Fun at the Beach

Back to our regular scheduled programming, already in progress...

The beach is such an awesome place for a toddler. Not only is the biggest sandbox around, but there is water, sticks, shells, and endless people to play with. All of this translates into sound sleeping to allow for some fun adult time.
Eric had such a great time with his grandparents and aunts and uncles that he didn't really need mom or dad for much (which was great!!).

Eric with Grandpa (PiPa)

Eric jumping waves with Auntie Kim

Taking a drink break

And after a long day, Eric felt it was necessary to start stripping down (with help and prodding from the gallery). Long story, but one thing led to another, as you can see below....

Little bums are the cutest, aren't they?!

We interrupt the program already in progress...

...to bring you this very important message....

THE RACE RESULTS!

Before

After

As you can see, everyone finished. No ambulances, no stretchers, we all walked (or hobbled rather) back to the car when it was time to head home to the hot tub. And the exciting news is that everyone achieved their personal goals.

Full Marathon (26.2 miles)
Dougie Fresh - 4:09:39 (avg pace - 9:30 min/mile)

Matty - 4:09:39 (avg pace - 9:30 min/mile)

Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

Dianne (the power-walker/runner queen!) - 3:18:23 (avg pace - 15 min/mile)
Val - 1:46:00 (avg pace - 8 min/mile)

We already have some commitments for next year, including Eric who started training this weekend for the toddler run next year. :O)

Wisch Family Vacation

The Wisch clan took a much needed Family vacation last week in Myrtle Beach, SC. It has been many years since we have all gotten away as a family and it is past time for us to do so. We were blessed with beautiful weather; low 80s in late September/early October is not too shabby.

So, as you can imagine we spent most of the week sunning ourselves on the beach, playing in the sand & surf, laughing, eating fried food, drinking (did you know that happy hour starts at noon in SC?) We had a blast and it was great to see everyone.

Of course the paparazzi was out in full effect and I have to admit, we got some great shots. So, I will be highlighting our trip over the next few days. A preview of what is to come...

- Fun at the Beach

- Uncle Nate, the natural

- Eating, Southern Style

- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Dump Trucks)

- Why do the birds not like me?

Enjoy! I know we all did!

City Boy

Only in the city would Eric know instinctively what the purpose of a plastic bag was at the dog park. Completely unprompted, I swear! Doug and I almost died laughing on Sunday when he started walking around the park trying to pick up things using the plastic bag!

Luckily, no dog poop was in sight.

Giddyup!

Eric may be trying the patience of our angel Pokey. She is so patient with him and actually prefers to lay in the middle of his play area, probably to snag any falling Cheerios!

Pokey and the Pokey look-alike after a hard day's work.

I love the fishes because they are so delicious!

We have all gotten into fishing when we go up north. It is relaxing, doesn't require alot of energy, tends to involve drinking beer, and creates a little bit of a competitive environment. This year, the fishing started off a bit slower, as the fish must have been scared away by the Sparnfarkel. However, towards the end of the week, Doug was back to catching lots of the smallest fish ever (I think he caught one smaller than a gold fish this year!) Dena took the prize this year with a 14 inch Walleye...too bad she told everyone that she was reading when she "caught" it and thought she was stuck on a log!


Eric got into the swing of things pretty quickly as well. We started him off with his own rod that Grandpa and Grandma picked up at a local yard sale. With the help of his daddy, he caught a few small fish that way. But what he was really excited about was catching fish from the minnow bucket. Like everything else at this point, it is all about taking things out and then putting them back. I was impressed at how well he held on to the fish.





Once he got a taste for the fishing life, Eric decided to go to his Uncle Matty for some advice on how to catch the big ones...






As you can see, we had a fantastic week in Wisconsin. Until next year!

Fun at the Biergarten

One of Doug's favorite things to do with Eric is take him to bars. When him and Eric are on their own without momma, I can always count on finding them at Boston Beer Works. So, the one thing we had to do when we were in Wisconsin was take Eric to Doug's favorite Biergarten, Ottos!

Eric had a great time playing bar games and re-landscaping their outdoor patio. In fact, that is one of his new favorite past times...moving rocks and sticks from one place to another.

Looks like Eric might enjoy the much hated chore of picking rocks from the fields! Maybe we are Wisconsin bound afterall?!?

NO WAY! ;O)