Mini-vacation... sort of

We took a four-day trip up north to Camp Luther in Three Lakes, WI. My family has been spending one week there, each summer, for over 20 years. We rent a cottage and spend the week relaxing, visiting with friends, and doing normal camp stuff – swimming, hiking, campfires, etc... I have a lot of great childhood memories from there.

This was Walter's and Nate's first trip to camp and it could not have been worse weather – cold and rainy! We went on a couple of short hikes, but were pretty much stuck inside the rest of the time. Even our usual campfire singing was held indoors, around a video of a campfire. How sad! And, I forgot to bring my camera along (I'm still kicking myself) so I don't even have any photos to share.

Nate played a little golf in the rain and I was able to relax and read while Walter was napping, so it wasn't a total loss. Next year, we're checking the weather before making the four-hour drive!

By request

Ok, Aunt Kristin. You wanted a photo of the haircut. Here it is:

And here's a shot Nate took today. He caught Walter whipping up some more dinosaur dishes at his new kitchen. Looks like they had sautéed dinosaur, followed by a dinosaur soufflé. 

Salon Billmeyer

Walter got his first haircut today. And, coincidentally, I gave my first haircut today. We strapped Walter into our favorite chair and busied him with a snack while I got to work. He didn't even know it was happening. A quick five-minute trim and the mullet is gone! This might even cure those silly bed head curls – for a little while, anyway.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day and the first day of summer. It's going to be a good one.

To Nate – Walter and I appreciate everything you do for us. We hope you enjoy sleeping in today!

To all the Dads – Have a wonderful day!

Bed head

Nate is always trying to tell me that Walter didn't get any of my genes, but this bed head proves otherwise. This adorable curl stuck out just like this for an entire day. He might not think it's so adorable when he's my age. At least we know he's mine.

One-year photoshoot

We decided, sort-of through laziness, not to do traditional studio photography for Walter. We take a TON of photos on a daily basis – let's face it, this kid is well documented. But I wanted to have some nice one-year photos of Walter and some family shots, so we hired Kuehl on Location to do a photo shoot right in our backyard. John Kuehl, a co-worker and friend, does fantastic kids photography. He stopped over after work one sunny afternoon and spent about an hour snapping photos of us all playing in the backyard. It was nice to have a casual, familiar setting. Walter did great in front of the camera, and the shots came out beautifully. Here's a sample:

Just a few days after the shoot, John delivered a cd with over 80 photographs that we can print and share as we please. We're really happy with the results!

Note to family – we would be happy to print/frame photos for you. You choose or we can choose some for you.

Dinosaur stew

Walter is one lucky kid to have such an awesome Grampa. He built this kitchen for Walter's birthday. I think I'm probably even more excited about it than Walter is. But check this thing out! It looks great, there's plenty of storage for all his food and kitchen gadgets, and there's lots of room for imagination – the most important part of kitchen play.