Showing posts with label joe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joe. Show all posts

July 6, 2013

A Series of February Shots

Just a series of random February shots...

This is the photo that the big girls have as Joe's avatar on their cell phone.
Joe calls them, and this is the image that pops up.
Dad is watching...   ;) 
A girl and her puppy.
Adele loves the cold, snowy weather! 
Just a random school day shot... At least Andrew (and maybe William?) appears to be working on academics...  ;)
The strange things the big girls do to the little ones... This "dress" is a sweater of Anna's. The head wrap is a scarf of Anna's. The ammo-strap-looking things across her chest are belts...
Really, they are strange kids. 
Big girls getting ready for the Father-Daughter Dance.

July 4, 2013

Surprise!

And when Anna Marie arrived home from March for Life, we had this massive surprise awaiting her—a brand new St. Bernard puppy!



Joe is "blindfolding" Anna Marie, as we walk her down to Adele's pen. Everyone is so excited to see Anna's reaction. She has always wanted a dog.
The reaction: priceless.
Love.
We were in the background telling Anna Marie to wait a few minutes until some of the kids went back inside before opening the pen. Adele had only been with us a few days and was very boisterous around all the new faces. We wanted Anna to have some one-on-one time with her, as Adele got to know Anna.
And here she is, with another proud owner, Mr. William.
Adele is 15 months old.

June 9, 2013

New Year's 2013

Our mellow at-home New Year's Eve this year...

We played with blocks...

 We constructed castles...

 We danced to 80's tunes...

And danced some more...

We played drums with blocks...

We played a mean air guitar when we thought no one was looking...

We enjoyed quiet family time together...

Meanwhile, three states away, my mom was busy rocking out at a late-night New Year's party with my brother (gold tie) and pals.

May 4, 2013

Blizzard 2012

This was the winter when our van and our generous neighbor's pick-up-with-plow got stuck in our driveway overnight.

Scenes from the next morning as we extract the vehicles...









Christmas Photo Snappin'

A whole series of Christmas photos, in that annual attempt to get the perfect Christmas card snapshots.











April 20, 2013

Filling the Freezer, Part 2

And this is also how we fill the freezer...

Thanks, Sharp-Shooter, Kathleen! 

Joe shot pheasants as well, and William kept everyone company. (William has not yet taken hunter safety.)









Filling the Freezer

This is how we fill the freezer for the winter.

Thank you, Joe and John! 



November 18, 2012

Evan Wynn

I took on the job of Dane County Campaign Coordinator for Evan Wynn this election cycle and met some great people in the process. 

Every politician should be like Evan Wynn—a statesman, a patriot, and a gentleman. It is unfortunate that redistricting made things so tough for Evan this year. We are hoping to see his name on a ballot again soon.

Working for the campaign was a true honor and, as you can see, the whole family joined in the effort.



Four of My Favorite Guys


Okay, love these guys. Yes, all four of them. 
I've known Bucky longer than I've known Joe, after all. ;)

After Joe's law firm softball game.
Surprise guest: Bucky Badger

October 21, 2012

Leone Go Tide Pooling

We decided to head out very early one morning—earlier than we would normally arise on vacation—and catch low tide at one of the area's popular tide pooling spots. Se we began our hunt for the perfect spot to find intertidal creatures. 

We hiked and hiked and hiked. Having been told there were good tide pools along this path, we were a little discouraged when at first we couldn't find a thing. Then, we found a spot with good access down to the water where it looked like it had receded a bit. We headed down, only to find we were up to our ankles in mud. Not the best spot. 

It took a while, but at long last, we came upon a sand bar that obviously had been under water a short time previously. We headed down and ventured out, scoring some great tide pooling finds. All in all, the outing was a success, even if the tide was coming in by the time we found the favored spot.

Kathleen heads out on the trail, eager to find those tide pools. 
Elizabeth and crew scale a rock to get a view of the water and locate tide pools.
 
Elizabeth.
It's awfully early in the morning to be hiking already with my seven children!
The open Atlantic is just to the right of my face in this photo.

Joe, Dad in Charge, with Baby Lucia on his back. 
We finally make it down to a tide-pooling area, and Marguerite stakes her claim.
The open Atlantic is behind Marguerite.
The inlet area is dry during the lowest tide and under water up to the darkest rocks during high tide.

This is the inlet area that dries completely at low tide. It was very shallow, and the kids found all kinds of great creatures.
Joe (with Lucia) and Therese explore where the inlet meets the ocean.

Leones Do Jordan Pond

With a two-year-old and a one-year-old, this wasn't our year to do some of the more spectacular and challenging hikes that Acadia National Park has to offer. Rather, we opted for hikes that were do-able for everyone. Even so, some hikes proved their own bit of challenge, if only for the length of the journey with little girls on parents' backs.

The hike around Jordan Pond was idyllic. A path with woods and bluffs on one side and the Jordan Pond (which is a lake, not a pond) on the other made for some magnificent views. Following are some shots from our several-hour trek around Jordan Pond.

Where's the raft? And where's the Mississippi? Our Huck and Tom.
Early on our trek. Marguerite had not yet made her way onto anyone's back.

A moment with hubby—and only two kids hanging on. ;) 
Anna Marie was a lifesaver when Marguerite decided she wasn't going to walk.
The pause the refreshes. We were a tired crew by this time!
Look at our handsome Andrew 
William and Andrew scampered up every rock pile they could find. 
Lots of bridges on this hike. Will, Therese, and Kathleen take a breather.
Marguerite spent at least the last half of the hike on my back. Once there, she seemed happy!