Christmas Card Outtakes

A few years ago, we did our first Christmas card when Calvin was a year old. A then new co-worker looked at the picture of Calvin with a Santa hat crawling amongst a pile of Christmas lights and asked "Is this what you do for fun, set up a dark background and tell Calvin to look cute in front of the lights?" Well, yes. (I'm kind of a geek like that.)

Anyway, this year's rendition of the Christmas card was an adventure as always. It took two nights to pull off as Clara was completely insane- both nights actually, but more so on the first night. I think it turned out for the better as I hated the lighting on the first night. If you would like to see the little monster a little more clearly, click on the image...



Oh, and that co-worker- turned out to be a close friend of mine. Her daughter is Sophia as pictured earlier this year and the second Christmas card below. I guess that practice a few years ago paid off.

OPCC (Other People's Christmas Cards)

I've taken a few thousand pictures in the last couple of months and ten of them were lucky enough to be chosen to be Christmas Cards. It was quite an honor to have my work be viewed by hundreds of unknowing subjects. So pardon my lack of blogging as I blame it on a bit of side work.

Halloween

Marisa took the kids one more time to get big carving pumpkins. They weren't really all that interested in getting big pumpkins and the ones they brought home wouldn't even allow my hand inside to help scoop out the goop. They did sketch out a plan for each of their pumpkins before the cutting began. The plans included "happy" face and "scary" face.

Imitating the pumpkin- Happy.

Imitating the pumpkin- Scary. (One of these things is not like the others...)

Trick or Treating was cut short due to a torrential downpour of freezing rain. Luckily, they are young enough that they didn't realize that by going to only eight houses they got cheated out of massive amounts of candy. I was probably more disappointed (I do love those bite size candy bars)

A very stinky "Dunk"

Spiderman strikes a pose.

Fall Recap- Part 1

Oh what a fall it has been. October is always a busy month around the McKee household as it brings the annual college reunion of Marisa's (9- yes that's nine) roommates from senior year at St. Norbert. It was year number 7 for the reunion and this year the count was up to 27 guests for the weekend including all the boyfriends, husbands and kids- so many kids and so many more on the way.

Marisa headed out of town for the New Kids on the Block concert (don't ask) so the kids and I went to the local high school football game to pass some time.


A pre-reunion trip to the pumpkin farm was in order to gather decorations for the house. For the record, I did not pick out Clara's sun glasses.


Saturday of Reunion involved our annual trip to the Empty Bowls fundraiser followed by a stop by to check out the newest addition to the clan- Sam. Most of us hung out in the front yard as to not freak the little guy out.

Front Yard Wrestling Champ

Another trip to the pumpkin farm is a must. Turns out the pumpkins in Fredonia are a little cheaper than the ones in Chicago, so the out-of-towners stock up while in town.

The search for the perfect pumpkin.

Inevitably, he will find the cleanest pumpkin in the patch.

Calvin's dream is to own a pumpkin farm and drive everyone around on his tractor. Here, he explains the finer points of pumpkin selection to the "kids".

Elkhart Lake Farmers' Market

The kids and I ventured out to the Elkhart Lake Farmers' Market on Saturday morning while Marisa toiled away at her monthly training. My mom and grandma sell high quality junk under the guise of antiques along with other hand-crafted goodies. They have been holding down the same spot that my grandma and grandpa first debuted at over 20 years ago.

My mom has hopped on the "green" band wagon in the past two years and the big seller on a weekly basis is the "Market" bag sewn from trendy fabric scraps for the locals/tourists to carry their weekly haul of kohlrabi and cinnamon rolls (both delicious if I do say so myself). There is some fierce competition as the interlopers/copy cats are onto the hot-selling trend and knock-offs have hit the market. So much so that they are already planning their new marketing strategy for next year: shirts reading "The Original Market Bags"

(double meaning intended)




I have been going to the market at least a couple times a summer for the past several years (although not as much as I used to, sadly) and have never seen the cartoonist. It's not even that big of a place. He claims that he's been there for three years, but I don't believe him. He didn't bill himself as a caricaturist so the result has a bit more of a traditional feel. Cal sat still for 10 minutes in the posing chair. Clara- not so much. She paced around trying not to make eye contact. I think Cal really enjoyed it and even offered the artist an unsolicited high-five.




Playing on the railroad tracks in front of the historical train depot is always the highlight of the trip for the kids- aside from the fresh bakery.

"The Original Market Bag"

Recent Work- Niki's Senior Pictures

A few weeks ago I took our neighbor Niki's Senior pictures (the best dog watcher since Hank Azaria on Mad About You) (I think I just dated myself). Anyway Niki and mom and I spent a couple hours at a few of the local picturesque spots and her back yard and came away with some good shots. Here are a couple of my (and her) favorites.

That's Henry- their new puppy.
(or Hangree as it is pronounced by a certain little lady I know)

Indian Summer

So, I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with our vacuum sealer. I don't know why. I just find it fun. We were at the West Bend Farmer's Market on Saturday having some nice family time. Coffee, fresh cinnamon rolls, kids in the wagon, a perfectly cool fall morning. The next thing we know, we have to kick the kids out of the wagon so we can haul 1/4 bushels each of fresh roma tomatoes and green beans. Oops. Needless to say, we ran out of vacuum sealer bags late Sunday afternoon.





On Sunday, we were at Dylan's Run/Walk for Autism with Marisa's company. It turns out it's a lot easier to do these charity walks if you keep the kids strapped into the strollers. We finished very near the back of the pack.

You can just see the sassy swagger in this picture.

Too bad we didn't keep this pace the entire time.

Labor Day Weekend- Mexican BBQ

A big thanks to April and Alberto for hosting a fantastic weekend of friends, food and fun. As far as parties go, you are definitely 2 for 2!

Getting set up for the weekend.

There's a joke here somewhere...

Baggin' it.

Clara trying to sucker me into something.

Gettin' the hair did.

Roomies.

Man, that was good.

Let the Margarita contest begin!

A delicious top five finish.

You want a piece of this Third Place Margarita?!?

Second Place: Parenting 101

And the winner is....Amy!

No, I'm Calvin.

The Sheboygan County Fair

For as long as I can remember, The Sheboygan County Fair has signaled the bittersweet end of Summer. As a kid, wrist band night on Thursday night was the highlight- unlimited rides, staying out past bedtime, the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world. As I grew older, it was about running into friends, carnival games, and teeny weeny donuts.

Over the past few years, I have introduced the tradition to my own family. It's amazing to watch the kids from year to year as they grow bolder in their ride selections and begin to remember what they did and didn't do last year and predict what they will and won't do next year.

It was a great night. No wrist band night yet this year, but we won't be able to avoid it next year. Cows? check. Tractors? check. Teeny Weeny Donuts? check. The ferris wheel? Let's just say we're still working our way up to that one. Oh- and we didn't miss the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world.