Maui, here we come!

The suitcases are packed. The carry-on bags are almost packed. My taxes aren't done and the house is a mess... but we are excited about our vacation! First we need to receive a clean bill of health from Alex's doctor. Lets hope his ear infection is gone!

2/28 Update at noon: Alex's ear infection is not gone. The antibiotic didn't work. We are now on a stronger antibiotic and we hope it gets to work before our flight departs. Poor Alex. I also think his previous problems are back. The antibiotic should help that, too. He is not himself. However, if you sing "Lights, Camera, Action...", he'll say, "Wiggles!" It is about the only thing that makes him smile today. Three cheers for those four Australian millionaires.

Super-Why

One of Evan's favorite TV shows in Super-Why on PBS. Along the same vein, he has only answered to "Super Guy" the last several weeks. He is rarely seen without his red cape. He even wears it in the car (a la Super Wyatt). Here, "super guy" Evan and "wonder red" Alex fly around the house on Daddy's shoulders.

Savannah's Birthday Party

Evan had a great time at Savannah's birthday party this morning! It was held at Sportz Quest, a kid-gymnasium in town. Evan loved it so much, we may need to explore summer camp opportunities there. The staff was great with the kids... even when one kid (rather, my kid) wasn't very good at following directions! (Here is my justification: all of the other kids had been to Sports Quest before.) Evan was bonkers; he had a blast.

Here are a few pictures and a video I put together for Savannah and her family. Enjoy!

milestone

Yesterday, Alex turned 18 months old and Evan 40 months (or, as we joke with him, "three and a third"). It is unbelievable how quickly the last four years have passed. At the same time, Will and I can't remember our lives without these little nuts. They bring us such joy.

Unfortunately for Alex, he celebrated his 18-month-a-versary at the doctor's office. Diagnosis: pink eye in both eyes and an ear infection. He is on two meds now and we hope everything will clear up before our departure for Maui. Our follow-up is on the 28th. If the ear infection isn't gone, there is a chance his ear drum would rupture on the plane. We hold our collective breath....








Evan - 1st bath (left) -
Alex with his "Big Teddy" (right)

** Update: Evan has pink eye now, too. I guess I knew it was a matter of time....

Happy Memories

We miss you, Grammie. We love you.

Savannah is four!

Happy 4th Birthday,
Savannah Stewart!

Ella is two!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ella Scott!

Stormy Weather

Terrible weather passed right over our house last night. Trees are down in our backyard and around our neighborhood, and a tornado touched down within 1/2 mile of our house. It was scary. As the sirens wailed, the kids and I spent 20 minutes hiding in the closet and Will kept an eye on the local Doppler radar.

At one point, just as the wind was at its worst, Evan clicked on the flashlight and said, "I've got a job to do! I'm going to build an ark!"

Cover-Baby

Move over, Hannah Montana!

We think Alex should be the new cover-kid for Danimals!

You should see him chug!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to my three boys!

Happy Birthday, Vince!

Congratulations to Laura and Jeff Stewart on the birth of
Jeffrey Vincent Stewart IV

(Baby Vince)

born today at 12:59 P.M. -- 7 lbs 13 oz.
The proud big sister is Savannah!

Happy 80th, Aunt Franny!

Aunt Franny, Ani's mom's mom's sister, is 80 today. Aunt Fran's daughters held a surprise birthday party for her in MN this past weekend. Ani's Mom and Dad drove up from Evanston. Gordie, Beth, Sarah and Grampa drove up from IA. Lots of other family and friends were there, too. Although Emmy and I didnt make it, we talked to Aunt Fran on the phone to send our well-wishes (see picture above). Happy Birthday, Aunt Franny! We love you!

On the way to Rosemount, MN, Mom and Dad stopped in at Carleton. My college friends might like to see that few things have changed in the last thirteen years. Check out this slide show.

For more pictures of the party, click here.

Nana and Gramps in Macon

Nana and Gramps spent the last five days with Evan, Alex, and Will while I was in NY. Everyone had a great time together. Highlights of the trip included taking a long hike and picnicing at Ocmulgee National Monument, playing with Planet Heroes, holding a popcorn party, book reading, and (drum roll, please) ... Evan pooping in the potty!

Once I arrived home, I gave the kids Buzz Lightyear costumes purchased in NY. (The Disney Store was having a HUGE sale! Can you believe these costumes were only $2.50 each, marked down from 39.50!?) Evan likes his costume because he thinks he looks like Ace (Earth), a Planet Hero.

As always, thanks for spending time with us, Nana and Gramps! We hope that the kid germs don't keep you down for long....

New York!

I'm home from a super- califragilisticexpialidocious weekend in New York. I should say that Em & Christian's house in Tarrytown is fabulous. They have done a ton of work to overhaul it since moving in less than a year ago! The former owner wouldn't even know she was in the same place!

All weekend, Em & Chris were the hostess/host with the "mostess." On Thursday I visited Em's work: Unilever. The new corporate building is super-nice, as are Em's colleagues on the Vaseline and other teams. The cafeteria was so good, I suggested that we eat all meals there the balance of the weekend! (Seriously. It was awesome.) We goofed around the rest of the weekend getting our nails done, shopping, going out to eat, eating in -- and relaxing, too. Our tour of cuisine included Chinese, Greek, and Italian! I was spoiled with food, yet again! Macon cuisine seems even more blah now!

Thanks, Moo! It was great to finally see your new home, your neighborhood, your work, and your friends. I survived 3 nights away from the boys, and they didn't even seem to notice that I was gone!

(I will say, though, that my homecoming was great. Nana and Gramps, Evan and Alex met me at Groome, the airport shuttle station. Evan came running around the corner and gave me a HUGE hug. Alex came running for me, then ran right past me! I was back lit, so we don't think he realized it was me! Once he did put it together, his arms didn't leave my neck for a long long time!)

Sandbox buddies

We had a fun visit with the Byrons yesterday afternoon. The kids had a great time playing in the sandbox and eating popcorn ("pop-pop" if you ask Alex).

For those of you in snow-covered regions of the country, you wont believe these pictures of the kids in t-shirts!

Super Tuesday

We voted! Did you?

Congrats, Uncle Chris!

Congrats to Christian (or, as we call him around here, "Uncle Chris") on his fancy-pants new job with Dannon. He will be the Marketing Research Manager on two of Dannon's product lines: Danimals and Light&Fit.

Good luck with your new job, Christian! We are proud of you!