Let the visits begin!

So we're gearing up for some great visits from family this summer. It starts off right now... with my brother Mike and his wife Jen visiting this weekend. Then next weekend Craig's parents will be here to ring in the 4th of July and help celebrate Alex's birthday. The week after that we head back to a family reunion for my late grandfather's side of the family. Later this summer I'm hoping to squeeze in visits with a few old friends from high school... well, actually I've known these babes since KINDERGARTEN! And maybe another trip back to Illinois later in the summer too, before it's time for Alex to start school in the fall. I promise to take lots of pictures and post them along the way!

What are you looking forward to this summer? Today was the first day it actually felt like summer. It was hot and sticky. I'm grateful I didn't have to spend the day in it, but it was great to get a little sweaty while working on my poor, heat stressed flowers tonight. We even had a nice surprise with the first strawberries of the season. I'm hoping to have enough to make some jam this year.

Great Weekend

I'm a bit late in posting this, but we had a great visit with Craig's parents this weekend. They got here Friday night right before Alex went to bed and stayed through Sunday. Alex got some quality grandma and grandpa time over the course of the weekend. As is usually the case, I didn't think to get the camera out and take pictures.

Before they got here, Alex helped Craig bake a cake for Grandma (her birthday was last week).

Of course he had to enjoy a beater!

We went out to dinner... played outside in the fabulous weather. It was a really nice visit. We're excited that we'll get to see them again in just a couple of weeks.

More Visitors

We had visitors this past weekend as well. My parents came to visit. It was the first time they've been here in over a year. The past year was rough on my mom. My grandma's health was failing and mom was stuck between my grandma's house and Galesburg for most of the year.

This picture just screams "I'm three and trains are COOL!" doesn't it?

Alex even got to drive one of the model trains. It was pretty neat!

We had a great visit with them. We went to visit the Domes and had a great time there! There was an awesome train show going on there. Inside the show dome were little villages made of Legos, including Milwaukee City Hall, Miller Park (complete with functioning retractable roof), the Chicago Skyline, and the Eiffel Tower. It was awesome. We had so much fun visiting with my mom and dad, and as always were sad to see them go. The good news is, we won't be without visitors for long! Craig's parents are coming in two weeks! It so much fun to spend time with our families!

Definitely Grandpa's boy!

Catching Up Again

Craig's brother Brian, Brian's lovely wife Sarah, and our adorable nephew Payton came to visit the weekend of the 21st and I neglected to post pictures. It was a great visit, but as usual, we ended up with only pictures of the boys. Next time, we'll have to make a point to get a picture of Sarah and me!


Uncle Brian and Alex playing Mario Kart on Wii. Payton pilfering Alex's tool box.

Not sure who's concentrating harder... but I do believe
Alex set a new record for last place! At least he had fun!

D is for Dorky

I have discovered a direct correlation between the length of time I've been blogging and the magnitude of my dorkiness. I've always been one of those people who are comfortable using the computer, good at grasping new programs or skills, but I can't explain why or how any of it works.

I started the blog in January and I really feel like I've embraced the concept. I still struggle with the direction of my writing. I intended to blog more about the media... what it was like to be part of that group, and what it is like now that I've left the media. But I find I'm writing more about myself, my friends and family, and about being a mom more than anything else.

I've entered a blog challenge on NaBloPoMo... which has exposed me to some other awesome bloggers. (ellen, the Mama, you know who you are!) It's weird to think I've made friends in cyberspace... but very cool at the same time... said the girl who collected Pen Pals when she was little.

I've also figured out ways to track who's reading my blog. I've installed a blog counter (two actually, but I like StatCounter the best) that helps me log the number of hits... but it also tells me where they are coming from. Yesterday I had hits from as far as Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Sweden, Hungary, Canada, and Italy. I've also seen hits from France, Poland, and England. I just think this is so cool! I just wish I knew who these people were and how they stumbled into my little corner of cyberspace.

I know the comments form is like a guest book. I wish people would leave me a note when they stop by to read. So if you're a regular, or just visiting, I invite you to send me comment. I'd love to hear from you!