Happy 4th!

We celebrated by doing at least a dozen puzzles. The girls tag-teamed to complete this 100-piece Hello Kitty puzzle.


We made fudgesicles before heading out for fireworks.






We drove about as far as main street before the sirens blared. Yes, a tornado warning at 9:30 pm or so on the 4th of July. We turned around and hit the basement.

Toddler Wily took it all in stride.




But Jeneric is the youngest in a long line of worriers (Great Grandma Z would be proud) and spent most of the time curled up in Jenni's lap.



She was not at all amused by this picture and also informed us that tornado warnings are not a time for pretend, make-believe, or fun.

Been a while!

Our apologies for the radio silence. Life gets a little chaotic when your kitchen is completely torn up and you have to vacate the dining room (so the floor can get redone to match the kitchen - of course!). The girls have helped:



And they're taking an interest in other household activities - especially gardening.


We'll try to ramp up to our regular posting schedule. Until then, a bonus photo that cracks me up:

It's about to get messy

Kitchen offloading...





pretty much complete.

Let's go fly a kite

Or, if the wind isn't really happening, we can run around for a while, eat a picnic lunch, and call it a day.

First Days

Toddler Wily began school last week. She's on a partial schedule, but it's still long enough that Eric has wondered what to do with his time!

As with Jeneric, we asked Toddler Wily what she wanted to be when she grew up:

She packed her bag with the essentials - blanket, pillow, stuffed bear, and Hello Kitty sunglass case:

Classic Toddler Wily:

Arriving at school:

And away we go:

Admittedly, the first day was rough. The teachers said it was good for a first day - which meant lots of tears, moping and general sadness. In the intervening days, the crying has subsided (mostly), she's playing (sometimes), and looks forward to going (sort of).

Kitchen Remodel

Step 1: get organized. Jeneric was keen to try out the three hole punch and help get all our paperwork in order.

First, punch the holes. If you punch the wrong edge of the paper, just turn it around and punch again.


Second, put in binder.


We're thinking of hiring her for our general contracting work, too.

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It appears I mislead our readers - we do not have a picture of Jeneric's erstwhile snowman. Picture a 1-foot tall snowman and you have the general ideas.

Also, in response to a comment question, the girls enjoyed the middle of the asparagus as the top was too charred and the bottom too chewy.

Here and then gone

That's the way spring has happened around this midwestern town. We get glimpses and then winter resumes. I cannot say with any confidence that the snow is gone - it seems gone, but then, it might just snow on the kite festival this weekend.

We have celebrated the small moments of spring, and someone even attempted to celebrate the most recent snowfall with a wee snowman. Pictures of that tomorrow. But first, the spring.


We finally purchase a grill. The girls are fascinated with eating grilled food and eating outside. Hope that continues into the kitchen remodel that is fast approaching.





Jeneric has remained a productive artist, despite the warming temperatures that beg for bike rides.





This is a ghost mask and it currently resides in a front window that Jeneric occasionally uses to scare visitors.