Dietrich at 6 Weeks

Atticus Cuts Paper

Yesterday Atticus cut paper all by himself for the first time -- with his new cool scissors. The only cut paper and you can use them with either hand -- or both hands, like Atticus did.

Visiting my Folks for a Week

The boys and I spent a week with my folks in Wisconsin. My Uncle Danny and Aunt Donna and my sister Bekah drove over from Northern Illinois to spend a couple days with us. My brother Jonathan and Sister-in-law Robyn live close to my folks and are currently looking for jobs so they were able to hang out with us for a number of the days we were there.

My Aunt Donna holds Dietrich so I can go do a work-out tape in the exercise room in the basement. My mom checked out a new one by Kathy Smith from the library. I haven't done work-out routines off DVDs since we used VHS tapes -- so it was fun to have a week of something different. Kathy Smith is tricky and a great aerobic work-out -- she used to be my favorite when that was my "thing".

Unfortunately Monday night I came down with a nasty stomach bug -- throwing up all night. Thankfully my parents were there to help out and it only lasted (a miserable) 24 hours. The next night Atticus woke up in his crib scared because he was projectile vomiting. Lots of laundry. But we recovered by the end of the week. Mostly. Atticus was Grouchy Man of America while we there )-: And there was one terrible night when the dog ate Dietrich's pacifier -- the only one I brought...and well, everything went wrong that night -- I ruined dinner, my mom was working at the library, the boys were unhappy, and my dad and I miscommunicated. Blech. But we all came out loving each other on the other end. I was able to get all my Bible Study lessons done for the following week and read a nice biography of Wilberforce.

The cat Patrick watching Atticus -- who fell asleep just laying there on the floor -- unheard of for him! He was so tired -- confused about his dad missing and why were not at home. He had difficulty sleeping in the same room with Dietrich (sleeping in the nearby bed with me) continually waking up. So he was very tired all week. Poor kid. Poor grandparents -- especially Grandpa trying to work from his home office. My dad said Atticus embodied the poem: There was a little [boy] who had a little curl, right in the middle of his forehead. When he was good he was very very good and when he was bad, he was very very bad. The happiest of kids. The orneriest of kids. Ah, Atticus.

For your entertainment....Synchronized -Choreographed Dancing Brothers!

Atticus loved the cat -- a little too much -- he would dive bomb hug it all week. But, when given a chance to escape, the cat stayed there getting loved -- nearly to death. So there you go...

New uses for the exercise ball...

My great-grandfather and great-grandmother John & Bertha Ackland. Portraits taken at the World Expo Fair in Chicago, 1893.

Wedding photos of my folks, my grandparents (Helen & Jeff Ackland, Geraldine & Homer Trout) and my great-grandparents John & May Crull.

Wedding photos of my brother Jonathan & sister-in-law Robyn, Brad & me, my brother Aaron & sister-in-law Lindsey, and my sister Bekah.

My mom's nativity, just because it's neat.

Atticus loved looking through my mom's basket of Christmas cards & photos.

Where my folks live...beautiful...

Uncle Jon and Aunt Robyn with Dietrich

Wish it was clearer -- one of the few photos I have of me with the boys...

Visit to Altoona Part Two

Dietrich asleep in our bed...

Trellis & Nancy back at the coffee shop

Max & Kara

Great-Grandma Trellis & Dietrich

A really cool, bursting-full-of-kids-crazy play area at the big mall in Des Moines

Atticus had so much fun. He brave, too -- went through a tunnel on his own (He's always a little claustrophobic about tunnels and small enclosed places, like boxes, etc.). He went up slide stairs and down a slide all by himself.

Aunt Kara lets Atticus take a picture with her ultra-fantastic new Canon Rebel

Brad, The boys, and I left Sunday afternoon (almost two weeks ago now) for Cedar Rapids, IA where we met my folks. They gave Brad their small car to head back alone to Minneapolis.I and the boys took my mom and dad to Potosi, WI to visit them for the week.