Guess who's back in our MFing House?

At the waterpark and Mo Pumpkin'

Pumpkin Carving

Good Bye Great Grandma Lucy

Great Grandma Lucy passed away Saturday afternoon. Her funeral service was lovely. Donovan and Hayden were very sweet in saying good bye to her. They got to spend a lot more time with her these last few weeks and even were saying great grandma's house whenever they went to the hospital to see her. Great Grandma Lucy was always very caring and was always very nice to the grandkids and great grandkids. Her warm smile will be missed, but we have good photos to remember her well.

Frozen Pumpkin Patch

Even though it was f'cold on Saturday and snowing when we left the house, we went to a local favorite pumpkin patch over in Lodi! It was nice and pleasant. We didn't do any of the pay-for-frills like the hay ride, corn maze (a four-hour "starvation march" if you go with 2 year olds) or other overpriced crap. We just had a good time screwing around at the farm. The boys played in dried corn pits, played with play tractors, saw baby animals and big animals, played in giant sand boxes, hung out in the hay and in tractor tires, went down a big tube slide, screamed for no good reason, peed in outhouses, ate pumpkin donuts, had pheasant and bison pot pie, and all and all had a good time. Check back to the photos last year when Donovan and Hayden went to Apple Holler to see how much they have changed in a year.

Too cold to walk!

Would you like some corn? No, seriously, would you like some corn?

Time for a nice friendly game of king on the mountain!

Maverick

Hayden was treating his underwear like a diaper and filling the underwear with pee. Surprisingly, the underwear did better at containing the pee than Huggies. Now, lil' Commando Hayden goes without underwear to help with the potty training and he has been successful. Hopefully this is a short stint, but both of them are still doing very well with the potty training. Tomorrow, they go to visit a preschool . . . their next big move!

This is the type of raucous behavior that went on this weekend

Party at our House this Weekend!!!!!

Melissa is going out of town to go hang with her xx-chromosome friends for the weekend. Donovan, Hayden and I are going to be all alone at home, except for a visit by Mr. Wieber, so we are going to throw a party. This should be interesting.

Bud Lights, Steaks, Goldfish Crackers, and Juice Boxes = good times for all!

The Fire Pit, the Fire Pit, the Fire Pit is on Fire

Daddy is building us a fire!


Uh oh, I hope no one needs to use the potty next to the fire!

Hanging out with Great Grandpa Clarence and Marge!

How 27-month olds eat!

In the Camper and Peeing in the Slumberland Parking Lot

Donovan did his impersonation of a UW college student by peeing in parking lot of Slumberland.

Some other random camper pictures

Great Mishaps in Potty Training

Donovan is pretty much trained. He still wears a diaper at night, as does Senor Hayden. Hayden is still giving it a go with potty training, but usually makes his announcement that he needs to use the potty while in the process of doing his business. Lead time Mr. Hayden, Lead time. The process is still fun to go through as you see these two little guys finding joy in their small victories, and there are many small victories. We are very proud of them for getting so far along while being so young. We are also proud of the extra fifty - seventy bucks a month we will have once they are out of diapers!

Back at the Tosa Pool!

Wisconsin State Fair!

Hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa and Cousins Sonja and Carson

Domino!

This doesn't look like this family picture is going to turn out well

At least Hayden sat and munched and Carson, well, sat . . . .

Finally!

Random night

Working on a problem

WTF? Devil Child Coming to attack!

Hanging out

Noah's Ark

Fun with Mama's New Mixer, Grandparents, and Cousins

Hayden finished his lines, but Donovan still had some more to do.


Hugs, Not Drugs!


Grandma and Tubby!


How many children can a hammock hurt at once?

Rub a Dub Dub, Fun in the Tub

Fortunately, no funk in the tub!

Who's got 2 thumbs and $#!t$ on the Potty?

????

Dane County Fair

Melissa, Where the heck is the camera?

I need the memory card to post more pictures.

Potty training is great. Melissa has done a heck of a job with the boys. Hayden peed in the road today in front of the house. Donovan is really taking to potty training. He has done a good job of running around in underwear, holding it, and then going pee-pee on the potty in exchange for an M&M. Hayden is still doing his own thing, but hopefully he will follow suit when he sees Donovan livin' large with M&Ms. Hayden does try to sit on the potty, but usually ends up holding it, and then using his Diego car as a potty. There have been successes and for them to be doing this at 2 years 2 months is pretty exciting. We hope we have bought our last 1000 pack of wipes.

We have been in the process of decorating our new house with blinds and drapes. We previously used a dark maroon quilt in the boys room to block out the light. We bought some light-filtering cordless cellular blinds for their room this weekend and hooked them up. Needless to say, we ended up also hooking up the dark maroon quilt when they refused to nap.

Time to look for the camera.

Death Boat

What the heck are they doing out that far in the water in Flash, the paddle boat? Needless to say, they were more excited about the tube. However, the kids all love Flash and enjoy taking a spin around the point.

Happy Fourth of July!

We wore these outfits last year!

Our first tube ride!

Uncle Jason out with Cousins Sonja and Carson!

Moon 1, Rhythm and Booms Zero

If you know Donovan and Hayden, then you know their favorite celestial body is the moon. Tonight, we took the boys to Rhythm and Booms, AKA Let's Blow Up a S#!^load of Fireworks to some background music that may or may not coincide with the sight at hand and invite 250,000 of your closest friends to it. Frankly, I don't hear the Rhythm part matching up to often to the Boom, but the sight of the things that go Boom is definitely something to see.

Donovan and Hayden on the other hand treated it as a 33 minute unprovoked coordinated missile attack and act of war on their good friend the moon. Poor Donovan got scared when the four fighter jets flew over head and clinged for life during most of the Boom. The uncool rhythm's did not help (when I think of CCR and going up around the bend, I don't think of fireworks). Unfortunately, the moon was in the direct line of fire for each shot of fireworks, yet none of them hit and the moon was still standing in the end. Hayden did pretty well the whole time and watched with little emotion. It may have been shock and awe. We drive near Rhythm & Booms and then bike the rest of the way in. The boys did really well with the bike trailer. They did a nice job staying in place and holding on for dear life as I zipped them through crowds, over curbs, and speeding down hills.

But tonight was just a great show. Nice job Boom & Rhythms. If you want help picking out music, then let me know. Following are pictures.

Odds and Ends

John & Kate Plus . . . Separate! Poor kids. This was doomed from the start. I blame . . . . Guess who by posting your guess in the comment section.

Donovan and Hayden saw their friend Maddox in Iowa City this weekend. Maddox is a sweet little boy who loves to smile and laugh. Thanks for the great visit Jenn and Mike.

If you want to see pictures of our new house, then come take them yourself. We welcome all visitors provided you bring a six pack and your moving gloves.

Melissa bought the boys a pool. They absolutely loved it tonight. Cousin Sonja and Cousin Carson came over tonight to hang out in the pool as well. I think all of them had a ball. It was great to see.

Props (and UNprops) to Aunt Laura and Uncle Scott

Props to Laura and Scott for delivering the Step 2 Playset for the boys and for helping set it up. Very Cool. Also, props to them for helping us around house including hanging blinds and for figuring out a shower towel bar was broken. Unprops to Uncle Scott for teaching the boys to cut their wrists with their play knife set. The play knives are for cutting play vegetables, not flesh, veins or arteries. Come again!

Grandpa Gulya

Grandpa Gulya passed away Tuesday night. Three weeks ago, he fell while getting a pizza and needed surgery to repair a few broken bones. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to recover from the surgery. My grandma, dad and my aunts and uncles were able to be present with him by his side until he passed.

Grandpa was very compassionate and passionate. He always asked about us and how we were doing. Grandpa always taught us that education and reading were important to our development. He also taught us about service to our country and more importantly love for it. My Grandpa Gulya had a very soothing voice which I will never forget. As a teacher and father of seven, he probably had to raise that voice a few times, maybe at my dad, but he was always a very kind man to us.

Grandpa, Grandma, and my dad, mom, and aunts and uncles, our thoughts are with you today as you celebrate Grandpa's life and his journey to the next place.

Hayden and Donovan got a new house

And Papa got a brand new Funk!!!! And Mommama got her groove . . . it never left.

We closed on Friday, and we are busy packing up stuff to move into it. Oh the joy of not sleeping and packing things so that we can . . . you guessed it, unpack it 24 hours later. The nice thing for D&H is there is a B.F. Park across the street from their new pad. They also have a B.F. Bonus Room in the house that they can use as a play room. Their dad has a nice-sized finished basement for his play room. Their mom has a B.F. master bathroom and bedroom to sleep in. Yeah for Mommama!

FYI, this explains why postings have been down for the last months. We have been busy as you can tell making a "change." Even though we are moving, Melissa and I are both keeping our current jobs and staying with our same employers. Melissa will remain President and CEO of our house, and I will continue with my position. The cats will continue to howl. They know something is up. D.O. Double G went up north with grandma and grandpa so she wouldn't have to worry about bark bark barking all day today at the movers. Hailey is a tough little dog. She barked her way through her citronella collar. We are going to get her a shirt that says, "Dog fought the citronella collar, and the dog won!" or "I beat Citronella."

Thinking about Great Grandpa Gulya

and telling the boys about him.

Weekend Up Nort!

Somebody get behind the wheel of the boat or this going to be a short trip.



Hayden says, not me, I am comfortable

Grandpa Dan to the rescue!

The Boys had a nice time last weekend. They were up north with their friend Alec and his mommoma, Skye. We were there too. The Boys got to celebrate Grandpa Dan's Birthday.

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!

Watch out Donovan, Look Behind You!

I am gonna stand on this to get away from that Schnau!

Two at Two!

Hayden will have his cake and eat Dovovan's too!

Hailey and the Garden of Good and Evil

Our Mini Schnauzer, "John Wayne" Hailey, sans clown makeup, did the unthinkable on Tuesday. Hailey found a nest of bunnies apparently trespassing on our property and well . . . . Left the carcasses in the garden like those on the London Bridge. Daddada had to go in on clean up duty and bring the bunnies back to nature. Poor bunnies and bad mini schnau, nau, nau.

Guess Who is 2 in the . . . . House!!!!

Hayden and Donovan celebrated their 2nd Birthday today! We will post pictures tomorrow!
And Happy Mommama's Day to Mommama!

Moose is 8!!!

Happy Birthday to our favorite Big Girl! Wish Lazy, Crazy Moosie-Cat a Happy Birthday!
Hailey celebrated Moose's birthday by not chasing her. Moose relaxed and hung out on the glass coffee table. Harriet did nothing to celebrate Moose's birthday.

Code Brown

"Code Brown" means what has occurred? Post your guesses in the comments.

Hayden and his Fun Guy, Momma Steady Finishes the Race and More

Hayden has a new friend and he is a fun guy. This fun guy hangs out on Hayden's neck. The doctor was not able to diagnose what type of fun guy it was on Hayden's neck. Either way, Hayden's fun guy will hang around for a little while. Melissa likes to rub ointment on this fun guy.

Momma finished the 5K run in Chicago. Way to go Momma.

Still going the motions of house buying, but it is progressing well.

"David's Warriors"

This Saturday I (and 6,000 other people) will be taking part in the American Brain Tumor Association's Path to Progress 5K. Anyone who reads this blog has probably clicked on my friend Skye's blog and is following her courageous journey. David, Skye and Alec's story is being highlighted by the ABTA. Here is the link to read their story and Skye's inspiring words...

http://hope.abta.org/site/PageServer?pagename=2009PTPHomePage

I have had a few people ask me if I am taking pledges...and I am! No, bets on if I am able to run the entire thing do not count!

http://hope.abta.org/site/TR/ABTAEvent/PathtoProgress?px=1767152&pg=personal&fr_id=1290

Thanks! Melissa

House Huntin'

For those of you who know, Melissa and I have been house hunting recently. It has been taking up a lot of time, but we are excited. Donovan and Hayden enjoy it to some extent, but then get bored and scream since they do not like getting strapped in and out of their car seats to go from house to house. We went to an open house the other day at a new construction property. The boys were running around the upstairs bedrooms and poor Donovan slipped and smacked his head into a banister. He was bleeding pretty good, like back in the day when they ripped out the IVs from their heads. The really nice realtor gave us a decorative towel to ruin to control the bleeding. He's got a pretty good mark. Unfortunately for the realtor, we will not be purchasing that house.

We also went up to the lake and opened up the camper. It was nice to be up there. We look forward to a shorter drive when the day comes.

The boys are talking a lot more. Hayden loves to call our "Wooooo" when we ask him to say "Rooo Rooo" to call out Donovan. Hayden also says brother and several other words. Donovan is still a little quiet, but he says some things and has the cutest "Bye" I have heard.

Here is more Dad . . . . Drive up and visit

My Dad misses his Grandsons. So I will post some photos for Him

New Friends

Donovan is walking around with his new friend "Duck." Duck is never out of Donovan's sight. Duck is a duck in a bathrobe. Hayden also has a new friend called "B'oon" It is a yellow Red Robin Balloon. We expect Duck to last longer than B'oon.

Who looks More like Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men?

Call it!!!



I'm cold, please put the camera away and help me get dressed.

I'm cold too!

Creepiest Children's Book Yet!

Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. Wow, if you want to read some scary children's prose, then pick up this book. It will chill you to the bone to believe that some people think this is a book that "children and adults will enjoy--over and over again." Just read it. It's like the exact opposite of Jim Croce's Cats in the Cradle, and unfortunately quite disturbing. Why we have this book, I do not know.

New Addition to the Fleet

Melissa went to the Madison Mothers of Multiples annual resale sale in Middleton today. She found lots of cool $#!} including a Combi twin sport savvy stroller that was lightly used, two booster seats (like a Bumbo, but for toddlers), a firetruck, a bulldozer, and other fun stuff. And like the rest of our fleet cars/strollers, this one will be for sale some day too! Way to go Momomma! We then looked around Dane County at a few houses and then went and saw H&D's cousins Sonja and Carson! Sonja and Carson were doing well and having a lot of fun. Carson is very mature for her age, and Sonja is a very happy little girl who is learning to potty train with some success.

No Mo' Zoo for You- Fun with Hippos and Scottish Yak-lookin'-thingies

Zoo

We got a membership to the zoo now. We went Saturday. A lot fewer entourages and fewer video cameras. We like it already. The people playing "professional" photographer though are kind of annoying, especially when they set up the tripod right next to your kids when they are trying to figure out what the brown bears are eating.

Things We love and top five things we Hate about Betty Brinn

We have a membership to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, and we use it (very well worth the membership fee). The boys like many of the exhibits and it really is a kid-friendly and responsible learning environment. But with each bit of bliss, there is a rusty-lining to be found (which if you can't tell, we are pretty good at finding)! Following are the top five things we hate about the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, most of which are not the Museum's fault:

(5) Narrow walkways in the new environmental exhibit so that it is difficult to maneuver both our bus and our jogging stroller. Whoever designed it should rethink the design.
(4) Unkempt eating areas. This is more of the museum guests' conduct than of the museum but a sign telling people to clean up after themselves would be nice since some people do not know they are supposed to do it anyway.
(3) People with a singleton who feel it is necessary to bring a video camera to the museum to record some profound act that might, but albeit unlikely, occur by said singleton.
(2) Singleton with an entourage of Mom, Dad, Grandparents (both sets) who just want to salivate all over said singleton and give said singleton gifts of frankincense and Myrrh.
(1) Singleton with an entourage of Mom, dad, grandparents (both sets, grandpas are disgruntled and don't want to be there) with at least one but typically three ultra-annoying video cameras videotaping every single random thing the poor kid does to the point the kid can't focus on hands on learning but is instead constantly postured into photo ops for everyone else who is with poor singleton and those who are around said singleton at exhibits and who are trying to have a good time. If I am asked one more time by an overexcited grandma, "could you move to the side while we try to get a better shot of our first grandson Ian to go with our 56 hours of video we took over the last three days" at the time when I am trying to corral a screaming tubby bear and chunka-dunka-funka chu, then . . . I am seriously going to refuse to move. Long and short, for parents and grandparents out there who go to Betty Brinn, take some advice from the fans watching the Bad News Bears play in the Astrodome and look at your kid (or grand kid) and just "Let them play!"

Betty, if you can hear me, then tell the people to leave the video cameras at home.

Fun at Red Robin and at the Beach

Gosh Da#@ F#$%^@g Water

What the heck happened to my legs? I'm sinking

Saved by Momma!

We love steak fries. Therefore, we love Red Robin!

Fun at the Ocean!

I don't know what is more fun, Dixie Stampede or Costco?

But I do know which one might result in horse $#!^ in your food!

Porch Time at Grandma and Grandpa's

Look, a Southerner

If we are going to sit on this porch, then where is the Whiskey?

Whiskey! Now!

Vacation at Myrtle Beach - At the Aquarium!

Snowing Before the Big Vacation to Grandma and Grandpa's in Myrtle Beach

Skills you can use in jail

Guess who was the first boy to climb out of his crib? We will post the picture of the offense in action in a few days!

THE ANSWER: WE HAD A TUBBIAK BEAR ON THE LOOSE THAT NIGHT!!!! Poor Donovan was trying to sleep while Hayden went on his screaming rampage!

What a difference a year makes--Valentines Day 2008 and 2009

What's got four thumbs and loves Kalahari?

Should we delist

we have several blogs that we link to, as you can see on the right hand side of the screen. These blogs are updated very rarely, and we are considering delisting them. Please post your comments as to whether we should delist them and whether you know of a good blog that we could link to.

Lovin' Kalahari

The boys went to the Kalahari resort with us for a couple days this week. They had an absolute ball in the water park. Donovan went down one water slide in the kiddie area about 30 times. He just kept going down and then up the stairs and then back down again. Hayden was just thrilled to lounge around in the water. They wore kiddie diapers so they were able to keep some of the p out of the ool.

I am very excited for this summer. I really wish it was May right now. They are going to have a ball in the water this summer.

Special thanks to our neighbors Matt and Lisa for taking care of Hailey and the cats while we were gone!

From your favorite fans

Superbowl Party!

We thought Springsteen was awful.

Sprawl

Hailey is home

She is sore and she will be on meds for a while, but she is home.

Keep Hailey in your Thoughts

Hailey was sick last night on the ride home from Madison. She is normally a great car rider. When we got her home around 10:00 p.m., I took her for a walk and she had some diarrhea. I gave her a bath and she slept in her kennel around 11:00 p.m. Around 1:45, she woke me up and I took her outside. When she came back in, she was bleeding from her backside. We went to the ER Vet and I stayed there with her until 5:30 a.m. They examined her, gave her some medicine and IV fluids (in an uncomfortable way) but couldn't really diagnose her without x rays and blood work, so I took her home. They noted she had an internal infection but could not examine her any further. She slept for a while when I got her home since they gave her a pain medication. They gave us three other medicines to give to her. This morning we put her out around 8:00 a.m. and she had some pretty severe bleeding. We took her to the vet this morning and she is there now and will be there until at least tomorrow. The Vet did call me to let me know the X-Rays showed no blockage or tumor or polyps, so that is good. They will keep her on pain meds and fluids so she won't be in too much pain. Keep Hailey in your thoughts. She is a good dog and we love her very much.

Our DVR just erased itself

Someone is going to pay dearly for this. We lost 12 episodes of Jack's Big Music Show and 20 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba! And we just lowered our satellite service to a cheaper package without the boys' favorite channels. There will be blood.

Roo's and Tubby's Superbowl Pick

Steelers 30, Arizona 24. We would like to see Arizona win though, cause we like their cheerleaders better than the Steeler cheerleaders.

Just Happy!

Overtaking Mommama's Rocker!