General

Hi all!
I hate to admit it, but I’ve been facebook plagued lately and forgot to update our lovely website. Life is great here in Madison, well minus the cold and snow. We are enjoying spending the winter in our beautiful new basement, gas fireplace and all. Isabella is 21 months old now, talking a lot, and adorable as ever. We are blessed and hoping to add another addition to the family in the upcoming year! This time of year I am always reminded of how fortunate I am to have a job I love, a beautiful daughter, and a truly amazing husband. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a blessed 2009!

Hi! I finally got a chance to post some pics from July and August. So far they have been very busy months for us. In July, Isabella discovered how much she loved her pool, and by now she’s kind of over it. Mike stood up in Patrick’s wedding in Milwaukee on the 19th. We had a great time! I even went to 2 weddings in the same day, craziness. August has brought about deck demo, (pics to come later), and fair fun! Summer is going way too fast. My friend Courtney took our pictures last weekend, I hope to see them soon, and can post the link for everyone to enjoy. My poor little girl is getting teeth like mad, and is not a happy kid. I hope it passes soon. Isabella is getting bigger and more adventurous everyday. We are heading to Grandma and Papa’s early next week for a visit, I FINALLY have a stretch off from work so that we can get away. Unfortunately we have to leave dad here to work, but hopefully he can get a little rest while we are gone. I’m going to go and try to win some deck money at the casino Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer. We are tentatively planning a Fall party this year, because our annual summer party has gotten away from us. More details to follow, hopefully we can all enjoy the new deck! Love to all! Maria

Oh my goodness, where to start….well happy late 4th first of all. We have been so busy landscaping, I have totally neglected my web responsibilities. June was a busy and fun month for us. We took Isabella to the zoo, and had our annual Wescott/Budde family party at the Kahlahari. Everyone had a great time as you can see by the pictures. Isabella went from scared of the water, to spending hours in it at a time. Thanks to Aunt B for all the fun! Isabella is 16 months old now. She loves to play and always has a cheesy face for the camera. Her hair is getting long and in ponytails now, which is too cute. Mike and I are surviving the backyard landscape debacle. Praise the Lord if the plants live and we ever finish getting rocks and hauling dirt. Summer is flying by, which is so sad for me, I pray it slows down. Enjoy the pics, hope everyone is well!

Hi all!
I looked at pics the other night and realized I needed to add some new ones. There are a few new basement pics in the remodel folder, and new pics of Isabella and our lovely yard work are in the May 2008 category. Lots of changes coming for us…our front birch tree is getting cut down tonight, and our basement furniture is coming tomorrow!!! Fun new changes. We have been busy making flower beds and watching things grow outside. All in all we are great and so glad it is finally warm out. Enjoy the pics of peanut, she is such a joy and so fun to be with. She’s our little helper, laundry, outdoor chores, she loves to “help”. Hope everyone is well. Love to all.

Hi!
Just wanted to give a quick life update from our end. We have cycled through the cold/cough bug that has been going around, and we’ve had germs in the house going on 3 weeks now. Mike is pulling up the rear of getting everyone healthy again! Isabella is growing up so quickly. She loves to read now and is blabbering all the time. She says a few new words, cup and book I think are the latest. She has gotten 2 new teeth in the past weeks, and the 5th one is about to poke through any day. She LOVES being outside and isn’t happy when it’s time to come in. She is a true explorer and I’m wishing everyday we had a fenced in back yard. Mike and I are the same, busy working and passing the torch of parenting in the middle of the day. We are so looking forward to summer and being outside and getting some time away!! Hope everyone is well. Keep in touch! I added some new pics in the April 2008 category.

Hi all,
Just wanted to say hi and that I added a few pics to her 12 month ones, and some new ones in the basement remodel. We are still working, but almost finished, yea, I’ve been saying that for awhile. Winter won’t seem to go away here. We are more than ready for summer! Isabella is walking laps around the first floor, she loves to be a big kid, and she is into EVERYTHING!!! It’s amazing we get anything done around here. Love to all, enjoy the pics.

Saturday we celebrated Isabella’s first birthday. It was a beautiful sunny day. Elmo was the theme of the day, and most of the big smiles were for him!! I posted pictures in the 11 month category and the birthday ones. The basement carpet was installed on Thurs, and it is a dream come true for us. I’ll post some pics soon. There is still some touch up painting and electrical to do, and the fireplace front has to go on, but we are almost done! Hope everyone is well, happy March.

What a time we’ve had here since I wrote last. The basement is getting closer to completion everyday. The carpenter has worked very hard the last 4 days, and we’ve put in some long hours as well. We have a ton to finish up, but the carpet is getting installed this Thursday. It is such a dream, it looks beautiful, and Mike and I smile knowing the hard work is about to be enjoyed. I have to run, my lil bear isn’t sleeping, but I will take and post some pictures hopefully yet today! Hope everyone is well!

Hey all,
We got blasted yesterday with 13 plus inches of snow. The banks on the sides of the driveway are as tall as I am! Isabella helped me shovel twice yesterday and we went for two sled rides. She loves that sled! There is so much to tell I don’t even know where to begin…..The basement is really coming along. The laundry room is done except for the trim and finish work (cabinets, lighting etc). The painting is all done and the floor is in. It looks beautiful and is just a dream come true. The family room is 90% painted. I have some touching up to do today and we need to finish the stairway, then the tape can come down! Over 5 gallons of paint later, it does look pretty nice. I’d love to show you a picture, but my camera is hanging out in Stevens Point land, as I left it there weeks ago and haven’t been able to get it yet. It is a nice hot chocolate color. It’s been a P in the A to paint it all, let’s just put it that way. Isabella is getting into everything, walking with cabinets, walls, and anything she can walk along really. Eventually she’ll let go. She is sleeping now, she only naps once a day, and has for awhile now. She is growing like a weed and doing well. I’ll post pics when I can. Hopefully we’ll be done with the basement soon!

Happy 2008 to all! We had a wonderful holiday season, brought down by a nasty cold, but lil bear seemed to escape the misery. I want to thank everyone for making our first Christmas with Isabella so wonderful. She has lots of new favorite things…….the singing puppy and lion top the list. She loves her baby too, she’s going to love babies just like her mom. She is crawling up steps, and continues to pull up on everything! We are doing well, the basement is 99.8% drywalled, and we are hoping to have things finished soon. Enjoy the pics. There are new ones in the 9 month, Christmas, and 10 month sections. Health, peace and prosperity in the new year!

HI all. Just wanted to let you know there are now videos posted in the video section. We still have some work to do, but we’ll perfect it soon. Hope everyone is well, we’re getting ready for Christmas. Isabella is crawling all over, and pulling herself up on everything. Everything is “petty” to her, as she repeats the word pretty all the time. It is so cute. She weighed 19-3 at her doctor appt today, so she has stalled out a little on gaining weight. She won’t have to worry about eating healthy over the holidays! Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

It has been a very busy last couple of weeks at our house. Isabella is almost crawling, scooting everywhere, pulling herself up, and today pushed her piano and walked across the family room! I couldn’t believe it. She was so excited She got her 2 front bottom teeth up a week or so before Thanksgiving, and now since Monday has her first cold. She is doing a little better I think. You can see by these pictures that I am getting nothing done during the day as our little worm explores the world. We set up her pack and play, and it is Isabella’s little house. She enjoys it immensely. She had a great Thanksgiving and loved getting the lights on the tree with Mike and I. I think she is going to love Christmas just like her mom. There are new pics in the 8 and 9 month picture categories. The fireplace is in, but I don’t have any pics taken yet. Enjoy!

Hi again,
Another 10 hr work day yesterday, and look at the result! So much work in the laundry room, and the main room is finished! The fireplace frame is in, and scheduled to be installed Wed the 28th of Nov! YIPPIE! Awesome work and a big thank you! Here is a picture of peanut I just took, I love how she loves her babies just like her mommy.

It’s an inside joke. Mike always laughs because that is how I always start taping on the camcorder…”Look at my pretty new basement”……Well look at it!! This project started in February of this year, as you can tell by my expanded waistline. We knew it would be slow goings with the birth of a baby, but look at all the progress that has been made. Mike has worked so hard on this project, and just look at it now. We spent about 4 hrs on Friday night, all day Saturday, like 12+ hrs, and about 7 hours on Sunday drywalling. The ceiling and 3 walls in the main room are completely finished! It was an exhausting weekend. Thank you so much to all who helped drywall, watch peanut, and keep our spirits up. Sunday is going to be another long work day, but hopefully we can finish up the main room and get our fireplace installed. We’ll keep you posted!

Happy November! It has come in with quite a rude awakening. We had snow flakes here yesterday. Wanted to post some recent pictures of our “little bear.” Isabella is getting big, and more adorable everyday. She went to her first birthday party last week, and had a great time with all the other little kids. As you can tell she has a new face she makes when the camera comes out. It is too precious. We are looking forward to the busy holiday season. Hope everything is well.

Hi! Isabella has had a busy month…..I thought I would post some pictures from this month. She has been busy playing with dolls, she loves to play. She is going to be Winnie the Pooh for halloween, and looks just adorable. The basement inspector is coming today, any minute actually, so hopefully that will go well, so we can continue plugging on. We had another busy electrical weekend. Some cuts, almost a set of stitches, and I wired the recessed lighting. Which makes such a big improvement down there. The gas lines were run on Saturday, so everything is in the new laundry room. Hope you enjoy the pics. Happy Halloween.

Isabella Grace Wescott Block was born on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 3:39PM. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and was 19.5 inches long.

Check out some more photos of Isabella in our Photo Section.

Maria,
I love you with all my heart. You know how much you mean to me, but words will never be enough to show you just how much I love you. I know that you’re ready to be done being pregnant, just hang in there! Hopefully, a few pictures of your favorite summer-time retreat (that isn’t Miller Park) can lighten your spirits through the home stretch until that little someone special arrives.

Check out the start of our new online photo gallery.

Love Always,
Michael

One long year has past since the last time I wrote, and boy have things changed! Lots of stuff happening on the homefront. We’ve done a ton to the house this past year, including: new washer and dryer, new eve covers, new retaining wall, new landscaping, new roses, etc. Pictures will be available soon!!! Have been busy with assisting my grandparents with major home repairs.

Oh, did I mention that we are expecting our first child!!!! We’re not going to find out if it is a boy or a girl, so don’t even ask

That being said, I thought I’d revamp the photos section and streamline the posting process a little bit (thanks iPhoto and Jalbum!!!). Hopefully, this will mean more memories to share with everyone and photos will be posted faster.

Well, I knew that owning a home was going to be a challenge throughout the year, but this is ridiculous! Maria and I have been to the yard waste drop site 4 times already this fall and have dropped off almost 20 bags of “stuff” (not including the 3 currently in the garage…). I know it has to be done, but give me a break! My trees still have all their leaves! So, how did 20+ bags of yard waste magically appear at our place? I have no idea… all I know is that I am sure I’ll be at 60+ by the time the snow comes!

Wow, who knew it took 3 hours to get from Madison to Milwaukee!! Well, it did on Friday night, but that didn’t stop us from hitting the game again on Saturday. So we spent about 10 hours in the car this weekend and only 6 hours in the stadium! At least we got to see 2 great games (1 win, 1 loss). It took our minds off the extreme heat and our upcoming bathroom remodel. Things are going well, sad to see the summer beginning to slip away from our grasps again this year. Boy how time flies…

PS- I finally got around to writing an “About” page. Nothing special, just a few words and a great picture.

Hi everyone! This is Michael’s better half I thought it was about time that I said hi on our very own website. Well things are well over at our place. Little by little the house is coming together, and we are trying to work with the outside. We spent 6 plus hours on Saturday digging a flower bed, and tonight I planted glads and lilies, we’ll see if any come up. It sure is fun to have your own website. We’ll have to add some new pictures soon, we sure have plenty of them from various projects. I hope everyone is well, and enjoying the summer. Go Brewers!!!

Boy, summer is almost here and it feels like it was only yesterday that I was shoveling snow for the first time at our new place. Not too much exciting news to report. The yard is coming together quite nicely, but still have some work to do in the downstairs bathroom. Maria and I have been to a couple of Milwaukee Brewers games already. Glad to see that their season is off in the right direction.

It sounds like my dad and I are going to do some projects in the near future, most notably building a garage workbench, tree removal, and the electrical work from hell. I think it will be a while yet before we’ll have our open house. We have the furniture in place, it’s finding the time and energy to finish the little (and big) projects that we have started (can i say that I hate looking at the downstairs bathroom?), but I know it will all come together in the end.

Somedays, I wish I were Superman and could fly around the world…

Well, well, well… fancy meeting your here. It has been a while since my last post and for some very good reasons. Maria and I have totally destroyed our yard. We hauled out 20 plus bags of nasty fake wood chips (yes, there is such a thing as fake would chips) and cut out some old bushes from the front too. We have the tree guy coming (hopefully soon) to get an old tree out of the backyard. We also have the last of our furniture coming this week! We are going to pick up the patio furniture midweek and the dining room is being delivered sometime Friday. Finally, we will be 85% settled. We still need to finish up painting the downstairs (I plead the 5th on the upstairs) and do a lot of electrical, but it has been so nice outside we thought we’d conquer some outdoor projects next. You know, get 10 things started at once

Hi Everyone. Well, rather than working on the house, I have upgrade the core technology of the site instead Now, I am running on the latest version of wordpress. This should allow me to do some nifty things, like completely static pages and a custom theme switcher. Other than that, little has changed around here except the few changes I made to the default “designer” template. I hope to pick a few I like and decide on a “default” one soon, but will also keep a few nifty ones that others can choose from. Ether way, I hope to have the photos section better incorporated into the site design really soon.

Update: I just completed the directory move and now the theme switcher is working! We now have 6 total, but look for some more cool changes to the themes soon…

Well, we made it! February 18, 2005 marked the beginning of our 30 year debt

We had a lot of help from family, friends, and a 17′ U-Haul. We spent all morning packing that truck. Man, we had a ton of stairs to climb that day. We made it to the house shortly after 4PM. We were really tempted to drive the truck to the title company, but thought it might look a little tacky, or worse, paying 99 cents per mile would sure add up.

Once at the house, we simply flew. That truck was emptied by 630PM and the pizza was on its way. We had a few casualties that day. Railing banisters, RIP. Queen box spring, RIP. Just ask, I can tell you, but it’s a long, long story…

Well, not quite yet officially, but Maria and I are sure getting excited! The home inspection went great and we already have about 1/3 of our stuff packed and ready to go. Bring on the closing!!! Just some paperwork left to get done, then the place is all ours! Here are some quick house snapshots that we took while we were at the inspection. More to come, I promise!!!

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since my last update, but it is for some very good reasons. For one, I was out in San Francisco for a week for work (yeah, I know, pretty rough). Did the conference thing, but took some great photos too.

Maria and I have also been house hunting like mad, and we finally found one! The house inspection happens Wednesday. We are so very excited. Wish us luck! I’ll post photos as soon as the closing is finished on February 18.

Hello everyone! I hope everyone’s holiday season is merry and full of cheer. Well, I am actually done with all of my shopping, except for some homemade gifts from the heart, which I’ll be franticly be finishing until early on Christmas morning. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hello everyone,

I have been a busy little beaver and have posted a ton of pictures for everyone to enjoy. Don’t worry, ALL of the wedding ones will be up really soon… but probably not before the craziness that we label “the holiday season” are up now. Hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!

Hello everyone! Boy, this is exciting news for me! I have finally gotten around to launching a very nice personal site, complete with a ton of photos! I am really glad that Maria and I are going to be able to share some of our exciting and fun times with all of our family and friends, where ever they may be.

Even though the site is up, there will still be some changes down the pipe:

• Further customizations to the main layout
• Better integration of the photos section
• Expanded content
• And much more…

All of this will take some time, but should look really nice once it is completed. Hope you all enjoy!