badgers were selected to go to the Rose Bowl game this year, we jumped on the opportunity to go along. Nick and I hadn't been to a bowl game since the Badgers went to the Rose Bowl on 1/1/11, when Felix was a toddler. Again, we decided to leave the kids with Nick's parents and tag along with my parents on the trip.

30 Dec: We got up early and caught our flight from GRB to MSP before 7 am. It was rainy in GB and we flew over a snowstorm that was hitting home at the time. It was quite snowy and windy in MSP, which was slightly unnerving. We were joined by my parents, who had driven there the day before. We kicked off the trip with Bloody Marys at a bar, and relaxed before our flight. We were supposedly on-time for our 11:40 flight to LAX, so we boarded the plane. Then we waited an hour to join the deicing line and rejoin the departure queue. Had a nice view of the deicing machine and blizzard outside... Yikes. Very happy to finally get in the air. The flight was uneventful, and we landed around 2 pm PST. Palm trees! 65 degrees! Yay! We got our bags, got my folk's rental car, and endured the joy that is the 405. At least the traffic gave us many opportunities to spot interesting vehicles and license plates. We got to our Airbnb apartment in Burbank and rested for a bit. The folks came back to pick us up around 5:45 and we headed to Pasadena. An acquaintance of ours, Janel, found out we were going and invited us to a couple Badger family & friends events (She's the aunt of a current player). We joined her and others at the Brookside golf course for a dinner/party. We were introduced to Garrett Rand and his parents. Had a nice time, and stayed until about 8. The time change and lack of sleep was affecting me, so it was good to get back to our apartment, although I struggled to sleep in this unfamiliar room.

December 30

31 Dec: We headed to Hollywood today, since it was a gorgeous, sunny, low 60s day. Many other people had the same idea, apparently, because it was very crowded. Also very overrated, if I'm being honest. From there, Nick wanted to view Mulholland Drive, so my dad handed over the keys and let Nick take us on the twisty-turny road. It was lunch time, so we found a block on Ventura Ave that allowed Nick and I to get poke bowls and my parents to get burgers. All sated, we decided to go to a "Badger bar" in Santa Monica. It turned out to be more of a modern-German-style place with $9-10 beers. Yeah, not so Badgery on a non-game day. We then headed east to Pasadena and parked. My mom wanted to show us Barney's Beanery and we were not disappointed. It was on Colorado Blvd, and we passed many people set up to camp before the Rose Parade tomorrow. Also old cars cruised the strip. Party atmosphere. At the Beanery, we sat between a few groups of Oregon fans. We enjoyed ourselves talking with them and got some fun pictures. After a drink, we headed to the restaurant where I had made reservations, and we were joined by Nick's sister Natalie, his aunt Joanne and uncle Clarence, also in town for the game. We had a nice dinner catching up and eating tons of tasty Cajun seafood. Getting out of Pasadena was a challenge, given all the road closures put in place for the Parade. Made it back without incident. Too much spicy food, knowing we had an early night, and New Year's fireworks helped conspire to limit my rest that night.

December 31

1 Jan 2020: The folks wanted to get to the stadium early, so they picked us up at 6:30. Beautiful sunrise, light traffic, easy parking... among many Ducks fans. Sigh. Mom wanted to see the Badger Band in the Rose Parade, so we hiked the 2.2 miles to get to a place on the route. I found a large planter box on which I could stand and get a better view. We watched about 20 parade entries until the Band went by, then walked back to the car. We went to the 2nd Badger Family & Friends event, this one a tailgate party with many more people in attendance. We got some food, and since we were in a nice place with a table and shade, we decided to sit and play some cards to kill time. We left there around 12:30, headed back to our car for a pre-game Bloody and to get ready for the game. We discovered a way into the stadium with no lines, and took advantage of it. We found our seats... near the 50 yard line, press box-side, 3rd row from the bottom. We were in a great position... to have no view at all. We found ourselves watching the lone video board more than the field, since the players blocked our view. It was an exciting game, but it's difficult to win when you give up 21 points on 4 turnovers. That made us Sad Badgers. Did you see us on TV? A family member did! The lack of sleep was catching up to me, and there were times I was afraid I would fall asleep in the middle of the game. Then an exciting play would happen, and I'd get a 2nd, 3rd, ... nth wind. Alas, we lost and then listened to Badger homers break down the game on the radio as we waited for the parking lots to clear. We got back to our apartment around 7:30 and I called it a day shortly thereafter.

January 1

2 Jan: Our last full day in LA. We checked out of our apartment, and did a Warner Bros Studios tour at 9. Mom and I had been on one a long time ago, and thought it was a good one, so we did it again. Many costumes from newer movies (Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter), and we got to see a few sets (like Conan's studio) and props. Our tour guide was from Milwaukee and appreciated seeing our Badger spirit still in action. Nick was interested in seeing the Griffith Park Observatory, so we headed there. Everyone else had the same idea, and the only available parking was FAR. Given our 5+ miles walked yesterday, that wasn't well-received, so we just drove past it. We headed to the La Brea area instead, stopping for some street-style tacos for lunch. Mom had the idea of going to the Tar Pits, but the parking lot was full, so we drove past and found the Peterson Automotive Museum instead. That was a great place for the 4 of us, with many interesting collector and movie/TV vehicles to see. We killed about an hour and a half there, then walked to an Irish pub we had passed. Not much for ambiance or patrons... we were 4 of the 5 people in there besides the bartender. Finished our beers, then headed out. We decided that a view of the ocean was one more to-do item, and headed to Santa Monica again. This time, we parked pretty close to the Pier, and took a walk to the end. On the way, we picked up some souvenirs (personalized key chains for the kids). Stopped for tropical drinks at the restaurant at the end as we waited for the sun to set. Boy, was it worth it. We decided to eat dinner there, too, and took in the pier's colors on the way back to the car after. Nick and I had a red-eye out tonight, so we headed to LAX after dinner. We bid my folks farewell, got through security quickish, and whiled away the time in the gate area before our 11:40 pm flight. We made it back to Green Bay the next morning after a connecting flight in Detroit and picked up the kids. It was nice to see them and get back home again.

January 2

Felix: 10 yrs & Iris: 7 yrs

2019 Holiday Card

Bones vacances!*

Memorial Terrace, 7.20.19

Season's Greetings! 2019 for us meant sports. Felix was on a travel baseball team again and has really shown himself to be a tough player. He also took golf lessons. Iris tried hockey, softball, and recently started wrestling.

We traveled to Chicago for spring break, while Nick and Cara took an unexpectedly exciting trip to Barcelona in October.

Felix is 10 years old, in 5th grade, gifted and talented in math, loves baseball and farming video games, and wants to be an auto designer or software engineer someday.

Iris is 7 years old, in 2nd grade, gifted and talented in math and English, loves cats and sports, and wants to be a scientist.

We're looking forward to more adventures in 2020! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! Please keep in touch!

With love,
The Abts Family

* Catalan for Happy Holidays. :o)

Felix: 10 yrs & Iris: 7 yrs

On to 2019

Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time for an update on our goings-on.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family in GB and learned what it's like to take the Tesla on a road trip: that we have to stop and get coffee while it charges (alas!).

Just before Christmas, we had a bunch of to-dos. Iris was in a 1st grade holiday program at school, where she sang her little heart out with the others in her class. Nick and I got all glammed up for a holiday party.

Channeling my inner Mrs. Maisel. :o)

We got a new kitten! He's a one-year-old rescue from the humane society. We went in at 12:30 pm on a Saturday because the kids just "wanted to go to the cat store." Nick and I resigned ourselves to what would inevitably follow. We just made the best of it. While the kids poked their fingers in the cages, I honed in on a few likely candidates. Little Raspy (so named because his meow is a whisper) drew my attention because he was about the age I wanted, and he didn't use his claws when playing with my fingers. We took him into a side room to see how he would do with the kids (very well). Filled out adoption paperwork and left with Iris in tears (thinking we wouldn't get him for nearly a month). Started brainstorming names as we ran other errands. Nick rejected Christian Mewlich and Growlie Fingers, but ended our naming quest with Robin Meownt. At 1:45, got a call asking if we could come back to the shelter at 2:30. And at 3 pm, left the shelter with our newest little furry family member! Roary has come around to him. We're hoping Amy does, too, once Robin has been fixed. He's a very good little kitten who tolerates Iris picking him in his adopting of us, except he likes people food a bit too much. Lesson learned!

Robin Meownt!

We had lovely Christmas gatherings with family near and far. And Iris lost three more teeth, including one on Christmas day. Apparently a visit from only Santa wasn't good enough for her. 😉

Lastly, we got to meet our newest and teeniest little neighbor. The kids approve.

Welcome to the neighborhood and world, Asher!

We had ourselves a fine 2018 and hope 2019 turns out to be a pretty good vintage as well!

Awesome stuff: Kitties (of course), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (binged, now awaiting more!), Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the Badger football season finale.

Felix: 9 yrs & Iris: 6 yrs

Holiday Card

Gruß der Jahreszeit! Šťastné svátky!

Photographic Memories by The Oberstadts, 10/19/18

Ahoj! 2018 was a year of traveling for us. We took our first family road trip (to Washington, DC) in March. We had several weekend trips involving baseball in in the summer. Nick and Cara celebrated their 10th anniversary with a trip to Munich and Prague in August.

Felix is now 9 years old, in 4th grade, loves baseball, and wants to be a solar engineer someday.
Iris is 6 years old, in 1st grade, loves cats & sports, and wants to be a space scientist.

We're looking forward to more adventures in 2019! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! Please keep in touch! Na zdravi!

With love,
The Abts Family

2018 Highlights

Felix: 9 yrs & Iris: 6 yrs

Cold November

It's been two months, so it's time for an update!

The kids have been in their classes for about two and a half months, and according to their teachers last night, they are doing VERY well. Both teachers had the same question - would we be okay if they're challenged more? Hell yes, we are. Felix is, in fact, going to be signed up for the gifted and talented program. Not sure what that all entails, but we're very proud!

4th / 1st

Iris played soccer this fall, and her skill level increased dramatically from the spring. She was more aggressive and confident, and even scored two goals for her team. She's also been doing gymnastics (needs to pay more attention to her teacher and stop watching the big kids so much) and did a rookie basketball program. All at her own request. She's so active and athletic.

Iris (gray pants) scores!

The kids did a bit of trick-or-treating for Halloween. This year, Felix was a spider and Iris was a vampire.

They want to suck your blood.

We took the kids to see their first show in a theater - Wild Kratts Live! at the Fox Cities PAC. We got box seats (ooooh), which ended up being at speaker level (aaahhh!). Despite the eardrum-piercing nature of the show, the kids enjoyed it.

The holidays are coming up, so we hope you enjoy them!

Awesome things: Maniac on Netflix, exercising on my elliptical machine while watching the Great British Baking Show, the new Doctor

Felix: 9 yrs & Iris: 6 yrs

Winter Times

'Tis the season! Yikes, actually, a little past that, but better late than never!

• Nick and I started our 4th season of curling. It felt pretty good to get back out on the ice.
• Nick and I sent the kids to visit their grandparents and headed down to Madison for a weekend in November. We went to the Badger men's hockey game with my parents on Friday night. Nice win! The next morning, we were invited to go to the UW System President's house for a tailgate party with WPR and got to rub elbows with prestigious people (saw Tommy Thompson and Tony Evers at least). From there, we experienced our first game at Camp Randall in the upper deck in a long time. Another Badger win!

• The kids and I had a five-day weekend over Thanksgiving. We went up to Green Bay for a nice visit. 
• Felix was reevaluated for ADHD and prescribed medication to help get him to focus better in school. He's not hyper, but he just goes off in his own world. We've hit on a good dosage level for now, and it's making a quite a difference. We weren't initially in favor of putting him on medication, but the overall improvement of school and home life have been worth it.
• My friend Lindsey and I had an overnight stay for work in Madison, and took advantage of an opportunity to do some flame-working! We made some beautiful, wonky icicles out of glass.
• We all spent some time at nice holiday parties and got a chance to catch up with friends.
• We had lovely times with family at Christmas. In my family's tradition, we staged a theme Christmas picture. Can you guess what it is?

• We left the kids with Nick's parents for a few days after Christmas and spent a few bitterly cold days in Minneapolis. We saw Phantom of the Opera, ate and imbibed an array of offerings, and generally had a relaxing time.
• The kids were supposed to were supposed to have two ski jumping competitions this weekend, but the wonderful warm spell this week and sudden cold has put an end to those plans, at least for now.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Awesome things: Schitt's Creek, days above 0°F, Nick's veggie spiralizer

Felix: 8 yrs & Iris: 5 yrs

Fall Adventures

Our fall so far:

• The kids have been enjoying school so far this year!
• Both kids played rec soccer this fall. They didn't have any overlapping games, but it made us doubly busy! Iris's team was mostly Kindergartners, but they started to do much better by the final game. Nick coached Felix's team again and both seemed to enjoy it.

• Nick had a WPR retreat in Madison at the end of September, and I tagged along with him. While he sat in meetings, I visited friends and took nice walks around campus. I definitely miss many things about Madison!
• The kids took up the sport of ski jumping! We went down to the Tri-Norse Ski Club in Adams County for their Tri-It day. The kids picked it up quickly and were flying down the K5 hill in no time. Because they took to it quickly, we signed them up for the tournament there the following weekend...
• ...which was a very busy weekend! We went down to Madison on Friday to attend the WPR/WPT Centennial Celebration. It was rainy, but the kids enjoyed getting their faces painted. :o)

• Saturday, we tailgated and Nick and Felix went to the Badger game with my parents. Iris and I left the tailgate when the rain started. We went back to the pool, swam and watched the game. Got together with everyone again after the game.

• Sunday, we let the kids have a quick dip in the pool, then beat it up to the ski jump hill. Both kids took first place in their divisions, which has whetted their appetite for more ski jumping and competitions.

• The kids had last Friday off, so I took the day off and took them up to Marshfield. Alas, the weather wasn't kind, but we did stop by the Wildwood Zoo for the first time. Hello, Bear!

• And finally, yesterday was Halloween! The kids dressed up and braved the chill to go to a few houses in the neighborhood. If anyone has any need for a Ninja or Astronaut, just let me know.

Awesome thing(s): smart house stuff that works, Dirk Gently, Poldark, The Durrells

Felix: 8 yrs & Iris: 5 yrs

Mid-summer Update

The past two months since my last update have whirled by!

The kids finished up their school years, and jumped right into the summer fun at the Y. Felix and Nick were quite busy with baseball. Nick decided to be a head coach this summer, which made things a bit more hectic than usual, with practices and weather cancellations. We've also had the fun of a wedding, a carnival downtown, birthday parties and a Rafters game. Lots of storms, mosquito bites, and typical tantrums as well. Whew!

Felix turned 8 today! He had his birthday party last weekend: a sleepover with three of his friends. Overall, the kids enjoyed it, but I don't think we'll be having any more sleepovers for a while. Felix wasn't happy about his friends messing with his toys. He'll learn. Or not.

Nick and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary with a trip down to Chicago, where we stayed downtown and went to see Hamilton! I had been waiting for eight months since I purchased the tickets. Sooooo good! It was a brief respite, one we should do more often.

We had a very nice 4th of July weekend. Iris nearly got stormed out of a friends birthday party on the 1st, but managed to enjoy herself. We met up with friends for a floating island party at Sunset Lake on the 2nd and a cookout afterward at their house. I took the day off and the kids to see Cars 3 on the 3rd while Nick was at work. On the 4th, we went to the Rafters game with my parents, and Felix was thoroughly engrossed in the big win. :o)

We've got quite a few fun things lined up for the next month and a half. We're very excited about them all! Stay tuned...

Awesome things: American Gods (watched all episodes twice already!), this past season of Doctor Who, the new MST3K episodes, The Kingkiller Chronicle (since I finished the first and second book this spring)

Felix: 8 yrs & Iris: 4.5 yrs