Happy Father's Day

Ok - better late than never. To end my blogging blitz, here are my Father's Day photos!

Ken (and Joel) took Matthew to Scout camp on Father's Day. It took awhile to get the boys all situated, since the troop had grown so much in size since the last year they ventured to camp. Ken had to help several of the boys get their cots put together, etc. Anyway, he didn't get home until late that evening, so we celebrated the day at Godfather's Pizza.


We were able to see both my Dad and Ken's Dad the day before Father's Day.

My Dad's family has a reunion in Dubuque Iowa every 2nd year, the day before Father's Day. Unfortunately, many members of this extended family died since the last reunion. Fortunately, that didn't dampen anyone's spirits at the reunion.

Here are the members of my immediate family who attended the reunion:


Here is my Mom with my Dad, his sister (Bernice), brother (Russ) and sister-in-law (Joan):



On the way home from the reunion, we were able to stop and see Ken's parents, who happened to be camping in Independence Iowa, which was just off the road we were taking across the state!

Camp Mitigwa

This winter I thought in my head, "I think we should wait one more year before sending Matthew to over-night camp." (I think I was reading a sign for Catholic Youth Camp while in the Narthex of church with Anna during Mass.) This, of course, was before Matthew became a Boy Scout and his leader was quite persuasive about how most of the boys who continue on with scouts go to camp the first year.

So here we are packing for camp. I "allowed" Matthew to do much of the labeling and preparing of "STUFF". There is alot of stuff for camp and each and everything must be labeled and comes back from camp filthy. I decided that throughout the next year, I will take every sock that is "almost" ready for the rag bag and put it away for one last hurrah at camp. You need 8 pairs of socks for 6 days of camp, especially this year due to all the rain and mud! All but a few were so dirty, that 3 washes later (including one with bleach), they were still not fit to be worn to school.

Here is Matthew in front of his 2 person tent at Family Night. We brought dinner to Matthew, had a tour of camp, went to a campfire and the first part of the Order of the Arrow ceremony, which was very cool. As we are pulling into Camp Mitigwa, there is a sign "Camp Mitigwa - Maker of Men". Whew - that is a bit much for a mother of an eleven year old to take. (the "maker of men" part is the English translation of Mitigwa). I was thinking, I would like him to grow, mature and make friends, but still be a boy! We had a bunch of storms while Matthew was gone to camp and I thought, I don't want him to become a man by surviving a tornado in a ditch! He indicated that he slept through most of the storms.

Here is a picture of Matthew's troop. This year, when the new Weblos joined, the troop more than doubled in size. It was definitely the "go-to" troop in Ankeny this year. It is lead by the boys (rather than the adult leaders), so I think Matthew thought that was pretty cool.


In the post-card Matthew sent home from camp, he indicated that he would like to go back next year. He came home very tired, having calculated that he had 17 hours of sleep to make-up. He has nearly completed his Fishing, Swimming and Weather Merit badges. He took a three mile hike and was stung by a wasp. He had fun!

Reader of the Week!

Joel was our public library's "reader of the week" during the 2nd week of June. Every Saturday he dutifully filled out an entry form, so he was bound to be lucky. Of course the week after Joel was picked Carolyn started entering the drawing each week!

When you are reader of the week, you get your picture in the paper, a free personal pan pizza, a $5 Target gift card (Joel bought a wallet). The picture above, shows Joel standing by his reader of the week announcement that is displayed at the library! His proud Papa picked up several extra copies of the paper that day!

Joel's first pick!

Unless you count the teaspoon of onion we got from our garden a week before this photo was taken, Joel is holding our first produce! (this was taken June 13th, I got a bit behind!)

This is a "snack pepper", that only has seeds at the top, so that you can eat the majority of the pepper in one bite! Joel and I agreed that it tasted a bit like a pea-pod. The picture on the plant label showed a red "snack-pepper", but we couldn't wait to let this turn red! We have additional flowers on the plant and maybe the start of another pepper, but it is going to be awhile before we have another one to eat. (the plant is only the size of a small soccer ball at this point in time!)

UPDATE: as of today, we have flowers on our pea, pepper, zucchini, cucumber and tomato plants...we have MANY MANY green tomatoes of all varieties, just waiting to ripen....so far only Anna can't resist those! (oh - the memories - none of my 3 year olds could resist those fun little green balls!)

Brownie Ceremony

Carolyn completed her first year of Brownies. She completed a full year of Daisies as a Kindergartener and participated for half a year in first grade before the move. (I guess Carolyn's group was "transitionary", the first year when 1st graders continued as Daisies.) When she joined Brownies this year, she was put in a "miscellaneous" group, since most other girls from her school were already in a Daisy troop that became Brownie troop. We found out later that she probably could have just joined the troop of girls at her school, but I think her current troop is quite special, with really great leaders. It will be nice for her to know kids from outside her elementary school.



Here is the troop. One girl moved mid-year, so it isn't too large. They did many exciting activites together - including horse-back riding!


The end of the year celebration was quite different than Matthew's Boy Scouts....there were several songs and skits! Carolyn ate that up - I am sure you are shocked!

Admire his confidence!

Here is something Joel brought home near the end of the year. They are his Top Ten Things About Kindergarten. This might not have gotten published on the blog, but once I read #4 I decided this was a keeper.

In case you don't read "kindergarten", let me help.
1. Learning new thing
2. senters (centers)
3. go to recess (based on erase-marks, he had some help spelling)
4. rite oll teh time (yes folks - that would translate to "right all the time" - Joel certainly wants to be "rite oll teh time", even when he isn't. He is well intended - I think it centers on competition to be as "rite" as children 2 1/2 and 5 years older than he is! Often when he is wrong, he says something like, "I knew that".

Ok - so I was wrong.....after Maria's interpretation, I asked Joel about number 4 and he did in fact confirm he meant "write all the time"......but I still believe he wants to be "right all the time".....now the paper is less funny (except for my silliness) - still a keeper :)

5. gowing to lensh (going to lunch)
6. being a good kid (he definitely loves to be this too - sooo proud when he gets a "caught being good" or "character counts" slip)
7. haing fen at playin game (having fun at playing games)
8. doing math (he is a fantastic in this department - and he loves it....sound familiar???)
9. doing home werc (or is it a k???) (really there was minimal homework in kindergarten)
10. learning with Miss Prouty (His kindergarten teacher was soft spoken and gentle, which probably improved Joel's chances of being mellow during school....he often matches his environment.)

I loved Joel's kindergarten experience too! His teacher made a book that demonstrated many skills at the beginning, middle and end of the year - it is definitely a keeper. He amazed me in the progress he made. Even more, I would love when he would tell me something like, "you should be kind to people/a good person" (or something similar) and I would ask, "where did you hear that?" and he answered, "Miss Prouty talks about that". Every bit as important as the other kindergarten lessons!

Vacation Bible School - High Seas Adventure

Last week our church had VBS. It was my first year as a crew leader (all the groups must have an adult at our church) and I will do this job from now on. It is so great to see the entire program in action and to be involved with the same group of kids all morning. (it helped that I had a great group)

Matthew is going into 6th grade next year and that is the year when you can spend your last days as a participant or your first days as a volunteer. I guess I never asked Matthew what he would like to do, but I speculated he would do much better as a volunteer than with a group of crazy 5th and 6th graders. I guessed right. He did well being my assistant crew leader, and based on what he mentioned as "God sitings" during one of the lessons, he was proud to be a volunteer. We had 2 other assistant crew leaders in our group and 13 soon to be 2nd graders. One of the participants has autism and his parents provided an aide (who also happens to teach at the school my kids go to). She was so loving with this boy, while expecting him to participate to the fullest of his potential/age. When she left for a few minutes to help another child she knew (who didn't have such a capable aide), she received a big hug from the boy she was working with when she returned!


Carolyn will be our next volunteer in a few years! She loves reminiscing about VBS gone by!

Here is Joel, who loves jamming to the VBS songs. He made-up his own movements before the week began.


This is the ENTIRE VBS pre-school. To bring your child you have to be a volunteer. The head of VBS said they didn't get enough helpers to do a pre-school VBS the year they tried, but there were 160 volunteers this year, so I think they could. Most of the "sites" had much more help than they needed. Of course that is just between you and me, because I don't want to be in charge of pre-school VBS next year, and that is what would happen as a result of any suggestion I would give. Anna's pre-school class consisted of 5 three year olds - she LOVED it. The day after VBS was over, Anna informed me, "after breakfast I will go to preschool". I had to break the news that VBS was over for the summer. It did make me feel like she was ready for preschool (socially at least).

Book recommendation

I read the pictured book 1 and 1/2 times yesterday after getting it from the library. (once while Ken took the kids out for ice cream and Joel and I got through 1/2 of the stories at bedtime) This book is awesome and hopefully a springboard for some non-fiction reading this summer by my kids. The author writes about a bunch of inspirational people and I highly recommend checking it out from your library! You will thank me for it, but really you should thank my local paper, who did a story about it a couple of weeks ago (it is a new release).

On the bookshelf

Rather than discuss the challenges the summer brings, I will tell you what is on my bookshelf and you will figure it out. (and sorry - you can't "click to look inside the book")


I am only 1/3 the way through this book, but it discusses the fact that memory decline is not something you need to take lying down. It tells you exercises you can do to increase your mind's function. Let's just say, I better finish this book (and take notes, because otherwise I might forget). The first 1/3 discusses a lot of the theory, but I have found it interesting (despite the weeks it is taking me to get through it).

I didn't mind turning 40. I was in the best shape ever and thought nothing of it.....well you just wait! I have misplaced some important things and this has led to a search of something else I can't find....you get the idea. I am hoping this book will help.


Well as you already know (from above), my brain is not in peak form. I am not pointing any fingers, but am hoping this book might help too :0)


There isn't a book for my 3rd (related) idea of the summer, but I think my brain might perform better if there was less clutter in my life. We are working on that!

MJ to the rescue

A trip down memory lane provide by my good friend MJ! Here are the preschool match-ups I didn't have in the last blog!

(Halloween 2005)


(September 2006)

Life is a journey and this was a good one!

Although Ken's sister lives far away, it has been a pleasure to drive through Michigan twice in the last 2 years. That is because my good buddy N.C. lives right off the Interstate on the way to Ken's sister's house. Since N.C. is still 6 hours from my house, it has been wonderful to have an excuse to visit. The best news is that her hubby's family has a reunion in Iowa every few years, so we will get a visit from the C. family one of these days too!


My friend N. and I are so blessed to be able to keep in touch so well. It doesn't feel like she has been gone from Newburgh 3 years. Knowing she was gone, but that we remained close friends, made it easier to move from Newburgh myself. Here we are standing on Lake Michigan, which is absolutely breath-taking. My kids felt like they were at the ocean. (I am still not sure we convinced Carolyn otherwise.) Matthew wanted to know how soon we could go back.


Here are Carolyn and C. If I was super-blogger like MJ, I would have a picture of them when they were in pre-school together, but I am just Joe-average blogger, so just imagine them a bit smaller. Their friendship started at KinderKountry Pre-school in August 2005.


Although Carolyn and C. are old buddies, I think if that if we lived closer together, Matthew and C. would be better friends. They have more similar interests. Gender matters more in 2nd grade than pre-school I guess.


This is N's daughter J. with Anna. She is lovely and if she lived close I would keep her in Aeropostale clothes (or pay for college), because she would be such a good "Mother's Helper".


This picture was taken around the time Carolyn gave me the quote of the weekend. "I'm not going to get very wet"


If you have any question about how much Joel loved playing at Lake Michigan, just look at his face. His smile says it all. The little guy in the yellow soccer socks in N's little boy who was born about a year before they left Newburgh. He now is the age his big brother was when I met him. Since there is a slight resemblance :), it brings back memories.

Once again - it's a small world after all

You all know how I like a good "small world story".

So here is another one for you.....

Do you see the woman in the pink shirt at our niece's wedding???? (sorry I don't have a better picture) She was my roommate from my freshman year in college!



It gets better.

Let me take you back to summer 1987. I received a letter saying that my roommate would be S.J., from B* Iowa. All well in good, but what I didn't know at the time is that my sister had been assigned to be S.J's sister's roommate about 10 years earlier. Interesting coincidence huh? I mean Iowa isn't a big state, but the University of Iowa isn't a small school. The only thing I could think of was that they matched students based on their family size and we were all from big families.

Anyway, if that isn't good enough for you, here is the rest of the story. Fast forward to my senior year, when Ken and I started dating. He told me about his sisters. One of whom was married to G.J. from B* Iowa. Yes folks. On that day I learned that my future brother-in-law was the older brother to both my freshman year roommate and my sisters sophomore year roommate! She was at the wedding with her son who is the same age as Matthew!

I guess this isn't a small world story...rather a small state story!

The Wedding

Our wedding trip went very well. The traveling wasn't too difficult and the girls performed their duties as Jr. Bridesmaid and Flower-girl excellently. We enjoyed spending time with family. I know this sounds crazy, but one thing that made the trip very enjoyable was the fact that Ken was able to upgrade our hotel room to a suite. This may seem trivial, but it was SOOO nice to not be on top of each other the entire trip. Since during travel, it seems like there is never a quiet moment, it was nice to at least have some space. The trip home was especially fun, but that will have to be another post on another day!

Here is Anna with the bride (her cousin) and the groom, as well as the other flower girl and ring-bearer. It was a fun wedding for the kids because they all had kids near their age to play with. The other flower girl was a cousin from the bride's father's side of the family (we are from the bride's mother's side). This flower girl was about a year older than Anna, but they had so much fun (except the one time when Anna tackled her while trying to give her a hug). She also had an older brother, about a year older than Joel, and older sister, a year older than Carolyn and 2 older brothers approximately Matthew's age.


Anna was a cute flower girl. Initially she wanted to pick up the flowers after she dropped them, but she got the hang of it. (We didn't practice dropping flowers at the rehearsal - oops....plus right before the ceremony flowers fell out of her basket and I picked them up and put them back in, so I wasn't really a good role-model)


Carolyn took her job as Jr. Bridesmaid very seriously. She sat up at the head table and was a model citizen. She loved wearing her beautiful dress and being part of the action.


Joel definitely loves to dance. Here he is taking a short break, but I loved this smile.


Matthew didn't dance as much as the other kids early in the evening, but in typical Matthew style, he warmed up as the night went on and didn't want to leave the party (which reminds me of his dad!).


I like this sweet picture of the girls together (much better than the shot just before when Carolyn tried to pick-up Anna and they both fell to the ground :)


It is always nice to have someone around to take a family picture when we are all dressed up. Today Ken's Aunt D. did us the favor!


After dancing all night long, Anna finally sat still long enough to fall asleep. Earlier in the night, she wouldn't come near her parents, for fear they would take her off the dance floor.