Family Filled Weekend

This was definitely a weekend filled with family gatherings.  It started with a very nice visit to see my Grandma and Grandpa Kolbow on Friday.  Unfortunately, the visit up to see them was brought on by the passing of my (step) aunts husband, Palmer Draeger. Palmer passed on Thursday morning after a very short battle with cancer.  Palmer and Judy live in the other half of my grandma and grandpa's house.  Judy is my grandma's daughter (step-grandma).  They took care of my grandma and grandpa for many years.  A big reception was held on Sunday to celebrate Palmer's life.  What a beautiful way to celebrate a wonderful life. 

Grandma and Grandpa seem to be doing very well.  Grandpa is 98 years old now and still VERY smart.  He loves to tell stories from his childhood and share his knowledge with us.  He also loved seeing how much Ethan has grown.  When we left, Cory was holding Ethan and asked Ethan to give grandma and grandpa kisses.  Ethan leaned in and gave them both a kiss on the cheak.  Truly a heart warming moment! :-) 

Here are some pictures from our time spent at grandma and grandpa's. 

On Saturday we hung out around the house and spent lots of time playing outside.  The kids found a frog and named it Little Foot (every frog they find is now named Little Foot).  Ethan was scared of the frog at first so big sister Mariah had to pick it up and show him that there is nothing to be scared of. 

(sorry the pic is sideways...)

On Sunday we went to Scotty and Shannon's for fresh salmon on the grill.  Scotty and Cory went on a charter boat on Saturday with a couple other friends.  The boat was chartered by Cory's good friend Anthony and Anthony's dad.  The weather was nice, the water was calm and the guys had a great time. 

Sunday night Shannon made a honey mustard recipe and Cory made a mango salsa recipe and they grilled up the fish.  I actually tried the mango salsa fish and I liked it, but that doesn't mean I'll be eating seafood again any time soon...

We also went to Pug Fest on Sunday!  Pug Fest is a big vendor/fair/show that helps raise money for rescuing pugs.  We took Oscar with us and were surprised with how well he got along with the other dogs!  It was so fun to see all of those smooshy faced dogs in the same place!

Birthday, Mother's Day and other fun times

So much has been going on that I haven't had time to sit down and blog! 
We had a beautiful April as far as weather... but as for May... yuck!  We must have jinxed it by opening our pool on May 1st because ever since it's been cold and windy and rainy. 

April 22nd was Bring Your Child to Work Day!  Mariah came to work with me and we had a lot of fun!  We started on the Racine Campus and got to do fun activities like crafting, nail painting, and t-shirt making.  Then we went to lunch at Panera Bread and then out to the Burlington Center where I work.  I showed Mariah what I do during the day.  At first she thought it was fun, but quickly became bored.  I kept her entertained with my electronic dinosaur (typewriter) which I still use quite frequently!  It was a wonderful mother-daughter day and I am looking forward to doing it again next year!

April 29th: Ethan is turning it to our little adventurist!  He loves to run and climb on everything.  Sitting still just isn't in his vocabulary unless he has strawberry milk in hand.  Here is a picture of him cruising around the yard on his ATV.  He is already wanting a bigger one because this one just doesn't go fast enough for him. 

Girls Night Out:  Jeni and I met up for a much needed girls night out.  I think we both planned on just getting together for a little while and having a drink, maybe two, and some dinner... Well, our evening turned in to a four hour night out with quit a few drinks and some amazing nachos!  I think we left the restaurant around 10pm!  Yes, our husbands started calling us around 9pm, but we were having so much fun! :-)   It was so nice to get out and catch up with each other!  Definitely need to do that again soon! 

May 5th: I turned another year older... yes, I am 32 now.  I had a really nice birthday.  Cory, Mariah, Ethan, and I went to dinner at Jose's Blue Sombrero.  It was Cinco De Mayo so the Mexican restaurant was packed!  It took us an hour to get seated, but as always is was well worth the wait.  While we were waiting to be seated we talked (text) to Jeni, and Jeni and Giana decided to come join us!  That was an awesome birthday surprise!  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was very entertaining - live Mariachi Guys, and the birthday songs.... FUN!  They put a huge sombrero on my head and sang for me and then took my picture, printed it out and gave it to me!  Oh and they also brought me flan... which I don't care to try ever again...

May 9th: Mother's Day!  I had a great Mother's Day this year.  I woke up and relaxed pretty much all day!  Cory made french toast for breakfast, we went to church, we came home and hung out around the house, and then went to mom's for dinner.  Harry made an excellent dinner for all of us so even mom got to relax!

Ethan and Oscar

Ethan and Oscar, originally uploaded by Bartlett's picture pages.

Poor poor Bears hat....

naughty naughty Mongo puppy....

Spring!

My landscapping is finally filling in! 

Is it a BOMB?

No.... phew...

This past Friday I had to mail a bunch of stuff to my mom in FL because she forgot it on her bed in WI... Well yesterday morning we got an urgent call from the Punta Gorda post office asking what we sent that would be vibrating inside the box?! Ahhhhhh.... I don't know?! I had to call my mom and ask her what I might have put in there because I had just grabbed as much as I could from her duffle bag and put it in a flat rate box... Well Punta Gorda wanted to make sure it wasn't a BOMB before they delivered it! Turned out it was her toothbrush... thankfully my mom new right away... phew!

Kids and Dogs...

Marathon Weekend

We had another fast moving marathon weekend.  We planted trees, did lots of furniture shopping, hung out with the kids, and went for some nice walks.  On Friday night Mariah, Ethan, Rex (lab) and I all went for a 3.5 mile walk!!  Cory was at the church putting up a fence around the playground for Kids Korner so we walked over to see him.  It took us one hour to get there.  It was pretty windy out, but the bright sunshine made the weather feel perfect for our long walk. 

Now its Monday again... wow these weekends just fly by way to fast.  On the upside though... summer is almost here and we hope to open our pool on MAY 1ST!!!  :-)

My Mom ROCKS!

My mom came over today while I was at work and she finished painting my kitchen and dining room!  What a wonderful gift!!!  Thanks MOM! :-) xoxo

And the winner is.... Exploring Khaki

Lots of Updates!

Wow, it's only been a little over a week, but I have so many updates to post! 

Ethan's new daycare situation is going wonderfully!  He did very well over by Ms. Melissa on Monday and Tuesday and couldn't stop talking about her and her kids whenever he was home.  Unfortunately, he got sick on Tuesday night and wasn't able to go over there on Wednesday.  He asked many times on Wednesday why he couldn't go.  Then on Thursday I sent him to Ms. Melissa's house and by 11:30 she had called me and said that he just wasn't doing well.  :-(  He then had his last round of throwing up on Thursday night and then his fever finally broke.  He was 100% better by Friday!  So, it was a rough week for Ethan.  Not only did he have a bad stomach bug but he also had a new environment situation at Ms. Melissa's house.  I hope that this week is much better for him and us!  We want him to love it over there, but not more then he loves it at home of course. ;-)

As for the weekend, the weekend was beautiful.  We went for a nice long bike ride on Friday morning.  We found a trail that is about 15 minutes from our house.  We drove out there and then biked for about 1 1/2 hours.  We had a really great time.  Mariah loves her new bike and Ethan loved riding in the burley. 

We also finished our shelves in the garage this weekend!  We finally have places to put things!  It made our garage look so much bigger.  Surprisingly though... we think we might need even more shelves....

On Sunday we went to mom and Harry's to celebrate Easter.  We had lots of great food and hung out with family.  It is always so nice to get together and catch up with each other's lives. 

On Monday, Cory had to work so the kids and I hung out and went shopping!  We bought a new TV for the kitchen and 7 paint samples!  Yes, I am painting the kitchen and dining room again.  I just haven't figured out what color I am going to paint it yet... any suggestions?  ;-)

That pretty much wraps up our busy week!

Love, The Bartlett Family

Good-Bye Bright and Beautiful

This is a very emotional post for me, well for us.  Ethan has been going to Bright and Beautiful for two years and we have loved every day that he's been in their care.  They are wonderful, kind, loving, and taught our little man so much.  We will miss them very much, but we've agreed that it's time to move on.  Ethan will be starting at an in-home daycare on Monday.  We are very excited about Ms. Melissa and think that her in-home daycare will provide Ethan with just as much love and attention as Bright and Beautiful.  It is a good change, in a way a neutral change, but it's still a difficult change.  So, for Ethan's last day at Bright and Beautiful, we sent a card and a cake for the entire staff and all the daycare kids.  It's a "thank you" cake for all of their wonderful care and the friendships that Ethan's found along the way. 

I can't get this picture to turn the right way.... sorry...

Now to take a jog back to Ethan's first day... here is a picture of Ethan and me from March 25, 2008.  We didn't plan for Ethan to be at daycare for exactly two years.... well two years and one day... it just happened to work out that way.

and here is a picture of our little Ethan today, March 26, 2010.  He is all ready for his last day at Bright and Beautiful.  Wow, he has really changed. 

We love you little man and we hope that we always make the best choices for you in life. 

Love, mom and dad :-)

Beautiful Evening

The sun is out longer and the weather is getting warmer... what a beautiful thing! 

Last night we had a really nice time.  Cory, Mariah, Ethan and I took a walk over to Grandpa Karl and Grandma Kathy's house.  Here are a couple pictures from our visit:

Here are a couple pictures of Ethan learning to skateboard back at our house:

Dream a Little Dream...

I have always had a dream of being a stay at home mom. I say dream because seriously that is all it is. It is not a reality and won't be until I am able to retire. Then I will hopefully be a stay at home grandma...

If I were a stay at home mom I would get a little extra sleep in the mornings. I would wake up with the kids and help Mariah get ready for school. I would enjoy breakfast and some educational morning TV with Ethan. I would create activities to do with Ethan that would involve exercise and skill building. I would take him to swim classes and other fun activities that would encourage him to interact with other kids.
If I were a stay at home mom I would always have a clean house. Maybe not always a picked up and orderly house, but the surface would be clean and free of dog hair and dust that seems to pile up in just one day in my house. In the summer the kids and I would have a beautiful garden where we would grow lots of fruits and vegetables. I would teach the kids how to pull weeds and take care of plants to keep them healthy. We would go for long walks and bike rides and take time to enjoy the world around us.
If I were a stay at home mom I would have a couple more kids. I would fill the house with love and family and values that would last a lifetime.
If I were a stay at home mom I would have more time with my family.
This is something that I have struggled with for many years. Maybe being a stay at home mom wouldn't be as beautiful as I have always pictured it. Maybe I wouldn't be as happy as I think I would be...
Life is pretty good now the way that it is... I am not a stay at home mom, but I have managed to find a job that will allow me to leave work at 3pm every day. I have to wake up early and start my work day early, but it's worth it when I am home with the kids a little after 3pm. I do my best to keep the kids involved in sports and fun things like gymnastics. I also make an effort to get Ethan to play dates at places like Monkey Joes and Chuck E Cheese. I start a garden every year and plant lots of flowers. I do my best to pull the weeds and grow delicious fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I succeed. I do my best to pretend that I am a stay at home mom even though I only have about 4-5 hours every night to spend with the family, work on the house, attend fun activities, help with homework, make a healthy dinner, and instill lifelong values. 4-5 hours is a pretty good amount of time every day. Yes, I wish it were longer, but this is the life we chose. Cory and I have weighed all of our options a million times and have tried to find a way where I could be a stay at home mom. Unfortunately we have never been able to come up with a good solution. I do well with this way of life most of the time, but once in a while I have a day like today. A day where I wake up in the morning and all I want to do is stay home with the kids. Stay home and spend a day with my family. A day filled with snuggles from Ethan. Today Ethan woke up and was very unhappy. He was tired and not ready to start his day. He cried when I left him at daycare today. :-( I am sure he is fine and having a great time now, but it was heart breaking to leave him this morning. Today is a day where I am wishing that I was a stay at home mom.

Productive Weekend!

We had a very successful and productive weekend!  Recently Cory and I made a list of projects that we'd like to do to "complete" our house.  It is been about 4.5 years in the making and we'd love to have it so-called-done.  We have a list of about 12 things and we already have about 4 of them marked off!  This past weekend we worked on completing the cabinets in the basement by the bar.  Cory has the doors prepped and ready for glass.  Everything is stained and looks beautiful.  This week I will drop them off at the glass dealer and he will install the glass.  We are also having glass shelves cut for inside the cabinets! 

While Cory was staining... I was painting the dining room (again).  I painted one of the walls red not that long ago and this weekend I decided to paint the rest of it red.  Cory isn't so sure about it, but I love the warm feeling.  Next I will paint some words or a saying on the only empty red wall. 

This weekend we also bought the trim for our master bathroom and for the kitchen.  Cory will work on staining those pieces over the next week and hopefully we will go those projects completed next. 

We also bought wood to build shelves in our garage.  We started them yesterday and so far have the area for the bikes completed and a couple shelves completed.  This is only about half of the shelving that we have planned for the back wall of the garage.  It's looking good so far! 

The best part is that we created a budget for each project and so far we are coming in quite a bit under budget!  Let's hope it stays that way. :-)