The Stucki's

Heather's Run ... Sep 24, 201

2011-09-24T13:06:00.000+02:00

Heather has found a nice run in Shanghai.

Tokyo, Japan ... Sep 19, 2011

2011-09-19T12:55:00.000+02:00

This is the story of my time here...traveling around but basically seeing airports, hotels, and plants/offices. Here we are required to "dress up" to enter the clean rooms.

Our House ... Sep 15, 2011

2011-09-15T13:08:00.000+02:00

We finally moved into our house. We are very glad. However, our shipment still has not arrived, so we have rental furniture and IKEA dishes for the next six to eight weeks. I assume it won't take as long as it did when we moved home from Budapest (that was 15 weeks!).

Century Park, Shanghai ... Sep 10, 2011

2011-09-10T13:03:00.000+02:00

Right across from our hotel is Century Park, a great "Central Park" of Shanghai. It was very peaceful just strolling through and the kids were glad to just be able to roam a little more freely. The weather here is much nicer than when we first moved here, so this is the first time that it has not been too hot to actually just walk around outside and enjoy nature for a little while.

11th Anniversary ... Sep 1, 2011

2011-09-01T12:50:00.000+02:00

I can not believe that it has been 11 years...best years ever!

And really only two disagreements in 11 years...honestly, only two, and we both agree they are pretty lame arguments.

My perspective: One related to a speeding ticket Heather made me get and one on our way to Munich when she said that the first 8 years of our marriage she has only done things I wanted to do (well, that was my interpretation of whatever she ACTUALLY said).

Heather's perspective: One related to Aaron wanting to pay a lot of late fees for an overdue movie rather than to return it on time. He reluctantly went to return it because I was very sick in bed. He chose to speed and got a ticket that he blamed me for. The other was serious enough that Aaron wanted to drive back to Budapest after driving 5 hours to get to Munich, but I truly don't remember why he was so upset about nothing.

Heather's fabrication about being sick in bed may be a reason we have a third disagreement or maybe the third will be because she obviously did not learn from the second disagreement. :)

Did we spend too much time blogging about our disagreements rather than the fantastic, almost flawless years that we have spent together??!

We celebrated at Morton's. Beef in Shanghai either is crappy or is expensive. We went for the latter, considering the milestone. They had our own menu ready for us and based on the bill, I think we ordered a bit of everything. Totally worth it.

The First Day of School ... Aug 22, 2011

2011-08-22T12:24:00.000+02:00

The kids started school at Dulwich College of Shanghai, a British school and curriculum. We heard very good things about the school and figured that trumped putting the kids into the American system, particularly because they are young enough to be able to get in and out of this system without much issue. We were unfortunately still at the Kerry on the first day of school, but everything worked out fine. Katie is in Year 5 (4th Grade), Ashley Year 2 (1st Grade), and Ryan started Nursery (Pre-school). This is his first time in school and we were very worried about how he would handle it. The first day was very hard for us as we had to finally leave him crying. We learned he eventually settled down and after two weeks of leaving him this way, he finally let Heather leave without any tears. Ashley and Katie have adapted well, but it has not been super easy. They will all get used to it, I am sure.

The Kerry Hotel Shanghai ... Aug 11 - Sep 15, 2011

2011-08-11T11:14:00.000+02:00

So, as is usual for us when making a move, we had to find a place to live for 6 weeks prior to being able to move into our house in Shanghai. We have moved now six times since we got married almost eleven years ago and every single one has been an international move, requiring sometimes significant time waiting for either our household goods to arrive or waiting for our house to be ready for us to move in. This time it is both. Our good friends from Budapest moved here a couple of years ago and they helped facilitate setting us up in a new hotel complex that had basically just opened. We got a two bedroom apartment there (similar to our apartment in Budapest at the Corinthia) that was perfect for us. So we had all the amenities of a hotel, plus a nice sized apartment (another room would have made it perfect but no way will I complain about our almost perfect situation at the Kerry). The hotel itself is great and they have an indoor play place that has some slides that even I was a little terrified to go down!
Every morning the Heather would take the kids to breakfast where the staff attended to them very well. They even always ensured that a pink plate was set for Sophie and a blue plate was set for Ryan. And they would even take Ryan to pick out his breakfast
Overall, we had a great experience, only second to actually being moved into our house.
While we were living in the Kerry Hotel, the kids started school, which was fine. I guess there were a few other kids from the school living in the hotel, so a bus stop was created to pick up the kids directly from the hotel.

This is the picture of Angela, who always ensured our family was well fed!

Katie's Birthday Party ... Aug 8, 2011

2011-08-08T10:57:00.000+02:00

Katie had her birthday party with her friends at the pool a couple of days before we left to move to Shanghai. She will miss them but we know there are a lot more kids to make friends with in her new school (Dulwich College Shanghai) in China.

Sophie and Granny ... July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T13:41:00.000+02:00

Now that Sophie is crawling all over the place, she tends to get into things...a Lot. This time she found a picture of Granny Larsen and spent a good while staring at her wonderful picture.

Hillcrest Swim Team ... July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T13:39:00.000+02:00

Katie and Ashley participated in the Hillcrest swim team once again this year. We were fortunate to arrive back from Shanghai just in time for their final swim meet of the season. Sara and Emily Nickel were visiting us for a couple of days with her family and she joined us at the pool for the evening.

The girls are doing great swimming, both getting better every week. Katie is especially good at backstroke and Ashley can now swim the length of the pool without getting distracted!

Shanghai, China ... July 6 - 10, 2011

2011-07-10T12:25:00.000+02:00

So...I resigned from GE to go work for Tyco Electronics. After 13 years, it was not easy, and I will miss it. But we are excited for our new opportunity in Shanghai, China. Heather and I left our kids with her sister, Dawn (thank you!) to travel over to China to look for a house. We were on a pretty tight schedule considering school there was to start middle of August. We had to get our house on the market, get packed, and find a place to live in a short period of time. We left for five days, but really only had three considering the travel time. But as with all of our moves, we were able to find a house very quickly and even had some time to spare to visit a Buddhist temple and the People's Garden/Park.

It was there we noticed a lot of people standing with papers with Chinese characters written on them. Somebody informed us that this was actually a marriage fair, or something, where parents or grandparents were sharing information about their children or grandchildren in hopes of finding a match. Admittedly, maybe this is an efficient way and probably less expensive than some of the dating services?

While we were walking to the temple, an older gentleman stopped us and told us he just wanted to "practice his English". We let him take us around and he was actually VERY informative and taught us a lot about the temple, what each of the parts of the temple meant, etc. This was the Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple, established in 1918, so really not that long ago. The man took us through the temple and then to what we knew were his obligatory tourist shops, but even those had interesting backgrounds. He took us to the silk shop, which was just a touristy silk shop except that it had a small "museum" that actually demonstrates how silk is made. So ultimately we didn't feel like he was wasting our time, and we went ahead and bought a few things at each of the places that he took us to, so I am sure he was very glad. He was a nice man and I was fine to pay him a little at the end, even though I am sure he figured he had suckered us in to letting him tag along to "practice his English"!

We went to our branch on Sunday morning. The church is allowed to exist here but only for people holding a foreign passport or the spouse of a person holding a foreign passport. Active or passive proselyting is forbidden, a regulation they highlight at the beginning of each and every Sacrament Meeting. We are glad that we will have the opportunity to attend church here, even if others here can not. Since the weather in Shanghai is so hot and crappy in the Summer, most families spend the Summer's back in the US. So while there are probably a couple of hundred members in our branch, probably only a quarter of them were present for our first visit. It actually felt more like Budapest, but supposedly once all the expats return it is large enough to be a ward (which it probably would be if the church were allowed to organize differently...Taiwan, for example, has five stakes). Anyway, we will see what it is really like once we get back there permanently with our family.

Overall, it was a great first visit and we accomplished everything we set out to do. And Dawn did great with the kids, but I am SURE was glad when we arrived home on Sunday night.

Ryan's Swimming Lessons ... July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T12:03:00.000+02:00

Ryan is terrified of being in the water by himself and holds on for his life if I or Heather venture out deeper into the pool. He finally started swimming lessons and made a lot of progress right away. He will now put his face in the water for a few seconds and will even make his way across a portion of the pool as long as he can hold on to a kick board. This was great progress in just a few lessons.

The Fourth of July ... July 3, 2011

2011-07-03T12:01:00.000+02:00

Stucki Family Reunion ... June 24 -28, 2011

2011-06-28T11:59:00.000+02:00

We all met in Champaign for the annual Stucki Family Reunion. Somehow my dad seems to find a way to accommodate all six of his kids' schedules and we have met as a complete family at least once a year for the past decade probably. One of these years it is going to result in being too complicated, but so far somehow we have accomplished the annual get together.

There are now 17 grandkids, so it is getting to be a very large crowd. But all of the cousins get along great and have a good time together.

This year we did a quick tour of everyone's old schools which seem to be the only pictures I have, for some reason. We actually walked through Westview Elementary, the elementary school that all six of us attended at some point. Nothing had changed, which maybe is a little scary.

It was fun to get together and now the planning for next year has already begun.

Henry's Ark Louisville, KY ... June 24, 2011

2011-06-24T11:48:00.000+02:00

The kids visited Henry's Ark, a petting zoo close by our home. Personally, I am not a fan, but they had a good time.

St George Island, Florida ... June 6 - 12, 2011

2011-06-12T11:47:00.000+02:00

Matt and Heather Nickel spoke to us a few months ago about renting a beach house in St.George Island, Florida with their family. We drove down there and met them Sunday night for a week of warm weather and swimming and letting the kids get to know each other and play together. It was absolutely fantastic. The house had a swimming pool as well, so once everyone was tired each day from the beach and salt water we were able to spend some time in a fresh water pool. The kids all got along great and it was fun to get to know Matt and Heather's kids better. We had 11 kids and 4 adults but it never felt cramped.

In the evenings we went out crab hunting (I only actually went out once, but everyone else went a couple of times). The crabs come out and roam the beach at night, so you can take a flashlight and see a ton of crabs scampering around. It was actually a little freaky, but exciting.

We stayed through the next Saturday night before starting the drive back to Louisville. It was a perfect vacation and the beach vacation Heather has been asking to take for quite a while.

Nashville (Brentwood), TN ... June 4, 2011

2011-06-04T06:12:00.000+02:00

After returning from Florida Friday night, the next day I started the drive BACK to Florida...this time WITH my family, and this time to St. George Island for a weeks vacation! On the way we drove through Nashville, where Heather spent three years of her high school in Brentwood. We stopped by her old high school as well as her old house. Like most places, it has grown out significantly since she lived there. We did not spend too long, but it was nice to see for all of us.

Ryan's Soccer Camp ... May 31 - June 3

2011-06-03T11:53:00.000+02:00

We decided to enroll Ryan into a week long soccer camp. He JUST turned three, meeting the cut off by a week. He has not had many opportunities to interact with other kids, so we thought this might be a good opportunity. Instead it turned into a daily routine of him not wanting to play, then getting him to play, only to return to the sideline after a few minutes. You can see in these (terrible) pictures that he was doing his own thing mostly and only seemed to enjoy snack time. But I guess it is a start and I am sure that he will get used to these things pretty soon.

Downtown Louisville "Water" Park ... June 3, 2011

2011-06-03T04:41:00.000+02:00

Orlando, Florida ... June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T13:34:00.000+02:00

I was home from New York after two weeks for the weekend and left Tuesday for meetings in Orlando. It was a good few days. As part of the event, GE had the entire Harry Potter park for the 200 finance folks that had been invited to the event. It was fantastic to have the park to ourselves for a few hours. I have heard this place is so packed on a normal day that you can barely make it through Diagon Alley, but for us it was empty and therefore, quite memorable.

The Last Day of School ... June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T04:38:00.000+02:00

After what seemed like about 50 snow days (99% of them decided about two days before the actual day and 99% of them based on some small snow flurries or a CHANCE of snow), the girls' last day of school arrived!

Ashley's Dance Recital ... June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T03:58:00.006+02:00

Ashley performed very well in her recital. She loves to dance and is improving all the time.

The Pool ... May 30, 2011

2011-05-30T04:21:00.003+02:00

The kids love the pool and this was the first day of a Summer filled with pool visits.

Ryan's Birthday Party ... May 28, 2011

2011-05-28T04:09:00.020+02:00

I missed Ryan's actual birthday because I was traveling (very unfortunate not to be able to adjust my schedule), so we had Ryan's birthday the day I got back. I was actually supposed to be home the night before but got stuck in New York and ended up arriving into Louisville just as the party was about to start. Ryan is VERY much into superheroes. He has to wear superhero pajamas and the only TV he cares to watch has to be superhero related. So Heather planned his party around that theme and all of the kids came to the party dressed as their favorite superheroes. We had a wide range, from Batman (Ryan) to Nacho Libre.

Superheroes! ... May 25, 2011

2011-05-25T18:27:00.001+02:00

Ryan at the Zoo ... May, 23, 2011

2011-05-23T18:18:00.000+02:00

For Ryan's birthday, he went to the zoo ... Happy 3rd birthday!

Kids Asleep ... May 21, 2011

2011-05-21T17:22:00.002+02:00

New York City, May 21, 2011

2011-05-21T13:31:00.000+02:00

For work I spent two weeks at Crotonville, our corporate training facility. As part of the class, we spent the weekend in New York City. Since our visit in April, I have a new found appreciation for the city and actually had a good time. We went and saw the Beatles cover band, "Rain" (maybe cover band is not the right word...this was a band that looked and acted like the Beatles, not just sang their songs)...it was OK. I think I would have preferred seeing a Smiths version of the same thing...that is a band I wish I could have seen, and seeing Morrissey a few times was nice, but not the same...anyway...about New York...I visited Battery Park, Wallstreet, and even where Strauss-Kahn was hiding out under house arrest (we thought it was a movie set with all the cameras, turns out it was cameras waiting to catch a glimpse of hit. I also went to Ground Zero, which was a little more potent for me this time since we had the opportunity earlier in the week to spend an hour listening to one of the handful of firefighters to get out alive that was actually IN the tower when the second tower was hit. It was quite emotional. We were living in Mexico when the tragedy happened, so admittedly we felt a lot further away from the reality of what was going on. Obviously we live with the ramifications of the event seemingly every day, but ten years later, it probably feels more real than it ever has. It was a nice weekend in the city.

Sophie ... May 19, 2011

2011-05-19T17:22:00.000+02:00

Flat Stanley ... May 17, 2011

2011-05-17T17:15:00.000+02:00

Katie's friend sent a Flat Stanley request, where she had to take a picture of "Flat Stanley" at different places around Louisville. She chose the Louisville Slugger Bat Museum, a Kentucky horse farm, and Churchill Downs.

Katie's Kentucky Project ... May 16, 2011

2011-05-16T17:13:00.001+02:00

Katie had to research, create, and present a project covering the state of Kentucky. She got 100%.

Ryan's First Dentist Appointment ... May 10, 2011

2011-05-10T17:09:00.003+02:00

Ryan did great at his first dentist visit. The sunglasses helped (upside down, I might add).

The 137th Annual Kentucky Derby ... May 7, 2011

2011-05-07T17:11:00.001+02:00

Heather and I attended the Kentucky Derby again this year. We had great seats again, even better than last year. The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

Ashley and Katie's Derby Hats ... May 4, 2011

2011-05-04T05:19:00.004+02:00

Sophie in Katie's Easter Dress ... May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T05:08:00.003+02:00

Eight years ago Katie got this Easter dress and hat from my mom. I need to find the picture of Katie because the two of them look identical at this age.

Kentuck Derby Half-Marathon ... April 30, 2011

2011-04-30T17:00:00.000+02:00

Heather and I decided a few months ago to train for the Mini-Marathon that is held each year in Louisville during Derby season. Heather could probably run a mini at any point, but I had to actually work a little bit to get ready. I was targeting just to finish and Heather was kind enough to agree to just run with me and we would enjoy the run together. It was, admittedly, an amazing experience and between having all the runners around, the crowds, the music, and fantastic weather, I felt good the entire race. While the original goal was to finish, as each mile passed and I continued to feel well, we began to run a little faster than the 10 minute mile pace we began with. We ran through Churchill Downs, which was great. Ultimately, I realized that if we kept up our pace we could finish below two hours, which is what we did. I finished in 1 hour 59 minutes. Heather could have done it faster but, as I mentioned, was kind enough to stay with me throughout the race. It was really fun to run it together, even though right at the last 200 meters she took off in order to beat me by a few seconds. I guess she deserved that. And I think it was my lucky headband that really pushed me through the race!

Dress Up ... April 29, 2011

2011-04-29T05:02:00.001+02:00

Birnbaum's Visit ... April 28, 2011

2011-04-28T04:08:00.001+02:00

Ashley's Girl Scout Troop ... April 26, 2011

2011-04-26T04:06:00.000+02:00

Easter Morning ... April 24, 2011

2011-04-24T18:14:00.001+02:00

Easter Morning Egg Hunt ... April 24, 2011

2011-04-24T17:36:00.000+02:00

Decorating Easter Eggs ... April 23, 2011

2011-04-23T17:34:00.000+02:00

Katie Soccer ... April 23, 2011

2011-04-23T17:02:00.000+02:00

New York (Grandpa Larsen) ... April 9, 2011

2011-04-09T17:12:00.000+02:00

It was really nice to spend a few days with Grandpa Larsen. He was extremely hospitable and we all enjoyed playing games and hanging out with Grandpa.

New York (The Statue of Liberty) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:59:00.001+02:00

After experiencing minor traffic issues on the way out of the city and missing an exit or two, we finally arrived to the Jersey launch point of the Ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We thought we missed the last ferry of the day, so Don headed back up to Rock Tavern. We went ahead and asked the parking guard if we still had time and he told us there was plenty of it left before the last ferry departure. He wasn't kidding. We parked and ran to the ticket booth, went through security, and arrived at the waiting room, only to find that we still had 15 minutes to wait. And then once we boarded the ferry, another 30 minutes before we actually departed. So it was disappointing that Don could have still joined us.
The weather was starting to get cold as we arrived at the statue. Because this was such a last minute trip we had not prepared in advance to get the good tickets to either the base or the crown. So we had to settle for the grounds and experience the statue up close, but not as up close as other tourists. We took a few pictures and were returning to the ferry for the return trip when it stated drizzling a little bit for the first time (our skills continue) on our trip. We got on the ferry, made our way back to our car, and headed back to Rock Tavern. It was a quick two days but were able to see a lot of the basic tourist sites. I have to admit that prior to this my loathe for New York was at an all time high. But that is mostly driven by the fact that my experiences are JFK and the drive from JFK to Don's house. Which is never fun. But this time, it was great.

New York (Empire State Building) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:51:00.000+02:00

From Rockefeller Center, we walked the many blocks to the Empire State Building. We have been really smart/lucky in our travels this past 12 months. We spent a week at Disneyworld last September and didn't have any issues at all with the crowds, while enjoying, of course, great weather. We experienced the same here in New York. Great weather (just slightly cool) and not a lot of crowds. Normally trying to get to the top of the Empire State Building would be hours of pain and suffering. For us, we probably were up to the top within 30-40 minutes. We experienced a great view of the city and also ran into Michael J. Fox, although a sightseeing telescope blocked the view in all of the pictures I took.
After returning to street level, the girls and Don took a cab back to the hotel and I pushed Ryan and Sophie (who had both fallen asleep) through the streets of New York City, passed Grand Central Station, and ultimately back to our hotel. I actually arrived not much later than everyone else, since I guess it took them a bit to find an empty cab.
We checked out of the hotel and headed over to New Jersey to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty (less crowds and better parking than the launch point at Battery Park).

New York (Teuscher Chocolatier) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:49:00.000+02:00

A Larsen family tradition...

New York (Rockefeller Center) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:43:00.000+02:00

We arrived at Rockefeller Center surprised to see that the ice rink was still up and running. I noticed not a lot of people skating, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to experience this. I took Katie and Ashley down and we changed into skates and we went skating. For the girls' first time skating, they did great. We didn't skate too long, but enjoyed the surroundings for as long as we could manage.
Just as we were finishing skating, Heather's dad arrived. He had driven in to join us after working part of the day.

New York (St. Patrick's Cathedral) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:41:00.002+02:00

New York (Art) ... April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T16:35:00.000+02:00

The next morning we walked from our hotel down to Rockefeller Center. Along the way we passed this magnificent art work.

New York (Times Square) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T16:24:00.008+02:00

We finally arrived at Times Square. At this point, the kids are starting to get a little tired but are still doing pretty good. It was now mostly dark, which was a great way to experience this site. At this point we were about done, having walked a LOT! But we all made it back, albeit with Ashley on my shoulders for much of the time.

New York (Carnegie Deli) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T16:21:00.000+02:00

Continuing on our way, we passed by Trump Towers (or one of the many Trump buildings) and then to Carnegie Deli. Since we had just eaten, we only stopped to eat a piece of Cheesecake. It was quite good.

New York (Manhattan LDS Temple) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T16:17:00.000+02:00

We came upon the Manhattan Temple during our stroll to Times Square from the Natural History Museum. We remembered that a few years ago after doing a session here that we walked to a chinese restaurant that we enjoyed, so we set out to find it. After googling chinese restaurants close to our location, we found it... Ollie's Noodle House. We ate and relaxed for a bit before continuing on our walk.

New York (Museum of Natural History) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T16:12:00.000+02:00

We arrived at the Museum to find out that after 5:00 (or so, I can't remember exactly what time we arrived) the museum is free to enter. We meandered through the exhibits and the kids pointed out the different characters they recognized from the movie "Night at the Museum" (including Dum Dum below). I know that may sound lame, but it kept them interested and moving through room to room with a purpose. And we got to see more of the museum than we would have while the kids ended up paying more attention throughout the experience.

New York (Central Park) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T16:08:00.005+02:00

We walked from Serendipity's to the Natural History Museum, which allowed us to stroll through Central Park. It was a beautiful walk, the weather was crisp, and identified some places we recognized from recent movies we have seen (The Adjustment Bureau, for one). We stopped along the way and got the kids hot dogs from the local vendor and just enjoyed the scenery.

New York (Serendipity) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T15:51:00.006+02:00

From Dylan's, we walked a block or two to Serendipity, thinking we would stop in for something to eat or drink. But they didn't allow strollers and we figured we would come back later after dropping our stroller off at the hotel. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening's walk, we were not going to go back, even for some famous hot chocolate.

New York (Dylan's Candy Shop) ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T15:01:00.000+02:00

We drove down on Thursday morning to the city and parked our car at our hotel. We stayed around 53rd and Third, which was just barely convenient to all of the sites we wanted to see. Considering we are six in our family and have a double stroller, New York City is not the easiest to navigate unless you are walking. Driving is a waste and parking is ridiculous, both from a cost and a logistical sense. The subway is inconvenient because of the stroller, and we are too many for a taxi. So, we just walked. And walked, and walked and walked. But this was great because the kids were FANTASTIC and we actually got to see a lot more than if we were being transported around.
We checked into our hotel and then strolled over to Dylan's Candy Shop, which was just a couple of blocks from us. The kids had a great time picking out a bag of candy from the plethora of choices. And I enjoyed seeing some candy I had not seen in years (Marathon bar, Strawberry Charleston Chew, etc.).

New York City ... April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T14:52:00.002+02:00

New York (Ryan & Sophie) ... April 5, 2011

2011-04-05T14:51:00.000+02:00

Ryan loves Sophie. Maybe a little too much.

New York City (The Drive) ... April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T14:47:00.003+02:00

For Spring Break we decided to drive to New York and visit Heather's dad and visit the city. We have been before as a family, but only have visited a couple of the sites and have only visited in the Winter. So this was an opportunity to try to see more of the city in weather that is much more conducive to traveling. I had to work for the first few days at Heather's dad's house, but we got to spend a few days in the city at the end of the week. Plus, Heather was able to spend a lot of time at her dad's house organizing the attic, among other things.
We left on Friday late afternoon and drove about half of the 11 hour drive, stopping somewhere in Pennsylvania. The kids shared a bed for at least part of the night.

St. Patrick's Day ... March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T14:45:00.000+01:00

Ashley ... March 15, 2011

2011-03-15T14:39:00.006+01:00

Ashley tried out curlers for the first time and really enjoyed it!

American Girls ... March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T14:41:00.003+01:00

Crazy Hair Day ... March 8, 2011

2011-03-08T14:36:00.003+01:00

Every year at Katie and Ashley's school they have spirit week. One of the days of this week requires them to come to school with crazy hair.

Sophie ... March 3, 2011

2011-03-03T14:34:00.003+01:00

Ryan (Ryanne?) ... Feb 26, 2011

2011-02-26T14:30:00.000+01:00

Growing up with three sisters might be difficult. I am not sure if I should post this or not, but I will anyway...(he could easily pass as a girl considering his longer hair and long eyelashes).

Ashley's Dance Class ... Feb 23, 2011

2011-02-23T14:22:00.001+01:00

Ashley continues to LOVE dancing. She is at a new school this year, which is much better than the one that she attended last year. She will dance around the house and anyime there is music, regardless of the style, she finds away to move around gracefully to the music, or at least in her patented "Ashley" style.

Ryan ... Feb 20, 2011

2011-02-20T14:28:00.002+01:00

Katie and Ashley's Valentine's Day ... Feb 11, 2011

2011-02-11T14:27:00.000+01:00

Sophie ... Feb 9, 2011

2011-02-09T14:18:00.000+01:00

Sophie and Ryan ... Feb 5, 2011

2011-02-05T14:15:00.001+01:00

Daddy/Daughters dance ... Feb 4, 2011

2011-02-04T23:51:00.000+01:00

Katie's Girl Scout troop sponosored/hosted a daddy/daughter dance at St. Johns for a number of different troops in the area. Ashley's troop also attended, so this gave me an opportunity to go with both of them. We went to a troop dinner prior to the dance and then enjoyed an evening together. It was great to be with them.

Sophie ... Feb 4, 2011

2011-02-04T17:39:00.000+01:00

Katie and Friends ... Feb 4, 2011

2011-02-04T17:37:00.001+01:00

Ryan ... Jan 28, 2011

2011-01-28T17:37:00.000+01:00

Miss Mary ... Jan 26, 2011

2011-01-26T17:32:00.000+01:00

Ryan has been having a weekly speech therapy session with Miss Mary and has been progressing at an amazing pace. It is nice to be able to understand him now and I am sure he is happy to have his own communication frustrations minimized as well. Miss Mary is moving on to a new job, so this was the last day. Ryan will miss her, but now will become acquainted with a new teacher, Miss Courtney.

Sleeping children ... Jan 23, 2011

2011-01-23T17:31:00.000+01:00

Sledding ... Jan 21, 2011

2011-01-21T17:27:00.000+01:00

Winter is really the only time we can derive a benefit from the hill in our backyard. But the kids take advantage as much as possible!

Katie and Ashley and Sophie ... Jan 19, 2011

2011-01-19T17:25:00.002+01:00

Ryan ... Jan 14, 2011

2011-01-14T17:23:00.001+01:00

Sophie ... Jan 13, 2011

2011-01-13T17:23:00.000+01:00

Aaron's Birthday ... Jan 4, 2011

2011-01-04T17:21:00.000+01:00

Sueprheroes ... Jan 1. 2011

2011-01-01T17:17:00.000+01:00

Batman #1, Batman #2, Woody, Spiderman, and...uh...Super Ariel?

New Year's Eve ... Dec 31, 2010

2010-12-31T17:16:00.000+01:00

Adam and Marnie and their kids came up to celebrate New Year's Eve with us. We ACTUALLY stayed up until midnight, which was very strange for us. I think that this is the first time Katie and Ashley have stayed up for real.

Ryan ... Dec 27, 2010

2010-12-27T17:07:00.002+01:00

Christmas 2010 ... Dec 25, 2010

2010-12-25T16:36:00.000+01:00

Christmas morning was obviously exciting for the kids. Ryan understood it pretty good this year as well. For the girls, the Nintendo DSs and the American girls, Molly and Felicity, were the highlights. For Ryan it was his spiderman costume and his Handy Manny toolbox. And for Sophie, I guess it was her book. But she didn't care too much about anything really.
After opening presents we made the traditional breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Caramel Pecan Rolls and just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Christmas Eve ... Dec 24, 2010

2010-12-24T16:36:00.000+01:00

For Christmas Eve dinner we broke tradition and had lobster. It did not turn out as good as I would have hoped, but everything Heather was in charge of was great. Next year we will have to come up with something else.
After dinner we let the kids open up their Christmas pajamas from Aunt Julia and Uncle William. We read the story of the birth of Christ and reminded the kids and ourselves of the real meaning of Christmas. It was a very nice night.

Gingerbread Houses ... Dec 18, 2010

2010-12-18T16:33:00.000+01:00

Christmas Card ... Dec 12, 2010

2010-12-12T16:32:00.001+01:00

Sophie's Muscle Building ... Dec 12, 2010

2010-12-12T16:32:00.000+01:00

Go Illini! ... Dec 11, 2010

2010-12-11T16:31:00.000+01:00

I have a feeling the Illini are going to go all the way this year! (OK, maybe not a feeling, but...)

Santa at the Club House ... Dec 4, 2010

2010-12-04T16:30:00.001+01:00

We have some better pictures that a friend still needs to send us, but for now this will do. Santa came to our neighborhood clubhouse and we enjoyed time with him and cookies and punch.

Snow fun ... Dec 4, 2010

2010-12-04T16:30:00.000+01:00

Incredible Dave's ... Dec 4, 2010

2010-12-04T16:29:00.000+01:00

For Ashley's birthday, we went to Incredible Dave's and played around for a while. Ashley enjoyed it, but I think Ryan like it the most, particularly the guns.

Ashley's 6th Birthday ... Dec 1, 2010

2010-12-01T16:28:00.000+01:00

Ashley turned Six today. She is an amazing little girl and has such a great personality that everyone just enjoys to be around her (usually!). We love our Ashley!

Sophie ... Dec 11, 2010

2010-12-01T16:27:00.000+01:00

Thanksgiving ... Nov 25, 2010

2010-11-25T16:27:00.001+01:00

We had Thanksgiving with just our family this year. It was very relaxing and the food, of course, was fantastic. Heather brined the turkey again, which is the best way to eat a turkey. Sophie's first Thanksgiving was a success!

Sophie's First Solids ... Nov 25, 2010

2010-11-25T16:27:00.000+01:00

Sophie is growing up way too quickly!

Ryan ... Nov 25, 2010

2010-11-25T16:26:00.000+01:00

Ashley's Thanksgiving Play ... Nov 25, 2010

2010-11-25T16:25:00.000+01:00

We forgot our camera, so the picture of her in the play is obviously pretty bad, but Ashley did great and we enjoyed watching her.