Family Update

Eric

* Playing intermural softball for Whirlpool and church basketball. Went to the driving range last weekend and played volleyball at the church. He can't get enough sports in his life.

* Starting a new rotation for work in a month. He will be working with mergers and acquistions and is pretty excited about it. The last person who had this rotation traveled to South Africa and Brazil. Eric hopes to go somewhere cool and I want to go too!

* We are going to the Jensen Family reunion this Friday in Texas. We've never been to Texas but are excited, especially for a rodeo.

* Is turning 30 next week! Yikes.

Katie

* I signed up for a half marathon for August 13th in Martinez, CA. I am nervous about it because it has a lot of hills and I have a hard enough time running flat.

* I have the next 7 Saturdays off from work and we are going to enjoy it.

* We are going to Lerch family reunion beginning of August. Can't wait.

Blake

* He complimented Janie the other day "I like your cute alpha-fit." (outfit)

* The other night we were driving and debating where to go out to eat. Blake kept saying "I want pizza, I want pizza." Eric and I kept talking and then thought of a new pizza place we could try. I said "Blake do you want to go get some pizza?" He said "Ya, I've been talking about pizza for a long time!"

* Blake has dropped his naps and I'm so sad. I'm trying to make him do quiet time in his room but he has a hard time staying in there. He knows that the only way he should come out is if he has a messy diaper. So every day during quiet time he comes out 2-3 different times with another poopy diaper. It drives me crazy, but lets be honest, that is skill.

* He wanted to do something sneaky the other day so he said "Can you go to sleep in your bed?"

Janie

* Just started yelling "Nnnnno!" and "Mine!"

* She is pretty fearless. She loved playing in the water at the beach and wanted me to let go of her so she could swim.

* Waves to strangers

* Takes off and does her own thing wherever we go. She is a lot more independent than Blake was.

(What is going on with the spacing on my blog? It is driving me crazy. Help!)

Strawberries

Tape Man

Best $3 I ever spent on tape.

I love when they share!

My Mom!

My mom came to visit for 10 days last week. And we did not take any pictures. Sad. Bummer that the kids and my mom took turns getting sick. We played Acquire 3 times and my mom won twice. (Eric didn't win at all.) She played with Blake and Janie tons and taught them new words and tricks. It was nice to have the help and get breaks and to have my mom to talk to. She is the best!

A Car, Slip 'n Slide, and Measuring Cups

Thanks for the pictures Kristen!

Memorial Day

My Dad is the Coolest

My dad went on a business trip to Canada last week and had a stop in Chicago on his way home. So we went there Friday morning (Eric didn't have work) and spent the night near the Chicago temple and O'hare airport. We played for about 32 hours and then we all headed back to our homes. We had so much fun with Wacko-Man Grandpa and it felt like we did a lot in a short amount of time.
First stop was to a Children's Museum. Good thing my dad got in for free with our annual pass because about 5 minutes in he said "So how long do we stay here?"

Eric went to the temple while we were at the museum, and then I went during naps.

Quick trip to the park before dinner. We went to eat and then to Baskin-Robbins afterward. That night Blake and Grandpa played Match at the hotel.

On Saturday Eric went to Hyde Park to play ultimate frisbee with friends from where we used to live. They play every Saturday morning and he has missed it. He came home a little early with a fat, rolled ankle. I asked him if he had known he was going to get hurt, would he have still gone. He said yes.

We ran errands to wonderful stores that do not exist in Stevensville. Bed Bath and Beyond and Costco. Checked out of the hotel, had lunch, frostys at Wendy's, and then to Abt store. We were sad to say bye to my dad. Blake cried and cried on the way home saying "I want Grandpa!"