Who could resist?

Do leaves change in California? I have a feeling the answer is a big fat NO. I don't recall ever seeing a palm tree any color other than green. I don't know if I can live, happily, in a state that has four seasons of summer. Maybe we need to rethink this Southern California idea. I would not enjoy wearing capris for eleven months out of the year. And although I do appreciate getting pedicures every once and a while, I'm not sure I would be able to keep up with the weekly maintenance of my feet that flip flops require. I like wearing sweaters, sweatshirts, fleece, puffy vests, turtlenecks, yes I said turtlenecks, and especially slippers. I love flannel sheets and down comforters and I could drink hot apple cider daily. These are all things that do not happen on a regular basis in California. I guess I better live it up while it lasts...

Sweet Deal

I just got an email from a friend of mine who told me about this website with make-up for $1 an item. Maybe I am the last to know about this stuff, but it is all $1 and they are not sample size. Supposedly, Nordstrom just bought the company so they are trying to clear all their online merchandise. I figured I'd try some things, I mean they are only a dollar. Plus if you use coupon code "Carolina" you get another 50% off any order total up to $15. Check it out if you want - it's not just make-up, they have nailpolish, brushes, tweezers, eyelash curlers, etc...

Look familiar?

Cohen - Today - 11 months



Ethan - April 2005 - 19 months



Two peas in a pod. I think I might have to buy a Flowbee - that was far less painful.

Decisions, decisions

Ethan has requested, at one time or another, to be one of the following characters for Halloween. I think he is wise to the fact that Grandma Brown is coming to town around Halloween and therefore, his wish is her (and mine too - sort of) command when it comes to costuming. We have made the last two costumes and they were a complete hit with the neighborhood so we are already thinking about this years. Cohen is walking, and hopefully he will be proficient enough by Halloween to join Ethan as his sidekick.

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What halloween costume should I make for Ethan?

Ninja Turtle
Spiderman
Lego Man
Bat



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Weekend Update

My older sister Emily and her family came to town this past weekend. It was the first time the whole family had been here and we had a blast! My suspicions that Ethan has ADHD was confirmed while they were here because the kid was absolutely out of control the entire weekend. He is SO hyper when he has friends around and it drives me CRAZY. I kept testing him thinking I could blame his ADHD on his sky-high blood glucose number, but I had no excuse, it was like he didn't have diabetes anymore because with all the activity his number was always normal.

So, Em flew into Chicago and stayed the night there Thursday so that they could walk around Michigan Ave and the Navy Pier. Friday we drove down to Wrigley to meet them for the Cubs game. It was actually a really good game and the Cubs won, but that only put the Brewers further away from the playoffs. Oh well, I'm not that big of a baseball fan anyway. We only made it to the 7th Inning because the kids were antsy and it was so stinking hot. Then we hit a pizza joint for some Chicago deep dish and drove home.

Cohen at the Cubs game. It was hot!

Ethan and his cousins at the game - cheering on the Cubs, how blasphemous....the Brewers weren't in town or else we would have been at Miller Park.

7th Inning Stretch at Wrigley Field. Thanks Em for the solo!

On Saturday we did some Milwaukee sight seeing - we went downtown to the Lakeshore and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Jaren wanted to go to some Milwaukee hot spots for food so we took him to Solly's Grille. I'm not sure he loved it, but it's just one of those places you have to go to if you come to Milwaukee. For some reason every burger place in Milwaukee, outside of the major fast food chains, claim they are the best "butter burger" in Wisconsin. I guess since WI is the dairy state it's only fitting that butter be added to a burger. And I'm not talking about a little bit of butter. Solly's adds about 4 tablespoons - so much that if you don't eat it fast enough the butter is left to melt - forming a moat of melted butter on your plate. As you can see the bottom half of the bun is all soaked in it and yet the plate is still full of it. Solly's is not recommended on a regular basis. I think I have been there 4 times since I've lived here, only because we like to take visitors there to completely shock them. The funniest was when my mom tried to order it without butter and the rather round, probably type 2 diabetic lady behind the counter gave her the most dumbfounded look I have ever seen.

Solly's Burger - click for maximum viewing

Then Eric took us all to his favorite thrift store in the heart of the Milwaukee ghetto. How he finds these places I have no idea, but the whole reason we went was to find some cheap Packers gear for the game on Sunday. It was a gold mine. I guess as random donations come in throughout the year they set aside all of the Packers gear and then once football season hits they put it all out at once for sale. I have never seen so much stuff. Ethan scored a sweet Gilbert Brown jersey so now he has a Packers jersey with his name on it. Emily was laughed at by the toothless security guard at the store. I know what you are thinking, a security guard at a thrift store, but I do not lie. The store was about to close and Em needed to go back to the car to get more cash and the guy was like, "what kind of a person comes to a store and leaves their money in the car, what are you an idiot?" (Unfortunately, I do not know Ebonics or that sentence would have been a lot more funny) The guy wouldn't let her leave the store. I guess she was a security risk.

Playground time

Eric almost dropping Cohen on his head.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum

Now that everybody had their Packers gear they could all suit up and go to the game. I took the youngins to the JDRF walk and everybody else went to the game. And what a game it was. Jaren was not disappointed: the Pack beat the Chargers - making their record 3-0, it was great weather, Favre tied the record for touchdown passes, and he didn't have to go to church. Check out the cheerleaders...these are not your average NFL cheerleaders. Since the Packers are owned by the town of Green Bay and not some random rich guy, the cheerleaders are from the nearby University of Wisconsin @ Green Bay. Don't they look so high school? The ribbons in their hair and the fact that none of them have spray on tans, midriffs, eating disorders or fake boobs gives it away. Only in Wisconsin.

Green Bay Packer Cheerleaders

The Packers ARE religion to most... including this guy, the "Packer Pope".

Eric and Jaren, sporting identical jerseys and loving the fact that they weren't sitting in Priesthood meeting.

It was a great visit and we were so glad they made the trip. Now....what sister can I count on for Thanksgiving? Anyone, anyone?

JDRF WALK

Here are some pictures from the diabetes walk today. It was perfect weather which resulted in a record breaking turnout. We got to the zoo around 9:20, checked in, got our t-shirts and our meal tickets and then hit the streets of the zoo. This is Ethan's 3rd year at this so he directed me around the zoo this time. They announced that there would be a ceremony in a few weeks to award the teams that raised a lot of money. Each team that raised over $1000 will receive a plaque from the JDRF, and because of all of you we were able to raise $1300 - so thanks again!

THANKS AGAIN!!

Tomorrow is Ethan's Diabetes Walk and he is very excited! The JDRF rents out the Milwaukee County Zoo so the kids roam around for the morning/afternoon. His cousin Shelby will be there to hang out with him which will be super fun. Thanks again for all the generous donations that were sent in. Ethan and the JDRF really appreciate it. I will have some pictures up tomorrow!

I would hire them.

Starving Student Movers. That's just what we are - starving students, so why not hire them to move us......eventually. Especially when their boxes come equipped with positive messages such as these gems. Love the 5 o'clock shadow. And the pearls really finish off the look. The only thing they forgot was the rest of the sentence, "moving is a chance to start over...as a woman." Doesn't it resemble a t-shirt you would find at Urban Outfitters?

This makes 15

Survivor starts this Thursday! Can you believe I have watched every season of this show? It's getting up there with the amount of seasons MTV has done the Real World, but I don't watch that. The show really hasn't changed much over the years, but yet I still tune in every week. It has gotten easier to watch since I started using my DVR. There are so many commercials during this show - unlike any other show, so it is a must. Of course this year there has to be a "gay Mormon" on the show. Why is it that whenever someone is in the public eye or on t.v. they have to add the - Mormon - on there? It's not like every gay Catholic of Jewish person out there labels themselves as that "gay Catholic". It's like it's so much worse to be gay and Mormon than gay and Catholic. Why is that? I bet he gets voted off around episode 6. I wonder if he's an eagle scout - that could change my opinion, but then again, his profession is listed as flight attendant...maybe episode 4 is more like it.

Starting Young

Eric's obsession with The North Face is now being passed on to Ethan. Not that Ethan is obsessed or has any clue what his sweatshirt says, but give it time. Soon, I fully expect Ethan to give me the same look Eric gives me when I "accidentally" put something made by, heaven forbid, Columbia or some other outdoor retailer into my shopping cart at REI. Today I bought Ethan a new winter coat at REI because he outgrew his that he's worn for the past two winters (yes it is officially fall here - 49 degrees as I type, I had to run the heater the other night) and I'm sure deep down Eric was disappointed I didn't get a North Face one. The first thing he asked me is if I got him a puffy coat. No, I did not. We're only going to be living in this frozen tundra another - 247 days, 4 hours and 27 mintues - thank you widget - so why on earth would he need an expensive puffy coat? Eric and his jackets, oh and shoes, and cell phones, and computers, the list goes on and on.

Highs and Lows

It has been crazy the past few days. Way too many ups and downs if you ask me.

September 10th:

High: Ethan on his first day back to Preschool at the YMCA.



Low: Ethan trying to manage all of his supplies for school in the rain.



High: Fun times at Preschool with his friends Carter and Logan.



High: Finding out the Julie is pregnant with her first baby - due in April! Being glad that it isn't me. Finally, some cousins for my kids.



Low: Being one of the last to find out that Julie is pregnant. All the while being thrilled for Julie, but still disappointed that Anne wasn't the sister calling me to tell me she was pregnant.

September 11th:

High: It is Ethan's 4th birthday! Ethan loving his new bbq/kitchen from Grandma Diane.



Low: Having to put the bbq/kitchen together. Remembering 9/11/01.



Low: Me, not letting Ethan open all of his presents when he wanted to.



High: Ethan's birthday party - he had a great time with his friends - lots of fun presents.



Low: The giver of the gift wanting it for himself.

High: Taking a trip down memory lane and re-visiting Ethan's birthplace on his birthday.



Low: Having to re-visit Ethan's birthplace on his birthday because Cohen hit his head on the coffee table, splitting open his eyelid, requiring it to be super-glued shut.



High: Not needing to give Cohen anesthetic and stitches. Not being there for diabetic reasons. Having great insurance to pay for all of our visits to the ER.

The usual

Well, it's Sunday afternoon, you know what that means...folding party! What family of four goes through this much laundry in less than a week? It boggles my mind. It doesn't help that Ethan changes his clothes at least 2-3 times a day. If he gets his shorts the slightest bit damp they have to be changed. I don't know if you can see it from the picture, but the weight of the clothes is making the couch sag in the middle. And what's worse about this whole scenario is that the folding is easy, it's the putting away that gets me. Hopefully, there is something good on tv to watch while I do this.

Project update

Screen porch is completed. FINALLY!


Our grass is sprouting! Let's hope it fills in.

THANK YOU

WOW!! We have the nicest, most giving friends and family ever! Thank you everyone for all the donations we have already received - you are so fast. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Soaked

Today's outing consisted of going to the new Costco to get my tires rotated and then to McDonald's for a nice healthy lunch with the boys. It was warm so we went to Bayshore's jumping fountains. Cohen didn't want to be left out so he joined Ethan and the other kids - the kid has no fear.

Labor Day

Well today we finished the grass project. Finally. Our neighbors are probably so thrilled. They have had to look at our nasty back yard for way too long. After we threw down the seed this morning we hurried over to Veterans Park to hang out with the Ehat's. The park is downtown Milwaukee, right on Lake Michigan. It was pretty busy because of the holiday. The boys had a good time. Cohen kept crawling away and getting into other people's stuff. Eric and Chris tried to fly a sport kite, but there wasn't much wind. The bugs were in full effect though. I hate mosquitos.


Ethan, Carter, Britton, Cohen

Milwaukee Harbor

Milwaukee Art Museum

Out of the mouth of babes

Ethan: Mom, it looks like Jesus mowed the lawn yesterday.
Me: Really, I didn't know Jesus liked to mow lawns.
Ethan: He's magic, he comes here to mow the lawn and then goes back home.
Me: Where does Jesus live?
Ethan: The North Pole.
Me: With Santa?
Ethan: Yes, with Santa. They can see what we are doing all the time.
Me: Right, so you better be good.
Ethan: I know.
Me: Where does the Holy Ghost live then?
Ethan: In a Ghost town.

...you can thank Scooby Doo for that last part