GML Family Blog

2010-12-21T10:56:00.002-05:00

2010-12-02T20:20:00.002-05:00

Then they were 3 and 6 months...

2009-08-08T15:36:00.005-05:00

The girls had their pictures today! I love getting new pictures! Here are a few-

Birdhouse and some Jelly

2009-07-22T13:33:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, K and daddy went to L0wes to build a bird house. I think K was more into the goggles!

Then last week K made black raspberry jelly with papa. Oh was it good! K really enjoyed straining the berries to get as much juice as possible!

Birthday Party!

2009-07-21T07:56:00.006-05:00

K had a great party! The weather couldn't have been better. The ponies came and all the kids loved riding them. The next day we took her to Build a Bear with a gift certificate she got from Uncle Pat and Aunt Colette! It was perfect! She loved picking out her own BUNNY and filling and then dressing her up.

K getting down with the band!

2009-07-06T22:09:00.001-05:00

Happy Forth!

2009-07-06T22:00:00.002-05:00

Although the weather was completely ridiculous (65 and raining) the girls had a good time this past weekend. K is getting really excited for her birthday party as well. Everyday she asks about it and goes through a list of people who will be there. It's really cute!

Time to Update

2009-06-22T15:37:00.006-05:00

We've been having lots of fun this summer! We went to the planetarium in Chicago and on the way home we caught the zoo.

Then there was adorable Emma's first birthday party! Look at that cutie and her cake- Love it! And much to K's liking, there was a playground right up the hill!

This past weekend we celebrated the June Lembcke boys' birthdays. With it being hot, to put it mildly, we brought our kiddie pool for K and her cousin Andy. They just hated it as you can see ;)

K had some friends over for cupcakes and giggles!

Father's Day we went to ESPN Zone for brunch. It was a great time! K and daddy played some games together.

And of course, here are some of the girls just playin' around!

Papa and Mom-mom's

2009-06-01T15:03:00.003-05:00

K is at papa and mom mom's this week and they sent me some pictures from a trip to the park. Looks like she is having a blast!

We are trying to get some projects around the house done this week. So far the laundry room can now be checked off the list :) K's ear tubes seem to be doing their job as she is starting to talk more clearly and hasn't complained of her ears. A is already 3 1/2 months! Hard to believe. She is getting ready to roll any day now and is drooling up a storm, which can only mean one thing...ugh.

3 months and Almost 3 Years

2009-05-26T15:57:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures that were taken a few weeks ago and retouched! The girls are so cute!

Trike A Thon

2009-05-15T10:43:00.003-05:00

K participated in a Trike a Thon for St. Jude's this morning at school. She was a peddling fool and loved wearing her princess helmet! I was impressed with her determination to keep up with her friend who is 3 1/2 years older!
I think that this year for her birthday we may try to get her a big girl bike with training wheels.

Smiley

2009-05-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

Here are some pic's of A sitting up on daddy's lap! She is almost giggling...can't wait to hear it when it comes!

Elmo Live!

2009-05-07T15:34:00.003-05:00

K was invited by her friend to attend Elmo Live! When Elmo Grows Up. It was a great show and K really enjoyed it! She was dancing through the whole show and didn't let her upset tummy ruin it for her. I think she will remember it for a long time!
Monday K will have ear tubes placed in both ears to drain fluid that is impairing her hearing and at the same time effecting her speech. I'm sure it will be so much relief to her once they do their job!
enjoy some pictures from last night! (Pictures of A to come...)

da Bear at the Zoo

2009-04-20T16:52:00.000-05:00

This bear looks like the other "Bears" in the city right about now. Sitting around drooling on themselves over their "fresh meat"- quarterback # what??? :)

More pictures

2009-04-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

Trying this out via email

2009-04-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

If you are reading this blog entry, it means that I figured out how to stream an entry through email!

Picture time!

2009-04-15T15:06:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'm going to try to catch up on the pictures...lots of Easter Bunnies, egg hunts and a baptism... hold on here we goooooooooooooooooooo---------
Girls will be girls. Here they are just hanging out and being their happy selves. It's been such a joy having the two girls and watching them interact. So far they are enjoying each others company. Come back in about 10 years and we'll see if I can still make that statement. :) As of the last measurements K is 32 lbs (50%) and 39 in (97+%) and A is 12 lbs 6 oz (75-90th%) and 22.5 in (50%). It absolutely amazes us how opposite they are. IN EVERY WAY! Other than the fact that they are the same sex- they are totally different!

A's baptism was absolutely perfect! She was a doll. It was great to have so many family and friends in attendance. There were about 20 at the ceremony and 45 at a lunch reception in our home afterward! I wish A could be able to remember her special day. Luckily we did take some photos, although I always wish I took more. There are from my super niece.

After the luncheon A and her cousin N0ra got a chance to know each other a little better:

Shortly after the baptism it was time to get ready for EASTER!
K hung Easter eggs with mom-mom and at home on the little trees.

And would an Easter egg hunt be without a creepy bunny who looks like a nightmare to take pictures with little kids? Of the 7 Easter egg hunts K did, there were 3 bunnies.

And here's some more pictures for fun:

Come on in Spring!

2009-04-04T07:35:00.004-05:00

We are all anxiously awaiting spring to come. I'm pretty sure cabin fever has set in and we are ready to take to the outdoors and suck in some rays! The girls are doing well for the most part. Yet again, K has developed a cold and we are trying to keep her germs away from A. No desire to go through the whole hospital episode again! A is fully recovered and off breathing treatments all together and trust me, it's nice to be done with that extra duty. Last week was spring break around here so everything that we normally do during the week was canceled. So as a friend put it, our social calendar was about as deserted as an old western town with a tumble weed coming through every once in a while! I did have my postpartum check up on Wednesday and luckily I'm about 12 pounds under what I was when we found out I was pregnant at about 5 weeks. I am obviously thrilled about that. Who knew that pregnancy could be a great weight loss plan! hahaha! I hope this finds you all well. Love to hear from you!

Green through and through...

2009-03-21T13:29:00.002-05:00

We have had a great week! A is starting to sleep long periods in the night... we're talking 6-8 hours at a time! K is back at preschool and loving it! She is such a great little mommy! At times, she has been an absolute life saver! We are all healthy and looking forward to warm weather. This past week we have been able to take in the warm weather and enjoy the park a few times!
Next weekend we will be taking family pictures and celebrating A's baptism on Sunday! We are looking forward to seeing family and friends again!

Dancin' A

2009-03-11T09:14:00.001-05:00

Funny Videos to get you through Hump day!

2009-03-11T09:10:00.002-05:00

Miss A in the Hospital

2009-03-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

A was admitted into the hospital yesterday due to a severe case of RSV. K had a cold from preschool that she brought home and spread to A. K's symptoms were a runny nose and a bit of a cough. In A, it turned into RSV. RSV is short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. In older kids and adults it appears as a common cold. In infants under 6 months (A is only 2 1/2 weeks!!) it causes the airways to become inflamed and makes it very difficult to get oxygen out to the body. Her lungs are basically physiologically acting like an asthmatics' lungs.
It all started Sunday night with a little cough. I called the peds office and I was told that as long as she wasn't running a fever and was eating well, not to be too bothered. Well by Wednesday/Thursday her cough was really bothering her, turning her face colors and she was not acting herself. That's when I decided that whether or not she had a fever, she was going into the doctor.
There they diagnosed RSV and sent us to the ER. In the ER her oxygen levels were quite low and she was laboring to breathe. We were told that the oxygen levels were lower than if an adult had bad case of pneumonia. They monitored her breathing, removed mucus several times from her nose and gave her breathing treatments at which point they made the decision to admit her into the pediatric unit.
We will be here through Saturday or Sunday depending on how she continues to respond to treatments. So far she has responded positively to the nebulizer treatments and they took her off the oxygen at noon. She needs to pick up on her eating and diapers as well as maintain her oxygen levels before they will discharge us. I'm hoping this happens tomorrow. Although, we don't' want to rush it and would rather stay here longer and insure that we won't have to return anytime soon.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Book and Tummy Time

2009-03-04T13:34:00.002-05:00

Little Blue sucking thingy

2009-03-04T08:21:00.003-05:00

All is going fairly well in the transition. G is back at work now and I really miss having him here. He was such a huge help and it was so nice to have an adult to talk to throughout the day :)
The girls have congestive colds. I believe K got it from preschool. We tried our best to keep her away from A but it was nearly impossible. So we are using the little blue sucking thingy to try to stay on top of the situation. Although, I'm finding it very difficult to use with A. Her nose is just too small for that thing! Any suggestions???

Big Sis Comes Home!

2009-02-20T15:09:00.002-05:00

K came home this week and met A. At first she thought nothing of A, but then she warmed up and I think everything just kinda clicked all of a sudden! K looks after A and is at her side as soon as she makes a peep. I think these two will be great friends as they grow up together. This morning K was up before the rest of us and after waking mommy up and telling daddy "Surprise, Happy New Year!", she asked where sister was and wanted to see her. I thought that was a good sign :)

Welcome to the World Miss A!

2009-02-17T18:31:00.003-05:00

We welcomed A$hl@nd Ele@n0r (the symbols are to break the search-ability!) on February 15th @ 2:09 am. She weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long.
Although she was a "big" baby, it took just two easy pushes and she greeted us with a warm cry. She is doing great. She will be on a Billiruben blanket for at least a day to try to lower her jaundice. We go to the Pediatrician tomorrow to get updates on her stats. She is much calmer and easy going than her big sis- so far at least! :)
K is on vacation at Mom-Mom's and Papa's be spoiled shamelessly! She doesn't quite get the concept yet, so that will be fun to watch that relationship develop!
Thank you to everyone for visits and well wishes! It is much appreciated!
Here are a couple of pictures...

Not yet...

2009-02-04T20:34:00.005-05:00

It's pretty simple...we're still waiting. So while you wait because we're waiting because the baby is waiting- here are some pictures.

Hanging out on daddy's shoulders

Kohl's Children Museum, Glenview

Science and Industry Museum, Chicago

Craft Time! A favorite of K's!

Nursery Unveiling....

2009-01-15T12:35:00.004-05:00

Here it is...

And of course my biggest helper (with her sunglasses on upside down)...

Only about 5 weeks to go...*sigh

This pretty much sums it up...

2009-01-12T15:17:00.002-05:00

K is over her ear infection...for now. M's busy getting the nursery together and G is dreading more snow tonight!

Dancing Queen

2009-01-05T14:09:00.008-05:00

K has developed a double ear infection...yuck! Unfortunately the medicine she is taking is awful!! So to bribe her we use popsicles! (We don't want to hear any gripe about bribing...you have no idea how bad the medicine is!) Just merely opening the cap of the antibiotic smells like something was fermenting inside for a good 3 decades!

After the meds and popsicle it appears that she gets a burst of energy that just makes her want to dance!

She exhausted herself from all the dancing and we found her just hanging out in papa's chair eating popcorn and juice while watching the Colts' season come to a brutal end.

We had a great two weeks while G was on vacation. Of course we always wish there was more that we could cram into the time, but all that will have to wait until next time. K wore G out by playing lots of "hiding". Herr idea of hiding is G under a couch cushion or trying to get him to squeeze under a laundry basket. It's a hoot to watch! Luckily M has established that only daddy can hide with her and that mommy can't do it nearly as well! :)

Presents and such...

2008-12-30T21:01:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we hosted a Christmas party with G's family. It was great to see everyone again, unfortunately the snow cut the festivities short.
Here K is with her cousin Emm@ chillin' out on the couch waiting for presents.

K playing around with Aunt C.

K woke up Christmas morning to lots of great gifts from Santa. He must have known she was really wanting some books, bath tub paints and Abby Cadabby in Wonderland DVD! Of course there was more as well...

And of course what would be a trip to see M's family without a picture of K and N0ra together on the couch?!?

After Christmas, we headed down to Indy. We caught up with some friends and their kids got Guitar Hero for Wii and K had to jump in on the fun!

Here are some more fun pictures of K from the past week...

A long, relaxing bath... 2 year old style!

2008-12-22T23:19:00.003-05:00

After the exhausting performance, the princess needed to come home and take a long relaxing bath.

Who needs words when you have a bell??

2008-12-22T23:05:00.005-05:00

Oh, what a sight to see! Tonight was K's big Christmas program at preschool. She had a blast and you can see for yourself here...

K is very fond of her amazing teacher. She has so much patience with these little balls of energy! Miss Kristene did a fabulous job getting these little guys ready for the big performance!

Holiday Spirit Performance!

2008-12-15T21:45:00.001-05:00

Here K is doing another one of her performances at Grandma and Papa's. She is standing on a stool and just watch what happens when grandma tries to step in! She definitely has the Holiday Spirit in her!

Calling the baby~

2008-12-12T21:46:00.002-05:00

Wednesday M had an OB appointment. K really enjoys going with because she gets a sticker at the end. And believe me, she knows exactly where the sticker drawer is and helps herself when the time comes.
During the appointment the Dr listens to the heartbeat of the baby and K always gets excited to hear the baby "talk" to her. This past visit as the Dr was listening to the heartbeat, K goes "oh, baby call" and pulled her play phone out of her bag. She then proceeded to act as if she was talking to the baby. It was a RIOT!! We were all laughing!
That night she was trying to get G to listen to the baby with her Dr kit. K climbed up on a tote that was upstairs from Christmas decorations and lifted her shirt so that her belly was exposed. She kept saying "call baby?" Luckily I got a photo! Too stinkin' cute!

Around the house...

2008-12-09T14:12:00.003-05:00

Last Friday Kayker's preschool had a Parent's Night Out, so G and M took advantage of it! We had a wonderful dinner and did some scouting for Santa. K had a great time and brought home an ornament for the tree and a giant cookie she decorated. It ended up being a late night for her by the time she settled down Friday night to go to bed, so much of Saturday looked like this:

She lounged around the house while G and M tried to get things together for the Christmas party and get things done around the house. Once and a while she would come to life to let us know she needed a drink or something to nibble on!
In the process of putting away things and going through totes in the basement we found a large tote of her toys and several totes of clothes that had been misplaced (the movers kinda did their own system of stacking and sorting- what did we expect?). In that large tote was her one man band set and she took no time to bust that out and parade around the house! It's so fun to watch her! She has grown so much and she more and more creative each day!

What a week!

2008-12-03T15:45:00.008-05:00

Last week threw a HUGE curve ball our way.
Sunday morning at the wee hour of 4 a.m M woke up in excruciating pain. Thought maybe a muscle was pulled or laid wrong...oh no! Instantly got sick and woke G up and begged him to rub my back. After no avail, called the doc and she urged us to go to the ER immediately. So we reluctantly woke Kaykers up, with no other choice. At the ER they pumped M with pain meds that were safe for the baby and after an ultrasound of the kidneys determined that there were 4 stones fighting for evacuation. Being that M's blood pressure was at the least, out of control, they admitted and M stayed there for three days. Kaykers went to M's parent's house for the week so that G could still go to work while M was just sitting in the hospital waiting for the inevitable. MISERABLE!!
Thursday instead of heading up to WI we headed south to see Kaykers for the holiday. We couldn't imagine not being with her on Thanksgiving since she is the biggest thing in our lives! M's whole family met at her sister's and it was great to see N0ra again as well.
Friday G took M to Wicked! It was her belated birthday gift. One word: INCREDIBLE!
When we got back that night we took Kaykers to see Santa! She was so thrilled to see the big man in flesh!
There were dozens of Christmas trees all decorated there too which has become one of her favorite things to point out! She is just beside herself with all the holiday decor!
Saturday M and her sisters went up to the Chriskindlmarket in Chicago. All the handmade ornaments, winter decorations, European food and candy as well as clothing was amazing to all take in! We bought some ornaments, sweater for the girls and M picked up G some chocolate. He loves European Chocolate. While M was out having some fun, G was changing the brake pads and routers on the car. He started BEFORE we left and was still at it when we got home. Apparently there was a bit of a battle getting some of the routers out. Noetheless, we now have amazing stopping capability in that bad boy!
Saturday night we headed home and Gma L came over for the night. We had a good time and Kaykers was in her prime entertainment mode. Thanks again for dinner! :)
Sunday we headed up to see Great Grandma M. Kaykers was still in performance mode and entertained us all! She found a Burger King Crown that said "The Winner" and put it on as well as rang a bell and tried singing Jingle Bells. It was so funny! She also would hold Great Gma's hand while G pushed her chair!
Too stinkin' cute!

We hope you had a good week and enjoy the holiday season!

Random Thoughts for Tuesday...

2008-11-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

There isn't a whole lot new around here so I'm going to just post some random things I've been thinking about:
1. This morning I woke up to find out that "Lake effect snow slams the Region"! bahahaha!! That is hilarious to me now that we have moved out of that area. It's always good to be on this side of big ol' Lake MI! It also confirms why I put snow in the top five reasons why it was good to move from there!
2. Purdue's basketball teams are proving to be a spectacle to watch! Just last night they force 22 (TWENTY TWO!) turnovers. Impressive- much more so than say the football team who has been rather disappointing this year.
3. Kaykers is breaking two molars through as we speak. How did I know you ask? Do I regularly pry her mouth open and do a tooth count-no. I was tickling her today and as she was cackling, mouth wide open, spitting at me I thought to myself, where is all this saliva coming from? I don't recall being damp after tickling her before. Instantly I remember her about 18 months ago being a drooling fool with some new pearly white residents in her tiny mouth and though- hey could those be the two-year molars finally making an appearance? Sure enough folks! Both are on the bottom, so I suppose anytime now her top ones will be making an appearance as well.
4. Did you know that a before mentioned two year old could eat 3 1/2 ADULT servings of mash potatoes in one sitting? No lie. G and I were sitting in awe just about the entire time.
5. faceb00k has been fun to explore and reconnect with people. G and I are amazed at how you can just pick up conversation with someone you haven't talked to in almost a decade and it's like time hardly passed. We've even connected with some of you which has been nice since sometimes all we see of each other is at holidays.
6. Sunday at N0ra's baptism, Kaykers sat through the entire mass quite well. Just like a little lady. I about lost it though as she wanted to give the Priest a high-five during the recessional. Only K would do that!
7. I think the peace making device known as the portable DVD player should have won a Nobel PEACE prize...I can't even explain to you how enjoyable our car trips have become once again. A little Caill0u can go a long way! Most of you may know that Kaykers has NEVER liked car rides. In fact, we would dread them. Since she was brought home from the hospital there has always been hatred for a car seat. This girl will not be confined to a plastic, slightly padded seat developed by a person who never had to sit in one themselves. Now however, the DVD player has provided distraction and amusement that I am so grateful for!

Until next time...

Say Cheese!

2008-11-14T11:11:00.004-05:00

Halloween with the Cousins

2008-10-29T10:11:00.003-05:00

This past weekend K celebrated Halloween with her cousins. They all got dressed up and went to the Brookfield Zoo for Boo at the Zoo! Here are some pictures at the house and at the zoo:

Sneak Peek...

2008-10-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

We're still undecided...

Meeting Miss N0ra

2008-10-05T19:51:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we went down to visit N0ra. She is just as cute and cuddly as we had imagined. Luckily for her mommy and daddy she seems to be on the right track to finally figure out her nights and days.
It was a great visit- Thursday we rolled in late, Friday K and daddy went to the park and then we walked to their downtown where K played with trains. That night was topped off with frozen custard from the Whistle Stop. That place is a staple every time we go down there. It's a great little walk to the most amazing frozen custard...it makes Culver's look weak- REAL weak!
Saturday we walked down to the farmer's market and over to the coffee shop. Then Aunt Heidi and M went shopping while the boys and little girls watched football and napped. We topped the night with another walk to the "custard Palace". K and N0ra shared a bath and K was quite the little helper. She was so gentle and sweet. then N0ra let her borrow a robe!

Sunday we walked to breakfast and then it was time to hit the road. We finally figured out what makes trips in the car much more tolerable with K...DVD player! All the way down and back there wasn't much more than giggles and a couple requests for a new dvd. BEAUTIFUL!! It was nice and quiet and EVERYONE was happy! :) K and Molly shared a nap on the way home...I guess they were a bit tuckered out!
By the way, we found out Thursday that K will have a little sister. We are truly thrilled! Since we have everything already in every shade of girlie it shouldn't be too hard! Yes- G is really excited! Another girl to have him wrapped their their little pinkie! :)

Oh the peaceful days...

2008-09-22T17:24:00.004-05:00

I vaguely remember the days K would sleep for hours. This is an adorable pic of Miss N0ra. She's already changed so much in less than a week!

This past weekend we did some more yard work and started a full on attack on the garage. Largely in thanks to my mom and sister we were again able to get a lot done. G worked at removing a ridiculously over grown mess of an evergreen and in place of that sad excuse of a plant he planted a beutiful tree. Pictures to come of that when we finish planting some roses around it.

Sunday we went up to visit great grandma M. She was quite surprised to see us! We had a nice visit- went outside for a short time, talked with some of her friends and talked about everything and anything. While outside K picked her a flower. K also worked on a lovely note to give to her.

On the way back we stopped by grandpa L's to pick up some fall decorations. It was such a nice day to be outside picking pumpkins and what-not. We will be back in WI next weekend for Uncle Roy's birthday and to stop again by G's dad to visit and see K's cousins and aunt and uncle who will also be there.

New Niece

2008-09-18T14:25:00.003-05:00

We are excited to announce the birth of Miss N0ra the adorable daughter of M's sister and brother-in-law. She was born last night and weighed 8lbs. and 2 oz and 21 inches. Heidi is doing great and baby is absolutely perfect! Bryan is already showing to be an excellent daddy!
Here's a picture of her giving mom the wink that everything is going to be ok....

Being Fortunate...

2008-09-15T21:07:00.003-05:00

Although we have been through a crazy year thus far, we also have had lots to be thankful for ( I realize it's not Thanksgiving yet, but why wait)...
1. Our little girl is healthy and growing each and everyday.
2. We are having a healthy pregnancy.
3. I am so happy to be married to a great man who loves his wife and daughter more than anything else in this world.
4. We moved fairly unscathed and are now free of the house in Valp0.
5. We were able to build a spec house and sell it for a profit this year in the spring.
6. Our family is doing good..at least what we know of.
7. We have welcomed a new neice this year and a new one to come any day now.
8. We are safe and untouched by the recent effects of Ike.

There are people who are going through so much... The very same young lady who went through her second heart transplant is now reeling from the hurricane. Absolutely unbelievable...she is so strong!! Here's her blog:
http://www.angelamoore.typepad.com/
Please pray for her and her husband. They are such great people.

Sweat and Blood!

2008-09-07T19:30:00.004-05:00

We worked our tails off this weekend doing LOTS of landscaping. It would be an understatement to say the previous owners neglected the yard. We trimmed and removed bushes and trees with a total of 17 large garbage bags, 3 large trash containers and 4 large wardrobe packing boxes full of yard waste. Luckily M's mom came up and helped and guided us in trimming and hacking the eyesore that once was...now it looks great! Several neighbors have commented on how nice it looks and that they are so glad that someone who cares now lives here. We were also told that it was amusing to watch the previous owners try to use a shovel in the winter.
K is right at home and is ready to be potty trained we think. That is our next big task. To have her out of diapers before she becomes a big sister! She is definitely interested and probably couldbe trained by this point, but we weren't ready with all that was going on! Molly also has a new friend, a fellow golden retriever named Roscoe. they get along great! :)

New house, New bed and some corn

2008-09-03T10:49:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we moved into our new home. We are still unpacking and still trying to find the right place for everything. Luckily this past weekend Aunt Chelle came up to help with K's room. It is. of course, Abbey Cadabby purple. WWAAAYYY cute! She also stained our beautiful new staircase and helped unpack and make sense of a hectic kitchen~ thanks a million! :)
K moved into a big girl bed this past weekend. It wasn't exactly a smooth tranition by any means. She was up quite a bit the first night not of the new house, new room and new bed. ALthough the second night she tucked right in and the third night (last night) she only pouted about 5 minutes. She is proud of her big girl bed! K has also practically found her own way to the park. She loves to climb the rock wall and try out all the slides at least a few 100 times. I wish I had a ounce of her energy.
On Labor Day we went up to see Grandpa L and K thought playing in the dirt was the greatest thing! Maybe even better than the slides!
She did some "quality control" on about half a dozen peaches while there as well. She couldn't quite get enough of them! We were able to go out in the field and pick our own Super sweet sweet corn ~ oh was it delicious!! We ate it last night for dinner. There's nothing quite like fresh corn from grandpa's farm! K even eats it right off the cob.
Today K and I go the doctor for check ups. Her 2 year check up and my 4-5 month check up. We should be able to find out in about a month the sex of the baby. We haven't decided for sure yet if we will find out or keep it a surprise. We are leaning toward finding out...but, we may change our minds.
Hope everyone is doing well! **Pictures to Come

House or No House

2008-08-13T08:24:00.002-05:00

Shortly after our offer went in, we found out that we were in a multiple offer. A total buzz kill considering EVERY house we have bidded on we have been in a multiple offer- so much for a slowed housing market. Anyhow, so we had to come back with our highest and best. ugh! It was to be in by 6PM. So we toiled over the price and all that good stuff and got it in on time. The other people also came in with their highest and best which was apparently better than ours- but they did not meet the deadline therefore we won!! HOOOOOOORRAAAAAAAY!! So now on with the inspections and all the fun details. We are scheduled to close at the end of the month. Looks like we will have a Labor Day weekend moving extravaganza!
We will fill you in with more details as things come together. To celebrate G went to Costco and got his new MAdden game with no one other than Farve in a Packers uniform. Luckily the Wii isn't set up yet so I still get to watch the Olympics. GO USA!

Sun"asse$"

2008-08-11T11:14:00.004-05:00

So it seems that K has taken a liking to sunglasses lately...or in her terms her sun"asse$".
Other news in relocation world: We had an accepted offer on a house, but after the inspection results, it proved to be too much for us. We might as well have taken the house back down to the studs and started over. Not a good situation for us. So we went out Saturday to drive in some different towns we hadn't explored yet. One was too far north, the other was waaaaaaaaaaaayyyy too expensive. After about 3 hours we decided it was too nice outside to be stuck in the car. So we used our GPS to find us a nearby park. G and I could get out and stretch and K could run and play on the big playground. As G and I looked around we were like "You know we really like this subdivision-doubt there is anything in our price range". We pretty much left it at that. Then as we were leaving we drove past a house with a for sale sign and flier. I called the number and it turns out that the house was right in our price range. FAB-U-LOUS! The next day we went back with our Realtor and really like the inside floor plan. So we put in an offer and we are crossing our fingers this one works out for us! Hopefully we'll know by the end of the week.
We are going to try to take in the nice weather the next couple of days. 76 degrees today! 78 tomorrow! I love it!

TWO!

2008-07-31T20:35:00.004-05:00

K is so excited to tell everyone that she is now two~ here are some pictures from her party a couple of weeks ago and yesterday's events!
Her birthday consisted of the Brookfield Zoo, swimming and Chuck E. Cheese! It was loads of fun for all of us!

And now here is the birthday party...

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-03T07:48:00.002-05:00

What a crazy week! I'm so glad to be settling down this weekend and just spending time together with just the three of us. We have been on the go and juggling so much lately- we are excited to have some time just together! This long weekend will bring festivals, fireworks and possibly a Ribfest!
Last week we booked tickets to CA for the week of July 19th-27th! We are thrilled to go on a vacation to get away for a little while. It's much needed! It's been a heck of a year dealing with much more than we ever thought. The tickets to go out there were a steal!! Even cheaper than our honeymoon tickets which we thought were possibly going to be the best prices we could ever find- we were wrong! This time K will have her own seat :) That's better for everyone involved!
We are gearing up for her birthday party next weekend as well. Elmo and the gang will all be splattered everywhere as she would request! :)
G and I built bean bag toss boxes-to regulation guidelines, and are hoping to pull that out for the party. It was fun to work on the project- I think G liked using power tools- of course!

Have a safe and festive Fourth of July!

A little update...

2008-06-26T20:43:00.004-05:00

We have been busier than we thought at this point. We are staying busy looking for a decent house in the Northern suburbs...not easy with our budget! K and I have been to the zoo another couple of times. We bought a yearly pass so we are taking full advantage of it! :)
It's been fun to go to the pool and watch K become more and more daring. She has little floaties on her arms and with those she just kicks herself all around the pool. Tonight she enjoyed jumping into the pool off the sides- too funny to watch her face.
Last week I drove with my sister to TN to drop her kids off at their grandparents. They are in FL this week taking in all the attactions! Driving down the TN and then back the next day is not highly recommended, in fact, it was rather painful! A funny moment was when I offered my nephew, who is 5, a dollar to shut up for 15 minutes. I extended that 15 minutes to 20 and I gladly handed over the dollar bill. At which point, he stuck his gum he had been chewing for a good two hours right into the middle of that new bill. Nice right? I told him to make sure that he took it with him to the bathroom with him too.
This weekend is my sister's baby shower! I'm very excited for it as she is having a little girl. Her due date is September 14th- very cool since my other sister's birthday is the 13th and her's is the 15th.
We are having some fun planning K's 2nd birthday on the 12th as well. It will be a Sesame Street Theme- she is still very into the whole clan there on Sesame Street. She is also into babies and pushing them in her stroller. Today we went to see some friends and their little girl had several baby dolls and strollers and all things girlie and K was so thrilled to get her little hands on everything!
I'm posting some photos...no particular order...Pool time, father's day at the Zoo and up at Grandpa Lembcke's and picking strawberries & just some fun and goofy ones :)

Beautiful Little Girl

2008-06-12T10:05:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Aunt E and Uncle G on the arrival of their healthy baby girl! Emma Kay was born June 11th @ 5:50 PM and weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz! We hope to have pictures soon!

Splashing FUN

2008-06-11T11:52:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been awhile since we've posted...sorry. I'm hoping this summer I will get better about blogging more often.
We attended an Open house of one of my beloved students...Carly. I will miss her dearly. She graduated with honors and is sure to have a bright future. While there, K took a slpash in their pool. Its funny how much can change in one year...last year she didn't like water too much, now, she can't get enough!
Since moving up to Northbrook, we have had a pool on location. We try to get down there whenever we can-permitting weather of course, which has been a little crazy.
Yesterday we went to Brookfield Zoo with some friends. SO. MUCH. FUN! Her and Emma were quite the pals! K was in awe of each and every animal. She found it especially funny to watch the monkeys swing on ropes and jump from tree to tree.
I hope that everyone is staying relatively dry! :)

Pray for follow thru!

2008-05-15T12:46:00.005-05:00

Last week I got an itch to buy K some outdoor toys- so one trip to the store later and we are now the proud owners of a trike, bubble lawn mower, golf set, chalk and a big blue ball. Oh the fun-

Mother's Day was fun and exhausting- we went out for brunch and then up to Shedd Aquarium- one of my favorite palces in Chicago! It was amazing watching K explore and watch the fish. She just thought it was so funny when one would swim past her. She is such a joy!
We are at a point now where G has accepted a job with _v0n in IL and we are set to close on a spec house we built with our builder next week. Both situations are a blessing to us. The house was completed and had just received the occupancy permit, and the following week we had a contract to sell! Exciting-especially in this market. Then G has been interviewing at several places and has had numerous offers and gladly accepted one that was still close to family and has the most incredible relocation package (NO packing or unpacking for me!!) Life is good. However, we need to pray for smooth transitions and follow thru on arrangements!
Here is a quick shot of the new Crocs Aunt Heidi, Cousin courtney and grandma got K...too cute!

The most Special Night all weekend...

2008-05-06T09:47:00.002-05:00

Read this article...pictures to come! you have to copy and paste it into the address bar.

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/05/06/news/porter_county/doc66e3e4b6736bd1a286257440005d8405.txt

A Walk to Remember...

2008-05-05T12:57:00.003-05:00

Sunday was a beautiful day in the mid-60's so we headed outside for a walk with K. She likes to pick up and collect rocks and now dandilions. For a while now, she also likes to walk Molly herself. She is just a trip and has been such a blessing in our lives!

Prom 2008

2008-05-05T12:41:00.004-05:00

What a blast! It couldn't have been better! Although, I could have done without the tornado sirens going off as the students arrived :) The weather eventually broke and most of the kids never even knew there were sirens!
Enjoy the pictures! The theme was "Evening in Paris" colors were gold, silver and black. The night started with a grand march in the gym and then moved to the venue- Expo Center in Valpo. There was a 20' Eiffel tower, a great entrance, a cafe scene and a park scene...it all turned out amazing! The DJ was brought in from out of town and he typically does national events...he was worth every cent we paid him! The (over 800!) students danced most the night and just about everyone stayed until midnight. I'm so happy how things turned out...I don't know that I'd change anything for next year...except the theme of course! :)

From the bottom of my heart...

2008-04-11T09:05:00.002-05:00

M has a student in class who is just a riot. Here he made her a heart omelet, the day before he created a story *with pictures* on how one day M's student helper and another student would marry as would he and M!!! What a trip! Students like him are what make teaching so much fun! Thanks Myles!

BRILLIANT!

2008-04-04T14:20:00.002-05:00

This deserves a great big A-M-E-N people!!!! What an Ahh Ha! moment for me!
Please read!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23957393/

OK, finally!!

2008-03-30T19:39:00.006-05:00

(A fair warning-blogger is having a hiatus and won't let me post photos, so those will come soon!) It's clearly been awhile since I last posted...I'm back on the wagon now. Things have been a little crazy around here. M hosted a Prom Fashion and Expo Show at school with over 40 vendors and 500 in attendance, G is busy at work trying to see where this economy is going to take him, and K has been developing her speech and personality by leaps and bounds. That nursery rhyme "No more monkeys jumping on the bed" is coming back to haunt us as she likes to shake her little finger and say "no, no, no!" It's cute though...she hasn't done it maliciously yet, maybe that's why it is still cute! G turned 29 on the 16th and we found out that a cousin in CA gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! M is still working on plans for prom this year along with her Juni0r class. It has been far more work than our wedding. It's only about a month away- then all the hours will pay off.
For Easter weekend we went up to spend some time with grandpa
L and nana on Saturday. We went out for a delicious dinner and then went to church on Sunday and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. Then we headed up to great grandmas for a Easter dinner. It was so good to see her and she looked great! K showed off her pretty dress and played until she tuckered herself out! You would think then that she might zonk in the car...oh no! No sleepy, sleepy! We stopped at grandma and grandpa W's too on the way back from WI and there she was wound up again playing with her cousins. She slept really well that night!
This was M's spring break so Mon-Tuesday we went down to Indy to see some friends. K was reunited with her first love- Jakob!
Wed M and her niece and nephews went to Medieval Times! SO MUCH FUN!
Th-Fri Cousin Courtney came over and Saturday and Sunday we all tried to get some R&R!
K had her pictures taken...you'll be getting them soon!
That's all for now!! Hopefully I'll keep you posted more often! :)

We ARE Special

2008-03-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

We are so glad that we broke the bank to go to Farve's last home game! We saw the legend have a great game, his receivers catch incredibly tense passes and best of all, we saw the greatest man who walked on the field in Lambeau (in my opinion) high five the ref as he exited for the last time with a huge grin and frozen face! They defeated a conference rival and held their heads high as they finished a strong season. It was amazing- even more so now that we know what we know. HE IS A LEGEND! Go Pack Go!

Couple weeks in Pictures...

2008-02-21T09:53:00.004-05:00

I'm not in the mood to write a whole lot. Still really sore from the surgery. But here are some pictures from a couple birthday parties, 18 month doctor appointment, hanging around the house and what-not! Enjoy!

Me and Daddy...
Grandpa L and K were cooking up a storm!

Foil is fun!
Chillin' on stairs with my valentine's shirt from Grandma W.
I've discovered with my little stool I can see what mom and dad are up to in the kitchen!
My 18 month appointment with Dr Miller... K was playing doctor when he came in! She was above the 95th percentile in height, and just below the 50th percentile in weight.
K, Keirsten and Jacob were eating a frosted cookie for dessert!
Cousin Clay doesn't normally have red eyes, but here are some Bionicles he got for his birthday. He had a great party and received some awesome gifts! Happy Birthday!

K and Carter will talking about the good ol' days...really I think they were scheming up an idea to take over the adults!

Picutres!

2008-02-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Taking one block at a time.... This was me after my first day at my new daycare! Love the hat- thank cousin Courtney!

I'm soooooooooo bbbbiiigggg on my 1 1/2 birthday!
Daddy and I play on the floor and make silly faces!
Mommy got this bowl and spatula out and we were mixin' up a treat!
It was VERY cold outside, so K thought she'd get Molly dressed as well!
K LOVES books...here she is learning her colors...and picking out her future car...obviosuly she's got a little influence from Aunt Heidi

Be My Valentine Brett Favre!
This is how I roll in my "crib"!
Grandma W played with me and nursed me back to health when I was home sick for a week! Grandma W even taught me to wipe Elmo's nose just like mine! Grandpa W gave me lots of lovins' when I was sick! I love you!

Check out these two! Ahh...the influences of a Godparent!

Babies and a CAT

2008-01-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Where do I start:
Well, K is doing much better now that her antibiotics have taken course. She started a new daycare last week and so far so good. She loves the fact the daycare has animals...including two love birds. She is growing so fast. In two days she will be One and a Half! So exciting! She is definitely signing more and trying to talk to us in her language :) We were SO LUCKY to have grandma W come and take care of K for a week while she was in transition between day cares and while she was ill with a double ear infection and bronchiolitis. I think K missed grandma W and playing all day long in her own domain!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, cousin Mikey tried his hand at building his own fort. Like the Egyptians building pyramids, he darn near killed himself doing so. In a quirky five year old's mind, there seems to be a need for a 4x4 on top of the swing set to make a great fort. So as any other crazy five year old would do, he pushed a 4x4 up the slide and onto the top of the swing set. Apparently when he himself reached the top, there was just too much temptation- "I must slide with this enormous hunk of dangerous wood"- not so sure those were his famous last thoughts, however, knowing Mike it can't be too far off. Well the 4x4 was longer than Mike was tall. So the 4x4 touched ground before Mike and the hunk of wood stopped Mike in his tracks by striking his cranium. That's right folks, the 4x4 slammed into his head. Needless to say, Mike wasn't quite the same. So off the ER they went and one CAT scan and Cars coloring page later, they found that he in fact 1. has a brain that developed that great idea and 2. the fore-said brain was not bleeding. Hooray! Aunt Heidi and I are sitting together talking about this on Sunday waiting for Michelle and the kids to arrive and in comes Mikey. No battle wound- just a bad haircut!
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This past weekend Cousin Brian came down from WI and hung out with us. Friday night was quite eventful with K's tirades to go to sleep and Saturday they went over to Uncle Gary's house to play some Wii. G and Brian had a great time and they were all able to catch up with one another. While the boys were out to play, M and K stayed at home and had a great time themselves! This would be the first time ever that K got a diaper and laid down for me to change it on her very own! I thought I was going to crap myself when I saw her do that- not once, but twice! Sunday when we went to grandma and grandpa's there was no displaying of this talent. I must keep it in my precious memories I guess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As most of you know, our family has been blessed with a new baby last August, a brand new bambino a couple of weeks ago, Gary and Erica are expecting in June and now just yesterday we found out that my beloved sister Heidi is expecting in September!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited! The last baby on my side of the family besides K is wonder Mike! So it's been a while for me to have a new niece or nephew on my side! I'm thrilled to be a new aunt TWICE this year! I can't wait to shower them with love! Congrats Heidi and Bryan! K is going to just love having a cousin her age on our side! (Heidi asked wonder Mike what he thought they should name the baby and he said "mike" that was turned down faster than you can spit it out and then his second suggestion was "grandpa"- the kid would definitely be the only "grandpa" in kindergarten!)
Please keep all these babies and mommies in your prayers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will post pictures soon! :) Love all of you!

Beautiful Bouncing Baby Boy!

2008-01-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

I was excited to hear last week (Thursday) that our cousins had their baby! Congrats Anne and Grant! Andrew Grant is perfect! Welcome to the family big guy!

Ramblings of a teacher...

2008-01-09T13:18:00.000-05:00

This week has been crazy to say the least. We had several inches of snow melt in less than 2 days with 60 degree weather. On top of that, we got rain dumped on us and many of the roads around here were closed due to flooding. On Monday, a very interesting turn of events occurred. First, one of my students came to tell me all about her break and the fact that she got a new car for Christmas. I was excited for her...she's a great girl! Then, during my 3rd Mod class a student was crying telling me that her community was flooded and that the fire department had to bring boats out to their trailers just to get them to safety. It amazes me- the diversity at my school. There are students that come from multi-million dollar homes in "OD" and ones that don't have a home, or ones whose homes are a wreck. I just gave a presentation to our faculty on Povertyin Decemeber. The most interesting thing is that everyone in every economical class can be in poverty if you consider all resources- financial, emotional, support systems, spiritual, etc. And truly to make a complete assessment you'll have to consider all resources. This makes teaching complex- their resources or lack there of, makes teaching the various levels compounded. However, there is nothing like being greeted back to work by tons of students telling me they missed me and couldn't wait to talk again. Sure does make it all worth it! I'm going to miss them as well after this semester- which ends next week after their finals. :(

All GOOD must come to an END

2008-01-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

(SORRY ABOUT THE PICTURE LAYOUT...didn't turn out quite how I had hoped!)
Ugh...break is over. Back to the grind tomorrow. It was a gratifying break with all of us home hanging out together, getting each other sicker than sick and of course playing and sharing LOTS of laughs together!
This past weekend we went to Uncle Gary's house. G helped him, his dad, Aunt Erica's brother-in-law and her dad put up some drywall down in their basement. Uncle G created two bedrooms down there for the boys and it looks great! They seemed to move a little slower today, but they got about 95% of it put up. Of course Aunt E had some incredible food to share with everyone there- thanks again! M and K visited upstairs with Aunt E, her mom, sister, niece and Miss Diane while the boys were hard at work!

It was so nice to visit with all of them again because we hadn't seen them for a couple of months and M was so grateful to pick Aunt E's sister's brain about little girls. (She has one that will be turning 4 soon!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your advice :) Saturday night grandpa and Miss Diane were able to stay over, although it was straight to bed for us as we were all done in! We went out for a yummy breakfast (thank you again for your generosity:) ) and then back to work! M was quite impressed at what they were able to get done this weekend considering just about every piece of drywall had cuts!
K was running around, looking at fish and being goofy. She thought that was just so funny to get everyone to laugh! She was quite the character today from the moment she woke up :)

She enjoyed a few books with Miss Diane...Sesame Street, of course!

Tonight after her bath she was still in a kooky mood so we couldn't pass up a few good pics!

Uhhh...my hair isn't camera ready! Give me a freakin' shirt at least people!

Check out these set of chompers! I CAN destroy things with one bite...i.e. fingers and Molly!

My new popular face! I can get anyone to laugh at this great new trick! :)

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

2007-12-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

There is so much to talk about from the past 2 weeks... lots of family and friends, parties, visits, CHRISTMAS and of course the PACKERS GAME!

Here are some pictures to recap...

Here my students are working on their own Gingerbread houses...

Our Beautiful Christmas Tree

K running through her new tunnel/tent from Santa

Uncle Gary and Aunt Erica's kids working on their Gingerbread houses! "One piece for the house, three for me..."

K mingling with guests at the "L" family Christmas party

"Lemme' check out this camera of yours Ms. Diane!"

Cute coin purse Uncle Roy! I could work this comb in that hair of yours...just hold still!

What could be in here? I'll have this open in 2 seconds!

GO PACK GO! PACKERS WIN!!! 34-13 over the Detroit Lions!

Here we are all bundled up! Not too bad for a self-snap shot of us at the game!

We had an awesome time there! It was incredible and the team played great!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Three WISE Men

2007-12-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

The story of the Three Wise Men, Magi, is so inspirational. They heard the good news that Christ, the King of Jews, was born and followed the Star of Bethlehem. They came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They came bearing gifts because unto us a child was born and this child would be the King of Jews. The gifts were fitting for a king: myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable.
This weekend we will be gathering and exchanging gifts with family and friends near and far. We may not have gifts fit for a king, but all were selected with love. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and will anxiously await watching them open their individual gifts. For our little family, giving gifts means so much! To have everyone at our house makes it that much more special. THIS IS CHRISTMAS! Nothing is better. We pray for safe travels and a good time!
The Three WISE men came bearing gifts for a very special reason- celebrate the season!

HOW SAD

2007-12-11T16:18:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful job in high school as a waitress at Schoop's in M'ville. My assistant manager, who was the most amazing, caring and thoughtful co-worker, was murdered yesterday morning. So sad. Her grandson is in one of my classes and until this tragic event, we didn't know of eachother's connection to her. I pray that her family and friends find peace and that the killer be rightfully tried and held accountable for this brutal crime.

Bah Humbug!

2007-12-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

Purdue’s football team “earned” the chance to play at a bowl this season. However, don’t get too excited. Location: DETROIT! Seriously. Sad.
Just about every other bowl game is in a warm destination, with the exception of Boise, ID and the International Bowl, which takes place in Toronto. There’s San Diego, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Charlotte, etc…not to mention that these incredible vacation destinations are NO WHERE to be found on the most dangerous cities in America list whereas Detroit always represents at the TOP! Although this bowl game is close (if you call a four hour drive close) we’ve already seen Purdue play Central Michigan – nothing new to be seen. And the $45 ticket price isn’t enticing enough to take our family into a crime-ridden area. Instead we will watch it in the comfort of our home, warm and cozy. Hot cocoa and bon bons. Why expose K to a society that lives in fear, has police stationed around and little respect for authority and others? Besides, even sporting events in Detroit aren't known for nice family gatherings either- need I remind you the the wicked brawl at the NBA game Pistons vs. the Pacers...us Indiana folks aren't favorites up in that area! No thank you, I would much rather stay at home.
IU have fun in AZ! WI rock it in Tampa! MI- Orlando is calling your name! U of I represent at the Rose Bowl! OHIO STATE bring the big one home to the BIG TEN!!! And Purdue- do whatever it is you plan to do in the beautiful City of Crime! Buckle up and lock up!

Pearly Whites...

2007-11-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

G and I have been working with K on brushing her teeth. Well the other day she just took charge...SHE BRUSHED HER OWN TEETH! Like literally put the toothbrush in and scrubbed those little "toofers"! I was impressed as she did just about as good as we could have done ourselves! The fun and adoration came to a screaming halt when she then tried to brush our teeth! YUCK!

OOPS!

2007-11-28T14:18:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention my beautiful sister's anniversary on Saturday! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HEIDI AND BRYAN!!! I love you! But remember Heidi, my purpose was to play and entertain you as a child...not to be a calendar keeper :) I played hard and entertained willfully too I must say!

Happy Happy Day!!

2007-11-25T22:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary Aunt Erica and Uncle Gary!
AND
Happy Birthday Aunt Erica!

We hope your day was special for both of you!

We love you LOTS!

HaPpY TUrKeY DaY!!!

2007-11-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

Caught WHITE Handed...

2007-11-22T10:48:00.000-05:00

K was home from daycare on Tuesday because on Monday she was sent home with a 103 fever (she's fine now, just has FOUR teeth coming in all at once!)

Well I went to the bathroom and I heard her little voice repeatedly saying "uh oh! uh oh! uh oh!"... that can never be a good thing...I quickly wash my hands and go into the kitchen to find this...
K was rolling around in it, "it" being powdered sugar!!

This would be K saying "uh oh!" and giggling!
And this is the mess Mommy was left cleaning.
I have to admit this is one of the funniest things! You see, Aunt Michelle and Uncle Pat got caught doing something VERY similar right before Easter one year. The only difference- they were a little older and they were using baby powder. Baby powder all over themselves, the room, EVERYTHING! Needless to say the Easter Bunny didn't hop in that year! So now here, 30 some odd years later, my sweet, innocent, little K pulls the same thing. I have to believe she was much cuter caught in the act!

Last Weekend...

2007-11-22T10:43:00.000-05:00

Cousins Patrick, Courtney and Michael stayed the night Saturday and we made a delicious dinner...

Happy Campers!

Another Article on Coins for California

2007-11-16T09:01:00.001-05:00

We're offically done now! I'm so proud of them!

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/16/community/porter_county/doc4ab5b45beda8b76f86257393007bed94.txt

Official Coin Count

2007-11-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

The Credit Union called me today after they ran all the change and counted the bills and the official amount collected for the victims of the California Fires is....drum roll...$1622!
I'm so overwhelmed! I know in my heart that this will help so many families!

Note from Miss K

2007-11-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

The parental units caught me looking up their Christmas lists! I tried to play it off like I was looking at the Packers website, like daddy always does- don't think they bought it! I wanted to show you that my mommy was in the paper again! She collected over $1550! I'm not quite sure what that means...but I know she is VERY excited about it! I'm sure there are some really nice people in CA that will benefit from it. Article below- couldn't find the link to the online article.

This week was a little crazy for me, but I'm feeling much better now thanks to lots of hugs and kisses from my mommy and daddy. Yesterday we went out to grandma and grandpa W's. Mommy and grandma went to a huge craft show and daddy and grandpa watched football all afternoon. I slept for nearly 4 hours, so yeah, that's basically all I did. Then today we cheered on the Packers- we totally smoked those purple people eaters! FUN!

Mommy and daddy keeps talking about this thing called Christmas...they are really excited about it, so I'm excited about it! Sounds like fun- lots of family and friends come by and we eat lots and give even more! Lights, ornaments, trees- lots for me to get into :)

Ahh...much better now!

2007-11-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

Yes folks, she is doing much better now. Thank you for all the phone calls and emails to check up on her :) I have to wonder if it was the fact that she had more dirty little stinkies in her diapers yesterday, or if the antibiotic kicked in. Either way, our little chipper-roo is back in action! She didn't disappoint this morning- up early, played with Molly, ate cereal- for over an HOUR I might add, watched a little Elmo show on sharing, read LOTS of books, vacuumed with her little vacuum, picked up HER kitchen- from grandma and grandpa W, gave lots of hugs and wet, really, really wet kisses. All by 10 am this morning when she very distinctfully told be she was ready for a nap. How you might ask?- She grabbed blankie and Elmo and headed to the stairs then put her head on blankie and grunted. Nice! Up we went and down she goes! No fuss!
I am getting ready to read my daily blogs, calculate the Coins for California spreadsheet so that I can let the whole school know that we have now collected OVER $1,000 (See previous posts on CFC) and possibly get a shower in! I'm VERY optimistic on this!

Icky...

2007-11-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

Well that is how K is feeling. She was sent home today from daycare with a 102 temp. Like good parents we took her to the doc and it turns out that she has a double ear infection and a respiratory bug. All that plus she has about 2-3 teeth trying to push their way through her delicate gums :( She's on some meds now and sleeping the day away. Looks like one of us will be home tomorrow with her as well. We'll update you...

She blinded me with Science!

2007-11-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went up to the Museum of Science and Industry with Uncle Gary, Aunt Erica, cousins Clayton, Olivia and Isaac and M's niece Courtney (obviously also a cousin to K, but I'm just trying to simplify any confusion!)

The museum was impressive as ever, however it is quite special right now- there was an incredible STAR WARS exhibit!!! Needless to say the kids were VERY excited about this! They rode on a air cushion, to simulate the Hovercrafts in the movie, built a hovercraft using magnets , programmed a robot and saw several of the props used in the Star War movies and actual costumes worn throughout the series.

We also saw most of the other exhibits in the museum- all that we could in the 7 hours we were there! :)

For dinner we went out to Giordano's Pizzeria (thanks again Gary and Erica!)...oh was it good! No, delicious! By the time we got home we were all exhausted!

Today we are going to get caught up on rest, laundry and most importantly, FOOTBALL!

Coins for California

2007-11-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

My senior class is taking on a service learning project to help the victims from the CA fires. I'm so proud of them! (just click on the link or copy and paste it into your address bar)

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/02/community/porter_county/doc576b4de54b5ebdcf862573860051a5e6.txt

We will be donating all the money collected to the Red Cross in Southern California! Thank you for being an inspiration Bill, Michele and Kiersten as well as our friends out in CA! I hope that it helps!
I just wanted to share what my class is doing...sometimes I defend my career as more than babysitting...and I know other teachers do as well.

Our little BuZzEr!

2007-10-31T20:00:00.001-05:00

Seriously, can she bee any cuter than this???

Happy Belated Birthday and Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Uncle Bryan's and Great Aunt Judy's Birthday!!

Happy Halloween! We hope you get more Treats than Tricks!

(Thanks for the cute cards grandma and grandpa W, Kiersten and Aunt Heidi and Uncle Bryan!)

Weekend in Pictures...

2007-10-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

After spending nearly 2 hours in traffic in downtown Chicago- ugh!-we stopped at Aunt Janet's and Uncle Pat's Wednesday night. K loved playing with a pink telephone, all their stuffed toys (especially Bucky!) and all the wonderful little trinkets. Thursday morning we went to Perkins for breakfast (thanks again Aunt Janet!) and G found his new favorite- gingerbread pancakes. On the way out of Madison, we saw only what could be found in a place like WI- no you don't need to adjust the color on your screens- it's a Pink Elephant!

Between Wisconsin Dells and Eau Claire, we found a scenic nature trail with an outlook at the end. It was so nice to get out of the car and take in some fresh WI air! We were able to see the magnificent fall colors at their prime!

Friday morning we headed out to Mall of America! Little did we know it would take between 8-9 hours to get through the whole thing! K was such a wonderful little shopper! She either was pushing her own stroller or she rode/slept in it. We knew it had been a long day when she took 2 naps! :)

We visited an Aquarium that has been awarded "Best Shark Encounter" by Discovery Travel Channel. It was really neat, but it has a lot more to do to catch up to the awe of the Chicago Shedd Aquarium. At the end of the shark exhibit, there was a play area that K just loved! She was all over the pirate's ship and found the treasure (even though we already found our little treasure a long time ago! )

After a long day at the Mall and Aquarium, we met up with G's cousin Amy and Nick and their new little bundle of joy- Jack! K wasn't too sure about her mommy holding another baby, although she really was enamored by all of Jack's dark hair. We had some delicious pizza and yummy brownies for dinner(thanks again Amy and Nick). It was great to catch up and visit since we don't get to see each other much. They are doing great adjusting to parenthood and Jack is the happiest baby! *He must be getting some quality sleep!

Saturday morning we packed up and started to head back south. But first we stopped in St. Paul at the Children's Museum. Sesame Street had an amazing exhibit there and K was just beside herself. We haven't seen her get so excited in a long time!

We made a short stop at Chippewa Falls, WI to tour the Leinenkugel's Brewery. It is a beautiful setting and the buildings and backdrops were impressive!

We also stopped in Wisconsin Dells for dinner that night and then stayed for the night. Sunday morning we visited with G's grandma who was hospitalized for a bad fall she suffered a couple of weeks ago- she was in good spirits and we had a very nice visit with her. She filled us in on some of the others in the facility. She's really funny with her impressions! On the way to visit great grandma, K brushed her hair in the car. She really seems to like the feeling of the brush on her not-so-full head of hair! :) We also got to see grandpa and Ms. Diane for a short visit and lunch. (Thanks again for lunch! ) Grandpa did very well this year with his produce stand and is looking forward to a wonderful winter as well. All is good. K really likes going to the farm and seeing all the pumpkins and she made a new friend with grandpa's kitten Brownie! Brownie took a liking to K as well and followed her around the farm! Too cute!

What's a trip to WI without stopping at the Mars Cheese Castle??? Just that- a trip to WI. Don't waste your time next time you are in WI to stop at this tourist trap! We thought that there might actually be something to it considering it made it on the Food Network as a Great Place to Visit- Not so much people!

After the disappointing Mars Castle, we headed to M's parents to pick up Mollers. K was so excited to see her grandma and the baa's (sheep). Although extremely exhausted and so far from anything that resembled a sleep schedule, she still had a great time there and ate up all of grandma's strawberries!

It was a great vacation and we were able to do a lot! Definitely one of the best vacations. Now it's unpacking time, catch up with housework, laundry and all that fun!

Another GREAT Birthday Weekend!

2007-10-23T18:56:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a bit crazy...G and M's dad changed out the brake pads and roters on the Equinox Saturday morning and then that evening we went to Cousin I's birthday bash! Sunday we took full advantage of the nice weather (near 80!) and did some landscaping and cleaning up outside while K took a 3 hour nap. (She spoils us rotten!)

Back to the fun part... I's birthday party!!! It was a great time with lots of wonderful people! I know I mentioned this before- but seriously, I heart Aunt E's fabulous family! They were there along with Aunt E and Uncle G, cousins C, O, and I, all of Aunt E's family and some extended family G, K and me! Cousin I got some awesome Spider Man gifts as well as a Leapster and a game to go along with it, tools, clothes, magnetix, cards, etc. He was so excited to open all those gifts in front of everyone too! It's just something that you can't recreate or even try to! The kids all enjoyed playing together and the babes played as well. It was like K and Aunt E's nephew were on a date sitting at the same table across from one another- adorable!

Well we are making final preparations to go on our trip this week. It looks like it will be cool in MN, but the fall colors are at a peak right now as well! Lots of pictures to be had!

Stay warm!

Please Pray!

2007-10-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine from college has a dear friend who is undergoing a heart transplant today. Please pray for her, her family, the doctors and the family that lost their loved one but gave her a new heart!
She is not much older than G and I and this will be her second transplant! She is a very strong young lady and I truly believe that with God all things are possible and God is definitely guiding her on this journey.
http://www.angelamoore.typepad.com/

G's grandma is recovering from a hard fall that required some surgery as well. She is doing much better and will have lots of therapy. She's a "tough" one as the doctor said! :)

And lastly, but not least, please keep our families in CA in your thoughts as well that the fires may stay far from their homes and that their loved ones are safe as well. It's a very scary situation, but they are all taking it in strides!

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12

HALLOWEEN TREAT!!!

2007-10-13T07:09:00.000-05:00

K received a wonderful surprise in the mail today from St. Louis, MO!

She was determined to open it up and see what was inside.

Socks! Halloween Socks from Aunt H and Uncle B...K loves socks!

Thank you Aunt H and Uncle B for the socks and card!!

Here's Some Pictures!

2007-10-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hello!
I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures lately...I promise to get some on tonight. This past weekend we visited some college friends overnight. We did some shopping, looked at their newly renovated house that they pretty much gutted and went out for dinner at an incredible Mexican restaurant. The salsa was amazing...then again, we all LOVE Mexican food. Sunday we went to cousin P's birthday party- he turned 9 on Monday...seems hard to believe! He was born when M was a freshman at Purdue! It was great to see K's aunts and uncles and cousins! Unfortunately, the Packers lost on Sunday. I'm sure grandpa W is ecstatic about that though!
K has learned to use a straw- somewhat! It's funny to watch! She is sleeping a lot on the weekends (5 hour nap on Saturday!) and eating well too! I think that means a growth spurt is about to emerge! She is still happy and goofy as ever and has taken a real liking to the Little People Circus that aunt E and Uncle G gave her for her birthday. It's fun to watch her grow and learn! This Christmas should be a great one for her and we are getting quite excited for it! G and I bought our gifts early- we will be going to the last Packers home game this year!!! They will be playing the Detroit Lions. Should be a "frozen tundra"! :)

Save the Ta- Ta's Campaign

2007-10-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

This clever and unique campaign raises awareness and money to help support the Fight Against Breast Cancer. This is Breast Cancer Awareness month. All their proceeds go to organizations like Susan G. Komen Foundation and American Cancer Society.

What a day!

2007-10-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

It doesn't get much better than this... first it was a half day today so students left early! Check!
Then I went out to lunch with G, which was wonderful in that we could eat AND talk without juggling a one year old! Check! I have parent/teacher conferences this afternoon and they have all been pleasant- it's nice to hear that the students go home and say how much they like me as a teacher! Check! Went out for dinner with some new friends here at school and they were hilarious! Check! Tonight I will be home just in time to watch Grey's Anatomy! Check! Lastly, I am looking forward to another half day tomorrow- teachers get to go home early as well! Check , Check, Check!

THANKS again...

2007-10-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

To Grandpa L for all the fall goodies( see pictures below of our porch)! We have had tons of compliments from our neighbors and started a fall decorating trend :) You're the bestest!!

At Twenty-eight

2007-10-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

At twenty-eight I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life that mean the world to me. I have an incredible loving husband who supports me in all I do and understands my feelings in times of strife. I have a beautiful daughter who has been the joy of my life the past 14 months. She has made me a much improved person. She has taught me that I have more self-respect and contentment then I ever thought. My parents and siblings have been a vital role in my life and has shown me true love, compassion and modeled for me the values and morals in life that will serve myself as well as others in a encouraging means. They have taught me the RIGHT way to have a relationship with my children and the understanding that we are all individuals with individual needs and wants. My friends- my so many great friends- from across the states, they have been my soundboard, the hug I needed at times and the always honest and truthful voices that I desperately yearn for at times. Thank you, all of you, for making my life so much richer! I have learned recently that I am stronger and that I have enough self-worth to remove myself from people and situations filled with anger and disbelief. I am better than to be manipulated and vulnerable in situations that I do not believe in. I am twenty-eight and I have so much more to live for and I look forward to a positive move in my life in making sure I do everything in my power to support my family and myself.
Here’s to a life of happiness! Cheers!
Here is my prayer that has been passed onto me and now to you:
May today be all that you need it to be today; May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears. May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced; May your joys be fulfilled; your dreams be closer and your prayers be answered. I pray that faith enters a new height for you. I pray for peace, health, happiness and true and undying love for God.

IKEA Here we come!

2007-09-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

Friday night "momma bear" and "papa bear" went out for dinner while Aunt M and cousins came over to play with "Kaykers". It was nice to eat out without a one year old! :) We were going to try to catch a movie as well but the one we wanted to see, Mr. Woodcock, didn't start for at least an hour and a half. So we went to Wal-Mart and picked up the movie "Knocked Up"!
Saturday we headed first out to Bolingbrook, IL where we caught up with our beloved old neighbors and watched their little one's flag football game. It was great to catch up with them again and see their beautiful children! From there, we headed North to Schaumburg, IL to IKEA! We hadn't been to IKEA since living in IL. It was a fantastic as ever! We found some great things that we couldn't resist! For dinner we went to Weber Grill- that was the BEST meal we've had in a long time! After dinner we headed home in an effort to get Kaykers to bed at a decent time.
For breakfast on Sunday we tried some jam we picked up at IKEA (some kind of Swedish thing). It was great on toast! Can't wait for tomorrow morning! :) This is Kaykers toting around her blankie and Elmo. It's so cute to see her drag them around with her! Here Kaykers is in action demonstrating "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (She jumps and shakes her finger) Sunday morning after playing "monkeys" we headed off to momma bears parents' place. We had lunch with them and then papa bear and grandpa were off to catch the game. Kaykers took a nice long 4 hour nap and then momma bear and grandma went shopping. We were able to find Kaykers some great fall outfits and boots for this winter- great deals out there! :)
Tonight we headed home early enough to get Kaykers to bed and then watched some SNF. Now we have cleaning to do that we've neglected all weekend and some laundry of course!
CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. Brett Farve! 422 touchdown passes- he surpassed Dan Marino's record!!!! Go PACK Go!

FYI: If you try to reach us via our cell phones- please know that we do not carry them with us at all times. If we don't answer, leave a message. About the message issue- our phones do not always aleart us that we have a new message, especially if there is more than one. Please forgive us if we do not get back to you right away. We are really busy during the week with school and work and lately we've been on the go during the weekends. (As you would know I'm sure from reading these blogs!) We are going to be busy a lot this month with trips to our dear friends next weekend, a trip to Minneapolis later in the month and a few small trips in between. Maybe things will slow down- oh wait! Then there's the holidays...nevermind!

Getting some zzz's...

2007-09-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

Many are amazed, puzzled on how and unfortunately some don't appreciate the advantage...What am I talking about? The fact that our daughter goes to sleep now between 6-6:30pm and wakes at about 7 am. There are many studies and evidence of the importance of quality sleep in young children. I'd like to give you some insight on the importance of what we are doing with K. My goal is to have more appreciate the life long benefits that we are instilling in her now.

Realizing that lack of sleep affects mood and behavior is easy because it is tangible. We can feel it in ourselves and see it in others. Lack of sleep also has a clear impact on learning and processing of memory. Mothers of newborns have a unique window into the effects of this. Many can tell outrageous stories of going to the grocery store still wearing slippers or completely forgetting a conversation that occurred minutes ago! It is very similar for babies and older children. Overtired children have greater difficulty concentrating and are less alert than their well rested counterparts. Children learn by watching. Research consistently shows that overtired babies are not able to keenly observe and process what they are watching as well as rested babies. Some parents have reported a noticeable acceleration in reaching developmental milestones once their child was “sleep trained” and no longer overtired.
Because overtired children are easily bored they are less likely to play independently for as long as well rested children. Learning to play independently is an important life long skill. During this type of play children become more creative, more resourceful and develop emotional maturity. Studies conducted on infants as young as five months old found that those children who slept longer during the day had longer attention spans. The studies looking at seven to eleven year olds reported that those kids who experienced poor sleep exhibited more communication problems and intellectual deficits than those without sleep problems.
It is important that parents understand the link between sleep and the development and maintenance of learning and processing of memory. For our children, regardless how young, we need to ensure they receive adequate sleep in order to optimize their ability to learn.

In order for children and adults to function at their peak performance, both must be getting adequate, consolidated sleep. Children who sleep 10 to 12 hours a night awaken well-rested, ready to cope, attentive, cheerful, and best able to learn from their environment. Parents too, will feel better equipped to perform the demanding tasks of work and family life. K is the "happiest baby in class"- per her early childhood teacher. I attribute this to the consistent routine and sleep we allow her to have. We hope you will understand our passion of caring for K! We wouldn't short her in any other part of her development- so why deprive her of one of the most essential elements?

Also see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20955442/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIECE O!!

2007-09-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear O!
Happy birthday to you!

GO PACK GO!

2007-09-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week little Miss K got busted in the act!

This past weekend we went to a fantastic birthday party. The theme was perfect- Mexican Luau~ Luau decorations (our favorite for a party!) and delicious Mexican food with all the trimmings! Niece O received some great gifts and had a great cake/cupcake dessert! It was fun to watch the kids play in the yard and the little ones interact with one another. Aunt E has a nephew who is about K's age and it was wonderful to see them try to figure the other one out! Here K is all about her treat bag from the party! She got some stylin' sunglasses! E's family was there and it was great seeing them again. We celebrated the Forth with them and they are such a pleasant, fun and thoughtful family!

K took a super long nap before the party so we weren't sure if she would still go down at her normal time- but sure enough, she was asleep by 6:40pm. It's a fabulous schedule! Then she slept in until about 8:30am Sunday. Life is good!

Sunday was the big game- Packers vs. Chargers- PACKERS WON! Here's the # 1 and #2 fans! Best of all, Brett Farve tied the all time touchdown record with 420 TD's at home! Beautiful.