Santa's Helper

"I've made a list and checked it twice... and I'm keeping an eye on you."

6 Weeks Old Today!

Hard to believe that our little girl is already 6 weeks old... The time has flown by; we knew it would because it did with H4, but wow!

Here's a pic of her ready to go out to lunch to celebrate her birthday with mommy and daddy. (And she is even starting to smile more, which is awesome!)

Unconditional Love

Kinsley, with a full tummy.

As I'm sitting in the living room late at night having just finished feeding Kinsley, and while every one else is asleep; one slows down enough to appreciate the bond between parent and child.

Transfixed on every breath she takes in the stillness of the night, one realizes that this little person is totally relying on you for everything in her life... and it is humbling. It makes you want to be a better person, someone worthy for such a monumental task. The question "how am I going to do this?!?" never crosses my mind; it never did with Harry either. You just do what ever needs to be done. 

Harry IV: "Do you know what you're doing?!?"

I won't lie, this time around has been much easier... and not because Harry IV was harder, it's just that we know what to do. I think there were many times when baby Harry instinctively knew we were out of our comfort zone in handling a newborn; he'd often look at us with that baby-furrowed brow of his as if to say: "You people have no clue do you?!?" Well, the good news is that we all survived and he is thriving at almost 4 years old. Wow.

I love you my little man.

I love you my beautiful baby girl.

I'm honored and so thankful to be your daddy. Thank you for that gift, and I will always try to live up to your expectations... but I'm still going to chew your butts when you need it. :)

The Contract

 

Heidi has come to an agreement with H4 on what consents as a treat; when he should receive said treat and under what conditions.

Hopefully this should take care of the the multiple treat requests we receive here at the ranch... At least until he forgets, and/or his sister grows up and starts in on us all over again.

Future Drummer?

A quick little video taken yesterday of H4 playing his cousins drum set. Sure, he isn't ready to take over for Chris Fryar of the Zac Brown Band yet, but ya gotta start somewhere right?!?

My favorite part is when he drops the sticks at the end in true rock god fashion, and says "all done".

Top of the Playland

Seems like just a few weeks ago that my little man was first waddling his way through the mall play land, with his nervous parents looking on, hoping that he doesn't get run over by the bigger kids. Now, he is one of the "bigger kids". It's crazy how fast the time has flown by, and how quickly he has grown.

Truly a "blink and you'll miss it" moment.

"You Could Hang Meat In Here."

There have been recent reports that we may keep our house a wee bit on the chilly side.
We've sent a crew to the scene to investigate, and found two local folks who allowed us to take their picture for the story.
Details to follow.

Baby Girl Ehmsen Has Choosen Her Name!

After much deliberation, she has decided on... drum roll please...

Kinsley Harper Ehmsen

It took much thought, as the other names we had suggested were "Piper", "Harper Avery" or "Kinsley".

Every time we would say to her "Piper", she would wrinkle up her nose or make a face as if she just ate some Brussels sprouts.

"Harper Avery" seemed to by okay to her, but when we would mention "Kinsley", she would have a twinkle in her eye... and it was decided.

Welcome to the world my little Kinsley, welcome to the world.

You. Fetch me a bottle. Quickly.

Announcing... The Arrival: Part II

Today at 2:03pm, Baby Girl Ehmsen arrived safe and sound to very happy and proud parents!

She comes in at 8lbs, 1oz - 19.5" long and is absolutely beautiful.

We told her the three names we have picked out for her, and she is contemplating each one and said she'll get back to us on which one she decides on.

Big Problems

Tonight happened to be bath night here at the ranch... Well, H4's bath night that is. Mine isn't for a couple days yet.

Anyways; H4 always has certain bath toys that he likes to play with while in the tub getting clean (hopefully). One of which is a tiny little baby doll that he got a hold of from somewhere... which is fine, but he also has a little baby bottle that he likes to fill and then squirt me with, while laughing in a hysterical 3 year old laugh that has a slight hint of mischievousness to it.

Baby in the Bottle

While draining the bath water, I went to uncap the bottle and found this:

This certainly cannot be good. I found the little baby toy IN THE BOTTLE... FILLED WITH WATER!!

Needless to say, I was a bit disturbed. Still am actually.

Send all therapist referrals to me at the link below. Thank you.

Climbing Trees

Took little man to the park today in Swisher. It's a great little city park that hosts a baseball diamond and a little tennis court, plus play things for kids to climb on.

We had a great time on the swing, and the slide... and even did a little tree climbing as seen by the photo above. Okay, so he didn't actually climb the tree as much as he was placed in the tree, but still made for a great pic.

Another cool thing they have there is a custom made grill made to look like an old tractor. It's obviously been used, quite a bit, but it has also been very well maintained. Little man loved sitting on it.

The Rock Wall

We went over to a friends house this afternoon to a birthday party for their little girl, where they have a really cool play set.

Now H4 has played on this set before, and has gone down the slide in the past, and enjoys the whole swinging thing... but never had he attempted the treacherous rock wall.

Of course, as everyone knows, many a toddler have succumbed to the walls' perils; never to be seen again. My little man has conquered the wall... First with a helpful, reassuring hand on the hiney, then... all. By. Himself.

Here is the video to prove it. "Two thumbs up."

Chillin with Ronald

H4 taking an ice cream cone break after a hard, long day playing with friends at school.

T-Minus 88 Days and Counting. Give or Take.

Ready for Round Two.

Yep. This means what you think it means. Stay tuned for a big announcement around November 2nd. :)

Bike Trip 2012 - Day 4

"Thou Shall Not Pass!"

This morning we unfortunately had some toilet flushing problems, but not sure what the problem was though. Possibly the copious amounts of cheese that has been consumed over the past few days?? Anyways, Don is apparently well versed in the ways of the plunger, so he took control of the situation, and soon all was well again.

Being the last day of our trip, we focused mostly on riding the back roads of Wisconsin as much as possible. It was a bit cooler today too, so that made the ride all that better.

River Walk Pub

We came back into the Dells for lunch at the River Walk Pub which overlooks the Wisconsin River; absolutely beautiful. We had burgers and fries then took a walk downtown, where all the tourist trap-stores are. There has to be at least 10 different t-shirt shops, but all with basically the same t-shirt designs. One did catch my eye though, thanks to my son's ongoing potty training. If they had his size, he would have earned himself one.

Celebrating life's little (or big)
accomplishments.

After our lunch, Don passed out on the river walk, so I took the opportunity to sight see. Right below the river walk are the Dells Boat Tours docks. It was fun to see the tours come and go, and all the excited families heading out on their excursions. 

Boat tour docks.

It has been a great week, full of rides around part of Wisconsin, and it was great to catch up with an old friend. We ate, we watched movies, we ate some more... And rode.

But all good things must come to an end sooner or later, so tomorrow we head back to Iowa to settle in to our normal lives.

In a month or two, we'll start brainstorming ideas for the next road trip. Thanks for tagging along! - Harry

Recharging for the trip home.

Bike Trip 2012 - Day 3

Hulk Costume

Rode into the Dells to check out the Tanger Outlet Mall they have there. It was built just around 4-5 years ago and is pretty neat. It is enclosed in a style of a normal walk-in mall, but there are no doors so you feel whatever weather is going on. It does have a roof, so no rain or snow would fall on you, but you would definitely feel the hot or cold. Standard Dells motif is the north woods theme, with lots of logs, ect.


We only checked out a couple of stores, one being a Disney outlet. Since Disney bought Marvel comics, you now have a good chance of finding Marvel stuff there, and they didn't disappoint. Behold a Hulk costume that H4 would love! Ya, it's a bit scary looking, but not too bad in person. Only problem, it's $50... so it did not find its way into the Spyder's trunk. Pretty cool though huh???


We then left there and caught a matinee of "The Dark Knight Rises". This is the second time I've seen it, and true to form, caught a lot that I missed the first time. Great film, and a nice wrap up of the trilogy.

Nice Riding

Got in some good riding too. Took this picture when touring some areas around Lake Delton.

Ouch!

Speaking of the lake, you probably remember back in '08 when the Lake Delton dam breached and the entire lake drained into the Wisconsin River? Well, the lake has since been restored, but obviously it's not back to its previous glory. They recently added 500 gallons of blue dye to counteract the pea green color the water was before. The lake looks pretty, but for the $30,000 price tag and 2-4 week lifespan, I'm not sure it is worth it. Hmm, anything for the tourist though, right?

On the DQ Tour of Wisconsin.

Before heading back to the motel we fueled up the bikes (check out that price per gallon! OUCH!) and ourselves at the Dairy Queen. Had one of the largest chocolate sundaes ever. And yes, it was awesome.

Bike Trip 2012 - Day 2

Richland Center DQ

Today we rode to Vetesnik Powersports in Richland Center. This is the dealership where I purchased my Can Am Spyder, and a stop on our Wisconsin Tour since 1996. Bonus: I get a discount now that I bought a bike there, so I always pick up the filters, ect. that I need.


Next we head down the road to the Richland Center Dairy Queen. A couple years back they totally remodeled it into the fancier "Grill & Chill" format, and have a full hot and cold food menu.


After a long ride through the country, we came up North through Reedsburg and past a sunflower field, which was really neat as I never had seen one before to my recollection. Unfortunately, traffic prevented me from pulling over to snap a picture.

Kalahari Lobby

We arrived at the AMC Desert Star movie theater by the afternoon and looked around the Kalahari Resort before our show time. This is a very nice resort with the cheapest rooms going for $300 a night, ouch. But if you can afford it, it does have an amusement and water park, and a family wouldn't have to venture out far to find anything more. It also have one of the nicest baked goods in the Dells... of course you're gonna pay for it, a large chocolate chip cookie will run you $3.50 each, but is the size of at least 3 normal sized cookies.

Kalahari Lobby

Deserts Anyone?

We saw the Pixar movie "Brave". Excellent film with a fantastic soundtrack. Tomorrow we will hopefully see the new Batman film, or perhaps save it for Thursday as it is supposed to rain.

After the movie, we went to the one eating spot we have never missed on any Dells trip... The Pizza Pub. Awesome. I don't know what it is about it, but the pizza tastes better, and the Pepsi is sweeter there. This is where having a refrigerator in your room is essential to hold your leftovers. If you ever travel to, or through the Dells, Pizza Pub is a must. They also have the best salad bar I've ever seen. Everything is fresh, looks great and tastes fantastic! Service has always been good too, unless the place is packed, then it'll slow down a bit. Still worth it though!

Bike Trip 2012 - Day 1

Don checking his bag,
my Spyder is behind him.

Every year since 1992 my friend Don Schneider and I have taken an annual summer trip, usually to Wisconsin. This year being no different, we left today for four nights and will head home Friday.


I brought the netbook with me in an attempt to journal our travels, we'll see how it goes...


As virtually all trips before, we officially start at the Dubuque Dairy Queen. This is symbolic because it is the last town before entering Wisconsin, and until you see the bridge spanning over the Mississippi River, you ain't on vacation yet! 

Yep, that blue spec is Don. (Forgot to zoom)

The ride was warm, but great. We passed through favorite towns of Dodgeville, home of the famed "Don 'Q' Inn" where you can stay in an actual airplane, and Spring Green where Frank Lloyd Wright had his residence and architecture school (tours are $45, and no, I've never taken the tour).

This year, we mixed it up a bit and are not staying in the Wisconsin Dells. We normally stay at the Mayflower Motel, and have for the better of 20 years, but when calling for reservations we encountered a motel under new ownership that doesn't appear to value customer service any longer... thus we are staying in Portage Wisconsin. I've heard that the Mayflower has gone downhill and has even filled in one of their outdoor pools to make room for more parking; we'll check that out later this week.

Decisions... soda?

Decisions... beer?

Wow! What's a "clean remote"??

We arrived in Portage not sure what our hotel was going to be like, but considering what we've stayed in before, it had to be an improvement!

We checked in, grabbed our bags and lo and behold... a clean room! Heck, even the remote for the tv was a "clean remote" (meaning that is has all smooth surfaces to make disinfecting easier).

"Hardly any rats."

Don checked out the bathroom; no leaks, mold or scaling of the faucets! There wasn't even any bedbugs! All the signs of reasonable accommodations.

The Hitching Post

After a long day on the road, the desk person recommended a restaurant just up the road from our hotel, "The Hitching Post". It wasn't much to look at, but the food was excellent and a reasonable value. We both had burgers with fries, but Don opted for the beer battered ones which was the way to go.

Beer battered fries for the win.

After dinner we heading down the street to the Walmart for "supplies" (snacks). The only problem was that this particular Walmart doesn't carry alcohol, which was no problem for me as I don't drink, but a big problem for Don as he enjoys a particular beer only available in Wisconsin. We dumped our goods back off at the room and headed out to the Portage Theater to catch a movie. The theater turned out to be an old restored movie house that has been around for close to 100 years. Not sure I trust the teenage employee who told me this, but we'll go with it.

The Supplies

Portage Theater

Swimming at the Pool

We went to the North Liberty Rec Center for the birthday party of one of Heidi's co-workers children. After getting acclimated to the water temp, and just getting used to the water in general, little man did great!

Here are a few of the moments captured; enjoy!

A Day of RAGBRAI

The two bright yellow dudes are myself and my best friend Travis.

I don't know how he did it, but my best friend of more then 35 years talked me into riding a day of RAGBRAI with him. And not just any day... but the longest day. 70 miles. With hills. And terrible porta-potties that no one should have been subjected to (vile things).

So how did this happen you ask? As with all things... the best of intentions were at hand.

RAGRAI stands for the "Registers Great Bike Ride Across Iowa". It's an week long annual event that goes back 40 years this year. Thousands of bicycle riders come from all over (not just the states) to ride it. Click on the link to go to their website, it is a really cool event.

2012 Trek 1.1

So... I had started training in April using my mountain bike... which I quickly realized wasn't going to cut the mustard on a 70 mile ride, so it was listed on eBay and sold for more then I paid for it, which is always good. With my newly found wealth, I bought a Trek One.One road bike and proceeded to train my butt off, which wasn't hard to do as I don't actually have much of a butt... thus I had to invest in padded bike shorts. Highly recommended by the way.

After many months of after dinner night rides, I felt confident that I had what it takes to take on a day of Ragbrai. I was wrong.

After 30 to 40 miles, my longest ride to this point being a 28 mile ride, I started wimpering like a little school boy and just wanted to go home. I wasn't having fun anymore. At all. My legs hurt. My ass hurt. I think even my hair was in distress... I recall at one of the stops telling Travis that I didn't feel very well, and I must have looked it as he started trying to get a hold of his wife on the phone to arrange an earlier meeting point. Turned out she hadn't left home yet, so we were better off pressing on. I found great comfort seeing the various ambulances and emergency personnel driving the course as we rode on.

With all my turmoil, we eventually made it to the end in Clinton Iowa where we dipped our tires into the Mighty Mississippi. I was luck not to fall in as my legs were jelly by this time. I was cheered on by my wonderful wife and child, which was awesome to have the support, especially Heidi as she was the one who would watch H4 while I was out training.

In the end, it felt like hell a huge accomplishment and I was never going to do something like this again proud of myself for finishing.

On the drive home, Travis asked me about doing it again next year. I told him it would be best to ask me in a month or so, as he probably wouldn't like the answer I had at that moment. :)

The Dark Knight Returns

Okay, so he looks more like Robin then Batman, but there is no doubt on how cute he is right?


We found this at JC Penny and had to have him try it on. Daddy was jealous and wants his own, but couldn't find it in "daddy" size. 


Bummer.


Oh well, at least you can rest easy knowing that mini Batman is on patrol.

Future Fire Fighter part II

We went to the 49th annual Solon Fire Department Breakfast this morning and H4 was in fire truck heaven. We couldn't get him to eat any pancakes, probably because they weren't made by Nana, but the breakfast was awesome as always.


Scrambled or fried eggs, pancakes, sausage and ham were on the menu. Along with coffee, juice or milk. The weather was great, if not a bit on the warm side. Last year a thunderstorm passed through, and lightning struck the church up the street from the fire department. I'm sure that would have been quite the sight!

Next year they'll celebrate their 50th breakfast! Crazy to think that they've been doing this fundraiser for that long... It's got to be one of the best tasting and organized in the state, 
but I may be a bit biased. :)


Later on today we have a couple of graduation parties to attend, then we'll be off to visit Nana and Papa in Coralville. For now, everyone but me are "recharging" (taking naps). Even the dog.


Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Future Firefighter?

We went to the North Liberty Blues & Bar-B-Q this afternoon, and the NL Fire Dept had a couple of their trucks on display... Of course, this was a huge hit with H4, who got to talk with a real firefighter and check out the truck. It was a big hit. :)