Kettle Moraine

One of the most fabulous things about living in Whitewater is its proximity to the Kettle Moraine State Park. More than 20,000 acres of glacial hills, kettles, lakes, prairie restoration sites, pine woods and hardwood forests can be found in the Southern Unit, which is ten minutes from our home. Three weeks ago, Colin and I headed to the trail on a warmer than usual day for a two mile hike. We both loved the fresh air and exercise. Colin was entralled with the scenery, hills, nature sightings and quiet. I'm sure hiking will become more and more regular for all of us. (Especially since I'm officially in training for an event in September!)

A reader in the making...

This was Ethan last week... he has fallen in love with books and will ask to read multiple times a day. Of course, this book-loving mama is thrilled. This was a book all about science experiments and it seems that Ethan is poised to become Mr. Science enthusiast just like his big brother.

This photo is for Mike...

...when E went for it, he yelled "grab the camera"! What is it about adults giggling over pictures like this?

Everyone always goes to the park in winter, right?

We can't stand being indoors for too many days in a row... and although it was a balmy 25 degrees with a chillier wind, we ventured with our neighbors and friends to Rice Lake Park. The boys loved the adventure, the scenery was gorgeous, and we could all still feel our fingers by the time we made it back to the car.

Normal Occurances

A normal day around here always includes the boys playing in bed and Ethan lining up his cars.

Colin's Turn

The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree...

Our boys love music--and it's not surprising considering they listen to their mom sing most of the day, they dance with us constantly, and they've grown up with a dad as a professional musician. Colin is begging to begin violin and piano lessons... (but we haven't given in.. yet) and Ethan is happy creating music with whatever he could find. If you were to ask Colin what he wants to be when he grows up, he wil explain in exhaustive detail that he will be a violin teacher at "Daddy's School" and "Daddy and I will have offices next door. I will teach music." A few nights ago, Colin convinced Mike to get out the old trombone... and it is amazing how naturally both boys are able to produce a sound on that intstrument. And they are so proud of doing it too! According to Mike, Ethan, at two, has an easier time making a sound than one or two of his Brass Methods students--but shhh don't tell!

Sir Talks A-lot

Many months ago, we were convinced that our Ethan would be a late talker. In fact, we discussed speech therapy options with our pediatrician during his spring appointment of last year. And right around his second birthday, he picked up a few more words... then a few more... and then BOOM, overnight we had full blown sentences. Not a day goes by when we don't refer to him now as Sir Talks A-lot. In fact, Colin, the King of Verbal Prowess, often gets frustrated with how much he talks. Colin will say: "Ethan I want some quiet!" and then run into his room for some self-imposed alone time!
Lately, we've been chuckling of the use of his words, the length of sentences (10+ words!), and how he is now using language to really try and get everything he wants!

A few notables:

E: "Hey mom, I was thinking, can I please have a dinosaur cookie?"
Mom: "No Ethan, you can have a healthy snack"
E: (Big brown eyes twinkling and using finger for dramatic emphasis) "Well, how about two fruit snacks? How about that for a great idea? What do you think?"

And..
"Let's play pretend. You are the pteranodon and I am the triceratops, Colin can be the stegosaurus."

And just this morning...
"I love porcupines. With the prickles and the little mouth and nose."

I will try to capture some of this verbal cuteness on camera soon to share... but this little man is not nearly as camera friendly as his big brother... he doesn't like slowing down enough for a photo or short video!

Dark Vader

Colin, as many five year old boys are, is slowly becoming obsessed with any and everything superpower related. His newest love is Star Wars. He is constantly asking: "How old do I have to be to see the movie? When did you see the movie? Were you scared?" The funniest thing for Mike and I is that this very articulate boy still struggles with pronouncing the names of the characters. We are constantly hearing made up stories about "Holy One Kanobi" and "Dark Vader". He's got "CHEWbakka" covered for the most part! We spent a few mintues last week enjoying the Lego versions of a Star Wars, like The Orchestra Version, and The Han Solo Affair. Colin was in heaven...

For those of you Lego enthusiasts, we also should pass along this information... Lego recently held a contest to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Miniman... here are the top five winners. Winners of Lego Contest