Milwaukee

It might have been a little crazy but Steve and I decided to pack up our almost 7 week old son and head to Milwaukee. The trip was for a great reason - we wanted to introduce Frankie to some of Steve's family. Since we were going to see Nancy's side of the family, she came along for the trip as she wanted to show off her grandson to her family.

All ready to go!

Considering it was our first road trip with our son, I was quite proud of my packing skills. The only thing I over packed for the little guy was diapers. Considering the alternative, it was safer to add a few extra... Now for me on the other hand... I definitely over packed as usual.

We left home once Steve was done with work and I had managed to get the car loaded up very tetris-like which made my hubby proud. Frankie didn't nap much during the day so he crashed not long after we got going. On the way there we managed to only have two stops - both times to feed and change the little man.  It must be known that one of the stops was at a Dunkin' Donuts. 

Ready for the 2AM party!

Once we arrived at our hotel destination, Frankie was more than ready to be out of his car seat and free to move, unfortunately, it was like 11:30 PM. Nancy wanted Frankie in her room so she was able to experience his expertise at fighting sleep. Let's just say, that Nancy didn't get a whole lot of sleep on this trip as Frankie can be a little chatty when he sleeps and he knows how to work Grandma to let him stay awake longer. :-)

Introducing Frankie to Steve's Grandma and Grandpa Bach was priceless. They were so enamored with him. Steve's Grandma was in love and enjoyed singing and holding him.  Don't worry, she did relinquish her hold and gave him to Steve's Grandpa - again, he was smitten. He couldn't take his eyes off of him. Both days we were at their house with Frankie, they just loved him up! It is pretty apparent in the photos below how Frankie stole their hearts.

Pure joy.

Kathy and Fran, Steve's Aunt and Uncle, came by as well to meet the babe and Kathy quickly laid her claim to Frankie. They were inseparable. Friday evening, we went to Crabby's (Kathy & Fran's restaurant) and Kathy showed him off to everyone! It was really sweet.

Steve and I left Frankie with Nancy for a few hours and went to meet up with a couple of his friends from when he went to college in Green Bay. We wanted to go to their wedding in August but Frankie decided to be born on their wedding day. :-)

The Bach's (and Frankie)

Saturday was a special day for Steve's grandparents, not only was their great-grandson there but all of their children were there too. Vicki & Steve drove up from Green Bay with their puppies, Buck & Sadie, to meet the little man and Kathy was able to stop by for a few hours. It was a great day to have so much family together! Frankie enjoyed being passed around to everyone and Nancy enjoyed showing him off to her family.

Our drive home was fairly uneventful, except for a little detour due to a closed on-ramp. The trusty navigator, me, managed to get us back to the interstate with only a little additional time added. We made it home at a decent hour which was great and all of us were happy to sleep in our own beds.

Frankie was great for the entire trip! He loved meeting everyone and didn't mind getting passed around. His schedule was a little off but what can you expect from a 7 week old on his first road trip. Steve and I enjoyed seeing all the family and can't wait to see them again!

Full disclosure - there may be A LOT of photos:

Nothing like a good book for a road trip

I am one cool cat!

Great-Grandma Bach meeting Frankie

Great-Grandpa Bach meeting Frankie

Our family (only missing Kirby)

Aunt Kathy meeting Frankie

So sweet

Son & Mother

Kathy teaching Frankie the things only an
Aunt can teach

What are you looking at?

Frankie & Aunt Vicki

Frankie & Uncle Steve

Frankie with his Great-Grandma & Grandma

Proud Great-Grandparents

"What?"

The Whole Crew!

A Few Photos

Here are some photos from the past few weeks. Frankie B is growing!

The Singer boys

Bundled up for some shopping

Looks like such a little man in this photo

Frankie B

Stillwater

A little while before my birthday, Steve and I escaped to Stillwater for lunch and a little wine tasting. It was nice to get out of the house for some time together and, of course, to have an early celebration for my birthday. 

We couldn't have picked a more gorgeous day! The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot - perfect for enjoying a patio lunch overlooking the river. After wandering the downtown shops for a while, we headed to St. Croix Vineyards for some wine. We tasted some great wines and managed to bring home a case of wines. Next to the wine tasting was an apple orchard so we stopped in and picked up some yummy apples and other apple goodies. Talk about a great day! 

Lunch on the patio at The Freight House

Nothing like enjoying a beer with your lunch

Stacey Visits & More!

We were so lucky in September my dear friend Stacey made the trek to Minnesota from Wyoming. She was more than happy to escape the rain and flooding in Colorado/Wyoming for a few days and we were glad to have her!

I was happy to get some girl time. Stacey and I don't get to see each other very often so we always make the most of our short times together. We even managed to sneak in a girly movie and a little shopping. A great addition to the weekend was Stacey's mom and Harlan stopped by and met Frankie. I hadn't seen Big D since Stacey's wedding in June of 2012 and, since then, she has married and moved north. We had a little catching up to do! As if we couldn't cram more into her short visit, my parents were up babysitting the girls so we made the trip to Blaine and saw them for a few hours. My parents hadn't seen Stacey, I am guessing, since our wedding so they enjoyed catching up. Plus it is always fun to see my nieces. The girls were not too sure about Frankie but Madison really enjoyed stealing items from Frankie's car seat and diaper bag. She is such a goofball!

Although I would like to think that Stacey just came to see me, her main reason for visiting was to meet her "nephew". Frankie loved Stacey and Stacy loved Frankie! They were quite the duo. The few days she was here went too quickly and I unfortunately couldn't convince her to stay longer. Oh well, she will just have to visit again soon! (*hint*hint*)

You may be wondering where Steve was during all of this fun, well, he decided to walk three rounds of golf on that Saturday with one of his buddies. Needless to say, he was quite exhausted after that. Stacey and I were kind enough to relinquish the basement to him that night so he could enjoy a few hours of video games.

Here are a few photos I snapped during Stacey's visit:

Kirby & Frankie getting some early morning
snuggles from Stacey

We successfully assembled Frankie's swing

Stacey came with gifts - Steve loves his
"Singer Brewing Co." beer glasses!

Love her!

Ava was not happy Madison tried to
take her blanket

The girls not to sure about this whole
baby thing

What a pair!

While Stacey's visit was fabulous visit, since Frankie was born, we have been lucky enough to have other visitors as well! It has been a joy to introduce the little man to family and friends.

I (unfortunately) didn't always get pictures of Frankie with his visitors so I apologize if I forgot when you visited! You just have to come visit again! :-) But here are a few of our visitors:

Grandma loving up her grandson

Grandpa enjoying a quick nap

Heather & Dan meeting Frankie

Kevin and Ann enjoying the Sunday
football games with the little man

Hanging out with Great-Grandma

Butch & Connie snuggling up with Frankie

The Sadecki girls meeting the newest Singer

As you can see, we love visitors!

Frankie's 1st Packer Game

The first of many Packer games these two will enjoy together. 

Photo Series - 1 Month!

Our baby was one month on Tuesday so I thought I would take a few photos. He has already changed so much since he was born that I am hoping this will capture his changes from month to month. (I did something similar throughout the pregnancy to document my ever growing belly and it is fun to look at the changes)

A few things to note at one month: he has ridiculous eye-contact, he is sleeping better at night, he is always moving his legs, and he looks more like his Dad daily. This guy is constantly amazing us.

The recliner that Frankie is relaxing in belonged to his Great-Grandpa Francis Wilfred Singer who sadly isn't here physically but I know is with this little man daily.  

Newborn Photos

When Frankie was 11 days old, we had Jackie from Live & Love Studios come and take some photos of our little man. The photos really capture how expressive he is as well as his sweet little features. He has already grown so much since these pictures were taken!

Life can be so rough