As you may know Jenny is a MBA student at UW-Madison. She’s halfway through the three-year program and working hard. One of the perks of the program is the international trip. For the past nine days Jenny has been half a world away in Brazil.
This is Jenny in Sao Paulo. It is a large place.
She started her trip in Rio which is also large. Rio is on the water and it’s the middle of the summer in the southern hemisphere.
Jenny is enjoying summer while the kids and I are living through winter in Wisconsin.
It was in the 20s until the Packers lost. It’s been a lot colder since Sunday. We were warmed up by a five-day visit from my parents which made life a lot easier for me and more fun for the kids.
Jenny is back tomorrow and a visit to the Seekers may be in store tonight. We’re looking forward to seeing her.
Our Thanksgiving tradition is a small one. Everyone we’re related to in Wisconsin goes to Texas and no one we’re related to comes to visit. Jenny has to work the day after, so we stay in Madison and go out to dinner. It is a tradition that suits us just fine.
When we made the reservation we were asked if we wanted to be in a room with the Packers game on. We did and you can see it on the TV behind the ladies.
The boys enjoy the different types of food.
Lena ate some turkey and sweet potatoes, but enjoys what Wisconsin is famous for.
Reece likes to get through the entree and sides, so he can get to the good stuff.
He ate his turkey, but that turkey cupcake caught his eye as soon he walked in.
We went dressed nicely, but the boys are messy eaters. They didn’t look their best after long. Lena, on the other hand, is an orderly eater and still looked nice.
We have given up on orderly family pictures, but all things considered this one turned out okay.
One of my favorite parts about Christmas is controlling the boys with the threat of Santa bringing coal. It whips them into shape rather quickly. Now we have some help.
This “Elf on the Shelf” came from the North Pole via Canton, Massachusetts. The boys named him “Elfie” and are very interested in where he will be when they wake up. Sometimes he is in the same place as the day before which is quickly changed when little eyes aren’t looking.
Jenny had a nice idea this Fall about volunteering and service. Each month we do something as a family that gives back. This helps counter the feelings we occasionally get of wanting to give back our family.
The first month we bought needed supplies and donated them to the Humane Society.
The second month was November. We volunteered to man the Salvation Army kettle at the supermarket.
I did the first hour solo, so my reinforcements could finish their nap. They came with money to donate and quickly took the bell and stick you use to push the money in the kettle.
Lena quickly became our best and most-profitable bell ringer.
The boys ran around the foyer we stood in getting in the way of the guy bringing in the carts and most people entering the store.
They enjoyed their time helping others and we did too.
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We’re done with December’s task too. We donated toys to Toys for Tots. This was hard since the boys got to go to Toys R Us and pick out toys which they couldn’t keep. It went pretty well.
We’ve been talking about elves lately due to Christmas and a way to make the boys less bad. Last night an elf placed some books under the boys’ pillows. They had picked them out earlier in the day, but couldn’t get them due to some badness in the bookstore. At bedtime they found they books [...]
One of the benefits of school is learning stuff. Quinn is doing just that and Jenny and I are enjoying it. He is speaking more clearly, writing better and drawing more. Here is his picture of our family. Jenny and I really like this one. We knew who everyone was, but here is a descriptive [...]
Weight: 42.2 lbs. Height: 3 feet, 8 inches.
Quinn is in the summer before kindergarten. He has glasses, rides a big bike with training wheels, asks lots of questions, loves building things and playing with his brother. He played soccer this spring and is playing t-ball now.
Reece’s Stats (7/17/11)
Weight: 34.8 lbs, Height: 3 feet, 2 inch.
Reece is in the summer before he starts preschool. He is a daredevil who could care less about being potty-trained. He loves playing with his brother, building things, jumping off things, pointing out tractors, busses and fire trucks when we're in the car.
Lena’s Stats (10/10/11)
Weight: 18 lbs, 2 oz, Height: 28 inches. Lena has eight teeth, eats solid food, scoots on her bum all over the place, smiles constantly, laughs, and says "doggy," "kitty" and "dadda." She loves her brothers and how they make her smile.
