On Stage

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T10:32:00.001-06:00

We had lots of fun celebrating Thanksgiving at Grandma's house!

The kids decorated Grandma's tree and house for Christmas.

We also took a few pictures for Grandma's Christmas card. I think Grandma should send out the "goofy grand-kids" picture.

Cousins

Goofy Cousins

Phoenix 2011

2011-11-28T14:58:00.004-06:00

Finally getting a few pictures up from our trip to Arizona.
We went to celebrate Great Grandma Betty's birthday
All our cousins were there too. It was a lot of fun even though it was soooo hot.
Thank goodness for all the pools!

The Stage Clan

Happy Birthday Great Grandma Betty!

Alex's dormroom at ASU

Hanging out on the balcony

Shopping in Old Scottsdale

Daddy and Kids

Feeding the fish Cheerios

In the hotel room....

Our Florida Cousins

Swimming

Swimming with our cousins

William

Claudia

Shoelaces

2011-11-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

Claudia,

You came downstairs to the kitchen this past Friday wearing William's black dress shoes.

You: "Look. I tied these.".

Me: Really? (noticing that they were actually tied correctly) How did you do that?

You: Like this... and you showed me how you tied your shoes.

Me: Where did you learn how to do that?

You: I've been watching Dad tie my shoes.

Me: Hmmmm

Then we cheered loudly and danced around the kitchen. I shouted the good news to William. He wasn't as impressed as I was... I detected a bit of jealousy.

Congratulations my little shoe-tier!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

Heading downtown for Trick-or-treating with a ninja and witch

Pumpkin Patch

Waiting for neighborhood Trick-or-Treating to start

Grandma and the kids

Mom made Daddy wear the Green M&M

Fun at the Patch...

Claudia's Birthday

2011-09-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

Claudia, on left, painting her bedroom "Razzle Dazzle" pink

I want a pumpkin pie and a cherry crisp for my first party.

Playing with Dad at Bella Boo's

Dress up at Bella Boo's

I want a ice cream pie for my real birthday.

Sleepy Claudia... Too much party!

Yeah! My baby doll!

Opening my gifts

Birthday #3 and a cake!

First Day of School

2011-08-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Happy first Day of School 2011-2012

New Backpacks

Don't I look cute with my flower?

Always smiling....

"But... I wanted to sit at the red table!"

"My desk is soooo cool."

Block Party 2011

2011-08-01T14:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had our first block party. Mom and Dad had the opportunity to meet neighbors we have never seen before (sounds weird, I know) and you kids made lots of new friends!

I was elected as a "Blockhead" in charge of childrens' games (I really wanted to be in charge of the beer garden, but it didn't happen). I planned the games, shopped for favors and then made Dad in charge of executing the games. I think Dad enjoyed himself.

Here's a few photos from the big event.

Miss Claudia

Mr. William

Face Painting with
Casey

Water Play in the Neighbor's Sprinklers

Caludia and Casey Eating Lunch

Walnut Street

Mom's Brookdale House

2011-07-28T22:48:00.002-05:00

Hi William and Claudia,

Recently we found out that Grandma and Grandpa's house in Palatine is for sale.

Mommy really wanted to show you the house I grew up in. We lived there from 1971 to 1988.

We waited until a open house was scheduled, picked up Grandma and headed north.

Here's a few pictures from the house.... more to come.

Living Room

Kitchen

Dining Room

Family Room

Den

My Bedroom. I found some of my "drawings" still in the cabinet.

Mud Room / Laundry off of Kitchen

Back Yard/Deck

Back of House

Basement. Grandpa had a HUGE bar back here!

William's 7th Birthday

2011-07-26T20:51:00.010-05:00

Hi William,

You had your seventh birthday today!

Your day started out having breakfast with Grandma and us at the Viking. You were so excited to be turning seven that you barely touched your chocolate chip pancakes. Grandma gave you a card with spending money for our Arizona trip. Your head immediately began churning with ideas to spend your new fortune on.

After your birthday breakfast, we drove in Merrilliville to run a few errands which included picking up your birthday cake. This year you chose an Army theme for your birthday, so I ordered a white cake, with white frosting and green writing. You finished decorating the cake at home with green Army men. It turned out really nice :) You also added Darth Vader for a candle holder.

During our errands, you were REALLY worried that we would be in a store during you "actual birthday" (which is the time you were born... 11:20am). You wanted us to sing "Happy Birthday" to you at exactly that time and were really afraid that we would be in a store and everyone would hear us singing to you which would be "weird". We managed to make it to Sam's Club parking lot at exactly 11:10. So we waited for the big moment and let the singing rip. You sang to yourself too.

This year we gave you a new suitcase, an encyclopedia of Star Wars characters and a Star Wars Wii game. I think you really like the game because you are downstairs right now playing it with your cousins.You also received a lot of Wii accessories and two more games from the family and our favorite neighbors.... I think they are titled Wii Resort and Mario Cart. Grandma gave you two new games for you Leapster. Guess this birthday was all about games!

Your cousins are spending the night tonight. Looks like it's going to be a late night for you all! No one wants to quit playing the games to shower. I think I'll make Dad in charge of that.

Anyway... Now for the mushy stuff.

I can't believe that you are already seven.... First grade, baseball, reading on your own, Wii games instead of a baby swing and Mr. Banana Man. Goodness, how time flies. I know your an old guy now, but I'm happy that you are still my baby. You still love to hug me and cuddle. Hopefully, it will stay that way for a LONG time! It better, Buddy!

We love you lots!

Love Mom and Dad and Claudia
xoxo

Summer in the City

2011-07-01T19:10:00.002-05:00

William and Claudia,

We recently got to spend some fun time in the city. Our week went like this...

Thursday, we checked into the Hyatt on Wacker and then walked to the red line to take the subway to Sox Park to watch the game. You guys were excited to be riding the subway. You, Claudia, had fun looking at all the people and scenery and you, William, demonstrated his knowledge of reading.... by reading all the advertisements aloud... several times. The Sox game was exciting, but very cold. And... because Mom did not dress you in (or pack) warm enough clothes, we had to leave in the fourth inning. Sorry guys!

Friday morning, Dad got up early and went to his class. We three took our time getting ready and got a cab to Navy Pier where we went to the Children's Museum. After a bit of museuming, you two spotted a McDonald's where you both insisted we have lunch. We did and then headed back into the Museum for the rest of the afternoon.

After the museum, we stopped for ice cream and did a little more sight seeing around the pier. Instead of taking a land taxi back to the hotel, we caught a water taxi at the mouth of the Chicago River. The taxi took us to Michigan Avenue, right by our hotel. It was bit chilly, but a fun ride!

We waited for Daddy to come back and headed out by foot in search of the Rain Forest Cafe. Unfortunately Dad's internal GPS failed and we ended up by Water Tower and not the restaurant.... that's why we ended up in a cab. Rain Forest Cafe was fun, even though we had quite a bit of a wait. William, you thought the "elephants were annoying and disturbing your meal". Personally, I think since you're now older, fake animals are not so cool anymore.

Saturday, we got up, ate at the hotel and walked down to Millennium Park. We explored the "Baked Bean" as Claudia called it, the water walls and the amphitheatre. After exploring the park and surrounding area (you liked the unusual wind "sticks" at the AON Center), we headed back to the hotel to meet up with Daddy. Saturday was the day of Alex's graduation party so we headed out to Bolingbrook to celebrate.

Sunday, we took a taxi to the Peggy Notebaert nature museum in Lincoln Park. The museum was "cool", but we didn't get to see all of it because our stomachs started growling and the cafe was limited to "icky" pre-made sandwiches. Luckily the zoo was withing walking distance. We headed there and actually found a healthy lunch. After lunch, you two asked to stay at the zoo which was fine with me. We checked out the exhibits. You both loved the baby monkey (I don't remember which kind of monkey). Your second favorite was the leopard. Dad met us at the zoo after his class and we walked to the Wiener Circle for dinner. Greasy burger,. hot dogs and fries!

Monday, we took another water taxi to the Sears Tower (I don't care for the new name) and went to the 103rd floor of the tower. You guys were quick to find the ledge... the only thing that interested you. You both stood out on the ledge while I took a few pictures. I took one step out on it, looked down and quickly jumped off.

After our quick visit of the Sears Tower, we had lunch at Giordano's... thin crust pizza because neither one of you will eat thick crust. And, Claudi, you still won't eat melted cheese! Just crust and toppings for you. The three of us had a fun time sitting by the window and people watching. We took the water taxi back to the hotel.

When we got back, we had dinner at the hotel with Dad and ended our evening with an architectural tour on the Wendella boat. You guys didn't care so much for the narration or the buildings, but you did enjoy the ride down the river.

Tuesday, we ordered room service for breakfast, packed up and headed back to Valparaiso.

Great time we had!!!

Claudia's Preschool Graduation

2011-06-20T11:34:00.001-05:00

Claudia,

Sorry, Claud, that it has been a month since your graduation day and I haven't posted pictures yet. Papa took the pictures and I am not able to put them on the blog (goofy technical stuff with web albums).

It was a great ceremony and a great year!

You did a fabulous job in preschool and will make a great kkindergartner!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy and William

OUCH

2011-06-17T08:42:00.003-05:00

Quote from Claudia...

"Those aren't grey hairs on your head, Mom. It's just the light making the hair look shiny. But, your face, Mom, sure is getting a lot of cracks (wrinkles) in it."

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T10:33:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year! Our EARLY morning started with the Bunny who brought baskets full of treats, twistable colored pencils ("the best kind") and games for the Leapster Explorers.

After breakfast, we headed to church and then to Grandma's house for an afternoon of fun with cousins.

Claudia's Tooth

2011-04-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Claudia,

Congratulations! You lost your first tooth on April 3rd.

It was a wiggly little thing for quite some time, driving you absolutely crazy! You wouldn't let anyone get near it except for William. You asked him to pull it out for you, but he was afraid to hurt you, so the two of you came downstairs in search of the Master Tooth-Puller (that would be me). I gave that little guy a slight tug and out it came.

As relieved as you were to have the tooth out, you did not want to turn it over to the Tooth Fairy (I don't blame you... the whole Tooth Fairy thing is kind of creepy), so you wrote the Tooth Fairy a note (which I will eventually scan and include) asking the Fairy to leave the tooth with you.

The Tooth Fairy was so impressed by your note, that she left the tooth with you and also left you $3.00!!

It seems that you will be following in William's footsteps because you have two more wiggly teeth that will be coming out soon.

Congratulations Claudi on losing your tooth and being brave enough to ask the Tooth Fairy to leave your tooth with you!

Love,

Your Favorite Mommy :)

The Big Lost Tooth

2011-02-21T12:07:00.000-06:00

I lost a big one!!!

While we were in Indy this past weekend, William lost his front tooth. He actually LOST it... as in a swimming pool!

William and Claudia were swimming with their cousins and William's face made contact with Matthew's foot. The tooth came out and settled somewhere on the bottom of the pool. I entered the pool area right after the tooth came out to find William crying hysterically and holding a towel full of blood. I thought he had jumped in the pool backwards again (after telling him not to a million times) and smashed his face on the side of the pool. He was actually crying because he couldn't find the tooth in the pool and no tooth meant no Tooth Fairy (according to William).

Claudia, with a teeny bit of help from Sydney, started a search and rescue mission. She continued to dive and scan the bottom of the pool for William's tooth.

And... guess what? SHE FOUND IT!!!!

William was so happy to have his tooth back and Claudia was so happy to have found it for her favorite brother.

The Tooth Fairy came to the hotel and left William a special gift. Not money, but a StarWars movie- A New Hope. William couldn't believe his luck.

We had an eventful weekend with cousins and Grandma :)

William's Report Card

2011-01-26T13:34:00.007-06:00

William,

Today you received your first kindergarten report card. You did a great job! We're so proud of you!!!

Today is also your 6 1/2 birthday. You are so excited to be half-way to 7.

Love You,

Mom

Lentil Chili

2011-01-19T18:19:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoons salt-free chili powder
1 (16-ounce) package brown lentils (about 2 1/4 cups lentils)
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method

Bring 3/4 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and pepper is tender. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lentils, tomatoes and remaining 7 1/4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving : 120 calories (5 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 180mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 6g protein

Serves 8

So ....What's Happening At the Stage House?

2010-12-17T14:15:00.014-06:00

I went in for surgery for on November 30th, got sick from the anesthesia and pain meds. While in the hospital, the staff lost 2 bags of my personal belongings, delivered me to the wrong room and gave me meds that I declined. Perhaps I need to lower my standards when it comes to acceptable medical care.

Claudia developed a double dose of pink eye, and fever and a stomach bug causing her to empty the contents of her stomach in our bathtub... at least it wasn't the carpet.

I caught Claudia's bug, while still recovering from surgery. It's not fun to throw-up when stitches are involved.

I woke up on a Tuesday morning and couldn't get out of bed. I managed to injure my back (again) while sleeping.... amazing. I made an appointment with my doctor for the following day, but the pain was so intense that I had Brian take me to the ER where I stood (it hurt to sit or lie down) for 4 hours. They offered me pain meds which I declined, sent me home and told me to ice my back. My back still hurts to the point that I can not dress the lower half of my body without assistance.

Our 7 year old high efficiency furnace broke. Called the furnace man to fix it, but he couldn't because he didn't have the part in stock. The fix-it man told us that if we had purchased a mid-range furnace, he would have had the part in stock. Gosh, what were we thinking when we purchased the more expensive furnace (insert sarcasm)? That was on a Thursday evening. The part would not be available until Monday afternoon because it was being delivered from Glendale Heights in Illinois. We would have driven to IL, but a rather large snow storm blanketed Porter County and the roads were not impassible. The storm also delayed the Lenox truck which showed up on Tuesday afternoon.

During the furnace ordeal, we packed up the kids and shipped them out to Mimi and Papa's so they would not freeze. Brian and I would have joined the kids but we had the 2 dogs and cat at home... Mimi and Papa have 2 large greyhounds. Four dogs and one cat are not a good mix. Brian and I roughed it at home with a handful of space heaters until the frigid cold and snow storm hit. Then we packed up the pups and headed east to Crown Point where we stayed at for 2 nights.

While we were at Mimi's house William came down with the stomach bug. Poor guy. He had it worse than the rest of us. I gave him a glass of water which he quickly tossed back up stating "That just came back up like a fire hose". Luckily, the bug only lasted a day.

Tonight we are going to Grandma's to decorate for Christmas. Tomorrow the kids are going to Mimi ad Papa's to bake cookies and spend the night which provides me with the only opportunity I will have to shop, organize and wrap.

Since this has been such a chaotic month, I decided to splurge and buy myself a Christmas gift. I usually don't use retail therapy as a cure-all, but this time I found it to be completely necessary.... and it got Brian off the hook when it comes to shopping for me.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

2010-11-25T10:49:00.006-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving

This year we stayed home for Thanksgiving. Our original plan was to go to Grandma's house for the day, but Grandma got sick. Brian and I thought it was great to hang out in our jammies until noon and not have to rush to be anywhere, but the kids, especially William, thought otherwise... "This is the worst Thanksgiving ever." I heard repeatedly. William was upset that he was not at Grandma's playing with his favorite boy cousins.

We did get together later with Grandma and the Benton's for a Polish Thanksgiving. We met at a Polish restaurant in Lynwood where Aunt G. was greeted by a glass of water down her back... the waitress had butter fingers and colorful language. Despite the wet beginning, we enjoyed all the delicious foods, especially the sauerkraut and pierogies (which I ate my weight in...YUM).

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry on Saturday... where we met our Novak cousins and Aunt M. We had lots of fun. I really enjoyed the Muppet's exhibit. There's nothing quite like Kermit the Frog! The kids went home with Aunt M. and spent the night at her house.

On Sunday, we met the Novak's and Mimi and Papa for pizza at San Fratello's. We celebrated Brian's 41st birthday and made our way back home.... exhausted from the busy weekend!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

Claudia's preschool program

Claudia singing in her program

Apple donuts at County Line Orchard...YUM!

Costume change... trick-or-treating downtown

Neighborhood trick-or-treating

Kids with Grandma

Claudia the witch

Sorting our candy

William the Ninja

Sunflower at County Line Orchard

Happy 11th Anniversary

2010-10-23T05:50:00.007-05:00

Happy Anniversary Brian

Our 11anniversary was all about shopping and eating. We dropped the kids off at Mimi and Papa's house and headed to Schaumburg for the day. Since I am writing this 2 months after our anniversary, I don't remember the exact details but I think it was like this.... lunch at Yu's, shopping at Nordstrom Rack, a trip to Woodfield Mall to hit up the Aveda store, dinner at Brandt's (home of the world's 2nd best cheeseburger. The first place ribbon goes to Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan.) and a trip to Eurofresh for produce and rye bread that I can't find in Indiana. It was a fun day!

Brian's poem

Happy Birthday Claudia!

2010-09-16T12:06:00.009-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Claudia!

We love you!

Mommy, Daddy and William

So.... Miss Claudia,

According to you, you celebrated 4 birthdays this year.

Your first birthday celebration was with your extended family.... grandparents, cousins and your favorite neighbors. The theme this year was "Tinkerbell"... until a few days before your party. Then you changed it to "Barbie". Lucky for you I did not purchase any of the party items or you might have been stuck with "Tinkerbell". We had your party on Labor Day which up being a beautiful day to celebrate.

Your second birthday celebration was on the actual day of your birthday. We went to lunch with Grandma and then later in the day Mimi and Papa came over for dinner. Instead of a cake, you asked for a pumpkin pie which you really enjoyed.

Your third birthday was at school with your classmates. You chose to bring in doughnut holes. Your teachers made you a crown, lit a huge candle and your classmates sang "Happy Birthday" to you.

And, finally, your last birthday was your friend birthday party (a first for you). You had your party at Jump Zone in Crown Point. A lot of your friends were there, including all "your girls". Everybody enjoyed jumping in the giant jumpies, eating pizza, cake and ice cream. You enjoyed opening up you gifts... lots of Barbies!

I almost forgot! You had a fifth birthday!! We went to Indianapolis for the weekend. We stayed downtown and met our Greensburg freinds at the Children's Museum. You and your friends had a great time playing together. I think your favorite exhibit was the "Barbie" one... dressing up, taking photos, walking down the catwalk, listeniong to the Mommies reminise about their old Barbies. Even the boys had a great time!

You really enjoyed all of your birthdays and are already making plans for next year!!!

I'd post pictures, but the camera died the day of your party :(

School and Teeth

2010-08-31T12:46:00.005-05:00

Hi William,

You started kindergarten last Wednesday.

You love going to the big school, especially having recess and playing with Thomas. Your teacher's name is Miss S. and there are a whopping 28 kids in your class (crazy!). So far you have been to gym class.... you came home and proudly demonstrated how to do sit ups and push ups, music class... "the teacher is even funnier than you, Mom", art where you made a colorful folder for your art work (a rocket ship, 2 planets and 1 moon) and library where you checked out a dinosaur book. Next week you are going on a field trip to the apple orchard.

Last night the Tooth Fairy came AGAIN! You had another loose tooth which was really "bugging" you. You asked Dad to pull it out but he refused (he's a wienie) and then you asked me. I hesitated because loose teeth really freak me out, but I tried anyway. I grabbed a few napkins, gripped the tooth and gave a tug. The tooth fought back and wouldn't come out so I asked you if it hurt and you said "no" so I gave the tooth another tug and it came out. You were so excited... another trip from the Tooth Fairy meant more money. I think you should leave the Fairy a note requesting $$$ for your wonderful Mom.

That's all for now. Pictures to follow.

William's Tooth

2010-08-20T19:56:00.004-05:00

William,

Today you lost your first tooth. Well, actually, you didn't lose it. You pulled it out all by yourself.

It all started with one loose tooth on the middle bottom which quickly turned into two loose teeth, The second loose tooth became much "wigglier" than the first. It was really "bugging" you. You had me wiggle both teeth several times this morning. I told you that I have had a lot of experience with loose teeth (my own and those teeth of my students) and that I really thought your teeth were not ready to come out yet.

I went back to reading the newspaper... which was what I was doing when you asked me to wiggle your teeth. With in a few seconds you slapped a tooth on the newspaper as yelled, "My tooth came out!!!". Sure enough, there on the newspaper was a little bitty baby tooth staring at me. You ,too, were staring at me like "Haaa. I told you it was going to come out."

I started to cry and hug and kiss you because I was so excited for you and because I couldn't believe it actually came out. Then I realized you were bleeding a lot and grabbed some napkins. The bleeding stopped after a few minutes and we called Dad who answered the phone (that NEVER happens).

So, tonight the Tooth Fairy is going to make a visit to the house and hopefully bring you a large amount of cash.

Way to go William!!! Congratulations

2010-08-16T08:42:00.003-05:00

William,

Last night before bedtime, you pulled out an oldie, Go Dog Go, plopped on your bed and waited for Dad or me to read it to you.

Instead, I suggested that you read it to us.

Guess what you did? You read the book.... every word! Yup, the WHOLE book!

Way to go William. We're so proud and excited for you.

Love,

Mom

Happy 6th Birthday William

2010-07-26T04:40:00.019-05:00

Dear William,

I can't believe that it was six years ago that you were born!

It seems like yesterday that I finished teaching around the middle of June and couldn't wait to finally take it easy until August... your actual due date was August 4th. I was really looking forward to having free time to get everything set up and ready for your arrival... unfortunately things didn't go as I had planned.

I finished the school year with an achy back which quickly turned into a painful case of sciatica. I could barely feel my legs when I walked and my back was so sore that I couldn't do anything... except for swim (which I did a lot of at Grandma's pool).

I spent several times a week driving an hour each way to Munster to see a chiropractor. I could barely walk from my car into her office. Seriously, it would take me 10 minutes to cross the small parking lot and then I would stare at the curb near the door wondering how I was going to lift my legs up over the curb to walk into the office. Needless to say, I was miserable!

After a month of visits, I finally was able to move again. And, because I had lost a month of my "free time", I was desperate to have everything ready for you as well as have a little bit of fun.

The weekend prior to your birth was all about getting out of the house and having fun. Friday, I got up early and drove to Hobart to watch your cousins' last swim class for the summer. After swim class, we went out for lunch. On Friday evening, we went to the Porter County Fair with your cousins. At the fair, I waddled around in search of my all time favorite.... a chocolate covered banana! I found it and it was delicious! We had lots of fun with your cousins and went home really late in the evening.

Saturday, Daddy and I went into Chicago to the Land of Nod store to find some artwork for your bedroom. That's how you ended up with the red framed Babar prints. We couldn't decide which one we liked better so you ended up with both. After we left the store, we headed south to China Town where we had dinner and walked around and stopped at a bakery for almond cookies!

Sunday, we were invited to the Railcats game by your cousins. It was a really hot day and we sat in the sun eating hot dogs and watching the game. I really would have liked to have a cold beer, but that was out of the question so I settled for a caffeine free soda.

After the game we went home. Daddy had purchased a video camera and was sitting on the deck reading the instructions... which I had been pestering him to do for weeks (just in case you were to arrive early). I went upstairs and was going to take a shower. I went potty and stood up only to find myself still pottying (gross, I know). I couldn't figure out what was going on, sat back down and continued to potty for several seconds. "Ah, ha!", I thought.

"Brian!!!", I yelled out the window to your Dad, who was still outside reading directions. "I think my water just broke!" (Babies are in a bag of fluid while they are growing in their Mommy)

I don't think Daddy heard me so I yelled louder for him to come inside. He eventually came in and called the doctor for me.

I called Aunt Gayle who was more excited than I was (I was really nervous). I asked her if she wanted to join us at the hospital later which she did.

We stayed at home or several hours before heading over to St. Anthony in Crown Point. Daddy drove really fast because it was a long drive and I was still leaking fluid... which was not fun.

We had to check into the hospital through the ER. The receptionist was not friendly or quick on her feet. She made me wait a long time before a nurse came to get me and bring me up to my room.

I'll spare you all the icky details other than your Dad napped while I was in labor (Yes, Brian I AM still angry). You loudly came into the world the next morning, July 26th, which was a Monday. You were absolutely beautiful. Even though I was pregnant with you and knew you would eventually make an appearance, I was completely stunned to see you. It still makes me cry when I think about it. That was such a wonderful day. You cried for an hour after you were born and then didn't cry again until we brought you home. Mimi, Papa, Grandma, the Bentons and Mommy's friends all came to see you.

This weekend, we celebrated your 6th birthday with a "Star Wars" theme. Saturday was your "friend" party at the Jump Zone in Crown Point. You had a great time with your friends. Sunday was your family party at our house (the funniest part of the day was Snoopy discreetly jumped onto the dining room table and polished off the frosting from the rest of the unattended birthday cake... he later got sick and threw it all up).

Today we are going into the city to the Field Museum by your request. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and your 6th birthday. May the force be with you!

William, you are the best! Thanks for making me a Mommy!

Happy 6th Birthday My Little Guy!

I Love You!!!

xoxoxoxoxox

Mom

It's a Zoo Out There!!!

2010-06-28T13:29:00.008-05:00

This year for Grandma's birthday we went to the Brookfield Zoo. It was Memorial Day weekend....it was hot and crowded, but we had a great time!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!

Hanging out

Grandma and Kids

Claudia and Jordan with their FAVORITE animal.... the zebra!

The Last Day of Preschool 2010

2010-06-28T10:18:00.010-05:00

William

Walking to School

In front of the TLC sign

Walking to School

The Ice Cream Truck!!!!

The last day of preschool was so much fun! Our teachers set up all kinds of games for us to play in the church basement.... including a jumpy!!!!

Towards the end of class, the teachers told us that since it was the last day of school, they were out of snacks. "Rats," I thought. Instead of snack time, the class would go for a walk around the church.

As we walked to the back of the building, we heard music.... as in ice cream truck music! Could it be? It was! The ice cream truck parked in the lot waiting for all the kids.

Our parents were in the lot too... with their cameras! I saw Mom running in the lot with Claudia (who was crying). It turned out that Claudia split her lip open and Mom had to take her to the doctor. Claudia was upset because she missed all the fun playtime, but she did make it back for the best part... the ice cream!!!

Mom took a lot of pictures, cried and hugged me. I know she's happy for me go to the big school for kindergarten, but she keeps telling me to stop growing up... as if I can control that !

William

Spring Break 2010

2010-06-01T12:00:00.003-05:00

Claudia and Aunt Christie

Target Practice

The kids in the helicopter

Target practice with Uncle Eric

Eric, William and Brian

Claudia, William and Cousins

Brrrr... the water is so cold!

We had a great vacation!

After we landed and got our rental car, we drove to the Mayport Navy Base north of Jacksonville, Florida to meet Brian's brother and family. They had to be there to check us civilians in (you can't get on the base without a sponsor) and stayed to have dinner with us.

William and Claudia were thrilled to see their cousins and had a great time playing in the sand with them. It's hard to believe that it has been a year since they played together. Claudia immediately began collecting all her seashells to bring home and William began digging a hole to China.

The best part of our beach vacation is that we practically had the beach to ourselves. We occasionally saw a few people as we were walking, but they were few and far between. A few times, a group of Navy men ran past us in little running shorts (I referred to this as my "Happy Hour"!). We also saw lots of dolphins, jellyfish, sand dollars and starfish and explored a few tide pools filled with amazing sea life.

The base was lots of fun to explore. There was so many ships docked there. I think we counted at least a dozen. We watched the helicopters take off and land and we drove around checking out all the buildings.

One afternoon we drove to St. Augustine and had dinner. After we finished our meal, we walked around the town checking out cannons, cannon balls and reading about the history of the town. We intended to go back and spend more time there, but I got sick and we didn't make it back. Maybe next year....

The second half of our trip was spent at Brian's brother's house where we were wined and dined. Eric and family took us to see the Jacksonville Naval Station where we explored different kinds of aircraft. We ate lunch on base and hiked to see the St. Johns River. We also visited Uncle Eric's airport where the Coast Guard's Hitron helicopters are. Uncle Eric let William and Claudia explore the helicopters and hold the big (unloaded) machine guns that they use to shoot at drug boats. We even saw one of the helicopters land.

William and Claudia want to add some of their favorite things about the trip.

William's Favorites:
holding the machine guns
Navy ships
parks
beach
swimming in the ocean
playing with my cousins
driving in Uncle Eric's Jeep
Aunt Christie's pasta

Claudia's Favorites:
dolphins
seashells
starfish
parks
Aunt Christie's homemade doughnuts
Sarah and Lucy
riding in Uncle Eric's Jeep
going out to eat

William's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-25T16:00:00.002-05:00

The Graduate

William and Claudia

Mom (after crying) and William

Papa, William, Mimi

Grandma, Claudia, William

Dear William,

Today (May 12th, 2010) was your preschool graduation ceremony. We're so proud of you. You did such a fabulous job this year at school. Your teachers said you are hard worker, very bright, always asking questions, and always wanting to learn more.

It's hard to accept that you are growing up so fast. It seems like yesterday that you were born and we were holding you at the hospital. You were such a beautiful baby and now such such a handsome little boy.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

As a favor to us, please don't grow up too fast.

Love You,

Mom and Dad
xoxoxox

Crazy Alphabet Letters

2010-05-19T12:31:00.004-05:00

Our lunch discussion consisted of wacky alphabet letters.

William: Why doesn't "W" start with a "D"?

Me: What?

William: It makes the "D" sound... "Double - U". Don't you hear the "D"?
It should be called "Wubble - U".

Me: I hear it. Good question.

William: (Stops eating and ponders) Letter "Y" should start with "WH" like the word "WHY".

We then go through the alphabet in search of "misspelled/mispronounced" letters....

William: The alphabet is crazy!

Teacher Gifts 2010

2010-05-12T15:07:00.005-05:00

For end of the year gifts for their teachers, the kids painted terra cotta pots, planted basil and wrapped their gifts with a note wishing their teachers a "delicious summer". The gifts were a big hit!

Next year (just so I remember), I am going to try to include a few words describing their teachers as well as a small lists of their favorite school activities.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T09:13:00.017-05:00

My Mother's Day gift from Brian complete with a poem:Dear Susan (Mommy),

A very heartfelt Happy Mother's Day

To you for all you do

For your love and especially your patience

If you were a lawyer, you probably would have sued!

Now that it's spring the thought did arise

There's something that's been missing awhile

But being green and sustainable,

Gas powered just isn't my style

But I saw the light, so to complement your whacker and mower,

The kids and I are happy to say,

Here's your very own handheld blower!

From your long-winded, blowhard husband,

Brian and your 2 Stihl-in kids (Stihl is the brand of blower)

My Mother's Day Gift From William

Claudia made me a beautiful hand painted notepad holder complete with pen and notepad to write down "important things".

The kids also made their anual poster complete with pictures, hand and footprints and poem. I'll take a picture and post it later (when I have more free time.. which might be next week!)

Uncle Eric and His Big Gun

2010-05-06T13:05:00.004-05:00

The Military Channel thought my brother-in-law was poster worthy.

(Yes, that is really him shooting at drug boats)

Our Last 2 Weeks....

2010-04-29T14:45:00.019-05:00

This spring, Claudia has developed a bad case of seasonal (we hope) allergies and asthma. She's been on an inhaler, one antibiotic and one steroid and now another inhaler. The week after she finished the antibiotic, she was still coughing so I called the doctor's office again and was told to take her in for a chest x-ray. She had bronchitis. Poor kid. Now she is back on the second inhaler, not coughing, but her nose if running like a leaky faucet.

William's been healthy. Yay! He is learning to ride a 2 wheeler. He's doing pretty good with cruising, but turns are an issue. The neighbor's hostas have taken a beating.

William (and parents) had Kindergarten Round Up last week. We went to his school, listened to the principal, teacher, nurse and PTO president speak about the school and then filled out 10,000 forms. William got to visit his classroom (there's only one kindergarten) and tour the school. He was really excited, especially when he found out that his friends, Zeke and Thomas will be in his class next fall.

We've been going on preschool field trips the last 2 weeks. William went to the nursery and planted a firecracker sunflower. This week he went to the bus barn and rode the big yellow school bus. This was lots of fun for him. Too bad he's going to be a walker for the next 9 years!

Today Claudia's class went to the library. She had a great time until she found out that she was not permitted to check out books during the field trip because "not all her classmates had Valpo library cards and therefore could not check out books". She thought the rule was wrong and protested with a growl. As if we aren't at the library regularly anyway.....

Both kids are still taking swim lessons twice a week. Both of them (especially Claud) have developed a mean backstroke. They can swim the length of the pool in record time (both follow in their cousin, Jordan's, footsteps). They are still working on the front crawl and sidestroke. Both love their swim lessons. Me too. After class, I shower them and then drop them off at the childcare room so that I can work out by MYSELF. I found the afternoon is the best time to hit the gym because there are only a few people there and I don't have to worry about running into anyone except for the young muscular guys who regularly hit the weight room.... makes the hour pass just a little bit faster.

Last week I had a locksmith here to replace a few locks. We needed a new cylinder on our back door and 2 new deadbolts on the 2 front doors. The guy showed up and started working. I noticed his fly was down and wasn't sure if I should say anything. I didn't, but was kind of creeped out. He must of noticed himself because he eventually locked up his own goods. What a relief! Anyhow... now I am the proud owner of 3 new locks and 6 new keys... one of which immediately went to my neighbor, Jeff, for safekeeping. If it wasn't for Jeff and my extra house key, I would spend a lot of time sitting on the back deck waiting for Brian to get home.

Next week Brian will be flying (via corporate jet) somewhere on the east coast (can't remember)for a meeting, staying at a lovely hotel, sleeping all night and eating yummy food with ADULTS. Hmmmm..... no jealousy coming from me.

The week after that, he will be traveling to Bloomington, IN for his final week of leadership development classes that he has been taking since January. Unfortunately, this is also the last week of preschool which means he will be missing Claudia's special play day and William's graduation. The kids are going to be crushed.

Lastly, Claudia informed me today that she wants to plant a guacamole tree in the yard. Sounds like a good idea to me.... as long as she also plants a chip tree and a margarita tree next to her guacamole tree. That would make for a tasty, carefree summer.

And then there's my joke of the day.... I was discussing laundry with Claudia's preschool teacher, telling her how much I hate carrying laundry up 2 flights of stairs. She said I needed a dumbwaiter. I told her I already had one and pointed to Brian. Ha! I crack myself up!!!

Oh, one more thing. I received my EOB from my insurance company. So far I owe the Mayo Clinic $2800.... and all they gave me was a pair of ugly hospital socks!

To My Neighbors....

2010-04-15T10:50:00.026-05:00

Dear Neighbors,

Hmm.... Where to start...

You're a Buttmunch!

Since you brought it to my attention that you do not like my dogs and their barking, I believe that it is my turn to let you know what really irks me.

First, there's your teen son. He's an idiot. He is not perfect as you like to believe. The underage drinking parties (yes, there has been more than one) are getting annoying. Cops shining flood lights in my windows in the middle of the night is not cool. And running from the cops from his own home.... not too smart. Lucky for him that you have enough pull in our town to keep his name out of the paper. I bet the other parents weren't too happy when they read their kids' names in the Police Blotter minus your son's.

Also, he drives like Helen Keller ON CRACK. That "special" finger our neighbor gave him for almost crashing into his car on the corner is nothing compared to what I like to do to him. He floors the car every time he pulls out of the driveway, never looking for walkers, pets or other cars. He only turns onto the street at high speed and on two wheels. Perhaps it's time for a repeat driver's education class?!

That little landscaping business he's running is just peachy. He must be making enough money to buy all that beer for his buddies. But, that trailer he parks on the street.... It's an eyesore. Can't you store it with your other numerous cars?

Then there's your daughter. She is very popular. Did you know that when you go out of town, she likes to host sleepovers? Yup, as in overnight guests of the opposite sex. Funny... just when I start to recognize one guest groggily walking to his car in the morning, a new one shows up the next day. She definitely gives new meaning to community service.

Lastly, your home is ugly. I am not impressed that you have completely remodled, added on and put in $500,000 of marble. It's still ugly. You're landscaping sucks too. Ground cover on the parkway? Really? Did you think it would actually grow? And because of your addition, you chose to give up your backyard. It's not my fault that Snoopy's barking is amplified by your large brick driveway and the L-shape of your home. Bad call on your part. Brick does not absorb sound and the L-shape traps noise. Duh.

In regard to my dogs, yes, they do bark. They're dogs. They're terriers. It happens. Although it is generous of you to offer to purchase shock collars for my pets, it is not necessary. The older dog was abused by her previous owner. Shocking her for barking is equivalent to kicking her. Perhaps every time she barks, you can run across the street and kick her. It'll save you some money.

And I am so relieved that you stated that you are not irritated by my children, even though they make more noise than the dogs. I was afraid that you would offer to buy shock collars for them too.

Your comment about people walking down our street to visit with our dogs "because everyone thinks they are so cute" is true. People like our dogs. Our dogs only bark at people they don't like. Hmmm....

So... screw you neighbor. Your threats don't scare me. I don't care that you are one of our town's elite, that you are a member of every committee and board in town and I don't care how many generations of your family has lived here. You still suck and your threats are falling on deaf ears. My dogs will continue to bark. They will go outside. They won't be shocked for doing what dogs do. And that case of wine I sarcastically offered to send you to "take the edge off", you're certainly not getting it!

Your Neighbor

Feeling Better

2010-04-12T12:21:00.010-05:00

We're finally on the mend.

I took both the kids to the doctor last Tuesday. William had fluid in his ear and some "icky" sinuses. He was put on Claritin and antibiotics. Claudia was wheezing and put on an inhaler 4 times a day, Claritin and antibiotics. She seems to be feeling better, but still coughing. I also took myself to the doctor and was put on antibiotics and Zyrtec D.

Today, an Itemized Statement of Charges from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida (due to my emergency visit...that's a story for the near future) arrived in the mail totalling $6649.00. They haven't filed with my insurance yet, but even after they do, we still have to pay our $3000 deductible before anything is covered. There goes any future travel for this year.

Off to swim class.....

Home

2010-04-05T09:25:00.007-05:00

We're back home from our wonderful (minus my emergency visit to Mayo Clinic) trip to Florida.

Unfortunately, everyone has been sick with coughs and colds. I have not slept more than a few hours a night for the last 3 weeks due to the cough and my brain has turned to mush. And, because that is not enough to make a person crazy, Brian is out of town for the week and I get to play "single parent".

Hopefully I will find time to post some pictures from our trip soon.

Ta-Ta For Now!

Happy Birthday Gayle

2010-03-19T10:34:00.009-05:00

So you're finally 39!

You were feeling fine....

Until you caught the swine.

Now you feel like sh*t

And you're not happy one little bit.

Soon your luck will flip

And you'll be on your trip

Enjoying a drink

Instead of puking in the sink.

I hope your birthday doesn't stink (like this poem)!

Love,

Your Favorite Sister

Fremd... 22 Years Later

2010-03-04T07:06:00.003-06:00

Brian and I had a great weekend. We dropped off the kids with Brian's parents on Friday afternoon and headed for Schaumburg. After checking into the hotel we headed off for round one of shopping.

Let me tell you that normally Brian hates shopping. He would rather be anywhere else than in a mall. Whenever I have to drag him shopping with me, he complains that he is suffering from major leg cramps, his shoulders hurt and a headache is keeping him from thinking any positive thoughts. He refers to this as "shopping mall shuffle". I find it strange how he can run long distances (as in 26.2 miles), but cannot walk more than 10 minutes in a store....Hmmmm.....

For some reason, none of that happened this weekend. He was like a kid in a candy store. He is especially fond of Nordstrom Rack. He found a pair of shoes, a running shirt, a pair of pants which they hemmed while we waited and a few other things. As I mentioned above, Brian can barely last one round of shopping, much less a multi-round affair........I had to look closely to make sure he hadn't found a look-alike to take his place......this was definitely strange behavior......

At any rate, after our first round of shopping, we headed off to dinner at Yu's, a Chinese restaurant that is one of our favorites. That is where we had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding. This time we feasted on delicious seafood and Moo Shoo pork. We ended the meal with fortune cookies. My fortune cookie said that "A fun party is in your future". Coincidence? I think not!

Saturday started with breakfast at the hotel and a drive to Park Ridge where we hit up the Talbot's outlet - Round 2. Didn't find much there. And no men's clothes - Brian was devastated. Not even the single children's clothing rack that Brian used to spend 30 minutes reviewing (anything to pass time in a store dominated by women's clothing!). Had lunch in Mount Prospect at Gale's Carriage House (another of our favorites) and then back to Schaumburg to hit Woodfield Mall....Round 3.

I haven't been to Woodfield in years. I really had no intention of going this time, but I had two free gifts coming from Aveda, so I had to go and get them there because we don't have a store here in Northwest Indiana. While we were at the store, I had my make-up done by the sweetest young lady. She showed me how to use everything that I purchased. I have not bought make-up since our wedding 10 years ago so this was an exciting time for me. I felt like a grown-up again after she finished my makeup application. The best part was that I did not break out in hives from their products (a recurring problem for me)! After our purchase, we were treated to a chair massage. It was the most amazing massage I have ever had (not that I have had many). I walked out of that store feeling better than I have in years. Brian also received a massage and a bag full of samples from Christina, the sweet young lady.

After our mall trip, we headed back to the hotel where I met up with two of my high school friends, Kristen and Jenny. We chatted for a few minutes until it was time for Brian and I to clean up and change clothes for our high school mini-reunion.

We met my friends at a restaurant in Schaumburg where we had drinks and a delicious sit down dinner. It was so much fun visiting with everyone. Most of us saw each other at our 20 year reunion in 2008, but the reunion was so loud and crowded that it was hard to talk to anyone. This time was much different. We had the opportunity to talk, share photos and reminisce. It was interesting to hear about the jobs my friends pursued. Among the group was a V.P. for a major finance company, a BMW salesman, a doctor, an EMT, a federal agent, a music producer, a special events coordinator for Northwestern University and a few stay at home moms (I fell into that category).

Anyway we had a really nice evening with my friends. It seemed as if 22 years could not have possibly passed since our high school days. Toward the end of the evening, we asked the DJ at the bar where we ended the evening to play music from our high school days. I'm not so sure the other patrons of the establishment appreciated our music selection, but we sure did!

Well.... back at home now and back to reality. I have beds to make and laundry up to my eyeballs. Then there's dinner to prepare and kids to be bathed......

Thank You God

2010-02-25T18:22:00.005-06:00

Tonight, while praying before dinner, we asked Caludia what she was thankful for.

Without hesitation, she answered "underground parking".

Okay then ...

We live in the middle farm fields.

No underground parking in sight.

Just a Little Hint....

2010-02-18T09:10:00.011-06:00

Dear Daddy,

I drew a picture for you this morning.

Can you guess who it is?

It's Minnie Mouse!

Love,

Claudia

Note: Claudia has been saving her money in a pink Easter bucket for a long time so we can go to Walt Disney World. She often empties the bucket, sorts the coins and bills and asks if she has enough money for the trip. I keep telling her that she's getting there and to keep saving. She also draws pictures of Mickey and the gang just to remind us that she "needs" to go and visit the princesses. Claudia and William have even gone as far as create Mickey heads out of cardboard and glue them to our bedroom door (I wasn't too happy about that), but they got their point across. Keep saving your money Claudia. I hope you'll be able to treat all of us to a vacation in the future!

Catching Up....

2010-02-16T09:35:00.026-06:00

William's Halfy Birthday

Valentine's Day party at preschool

Valentine's Day party

Well.... things are finally quiet around the house. Both kids are at preschool today. I actually have 2 1/2 hours to myself this morning!

This past month has flown by! Both kids were sick with colds and ear infections. The ear infections were a first for both kids. Poor William had a build up of fluid in his right ear which eventually ruptured his eardrum. It must have been incredibly painful. He cried harder than he did when he broke his arm a few years ago. After being up to our armpits in Amoxicillin, both kids are finally healthy (for now).

Brian was home for a week (mandatory furlough). It was nice to have him home to help out around the house (although it took several days for him to relearn the house rules). Prior to his week off, he made a long list of projects to do around the house. Guess how many of those projects he accomplished? One! Yes, one. You see Brian has absolutely no concept of time. What he thinks will take 1 hour actually takes 2 days. I've have come up with a formula that always works for him. He thinks a project will take 1 hour... double that = 2 hours.... then bring up a degree (such as hours to days) = 2 days. Only in this case what should have taken an hour, took 1 week (my formula was slightly off this time). Yes, it took Brian 1 full week to put the Christmas decorations away. The decorations were already boxed. They just needed to go back into the attic. Brian decided it would be easier to store the boxes in the basement so he had to clear a space to put all of them. This took several days of clearing, several days of cleaning and several days of carrying the boxes to the basement. Yup, that's Brian. Every project is long lasting.

William celebrated his HALFY Birthday at school. Since he has a summer birthday, he was able to celebrate is half birthday in January at school with special treats (little donuts). He wore a birthday crown and was sung to by his classmates. He really enjoyed the special attention. We celebrated at home too with a dinner request by the birthday boy (pasta and salad with brownies for dessert).

Valentine's Day was a BIG deal this year. Claudia was really excited about giving cards to her friends. She made her own cards with construction paper and doilies. She enjoyed writing her name on the first few, but then called it quits because "It was too much work." It took several days for us to finish her Valentine's cards! William passed out "Cars" Valentine's this year. He had fun choosing the cards for each friend. He wrote his name on each card as well as the name of the classmate it was going to. No complaints from him!

Both of the kids had parties at school - on the same day... at the same time. Thankfully, Brian and I both attended the festivities. We didn't want the kids to think we picked one child over the other so we divided our time between the two classrooms. The kids came home with a huge stash of treats! They both sat at the kitchen table searching through their candy and cards. Claudia asked who gave her each card. William was able to read all his friends names...although he just quickly scanned over the girl cards and offered them to Claudia. Claudia, in turn, gave her boy cards to William. Claudia has 5 more students in her class than William which made her loot pile noticeably larger. Being the sweetie that she is, she offered William a good chunk of her treats.

This past weekend, we made a trip down to Purdue for a little get-away. My sister's oldest had an indoor softball tournament in Lafayette so we tagged along. We didn't go to her games because she played on Saturday at 6:00A.M. and Sunday morning at 12:00A.M. and 2:30A.M.!! Crazy! We did meet some of our college friends that still live in the area. Mike and Angela are now married and have two children. We all met for lunch and then went back to the hotel for a swim. The kids had a blast playing together. Later that evening, Brian watched the kids and Gayle and I went shopping. I don't get out without the kids much, so it was a welcomed break! Thanks Brian! I owe you one.

While at the hotel, we stayed up late eating snacks and watching television... when it came time to go to bed, the kids got into a heated discussion on who was to sleep with who. Both kids wanted to sleep with Brian (no complaints from me) and argued until William decided that he would solve the problem. He used the all-time ultimate decision maker..... "EENIE MEENIE MINEY MOE". He won, but Claudia was not convinced that Eenie Meenie was going to keep her from sleeping with Daddy. William insisted that she lost and repeatedly said to her, "Claudia, we did Eenie Meanie Miney Moe and you lost.". Well... they both ended up sleeping with Brian which made me quite happy!

The next morning, we had breakfast and headed out to see campus. The kids weren't too excited about all the reminiscing that was going on in the front seat. "Remember when..." or "Look kids. Mom lived there and there and there and there....Dad lived in that dorm and that house and that apartment...." The kids wanted to get out of the car and run around, but it was too cold. We'll have to head down when the weather is warmer and do a walking tour of our favorite places. Speaking of favorite places, we did stop at Snowbear Frozen Custard for a quick treat. (A note to Kathy... the one across from our apartment on Stadium is no longer there. There is only one in the levee now.) No trips to Harry's for Long Island ice teas. We'll have to wait for a kid free weekend for that!

This weekend Brian and I are heading to Schaumburg to meet up with some of my high school friends. A few of them I saw at my 20th high school reunion in 2008 (dating myself) and the rest I have not seen in a LONG time. The reunion was so crowded and loud that I really didn't have the opportunity to have a conversation with anyone (other than shouting a few words). So this should be a fun time. None of my friends are bringing their spouses / significant others with them so I'm not really sure if Brian should tag along or not. I know he would enjoy himself. He has a gift of gab and could hold his own. But, on the other hand, it's hard to pretend your interested in high school "flashbacks" especially when you didn't attend the school. So... I may just have to flip a coin to see if I'm going solo or not.

That's it for now. I still need to upload all our photos since Christmas. That's next on my list.... along with doing laundry, making the beds and a date with the treadmill.

Brian's Public Enemies Review

2010-01-30T16:31:00.018-06:00

Brian's first movie review came out today compliments of our friend Gina Z. or more commonly known as "Bean".

And now, Going to the Show with the Regular Bean:

In the role of a lifetime as prisoner extra #6969 in the movie Public Enemies, seminal actor Brian Stage shows us that no role is too small to showcase his oeuvre of seismic proportions. Small in stature and Big on talent, Brian literally has you believing he truly is a felon or other person of dubious interest. As we pan across the sewing room in one of the film's beginning scenes, we see Mr. Stage sitting in his chair fidgeting, thus gazing about...I truly did believe he was a real crook looking for his spool of thread to start his day. Even though, in several marching scenes we may not actually see his movie star visage; we do, however sense his brooding prisoner presence. If you're like me, and I know you are :-) then you will not want to miss this remarkable performance of a lifetime, and take pride in saying I knew him when he was just a fraternity pledge trying to get some sigs and drinking too much beer. Bless his heart that he found a good, beautiful woman to guide him and keep him humble on his path to Hollywood stardom.

Review #2 by Linda:

"Love it Bean!! I waited in anxious anticipation for my glimpse of our movie star....looking right past Mr. Depp, and quickly hit rewind several times to catch every nuance of his performance. I don't think prisoner #6969 could have been played more true to character than by Mr. Stage....I dare say that the excitement I felt in saying, "I knew him when", was uncontainable!! I can't wait for his next film, where we will undoubtedly hear his first onscreen spoken words. Great Job Mr Stage....you're on your way!!"

Brian's response to Bean's review:

Yes, Bean, my oeuvre is truly off the Richter scale......and I am genuinely flattered by your incredibly hilarious review with a thesaurus full of rich vocabulary (even a brooding prisoner such as myself can appreciate good language!). Even though it was no secret that your review had been conjured up in your psychic mind before even seeing my turn at stardom (as if you were channeling your inner Dillinger), I see that your eye for detail was in full focus, even to the point of noticing my fidgeting (I think that's the whole reason I was saved from the cutting room floor....my fidgeting talent!).Yes, I have come a long way from my Purdue days.....although I think my dabbling in lawlessness and run-ins with the excise police paved the way to my current pinnacle of success!

Happy Birthday To Me

2010-01-15T06:12:00.007-06:00

Brian was selected by his employer to attend a leadership development class at Indiana University. He left on Tuesday....

Normally things run smoothly when he is out of town. This was the exception.

It started with William... who woke up and crawled into my bed. I kindly escorted him back to his bed because he was sick and I didn't feel like being coughed and snotted on (yes, I'm mean like that). William wasn't happy, but went back to sleep in his own bed.

Next, Claudia woke up (as in totally alert) at 3:30am and crawled into my bed. She started poking and kicking me. Then she started talking...

With all her jabbering, she managed to wake up Snoopy who began to whine and bark. I let Snoopy out of his crate so he could join the party taking place in my bed. He happily joined in on Claudia's plan to keep me from sleeping. After a stimulating conversation with Claudia, Snoopy jumped off the bed and took off to either amputate a few Barbies or potty in the house.

I managed to drag myself out of bed to search for the amputater. As I hustled down the stairs, I stumbled and slid down half the flight. I made it to the kitchen fairly quickly because I can slide faster than I can walk and shuffled through a puddle of dog pee. Yup, Snoopy relieved himself before I could let him out. Even though he had already peed on the kitchen floor, I opened up the back door to let him out. He looked at me like I had two heads and boogied into the living room. I had to pick him up and toss him out the door. I cleaned up the mess, let Snoopy back in the house and went back upstairs where I told Claudia she was going to go back to her own bed.

Do you know what she said? She said "okay" and grabbed my hand as we walked back to her bedroom. Miracles do happen!!

I actually fell back to sleep with Snoopy by my side until I was woken up a few hours later by William. We went downstairs together to discover that Rosie, the cat, had vomited in the dining room. Just as I began to search for a rag to clean up the pile of regurgitated cat food, Snoopy began to clean it up for me... by eating it. At least he's good for something! As disgusted as I was by his act of kindness, I was relieved that I had less vomit to clean up (I don't do vomit).

Meanwhile, William had woken up very congested and not feeling well. His cold developed into an ear infection which required a trip to the doctor's office and two trips to the drugstore... one for antibiotics and then another trip for numbing ear drops. The earache has caused William so much pain. He has never cried so much... which led to him to vomit twice... once in the kitchen which Snoopy "marked" before I could clean it up. There's nothing like the combination of vomit and urine!

All this chaos took place in this week. Today is Friday and my 40th birthday. This morning I was woken up at 3:00am by Snoopy vomiting in his crate (tossing up the limbs of the dolls he has recently amputated). I tried to go back to sleep but Brian made it entirely impossible by serenading me with God awful noises.

So... happy birthday to me. I hope my day involves a nap and possibly some Valpo Velvet ice cream with hot fudge (got that Brian?) and maybe even a glass of wine (but not the ice cream and wine together... maybe a cold beer and ice cream... just kidding....ewww!). And... Brian, don't forget to hire the cleaning service and personal chef. I'll be waiting for them today.

I certainly hope that this week is NOT an indicator of how the rest of my year is going to turn out. On a positive note, my kitchen floors are spotless due to the constant mopping up of vomit and dog urine and I had several hours of quiet time all by myself this morning! Bring on the rest of the day... and year!

Don't Answer the Phone!

2010-01-08T16:26:00.012-06:00

During lunch today the phone rang. I looked at caller ID and did not answer the call because the number was unfamiliar and the caller was labeled as "unknown".

William said, "Aren't you going to answer the phone?"
I replied with a simple, "No".
William then stated, "I bet it's Purdue looking for money so they can buy new basketballs."

I found this really funny because we did receive at least 697 phone calls from Purdue (always after 8:30 pm) before we agreed to contribute to their "we need more money to build another red brick building" campaign. I guess William was paying attention when he heard me repeatedly say to Brian, "If it's Purdue AGAIN, don't answer it."

What We Did Over Christmas Break

2010-01-04T16:31:00.021-06:00

I having been trying to write about our Christmas and what we did during our break from school, but there has been little time to get on the computer... so here is the shortened version. Check back later for details and pictures.

The kids had their last soccer game. The kids went to Mimi and Papa's house to bake cookies... the kids ate too many cookies. Claudia had a Christmas party at school. William had his Christmas program at school... heard a very memorable version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" done with kazoos. The kids hung out with Grandma. We all went to the dentist. Claudia had 2 cavities (probably from too many cookies). Went to tree farm for our Christmas tree...brought tree home and decorated it and the rest of the house (Brian took out EVERY decoration we have and found a place in the house for each one). Snoopy ate a chunk of the Nativity Scene. The cat, Rosie, became a permanent part of the Nativity scene. We took Claudia to Children's Memorial in Chicago to see a pediatric orthopedic doctor who recommended she stop wearing her leg braces. Took the kids to the Wiener Circle on Clark... sat on bar stools, ate hot dogs and fries and watched people.... Took the kids on the "el" brown line from Diversey to the loop... Walked to Macy's... Saw the windows at Macy's, ate Frango Mint pie and saw the Christmas tree in the Walnut Room... Took the "el" red line back to Fullerton. Went to visit Santa.... Claudia asked for a talking pony and William asked for Pirate Legos. The kids went to Mimi and Papa's for the day so Mom and Dad could wrap, clean and cook. Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma's with the Bentons... I made a delicious beef tenderloin. Christmas Day was spent at home with Mimi and Papa and the Novaks... our table was set beautifully with our Wedgwood Signet Platinum.... used for the first time in 10 years! Went to the Brookfield Zoo in the evening with the Bentons... very COLD... still defrosting. Kids spent the night at Mimi and Papa's then went to the Museum of Science and Industry with Mimi and Papa and the Novaks. Claudia went to the dentist to have one tooth filled (they would only do one filling per visit!?!) Stayed home on New Year's Eve and drank sparkling wine from a water goblet because I was too lazy to move the Christmas decorations that were blocking access to the flutes. School and swim class started today. Attempting to return back to our normal schedule.

Christmas Past

2009-12-24T13:46:00.005-06:00

ChRiStMaS 1974

Viola (mom), Me, Santa, Gayle and Grandma Claudia

Don't Drink The Leaves!

2009-12-21T09:26:00.009-06:00

Last night at dinner, Brian and I were discussing cordials. Our conversation went like this...

Me: I don't like Bailey's.

Brian: I don't like Bailey's either.

Claudia: I don't like Bailey's.

Me: Claudia, tell me what Bailey's is.

Claudia: You know the leaves you put into soup.

She was referring to BAY LEAVES

Magic Reindeer Food

2009-12-21T09:13:00.010-06:00

When I was teaching elementary school, I always sent a bag of this special food home with the kids to be scattered on the lawn on Christmas Eve. The kids loved it... so do mine!

Recipe:

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup red or green sugar crystals (as used for cake decorating)

Add this poem:

Be sure to take this magic food and sprinkle on the lawn.
On Christmas, Santa's reindeer travel miles before the dawn.
The smell of oats and glitter path will guide them on their way.
And you'll wake up to Santa's gifts next morn on Christmas Day!

Note: many recipes for Magic Reindeer Food call for craft glitter, which can harm birds or wildlife if ingested. For safety, substitute colored sugar crystals and be kind to animals!

Reindeer Poop

2009-12-17T08:48:00.004-06:00

Claudia has been rather feisty lately. She has been little less than cooperative when it comes to hygiene (she no longer likes water unless it is in a swimming pool), will not get dressed on her own because she "can't remember how" or wear shoes in public places (it doesn't matter to her that it is only 20 degrees outside).

Yesterday I reminded her that Santa is watching her and can hear every word that comes out of her mouth. "And, Claudia, if you continue to yell at me, Santa is going to bring you a giant pile of reindeer poop instead of toys!" Coal is foreign to her... poop she can visualize.

William turned to her and said, "Claudia, if Santa gives you poop, I'll share my toys with you." That's just like William... always looking out for his sister.

Claudia then looked at me with a smirk stating, "William's going to share his toys with me." But what she was really saying was, "Ha! Got you Mom!"

Thanksgiving And The Big 40!

2009-12-03T13:51:00.020-06:00

Brian and kids

Jordan, Brian and Gayle

Matthew and Snoopy

Mimi and Papa

Monica and Brian

Brian and Grandma

What a busy holiday week we had!

Our days prior to Thanksgiving were filled with shopping for Thanksgiving and Brian's 40th birthday party. In addition to all the shopping, I managed to paint a bathroom and touch up paint on the inside of the house (due to William repeatedly ramming his trucks into the baseboards), cooked and cleaned and cooked and cleaned.

I always tell myself prior to parties that I'm not going to do "big" cleaning such as wiping down all the baseboards, scrubbing floors and steam cleaning carpets because as soon as the guests leave, I have to clean everything again. But I did the cleaning because I am paranoid that someone might notice the "fur" growing on the baseboards or the stain on the hallway carpet (as if people really search for these things).

************************************************

This year, Thanksgiving Day was spent at my mom's house with my sister's family. Gayle and Randy made a delicious turkey! The kids had fun playing with their cousins and enjoyed all Grandma's desserts. Both Claudia and William decided that they both love pumpkin pie and requested to take a piece home. We ended the evening kind of late (for us) and went home with two tired children.

Black Friday morning Brian went to the Tractor Supply Company to buy Snoopy a new dog crate. They have great prices on pet items plus the crate was 40% off. Snoopy has grown a bit bigger than was predicted by the vet and no longer fit in his old crate. I was teased by a few people for loving the Tractor Supply Company, but I'll tell you that they have the best customer service in Porter County! Brian said the young man working there not only retrieved the crate off the shelf for him, but also held it while Brian stood in line to pay and then carried it to his car! How often do you find that kind of service? Sure beats Macy's!

We avoided the rest of the early Black Friday lines and headed out Friday afternoon to finish shopping for the party. We were lucky because the lines were not too long which was great because I had a lot of prepping at home to do for the party.

Saturday was Brian's party. We invited family and friends to help celebrate his big 40. All of Brian's college roommates came minus a few that we no longer keep in touch with. We had a great time reminiscing about Purdue and all the fun we had during our college years. I noticed that my sister's 15 year old daughter was listening to the stories with great interest... she may have to remind her parents of some of the "not so legal" things they did when the opportunity arises. Hope you have a good memory Jordan!

Saturday night, Brian's sister, Monica, and two of her daughters stayed the night along with one of my sister's daughters. They kids had fun sleeping in their sleeping bags on William's floor. What a great way to end a festive night!

On Sunday, my friend from Purdue and her family stopped by for a visit. They were on their way back home to southeastern Indiana after spending Thanksgiving in the Chicago burbs. We had a great visit with them and look forward to them coming back soon for an extended visit. Got that Kathy?!!!!

Sunday evening, Gayle and her family came by to pick up there daughter and celebrate Brian's official 40th birthday. Thank goodness for leftovers!

By Sunday night, I was wiped and was in desperate need of a cleaning service. Unfortunately for me, the only help (or lack thereof) I had came from two uninterested preschoolers and one tired OLD man. Even though the house was once again a huge mess, the birthday party was great and well worth all the work!

Happy Birthday Brian / Daddy!!! Hope you enjoyed your party!

Ho Ho Ho...

2009-12-03T09:27:00.003-06:00

William,

You are really excited about Christmas this year!

We've been decorating at home and you've been busy at preschool practicing for your Christmas program. You have been asking a lot of questions about Jesus, the "activity" (Nativity) scene, mangers and, of course, all the Santa questions...

Last night, long after we thought you were asleep, you tiptoed into the hallway and shared a LOUD, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" with us and ran back to your bed.

This morning, very early, you crept into my bed and stated, "I love our family. I love Santa's family. But most of all, I love Santa's elves!" Then you fell back to sleep.

Merry Christmas William,

Mom

Happy 10th Anniversary

2009-11-18T14:25:00.004-06:00

October 23, 1999

Wedding Blessing By My Students

The Trolley

The First Dance

Brian,

Today (well.. it was" today" when I originally wrote this) marks ten years of marriage. What a great wedding ceremony and reception we had. It was so much fun planning our special day. I am still amazed at how well everything worked out. I can honestly say that if we did it all over again, I would not change a thing.

My favorite part of planning our reception was searching for the right band. Remember the band that we went to see at the Palmer House? (note: this is favorite wedding planning story to share) The bandleader told us to stop by about 9:00pm.....made sense to us, as we figured dinner would be over and we could hang out discreetly in the back of the room and listen to the band for awhile. Well, the two of us and my friend Michelle (who had joined us for the evening, as we had big plans to crash the Fremd High School 10th Reunion at the Union League Club!) sauntered into the Palmer House and were directed toward a large open stairwell that extended right out into the main lobby.

As we opened the door and entered the room, I quickly became aware that something was wrong. As in very wrong. People weren't up dancing, mingling, and talking, with the lights low, like we had expected at 9pm. Noooo, they were all heading toward their seats, as dinner hadn't even been served. That would be just fine, except for one SMALL detail......WE HAD NO SEATS!!!!

And the door in we had just entered appeared to be the only way in and out of the place....unless we did an about face and left, which didn't quite seem to make sense. In a controlled panic, we made a beeline for the back corner, where we spied a bar from afar. We tried to look like we belonged, although we probably stood out like sore thumbs. You nervously asked the bartender for a beer....I think you felt like strangling the bandleader instead. Everyone in the party was now seated and it would have been too obvious if we had slinked our way across the empty dance floor to the exit. So we froze, unsure of what to do. A Palmer House staff member appeared and asked us if we were with the wedding. When we told him that the band had invited us to listen to the music, he disapprovingly told us "that wasn't going to happen" and told us we were going to have to leave. Brian spoke up and said that we didn't particularly care to be escorted out in front of the 200 wedding guests....was there another way out? And that's how we got a guided tour of the Palmer House kitchen, past dozens of kitchen workers who gawked at us as we wandered by, smiling!

Needless to say, we didn't hire THAT band and we earned the title "The Wedding Crashers"!

Our next band search led us to the Dennis Keith Band. They were playing at Grant Park as part of the Summer Dance series on Thursday nights. The city of Chicago was offering free dance lessons each Thursday...and live music for the evening so that everyone could try out their new moves. I don't remember what they were teaching that evening... salsa? Anyway, we had a great time dancing to the music. We knew this was the band we wanted to hire after they played a memorable version of "Disco Inferno". I swear, half the city of Chicago got up to dance! They were great at our reception... got everyone onto the dance floor, they knew exactly what music to play and accommodated our unusual wish of making "Unforgettable" into a foxtrot. People left the reception next to ours to come and dance in our room. The band was that good!

I also loved the trolley we hired. We almost didn't have the trolley because the first one died making it's way from the city to Palatine. Luckily a replacement made it to the house on time! I love some of the pictures that were taken on the trolley!

I almost forgot about the dance lessons we took. That was a lot of fun. We never got very good at waltzing or swing dancing but our foxtrot couldn't be matched! Remember walking into the reception hall and doing our first dance? We had the whole dance choreographed by the dance instructor. Sounds kind of cheesy now, but it was fun at the time. Anyway... I was so nervous. I hate being the center of attention. I was so relieved when it was over. I could tell that you were loved having all those eyes on you! By the way, Brian, you are really good at "twinkling".

Then there was the Hyatt. They went out of their way to meet our needs. What a great place for our reception.... everything was so beautiful.... from the cocktail hour in the lobby to the incredible sweet table. Too bad we never found time to eat the sweets!

There are a lot more memories I have from our wedding day... from the photographer who kept telling me not to smile so she could take photos of me "in deep thought". She never got any of those shots because I kept on smiling.

Father Joe having my students come up and give us a special blessing... there was not a dry eye in the church! I never even knew he had planned that.

I wish I could forget my scabs for eyebrows. The lady at the salon burned me with hot wax while waxing my brows. Guess she forgot to check the temperature first.

Well.... I know that we always talked about going back to Hawaii this year to celebrate our 10th. Looks like it won't be happening due to the expenses we had this year. Guess we'll just have to go outside, sit in the new car and stare at the new paint job on the house. Maybe I'll even spring for a bottle of sparkling wine to drink as we sit there and reflect on the last 10 years. I'm sure we can find a few Goldfish in the back seat to snack on. We'll have to try for Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. Actually, forget that idea because we'll be paying for college tuition at that time!

So.... "Happy Anniversary" Brian.

Here's a "high five" for surviving another year with me and the kids and the vocal dogs and the vomiting cat and the never ending chores that come with owning an OLD house.

And..., by the way, I legally changed my last name yesterday. You are now married to a "Susan Knoll Stage"... no hyphen. Surprise!

Love,

Sue

Preschool Pictures 2009

2009-11-12T14:08:00.004-06:00

William and Claudia received their preschool pictures today.

At first I thought there was a mistake.

These couldn't be my children.

They look so grown-up!

My FAVORITE Pancakes

2009-11-11T17:46:00.003-06:00

These pancakes are incredible... especially with the warm honey syrup.

Ingredients
2 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups pancake and waffle mix (recommended: Krusteaz)
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
Melted butter

Directions
Stir 1/3 cup of water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey. Set aside and keep the honey syrup warm.

Using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining 1 2/3 cups of water and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the pancake mix and stir just until moistened but still lumpy. Stir in the ricotta into the pancake mixture, then stir gently to incorporate the ricotta but maintain a lumpy batter. Fold in the blueberries.

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Brush with the melted butter. Working in batches, spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with the honey syrup.

Going Nuts

2009-11-03T10:01:00.004-06:00

Claudia and I were at the grocery store yesterday where she spotted a large bin of mixed edible nuts.

"What are those?" she asked.

"Nuts in their shells, Claudia. You have to crack the shell open to eat the nut."

"Let's buy some. Nuts are my FAVORITE!"

"Claud, we don't have a nutcracker at home. Otherwise I would buy you some nuts."

"MOM (looking at me as if I am dumber than a box of rocks). We don't need a nutcracker. We have a mallet!"

Better Than Hallmark

2009-10-19T10:26:00.003-05:00

Brian and I have been keeping a written journal since we got engaged in 1998. We used to do a pretty good job of writing about places we have visited, big events, the birth of the kids etc. Or at least I thought we had.... it turned out that it has been four years since the last entry. Brian found the journal this past weekend and made time to add an entry for Sweetest Day. Thought I would share.... Shhhh. Don't tell Brian!

Dearest Susan,

Happy Sweetest Day!

To my one and only Sweetie!

I am so thankful to have someone as loving, caring, supportive and kind as you. And thankful that we have two little Sweeties as well!

I truly, truly appreciate all that you are, Susan, all that you do, all that you give. In the four years since I last wrote in this journal (actually 4 1/2 years.. I apologize...) so much has changes in our lives, raising William and Claudia (and our menagerie with our never ending "entertainment"!) yet so much has stayed the same...

I still love you with all my heart and would do anything for you. I do not take for granted what you have brought to my life and how you make our life so wonderful, so meaningful, so interesting. It's comforting to know that we have each other to lean on, to talk to, to share our ideas and concerns with, to smile with when Claudia says, "Be back in a jiff!"

Sharing these moments together and doing our best to enjoy life as much as we can, even when the pace seems so frenetic and there seems to be so much to do....

I thank you for being you and for being my Sweetest, as I am always yours.

All my love,
Brian

The Dangers of Air Guitar

2009-10-08T09:17:00.015-05:00

Claudia.

Oh Claudia, Claudia, Claudia.

So you had your first experience with the Valparaiso paramedics last Saturday night. And they weren't here to admire our new sliding glass door (which just happened to be installed by their battalion chief).

Frankly, I'm surprised you held out this long....

The adventure began with an impromptu session of air guitar upstairs. Or should I say "stick" guitar, since the guitars were the sticks from the pirate flags that you and William purchased from the Field Museum. Daddy had cranked up the music and the three of you jammed. While William and Daddy did their best imitation of "stick guitar God", you danced around the room and Mommy innocently watched (cough, cough).

Eventually the concert ended and the crowds dispersed.

I went to brush my teeth (naively assuming that Daddy confiscated the sticks at the end of the concert.......what was I thinking?!) while the rest of you finished getting ready for bed. The next thing Mommy and Daddy heard was you in William's bedroom screaming and gagging.

We rushed down the hallway to see what was happening. You were sitting on the floor crying and still gagging a little, with one of the sticks laying on the ground next to you. Daddy noticed that one end of the stick was wet (the end with the point, as it so happens). Apparently, you had the stick in your mouth and then slipped on the carpet and fell. The stick went down your throat and left abrasions in three different places.... your tongue, the roof of your mouth and the back of your throat.

Still gagging, you were carried down the hall to the bathroom and you began spitting up saliva into the toilet. As you were spitting and crying, I saw droplets of blood on the toilet. Daddy immediately called 911. Even though you appeared to be ok after a few minutes, we waited for the professionals to assess the situation. Meanwhile, Daddy took William next door to Ellie's house.

Within a few minutes we heard the wail of the siren and saw the flashing lights coming up Lafayette St. (I knew there was a reason I installed the new house numbers the other day.....didn't expect them to be needed this soon......).

Daddy went out on the front porch and welcomed in two of Valpo Fire Department's paramedics. The very nice paramedics asked you your name, asked how you were, and explained that they were going to take a look at you. They shined a flashlight down your throat, prescribed a Popsicle and went on their way (after turning on the ambulance lights and siren by your request).

Your throat is still sore, but thankfully nothing was pierced.

A few lessons learned from this episode of "Trauma" (because we aren't big fans of reruns in this household).......

No sticks of any kind are allowed in the house
Air guitar will remain "air" guitar
Popsicles have magical healing powers

My Favorite!

2009-10-02T14:53:00.006-05:00

Dear Claudia,

You crack me up! One of the funny things you do is declare everything as your "favorite". For example, as you open your birthday gifts, you smile and loudly state, "This is my favorite!". On to next gift... "This is my favorite!". And so on...

Last week at the grocery store you asked what the purple round vegetable was. I told you it was a head of red cabbage. You insisted I was wrong because it was not red, it was purple (as in DUH.... are you color blind, Mom?) Once you had adequately proven me wrong, you loudly declared your love of purple cabbages...

"OH, purple cabbages. They are my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E!"

So I suggested we buy one. We could make stuffed cabbages, slaw, kraut, soup ... After I ran through my verbal list of cabbage foods, you made a face and said that you didn't like any of those icky foods.

"But Claudia, I thought cabbage was your favorite?"

"IT IS, MOM!"

Okay then.

Happy Birthday Baby

2009-09-17T21:00:00.003-05:00

Dear Baby,

Today is September 17th.... the day you were due. I know that lots of time has passed and no one else realizes that today was supposed to be your birthday. I just want you to know that I haven't forgotten you. I wish that you were here and not in heaven. You would have loved your family. Claudia and William were so excited about you. They couldn't wait to see you and share their toys with you. William liked to rub my tummy and tell me that he could feel you. I'm so sorry that you are not with us today. Happy Birthday Little Baby. God Bless You!!

*************************************************

Let me preface all this rambling with the fact that this post is not in any particular order and it may not make sense. But I needed to put my thoughts down because I didn't want to forget what had happened in the last several months.

First, let me start with my dream. I had a dream the night of January 1st. The dream was about me holding a small infant. I was leaking milk... a lot of it. I don't remember much else about the dream. I didn't see the baby's face, just a head full of blond hair. Also, the baby was wrapped in a hospital blanket. I never read much into my dreams, at least the majority of the time... and this one didn't mean a whole lot to me either. Although, I was curious as to why I was leaking milk.

Anyway, I had this dream and didn't think much about it until the following day. Brian's dad came over to help Brian install that utility sink that I wanted so badly. They were busy working in the basement and I was upstairs putting clothes away in William's room. I bent down to pick up something.... toys, clothes, I don't remember, and became dizzy. Dizzy enough that I stopped what I was doing. That's when I remembered the dream I had the night before.

Let me add that my cycles are very irregular. The fact that we have two children is a slight miracle. I found out I was pregnant with William a few days after I had left my doctor's office with a prescription for Clomid.... I never had to take the drug. I just got lucky! The same happened with Claudia. We tried once, I was nursing, my cycles were still irregular... and no meds again!

We have always wanted more children, but it's hard the timing was never quite right. Two little ones who are 13+ months apart is a lot of work. Then William had his prolonged seizure and was on medication for a year. It was a stressful year... not the best time to be adding to the chaos.

So the time was finally right, but it is hard to reproduce when you have two little ones in the house. No further explanation needed there......... Sooo... we got lucky again..... a miracle.

Back to the dizzy spell.... I immediately thought of the dream and checked the calendar, saw that it was day 28 of my cycle (which pretty much meant nothing, but I checked anyway). Brian, his dad, and the kids had left for the hardware store. I found a pregnancy test in the bathroom. I did the test incorrectly because I am impulsive and didn't read the directions. You're probably wondering, "how can you potty on a stick incorrectly?" Well, I decided to potty in a cup, not directly on the stick. I held the stick in the cup for 5 seconds, not the recommended 20 seconds. It looked like a negative sign came up on the stick, but then after a few minutes a faint positive line appeared. Faint, as in questionable. It was then I decided to actually read the directions. That's when I found out I had not held the stick in the cup for the correct amount of time and that it would have been better to have tested first thing in the morning (I knew this part, but I didn't want to wait for the next morning to test).

The clan came back from the store and I whispered to Brian that I thought I might be pregnant and showed him the stick. The positive line was definitely darker, but I still had my doubts.

Instead of making a trip to the drugstore that afternoon, I decided to wait until later that evening. So after dinner out, we stopped by the drugstore to pick up another test. We purchased the box with 2 tests.... just in case I messed up again. We went home, I ran for the bathroom. I know I should have waited for the following morning, but why wait? To make things easier to read, we bought the digital tests that actually displayed the word(s) "pregnant / not pregnant".

Would you believe it actually read "pregnant"?! I couldn't believe it... Brian either!

The following morning. I used the second test and once again (this time very quickly) it read "pregnant" again.

I don't remember much after this... I tried to make an appointment with my midwife, but she was in Aruba for two weeks. I did go in to have my blood work done and then went back to the office on January 26th. All seemed to be fine. I left with a huge bag of pregnancy information and samples of prenatal vitamins (which I was already taking). We scheduled an ultrasound for Thursday, January 29th to determine an exact due date.

I went in on that Thursday for the ultrasound. The tech was as personable as a rock... but I won't vent about that now. I saw our little baby on the screen, heart beating.... I knew at that moment that I loved that little baby with all my heart. Seeing that image on the screen made the pregnancy so real for me! Brian, however, didn't go into the room with me during the ultrasound because he was watching the kids in the waiting room. The tech offered to have a staff member watch the children so that Brian could see the baby but I declined. I regret this now. I would give anything to reverse the decision I made at that time.

The tech told me that the due date was September 17th, the day after Claudia's 4th birthday. I was exactly 7 weeks at the time. I don't usually argue with technology, but I didn't think that was quite right... I know the only day we tried... which meant Brian's sperm must have VERY long shelf life!

We decided not to tell the kids right away. We waited to tell them the week of February 8th. We brought them into the front room (aka "the parlor"), sat them down and told them that Mommy had a baby in her tummy. They were so excited and full of questions. Claudia said she would not share her crib...of course, she hadn't slept in the crib for a long time, but still insisted it could not be used unless it was painted pink or blue. Claudia also insisted that the baby be named "Claudia" (isn't one enough?!?), then later changed the name to "Sally". William was excited and wanted to name the baby Zachariah after his buddy at preschool.

We eventually told our family members about the baby. Claudia told Mimi and Papa over the phone. It took a few seconds for, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy" to register with Mimi!

Everything seemed to be going well until Tuesday, February 17th. I started spotting that morning. I immediately paged Brian at work and called the doctor's office. Then I called Gayle and she came over to help with the kids.

While on the phone with the doctor's office, the midwife's nurse told me to relax (as if that was going to happen) and drink water. If the bleeding got heavier or I started cramping to call the office.

Brian called the house, left his meeting and came home because I was hysterical. After Brian came home, he called the doctor's office and asked if we could come in for an ultrasound. They checked the schedule and told us to come in in an hour. The office is 45 minutes away. As we were getting ready to leave for the office, William was brushing his teeth and said, "Mommy, I hope you feel better". He saw me crying when Brian came home. I had tried to stay calm, but lost it when Brian walked in the door. Poor William. I probably scared the daylights out of him.

We made our way to the office, me drinking my water for the ultrasound. I was shaking and attempting to make small talk with Brian on the way to the office. I told him that Gayle said she had spotted before and all turned out fine.... I was praying for the same outcome for myself.

We arrived at the office, I checked in and sat down.... surrounded by pregnant women. The receptionist left the sliding glass partition open after checking me in. I saw the ultrasound tech come in and heard my name, "Susan Knoll... I don't know why she's here... Go check with Connie (the nurse)." I wanted to stand up and yell, "I can hear you. I'm sitting right here waiting to find out if we're going to lose our baby!"

The tech finally came to the door and introduced herself. If she had taken a second to look at my chart, she would have seen that she had done my ultrasound a few weeks ago.... "Hello, you were the one to show me my baby, the heart beating and gave me a due date," I thought. She brought us back, told me to hike down my pants to mid thigh and plopped the gel on my abdomen. She brought up my uterus on the screen, paused and told me that I needed to empty my bladder because she needed to do a trans vaginal . I quickly hiked up my pants, scurried to the bathroom and emptied my bladder while praying the whole time that everything was okay. I returned to the room, she told me to undress from the waist down... as she left the room for me to undress, I questioned Brian, "Did you see anything on the screen.... Did you see the baby... did you see the heart beating..." I did have a look at the screen, saw my uterus, saw the baby and saw that nothing was moving.

When she came back in, she turned the screen so that we couldn't see anything, explained that she had to do all the same things she did the first time around... measure everything, check my ovaries, etc. The midwife didn't come in, the nurse did not come in. The tech didn't volunteer any information. I assumed the worst. When all was over, she escorted us to the next room and told us that the midwife would be in to talk to us. We knew.

The first to come in the room was the nurse, Connie, with a long face. All I could say was, "She wouldn't let us see the screen." We waited forever for the midwife to come in the room. After she came in, she told us that our baby had stopped growing right after the last ultrasound... not much more than seven weeks. She gave me my options..... D&C, medication to move things along, or to wait and miscarry naturally. I heard what she was saying, but never listened.

All I was concerned about was finding the baby after it passed regardless of it's small size. I didn't want the baby scraped out of me and taken to a lab for testing. I was scared that we would never find our baby if I miscarried naturally and it would be flushed. That's when the midwife told me there could be a chance that I would find it. If I did, the Catholic hospital would cremate the baby for me and it would be buried at the Catholic cemetery in Crown Point. She told me to think about my three choices and get back to her the following day. Connie drew blood and we left with a handful of tissues which I still have in my coat pocket. We made it to the car and I sobbed. I know the statistics involved with miscarriage, I am aware that most of my family and friends have experienced the same loss, but I was still in shock. Surely this could not be happening to us. Why did God choose us?

We didn't know what to do, but knew that driving home and facing the kids was not really an option, so we drove a few minutes away to Brian's parents' house. Thank God his dad was home and his mom arrived home shortly after.

After leaving their house, we went home. As soon as we walked in the door William asked how the visit to the doctor was. I hesitated and then told the kids that our baby had died and went to heaven to be with God and Grandpa. Claudia gasped, but I knew she didn't really understand. Claudia asked when there would be another baby. William looked puzzled. I could tell he was trying to make sense out of what I had just old him. He did ask if the baby was still in my tummy. When I told him yes, he wanted to know how it would come out. I avoided that question because I didn't know how to answer him.

That was Tuesday. I asked Brian to stay home the following day. I chose to miscarry naturally, not really understanding what entirely was involved, but I was determined to avoid medication and surgery (at all costs). I didn't know what to do with myself so I cleaned the house. I wandered around looking for things to do, straightened things, put toys away.... waiting for cramps. I waited and waited. The midwife told me that since I had already started bleeding, that she didn't think I would have to wait very long.

Not very long turned out to be Friday afternoon, late afternoon. Brian and I took William to school that afternoon, dropped Claudia off at my mom's and ran errands. We went to the pet store for dog food, went to Target and also went to Marshall's to return a pair of gym shoes that didn't fit William. After Brian returned from picking up the kids, I started bleeding heavily (or at least what I thought was heavy). I ended up sitting in the bathroom for two hours. There was no point in leaving because as soon as I did so, I had to return. Things got worse and we called Brian's parents and asked them to take the kids out for supper.

Mimi, Papa and the kids returned after 7:00 pm. By that time, I had already called the midwife on call (not mine) who informed me I should probably be at the ER because I most likely needed the D&C. I didn't like what she had to say so Brian called my friend at home to get my midwife's home phone number.

The midwife informed me that if I was able to say that I didn't want to go to the hospital, I was probably going to be okay. She had originally told me that if I was soaking through a pad an hour, I should be concerned. I was soaking through a pad every 10 minutes and passing blood clots the size of my fist. She also reminded me that if I was able to find the fetus to bring it in to the office.

I continued to pass blood and large clots until 3:00 am. During the course of the evening, I laid down in bed several times only to wake up several minutes later to a gush of blood and the odd feeling of clots and tissue leaving my body. Once I sneezed and found that I soaked through two old towels and an old blanket.

Thank God for Brian. Every time I went to the bathroom and wiped, I came up with a handful of clots.... all of which he put into a container to scan for a baby. Some of you may think we are crazy, but like I said, I was determined not to flush our baby down the toilet.

The sad thing is that we never did find the baby. The midwife told us that we might not find the baby. It could have been in one of the clots. It may not be recognizable. It might stay in my body and be reabsorbed.

I am still bothered by the fact that we never did find the baby. There is nothing tangible to grieve. All I had was an ultrasound picture, a few pregnancy tests and used tissues from the office. Nothing to hold. No footprints, no hand prints, no lock of hair.

*************************************************

Today is Friday, February 27. Over a week since we originally learned of our loss. The kids are still confused. They haven't said much, but both have been acting out, arguing with each other and crying a lot. William has been busy picking up toys in his room and attempting to make his bed. He then brings me upstairs, tells me to close my eyes, and then shows me the "surprise". Claudia sets up her kitchen, and pretends to feed me her special "recipes". She then asks me if I feel better.

I guess the same goes for Brian and me. We're still confused and angry. We have not been very good about disguising our anger and grief from the kids. During one of our heated arguments about me not wanting to return phone calls, we found William hiding under the sheets in his bed. It's hard to hide the stress we are feeling.

Through all of this, I am thankful that we have family close by to help out with the kids and to offer their support and prayers. I didn't not understand what my family and friends were going through at the time of their losses, but I now know that the amount a grief a person feels is not based on the size of the casket. I know God has put this experience in our lives for a reason. What that reason may be, I am not sure of yet. I hope that Brian and I can grow from this experience and have the confidence to reach out to others in their time of need.

Once again, thank you to every one who has been finding time to pray for our healing. It means the world to us!!

**************************************************

Well, it's now been a month since we lost the baby. People keep asking me how I'm doing. I tell everyone I'm fine.... the nurse, the midwife, my family and friends. Most days I think I'm fine, but then for some reason tears begin uncontrollably flowing. I can be at the grocery store staring at the selection of tuna and start tearing up. It makes it difficult to go anywhere because I don't have the ability to control my emotions.

My doctor's office called on Friday to let me know the results of my latest blood draw. My hcg level was 7.5. I need to be down to 5 before I can stop with the blood work. I was at 7.5! Isn't that close enough? Apparently not, I need to return in 1-3 weeks to repeat the lab work. This made me cry again.... not actually cry for fear the kids would see me, but tears ran down my face. While I had the midwife on the phone, I questioned her about it being 3 weeks since the miscarriage (heavy bleeding) and I am still bleeding. Her response was that it was normal and would probably stop soon since my numbers were so low. She also asked if it was still heavy enough that I had to use pads. When I responded with "yes", she said that I should be glad that it was not summer and wearing white. I didn't find her comment amusing.

That last several weeks have been rough. I don't have a lot of patience with he kids. Brian works all the time and we rarely see him. I have told Brian that I would like to use my sick / vacation days, but apparently they are not in my "stay at home mom" contract. So now I am thinking about turning in my resignation. Brian laughed, but I'm serious. I think everybody has days when they want to call it quits. Right now, I'm tired of constantly cleaning up after everyone, tired of doing the never-ending laundry, tired of chauffeuring the kids around and tired of cooking for a family that doesn't appreciate my efforts. I just want a few days to sleep without being disturbed, read a book and sit in the warm sun. I don't think that's a whole lot to ask... but it turns out that it is, especially when medical bills are piling up (thanks to the high deductible plan), the house needs to be painted, the gutters replaced and preschool paid for.

I don't really have a good way to end this post, but I do have one last ultrasound picture of the baby. Brian called the office to see if we could have a photo from February 17th. They were able to retrieve a few for me. The doctor said the baby stopped developing since the first ultrasound at 7 weeks, but I can see a difference. My uterus looks larger, as well as the baby. I never asked them if they could pinpoint a date the baby left us, but I think I would like to know. Here's our picture.

God bless.

Claudia

2009-09-16T14:54:00.011-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday Claudia!

Dear Claudia,

I can't believe that it was four years ago today you were born. Daddy and I were so excited to be having a little baby girl. On your birthday, Daddy and I headed to the hospital early in the morning. We picked what day you were going to be born so we made arrangements for William to stay with your cousins while we were at the hospital. When we got to the hospital, I checked in and received some medicine (this took ALL day). My doctor came in at 5:00 pm to break my water (I know you don't understand this now, but you will one day) and you were born at 6:20 pm. The doctor said that I deserved an award for the quickest labor and delivery! Thank you very much, Claudia. I certainly appreciated your cooperation =).

You were the prettiest little girl. You had the longest eyelashes, your lips were perfectly curved and your fingers and toes were so precious (you looked just like your Mommy!).

Happy Birthday Claudia. We hope this is your best birthday EVER!!!!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

First Day of Preschool 2009

2009-09-07T16:25:00.001-05:00

Walking to School

Posing in front of our TLC sign

William's First Day of School

Claudia's First Day of Preschool

Claudia's First Day of Preschool

New Stuff - the details

2009-09-03T06:04:00.007-05:00

We have another car. It looks like this...

Brian has been driving an employer provided truck for a long time. Therefore, we only owned one car because we didn't need a second vehicle. Well... his employer decided that the employees can longer bring home the trucks overnight (something to do with insurance). He has to leave his truck at the Valparaiso yard (he works for the local utility company) and drive to and from the yard with his own car. Brian's office is in Gary. This means he has to drive 5+ miles southeast of our home to pick up the truck then drive northeast to Gary. This adds about 30 minutes of drive time to his daily commute. Since we didn't have a second vehicle, he has been driving my car to the Valpo yard and leaving me stuck at home.

So we started searching for a second car. We really wanted a Honda Odyssey but it was out of our price range. With all the recent work on our house, we just couldn't afford one. So we ended up finding a kid / dog friendly Element. The seats are waterproof, the floor is covered in rubber. It can literally be swept out and wiped down with a cloth. So the next time, Claudia projectile vomits in the car I won't have to worry about the stench remaining in the fabric!

We have another dog. He looks like this...

This is Snoopy McNugget. He came from the same shelter in Miller, Indiana that Sophie, our first dog, came from. We get regular updates from the Miller shelter via e-mails and Facebook. The updates include fundraisers and pictures of adoptable pets, including McNugget. (Note: Brian has wanted a Westie for 13 years) He's a 5 month old puppy and he's cute... a dog that doesn't stay for a long time in the shelter. We figured he would have been adopted quickly. He was. By us.

We stopped at the shelter on our way to a White Sox game to drop off a donation. While we were there, Brian asked about McNugget. He was still available! We took him out to the grassy area for some play time and Brian and the kids fell in love with him. McNugget played fetch with William which thrilled William because he has been trying to teach an uninterested Sophie to play fetch all summer.

So far he has been great. He gets along with Sophie. He fears the cat, Rosie. He potties outside and sleeps all night (except for the first few nights). He listens better than both kids and never complains. The vet says he's very healthy. We changed his name to Snoopy which he is happy about. He secretly told me the other shelter dogs were calling him "Chicken McNugget". He doesn't like being called a "Chicken". Looks like we found ourselves a little furry teasure!

Tuesday's Treat

2009-09-01T11:22:00.008-05:00

Coconut Poke Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare and bake white cake mix according to package directions. Remove cake from oven.While still hot, using a utility fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
2. Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the still hot cake. Let cake cool completely then frost with the whipped topping and top with the flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes (eventhough it doesn't include chocolate). It's easy to make and everyone loves it, especially Unlce Randy!

Lentils

2009-08-19T14:26:00.005-05:00

I made this recipe recently. It was delicious!

Did you know that one serving of lentils has 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber? Yup, it's true! So eat your lentils people!

Salmon On a Bed of Lentils

2 1/4 cup water
1 cup brown lentils
Salt and ground black pepper
4 piece (about 6 ounces each) salmon fillet , with skin
1 (to 2) navel oranges
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In 2-quart saucepan, combine water, lentils, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, spray 13" by 9" glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange salmon in prepared dish, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast salmon 15 to 20 minutes or just until opaque throughout.

While salmon is roasting, prepare orange-basil dressing: From oranges, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1/3 cup juice. In small bowl, whisk orange peel and juice with mustard, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in basil.

In nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in lentils. Remove skillet from heat; stir in parsley and half of dressing (about 1/4 cup). Spread lentil mixture on platter. Arrange salmon on top of lentils and drizzle with remaining dressing.

A Big Announcement !!!!!

2009-08-07T09:23:00.015-05:00

Our Inspiration House

We finally did it! After several weeks of deep thought, help from the neighbors and family and numerous trips to the store for paint samples, WE HAVE CHOSEN A COLOR FOR OUR HOUSE! Actually, we chose three colors. One for the walls, one for the accent and one for the trim.

We thought this would be an easy decision, but were we WRONG!

The whole process started with our painter dropping off a "few" paint samples for us. The "few" samples ended up being a large box with numerous books containing thousands of colors. Yes, thousands. Our neighbor, and personal consultant of colors, helped us search for the ultimate color for the walls. He was a great help until he realized that he could use these color samples to pick out colors for his future guitars (he has a slight obsession with ordering custom-made guitars). After that, we were on our own.

We started looking at greens because our house is currently green (as in Fannie May Meltaway green), but we wanted something darker, more updated. We found a color that we thought would be perfect, headed to the paint store for a sample, came home and painted a section of the garage with the paint. It turned out that the color was exactly the same as the one currently on the house!!! The sample in the book looked so much darker - I swear!

So.....back to the books... and several car trips around Valpo and Crown Point searching for the perfect colors.

Crown Point is full of old homes, including Queen Anne Victorians like ours. We found a few houses painted blue (not green) with different accent colors. Vibrant blues. They were beautiful, but maybe a little too bright for our corner-lot house (we would stand out like a sore thumb... just like the purple house kitty corner from us and we don't want to become "that house").

We eventually found the color we were looking for on an old home in downtown Crown Point. Blue, but not too bold. Brian went up to the house and started matching up our fan of paint samples with the wall of the house. I yelled at him that he better ring the doorbell before someone called the police. He rang the bell, stood on the porch talking to someone I presumed was the owner, and then disappeared into the house!

Meanwhile, I am sitting in our car with Claudia and William. They entertained themselves by engaging in a vigorous slapfest, periodically taking time out to claim extreme dehydration or beg for Daddy's return. As this was taking place, Brian was (as we found out later) taking a leisurely tour of the house while discussing paint selections and the merits of historical homes and stained glass windows with the owner (who happened to be the mother of one of my former students)! After what seemed like 4 hours, he emerged with a tri-fold of Benjamin Moore paint samples and the exact colors of the house! I graciously thanked him for abandoning me and leaving me trapped with our two angelic children.....

That said, the only way we could hope to survive the 35 minute trip home was to succumb to the children's demands for Dairy Queen.......

After our DQ treat, we drove home and picked up some samples to match the Benjamin Moore colors. We painted a section of the garage and then stared in disbelief. Instead of a blue, it looked more like a battleship gray.
"There's no way possible that it's the same color of the Crown Point house!" I insisted. "You must not have heard her correctly!"

So...... back to the paint store again, tri-fold in hand, with a request for more colors. By this time our garage was starting to look like an advertisement for Benjamin Moore!

The following weekend, we made another trip to Crown Point for one last look at "the house." As soon as we approached, I knew that I was wrong. The color was not the light blue I recalled, but more of a gray blue (Knoxville Gray to be exact)......as in, the exact color that the two foot swath of our garage currently was!

The lady was correct, Brian was correct, the paint sample was correct. I was wrong!

So we have decided that our house is going to be Knoxville Gray, Monroe Bisque and Garrison Red. This decision better be the right one. If not, we are looking at one expensive mistake!

Happy Birthday Captain William

2009-08-05T15:00:00.002-05:00

William,

You had an awesome 5th birthday! Your pirate party was a week before your real birthday. Everyone had a great time celebrating with you. You received wonderful gifts too... a Lionel train, a family pass to the Field Museum, a Bomber jacket, dinosaurs and lots of pirate Lego's!

On your real birthday weekend, we went to swim class and then went to the Field Museum to see giant dinosaur skeletons and the Pirate exhibit. You took lots of pictures with your new camera. After the museum, we played in the grassy area by Lake Michigan. You and Claudia had loads of fun rolling down the big hills!

On Sunday, we stayed home and celebrated your big day. You requested pasta and meatballs for supper and cupcakes (which Daddy helped you make... a first for Daddy) and spumoni for dessert. What a great day!

Happy Birthday Little Guy!!!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

A few pictures from William's birthday party.....

Treasure !!!

William and Mommy

Our Favorite Neighbor

Pirate Claudia

Captain William

Quotes of the Day

2009-07-22T13:04:00.011-05:00

Mom, I'll still hug you when I'm five."
William, the almost 5 year old.

"This applesauce tastes like beer."
Claudia making an accurate statement.

Here's One For Viola

2009-07-19T13:26:00.007-05:00

Thought you might enjoy this one Mom!

(Side Note: My dad was a Hamm's Beer distributor in Chicago for many years)

From the Land of Sky Blue Waters,
From the land of pines' lofty balsams,
Comes the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Brewed where nature works her wonders,
Aged for many moons, gently mellowed,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
From across the rippling water,
Through the whisp'ring pines and birches,
Comes the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Comes a call to cool enchantment,
Comes a call to cool refreshment,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Hints of lakes and sunset breezes,
Dance and sparkle in each glassful,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
From the Land of Sky Blue Waters,
From the land of pines' lofty balsams,
Comes the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Brewed where nature works her wonders,
Aged for many moons, gently mellowed,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
From across the rippling water,
Through the whisp'ring pines and birches,
Comes the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Comes a call to cool enchantment,
Comes a call to cool refreshment,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.
Hints of lakes and sunset breezes,
Dance and sparkle in each glassful,
Hamm's the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the beer refreshing.

Hot Fun In The Summertime

2009-07-12T15:01:00.004-05:00

Enjoying summer here at the Stage house. We went to Michigan for a week with Brian's extended family. The weather was cold but we had a good time and the kids had a ball. Both William and Claudia caught their first fish!!! A bunch of fish actually. Papa couldn't keep the worms coming fast enough! We also took the kids around the lake on a boat ride, which they both enjoyed. William enjoyed the whole boat ride.......Claudia enjoyed it until she fell asleep!

The kids are enjoying their outdoor time. They have been playing with their next door neighbor friend Ellie almost every day. It's so much fun to watch them play. I love the sound of the bikes and big wheels riding up and down the driveway. They have been having loads of fun playing on the swing set (all 3 kids now know how to pump...I told them they have all joined the "swingers' club"!!!). They also enjoy making sand "guacamole" (the girls like Mexican), playing ball, swimming in Elllie's pool and just being kids. This summer is so much different than last year when they played side by side, but not together.

William was stung by his first bumblebee this past weekend. He was stung twice.... once on his upper lip and once on the bridge of his nose. Both areas swelled up, but he survived after a few necessary tears.

Claudia has been sleeping without guardrails on her bed. She's so excited to finally have a "big girl" bed. The first night she fell off the bed twice. Normally this would not be such a big deal, but it was for her. She is still wearing leg braces every night. She CAN'T walk in the braces.
I woke up to some commotion in the hall, assuming it was the cat, but it was really Claudia, army crawling into my bedroom!
"I fell out of bed", she moaned, "I'm okay".
Then it happened again and she once again army crawled into my room.
Poor Claudia. I can't wait for her to be done with those silly braces! Since that first night, she has remained in bed without any falls.

On a sad note, my dad's brother passed away. He lived a long and happy life and always had a smile on his face. We will miss him, but he is reunited with his wife that he lost 18 years ago and I am positive that he is happy to be with her again.

William's 5th birthday is coming up. His birthday party is this Saturday. He's going with a pirate theme this year. Aarrrrr matey! Should be a fun time!

A STAR IS BORN !!!!!!

2009-07-01T09:15:00.026-05:00

Randy and Brian

Brian wearing his Papa's vintage suit and fedora

Filming in Joliet

Last night we had the opportunity to attend Crown Point, Indiana's movie premiere of "Public Enemies" starring Brian Stage and other lessor known actors such as Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. To make the evening even more special, we were joined by my beautiful sister and her handsome husband.

Our evening began with a ride on a trolley to the Hall of Justice in Crown Point. At the Hall of Justice, we checked in and then walked the red carpet with my movie star husband. Then we headed next door to the Old Sheriff's House and Jail, where scenes from the movie were filmed. We were taken on a guided tour of the jail and had the opportunity to see all the areas where the movie was filmed as well as the four bunk cell from the 1928 section of the jail where Dillinger was actually housed (this was not in the film).

Hall of Justice

Side note: prior to the filming of the movie, the jail was not open to the public except for sporadic tours. The local teenagers (Brian and his brother included) often broke into the jail late at night to explore.

Old Sheriff's House and Jail

After the tour, we headed back to the Hall of Justice for a few hours of wining and dining at the VIP party. Many people were dressed in 1930's dresses and suits. Brian wore his Papa's vintage 3 piece suit and fedora. During the party there were comments from the mayor of Crown Point, the sheriff's of both Lake & Porter Counties, and representatives from the Old Sheriff's House and Jail Foundation (to whom the party's proceeds went) and Film Indiana, along with raffles and an auction of an authentic Thompson submachine gun ("Tommy gun") used during the Dillinger incidents in 1934.

After the party, we all drove to the theatre for the premiere. We had great center seats and were loaded down with popcorn and drinks, our eyes fixed on the screen, trying not to blink in case there was a slim chance we might see Brian. And then a star was born.......

BRIAN WAS IN THE FILM!!!!!!

The very first scene is prisoners marching at the Michigan City State Penitentiary (it was actually filmed at Joliet's Stateville Prison). Brian is 6th in line. You can't see his face, but we knew it was him because of his height (he is the shortest ;-).

The second scene takes place in the Shirt Shop of the prison. The prisoners walk into the shop and sit down at their sewing machines to begin work.

BRIAN IS IN THE CENTER OF THE SCREEN!!!!!

Sandy brown hair...scar on his face, which the make-up crew made even more pronounced for the film. We are guessing he had about five seconds of screen time!!

Brian also made the local newspaper. Check it out!

Going Batty

2009-06-24T09:22:00.039-05:00

Last night, Brian and the kids were upstairs getting ready for bed when I heard the all too familiar shriek. It was not from one of the kids... it was from Brian. The shriek that
announced "a visitor has arrived".

Yup, another stinking bat got into the house. Did you notice the word "another", as in"this is not the first one"? Bats, in this old house, occasionally make an appearance. We were initiated with the first one before we had the kids. Brian, the environmentalist / lover of nature, screamed like a little girl on a major sugar high. I, on the other hand, remained clam and removed the bat from the house using a shoebox. Actually, Brian did eventually calm down ~~stopped freaking out~~ and helped me.

The second bat was huge... it had a wing span of a pterodactyl! It swooped at us with speed unknown to most bats. We hit the floor in a fast army crawl, grabbed a golf umbrella for protection and crawled through the house and opened every door and window.

The third home intruder found it's way into our bedroom after William was born. Brian freed it by, once again, opening the doors and windows. By this time, I was starting to feel unkind ~~lethal~~ towards the critters and was in search of a more permanent way of removal.

We have also had several bats in the basement. There is nothing worse than folding laundry and seeing a moving object out of the corner of your eye. Brian also has had a few bats taunt him while he was in the basement. One dive bombed him resulting in "the scream". Another was found at the bottom of a laundry basket.

I am sure that there have been more, but I've tried to erase the memories.

Why don't we get rid of the bats, you ask? It's not that easy. We've priced it out. It cost and arm and a leg (or a wing) and there is no guarantee that they will all be removed or that they won't eventually return. Looks like a bat house might make a nice addition to our family!

Grandma's Birthday Pictures

2009-05-29T10:01:00.008-05:00

Viola and Family

Grandma and the Kids

Enjoying Dessert With Matthew

Sydney and Jordan

Andrew and Sydney

Uncle Randy and William

Jordan... the oldest

Claudia... the youngest

" Happy Birthday to You..."

Rusty the Railcat and the Kids

Running the Field at the Railcats Game

(Claudia and Sydney are in the middle..litttle pink girl)

Happy 70th Birthday Grandma!!!!

2009-05-25T17:55:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Grandma!

From Your Grandkids

We hope you have the best Birthday EVER!

We love you to the moon and back!

1970

January 1971

Grandma, Jordan and Sydney

Grandma and Sydney

Grandma, Andrew and Matthew

2002

October 1999

June 2005

September 2006

May 2006

May 2008

Jordan: You make the BEST pineapple upside down cake EVER!!

Sydney: I LOVE to play at Grandma's house.

Andrew: You always pick out the best gifts for me!

Matthew: I like to play baseball at your house.

William: Grandma has the coolest toys like dump trucks and diggers!

Claudia: You make the best popcorn!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-22T09:09:00.017-05:00

Memorial Day weekend is finally here... the beginning of summer! Ahhhhh!

We have a fun-filled weekend planned.

Saturday:

Swim lessons at the YMCA for the kids.

Brian and I will attempt to exercise at the YMCA (yes, this is true).

Mow lawn, clean house, make a dent in the huge pile of laundry.

Drop kids off at Grandma's house.

Go out for supper with friends (as in no children).

Streak through the neighborhood (just wondering if anyone will catch this).

Pick up kids from Grandma's house.

Sleep!

Sunday:

Grandma's 70th Birthday Brunch at Strongbow.

Grandma's Birthday Baseball game at the Steel Yard. Go Railcats!

Rumor has it that Grandma is throwing out the first pitch!

Back to Grandma's house for Birthday treats.

Monday:

Two hour steam train ride between North Judson and LaCrosse, Indiana.

Recover from weekend........

Don't Fear The Reaper

2009-05-13T09:35:00.014-05:00

This morning I was reading my local newspaper and to my surprise read that Blue Oyster Cult will be playing at our county fair this summer! I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of BOC. However, the music does bring back fond memories. About 20 years ago (yes, I am dating myself) I went to a bar in River Grove, Illinois called "The Thirsty Whale" with my sister and a friend. BOC was playing there and my friend wanted to see the show..... so did I (after all, I was familiar with 2 songs). We arrived at the venue and discovered that we were not dressed appropriately for the concert. We looked clean cut, as in "preppy" (remember it was 20 years ago) and the rest of the BOC crowd was decked in in leather... lots of it and chains. I remember a few head bandannas (skullcaps ?) too! Even though I felt a bit uncomfortable in my black Bermuda shorts and striped shirt, it was a fun show! I distinctly remember my friend jamming out to the song "Godzilla". I am amazed that my friend didn't suffer brain damage from his head thrashing!

So Porter County Fair and Blue Oyster Cult here I come! I will be there decked out in leather, chains, skullcap and lighter (you know..... to wave in the air)! I hope I fit in with the locals. Hmmmm.... Maybe I ought to reconsider my outfit. County Fair.... farmers.... Don't want to stand out AGAIN! I'm thinking overalls might be a better choice!

This is for the Porter County farmers.... "Don't Fear The Reaper".

Kathy's Spinach Salad

2009-05-11T07:03:00.002-05:00

My friend, Kathy, makes this delicious spinach salad. It's so yummy that I have asked her for the recipe numerous times. I always write down the recipe and then immediately lose it. So, this last time when I called to get the recipe, I stuck it to my bulletin board (If I stick it in a cookbook, it will get lost.... always happens!). I have made this for several get-togethers and it's a guaranteed hit!

Salad

Spinach (I use baby spinach)

Red onion - sliced or diced

Bacon - cooked and crumbled

Fresh sliced mushrooms

Sliced hard boiled eggs

Dressing

2/3 cup oil (I use canola or Enova)

1/3 cup vinegar (cider or white)

1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 cup sugar or Splenda

Put dressing ingredients in blender.

Blend until smooth.

Toss desired amount of dressing with salad.

Ketchup

2009-05-04T09:51:00.006-05:00

I apologize to my 2 readers for my lack of blogging. I have either been sick, too busy or out of town. So here is a "Ketchup" of what has been happening with the Stage Family:

William had pink eye.
Claudia had pink eye.
I had pink eye.
Brian had pink eye.
I got sick with an awful head cold.
William broke our camera.
Brian bought another camera.
We left for Arizona.
Brian's pink eye returned while in Arizona.
Returned home from Arizona 1 week later.
Started laundry and putting vacation "stuff" away.
William had a fever and cough for 3 days.
Claudia also got sick.
I got another cold.
William and Claudia had (and still have) runny noses and coughs.
Made last car payment.
Car started rattling.
Replaced brakes on car.
Car still rattling.
Brian's brother, Eric, and his family came to visit from Jacksonville, Florida.
Still putting vacation "stuff" away.
We celebrated Mimi's (Brian's mother) 60th Birthday.
We went to the Brookfield Zoo with the whole Stage Family.
I mowed the yard.
I am trying to load new camera software onto the computer.
I am constantly being interrupted by 2 children!
I will eventually post pictures......

Easter Weekend

2009-04-15T07:06:00.007-05:00

Our Easter celebrations started on Friday with supper at my mom's house. While loading up the car Friday evening, someone (Brian) locked us out of the house. Our extra key was next door at the neighbors who happened to be out of town. Luckily, my mom had a spare which my sister drove over to our house saving us from spending the night in the garage. Saturday, Brian woke up with pink eye and spent a good chunk of the morning at the eye doctor's office. Sunday, we drove to Glen Ellyn, IL to celebrate Easter with Brian's extended family. His cousin, Jordan and his family, were in visiting from Vienna. It was great to see every one... especially since we don't get to see each other on a regular basis.... only holidays and a few birthdays.

We spent a bit of time in the car on Sunday... a bit too much for the kiddos. Our return home from Illinois sounded like this:

Claudia: Turn on the light.

Mom: No.

William: Tell Claudia to be quiet.

Claudia: Turn ON the light.

Mom: Not going to happen.

Claudia: Turn on the light, turn on the light, turn on the light, turn on the light....

Mom: Why?

Claudia: I can't see my dog (as in stuffed).

William: Claudia's talking too much.

Claudia: Sophie (the real dog) is looking at me!

Claudia: Stop looking at me, Soph! Look at William (pronounced Will-YUM).

Claudia: She won't stop looking at me!

Claudia: Turn on the light.

Claudia: I SAID, "turn on the light!"

Dad: Did you say something Claudia? (responding sarcastically)

Claudia: I'm cold.

Claudia: My feet hurt.

Claudia: I need the light on.

Claudia: She's (the dog) looking at me again!

William: Claudia's still talking.

Mom: Stop talking Claudia.

Claudia: Are we in Valparaiso?

Dad: No. We just left Aunt Monica's. We're in Bolingbrook.

Claudia: We're ARE in V...a...l...p...a...r...a...i...s...o...

William: (insert sarcasm) Does this look like Valparaiso?

Claudia: Yes, this is IT! We're in Valparaiso, William.

Mom: We're not in Valparaiso.

Claudia: Turn on the light.

William: I'm sleeping.

Caludia: Your not sleeping! William, are you sleeping?

This "conversation" goes on for about an hour. William fell asleep despite Claudia's attempt to awaken him with her words. Claudia fell asleep about five minutes before we arrived home. Hope everyone had a joyous Easter!

Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

2009-03-30T16:05:00.004-05:00

This is one of my all time favorite recipies!

Preheat oven to 425

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

(I use mini chips)

3-4 teaspoons orange zest

Whisk dry ingredients together

Add cream

Mix with wooden spoon or spatula

Here's the easiest part....use an ice cream scooper and scoop dough onto a baking sheet

Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar (if desired)

Bake 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Cool on rack or serve warm

Dinosaurs, Bears and Caves.....Oh My!

2009-03-19T15:57:00.009-05:00

Claudia printed her name for the first time...... look at the bottom of the drawing.

It is printed like this: "C... d...l...a...u...i...a..."

She didn't like the the "d" being in the middle of her name so she changed it.

And for those of you who have difficulty interpreting preschool art, let me explain:

The dinosaur (small box, bottom left) is chasing the big bear (brown amoeba object) into a cave (brown circle, top right) which contains a bed (blue circle). Brown squiggles represent the grass.

Put On Your Thinking Cap....

2009-03-19T07:14:00.025-05:00

Yesterday evening was the big birthday celebration for my nephew, Matthew. He turned 7.... an old guy. We also celebrated my sister's birthday too. She will be 29 (cough, cough) on Friday.

The point of this story, though, is not about yesterday's birthday celebration....mostly because I forgot my camera. It does, however, involve birthdays.

This story is about my niece, Jordan, who is very intelligent... you know...gifted... "special" as we like to say. She has the kind of thinking process that puts her in a different dimension of reality.....the kind, though, that has her regularly saying and doing things that make us shake our heads and question her sanity.

Last night was one of those instances. We were discussing half birthdays....as in, Claudia's birthday is September 16th and her 3 1/2 birthday was on March 16th. Jordan informed us that her 14 1/2 birthday was on March 3rd.

"Hmmm. Jordan, your birthday is August 31st. How can your half birthday have fallen on March 3rd?"

She looked at us with raised eyebrows as if we were all dumber than a box of rocks.

"Duhhh......." she began, talking slowly so us lesser beings could have time to process her brilliance, "February only has 28 days and my birthday is on August 31st, so I had to make up for the 3 missing days in February by adding them onto March".

After we all laughed hysterically at Jordan, my sister explained to her that adding numbers was not necessary..... just count ahead 6 months.

Again, the "box of rocks" look......as in, "Whatever, you people just don't get it, do you?"

But then again, what 14 year old girl (or 14 1/2 I should say) believes anything her mom says?

Intelligent and gifted.......we're starting to rethink that one.

Special? Definitely!

Giving Them The Bird

2009-03-12T09:00:00.008-05:00

My kids were born with Brian's ornithology gene. They have a gift of identifying birds. On any given day they can identify what kind of bird is at our feeder.

William: "Look Mom. A goldfinch!"

Mommy: "What did you just call me?"

Claudia: "Where's the goldfish?"

Brian is the same way. We can be in any part of the country, and he knows his birds.

"Hey Sue, did you see that double breasted, yellow bellied, tripple tailed, rainbow crested sapsucker?".

He even know birds from all of his foreign travels- Chinese birds (Moo Shoo Speckled Falcon), German birds (Pileated Long Neck Pilsner), New Zealand aka Kiwi birds(North Island Brown Heavy Footed Moa), Costa Rican (Banana Bellied Orange Beaked Whistling Caw Caw) and Antarctic birds (Southern Royal Ice Crested Snow Petrel).

It's amazing. I can't even remember what breed(s) our dog is, but he can memorize a bird book in no time flat!

I'm grateful that our kids inherited his gift. Me, on the other hand, I am satisfied to continue using my unique way of identifying birds:

"You mulberry eating, purple staining, flying sack of shit! If you crap on my car one more time, I'm gonna bust your feathered A$$!".

25 Random Things About Brian

2009-03-08T11:07:00.017-05:00

Brian's with his "Public Enemies" Convict Scruff

25. I once edged the whole yard using a hand shovel.

24. My wife says I should have pursued my master's degree in common sense (which means I need some, not that I have enough to warrant a higher degree).

23. I lock myself out of houses and cars regularly.

22. I took a college course in Costa Rica. The squirrel monkeys liked to sit on my shoulder in the open roof bathroom and groom me......when they weren't throwing mangoes at me.

21. I spent two winters in Antarctica doing research on lake geochemistry...yes, there are lakes in Antarctica.

20. I broke my nose in college (1989) and didn't have it "repaired" until 2000.

19. I like to talk ..... a lot. Sue says I have the ability to converse with a street sign.

18. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2001 and am still in pain.

17. As previously mentioned, I have dressed as a woman for parties. It was required!

16. I like to camp (unlike Sue, who believes that camping together will lead to a divorce).

15. I made dinner once for my wife.... pork tenderloin with a cherry reduction.

14. My middle name is Richard. Sue thinks it gives her the right to call me "Dick".

13. I was asked by my beautiful wife to co-author this blog. I have yet to do so (I'm only writing this post under duress).

12. I am artistically talented.

11. I am not impulsive...everything must have a plan.

10. I once ate cheeseburgers for 10 days in a row while on vacation when I was a teenager.

9. A coworker once programmed his cell phone voice dial to call me when he used the word "nematode".

8. My brain has a built-in GPS and I never get lost (Sue will probably argue this one).

7. I once ran a mile in 4:42.

6. My driver's license used to state that I had hazel eyes. My eyes are actually blue......hazel just sounded kind of cool.

5. Speaking of driver's licenses, I received mine on New Year's Eve, 1986. And promptly had my first "scrape" (it was NOT an accident!) that night....when it's car vs. concrete gas pump island, the car usually loses.

4. I've been attempting to finish the same novel for five years....in fact, I don't even know where the book is now.

3. I am a prison convict in the new Johnny Depp movie "Public Enemies", due out on July 1st. In my scenes I am right next to Stephen Dorff (Sue thinks he's tasty.......check it out for yourself).

2. I have also traveled to Europe (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

1. I am fluent in "toddler". "Dot un doe" (translated: vacuum) and mutz (translated: milk) are some of da fings that I wuv.

Happy Valentine's Day x 17

2009-03-02T13:51:00.010-06:00

February 14, 1992

Dear William and Claudia,

This past Valentine's Day was the anniversary of my first date with Daddy. The date, which almost didn't happen, took place 17 years ago! I'll try to share as much with you as I can remember, but my memory is a bit fuzzy....

Mommy and Daddy were friends in college. We both belonged to a service organization called Alpha Phi Omega. We pledged at the same time but weren't really friends. Aunt Gayle was the first to become friends with Daddy. They hung out a lot together. One evening at an APO meeting, Aunt Gayle offered to help Daddy dress up as a girl for an annual party!

Daddy showed up the evening for the party at our apartment and Aunt Gayle did his make-up and Mommy ended up curling his hair with a curling iron. We had fun... Daddy didn't make the best looking woman (no offense, Brian) but we gave it our best shot!

Purdue 1991

Over the next year, Daddy, Aunt Gayle and Kathy started spending more time with Daddy and his handsome roommates. We went out for "pop" and studied a lot at the library (wink, wink).

Mommy wasn't really interested in Daddy (even though, to this day, he insists I was) and Daddy was juggling several girlfriends...... believe it or not.

Eventually things changed... I don't know what happened, but Mommy and Daddy started to like each other.

Valentine's Day was approaching and Daddy asked me if I wanted to go on a date. Guess what I told him? I said no! Can you believe it? I told Daddy that I already had plans with Kathy and wasn't available. Funny, huh?

After a few days, Kathy convinced me to change my mind and go out with Daddy. I called Daddy and we decided to get together for dinner. The only problem was that I waited too long to call him and all the nice (all 2 of them) restaurants were booked for Valentine's Day. Daddy ended up coming over to my house and we ate cheeseburgers together (That is why it is a tradition in our house to eat cheeseburgers on Valentine's Day). After our dinner, we went to an APO function and then out to a bar named Pete's.

We had a fun time together....

Our Baby

2009-02-18T11:05:00.019-06:00

January 29, 2009 (7 weeks)

Tuesday morning we found out that our baby no longer had a heartbeat, had grown wings and left us to be with God. We are filled with grief, but grateful that our baby is in God's hands and surrounded with love.

A heartfelt thanks to all of our family and friends who have consoled us, prayed for us, supported us, and extended their love to us. We thank God for all of you and you are in our prayers daily.

To our Baby,

Even though you were with us for a very short time, we love you more than you can imagine. We know that you are now with Grandpa, all your great grandparents, your cousin, Miranda and all the other babies of our family members and friends that have also gone to heaven. They will love you and take care of you until Mommy and Daddy are with you again.

We would like to share the following prayer that mirrors our thoughts right now....

Dear God,

Please hold my unborn child in your ever-loving embrace.

Please let my child know that my love can't be erased.

Please bless me on this earth and help to ease the pain.

Please plant a seed within my baby's heart of sunshine, not of rain.

Please help the days get easier and the nights go quickly by.

Please hold my hand when I can't do anything- but cry.

Please increase my faith so I believe my baby is with You.

Please forgive me when my sadness makes me come completely unglued.

Please let my baby know that there will always be a place-

Within my heart, just for my baby, full of Divine Grace.

And, when You call me Home to Your Kingdom up above-

Please let me hold the baby- I never held... but, always loved.

Amen.

Ellen DuBois

Positive Pregnancy Tests January 2, 2009

My Family

2009-02-13T13:08:00.011-06:00

Claudia drew a picture of her family.

(Dad, Mom, William, Claudia, and Baby due September 17, 2009)

One Word... Yeah, Right!

2009-02-12T07:44:00.032-06:00

My friend from House of Blank, who has not updated her blog in the last 24 years, tagged me with this.... and because I am so compliant, I decided to change the rules... a little bit. No one word answers for me!

One Word (make me)

You can ONLY answer Yes or No! You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks!Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun (try and stop me).

Kissed anyone of your Facebook friends? Do family member count? How about "Spin the Bottle" in junior high?

Been arrested? Not recently

Kissed someone you didn't like? Yes, there's no need to elaborate.

Slept in until 5 PM? Nope, If I wake up after 5:00 a.m., it's a good day.

Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes, when I was pregnant with William.

Held a snake? Yes, Sebastian and Slinky (I'm an overachiever)

Ran a red light? Yes, but it was orange. I swear, Officer!

Been suspended from school? Nope.... no detentions either.

Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? No. I did smash up the front end while driving the behaviorally challenged kids to camp.

Been fired from a job? Kind of, more like "let go" because they wouldn't work around my high school softball schedule.

Sang karaoke? Never! Listening to this is almost as painful as listening to someone chew gum.

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Does picking up dog poop in the yard count?

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes, but it was tuna.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes, no calories.

Kissed in the rain? Yes, the kids.

Sang in the shower? Always, it blocks out the screams from the kids.

Sat on a rooftop? Yes, college apartments.

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? Yes, Cancun 1988. I was the first to get thrown in a pool at a bar.

Broken a bone? Several. My leg in a few places when I was 14 and my toe when I was 38.

Shaved your head? No, but Brian shaved his head.... GROSS!

Blacked out from drinking? Can't seem to remember...

Played a prank on someone? Kathy, do you remember back in 1992 when I told you I tried the meal worm cake at Purdue's Bug Expo and then you tried it.... well, I really didn't eat it!

Felt like killing someone? Not today.

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes, I'm mean.

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? Do my hyper children count?

Been in a band? Just air guitar with William.

Shot a gun? Yes, an air gun in Michigan when I was in gradeschool. Oh, and the shotting gallery at Bass Pro Shop.

Donated Blood? No, but with all the blood tests I've had in the last 5 years, it has to be equivalent to several donations.

Eaten alligator meat? Yes

Eaten cheesecake? Yes (stupid question)

Still love someone you shouldn't? I still have feelings for the UPS guy ever since he carried all my Dell boxes into the house when I was pregnant with William. He probably would have set up the computer if I had asked him....

Think about the future? Yes, painting the house and buying a minivan....

Believe in love? It depends what kind of mood Brian's in....(just kidding, Bri)

Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes, when I'm forced to sleep with Brian.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!!!!

2009-02-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

Some times after Christmas (I can't remember the date) we met my sister's family at the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Hammond, Indiana. Jean Shephard, the writer of the movie, "A Christmas Story" is from Hammond and the center created a display to showcase the movie! It was really cute! Here are a few pictures fom the display....

Matthew, William and Claudia

A Major Award

"The Cousins"