You Say Tomato...

I say this is the lovely plant that was sent to me by my new employer, Nature Sweet Tomatoes. I'll be doing social media marketing and blogging mostly from home. I'm really excited about the blogging part - writing about recipes, and health benefits and competitive advantages and tomato trivia and much, much more! Their new website will launch this week so I'll save the link until it does...


The plant came on Friday. I moved it to a side table below this window on Saturday. Jacob and Sarah woke me up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to tell me there was a huge frog on the window! ON THE INSIDE! He was positioned right above the tank with the three remaining tadpoles in it...but certainly, he couldn't be the tadpole who went missing at the beginning of the summer? Where would he have been all this time? Eating what? So the other theory is that he hitched a ride into the house on the gift plant! Tonya said it was my signing bonus.


He was cute and the kids wanted to keep him but we let him go in the backyard.

It's True.

Say It Ain't So...

I met a girl in San Antonio a few years ago who grew up in Madison, WI, and had been through Rochelle many times and dined at the Beacon. We fondly reminisced about Grasshoppers and the carrots, olives and crackers served with the scoop of cheese in silver dishes. Unfortunately, I just read this:

Rochelle lighthouse no longer a Beacon
By BrianButko
Friend Road Dog just wrote about his recent trip from Dixon to DeKalb, Illinois. Sorry to say he reports that the The Beacon Inn restaurant in Rochelle is now a Chinese buffet and that the lighthouse was removed from its sign. Here’s a view in 2005, after it had been remodeled from the original.


Bummer.

I'm Not Tired

Still not tired...




Ethan is not tired either...


We had to ask him about this when he woke up. He said it just looked fun to get in there. I don't think he intended to fall asleep!

Birthday Buddies!

Ethan's friend Matthew has a birthday nine days before Ethan's. They had joint parties for three years before Matthew moved away last year. He came back for a short visit in August. We met them at the pool for a little fun in the sun with lots of their other friends.



Richard, Rylee, Ethan, Matthew, Zenin, Aidan, Wrigley.

Brothers

We still get asked if Ethan and Lucas are twins, even though they are more than two years apart. But with their matching buzz cuts and penchant for bare feet, I guess I can see how people think that.

Flatting Stuff

Lucas enjoys a little cooking from time to time. He especially enjoys "flatting stuff."

Ava's Birthday

Lucas' friend, Ava, turned five already and had her birthday party at Build-A-Bear. Here are the kids playing hot potato while waiting for their turn to stuff their animal.


Lucas giving the "stuffer" some gas.


Garrath's koala is decked out in jeans, a tee shirt, flip flops, hat and shades! Lucas got a dog that was shaped more like a dog and less like a person, so a lot of outfits and accessories didn't seem to fit it properly. Then we saw the little baby version of his dog and once we learned that the mama had a magnet in her mouth that connected to one in the baby's neckerchief...we were sold!


Duck, duck, GOOSE! Or is it grey duck?!?


Great party...now we're off to the food court for pizza and cookie cake!