Happy Birthday Daddy

Steve's birthday was Friday and since we celebrated with parties enough already for a while we just had a nice relaxing dinner at home outside on the back deck. Stuffed Manicotti, fresh bread and a nice bottle of wine was perfect. We topped it off with a cheesecake variety birthday cake. When you get to be our age that is the best way to celebrate.


Olivia helped to blow out the candles, or at least she thinks she did. Actually Mother Nature kept blowing them out before Jenny had a chance to even light all of the candles. For becoming a picky eater lately Olivia sure enjoyed the chocolate piece of cheesecake.....takes after me I guess.

Happy 40-something Birthday Daddy!!

The Party Continues

Olivia has been having a ball this week with her new toys from her birthday party. The very next day we had to blow up her new seal sprinkler.Even though mother nature had her own sprinklers going on and off all day Olivia kept her swimming suit on all morning to run around this cute seal.

Then she had another surprise. Her oldest cousin Scott stopped in to bring her card and some fruit snacks. Olivia thinks the world of Scott and last minute work schedules prevented him from getting to the party on Sunday. Olivia had thought he was coming and even though there were so many other people and some kids here she was disappointed that Scott didn't make it. A 4 year old doesn't understand when people have to work and she can lay on quite the guilt trip. Well, Scott has a huge heart and her disappointment must have gotten to him because he made a special trip out of his way to stop in for a visit with us on Monday. She was very surprised and caught off guard. It took her a little while to warm up (I think she still didn't understand why he wasn't here Sunday). But after she showed him her gifts and we looked at the pictures from Sunday she was back to her old self, flirting and showing off for him.

She is quite a character and really loves her Scotty. Personally I thought it was one of the most thoughtful things I have ever seen to have a young man in his 20's make time to visit with his youngest cousin because he couldn't make it to her birthday party. Thoughtfulness like that is very appreciated here and will not be forgotten. Thanks for coming Scott and we hope to see you again soon!!

4 YEARS OLD ! !

Olivia turned 4 years old on Father's Day. We had a big party at our house and she had a blast.

Some of her young friends were able to come so she got to play hard all afternoon and into the night. She got to see her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins too.

I know she had a great time because she kept telling me "I had a fun birthday party Mom!"

Thanks to everyone that came and made her day special and thank you also for bringing food and the wonderful presents she opened. All the clothes will come in handy especially when she starts school in a few months.

Even though it was late when the party ended I still had to throw her into the bathtub before bed. We read some of the new books she got and I think she was asleep before her head hit her new birthday "Pillow Pet".

Today will be a day for final cleanup and she will take it easy looking through her new toys and games.

Happy 4th Birthday Olivia!!

3---2----4

One more day of being 3 years old! Tomorrow we will celebrate Olivia's 4th birthday along with Father's Day.

She is very excited about her party. Looks like the weather will be perfect and it should be a really fun day.
I can't believe how fast she is growing. In a few months she will be starting preschool and soccer. Where does the time go?!?

C/Airman Pitz

Am I wrong or should it be "Airwoman" Pitz?? Oh well, who am I to question it.

Jenny and Steve joined the Civil Air Patrol about 3 months ago and this past weekend was her first assignment with her West Bend squadron.

They worked the whole weekend at the Manitowoc Air Show from Friday night through Sunday. She seemed to enjoy it. They got up close and personal with personnel from the Air force, etc. and close up looks at the many airplanes. Their work was basically standing along the lines of people doing a sort of crowd control. Keeping people back behind the lines. They looked impressive. They slept Friday and Saturday night in a hangar were provided with all their meals.



We went up on Sunday to watch the show. Olivia doesn't seem to quite understand yet why Jenny dresses in the clothes she does or what Civil Air Patrol is. But, she does know that any kind of show, fair, demonstration, etc. always seems to have some kind of games and rides for kids.

Dad made her look into one of the cockpits and tried to explain it all to her. Her response probably was "how long are we going to play the gaaaammes?!?" (translated means when are we going over to the games). If she said it once she said it a hundred times.
Finally I took her over to bounce and slide and ride for a while and after she won a big balloon hammer she was happy and let us sit and watch the rest of the air show. She actually likes to watch the airplanes too a little and the F-18's that storm by so loud they shake your body don't even bother her anymore. She just looks up and says "wow, that was loud....can I have some fish crackers??"

This weekend is the Milwaukee Air Show that we like to go see. This year the Blue Angels are making a rare appearance so it should be really good. If you want reserved seats right in the middle you have to pay but otherwise the show is free to the public. Jenny doesn't have to work this one but her squadron will be attending it together.

It will be interesting to see if she follows this interest through and actually is flying airplanes some day.

Graduation Luau/Monsoon

On Saturday afternoon we celebrated my niece's (and God child) graduation from Watertown High School. The theme was supposed to be Hawaiian but it turned out to be a hurricane.

We had a good time though, even with the rain pouring down and a pretty brisk chilly wind going through the shelter.

The food was good and it was nice to get together again. Olivia had a great time once she got past her initial shyness when she saw people she "didn't recognize". A couple even scared me too!!.....(inside joke)

Unfortunately Olivia could only gaze out at all the playground equipment right outside the shelter as rain poured down the slide like a waterfall.

Oh well, she got over it when she found out we would be stopping at Grandma and Grandpa's house on the way home.

Congratulations on your graduation Kendra!!!

(I guess we do look a lot alike, even in a picture of us together.....lucky me!)