General News – Page 8 – Dotzour Family.com

June 21, 2011June 18, 2011

May trip to Wichita – Part I: Comings and goings

On May 20, we took our bags and our expert-kid-flyers and headed down to Wichita, Kansas to see Bryan’s grandparents for our annual spring visit. Melanie and Bryan’s dad were driving up from Texas to meet us at the airport. Bryan’s mom had been in Wichita for the last week, providing support to Grandma Jo and Grandpa Harvey – both of whom were having a rough week.

Grandma Jo (that’s Mark’s mom) has been living in her home on the golf course, working at Economy Corner, visiting the gym, and generally living a pretty active life. She’s been having some health problems recently, and she’s been in and out of the hospital these last months. She’d gone in to the hospital the week of our visit, and she had decided to move into an assisted living facility when she was discharged. So LuAnn spent the week before our visit getting her new place set up. Fast action! And while I’m sure it will take a while to feel like home, all the homey touches LuAnn prepared really do make it feel like a loving place to be.

Our visits with Grandma Jo were at the hospital, which was a little sad for everyone, but it was nice to see Grandma Jo in high spirits and in good color:)

Grandpa Harvey (that’s LuAnn’s dad) has been having kind of a hard time since his wife of 70 years died last May. He’s been in an assisted living community, and while he’s a real sweetie to everyone, he’s increasingly losing touch with the “whens” and the “whos” of life. He really can’t seem to hold it in his head that his Lola Mae is gone.

The day of our arrival, Grandpa Harvey had some sort of further incident. Perhaps a stroke (although they said it wasn’t) or just a jump in the confusion of the mind. So he was moved from his assisted living home to a hospital as well.

And thus, Mark, LuAnn, Melanie, Bryan, Andrew, Sylvia, and I traveled from hospital to hospital to visit our dear sweet grandparents.

Before we get to that, though, I thought you’d like to see some pictures of Melanie and the kids goofing off.

Here’s Andrew being crazy silly with his super-ooper-duper favorite Aunt Mel.

There’s Sylvie playing with some dollies she found at Grandpa Harvey’s hospital waiting room.

These next ones are silly. This is Sylvia posing while Granny and Melanie take photos of her…

Adorable! Granny, looks like you were getting a good shot there!

Total ham!

Here’s Melanie reading the kids their bedtime story. It all looks so peaceful.

Now it’s funny! Ahh, the giggles:)

Much laughter was had. Mel, you’re a great story-teller.

Here’s Sylvie trying on some new purple flipflops from Aunt Mel. So sparkly!

And here’s a little tour of Grandma Jo’s apartment.

The bedroom complete with lots of pictures.

Andrew and Sylvia had fun trying out the organ.

Here’s a great wall of images. From the top-left counter-clockwise: Gordon and Betty Jo on their wedding day, Gordon, Grandma Doll (Grandma Jo’s mom), Betty Jo, Bryan, Melanie, Grandma Jo working on a plane during WWII (see the close-up below), family photo when Andrew was a babe, Uncle Thane (Grandma Jo’s brother), and…hmmm…not sure about that last one. Maybe Grover Gordon and Jennie Dotzour.

And here’s a picture of Grandma Jo as a Rosie the Riveter at the Boeing plant in Wichita.

This is a nice picture of Dandy and Grandma Jo that’s now hanging above the organ in the living room.

When I took these pictures, Grandma Jo hadn’t yet seen her new place. And we were off to visit her at the hospital…

June 20, 2011June 18, 2011

Bryan’s birthday

On Bryan’s birthday (May 17), I ran to Java Cat to get some tasty breakfast treats. The kids put all our candles in the two chocolate eclairs. Here’s the birthday boy with his kiddos.

Digging in to a delicious breakfast. Sylvie wanted to sit right next to Bryan, so she pushed her chair up so it was touching his:)

Andrew made a special birthday card for Bryan. Such a sweet kiddo.

Looks to me like Bryan likes his gift. Those two boys are such a joy in my heart.

Happy 33rd birthday, hon! I’ve enjoyed being the same age as you this last month, but I’m going to go ahead and try out 34 now. xoxo

June 19, 2011June 18, 2011

Mud Run

Back on May 15, I ran the Madison Mud Run with some bootcamp buddies – Julie, Heather, and Deb as well as some of their friends. When Bryan, Melanie, and I ran it last October (see post here) and nearly froze ourselves to pieces, I expected that the spring run would be a warm-weather walk in the park. Well, the temperatures were well above freezing, but it as still a chilly-cold and very windy day.

The theme for the run was “super heros,” and our team name was The Masked Capers.

Here we are clean BEFORE.

And filthy AFTER.

The fall event is scheduled for October 29. Anyone want to run with me?

May 23, 2011

Back from Wichita

It’s late on Monday night as I write this, and I need to head to bed so I can get up with some pep for my bootcamp class in the morning. However, I had to share one of my favorite images from our weekend in Wichita. We flew down on Friday morning and had a sweet and heart-filled time visiting Bryan’s grandparents Grandma Jo and Grandpa Harvey, with Granny, Grandad, and Melanie (who all joined us from Texas), and an evening visit with the Andersons & Buchanans.

Our flights home on Sunday night were scuttled, so we ended up driving home instead. The kids did great:)

I’m going to try to finish editing and uploading images tonight, but here’s a sneak peak of Sylvie dancing on air.

May 20, 2011May 16, 2011

Wildflower weekend at Jack’s

Every spring, our friend Jack hosts a “wildflower weekend.” A group of friends gather and enjoy a long hike on Saturday in the woods and fields near Jack’s home along the Wisconsin River. Although I figured that the kids and I wouldn’t be joining in on a long hike, I thought it would be fun to be out at Jack’s and to join in the festivities. Bryan was kayaking with friends on the Kickapoo River for the weekend, so on Friday night, the kids and I drove to Jack’s (near Wyalusing State Park). On the way there, Andrew memorized the names of all the towns between Madison and Woodman.

The group composition changed over the course of the weekend, but there were an average of about 15 people. Here they are setting up lunches for everyone to pack.

This is one of my favorite new photos of Sylvia. She’s wearing my swimsuit top. Goofy grape:)

Here’s Robin and Trent hanging out pre-hike.

Andrew’s kiss. Much sweeter than a dementor.

Adorable girl!

Hikers getting ready to depart.

I had wanted to start the hike with everyone and to only go a couple miles. Andrew wanted to “stay inside all day.” I think this face he’s making is his victory face. We were not leaving to go on the hike. HaHA!

I told the kids that I would shrivel up if we stayed inside on such a beautiful day. So they (clad only in Andrew’s briefs) agreed to run around out-of-doors for a while.

Undies on the hill overlooking the Wisconsin River.

Jack was able to burn the prairie earlier in the week. It’s so cool to see it all freshly charred.

Here’s an oriole in the tree in front of Jack’s house. What a beautiful sight!

Here’s a sweet plaque in honor of Jack’s mom. Such a lovely sentiment.

Jack has done an amazing amount of restoration work on his land. Here’s a new sign he has on his driveway.

Andrew kindly put together pine cones and pine boughs and dandelions as place decorations for the returning hikers. He was so excited about how happy they would be to see their pretty place settings!

After the hikers returned, some of us went on a walk up onto Jack’s property to check on his bluebird houses.

Andrew stayed home and covertly ate candy bars while Sylvie and I explored the freshly burned prairie and oak savannah.

Pretty! A bird’s foot violet!

One house had two precious eggs.

We enjoyed supper up on the hill and then waited for sunset. The kids and I exited since these days sunset is bedtime!

What a friendly, joyful group.

I love this picture of Sylvie walking up the hill. Somehow the scale of her next to the tree and the hill just makes me love her that much more.

Here’s looking out the bedroom window at the sunset-watchers. It took the kids almost an hour to go to sleep!

Sunset over the river.

Day is done.

May 19, 2011May 16, 2011

Early Olbrich visit with Dad

On May 5, the kids and I met up with my dad for an afternoon date at Olbrich gardens and an evening date of pot roast and Finding Nemo. Although it’s been an incredibly cold spring, the flowers are beginning to bloom. And at Olbrich (or, if Joe’s reading, the Botanic Gardens) the magnolias and cherry trees were a-bloomin’.

It feels so good to be seeing spring green after a long winter of browns and greys and whites.

The trees at Olbrich are oh-so pretty!

Here’s the kiddos racing across the open field.

We tried to pose a picture of Dad with the kids, but it was not to be. Here’s the closet we got:)

Oh my, this girl! Too much.

Cherry blossoms:)

Here’s a pretty branch. Lightens up my heart.

Well, here’s an almost- nice picture of Dad with Andrew and Sylvie…

These kids crack me up!

Sylvie started throwing a tantrum here that lasted until we left. But this was before the tantrum began.

Enjoying the reflecting pool.

Check out this Oriole! Spring!!!

I’m so proud of Andrew…he used my camera to take this picture (the strap was around my neck). I didn’t realize he was getting our reflection in this ball. What a cool image!

We always love spending time at Olbrich, so if you ever want to join us, just let me know!

May 18, 2011May 16, 2011

Hiking the Ice Age trail

A few weeks ago, Sylvia and I went on a hike in Cross Plains on the Ice Age Trail. For those of you not familiar with the Trail, it’s a still-being-created foot trail in Wisconsin that covers over one thousand miles. It’s one of nine National Scenic Trails and covers some spectacular parts of Wisconsin. The Ice Age Trail Alliance grows and maintains the trail and is a land trust. Gathering Waters Conservancy (my past employer) is an umbrella group for Wisconsin’s land trusts, and on April 30th (while Andrew and Bryan attended a birthday party), Sylvia and I joined a hike and reception on a segment of the trail.

I hadn’t taken Sylv hiking since last fall, and I was so impressed with how strong and robust of a hiker she’s become.

She carried two sticks for most of the hike…banging them into trees and bushes as any good kid should.

During the hike, we stopped occasionally to hear about the conservation efforts.

Hiking along through the early spring woods. Sylv walked about two miles before she lost her steam. I was so proud of her:)

This girl innately understands posing. I set her on this outcropping, and she just looked so cute!

Here’s looking across a bird-filled wetland.

Sylv zips down some switch-backs at the end of the hike.

Checking out the lichen on a rock with a magnifying glass.

Conor, Pam, and Mindy at the delicious reception (catered by Underground Catering). It’s always great to see friends. Thanks, all, for organizing a really fun event!

May 17, 2011May 11, 2011

Be your own happiness

I have several parenting books that have spoken to my heart these past years. Favorites include:

The major thesis of the ScreamFree Institute is that you can’t control your kids. It’s about focusing on your own behaviors and reactions – being a model rather than attempting to mold/direct/force kids to behave certain ways. And it’s helped me separate myself from my kids behavior (while remaining connected to them as individuals). For example, “I’ll hold you while you thrash and scream, but I’m just going to be breathing deeply and thinking about other things rather than trying to fix what’s making you mad or taking responsibility for making you stop.”

I get a daily emailed parenting tip from ScreamFree (I really don’t like that name, by the way…we’re not a household where there’s much screaming…other than by a small, curly-haired girl). This tip of the day really caught my eye (also copied below). If you’re interested in the tip of the day, you can sign up here. It seems to apply to so much more than just parenting. I copied it onto Facebook, but I thought that it was good enough that I would share it here too. Enjoy!

April 28, 2011 | Here’s your daily parenting tip from ScreamFree

“If your happiness depends on you children being happy, that makes them your hostages. Be your own happiness. And that way you are the teacher for your children: someone who knows how to live a happy life.”

-Byron Katie, US author and speaker(1942- )

Hal’s Take:

Without even realizing it, we often base our own sense of happiness on external circumstances. We find ourselves dependant on things beyond our control to tell us how to feel. It is a very common thing to do. But just because it is common, does not make it helpful or mature. Feelings like happiness are choices that we must make on a daily basis – especially when it comes to our children.

If your child is throwing a tantrum or pitching a fit, guess what? That doesn’t have to make you upset. You can still choose to be happy. If your child is moping about and grumbling about her life, guess what? You don’t have to pull her out of her emotional ditch to feel good about yourself. You can still find joy. Even if your child is yelling at you how horrible you are, you do not have to take it personally. You can find peace. This is a very freeing sentiment because it allows you to recognize a simple and powerful truth. No one can make you feel anything. When this truth can sink in, you will be in a much better position to really be with your child as they go through these difficult emotions. And they will see that you are stronger than the winds blowing around you. They will naturally gravitate towards you and your calm so that you will be able to provide comfort, consequences, or clarity when they need it most.

-Hal Runkel, LMFT, Author of ScreamFree Parenting and ScreamFree Marriage

May 10, 2011May 4, 2011

The coming of spring – Easter hike

I’d only been on antibiotics for a day, but those magic pills made such a difference! While I still had some signs of strep – a very sore throat, but the dizzy, achy, sick feeling had pretty much gone away. I was happy and relieved to be able to join in the Easter Day activities:)

After we got home from Terry’s we played outside for a while. Sylvie’s loving her trike.

Spooky and Bowser are enjoying a breath of fresh air. Bowser’s weight is up to 9.5 lbs, so he’s no longer emaciated and dropping. They still are eating some very expensive hypoallergenic food (rabbit), but other than that, he’s also off his extensive meds. Hope he’s better…whatever it was that was causing the problem!

Sylvie brought some of the eggs outside and was having fun re-hiding them.

Cute girl!

In the afternoon, we headed out to Cherokee Marsh. We decided to see if we could find any dragons. Little, friendly dragons, not much bigger than a bird. Andrew brought along his bug catcher net for dragon catching.

Activity 1: jumping off a stump.

Big ‘ole Andrew strong and brave.

Kids skipping toward the water, hoping perhaps to find a water dragon. Would they be blue? Better look hard, they’ll flash by before you can see!

Hmm, what do you think scratched away at this tree trunk? A deer? A beaver? A dragon?

I love this picture! Two kids, exploring the world.

Cherokee Marsh in April. Bryan has been kayaking around here and really enjoys it.

Kids running down a forest path in the spring.

Some spring ephemerals are blooming. Anyone know what this one is? Anne?

Moss and fresh leaves. Sylvie stopped in her tracks when she saw this bright patch of beautiful moss.

Girl in the woods.

Heading down the hill. I was happy we didn’t run into any ticks on this outing. Or maybe Bryan did find one. But no ticks that dug in…

The spring peepers (teeny tiny frogs…see a photo and hear their song here) were peeping their hearts out in a pond. The noise was like a roar. We sat for a long time on the board walk, listening for the peepers and looking for a glimpse of one.

Sylvie was quite amused by using sticks to dig around in the water for dead vegetation.

Andrew, meanwhile, used his bug/dragon catching net as a pond scum catcher.

A Canada Goose was nesting nearby. Bryan’s pointing it out to Sylvie.

Not much better than spending time outdoors together as a family.

No dragons were found on this trip (although Andrew thought he saw a flash of shimmering gold). We’ll try again soon…

Before getting back into the cars, we did the obligatory playtime on the big rocks by the parking lot.

Brown-eyed Andrew

I was admiring Andrew’s beautiful baby teeth (I don’t tell him they are baby teeth, or he would probably not be too pleased). Not too long, and he’ll have one, two, four, eight big teeth filling that little mouth. I treasure his sweet five-year-old smile.

He thought he could stop me from tickling and photographing him. Nope!

So glad I have these images of my little boy filled with mirth!

May 9, 2011May 4, 2011

Family pics and Easter brunch

On Easter morning, we headed over to Terry’s to have brunch at the Madison Club with Terry, Tom, and Terry’s neighbor Connie. Since we were all looking spiffy, we thought we’d take a few family pictures.

I love these pictures of Andrew and me!

Nice family portrait.

Silly family portrait. Why is it that the silly appeals to me so much more?

I love Andrew’ expression in this next one. And I like that he and I are looking at the camera while Bryan and Sylvie aren’t.

Here’s Connie’s dog, Leena. She just had some major surgery a couple weeks ago after breaking her hip. Sylvia loves Leena.

Last time we were at the Madison Club for Easter brunch was in 2006. Maretta and Kyle had just gotten engaged, and Andrew was a mere 9 months old. Here’s Andrew with his first Easter bunny. A little creepy, if you ask me!

Michael entertains a not-quite-crawling baby boy.

Now here we are in 2011…

Andrew’s being silly with Tom.

Love the bouquet of blooms on our table!

Miss Sylv did a good job at brunch. It’s so nice to be able to take the kids places and have it go smoothly. A three- and five-year old are so much easier than a two- and four-year old!