More Father's Day Fun

My mother-in-law just shared the pictures she took from Father's Day. And there are definitely a few cute ones in the bunch!

Here's Joey with his cousin Wolfie. (That's a Tootsie Pop in his mouth, courtesy of Nana.)

He absolutely loves helping me in the garden, especially when it involves water!

And you know my boy loves to sing happy birthday. When we got the cake out for Buszi, he couldn't wait to help blow out the candles!

Visiting the South Side

Today we spent time visiting some folks we haven't seen in a while ... Joey's great-grandparents. They don't even live that far away, so we don't have an excuse.

Grandma didn't want her picture taken, but I told her too bad. Joey clearly didn't want his picture taken either, but eventually Grandma was able to hold him down long enough for me to snap one.

This was adorable. As soon as Joey sat on Grandpa's lap, he couldn't stop staring at him. This was the best we could get with them. At least we have some, though. Can't wait to get back to Easton this fall and get more with his other great-grandparents!

Burger Boys

We had a little pre-Father's Day get together at our place today. It was low-key, with some grilling and relaxing. We managed to get all the boys together for the first official Burger Men picture.

Joey woke up at 5:45am, so by 2pm, when we took this picture, he was not in the mood to cooperate. (And now, as hard as we tried, he still wouldn't take a nap.)

He did have fun playing with his cousin Wolfgang. He was climbing all over the chair Buszi was sitting in, just to get a better look.

Here are my two favorite Burgers, though. Happy Father's Day, Joe! And Happy Father's Day to all the other wonderful fathers out there!

Miles and Miles of Hydrangeas

Ever since I pruned the hydrangeas this spring, I've been a little worried if I'd gone too far and maybe they wouldn't come back this year. Boy was I wrong. (And now I know what I need to do every fall and spring.) I know this first picture isn't the greatest, especially since it was taken through a window screen, but I think it helps give you an idea of just how many hydrangeas we have in our backyard.

We also have more along the back fence line, and of course in the front. And if you look closely in this next picture, you can see a few in the back left, under the evergreens.

My mom's been concerned that our soil is so pH-neutral that the Endless Summer hydrangeas might come in white. Not sure how well you can tell in this picture, but they have a beautiful purple hue.

Can't wait to share pictures when everything's in bloom!

Climbing at the Park

When we got to the park today, there were quite a few other kids Joey's age already playing. He watched as they used some equipment he's never really attempted before, and I think it gave him the courage to try.

This isn't the most difficult piece to use, but it was fun watching him deftly maneuver and successfully cross over to the landing.

This Is How We Do It

For those wondering exactly how a clematis grows in a rose bush, here is what it looks like.

I think I'm going to try to move the clematis over a little. I never imagined the roses would do so well, or we would have planted them further down. At this point, though, it's probably much easier to move the clematis next spring.

As for Joey, he's realized that the pedals are extremely important when driving the tractor, so he's given up on the seat in exchange for reaching the pedals. We are definitely in trouble.

Garden Treasures

The spring flowers have come and gone.  The summer flowers, though, have started to bloom.

My "prize" rose bush. We planted this last year, and there have to be at least fifty or more buds (and now blooms) on this bush. It's beautiful.

We planted these peonies three summers ago. They have a faint pink center. (Not sure if it shows up well in this picture.) Even though my dad hit them with the weed wacker two summers ago, they've been coming back fine ever since.

I think we planted the clematis three summers ago, too. There are actually two plants, and both are thriving. I've cut these both back to the roots this spring, and I think they're bigger this year than ever!

Well, you all know when this flower got here. Now he's growing like a weed.

Not sure what these are, but we have them in red on both sides of the front of the house, a little in the back, and then a bigger pink grouping by the garage. They've almost taken over, but I don't mind at all.

Special thanks to my mom and dad for all their help with the landscaping and flower selections!

Smiles for Miles

Sorry for the delay. It's been a little crazy around here. Ninety plus degrees and a sick dog and just general craziness. Enjoy some pictures of Joey and Daddy having fun on the tractor.

Your bonus picture for today ...

my Endless Summer hydrangeas!! I'm guessing the week we're in Wisconsin is the week the hydrangeas finally bloom. But then they'll bloom the rest of the summer, so I know I won't miss anything.

My Handsome Model

Joey had "school pictures" taken right after he started back up at daycare. Their idea of school pictures are a little different than what I remember, but it's still nice to have something professionally done. Expensive, but nice. Now that he's bigger, they pose him in three different outfits. I still can't decide which one we like best. Let me know what you think!

Can't you just hear the western music playing in the background? (I imagine the old-timey western music, not Tim McGraw and Faith Hill country, but a nice twangy guitar that's the soundtrack for the horses movin' through town.)

I wish they would've done Blackhawks, but since the Bulls were hot this year, I guess I don't blame them. (I also think they did the 'Hawks last time; Joey just wasn't old enough yet.)

Seriously? A chimney sweep? I mean, if they were going for the reporter look, they could have at least given him a newspaper or a note pad or something.

A Ray of Sunshine

Who Doesn't Love Bubbles?

There are two things I realized while everyone was over on Sunday. We have too many toys. Even with all those toys, the kids were most amused when playing with bubbles and plastic cups.

It was so much fun to have all the kids playing together. There were no fights and everyone was generally happy, excepting Joey when we told him he had to share his tractor. (See previous blog post.)

Even the adults were getting in on the action. I mean, you should have seen how much fun these kids were having.

Joey's face in this picture says it all.

Everyone Loves the Tractor

After the monsoon ended on Sunday, our friends and their kids came to visit to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. It took much cajoling, but eventually Joey shared his tractor with his friends.

Grace loved it! She needed a little help figuring out the pedal, but given that this was her first time, she did great!

Sammy looked like an old pro at the wheel.

Kristopher also got the hang of driving. There were maybe a couple incidents of near and actual collisions, but overall, the tractor was a hit.