Row, row, row your boat

Q: Who would take two toddlers out on a river for a 6 mile canoe trip?

A: Us.

We did indeed. A couple of weeks ago, we drove up to sugar creek and went on a 1/2 day canoe trip. It started out a little rough because we forced Eli to wear his life jacket. He was totally unimpressed with not being able to sit down without a life vest squeezing up around his neck and face. I guess that I can't really blame him. We finally gave in and let him wear his water wings since the waters of sugar creek are anything but raging. After that, both boys were happy as can be.

We were pleased to learn that we're a family with excellent "river legs". As other people floundered around, sideways, backwards, and upside down, we paddled right on down the river. Even with two toddlers walking around the whole time, we never came close to tipping.

The boys even took their turns at paddling.

We did get back before dark, but it's good to know that had we not, there was a full moon to light up the night sky.

The boys' favorite parts of the trip were when we let them get out and walk around in the river. It's so calm and shallow that it's an excellent place for them to play.

We had an awesome time and actually want to buy a canoe... Renting canoes is for the birds!

Back Again

Well just when I thought that I was up and running again, something else goes wrong. Last week (or the week before?) my computer came down with a nasty virus. Ironically, the week before that, my neighbors computer had caught a virus, and he had it fixed by a "Guy". I got the Guy's contact info, and he agreed to fix my computer in exchange for a case of beer. :) I bought him beer, he fixed my computer=I'm back in business again. :)

I'm totally thankful that people like that are in the world. He did a great job, and my computer is running better than ever thanks to his fixes and updates.

Sweet KaeLynn

Perfection (n.) A sweet baby girl fresh out of the oven.

Thursday morning, July 29, I got the text that my little sister was in labor. I had all of these back-up plans for how I was going to get out of the house quickly and make it in time for KaeLynn's birth- but they didn't work out quite how I'd thought. Fortunately, Sar saved the day by coming over to watch the kiddos while I made a mad dash for Muncie. Perhaps too mad of dash? I got a ticket. in a work zone. (Explain THAT one to your road construction husband!) After the friendly state trooper sent me on my way, I made my way, within the legal speed limit, to Muncie.

I arrived at the hospital right right before Miss KaeLynn entered the world. I got to see her shortly after she was born, and she was so perfect and beautiful. Both girls were actually! Michelle was amazing and started breastfeeding KaeLynn right away. She tried so hard, and was unbelievably persistant as she faced a variety of challenges and obstacles those first few days.

I was excited to be there when the nurse gave KaeLynn her first bath, and I went all Stepharazzi taking a bazillion photos to document the occasion. Let me show you this one (taken during her bath) and I'll let you guess why I think that she might be Eli's soul mate.

Saturday, we went back to Muncie so that Matthew and the boys could meet sweet KaeLynn. Again, she was a hit! The boys were super excited to see Michelle too, and were up in her lap right away.

Michelle helped Owen hold KaeLynn and he just loved it. He adored that little girl.

I of course, also had to hold little Miss again, but it didn't last long...

Because SOMEONE got jealous. Let me clarify that it WASN'T KaeLynn...

But it's okay, because look how CUTE he is!! That's a ridiculous level of cuteness, no?

Now, KaeLynn is 6 days old and she's gained close to a pound already. Michelle is feeding that baby well!! I'm so incredibly proud of Michelle for sticking with her breastfeeding commitment even as the challenges mounted against her.

Seeing my little sister become a mommy was one of the most incredible things that I have ever experienced. She will give this parenting thing everything that she has. She will do whatever it takes to be everything that her daughter needs. She will be an amazing mother, and I couldn't be more proud of her! I love you Michelle! You're amazing!

Holiday World!

It's hard to believe that my little boy is big enough/tall enough to appreciate the wonders of an amusement park, but last Wednesday proved that he is.

Grandma Carol, the boys and I spent the entire day at Santa Claus's little gem, Holiday World. Owen was thrilled from the moment that we walked in the gate. I can vaguely remember looking at an amusement park through a child's eyes- and I remember it being a spectacular thing. The day was all about Owen, (Much to Eli's dismay). He got to pick all of the rides that he wanted to ride- and he had an awesome time. I couldn't believe how brave he was. He rode every ride in the amusement park area that he was tall enough for-- even the log ride with a fairly good-sized drop! He was super proud of the fact that he rode a roller coaster too.

After we finished riding all of the rides that he was tall enough for in Holiday World, we headed over to Splashin' Safari. Owen rode two BIG slides and he recalls those as his favorite rides of the day. He was so brave, and had such a awesome time. It was super fun to get to do these things with him for the first time.

Grandma Carol saved the day by watching Eli and keeping him happy while Owen got to ride. Eli did ride some things too-- until he decided that he was too mad to even look at the rides. His 'tude didn't last long, and turned around significantly after he had some lunch in his belly. He had a blast at Splashin' Safari- and loved playing in the shallow pools. He eventually conked out in the wagon and got his nap out while Owen finished up his day.

Our first Holiday World adventure was a total success, and we definitely made some great memories. I wish that we had more pictures of our day and of some of the bigger stuff that we rode, but we were having such a fun time, the camera was sort of forgotten.

Thanks so much to Craig and Marlene for making our awesome day possible!

behind

I'm behind on my posting again, but with great reasons!!

The biggest of which is that my first little niece was born today!

KaeLynn Ranae- 2:03 pm, 5 lbs, 15 oz, 20 inches long. P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!

Mom and baby are doing great, and I couldn't be more proud of my little sister- she was AMAZING!!

I promise that I'll post pictures soon, but it's nearly 1:00 am- so this is going to be it for tonight.

A HUGE thanks to my wonderful Sar for taking care of the kidlets today so that I could be there for Chell!

A battle of wills!

In the past week, we've had an influx of critters outside our house. For one thing, a family of skunks moved in under our mini barn. I was convinced that these skunks were polygamists because there are 3 or 4 adults and 3 babies living there. I was informed by a wildlife rehabilitator though, that skunk babies stay with their mom for a year or more- so this is actually a mom and two litters of her babies. Sad. I thought that there was some skunky Big Love action under my barn.

We're not sure what to do about these guys. They have been minding their own business for the most part during the day, but at night, they come right up to our house. Matthew went out the front door the other night to get something out of his truck and there sat one of them poised to spray right off of our front porch!

We're living in fear waiting for one of them to be hiding under our vehicle when we go to get in it. And we're almost expecting that Reggie is going to get sprayed one of these nights when we let him outside.

What to do?

Secondly, I'm having a battle of wills with a tree frog. For over a week now, this one stinkin' tree frog keeps perching himself on our bedroom windowsill (or somewhere near our window) and proceeds to croak loudly throughout the night. I have relocated him five times now to locations clear on the other side of the house, and it never fails- he's back the very next night! One night, he even came back in the course of the same night! Apparently the lady frogs live near our bedroom!?!

Now he's beginning to get wise to my frog catching ways. When he sees me step outside, he stops croaking- which is how I was finding him every night. As soon as I walk back inside he commences his incessant noise again. So frustrating.

At least I don't live in fear that the frog is going to spray me with putrid fumes that will penetrate my every pore and fiber!

I love all critters- but this is ridiculous.

Anyone have any suggestions for skunk removal/relocation??

Cow Appreciation Day

For one day each year- a beautiful, amazing, WONDERFUL thing happens. It's a national holiday (almost)- and it's one of my new favorite days!

Cow Appreciation Day!

On this one day, you can get your silly on and dress up like a cow to receive free food at Chik-fil-a. I don't just mean free waffle fries (although, I'd dress up for those waffle fries- man they're good!) You get an entire free combo meal- for dressing head-to-toe like a cow! For just a cow accessory, you can get a free entree. It's a pretty sweet deal if you ask my frugal-hearted self! So, on Friday the 10th, my boys and I donned are cow attire and enjoyed a completely free lunch at our local Chik-fil-a! It was so fun and entertaining- and the boys really enjoyed it.

This is one of those things that people far cooler than me, roll their eyes and say something like, "You dressed like a cow just for a free lunch?" To which I respond, "Absolutely!"

There's something about letting go of caring what others think about you to be totally silly with your kids in public. It's letting my kids know that they're what's important to me- and I'm not above getting weird looks from strangers to have fun with them. Sure, I could have just dressed them as adorable little calves and called it a day- but I did it with them. And guess what, it was FUN!

Try it next year. Get your "moo" on, paint some spots on a white t-shirt and go to Chik-fil-a with your family. It's definitely a fun way to make a memory-- not to mention get a free meal :)

P.S. I made our cowstumes from the cow print fabric that I bought as a table cover for Owen's birthday party. No really, I did. Go back to Owen's birthday post and you'll see that very same fabric adorning the cake table!

Toschlog Reunion

The second Sunday in July always belongs to the Toschlog Family Reunion. Always has. Always will. This is a day when all of my mom's extended family, (her dad's brothers' and sister's families) descend on Mom and Dad's pond house and we have a wonderful time catching up, eating food, swimming and fishing.

I have always loved this reunion. When I was little, it was at my Great Uncle Edward and Aunt Betsy's house. Now, my mom and dad have taken it over- and it's still a blast.

This year, I was fortunate enough to have a couple of days prior to the reunion off work so that I could go up and spend time helping them get everything ready. It was awesome because I got to spend three days in a row with my wonderful cousin, Tonya, and her fantastic kiddos. (All three of her kids were in our wedding-- yeah, we LOVE them!) Even though we were working our tails off, it was really great to get to spend some time together.

The day of the reunion, we had over forty people come to be a part of the festivities! It was a special day. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of pictures of the day... I was too busy having fun to take pictures! But believe me when I say that it was a good time.

So fun- it conked this guy OUT!

2008

This swimming--to sleeping on Grandma tradition is three years in the making

2010

I have such an incredible family and I am so thankful for them. They are quirky, funny, loving, and above all- they stick together! I'm super blessed to be a part of this family.

One of Owen's favorite parts of the reunion is getting to see his cousin, Tessa. This little darling is almost exactly the same age as Owen, (even though she dwarfs him), and he just loves her. They play together so well, and it's been fun to watch them grow up.

2008

2010

2010

Happy Birthday America!

I adore the fourth of July. I really, really do! I love that it's in the heat of summer. I love the 3 day weekend (supposedly), I love eating hot dogs cooked over a fire, and burning my fingers with gooey, hot mallows in the quest for a perfect s'more. I love the swimming, the beer drinking, the cornhole, the four-wheeling, the Hop Skip (Thanks Stephen!), the campfire, the fireworks, the fishing. I love it all!!

Last year, we decided that it would be fun to have a family get together with Matt's siblings and family down at his Mom and Dad's lake. Several of us decided to camp out and make a weekend of it. It was a blast.

Now, it's tradition. We're doing this thing! So we packed up our gear and headed down for 4th of July, Southern Indiana style, take two! All of Matthew's siblings made it this year- along with Sweet Baby Nolan.

One of the highlights of the weekend is the boat race. This is a very serious event. It is a tradition that Matthew's family participated in every year when the kids were young. Everyone built a sailboat, and then they raced them across the lake on the 4th. There was always a prize for the winning boat.

Now, we're adults and the ante has. been. upped.

We all have more skills, better ideas, and access to superior materials. Now, it would seem that we're all on an equal playing field- yet one boat has prevailed two years in a row... OURS!! That's right, "MOES" can kick some tail. Even with all of the trash talk that spoken by a certain someone, MOES still came out victorious. It's okay though, the boat belonging to the owner who did the trash talking, didn't completely sink before being rescued by paddle boat. ;)

It is a really fun competetion, and it's exciting to see what ideas everyone comes up with. My favorite boat this year was Stephen and Jacki's. "The Destroyer"

Their boat was creative/hilarious/slightly dangerous. It was great to see this thing going off on the water.

I fully expect to see some pretty amazing boats next year, Gessners are nothing if not competitive and I don't believe for a second that our 2x victory will go unavenged for another year.

Owen won a kite because of our boat- and he had fun flying it with Grandma Carol, who according to Owen, "really knows what she's doing." I'd say that she does... Check out this professional-looking kite flying pose.

On Sunday night, we went to Santa Claus with Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Kenny to watch the fireworks. Owen was thrilled to get to see his sweet cousin Riley and his cousin/twin, Wyatt. The kids enjoyed watching the fireworks together, and we were thankful to get to see Craig and Marlene for a little bit.

This is such a fun weekend, and I'm thankful for the time that we get to spend with family!

Five Years

June 25, 2005
I officially became the luckiest girl in the world. I walked down the aisle, sobbed as I said my vows, kissed the love of my life, and felt my heart about leap out of chest with joy when I heard the words, "Mr. and Mrs. Matthew and Stephanie Gessner" Seriously people, I hit the jackpot with this man. He is kind, gracious, loving, hard-working, forgiving, patient, smart and funny. He gives me so much better that I deserve every single day. I'm so incredibly lucky to be married to my best friend. August 17th marks ten years since the day that we met- and I can honestly tell you that I knew that he was something special the moment that I laid eyes on him. Two years later, we started dating, two years after that, we were engaged, and one year later we were married.




Now, five years later, I love him even more. We've grown together, we've created a home, we've created a family, we've created happiness. Seeing my husband become a father was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. He was born for this role. He has incredible patience with our children, he teaches them, reads to them, plays with them, and is an amazing role model to these two little boys. These little guys adore their daddy! I couldn't ask for a better man to raise our children with.

Five years has gone by in the blink of an eye. We've had challenges, but we've faced every single one together- as a team- and each challenge has made us stronger, happier, better. Our marriage is an unbelievable blessing in my life. Matthew, YOU are an unbelievable blessing in my life. I thank God every day for the gift you are to me. Thank you for being YOU!!

Lots and bunches, a hole punch