On the move...

We are officially packing out! And, today we have a snowstorm. Good thing it's today and not tomorrow (when the moving truck loads everything!) The movers said they'd be here if it snowed...

Settlement is Friday morning. Everything looks good so far, so keep your fingers crossed...

Todd and I both will still have our cell phones if anyone needs to reach us. We'll be in hotels for about 10 days, and then into the new house after settlement the following Friday. Once we get all hooked up, I'll do another post. Wish us luck :)

Moving...not so much a funfest!

Well, our house is under contract. Here's some advice: Don't try to sell your home in a buyer's market. It's too painful to say more now, but we're are thankful to have a contract! Now, the other 4 immediate neighbors in our court can put their houses on the market one by one...that seems to be the plan (we were the first-lucky us!)

We go to settlement next Friday, so keep your fingers crossed that nothing blows up or falls on the house (or, on the buyers, because we need them too!) We also made an offer on a house in Georgia. Other than some kind of critter living in the attic (thankfully, NOT bats!) and some minor fixes we will ask the current owners to attend to, everything with buying that house looks to be on track. The girls start their new school on March 12th and we close on the "new" house on the 16th. It's 24 years new, but it'll be new to us. Amanda seems to think that she can use the 5th bedroom as her own personal extra space...good luck with that, right?

Any suggestions for what kind of dog we should get??? We will have a yard, we're not moving, we basically have no excuses left!

** New Pictures **

Hitting, kicking, screaming, things were thrown and there were tears...it was PICTURE DAY for the Linskey quartet!

Matthew, after seeing the train prop, refused to do anything but sit on the train. So, guess what? The train is in the picture. No big deal. What you don't see is the 10+ pictures of Matthew taking swings at his sisters to get them off HIS train. We managed to get at least one picture where they all looked in the same direction...

The girls also cooperated for a millisecond to get a picture of the three of them without one of them squeezing another one's eyeballs out (they took "big hug" a bit too literally). Matthew was too busy at that point with the rocket ship he found (that one had wheels that WORKED!)

Enjoy the pictures :)

The Big THREE

Another milestone was reached in the Linskey household (and, it didn't involve bodily functions)... the littlest Linskey has turned 3!!!

Matthew's morning started with a Happy Birthday serenade from his older sisters. His response... 'Arghhhhhh....euoowwwwww....mama.....go away!!!" As his sisters put it, "Maybe he's tone deaf?" Yeah, that's it.

After taking Amanda and Julia to school, we returned home for a leisurely breakfast of...chocolate cake. Yes, that's right. Fearing that the cake would be frozen in the garage refrigerator due to our frigid weather** (and, as it turned out, it was partially frozen), mom put the birthday cake on the counter. Apparently going for a new record for most stupid things done in one morning, mom lifted the cover off the cake to show Matthew and Allison. When Matthew was asked what he wanted to eat ("Toast? Waffles? Cereal?"), his only response was a very loud and adamant, "CAKE!" So, caving to the will of a newly minted three year old, mom sliced a small piece and served up the cake. At this point, Matthew demonstrated his maturity by thinking not only of himself but also of his sister. He did this by pointing at Allison, sitting next to him at the table, and again saying, "CAKE!" Allison was deeply moved by the gesture (and in shock when mom actually complied!)

The real party began at night. We opened presents and had dinner (yes, in that order...mom gave up on any sane decisions for the day after the chocolate cake for breakfast!) Dinner (shockingly) was barely touched. But, the presents were a HUGE hit. Julia was worried that Matthew might be disappointed to not recieve "High School Musical", which she claims he REALLY wanted. But, he recovered from that diappointment quickly when he opened a gift full of candy and a "Narita Express" train & track set from our Japanese friends (thank you to the Usui family!) He played with that for about two hours. He also got some more train set parts to go with his Christmas train set, some nice cards, and some money (Allison estimated that he got, "at least $4000"). The toys are all set up in his room, and I think Matthew fell asleep staring at them with a huge grin on his face. OR, he was thinking about how much chocolate cake and copies of "High School Musical" he could buy with his $4000...

Thanks for a happy third birthday :)

**Note: Yes, it's not REALLY frigid here compared to Wisconsin, but we live in Southern Maryland and they think anything below 40F can practically kill you.

First snowfall of the year!!!

Yes, it actually took this long for us to have the first snowfall in Maryland! The kids were all outside playing in it and plan to go back out tomorrow. Matthew decided to mimic his sisters and try and catch snowflakes on his tongue. And, he stayed outside the longest by 20 minutes (either because he was tough, or because he finally could play with the shovel without the girls taking it from him).

Hey, buy our house!

We're officially trying to sell our house! Pray for us, make small offerings to whatever you worship, send us your lucky whatever, and keep your fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into a 6-month bachelor vacation for Todd :)

(Although, I don't think you'd hear Todd complain too much about that possibility!)

Here's a link to look at where we've been living for 3 1/2 years (more pictures to come)...

http://sandyorbits.lnfre.com/Falcon/WebUi/PropertyDetailsPage.aspx?MLSNumber=CH6281231&CompanyId=2

And for my next trick...

Routinely climb on the counter .... done!
Climb onto sink and raid medicine cabinet...done!
Climb onto bunk bed and spin ceiling fan...done!

Hmmm....I've never seen anyone climb to the top of the closet. Let's try that!

Trains are fun...

Matthew really likes his train. He has fallen asleep playing with it. He has fallen asleep with the train cars in his hands. He runs over any Pollys or Barbies that somehow find their way on to the track (he even has sound effects of the impact). Yep, he's a boy!

Santa Claus Came To Town!

ANARCHY! It was simply anarchy Monday morning in the Linskey household. After attempting to go to bed at 5:30pm Sunday night (immediately after getting back from church), the girls reluctantly were forced to eat dinner ("Mom made us!") and spent the majority of the evening planning an extravagant spread for Santa. There were carrots for the reindeer, cookies, milk, pumpkin bars, and some leftover noodles. Mmmmm....

Santa was tracked on the NORAD site, and when it looked like he might be in New York, they all scrambled upstairs and proceeded to talk and stay awake for about 2 hours. Finally, around 10pm, it seemed all were asleep.

At around 7am, witnesses several miles away reported hearing what they described as either "wet cats in dryers" or "opera singers being smacked with fish". It was the girls, squealing with shock and joy. Matthew came downstairs and was mostly confused...until he saw a train set. It was just like the one at church school. The one he has to be literally dragged away from each and every Sunday. If he breaks free anywhere in church school, that is where he goes. He has now been playing with it for close to 5 hours. He has not eaten or done anything else. He refused a chocolate doughnut so he could keep playing. He liked the other toys he got, but that is by far his number one toy of all time (thanks Cathy!!!) It also helps that many cars he also received fit on the track.

The girls were overjoyed with the cascade of new toys, books,and clothes that they received. Clothes are currently being laundered, toys are being played with, and several books and craft items are coming with us to the hotel for our Atlanta trip.

Kelly uttered the statement every father wants to hear when his daughter opens her present: "Awesome! Now I can get new shower doors! Ohh, and some mulch too! This is the best!!!" We never said she was normal....

Todd enjoyed getting everything he knew he was getting. And, he has been really taking quite an interest in all of Matthew's toys. At first, he said he was "setting it all up for Matthew". But, I swear I heard him making "vrmmmmmm" and "choo-choo" sounds. Hmm.....

We are very lucky to have a wonderful family. We want to say thanks to everyone who thought of us and wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Here is the "before" picture of the avalanche of presents. Kelly's present (singular) consists of the the unwrapped hot pads and dish towels to the left. Does it count as a present if she bought it herself? Todd has a lovely unwrapped couch desk that he's already used for 3 weeks (Kelly, not being able to keep a secret, opened it for him about one week after wrapping it). He also (gasp!) has an actual wrapped present. But, he already knows what's in it because Allison cannot (if her life depended on it) keep a secret at all. In our defense, it's some kind of genetic abnormality. Allison has told everyone what they are getting, in great detail. When she couldn't quite remember, she'd ask mom to "remind her what we got". Mom fell for it once. She then started to make stuff up so that nobody would really know what they are getting (Example: "Julia, we got you a new garden hose. Amanda, we got you a weed wacker. We got dad '12 Dancing Princesses Sudoku.'") It's a good thing the 5-year old memory is fairly fleeting...

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!

Guess what happened at recess mom!

So, today Amanda comes out of school as she usually does, happy and ready to talk. The first words out of her mouth are usually about how her day went. So, she starts with, "Mom, you'll never guess what happened at recess today! It was so bad!" So, I (jokingly) said, "A random drive-by egging?" And, she answers, "NO, it was way worse!" So, I said, "Ok, what happened."

I must admit that I was not prepared for the following response.

"There were these two guys, and one was driving a truck down the road next to the playground, and the other guy was in the back of it. The guy driving the truck started honking and so everyone looked at the truck. And, the guy in the back PULLED DOWN HIS PANTS AND EVEN HIS UNDERWEAR TOO AND SHOWED US ALL HIS BUTT!!! And, he was SPANKING HIS BUTT with his middle fingers." So, here I am wondering what the appropriate parental response to this is. In my case, a stuttering "Huh?!?!?!" was all I could put together. Shortly after, I did say that what they did was illegal (indecent exposure?), offensive, and was actually called "mooning". Luckily, she didn't ask for a reason why. She said it was two young white guys, "probably teenagers". I asked how she knew, and she answered, "Well, the one guy's butt was sure white!" She quickly added, "Euwwwww!!!" after that. I think I would have too.

The school has contacted the county sheriff and, due to the fact that there were 120+ witnesses that will probably talk about this for the rest of the year, they have a fairly good description of the vehicle, driver, and the passenger's butt. They expect to eventually find the culprits.

According to Amanda, "The boys all laughed and thought it was funny, but the girls just were totally grossed out by it. It was just....Euwww. Trust me....Euwwww!"

One Month until Christmas...

It's that time of year again! So, in case there are any technical difficulties at the post office, here is our official Christmas Letter for 2006. Enjoy :)


Happy Holidays! We hope 2006 was a great year for you. We managed to visit family and friends, probably did too many extra-curricular activities, and balanced the usual school and work in between. For the second consecutive year, we didn’t move, have a baby, or travel the world. We did, however, continue to slay bats with tennis rackets and run over deer with our van. But, just to screw up your address book again, we recently learned that we’re moving to Atlanta, Georgia! Todd will be the OIC (Officer In Charge) of a C-12 squadron at NAS Atlanta. Since the powers-that-be tried (three times) to get Todd to take orders to New Orleans (“Really, what are the odds of another hurricane hitting here so soon!”), we are considering this a great opportunity. Plus, it’s a good job for Todd (which is Navy speak for “You’d be an idiot to turn this down”). Kelly is still “at home” with the kids (three in school, one to go!) The kids are all healthy, happy, and far too energetic. As is our tradition (and because we don’t do much that doesn’t involve them) we will share a little about them…

Amanda – age 9, 4th grader, future dog trainer/cat trainer/pet store keeper and seller/possible veterinarian (if there’s not too much blood) would love for Santa (who she says “is a real guy, but is helped out by mom and dad”) to bring her prehistoric fish, carnivorous plants, a golden lab puppy, a puppy mood ring, a one way ticket to Quebec to eat flat pancakes, and a one-way ticket to Atlanta. Lessons learned this year include, “The Easter Bunny is really pink instead of plain; Santa uses some kind of magic to deliver presents; don’t bite snakes; don’t attack a bear when you’re younger than it; don’t trust people with axes in their bags; don’t bring your principal a poisonous snake or komodo dragon; and don’t inhale smoke from burning poison ivy.”

Julia – age 7, 2nd grader, future volunteer vet/police officer/or professional bowler, would love for Santa to bring her a Golden Retriever puppy named “Fudge”, an iPod, a microscope and telescope, $2, Monster House, and The Wild. She has expressed a desire to write a book entitled “Things You Can’t Do When Someone Else is in the Bathroom.” We’ll keep you posted on that. She learned this year that, “Falling on your face can sometimes knock your teeth out; you can get a burn from flaming toilet paper; don’t fight with your teacher; snakes can swim, but not if the go the wrong way and get attacked by fish; you can eat carrots RIGHT OUT OF THE GROUND!; and don’t keep begging your mom for something you want or she’ll have a meltdown.”

Allison – age 5, Kindergarten princess, future lifeguard, has politely requested that Santa bring her a piano, 12 Dancing Princesses Book, a real dress of Ariel, a Dalmatian puppy with a hole in the present and food so he doesn’t die, a trip to Japan, a pet fish, and an Ariel kitchen. This year, so far, she has learned, “About Christmas, Rainbows, and hearts; Don’t eat a snake or a deer if they are still alive. Also, don’t eat bombs, yellow shirts with buttons, or money.”

Matthew – age 2 1/2, future singer/fish trainer/magician/mountain climber, still really desperately wants more boys around. For Christmas (according to his sisters) he’d like, “A builder thing, his very own pet duck named ‘Brian’, a pretend hammer, air fresheners for his pants, a mini pogo stick, and a marker that only writes on paper and nothing else.” This year, he learned to never let sister Allison near him with a pair of scissors; pointing and grunting (sadly) is no longer effective communication; ladders are notrequired to (for example) climb on bunk beds and spin ceiling fans; tractors are the best things ever invented; and, it’s fun to take your
pants off and run around (especially outside, where all the neighbors will see).

Our home is always open to anyone wanting to visit us. Have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Todd, Kelly, Amanda, Julia, Allison, and Matthew

Halloween 2006

It was quite a night as we celebrated what will probably be our last Halloween in Maryland!

It was a chilly 63 degrees at the start of trick-or-treating (we ALMOST had to put on coats!). The girls, having "tried on" their costumes for pretty much every day this month, were ready to go about 5 minutes after getting home from school (3 hours before trick or treating actually started). Matthew, however, refused to put on his head. He truly was Eeyore in that respect. Since Matthew was not really too anxious to go from house to house (running around in the dark was ok with him, just not the bothersome going to the houses part), he was designated as the candy-hander-outer. His first few attempts were not too successful as he pretty much stared at the kids with confusion, too stunned to even wave bye. But, after a few times he had it down, even chasing down a few kids to give them extra candy. When he wasn't busy handing out candy, he was busy trying to set himself on fire playing with the carved pumpkins (hmm...does my tail fit in the pumpkin's mouth???) He also tested the doorbell about 700 times to make sure it still worked. It's really a good thing we don't have a dog yet... The girls and dad returned, and we had injuries. See, when you pick out your costume you have to think of the footwear. We'll we didn't plan that part too well and we had blisters. Good thing Dad can carry more than one kid on his back. The candy was counted, sorted, some of it "donated" to other kids who were still trick-or-treating, and we had 4 very happy little kids by the end of the night.

Happy Halloween :)

Dad Makes it to a Game!!!

Dad was finally able to make his debut appearance at the Bryantown Soccer Complex today to watch Julia and Allison in action.

First up, the Green Tigers smashed the Purple Team (Allison scored 2 goals, but I think the score was 6-1). Allison did have a sad moment when one of her teammates kicked the ball from behind her as she was about to score (yes, just like how it sounds), but overall called the game "good." I asked her if it was good because they won, and she replied, "Mom, we always win!"

Next up was the Lady Tigers versus The Yellow Team. The Tigers played a great game and were victorious by a score of 4-1. Julia had some good kicks and moves and seems to really enjoy playing the midfield position. The Lady Tigers now have a record of 5-1-1.

On the sidelines, there was also a Todder-tossing competition. Matthew did his best to entertain the crowed by giggling uncontrollably and requesting to be tossed repeatedly. "Again, daddy, again?" Dad was able to comply until succumbing to some type of groin injury...

The day ended with dinner at Bert's Diner. The last games of the season are next weekend.

And, remember to fall back on Sunday....ohh, that extra hour of sleep will be SOOOOO nice :)

Two Games Left...

Due to a camera malfunction (don't ask, but apparently batteries that spend time in the sandbox don't recharge very well...), there are no action shots of today's games. But, they were certainly exciting games to watch!

First up was the Lady Tigers versus the Purple People Eaters. The Lady Tigers were victorious by a score of 1-0. Julia had a lot of playing time today and took advantage of it by being a lot more aggressive. She drove up the field several times and had some good kicks (one in the wrong direction, but it was the start of the second half and I too am confused half the time about which way the ball is supposed to go!) Even the coach from the other team commented on her good game!

The Green Tigers were also victorious in their outing today against "The Orange Team". Allison played a great game for the first half. But, at halftime she was a bit annoyed that she had to wear her green jersey (??? - I didn't ask because, really, would there have been a logical reason???) and had to sit out for a few minutes to "regroup". While sitting out an entire quarter was what ended up happening (and not really what she had in mind), it seemed to give her a lot of energy to finish out the 4th quarter. While she didn't score any goals today, she did take more than a few shots-on-goal and had some assists in actual goals.

Both Tiger teams have games next Saturday. There are only two games left for the fall season...hard to believe. Dad will make his debut cheering appearance of the season next weekend. Really, he will make it to at least one game this season.

I feel pretty...

Spaghetti Strap dress...$15
Hearing Protection ... $20
Yellow Boots (worn on the wrong feet)....$15

Putting this together, wearing it in public, and making it look good...priceless




(Kinda makes you wish you were 7 again, doesn't it?)

Santa, you've been warned...

(Written last night by four children who can't wait for Christmas)

Dear Santa,

Can you give me the things on my little list.

From,
Us

Julia: Icey Maker
Julia: iPod

Allison: Dora's Talking Kitchen
Allison: (Pretend) Princess cell phone

Matthew: Thinking Chair (cotton)
Matthew: Stuffed Blue (the dog)

Amanda: Santa hat (my size)
Amanda: Droon books 27-29, and special edition #4

Love,
The Linskey Children

P.S. We all decided to have a dog, so we thought about you giving us one. Also, we want "Twelve Dancing Princesses."

P.P.S. Also, take a picture of you, Mrs. Claus, and your daughter or son if you have one, and Rudolph and your other flying reindeer all near your sleigh.

(Julia also drew a very nice picture of her list, and on the back side drew a picture of Santa with the title "I believe in you" with a heart near it).

Summer Vacation Pictures

Here are some more pictures from our summer vacation in the Midwest...

Wilderness Lake Diary

Day 1
Dear Diary,
We got to the cabin after actually leaving almost on time. Words can't describe a trip in a vehicle with a DVD player to minimize the complaining. It could also explain why all the adults drank a case of Blatz upon arrival every year when we were little... Anyway, our first surprise was the new outhouse. Grandpa Terry was the first to enter. Shortly after exiting, he ran past saying something about "checking on the boat oars." But, I knew it was really to hide the tears of joy streaming freely down his happy face. I think I even caught him doing a cartwheel, and I swear I heard him singing Mr. Rogers' "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." I haven't seen him this happy since he left FALK! I had to see for myself what this was all about...an outhouse? No! This was a heavenly "Organic Wooded Retreat." Ohh, this vacation was starting off well.
P.S. I managed to pump 6 buckets of water today. Wow, it's easier than I remembered it being...

Day 2
Dear Diary,
Well, only two kids fell out of bed last night. We had a little trouble extracting Buddy from the rafters, but luckily Grandpa pretty much snored right through it all (just kidding, he actually doesn’t snore anymore!)
The day started with a little swimming and fishing. Grandpa caught a 65-lb wet dog in the bay. He admitted that the catch was the most challenging he’d ever made. Apparently, 200 yards of water, weeds, and muck did little to deter Buddy’s obedience when he was “accidentally” called by one “creative” 9-year old Granddaughter who shall remain nameless. We also had some trouble getting Amanda to use the outhouse by herself. How could she NOT love it, we wondered! She constantly wanted to have an escort. When we asked why, she replied, “I’m shy around carnivores.” I suppose everyone loves the outhouse, even carnivores.
P.S. On a personal note. I pumped at least 43 buckets of water today. Funny, I don’t remember all this work back when I was a kid. I also wanted to mention that the entrance to the outhouse is beautifully landscaped and is even lighted! That’s so cool…

Day 3
Dear Diary,
We took a hike to Camp Nine today. There were even some ripe blackberries to pick. Today turned into a sort of “meet and greet” with wildlife. First, we met a tree frog in front of the cabin. He must have communicated to the girls that he was thirsty because they helped him “get a drink” by putting him down the well pump. Seven pumps by Grandpa and “Lumpy” was back and only slightly catatonic. He was gingerly released back into the woods to his freedom after a brief lecture regarding critters being forbidden in the cabin. Later, Dad caught a baby garter snake near the lake. The kids didn’t believe that snakes could swim, so Dad decided to prove it. Although the kids learned that snakes can in fact swim, they also learned that snakes that swim in the wrong direction are quickly devoured by thousands of ravenous blue gills. It was, as Julia put it, “The Circle of Life.” We also discovered a basketball-sized beehive hanging in a tree, saw a few mosquitoes, and were reacquainted with the joy of biting flies. Although, I must admit, they were much worse when I was a kid (these kids have it SO much easier than I did!!!) Hummingbirds, egrets, turkeys, grouse, eagles, loons, deer, and what we think were either wolves or coyotes were also witnessed and/or heard.
P.S. Well, the tally is now up to 175 buckets of water pumped. I’ve only accidentally scalded myself six times doing dishes (apparently, it’s” funny” to watch me do that, so I think I’m being sabotaged). Ohh, and did I mention the outhouse even has a window? It’s a real window, that opens and everything!

Day 4
Dear Diary,
Today was a fishing day. Aside from early broadcast Packer/Badger football games and early tee times, this is the one thing that will get grown men out of bed with zero complaints .Today was a chance to live the Angler’s dream, and to pass on skills to the next set of outdoorspeople-in-training. The girls were awestruck by my ability to touch, dissect, and bait worms on a hook. But, as I found out later, they were instead “just grossed out by it.” Amanda, the oldest, was the one most interested in the whole “fishing extravaganza”. She loved to reel in a fish, big or small. But, she refused to bait the hook or touch any fish she caught. When asked why, she said, “I’m afraid of getting hooked like them. And, they’re slimy.” Still, fun was had. Todd was able to justify his extravagant trip to Bass Pro Shops by catching a total of three miniature blue gills. He also caught several keepers using old reels and nightcrawlers. The girls were confused with the name since, as they correctly pointed out, “Those things crawl in the daytime too!”
Matthew has figured out the cabin and has already perfected several escape routes. If there were an Olympic event involving dashing down hills, dodging stumps and roots, and jumping over pine cones Matthew would win the gold medal. It’s especially memorable when he does this stark naked…
P.S. I’ve now pumped at least 500 buckets of water, but only scalded myself two more times. Allison spit all over me while brushing her teeth tonight (yeah, like that was an accident!) Ohh, and did I mention that cute table in the outhouse with reading material? It’s THAT comfortable…

Day 5
Dear Diary,
Today we actually left the lake and drove to Ladysmith to visit some family. It was fun.
Grandpa, who was ready to enjoy some alone time, got ready for an afternoon of fish hunting. He set off to his destination in the trusty rowboat and cast his line. Eight seconds later, a piercing lamentation (the kind fish especially hate) shattered the tranquility of Wilderness Lake. Was it a bear caught in a trap? Was it wolves fighting? Was it raccoons mating? No. It was Buddy. Since Buddy had demonstrated his lack of aquatic savvy, Grandpa thought it prudent to confine him to the safety of the cabin. Buddy clearly confused “safety” with “abandonment” and let every living thing within a 5-mile radius know it. Dejected, Grandpa was forced to catch several large bass from the raft. We returned to a very excited Buddy and a rejuvenated Grandpa.
P.S. Since we were gone, I only pumped 23 buckets of water today. I think Grandpa may have pumped a bucket or two as well. Ohh, and I showed the kids the “old outhouse”. They cried tears of joy when I told them, “We never have to use THAT one!”

Day 6
Dear Diary,
Grandma Irma drove up to visit today. She’s the Grandma with bats in her house. We learned last year that when you have a bat caught in the house that a tennis racket is an extremely useful thing to have. We told her there were no bats in the cabin (good thing, because there are no tennis rackets either!) We had fun catching frogs and snakes with Grandma. In the afternoon, we all went to Travers Lake to do some “special” fishing. We took fishing poles, but catching fish before the hook even hit the water got annoying really fast. So, we got out the corn and a net and Amanda quickly caught at least 50 fish. “Boy, these fish sure are stupid!” she said (as opposed to the brilliant fish found in other places?)
Speaking of stupid, I learned today that a slightly malfunctioning digital camera quickly turns into a TOTALLY malfunctioning digital camera when dropped into Wilderness Lake. I retrieved the camera and luckily the memory card survived. In my defense, the bee was trying to kill me and the camera was NOT supposed to be on my lap!
We had our fish fry, and it was delicious. The girls all tried it, but didn’t eat much citing their “preference” for frozen fish sticks (and when they have fish sticks they refuse to eat that saying it’s “not fresh enough!”) More for us, I guess!
After dinner, while floating around the lake with the kids, Dad spotted and called to some loons. The loons called back. Almost instantaneously, the boat erupted into an amateur loon-calling contest. They almost did sound like loons, both literally and figuratively. And, as if that were not enough excitement, the kids later invented the game of “pineconing.” It has something to do with piles of pinecones. It’s certainly only a game played at Wilderness Lake.
Before we drifted off to sleep, the kids and Grandma played guessing games. For example, “I’m thinking of something round, yellow, it’s down at the beach and is fun to play with.” Answers ranged from “The sun?” to “A lion?” to “A rabbit?” Quite a funny way to fall asleep…
P.S I pumped a few dozen more buckets, so many I’ve just lost count. Also, I think I caught the Willett’s trying to sneak into the outhouse. I guess they’re jealous because it’s so beautiful.

Day 7
Dear Diary,
I can’t believe it’s the last day. It went really fast. I also realized it was cleaning day. We let the kids run around naked today, partly because they wanted to and partly because they had no clean clothes left to wear. I pumped and boiled several thousand buckets of water and toiled for hours. I will add that it was almost a pleasure to clean the outhouse because it’s so pretty and we didn’t have to worry about it blowing up. We finally finished and did a walkthrough and declared it clean. We dunked the kids in the lake, threw whatever clothes we could find on them, and locked everything up. I think we all had tears in our eyes when we locked the outhouse…
We’ll miss the stargazing and shooting stars, the critters and creatures to play with, the call of the loons, and the tranquility that makes you not care at all about the outside world. When I was a kid, I thought Wilderness Lake was a perfect place to go on vacation (although you’d have had to torture me to get me to admit it then!) There are so few things that remain unchanged, but Wilderness Lake is one of them and hopefully always will be.

Thank you to the Holzman's for making possible a great vacation!!!

Wisconsin, Part 2

We did do more than just hang around the house. So, here is a little bit about what else we did...

On one of our first days, we went swimming at Fox Brook Park with Tarra and Chase, Uncle Brian's significant other and son. The kids really had fun, especially trying to catch fish. Allison and Chase really had a great time, and Chase even let Allison hold him. She only dunked him a few times, but he was a good sport about it! We'll have to spend more time with Uncle Brian, Tarra, and Chase on our next visit! Ohh, and Uncle Brian the girls say that if you don't wear a helmet that your really being a bonehead. So, anyone looking to get Uncle Brian a birthday gift can get a motorcycle helmet for either Brian or Tarra...

We spent lots of time visiting with Grandma Mary. We went to kid's club at her fitness cluba bunch of times and went swimming twice there. We also went to the Wisconsin State Fair and had our very first Cream Puff. There were pig races, duck races, goat races, and chasing Matthew races. We went out to eat a few times, and just had fun. We miss you Grandma Mary, but we'll see you again soon.

We visited Great Aunt Kathy one Saturday morning. She was going to clean her chimney that day, but when I offered to use the kids to do the job she graciously invited us over. Actually, she also invited Aunt Becky, Great Grandma Phyllis, and Uncle Corky over. Plus, our second cousins Angela and Mike (and a friend) came by for a visit. It was a great day with great food, great company, and the gentle melody of a lawn mower blaring at about 100 decibels for what seemed to be hours (followed up immediately by a leaf blower). We had to tackle Uncle Gene a few times as he started down the driveway with a gun and a shovel (he claimed to be "just getting rid of some bats"...but everyone knows you kill bats with tennis rackets!) Anyway, a big hit that day was the little red tractor the Gene spent several months restoring. You might think this ends badly, but it doesn't. It's quite durable! The kids liked it, especially Allison. Just before we left, Allison said, "Umm, excuse me, Kathy? Can you please put this in the trunk for us?" So shy... We never did get around to cleaning that chimney. Thanks again for the great day Kathy, and we'll be sending you a replacement tea set soon...

We stopped into Alexian village one day to visit with Aunt Nancy. We were able to spend some time there probing all corners of her room, and meeting and greeting everyone we saw. There are a lot of very nice people there and the kids felt right at home. Too much at home, in some cases! They also now want us to get birds (as there is a little atrium at Alexian that is very nice!) But, mom, I'll take care of it I PROMISE...

An exciting day was our trip to Madison. Our first stop was the Vilas Park Zoo. We then did some strolling down State Street and took a short, unguided tour of the Capitol building (the damage was not as extensive as the paper described, and the nudity was brief!) We did some shopping on State Street, had a nice lunch, and then relaxed down at the Terrace. Afterwards, we were able to visit with "Mr. Matt" and son Connor. Connor was such a brave and gracious host to our gang. They had such a good time that they asked to come back the next day, and also to crash Mr. Matt's birthday. They're so shy! Thanks again to Mr. Matt for the hospitality, and we look forward to meeting Tracy and the second little Doeppers in the near future!

We also were able to spend some time with Miss Debbie and Ashley when we went swimming at Pewaukee Lake. There were plenty of dogs to play with there too. Again, the debate of getting a dog is in full swing since seemingly EVERYONE has a dog but us. And, the dogs at Pewaukee Lake can all swim too. Can't we get a cool dog like that mom?!?!?!? Thanks again to Debbie, Ashley, and the Schieble's for the swim :)

We had a surprise visit from Rina one day. In town for an interview, she went swimming with us and spent some time socializing with mom. It was a great surprise and we look forward to meeting up with her again.

On our last day, we visited with Great Grandma Phyllis. The organ was the center of attention for a long time (a fist fight erupted later, and the organ was turned off...and then turned on...and then off). The girls also decided to give Great Grandma all sorts of suggestions for birthday gifts by trying to get her to give them all her nice stuff! Amanda managed to get a few crystals, and even left a reminder note to send her a crystal every month. Seriously, she asked for a piece of paper and wrote the note out complete with her full name and address. Grandma thought it was quite funny and said her kids had done that (but I'm thinking she was just trying to make me feel better because I'm pretty sure they didn't do that!) We walked with Great Grandma to a church where she has lunch, and then we headed out. Actually, she sort of wanted us to leave and I swear that the minute the door closed that I heard KC and the Sunshine Band song "Get Down Tonight" start playing... We had a great visit Great Grandma Phyllis. Don't forget about the crystals...

Our next adventure was the log cabin. It was finally time to go!!!