and, we're back.

hello again.

its been a certain kind of 8 weeks here in stroesslerland. the kind of 8 weeks that makes you want to revive your blogging with a couple of pictures that make you giggle and sigh and shake your head.

this is Logan. shu's next youngest cousin.
aliases: Logie, Yogie, Yogan, #11, Wildman, Climber of Anything, Giver of Nicknames. (you can start calling me Mena, by the way. Uncle Spud? just call him Babe.)

he and shuball have an incredibly strong love/strong dislike relationship. they'll be laughing together one minute, slapping each other the next. its loads of fun to be in charge of these two. in general, we try to provide a man-to-man defense.

as in, 2 adults for these 2 knuckleheads alone.

zone defense is tough, requiring more precision, agility and focus than i've been able to muster these last 8 weeks :) logan's mom, katie, and The Nana are especially skilled in this department.

the first photo is of a zoo day. the two passed out next to each other in the super-wide zoo stroller. the rest of the cuz were in the monkey building.

this one is that same night (i think...) at Nana & Jaj's house. the power went out, so the kids were each equipped with a weapon flashlight. the two, in a kinder, gentler moment spent some time sitting in The Nana's lap together. i'm sure 8 minutes later one was crying. or yelling. or slapping. or... you get the picture.

can you see the cut on joshua's chin?

5 stitches after a fall over the handlebars of a tricycle onto the edge of an asphalt parking pad only 4 hours into a weekend-long camping excursion prompting a trip to a very small hospital in northwest ohio.

mama's boy

even when there are acrobatic monkeys
competing for attention,
as far as joshua & i are concerned,
cookies take precedence.

the VA invasion

its taken me way too long to get these pictures up.
mostly because i was hoping to come up with a good story or two-
to somehow convey the joy and entertainment
found in hosting kim, tom & the four.

for now, some pictures.

haleybop and caroline - night #1

working the sunglasses

vogue it out, haley

shua prefers the mismatched jams, pulled up to the knees.

baby caroline

the zoo/rainforest trip... Uncle Elmo included

Uncle Elmo planning the attack

kim and haley up in the tree

grace and madison

daniel and the shu

daniel with his namesake :)

shu's favorite: the gharial

backpacking the toddlers

lunch break
(haley had a seat next to joshua at the other end of the table,
but she screamed, "not by shua! not by shua!"
until i sat her on my lap.
at the other end of the table.

i may or may not have felt similarly.

daniel and joshua opted for the Early Out with mark.
i told daniel that shua was going home for a nap, and he could join him.
he loudly proclaimed,
"oh, no. i don't wanna nap, buuuuuuut
maybe i could jus' lay on the couch and waach a movie or sumfin."
and they did.

next up: nature center complete with dress-up clothes

the leather vest
(i love the bent left knee!)

shua feeling slightly above the dress-up games

daniel decking his older brother out in a shawl

madison and dylan... so precious :)

haley turned the vest into a baby carrier

one last look at the vest

want to see more?
follow along at osinkoskyupdate.
you won't be disappointed.

we miss you guys!
can't wait for spring break :)

animal kingdom?

so, yes, we've been
a little animal-heavy
here in stroesslerland.

but listen,
when the little man digs it,
it occupies hours at a time,
and its free...
i'm sure you can indulge us.

plus, who doesn't love an orangutan
(especially one named Daniel),
a mother wallaby hopping over
right next to your feet
to show off her new baby,
or a big mouthed gharial
that swims right past you
to show off his silly grin?

thank you, Zoo Membership.
we really, really love you.

lions and tigers and dinos

the cleveland zoo has a summer exhibit of robotic dinosaurs.
it has entertained and traumatized many, many of our family members over the last few years, so i wasn't sure what to expect out of the little man on his first trip through.

they aren't lifesize, but they are certainly big enough. their eyes blink, arms & legs move, mouths full of teeth or fake food open and close with loud roaring. not to mention, they have the dinos all hidden up into a hilly, tree-filled area surrounding a pond on the zoo's property.

its pretty sweet.

turns out, shu loved the "nigh-nos" so much we went back through a second time after getting to feed the seals cold, hard, creepy little fish. what a mother won't do...or touch.

we went to the zoo zoo zoo...