11 Months Old!

We cannot believe that Max is 11 months old today! Wow! He has been so much fun. He still is crawling all over, and pulls himself up to get into whatever he can. He can crawl up the stairs, so we have to watch the gates VERY closely. He is talking a lot and still loves peek-a-boo. Today we celebrated by taking a bike ride to the park for some lunch and play time, before Madison was off to T-Ball. I just love the summer!

Megan, Cash, and Michael visit

Megan was in town from CA for her Mother's wedding. Cash, Michael, and Megan came to Reedsburg to spend the day with us. It was so wonderful spending time with them. Michael is such a sweetheart. He wore a smile the entire time! We played for a bit and then rode through the Dells so that Cash could see it for the first time. We ended at Buffalo Phil's for lunch(notice Phil riding on the buffalo behind us...Max didn't like him much and was grabbing on to me for dear life). After lunch, we came home, and Megan and I took the boys out for a nice long walk. They stayed for supper, and then headed back to Shorewood. It is so fun knowing how close the boys are in age. We wish they lived closer to see them more often, but that just makes us cherish the time we do get to spend with them!!!!!!

Play

Madison was in her first play last Thursday night! The library has a "preschool players" play every summer for 4 and 5 year olds. She had two practices before the big night. The play was from the book, Grampa and the frog. The farmer asked the frog how deep is it, and Madison's

line was belly deep, belly deep! I added a quick video of it, and the full video is hilarious (she doesn't seem to know exactly what is going on at all times). Her good friend Madelyn was the water, and a preschool classmate was in it, too. We're excited for next year's play! Max and Macy did well in the audience...Max was wearing his froggy outfit from Aunt Christine, it was perfect for the evening!

Mermaid

Look what washed upon shore in the Monte's living room!

Happy Father's Day!

What a wonderful day! Daddy woke up to breakfast in bed, after snoozing for a little bit longer - not like snoozing with 3 loud kids in the other room works very well, but we tried! We packed up and headed to Devil's Lake. Daddy really was happy to take Ginger with us. We first hung out in the "dog" section while Daddy took all 4 kids into the lake. After Ginger had some fun in the water, we went over to the sandy beach area for the girls to play. They enjoyed wading in the water, and building in the sand. Madison even ran into a preschool buddy there! After cleaning up, we ate our picnic lunch before heading back home. This was definitely a treat, and we're hoping to get back there again this summer. Daddy was also able to go golfing this afternoon...Happy Father's Day to you all!

Butter Festival/Parade

Saturday was a fun filled day here in Reedsburg! We cheered on the 10K runners near our house. The girls were clapping, and Macy was urging them to "keep going!" Madison saw a runner who had a very thick beard, and as he passed by she looked at me and said, "He looks like Jesus!" Never a dull moment...

We met our friends Kristin, Madison, Jaxson, Karen, and Skylar for the parade. My favorite part was the "living flag" and the girls enjoyed the candy and hugging the dog (there is a reason why Macy is called the nutcracker, and that picture explains why)! We also enjoyed going to the festival later in the day. We all went on the big ferris wheel, where we could see some beautiful views way up there, and the girls enjoyed some of the other rides. We ran into some friends there, as well, so Madison enjoyed riding with Gabby. Max enjoyed working at the Troop 44 stand with Skylar! We're looking forward to the carnival coming to town again next year!!

Lake Redstone

On Thursday, we met our friends at Lake Redstone beach. We all had a great time visiting and playing in the water. We packed a picnic lunch and got to have a boat ride, too! We're planning many more days at the beach this summer :)

T-ball

Madison started Rookie T-Ball on Tuesday. She wasn't a huge fan, but we're hoping she starts to enjoy it more as the summer continues. She is happy that her friend Madelyn is there with her!

Party

Our good friends, the Olson's, had Madelyn's 4 year old birthday party today. The girls all had so much fun. It was a strawberry shortcake theme, and the girls looked so cute in their strawberry dresses! Mark had made Madelyn her own stage, which was the "show" stealer for all the kids. They loved getting on and singing, and especially enjoyed the curtains opening and closing. Max even got to try some of the strawberry cake and really enjoyed it! Thanks for the fun evening!

Parade in Orangeville, IL

Grandpa Monte invited us down to Orangeville for the Fireman's Festival. He had another surprise, too, Madison got to be in the parade and throw candy! She seemed to be more interested in chewing her gum than throwing the candy by the time she got by us (we were sitting by the end of the parade). Macy enjoyed picking up all the candy that people threw at us. We had plenty to go around by the end of the parade. She loved sitting with Great-Grandma and even shared some candy with her! What a memorable day!

Biter Biscuits

Since Max started crawling, and now run crawling, he is into EVERYTHING!!!!!! The only place where we can keep in and he won't get upset, is the highchair. We had lots of stuff to do on Sunday around the house, so I gave Max 2 biter biscuits (one right after the other) while he was in his highchair. Jesse took some pictures of the end result...pretty gross, huh? You can get a good look at his new top 2 teeth. Thank goodness it was bath night!!!! He just started pulling himself up, too. Here he is getting into the dishwasher, just like the girls used to do!!! I also included a picture of Max in some Badger pajamas. They said 18 months, but obviously shrunk a little bit. I couldn't even get his hands through! Big boy!!!

Fly-In Breakfast

Last Sunday was the annual Rotary Club "fly-in" breakfast. Breakfast is served in the big hanger (seen in the background of the picture of Max and I). Around 10:00, they have a mini-air show, so everyone got to watch a plane do some tricks. They also have planes tied up to look in, along with some firetrucks the kids get to go in and check out. We enjoyed a fun day!

Memorial Day

We had the most fantastic Memorial Day weekend. We spent it with my Aunt Karen and Uncle Dennis in Pound, WI, on White Potato Lake. We went out on the boat (Madison loved driving it) and the girls enjoyed swimming. The guys got out golfing, and us ladies got to hang out in the sun and do pedicures! What a wonderful tradition, and Max enjoyed seeing the place he spent his first night at out of the hospital in July!

When we got home on Monday, we had dinner on the deck. (Max pulled the coffee table on himself last week and got the big bruise on his cheek - typically 10 month old). Thursday night Daddy brought home popcorn for the girls from school and they ate it on the deck, while Max got a little ride from Daddy in the wheelbarrow! We're looking forward to summer! Now that Max is crawling (he also cut two more top teeth last weekend), he is into EVERYTHING!!!!!!!