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We welcomed our first child, Ryan Avenarius McFarlane, 7 weeks early on December 3, 2008. We are truly blessed to have an amazing little boy!

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Ryan 9 month Professional Pictures :

Ryan 9 month Professional Pictures

Updated: Sep 29, 2009 3:10pm CST

Our First Family Vacation - Minneapolis Sept 2-7 : We took our first family vacation from Sept 2nd-7th and went to Minneapolis. We went to the Mall of America, hung out with Uncle Greg, went to the state fair, ate some bacon on a stick, went swimming with the Meulemans family, went to the aquarium, visited the Sichers, went to the sculpture garden, and hung out with Danielle, Eric, Dylan, and Jack. It was a very busy, fun-filled long weekend!

Our First Family Vacation - Minneapolis Sept 2-7

We took our first family vacation from Sept 2nd-7th and went to Minnea ...

Updated: Sep 21, 2009 10:42pm CST

Wagfest 2009 : We went to Wagfest again this year and really enjoyed it. We spent some quality time outside in the hot weather, Molly and Michael participated in the kissing contest, Butler and Molly had their fortunes told, and we topped everything off with Puptinis for the pups. They were water martinis with a dog bone shaped ice cube with a hot dog frozen in it! Yum!

Wagfest 2009

We went to Wagfest again this year and really enjoyed it. We spent som ...

Updated: Sep 21, 2009 8:23pm CST

Ryan updated 9/21/09 : Ryan is 9 and a half months. At his 9 month appointment, he weighed in at 20lb, 14oz and was a very long 30.5 in! That puts him in the 50th% for weight and the 95th% for height. He's been in the 50th% for weight for awhile now, but has been consistently moving up the percentages for height - I won't be surprised when he's off the charts at his 1 year appointment! He's army crawling all around and has just started getting on his hands and knees. He is trying to pull himself up, but hasn't been successful just yet. He's eating a ton of solids and even eats some puffs, yogurt melts, cheese, and noodles.

Ryan updated 9/21/09

Ryan is 9 and a half months. At his 9 month appointment, he weighed in ...

Updated: Sep 21, 2009 8:19pm CST

Kitchen Backsplash : We finished our final kitchen project yesterday - adding the backsplash. It turned out about 1000 times better than we could have expected and the process went relatively smoothly. Until Michael was putting mortar around one of the outlets and sparks flew. Two electrician estimates and $740 later, we have a new electrical box and our entire electrical system is grounded properly. We also replaced all of the outlets and switchplates in the kitchen with new, pretty ones. While we were in there, we realized nothing was grounded, so we fixed that ourselves. After tiling the countertops, adding an island (complete with electrical), adding a cabinet pantry, replacing the florescent light with a ceiling fan (and then another ceiling fan after the first tried to kill me), installing a new sink (with new plumbing), adding a garbage disposal, adding cabinet hardware, adding an in-cabinet garbage, replacing the dishwasher, painting, adding a backsplash, installing new under-cabinet lighting over the sink, and replacing the switchplates and outlets/switches, our kitchen is complete! We did it all (except for the electrical in the island and Eric and Joe helped with the ceiling fans) ourselves and we are quite proud of ourselves! I have added some before pictures so you can see how far we've come!

Kitchen Backsplash

We finished our final kitchen project yesterday - adding the backsplas ...

Updated: Aug 11, 2009 8:24pm CST

Corn Roast 2009 : Cori & Andy hosted another corn roast this year and we actually got to go! we saw all sorts of friends and their little ones. it's amazing how the group has changed over the last few years with the addition of all the little ones!

Corn Roast 2009

Cori & Andy hosted another corn roast this year and we actually got to ...

Updated: Aug 11, 2009 8:13pm CST

Ryan updated 08/11/2009 : ryan is the tallest preemie baby ever. or at least he's taller than 100% of baby boys on the preemie growth chart. :) we had our NICU follow-up and ryan did very well. he was 18lbs, 13oz as of our last dr appointment and has another 4 teeth coming in for a total of 6! he likes mangos and pears and apples and sweet tatoes. he got sick for the first time in the middle of july with an ear infection and is sick this week with his first cold. not too shabby for a preemie that's in daycare full time! he sits on his own and can stand if he holds onto something (no pulling up yet). he's thisclose to crawling! look out world!

Ryan updated 08/11/2009

ryan is the tallest preemie baby ever. or at least he's taller than 10 ...

Updated: Aug 11, 2009 8:03pm CST

Ryan's First Haircut : when mom came to watch ryan at the beginning of august, we needed to do something about ryan's wild hair. apparently, his hair grows like his mom's - fast. we trimmed up the ears and a little on the top and it looks much, much better. stay tuned for his first "real" haircut in september!

Ryan's First Haircut

when mom came to watch ryan at the beginning of august, we needed to d ...

Updated: Aug 11, 2009 7:49pm CST

New Front Stoop : Our front stoop was rotting, so it was time to call Joe over to do a little repair work. Michael and Joe knocked out replacing the step in an afternoon. Looks tons better and now I don't have to worry about falling through.

New Front Stoop

Our front stoop was rotting, so it was time to call Joe over to do a l ...

Updated: Jul 15, 2009 11:53am CST

Ryan updated 7/14/09 : Ryan is about 7 and a half months! At our last doctor appointment (in June) he was up to 17.5 lbs! He has developed go-go-gadget arms and is reaching for everything! He's very curious and everything goes straight into his mouth. He's taking his solids like a champ, has 2 teeth (!) and has moved to his big-boy carseat!

Ryan updated 7/14/09

Ryan is about 7 and a half months! At our last doctor appointment (in ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2009 10:35pm CST

Ryan's First Swim : we finally got all dressed up in our sunscreen, swim diaper, swimming trunks, hat, and sunglasses and went for a dip in Ryan's new pool. he seemed to enjoy it - until it was time to come inside!

Ryan's First Swim

we finally got all dressed up in our sunscreen, swim diaper, swimming ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2009 10:18pm CST

4th of July 2009 : Tony and Sara came to visit this 4th of July and we caught the fireworks in Tosa. We were probably about 100 yards from where they were setting them off and they were right above us! Ryan seemed to enjoy them for the first half, but then lost his battle with bedtime and fell asleep. My excellent sleeper didn't even flinch during the grand finale!

4th of July 2009

Tony and Sara came to visit this 4th of July and we caught the firewor ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2009 10:10pm CST

Ryan 6 Month pictures :

Ryan 6 Month pictures

Updated: Jun 11, 2009 8:38pm CST

First Solids 6/2/09 :

First Solids 6/2/09

Updated: Jun 02, 2009 8:10pm CST

Ryan Mac updated May 25, 2009 :

Ryan Mac updated May 25, 2009

Updated: May 25, 2009 8:50pm CST

Ryan's Baptism May 24, 2009 :

Ryan's Baptism May 24, 2009

Updated: May 25, 2009 8:26pm CST

Memorial Day Parade 2009 :

Memorial Day Parade 2009

Updated: May 25, 2009 6:12pm CST

Ryan Mac updated May 19, 2009 : Ryan Mac is about 5 1/2 months old now and I can't believe how much he's changed. I was just looking through some of his birth/NICU pictures and he is such a different baby! He's such a happy, smiling baby. He is still sleeping through the night and wakes up "talking" up a storm! Sometimes he even talks himself right back to sleep! And those eyes, what can I even say?? Objectively, I'm pretty sure he has the most amazing blue eyes I've ever seen! Tyra Banks herself would be amazed by how this kid can smile with his eyes! We are truly blessed and couldn't have asked for a better kiddo!

Ryan Mac updated May 19, 2009

Ryan Mac is about 5 1/2 months old now and I can't believe how much he ...

Updated: May 19, 2009 7:31pm CST

Zoo Trip! : this was our second trip to the zoo (the pictures from the first trip were eaten by a dead hard drive!). we woke ryan up from a nap, and clearly he wasn't as amused by the monkeys as we were!

Zoo Trip!

this was our second trip to the zoo (the pictures from the first trip ...

Updated: May 19, 2009 7:13pm CST

Ryan Feb-March Updated 3/24/09 :

Ryan Feb-March Updated 3/24/09

Updated: Mar 24, 2009 9:05pm CST

Dubuque/Iowa City January 2009 : We took Ryan to Dubuque at the end of January to meet everyone. We drove to Iowa City on Saturday to meet our newest nephew, Jackson, born on January 21, 2009. On Sunday we had Ryan's first photo shoot, which went surprisingly well! We had an open house on Sunday afternoon and got to spend some quality time with our Dubuque friends. It was a great trip!

Dubuque/Iowa City January 2009

We took Ryan to Dubuque at the end of January to meet everyone. We dr ...

Updated: Mar 24, 2009 8:23pm CST

Ryan Mac the Baby Model :

Ryan Mac the Baby Model

Updated: Feb 01, 2009 5:49pm CST

Ryan Updated 1/26/09 : Ryan will be 8 weeks old on Wednesday. It's crazy to think it's been that long! His weight (the last time we checked) was 6lbs, 13oz, and I'm sure he's nearing 8lbs now. He looks so much bigger and even his hands feel different to hold. He eats like his daddy and apparently has his metabolism too! His monitor will be downloaded on Feb 3, and within a week we should hopefully be turning the monitor back into the rental company for good!

Ryan Updated 1/26/09

Ryan will be 8 weeks old on Wednesday. It's crazy to think it's been t ...

Updated: Jan 26, 2009 6:57pm CST

Ryan Updated 1/15/09 :

Ryan Updated 1/15/09

Updated: Jan 15, 2009 8:07pm CST

Coming Home : Ryan was officially released from the NICU on December 29, 2008. His trend event test showed that there may still be some apnea issues, so he was sent home with an apnea monitor. He had one alarm the first night which he quickly resolved, and hasn't had any since! We're hopeful that he will be off the monitor by the end of the month. When he was finally released Monday night, we bundled him up and took him out into the world. Although having a newborn at home is definitely time consuming and tiring, it's a thousand times easier than having a newborn in the NICU and we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Coming Home

Ryan was officially released from the NICU on December 29, 2008. His ...

Updated: Jan 15, 2009 5:32pm CST

Ryan updated 12/26/2008 : Ryan is eating more every day and today started his trend event test, which will tell us if he needs to come home on a monitor. The doctor wants him home by Monday!

Ryan updated 12/26/2008

Ryan is eating more every day and today started his trend event test, ...

Updated: Dec 26, 2008 3:01pm CST

Ryan updated 12/12/08 :

Ryan updated 12/12/08

Updated: Dec 12, 2008 3:06pm CST

Ryan Avenarius McFarlane : Ryan Avenarius McFarlane was born on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 8:11pm. He weighed 4lbs, 14oz, and is 18 1/2 inches long. He has dark blond hair and blue eyes (we think!). He was only 32 weeks, 6 days along, so he will be spending some time in the NICU. He is doing VERY well and we're hopefully he will be home for Christmas! For updates, please see Ryan's website at http://www.babysites.com/sites/babymac012209

Ryan Avenarius McFarlane

Ryan Avenarius McFarlane was born on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at ...

Updated: Dec 05, 2008 3:29pm CST

RA Weekend and Surprise Shower! :

RA Weekend and Surprise Shower!

Updated: Oct 19, 2008 9:05pm CST

Baby Mac's Room : after a coat of primer and 4 coats of yellow paint, we were finally able to move the baby's furniture to the bedroom (with erin's help!). we put together the crib and the changing table and hung the shelf. now, all we have left to do is put together the tall dresser and hang 2 window valances! we're almost there and it looks even more amazing than i could have imagined!

Baby Mac's Room

after a coat of primer and 4 coats of yellow paint, we were finally ab ...

Updated: Oct 19, 2008 8:16pm CST

Landscaping :

Landscaping

Updated: Sep 26, 2008 4:02pm CST

Baby Mac's 1st Packers Game! :

Baby Mac's 1st Packers Game!

Updated: Sep 23, 2008 4:34pm CST

Key West Babymoon : We took a vacation to Key West, FL August 30 - September 4 as our "babymoon" and anniversary trip. We were on the edge of Hurricane Gustav the first day, but after that the weather was hot, humid, and sunny the whole time! We had a great trip.

Key West Babymoon

We took a vacation to Key West, FL August 30 - September 4 as our "bab ...

Updated: Sep 13, 2008 9:20pm CST

Dragonboat Races 2008 : We went to Iowa the weekend of Sept. 6 & 7 to pick up Butler and Molly, who were lucky enough to spend the week before at Grandma and Grandpa Nuni's house! The Dubuque dragonboat races were that weekend as well and my mom participates every year as a member of the Breat of Friends (breast cancer survivor group) team. This year they beat out the other breast cancer survival group for the gold medal!

Dragonboat Races 2008

We went to Iowa the weekend of Sept. 6 & 7 to pick up Butler and Molly ...

Updated: Sep 13, 2008 9:02pm CST

Madison Race for the Cure :

Madison Race for the Cure

Updated: Jul 28, 2008 11:12am CST

Summer Fun with Cole and Grant : earlier this summer, we got to watch cole and grant on a beautiful summer day. we broke out the water toys and had a great time! michael even got some much needed sun!

Summer Fun with Cole and Grant

earlier this summer, we got to watch cole and grant on a beautiful sum ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2008 10:54am CST

Dylan's 1st Birthday : dylan turned 1 on July 20, 2008. we celebrated his birthday in north liberty with mom, dad, danielle, eric, eric's parents, and danielle and eric's nephew ethan. we opened tons of presents, ate a great dinner, and played some cornhole. i think everyone had a great time!

Dylan's 1st Birthday

dylan turned 1 on July 20, 2008. we celebrated his birthday in north l ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2008 9:52am CST

Fourth of July 2008 :

Fourth of July 2008

Updated: Jul 18, 2008 3:39pm CST

Taste of Chicago 2008 :

Taste of Chicago 2008

Updated: Jul 18, 2008 1:00pm CST

Easter 2008 : We spent Easter this year in Oshkosh with all the nephews and Meghan. We had an Easter egg hunt with real eggs! Michael hid 36. We found 35....

Easter 2008

We spent Easter this year in Oshkosh with all the nephews and Meghan. ...

Updated: May 10, 2008 7:50am CST

Alex's Soccer Game : Alex and the rest of the McFarlane game were in town for a traveling soccer team tournament. Alex is number 13. They lost, but it was a great time. The weather was great and we always love hanging out with the nephews!

Alex's Soccer Game

Alex and the rest of the McFarlane game were in town for a traveling s ...

Updated: May 09, 2008 9:13pm CST

Dubuque/Iowa City April 2008 : The weekend of April 26th we went home to Dubuque. On Friday night we had a delicious dinner at our favorite Dubuque mexican restaurant with mom and dad. Saturday morning we got up early, picked up Grandpa and drove to North Liberty to visit Dylan, Danielle, and Eric. We hadn't seen Dylan since Christmas! (we haven't seen Danielle or Eric either, but they don't change as fast!). We drove back to Dubuque, got our hair done, and ate dinner at the Star Brewery, which was pretty good and had a great atmosphere. Sunday we went to church, ate lunch with Grandma at Bandanas, watched the pups play and drove back home. This past week we got some bad news - my parent's dog Moe had bone cancer. He had been limping a bit when we were home, but we figured he had slipped on the wet tile. Unfortunately that was not the case and Moe had to be put down on May 7th. He was an absolutely awesome dog. We will all miss him very much. Butler and Molly did have a great time playing with their Uncle Moe this past weekend and I'm sure will have nothing but fond memories.

Dubuque/Iowa City April 2008

The weekend of April 26th we went home to Dubuque. On Friday night we ...

Updated: May 09, 2008 12:46pm CST

Arizona 2008 : Michael and I went flew to Phoenix, AX on April 3rd. We ate a very late dinner with Audrey before checking into our hotel. On the morning of the 4th we met Michael's mom and Joe for breakfast before driving down to Tucson to see Scott and Jess! We spent the weekend roaming around Tucson, which we both loved. It was great to get some warm weather and see Scott and Jess. We drove back up to Phoenix on the 7th and stopped at Ikea before flying back.

Arizona 2008

Michael and I went flew to Phoenix, AX on April 3rd. We ate a very lat ...

Updated: Apr 19, 2008 7:42pm CST

Grant's 1st Birthday Party :

Grant's 1st Birthday Party

Updated: Mar 21, 2008 11:03pm CST

Snow 2008 : today is march 21, 2008. the second day of spring. and a the second biggest snow storm of the year, which i believe makes 2008 the second snowiest year of all time here in milwaukee! but the pups love the snow, and i get out of work early, so we roll with it!

Snow 2008

today is march 21, 2008. the second day of spring. and a the second bi ...

Updated: Mar 21, 2008 10:07pm CST

Bucks Game : michael's boss was kind enough to let us use some of his Milwaukee Bucks tickets. we went and the Bucks were playing the Houston Rockets, which meant Yao vs. Yi. i can't believe how tall those guys are! it's insane!! we took cole and nate and had a great time. and i had a good time playing with the settings on the new camera when the guys went to walk around.

Bucks Game

michael's boss was kind enough to let us use some of his Milwaukee Buc ...

Updated: Feb 04, 2008 8:19pm CST

Chicago 2008 for Mike's Birthday : Michael turned 29 on Friday, January 18th. We went out to dinner at Nanakusa, a great Sushi place, here in Milwaukee with our friends James and Carina. Saturday morning we got up and dropped off the pups at daycare and drove to Chicago for a brief trip. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry, which was having a free day. It wasn't as cool as either of us remember, but they did have the new Dyson hand dryers in the bathroom, which itself was worth the $14 we paid for parking! We relaxed at the Courtyard Marriott, ate dinner at McCormick and Schmicks, and visited the Bahai temple on the way back home. It was a great trip!

Chicago 2008 for Mike's Birthday

Michael turned 29 on Friday, January 18th. We went out to dinner at Na ...

Updated: Jan 21, 2008 11:57am CST

Scooba! : after a very difficult purchasing experience, I am now the proud owner of a Scooba! Basically, it's a Roomba for hardwood floors. I fill it up with water and detergent, put it in the middle of the floor, push a button, and it cleans my floors for me! that's my least favorite part of cleaning, and since we have a TON of hardwood in our house, it's especially nice!

Scooba!

after a very difficult purchasing experience, I am now the proud owner ...

Updated: Jan 21, 2008 11:39am CST

New Shower Shelves! : After installing our new shower door, we realized the tension rod bottle holder basket thing in the corner was ugly! We got some glass shelves and a soap dish from Pottery Barn. the installation wasn't as easy as it looked, but we now have 2 shelves and a soap dish. not only does it look way nicer, but we also have more room! now, all we have to do in the bathroom is paint and we will have finished everything we want to do to one whole room!!

New Shower Shelves!

After installing our new shower door, we realized the tension rod bott ...

Updated: Jan 15, 2008 8:52am CST

Michael's Swearing In : On January 10, 2007, Michael was sworn into the Wisconsin State Bar. He is, therefore, licensed to practice law in the state of Wisconsin. It has been a wild few years for us. We basically started dating at the beginning of my law school career and we went straight through until this year. Five years, four months, and ten days later, we're finally done. We've been celebrating a lot over the past month with Mike finishing school, graduating, and the holidays, but I must say that this was the "big" celebration for me. I saw many couples grow apart during my law school career, so to know that Michael and I made it through not one, but two law school tenures is encouraging. I have no doubt that if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything! It seems that all the stress from the last 5 years or so has finally worked itself out and now we're on to the stresses of being grown ups! Enough about that though, congrats to Michael and let his legal career begin!

Michael's Swearing In

On January 10, 2007, Michael was sworn into the Wisconsin State Bar. ...

Updated: Jan 12, 2008 8:03pm CST

Christmas 2007 : christmas was a blast this year. we started buy presents in july and finished up shortly after thanksgiving. i wrapped for what felt like days! we spent the saturday before christmas with mike's dad and sue in oshkosh. we spent christmas eve and christmas day with my family in dubuque and then the saturday after christmas at mike's mom and joe's. unfortunately, I came down with the flu on christmas and then got a cold immediately thereafter! yuck! we got some great gifts and gave some great gifts. i had a blast decorating our house and look forward to michael being able to help next year now that he's out of school! all in all it was a great holiday!

Christmas 2007

christmas was a blast this year. we started buy presents in july and f ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2007 4:31pm CST

Michael's Graduation : Michael graduated on December 16 from Marquette Law. We attended the University-wide graduation ceremony Sunday morning and the Law School hooding ceremony (they put a sash over your head) in the afternoon. He has a job at Zilske Law Firm and will start on January 3rd. He will be working as a workers' compensation defense lawyer and is really excited to be out of school!

Michael's Graduation

Michael graduated on December 16 from Marquette Law. We attended the U ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2007 4:22pm CST

Mom's Surprise 50th Birthday Party :

Mom's Surprise 50th Birthday Party

Updated: Nov 27, 2007 8:39pm CST

Cole & Grant :

Cole & Grant

Updated: Nov 04, 2007 10:01pm CST

dylan matthew fischer : Dylan Matthew Fischer, born on July 20, 2007.

dylan matthew fischer

Dylan Matthew Fischer, born on July 20, 2007.

Updated: Nov 04, 2007 6:57pm CST

Halloween 2007 : This is our first Halloween in our house and so it's our first trick or treat! Our's was the 31st from 6:30-8:30. Our older neighbor told us to expect about 90 kids, so we bought 100 pieces of candy. At about 7:30 I was digging through my cabinets looking for substitutes! We gave away cookies, fruit snacks (but not my Fruitabus, those rock), and juice boxes before retiring at 8:00pm. Next year we won't take trick or treat advice from someone that doesn't give out candy!

Halloween 2007

This is our first Halloween in our house and so it's our first trick o ...

Updated: Nov 04, 2007 6:41pm CST

Transformers...more than meets the eye : the new DVD case for Transformers actually is a Transformer! very cool.

Transformers...more than meets the eye

the new DVD case for Transformers actually is a Transformer! very cool ...

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 3:37pm CST

fall yard work : we have a pretty good sized yard for Wauwatosa. The prior owner wasn't a big fan of weeding, so we had a lot of work to do this fall. Mike has been a real trooper all summer trying to keep up, but it's just too much! so we spent saturday outside in the freakishly hot weather weeding what looked like a small jungle and the back "garden". the pups enjoyed the time outside. we had to use a yard tie out though because now they can both sneak out of the yard!

fall yard work

we have a pretty good sized yard for Wauwatosa. The prior owner wasn't ...

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 3:26pm CST

carpet : when we bought our house, there was "carpet" in the office and the living room. it was stained and didn't always go all the way to the edge of the room. we got new carpet in the last couple of weeks. we aren't completely happy with it yet (there have been some installation issues that are yet to be resolved), but it definitely looks WAY better than before! i also painted the office on Columbus day a pretty slate blue color instead of the grey/green that was in there before. now i just have to fix the woodwork and hang the coat hooks and one room will be completely done!!

carpet

when we bought our house, there was "carpet" in the office and the liv ...

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 3:14pm CST

WagFest 2007 : The Elmbrook Humane Society throws a fall bash every year. We went 2 years ago with Butler and he had a blast. They ran things a little differently this year, with a full festival instead of just a 5K like it had been in the past. So, we got the pups loaded up in the car and drove to Brookfield for a day in the park. They had a competition where you had to perform several tasks and then the dog with the best score wins. Our dogs, of course, aren't quite that talented, but there was a speed challenge where the dog chased a plastic bag on a wire around a huge fenced in area, so we signed Butler up for fun. He started out just fine, but got a little freaked out when a big dog stuck his head under the fence. The operators tried to get us to let Molly try, but let's be honest, the only way she'll chase the bag is if Butler is in it! We walked around, Mike won a Packers trivia game (and got a tootsie roll!), the pups had some puppy ice cream, we walked the 5K route around the pond, and all had a great time!

WagFest 2007

The Elmbrook Humane Society throws a fall bash every year. We went 2 y ...

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 2:56pm CST

Our Honeymoon :

Our Honeymoon

Updated: Aug 09, 2007 12:47pm CST

Our Wedding :

Our Wedding

Updated: Aug 09, 2007 12:36pm CST

Kitchen Remodel :

Kitchen Remodel

Updated: Aug 09, 2007 11:29am CST