Now With 25% More Nicholas!

Get him!!!

2012-02-19T22:42:00.008-05:00

"We're so glad when Daddy comes home!"

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T13:06:00.008-05:00

The love you take is = to the love you make.

40 degrees, a warm Winter's day

2012-02-13T14:17:00.009-05:00

NO swimming today.

But we can still play by the lake.

Party like a Princess!

2012-01-30T13:32:00.011-05:00

Party favors,

pretty pink cake,

and popping pink decor,

we're all set for a birthday party
fit for a princess.

Presenting her Royal Highness
Penny Lane Nicholas

Accompanied by her Royal Court

Gifts were given to delight her Highness.

"Thank you for your assistance Knight Peter."

All sang a royal round of
"Happy Birthday"

Princess Penny made a wish!

With the twirl of her skirt,
Princess Penny opened the Royal Ball.

All were invited to join her on the dance floor.

Princess Penny was seen taking a breather
with her new ballerina princess doll.

And Princess Lucy joined her for a refreshment.

Knight Peter delighted the ladies with
such knightly skills as leaping and running.

"How does he do it?!"

Revisiting 1987

2012-01-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

Good times with the family!

Hustle!

2012-01-18T13:47:00.008-05:00

First you gotta warm up.
Okay dad.

Now remember we're going this way.
Got it coach!

Let's go Kings!

Thanks for the assist Carlos.

Gooooaaal!!!

That's how it's done!

Come on let's get 'em!

Great game guys!See ya in the Spring team.

Their first snow day ever!

2012-01-13T11:15:00.008-05:00

Come on let's go!

Everybody ready?
Ready!Behold your Winter Wonderland!

First snow fall!

Ruuuuuuuuuun!

Fourth snow fall!

It's not as fun the fourth time.

We love the snow!

So happy together!

2012-01-11T09:15:00.003-05:00

We did it!

2012-01-08T22:03:00.007-05:00

We feasted!

We baked!

We decorated!

We announced!
We saw Toyland!
We took a ride,

or two!
Yes, we did the town!

Then we did the airport!

And now we're home.
It was FUN!

Welcome to our cottage!

2011-12-12T21:59:00.006-05:00

the photographer came

2011-12-11T16:07:00.004-05:00

Welcome Katie to "America's Dairyland"!

We all look forward to Katie's visit, especially this guy.

Katie takes all the pictures when she visits.
She does such a good job documenting all the fun!But I captured some pictures on her phone too.
She loved my surprise!

For more awesome pics of Katie's visit
check out her website SharpandKeen.wordpress.com
Visiting Kenosha part 1
Visiting Kenosha part 2
We miss you Katie!
(and your phone)

sisters

2011-12-02T10:05:00.002-05:00

Katie's in town, having too much fun!
We'll update soon.

Happy Happy

2011-11-22T20:38:00.006-05:00

For your birthday we are sending you and Poppa
to the Hale Center Theater to see . . .

(details to follow)
Thank you for all you do for us.
We love you!!!

May the Force be with you always!

2011-11-21T21:20:00.009-05:00

"So in a galaxy far far away ..." -M

"There are good guys and bad guys." -M

"I want to be the good guys, they always win!" -P"Okay so here are the bad guys.
They use the Dark side of the Force." -M

"Darth Vader is their leader." -M

"And these are the good guys, they use the Force." -M

"Dad I know this part. Luke is their leader and
Darth Vader is his father." -P

"He has a lightsaber that is green and Vader's is red." -P

"Okay then, let's do this!" -M

Yeah, come on just try to get us!

You're no match for the Wookie!

Here comes Boba Fett!!!

We have a secret weapon.

You thought this was just a car,

well you thought wrong!

Oh no not an X-wing!

Yeah take that!

We have been out smarted,
retreat to the Death Star.

You won't get away that easily Vader.

You are no match for the Force!

Boom! Blast! Kablooey!

We have you now!"I have taught you well my young padawan." -M

Date Night

2011-11-20T22:11:00.005-05:00

We went South to here,

saw the Chicago Bahai Temple along the way

and grabbed some Chicago style pizza,

to see this fabulous musical!

It was an awesome date night!!!

450 pieces of candy!

2011-11-06T20:59:00.009-05:00

Happy Halloween!

It's time for scary Mummies!!!

And a crazy who knows what I'm trying to be costume.

"Hey y'all go get dressed, it's Halloween!"

It's Batman, the Pixie, and the beautiful Princess.

Okay it's time to trick-or-treat!

Don't worry, Daddy and Lucy will man the porch.They have 450 pieces of candy to give away.
"Last piece Lucy, looks like the angel is truly blessed."
Batman and the Princess have returned.
Check out that haul!
They each got 6 large candy bars.
A truly sweet ending to a fun day!

Butter

2011-11-05T20:28:00.005-05:00

To make my Mama's biscuits you need ...
Butter!!!
I'm gonna show you how it's done.

So you take your butter like this,
and you just drop it in like this.
Uh ... Penny Lane, you gotta cut it in honey.

Oh . . . well we'll just take that out. Okay Mama you cut it in.

And that's my Mama's biscuits.

So yummy!!!

I can't wait to eat them.

Petrifying Springs Park

2011-11-02T20:26:00.008-05:00

Fall at it's finest.
Ahhh ... this is living.

Watch out here he comes!

Isn't he cute!

Are you gonna drive, or should I?

It's a wagon full of monkeys!

She's up, what's that she sees?

"Wow, this is as fun as I thought!"
Gitty Up!!!

Need a little help guys?

Peeeeeteeeeerrr!!!

Time for a nature walk.

That requires a walking stick,

I think this will do.

How about this one GooGoo?
Hmmm ... I think a bigger one.

Is this big enough?

Okay y'all time to get moving.

Penny Lane lead the way.

GooGoo comes to town!

2011-10-30T20:09:00.007-05:00

Fly like an eagle!

We sure miss you GooGoo!

She loves it!!!

2011-10-28T14:02:00.004-05:00

Wow! It's so beautiful.
I look like a princess.
And I can sing like a princess!
It's so long.
And it has ruffles.
And it twirls!
What more could a little girl ask for.
Thank you SueSue thank you!

somethings never change

2011-10-26T11:54:00.009-05:00

Here they are just a year ago.

They're still just as silly!!!

Ready or not ...

2011-10-26T11:17:00.006-05:00

Bit by bit ...

2011-10-25T21:55:00.006-05:00

we're putting it together. Here is the front room

panning from left to right.

And the navy blue sofa.

Notice the huge mirror for $10.
I love this chair, so comfy and silky.

Close up of lamp. Isn't it pretty.

And this is looking from the
family room into the living room.

Notice the tiny TV stand. I know so cute!

Our dining room chairs, I'm going to recover.

Upstairs the playroom, from left to right.

Now y'all have a reference
when I talk to you about colors
and such.

Finders Keepers

2011-10-21T13:28:00.004-05:00

What treasures did we get?

Pretty impressive!

Silly heads!

Okay let's have a picnic.

Our favorite treat is Nana's fruit leather.

find a seat

2011-10-21T13:20:00.003-05:00

Nature Hike

2011-10-20T20:39:00.007-05:00

Cheese!

2011-10-16T20:09:00.001-05:00

Apple Pickin' Fest

2011-10-10T21:24:00.017-05:00

"Are we there yet?!"

We're here, Oriole Srpings, start picking!

"You want the apples kissed by the sun kids."

"Here's how it's done."
"Thanks daddy! I love my apple!"

"Don't even try to take mine!"

"Apples are so yummy."
"Come on let's get some more."

Dad is off to get more bags.
"Come on Pete this is men's work."

"Okay and Penny Lane work."
"But not you Lucy, you stay here."
"Okay, don't worry guys, I'll take care of all
the apples why y'all are gone."

"We got the best job huh mom."

Man they are so crisp and juicy freshly picked!

They're back, we better get to work.
Look Jasper is here to help.

"Jasper do you know what you're doing?"

Hey who's hiding under there?

Caught you, now back to work!

"Good work Lucy!"

Looks like somebody thinks the
apples will pick themselves.

"Wow! Go dad go!"

"For my biggest fan!"

And now for the balance an apple on your head
while you race to the car game.

Ahhh ... apple picking, this is the life.
Hey I know you. You're that kid
I used to walk to Elementary school with.
"Hey Pete, is that what
we're gonna look like someday?"
Thanks Melinda for finding Penny Lane.

She loves to play hide and seek.

"Now off to the Brat Shop!"

Mmmm ... nothing like brats, cider, cheese and donuts
after a rough day of apple picking.

All y'all are welcome to come out next
September for the annual apple picking fest!

The Land of Giants

2011-10-08T14:20:00.006-05:00

"Wait for me guys!"
"Gooooo UTES!!!"

BIG pumpkins and little pumpkins!

Oh sooo many pumpkins!

Do the Pumpkin Dance!
(you gotta see this in person)
Oh yeah best pumpkin patch ever!!!

Merry-go-round

2011-09-26T20:29:00.010-05:00

Round and round she goes!

Where she stops nobody knows.
"Slow down Peter!"

She loves to swing!

And she does not!

Both love to climb.

He likes to ride the bouncy bug!

And who doesn't likes to take pictures?!

Everyone loooooves to ride

the merry-go-round!!!

And me, I love my mama!

On His Way

2011-09-26T08:06:00.007-05:00

Pete stands proudly on the porch
ready for the first day of Preschool.

"Okay mom let's go!"

What a beautiful morning!
It takes us 30min to walk a mile.
Pete likes to stop along the way.

We say "Hi" to everything, race cars, squirrels, dogs,
and Barb the crossing guard.
"Come on buddy we're gonna be late."

We're here, one last picture.

Everyone's a bit silly!

And so it begins.

While we wait ...

2011-09-11T20:51:00.006-05:00

why not take some photos.

Sue Sue only took 'bout an hour to look at

the replica ships of the Nina and the Pinta.

They were really cool!
We love her, so we didn't mind waiting.
Not one bit.

her favorite spot

2011-09-11T20:45:00.001-05:00

Yummy!

2011-09-10T22:27:00.002-05:00

And here we are at the
Jelly Belly Factory

We love to ride in the red caboose.

And we get free candy!!!

Look at the cool big jelly beans!

And when we get home
we taste 'em all,

relaxing on the futon.

Picnic at Carthage

2011-09-10T22:05:00.004-05:00

First we pick up daddy.

Singing as she walks down the halls.

Trying to keep up with the pack.

"Hey y'all wait up!"

Out we go, everybody hungry?

I guess we'll play a bit first.

Out the kitchen window ...

2011-09-10T21:56:00.003-05:00

they sit enjoying a popsicle!

Lake Michigan

2011-09-10T21:36:00.008-05:00

It's the 6th largest lake in the world.

We love playing at it's many beaches.
Yes that is a lighthouse you see in the distance.

front porch

2011-09-10T21:20:00.003-05:00

Camping in the Tetons

2011-08-23T21:54:00.012-05:00

We ate the most perfectly constructed smores!
(Thanks aunt Shannon, you are a master!)

We hiked to Hidden Falls
At the laundromat Lucy greeted visitors.

Pete and Penny Lane went exploring.

They made faces at the wild life.

Pete did some modeling!
Penny found treasures.

And practiced throwing pebbles into the lake.

We visited the museum filled with cool stuff!

Then back to the lake.
Just can't get enough of that view!

Time for the honored tradition
of throwing rocks into the lake.

What about me?

Mike keeps the babies happy.

Thank you Poppa and Nana for the amazing trip.
We hope to return some day.

Greetings from Kenosha

2011-08-09T21:26:00.010-05:00

We love our new home!

And we are so glad it survived the tornado.

We love to play in our yard.

And take care of our garden.

We take walks to the lake.

We check out the boats at the harbor
and the bugs!

We like to play at the beach too.
Come and play with us!

toothpicks, dips and little cookies

2011-06-07T21:45:00.005-05:00

Peter will be the first to tell you
"We don't drink tea, we just use tea cups."

It's not a tea party without

toothpicks, dips, and little cookies.

Lucy was impressed with their manners.
"Cups up, pinkies out."
Say "Cheese!"

Everything tastes better dipped!

"Can I poor you a cup?"

Practice makes perfect.

Clean up time.

I don't think the little napkin is gonna do it!?

Again! Again!

Walking Puppy

2011-06-05T21:42:00.004-05:00

Penny Lane Nicholas

Author

Pigtails

2011-06-05T21:28:00.001-05:00

He turned 4!

2011-06-05T21:00:00.004-05:00

Party Party Party!!!3 cheers for Jami, for being brave enough to hold the
Pinata!

And if the candy inside wasn't sweet enough ...

Peter ordered chocolate chocolate cupcakes.

Happy Birthday little man!!!

The Bunny Came

2011-05-27T21:55:00.012-05:00

It started with an Easter egg hunt.
Some crazy chicken left eggs in the funniest places.

Oh and big lollipops too!

The kids were all smiles!

Daddy had a big smile too ...

even though he was laid up,

due to a "super bug"
that took over his leg!
"You know laughter is the best medicine."

The kids had fun taking care of him.
Peter even shared a favorite story.
Then they heard a hoppity hop noise.
Could it be???
"Mom he came the Easter Bunny came!"

No one talked for a while,
they were too busy enjoying
their Easter spoils.

Thank you Easter Bunny!

Cookin'

2011-05-04T22:02:00.002-05:00

Hey good lookin'!

What's ya got cookin'?

They got the moves!

2011-05-04T21:36:00.008-05:00

The kids currently love the song
"We Will Rock You!" by Queen
They have excellent taste, I know.
They love to sing and dance to it.

They pump their fists to the beat!

But they have lots of other moves ie:
"The Monster Mash!"
And the country favorite
"Cotton Eye Joe!"
Penny also does ballet and modern.
She's so versatile.
Pete has some explosive moves!
Running is also an accepted form of dance.

"Rock you later dudes!"

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-09T21:42:00.005-05:00

"Penny let's get started."
"Okay, Sue"

"One for you and one for me."

"In every job that must be done ..."

"there is an element of FUN"

"you find the FUN and snap that jobs a game!"

"Just a spoon full of sugar
helps the medicine go down"

"In the most delightful way!"

"Mom that was fun, can we do it again?"

Who can resist ...

2011-03-31T21:12:00.004-05:00

fuZZy wuZZy!?!

Angel

2011-03-07T09:03:00.002-05:00

Fe Fi Fo Fum!

2011-03-05T21:08:00.006-05:00

"Doo di do"

"Whaaat, what's that?!"

"Giant Baby!"

"Quick, to the firetruck!"

"We're right behind you!"

Giggles

2011-03-05T20:59:00.001-05:00

Room to Grow

2011-03-01T06:56:00.010-05:00

I like how excited he gets
when he sees he can do it, all by himself.
He carried a big box up the stairs yesterday.
I thought he'd fall over... but he didn't.
He's strong.
He's getting bigger everyday.
He'll be four next month.
Sometimes wish I could keep him little,
just long enough to cuddle with,
for as long as I want.
But he's determined to grow
"up and up and up!"
So there's no stopping him.
But until then I'm playing
cars
chase
bubbles
bad guys
soccer
chalk
cars
with him,
for as long as he wants.
You know he's still very small.
There's room to grow.

(photos courtesy of Katie)

2 Firsts

2011-02-20T21:45:00.008-05:00

While Lucy enjoyed her first taste of a pretzel;

Penny Lane took her first try at hula-hooping.

Wow! You go sistah!

Back N' Blogging

2011-02-20T21:23:00.002-05:00

Missed me?
Well we're back!
Let the blogging begin!

Missing Katie

2011-02-18T13:20:00.002-05:00

Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful!

These are some of the last pictures Katie took.
I guess I'll have to start blogging again.
We sure miss you Katie!!!

Dance Party

2011-01-27T14:34:00.002-05:00

Penny Lane turned two Sunday.
She had a "dance party" on Saturday.

(check it out on my sister's blog)

Take the picture!

2011-01-18T22:43:00.007-05:00

Hope y'all had a Merry Christmas!

We loved spending the holiday at the
Nicholas Bed and Breakfast.

After a failed attempt at a picture with Santa,

I wasn't about to not get their picture together.
(After all they looked sooo cute!)

Papa and Nana seem to always be wearing
a smile this time of year!
So they got their picture taken too.

After all that picture takin' it was time for
what else, FOOTBALL!

And a little cuddlin' fun!

SNOW!!!

2011-01-14T23:35:00.011-05:00

We like snow!
Penny was determined to pet Mia,
whom she called "Arf".
They chased her all over the yard.

Peter got to use his little snow shovel.
Claire showed her cousins how to build a snowman.

Ahha a sword!
Peter knew just what to do with the sword.
Time to take down the snowman.
"Mwa ha ha ha!"
But Claire was there to protect it.
Even Penny made sure it was safe.

Claire had set up a slide.
Very exciting!

And yes she finally got the "Arf"

2010 Card

2010-12-18T16:09:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas !!!

See y'all next year!

Pixie

2010-11-30T14:06:00.003-05:00

She's a pixie!
I caught her ... again!

She gets into everything,
and she hides.

And when I sit her down to
have a talk with her well ...
all she does is laugh!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T14:12:00.002-05:00

Check out this gorgeous apple pie Mike made.
And YES it was sooooo delicious!
For more pictures of our Thanksgiving holiday click here

Dear Nana,

2010-11-23T09:26:00.002-05:00

We love you!!!

Heads up!

2010-11-22T10:50:00.002-05:00

Chalk

2010-11-22T09:47:00.004-05:00

Bubbles

2010-11-18T17:14:00.001-05:00

LOVE

2010-11-17T08:37:00.004-05:00

Quite a Work-out!

2010-11-16T12:31:00.002-05:00

This is Penny's favorite thing to do,
sit on my feet and go up and down.
(I often do it while nursing Lucy)

Lucy is AMAZED!

Ice cream at ...

2010-11-11T17:17:00.006-05:00

The Creole Creamery

Rock and ROLL

2010-11-10T09:17:00.003-05:00

She's 4 months old and rolling over!

glitter shoes

2010-11-08T09:18:00.001-05:00

To check out pics of us playing at
The Park click here

Totally Worth It!

2010-11-04T08:08:00.009-05:00

For a new sensory experience try

cornstarch and water

They had a lot of FUN with it.
And yes it was a really BIG MESS!

All dressed up!

2010-11-01T17:33:00.007-05:00

Happy Halloween!!!

(click here for more pics)

Lucy only wakes at night

She's a wise littl' bird.

To be or not to be?

2010-11-01T08:45:00.009-05:00

With Halloween on the way we're practicing

our scary faces, some more scary than others.

What should Pete be for Halloween?

Puss in Boots (Shrek 2)

How 'bout Elvis

There's Rocky "Hey Adrian!"

Or Popeye the sailor man?

With a face like this you have so many options.