"And now all my wildest dreams have come true!"

Or so Travis exclaimed to me last night.
I responded with:
"Yeah, and those are: you married a hot chick; produced more than one heir; and now you've finally gotten rid of the ugly couch you inherited with your hot chick, right?"

That's right folks, it was all about the couch I brought along from my parents house when we were first married and didn't have anything...

When we first moved to Milwaukee and had an 8 month old, this is what this corner of our living room looked like:
After not too long, the ugly papasan and pillows were moved to the basement to make room for a shelf system of buckets for toys. Probably after only one Christmas and/or birthday or other packages sent to the boys, the buckets were clearly not enough. We were completely overflowing and it's gotten much worse since the picture below. Since the brown couch rarely got used as anything but a catch all, we finally decided to get rid of it.
After selling it to a newly moved to Milwaukee couple last night, this is what the corner of our living room looks like now:
Yes, I think it's absolutely ridiculous. :) But the boys owe many thanks to generous grandparents because otherwise our boys' toy corner would probably make them look neglected...

Baseball!

I thought it very probable that our last Brewers game before moving next year was the one we attended back in May (blog post). I was wrong!

Every year in an event called Thriller at Miller Marquette University Dental School plays the Medical College of Wisconsin in a softball game. It's held at Helfaer Field which is on Brewers ground right outside Miller Stadium. After the game the famous racing sausages come out to mingle and there's tailgating before the Brewers game. Carson wouldn't be able to handle that much time out there, so we weren't planning on watching the school game. Not that the boys knew, but bummer for them that nap time went long enough to keep us from getting there in time for them to meet the racing hot dogs.

We didn't win this time, but at least we had 2 home runs so Avery did get to see some fireworks. Those, along with the hot dog race and the guys in yellow who rake the infield are his favorite. Yes, he really does like the raking - he's been running around the house dragging his blanket "raking the dirt" ever since the last game in May!

We got to sit with our friends the Willey's again this game. Sienna, Dawson, Travis and RaQuelle:
Early in the game, we took the kids to see the couple racing hot dog statues they have. Sienna, Avery, and Sienna's friends Elena & Kaylee - who's head is in the foreground roundly refusing to go near the hot dogs.
Right behind the statues is this racing game where the kids can push the hot dogs hanging from a track. Avery couldn't be held back and didn't want to stop, but the girls had to warm up to it a bit.
And here's the real deal... although they did it differently this time. Instead of just the usual 5 racing sausages, they did a relay with kids dressed in mini hot dog costumes.
Avery being silly with Mommy for the camera...
Carson is about to get Avery's attention...Carson's tongue has become a rather permanant fixture outside his mouth anytime he's in a good mood, and usually not just benignly poking out like this... And it's often accompanied by noise...
After Sienna left early with Mom and little bro, Avery handled his friend withdrawls by completely ignoring us and sitting only with Sienna's Dad...
We're glad we made it to another Brewers game, but I don't think I'll hold my breath that there will be any more before move time next May...

And the bonus? It was a GORGEOUS evening - not too muggy but not too cold either, so it was our first with the roof open! Here's a shot I took of the pic clouds as the sun was setting:

Welcome back to Wisconsin...

We arrived home in Milwaukee from Oregon last Sunday, the 6th, around 8am after enduring some red eye flights. On Monday morning I felt Wisconsin welcomed us home in style with a blazing thunderstorm that knocked our power out a little before 9am.

By an appointment I had at 11 the power still wasn't back. Since the timing was right and we were already halfway downtown and I assumed I wouldn't be able to get in the fridge at home with no power, I decided to take the boys down and see if Travis could have lunch with us. It was a long shot since often enough he only has about 20 minutes to scarf his food between patients. Much to our pleasure, (and unfortunately for Travis) his patient who had been scheduled for the full day had no-showed and we all went out for lunch.

Sure enough, when we did get home the power was still out. Gotta love this place and its thunderstorms...

Avery Commentary

The other day Avery shows me, "Look Mom, when I bend my leg my knee goes away, but when (my leg) is straight it comes back!"

Another random one from when we were in Oregon: "Mom, I really like Papa" "Well that's good, I like Papa too" "Yeah, he's SO cool!"

"I don't want a hug! I want a motorcycle!" That was yesterday when Avery got all bent out of shape wanting a motorcycle during the time he was supposed to be napping. Travis (having gotten home early from school) reminded him he needed to take his nap and offered to give him a hug (Avery really was worked up) to which Travis received that remark.

I've been meaning to post some common Avery phrases and have had this post drafted for a bit but those little comments have prompted me to finally publish. So here's some of the most common Avery phrases we hear:

"Well, that's (not) good/very nice"
"I never seen that/_____ before!"
"I don't believe it!"
"Seriously!"
"____ buddy-guy(s)!" said very fast (Fill in: okay/see ya later/etc) (We think this came from Tigger saying buddy-boy but Avery made a personal adjustment)
"I'm a funny guy"
"Yeah, I can't see my forehead" (a Patrick phrase from Spongebob in which Patrick is mad and that's why)
"That's so cool/awesome"
"I'm so excited"

Avery's also gotten excellent at asking "Please may I..." instead of "Please can I..." (You'd think I should just be happy with him saying "please" but no, I like proper grammar too much, it makes me happy to hear it... :)

Hunsaker Cemetery

Morbid title?
Anyway, after nearly 6 years of marriage I'm still learning new things about the Hunsaker's. I already knew about Hunsaker Road, named after Joseph Hunsaker, the brother of our line's ancestor (some 5 greats grandpa, Abraham Hunsaker).
Well, turns out there's a Hunsaker Cemetery too (obviously also named after Joseph). It's a pretty little place out in the country and has been closed a long time (don't know how long) but the most recent death date we saw out there was 1922. Travis' Uncle Jon is on the board of directors and they're trying to get it reopened. Apparently when they first started working on it you couldn't even see the headstones the grass was so high. So, maybe this is morbid, but from what I heard we'd all like to buy a plot there...
That sign is the only one marking the place.
Here's Joseph's headstone...
The family checking out the grounds...

At the playground

On our last evening in Oregon (before our midnight flights home...) we all jumped in the motor home and headed over to a playground.

This slide was great - nice and steep so you could really go fast. Travis is "trying" to play...



















Carson wasn't so sure about these things...
But he loved the slide!
Carson demonstrates his monkey skills...
Static slide hair...
And Avery had way too much fun with his Uncle Kevin...

Bits-O-Fun

Here's a post with just some random bits from our trip to Oregon.

Travis enjoying a dip in the freezing pool (since it was only set up the night before). Although it was 100 degrees that day, I stuck my feet in and found it way too numbing. Travis only made it in because he jumped, knowing he wouldn't make it all the way in if he used the ladder.
Who do you think taught Travis all his handy skills...?
This was just Avery being way too excited to see his brother up from his nap...
I just like this face Grandma caught...
Carson loved flying onto this little couch-bed his cousin Alli had...
Avery watering the apple trees... and everything else.
Carson's actually smiling at the camera!
On this day, with some unintended help from his cousin Alli, Avery had an intimate encounter with a rose bush...
Travis about to lose to Kevin...
A total Linus moment...
I'm putting this next picture in just so I can remember Carson and the animals. When Carson was still learning to be steady on his feet, if he saw Avery coming he quickly learned to sit down on his own terms rather than be knocked down. He no longer needs to do this with Avery, but when he met the dog, Gunner, this tactic reappeared in no time but with the addition of a spin away first to keep his face from that lolling tongue! On the first evening, Carson kept stalking Gunner because he was obviously very interested, but didn't want the dog to bother him. While we were in Oregon, Carson learned to say dog "dohg" and could frequently be heard telling Gunner, "dohg, NO!"
Apparently the wariness of animals was not limited to the dog. In this picture Carson has been repeatedly extending a hand and snatching it back quickly before actually touching Mittens the cat.
This next shot was experimental. Because Travis was unloading the hay in the barn, the particulate matter in the air was pretty heavy and using my flash meant a lot of ghost particles. Here's a somewhat lightened shot of a longer exposure without the flash.
As Travis would pull a bale off the trailer, loose hay would fall on the ground. Apparently this mess rather annoyed Avery. He felt he had to keep cleaning up after Daddy. So he'd repeatedly scoop up the loose hay on the ground and throw it on the trailer... just for much of it to be knocked down with more bales...
The pool was still chilly some days later so Avery preferred to lounge...
Avery and Uncle Kevin attacking Aunt Katrina ("Aunt Teeny") Avery looks a bit devilish here...
Then Avery wanted a turn to be tickled...
"Look Ma! No hands!" Weirdo. He was dancing around like that... :)

Sweet Rides

There are so many fun things for the kids to ride at Papa's! This post is just more pictures in that vein, but it doesn't show the whole variety. In my post "In One Hour..." you can also see the mini tractor, the airplane teeter toter, a horse, and the little construction truck. And while I don't have any pictures for it, let us not forget how exciting the concept of a home on wheels that the motor home was for Avery!

While the tractor was the first "must ride" item when we arrive, Travis' sand rail wasn't far behind. It took a bit for Ben and Travis to get it going since it's been sitting since we moved to Milwaukee, but finally with a push start they got it to run. Avery loved it of course, but since we didn't get to take the rails out to the coast, that's high on my priority list when we move back next year!
On the first run up and down the driveway, idiot Gunner wouldn't get out of the way...

Lots and lots of tractor riding over the week... I love this look on Carson. That with the crazy hair I think makes him look like he's probably just woken up and wondering why he's sitting on that noisy thing...
Avery REALLY wanted to dig in the dirt with the tractor. Since Papa didn't need any holes, Daddy took Avery to dig in the big pile of composting horse manure (they just worked on turning the pile over and mixing). Yee Haw. But Avery was happy - anything that was "work" and he could "work hard" at...
Riding with Uncle Kevin...
And Carson and Alli with Papa...
Um... I guess this is Travis trying to show off for Avery on the old 4 wheeler...
No stunts while Avery's aboard tho...
Besides the mini tractor, Avery loved this monster trike. Not that he remembers, but Papa got this 2 summers ago when we were last there for summer and it was fun to see Avery finally big enough to cruise on it.
Look! A Carson sized bike! Not that he chose to ride this very often, but he did enjoy it...
Even the riding lawn mower was a hit. Avery just liked anything that made him feel like a "hard worker." Lawn mowing was very serious business with him. This was getting rid of all the dandelions around the BBQ pit and picnic shelter before the 4th of July bash...
Avery doesn't enjoy noise terribly, but apparently enjoyed the ride enough that when a tree snagged his ear muffs his hands sufficed without a complaint until they got back around to retrieve them. Even when we were out and about the town, there were "rides" to be had. Grandma snapped these of the kids trying out the mini quads...
And this one of Avery trying the mini motorcycle... One or the other of these will probably get purchased in the near future after we move back. Travis says we'll let the kids decide which since when he was little he always preferred the motorcycle and his brother Kevin always preferred the quad. The quad seems easier to learn in the beginning to me, a little more stable... But I suppose Travis is probably right when he says the quad is just as dangerous...
At week's end, it was back to the sand rail. While Travis and I packed, Avery had some quality time on the sand rail and the 4 wheeler with Papa and Uncle Kevin - at least that's what I'm told. I was having so much more fun packing. :)