Rare Sighting

Grandpa & A-ma Rommelfanger are getting a white Christmas. To date, we've had approximately 40 inches of snow in December, with no end in sight. And it's cold too! Like 4 below zero cold with -30 F wind chills. (Note to readers: this is excessive, even for Wisconsin.)

Making the season even more unforgettable are the following pictures.






Yes, that is A-ma using a snow plow. You saw it here first, folks.

Nora's Christmas Show

Nora's junior kindergarten class at McKinley Elementary put on a Christmas show for the parents called "Sounds of the Season." The show included songs and spectacular choreography. One of the favorite performances was the following selection with music from The Nutcracker.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1FjdXs-zo

San Diego zoo!

We went to San Diego at the end of October. Oh, how we love that city! Especially compared to Wisconsin in winter. (we got our first snowfall today...)

I have a lot of pictures to share with you, but I'll post just a sample tonight. These pictures are from our trip to the San Diego Zoo!

Interview with Henry in bathtub

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4998136005107700529

Apples!

Here we are at the Elegant Farmer! This is a popular(?) destination for yummy food, apple and pumpkin picking about 30 minutes southwest of Milwaukee. 2 things to notice in the slideshow: Henry's snappy outfit (thanks, Aunt Marilyn!) and how many apples Henry's consumed over the course of the day (about 8-10?). Scary diapers, you can imagine.



Once again, click on the slideshow to be taken to the whole album.

Halloween 2008!

Well, it looks like I've gone over a month without updating the blog. So, I'll remedy that here. (Hundreds of pictures are on my hard drive, just yearning to be shared with you. Won't get to all of them tonight.)



Our street was one of 3 in our neighborhood selected to "host" Halloween festivities this year. We bought a lot of candy in anticipation of the 1000 children expected to descend on our house. Then, we promptly turned out our lights, locked our doors, and went trick-or-treating. So, if you want some good candy, we might still have some for you.

The picture album below shows pre-trick-or-treat festivities with Grandma Kathy and her "cat" disguise. Also, you can guess what Nora and Henry are dressed as. Nora hooked up with some of her school chums to go around the neighborhood. She was quite a bit braver this year, and it was a lot of fun. Some or our neighbors really went wild with the decorations. One neighbor had an old Dracula movie projected on one of their windows. It was a very cool effect. At the end of our block, a live band was playing. Wow!

(click directly on the slide show to access the entire photo album)

Fashion Model Henry

This is the first of what will (hopefully) be a series of posts featuring Henry in his new birthday clothes. Here are a couple of outfits from Aunt Karen in Okinawa!

(Full slideshow here.)

PARTY PARTY PARTY!

It seems like everyone we know, under the age 8, has a birthday in September or October. As the kids get older, the parties seem to grow increasingly extravagant -- and Nora's loving it! This year, it seems that the popular place for a party is a place called "Pump It Up" -- basically a very large room filled with several inflatable playhouses that kids (and adults) can play in. Here are a few pictures of Nora partying it up at her friend, Morgan's, birthday party at Pump it Up. Her friend with the dark hair is Natalie, whom Nora has known since age 6 months from daycare.






Nora looks much happier here than in her first-day-of-school photos!

First Day of School!

Today was Nora's first day of school. She started "K4" or "Junior Kindergarten." It's still hard for me to believe it.

This morning, we all got up made the trip to her elementary school together. It was a beautiful sunny morning. We met her teacher, Miss Ziemet, and we mingled with other anxious kids and parents. (There were so many parents taking pictures and videos!) Nora was pretty brave, but couldn't help but to cry a bit when the schoolbell rang and she realized Mom, Dad, and Henry had to leave. (We shed a few tears ourselves.)

Nora and her new teacher, Miss Ziemet.

Nora's schedule for the year is pretty busy. School is from 8-11 a.m. Then a van from her daycare picks her up. She stays at daycare until about 4 p.m. when we pick her up and bring her home. (Next year, "senior kindergarten" or "K5" will be full day.)

So, it's a lot of changes for Nora right now. We're doing our best to encourage her, and I'm sure she'd appreciate your positive vibes too. (She's also letting everyone know that she'll be turning 5 on Sept. 25).

Heeeyyyyy!

It's the Fonz! The latest addition to Milwaukee's public art scene.
Read all about it here.
It's not without controversy. Some say the likeness could be better. Others say, "Why are the jeans teal?" Still others ask, "Why not Chachi?" Seeing it myself, I have to say the statue looks just a little creepy. I think fiberglass is a more appropriate medium for the TV icon.

Grandpa and Ama Visit the Cabin

Here's another slideshow, this one documenting our family's latest trip to Washington Island. This was Gary & Sophie's first trip "North of the Tension Line," and we all had a wonderful and relaxing time. Really a nice bonding opportunity for everyone.

The beach pictures are from the famous "Schoolhouse Beach." Although it's a rocky beach, it is made up of innumerable smooth-polished stones. It's really something to see (and feel).

(Click on the icon below the slideshow to go to the photo gallery.)

Washington Island with Grandpa and Ama

Hi!

Catching Up ... Memorial Day Weekend!

As I prepare this belated post describing our trip at the end of May 2008, I'm trying to think back to the beginning of summer. I cannot believe that it's already August, and that we're getting ready to send Nora to public school (K-4) next month. Although our jobs have kept us busy, we have had some time to get to know our neighbors, enjoy some barbecues in our back yard, and to travel a little bit.

An annual tradition is our trip to Washington Island over Memorial Day weekend. This year, we were joined by our great friends Ed & Christine and Liza & Alex. Unlike previous years, where Nora was the only kid there, this year we had Eliot (Ed & Christine's 2 year old), and Mirabelle (Liza & Alex's 18 month old), and of course Henry. That made for some great memories, but it also led to logistical issues with sleeping arrangements and meals, a renewed focus on nap times, and decreased motivation for things like sightseeing and late-night card games. (Ed & Christine rented a camper, which worked out very well for all of us.)

Overall, we had our usual wonderful time. My highlight was exploring our 4.5 acre wooded property and working on a walking trail through the woods. Maybe, in the future, the kids will play together out there. It would be excellent for hide-and-seek, maybe even a tent or a campfire...

Anyway, I hope to post more pictures and news soon. Enjoy the slide show below. To link directly to the photo gallery, click here.

Dinner with the Grandparents

A rare treat: all 3 grandparents were here for dinner last night.  As you can see, everyone is looking pretty good, enjoying a nice summer evening in Wauwatosa.

As you know, corn is delicious this time of year. We're trying to be responsible parents by feeding as much of it to our children as possible.  Look at Henry go!

trip to the beach

We're skipping ahead a bit to share some pictures from our trip to the beach last weekend. As some of you know, Ann's training for her first triathlon. One of the segments is a swim in Lake Andrea. In between thunderstorms, we were able to enjoy a bit of time on the beach at this lake. Here are a few nice pictures of our kiddos.

The Best of the Rest

Okay, I just need to finish up with the New Orleans pictures and move on to something else. Here are the best of the rest, including some fun pictures taken in the French Quarter.

Henry Can't Eat Crawfish Yet ...

... but he sure wanted to. It's hard to eat crawfish with one hand, so everyone took turns holding Henry. He proved to be a fantastic traveller and the life of the party. You can see how happy he is here, really the party animal with his floppy hat.


I just had to throw in the picture below -- I saw him bike by.  He was too busy to stop for crawfish (we offered).

Crawfish Boil!

More New Orleans pictures.

Another highlight of our trip to see Robert & Linda in New Orleans was a crawfish boil, held in a neighborhood near the Jazz Fest grounds. Robert boiled 140 pounds of crawfish, so there was just enough for Nora (next to edamame and mac & cheese, crawfish is her favorite food). It was really neat to see Nora bravely playing with live crawfish along with the little boys and then trying her best to be helpful during the food prep.

Getting ready to dump the kettle.
Everyone got their own pan of food. There weren't many chairs, so most folks sat at the curb.
Afterwards, Nora and Robbie supervised the cleanup efforts.  Nora really got busy, and totally enjoyed it.

Jazz Fest!

After several years away, we finally made it back to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival!  It was truly wonderful to be back to enjoy friends, great food, and a huge variety and quantity of music.  As usual, there were many food and music highlights.  The headliner for the day was Stevie Wonder.  Unfortunately, furious thunderstorms and cranky kids forced us to leave before his set.

Nora and Henry really seemed to love Jazz Fest.  Both of them were smiling, dancing (Henry only sorta), and stuffing their faces (Nora recommends the Crawfish Monica.  Henry liked his Gerber Veggie Puffs).

But man, oh, man is Jazz Fest different with little ones.  For the adults, there's a lot less drinking and being silly, and a lot more work.  Look at the picture of Linda and the stroller below. 

Henry had plenty of time to bond with our good friend, Robert.  And he even found a great new cuddly toy to chew on!

And Nora had a blast in the Jazz Fest kids' play area (Huh? There's a play area?)

Finally, a picture of some Mommy and son bonding time.