Alternative sources of income

Now that I am not working full-time, we have had to go on a pretty strick budget. And for the most part, it has worked out so far. However, things are getting a little tight so we decided to venture into alternative revenue streams....Doug told me that in Wisconsin, kids start mowing as early as 1, so looks like Eric is right on track.


(This doesn't violate any child labor laws does it???) ;O)

JUMP! For my love....

Grandma Lohse will be proud....
(Click below to watch the video)

Has the down market turned the "Can Man" on to bigger and better things?

Only in Boston do we have people who steal clothes off the middle of the street...

Ok, ok...let me back up and explain. I was running out this afternoon to take in the laundry to the dry cleaners with Eric. I dropped the bag next to the passenger door of the car so I could load Eric in and then I hopped in the car and drove to our dry cleaners. 10 minutes later I got there and realized that I had left the bright red bag of laundry in the middle of our street. Yes, I know...I am loosing it.

So, I sped home to pick it up. I turned on to our street and I couldn't believe my eyes...the bag was gone! Yes, someone took the bag of laundry in the 20 minutes since I had left the house. After I cursed myself for being **so stupid**, I got angry and decided that I was going to drive around Charlestown until I found it.

So, there Eric and I went...up and down every street looking for someone carrying a bright red bag. Suddenly, I saw it. The bright red bag crumpled on the side of the road with our clothes. Amazingly enough, it was all there. One pair of pants were ruined and the bag was ripped, but overall a much better end to the story than I thought it was going to be.

Morale of the story: Boston Can Men are pretty skinny dudes. So, if you want to keep your clothes safe, make sure your pant size is at least 38 inches.

A Budding Artist?

Grandma Lohse, Auntie Dena, & Auntie Kim would be proud.....

Click on the video below to see our little Picasso.

The Birthday Celebrations Begin

As many of you know, we are very fortunate to live in a fantastic neighborhood filled with lots of young families. Last year after Eric was born, a group of about 10 new moms started meeting up while we were on maternity leave to talk about baby stuff...you know, feeding, poop, sleeping (or lack of), etc, etc. Really, everything no one else wanted to hear any more about (including our husbands). In the process, we became good friends and we try to get our kids together for playdates as much as we can.

In celebration of their 1 year birthdays, we met up at one of our parks this afternoon for a little picnic and some playtime. We had a blast and it was so great to see all of the little ones. It has been so fun to watch them all grow from babies into toddlers. Wow! What a year!

This is a picture of all of them at Halloween and at their 1 year birthday party. Can you believe how much they have all grown!?

Fun times in Chicago

We spent the 4th of July in Chicago on our annual reunion with our Notre Dame friends. Each year the group grows with additional kids joining the craziness. This year we had 4 new ones, Eric and Leo (11/12 months), Henry (7 months) and Emma (a wee 1 month old). There are currently 2 on the way so next year will be even more fun.

We spent most of the weekend catching up, eating, watching fireworks (the amount of $$ people spend on fireworks is CRAZY!), and watching the boys act like 10 year olds. It really was a blast! Below are a few pictures from our weekend.

Eric at the petting zoo

The kids have gone incognito

All Growns Up

It's official...Pokey is moving out!

(Sorry for the sideways shot...But I knew that people would want to see our little man walking even if he is sideways.)