Monday, December 22, 2008

SNOW DAY

So it has been a long 4 years since we have been able to say those words. Those are the days that teachers and students live for. I guess since I am in the house with teachers and a student- that is a day that I live for too. So Thursday night we were all ready for this snowstorm coming- some schools opted already close Friday on Thursday and right there I thought we were in for the jinx. I figured now that some schools have closed already- a day in advance we for sure were going to get like 3 inches of snow. Low and behold- we were up around 5:40 and everything was closed. Chad went back to bed and I laid there for a little while before getting up. Mom and dad were off to work- mom to return just a couple hours later. This was after Chad had to go help her get unstuck on the other side of the block and at least make it to Aunt Gerry's house- good thing aunts and uncles live just around the corner. We spent the day just hanging out and watching the snow fall. Chad got to do some shoveling and has decided that when we get a house- we will have a snow blower. The girls got to hang out with dad, play wii, watch cartoons, and then we finally got around to decorating the tree that night.

Saturday morning the roads were clear and that meant off to basketball games in the morning. My team played the first game and I thought we were going to pull it off- we lost 15-16. After our game uncle Kurt played, so we hung around to watch that. We made it home with uncle Ben and uncle Kurt coming with us. Chad had a game later that afternoon that they were going to. The Chapmans arrived in the early afternoon and the boys and Maddie had some fun playing Wii. Grandpa, Joel, Ben, Sam, myself, and the girls all headed to Chad's game. They weren't any more successful than my team, well at least my team made it a game. Their's was pretty much a blow out.

Yesterday we braved the negative windchill (like -30) and headed to church. We were just going to lay low- but then decided to go see Bolt. So after nap we loaded up and headed up to Menomonee Falls to meet uncle Ben and aunt Lydia. They went to the movies and I went to Wal-Mart to get some last minute things. You always have to make sure that you have batteries for those toys. We met back at the house and hung out there for the evening. Kathy, Scott, and the boys got there yesterday so it was good to see them.

Chad has practice today and tomorrow- it is suppose to snow again tomorrow, so we will see about that. We are heading up to Germantown this evening and will be there until Christmas Eve night. I have just a few more presents to wrap and hoping to get those done today. Christmas will be here in the morning and then we will be heading over to my uncle Jan and aunt Sharon's in the afternoon. Since Jana has to work and Alan has to work the day after- we are doing Christmas with my brothers and sisters on Saturday and Sunday. We decided to cut out presents and instead head to a local indoor waterpark for two nights. I'm sure that all the kids will enjoy that.

The rest of break will be filled with more basketball practice for Chad, relaxing, and most likely playing in the snow. The girls have been eager to get outside, but with it being so cold that hasn't happened. We know for a fact that if we put Emma in one of the snow banks at the bottom of the driveway- we would lose her for sure.

Merry Christmas!!! I will be sure to put some pics up after the week.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Basketball and Door County

So right now our life is pretty much consumed with basketball. Chad got his first win on the 2nd when he traveled to Watertown Luther Prep to play. They had another game on Friday and they didn't win, but in the week and a half since I saw them last play, they looked a lot more like a team. The game on Friday was a nightmare. The officiating was not at its finest and we then came to find out after the game that one of the refs was the baseball coach from last year, in other words, the guys who's job Chad took. I am a firm believer that Freshmen basketball should be called a whole lot tighter than varsity, because they are still learning, but these guys were letting guys roll around on the floor with the ball and not call anything. Okay I could go on and on about it, but I won't.

My basketball team had their first regular season game this past weekend, they had played in a tournament the weekend before Thanksgiving, but league play started on the 6th. We are out of town, so my dad (who is helping me) coached on Saturday. It was a real defensive battle of us losing 10-6. My dad said that they couldn't make a lay-up to save their life. That meant that yesterday in practice we went back to the beginning basics ans started with walking lay-ups. It could be a long season. I think that I am not looking to set any records, but maybe just make them better players. We play on Thursday of this week, so we will see if we can make some improvements.

So Chad and I headed to Door County this past weekend for a surprise birthday "party". Kate is married to Ryan and he turned 30 earlier in the week. She rented a cabin for 11 of us to share and hang out in. 9 of us live in the Milwaukee area, but Nathan and Katherine even made the trip over from Fort Wayne for the weekend. We left after Chad's game and were on the road by about 6:30. We grabbed some dinner and were up there by about 9:40. We only had to stop once for me to use the bathroom. When we got there Kate and Ryan were there, Ryan was the one who we were surprising. Nathan and Katherine were there and Ben and Wendy got there about 15 minutes before us. About 15 minutes after us, Nick and Ashley got there and then about 15 minutes after that Craig arrived. Ryan was quite surprised- he didn't know anything about it. So by about 10:30 everyone was there and settled in and just hanging out. We were up quite late, but we had lots of laughs that night. Saturday morning, everyone slept in and when everyone finally got up, we all went to breakfast together. We went to the Door County landmark, Al Johnson's. If it wasn't winter, it is the place where the roof is made of grass and there are goats that are on the roof who eat the grass. It was nice to be lazy and not have too much to think about. Everyone was fortunate enough to leave their kids with grandmas and grandpas. We went back to the cabin and the guys watched football and napped while some of us girls just relaxed and watched some HGTV. That night we grilled out and played games. Sunday morning we took our time and most everyone was gone by about 11am. We were home by about 2:30. I drive most of the way- because Chad ended up coming down with the flu and even stayed home from school yesterday. I am just hoping that no one else in the house gets it. I think that if we haven't gotten it yet, we should be okay.

Maddie seems to be getting a little cold, but nothing to worry about. She is going to the fire station and library tomorrow with school. It is snowing once again, but hopefully it should be all done by later this afternoon. Chad was suppose to have a game tonight, but the school they were playing has no school because of the snow, so that is canceled. We are almost ready for Christmas. Emma is waiting for grandma to pick out her tree, because Emma insists that she is going to decorate it with grandpa. We have cousin Sam's brithday party this weekend and then just one more week of school.

Here are some pics from the weekend. Hope you are all staying warm.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Leaves Fall Then Snow Falls

Well a couple of weeks ago we raked the leaves for the final time. We thought that they were going to come and pick them up, but they didn't quite make it down our street. Grandpa was off of work, so the girls and I headed outside to help him. Emma like using the push broom to sweep the driveway and Maddie liked using the leaf blower to clear out under the tree. Maddie headed back inside to warm up and Emma decided that she is more of a supervisor then a worker, so here she is "doing" yardwork with grandpa.



This morning at about 6:15 I was laying in bed and that is usually the time that the dogs across the street start barking, but this morning they were drowned out by the plow on the playground across the street. I know that sound and when I was in grade school and high school I usually rushed up to go look out the window and hope for a snow day. Knowing that there couldn't be that much snow, it actually made me move slower, because I knew that there would still be school. That meant having to get Maddie into boots and full snow gear. Luckily grandpa took her to school today, so I only had to get her ready. Any other morning I would have had to gotten Emma in her gear too. The girls were very excited about the snow and spent some of the morning just looking out the window. Most of it will probably be gone in the next couple of days since by Thanksgiving it should be up to 40 degrees. They both wanted to go out and play, but it is quite the wet snow, awesome for snowballs, but that's when you come in just soaking wet all the way through.



Maddie took grandpa to school today with her for her Thanksgiving Feast. They made lots of crafts and had some good snacks. Emma and I just hung out at home. I have to say that it was nice to not have to rush out the door on a Monday morning. Not only that, but I was able to take a shower in the house finally.

So in the beginning of October the plumbers came and gutted the downstairs bathroom and redid the plumbing. Since then my dad and mostly Uncle Kip have been sanding, tiling, grouting, and painting. Yesterday the two of them put the toilet, sink, shower fixtures, and lights in and we have a functioning bathroom. I was getting used to taking showers at the YMCA or even a bath upstairs. I know my mom is just glad that when she has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she doesn't have to come upstairs.

This week Chad has his first basketball game. So we will be over at school more, it also helps that my cousin plays on his team. My other cousin is on the girls varsity, so we will be out there tonight for her game. I have also taken over the 7/8 grade girls team at Mount Olive. So today is the first practice with me. They start league play on the 6th, so we have this week and next week to get ready.

We are having Thanksgiving with my parents and aunt and uncle. We will be up at the Janetzke's on Wednesday for church and then to hang out. Chad has practice on Friday and so I think he is hoping for a low key day on Thursday. Grandpa Heff's birthday is Wednesday and so Maddie is wanting to make a cake. Maybe we will tackle that tomorrow.

Maddie is really into helping cook lately. She has almost perfected mac n' cheese. She likes to be able to do anything to help out. She likes to be the "maker" as she calls it. She of course is still loving school. Yesterday we saw her teacher at church and that still is weird to her, to see her teacher outside of her classroom.

Emma is Emma, meaning she is the drama queen as always. She gets upset at the weirdest things. She all of a sudden hates baths. We think she is so worried that her toys or her are going to go down the drain, even though we don't take the plug out until she gets out. She is not liking this whole hat and mittens thing either. She tries to bargain and tells you that she will just wear her hood instead of her hat, but that only lasted until yesterday because a hood doesn't do as much as a hat. We try to give her a choice, so we don't have meltdowns. Usually like juice or milk, boots or tennis shoes. She really likes that she gets to pick out her own shirt in the mornings. She knows that she picks out the shirt and I get to pick out the pants. She doesn't like her wet diaper, but will not go anywhere near the potty. We will start trying a little bit more after the new year. She knows that to go to Mrs. Willer's class she has to go on the potty. I have a feeling she is going to be that kid who one day announces that she is done with diapers and just start using the potty. We will see. She loves to go pick up Maddie from school, because she likes to see Carter, who will be in her class next year, who also happens to be Isaac's cousin. She always has to look for them at church too. Let's just say she could be labeled as a stalker "girlfriend".

I can't believe that Christmas is right around the corner. I have almost all my shopping done. I have just one more person, or technically Chad has one more person. I am hoping to avoid all stores for the most part for the next month. I went to the mall on Saturday to get my haircut and it was already just out of control. I then went to Target after that and it was just as bad. I was glad I didn't have the girls with me.

At least this post didn't come a month since the last one- as the holidays get closer, I'm sure I'll have more pics to share.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

A Long Overdue Post

Okay so where should we start- how about the beginning of October. We have had a few posts in between, but nothing too in depth.

Okay- so let's start with the Brewers. So we enjoyed our short stint in the playoffs after a 26 year drought. The third game was in Milwaukee on Saturday October 4th. Chad, myself, my dad, and my brother-in-law Joel went to the game. It was awesome to be there and we all enjoyed the game especially since they won. We went on to hang out in the parking lot for a little while afterwards. Sunday I wasn't planning on going to the game, but my aunt wasn't feeling well, so we had an extra ticket and I got to go again. The outcome wasn't as good as the night before, but it was still pretty cool to be there. I did take some pics on Saturday, but of course they are on the infamous camera that is still missing and I am just going to have to realize that it is gone and so are the pictures that were on it.

So the following week Chad headed up to Minnesota on Friday afternoon on the Megabus. It was a little late, but he made it up there and then headed to the Olson's to hang out. He managed a round of golf on Saturday morning and then hanging out with the Minnesotans. Sunday he went to the Vikings/Lions game with Mike and then back on the Megabus home. While he was gone, the girls and I managed without him. Saturday we went to uncle Kurt's flag football game. After we headed to the pumpkin farm with grandma and grandpa J, uncle Scott, aunt Kathy, cousins Luke and Ben, and aunt Kendra. It was the weekend where is was like 80 degrees and so the patch was crowded. If you want to see a couple pics, there are some on the Huster's blog (link on the right side). That evening we met grandma and grandpa Heff, who were babysitting cousins Ella and Kate for a hayride.

We have been in the normal routine of school during the week and Maddie is enjoying school. We have been to the pumpkin farm, it was cold and rainy, but the kids loved being able to feed all the animals. Maddie loves to read all the letters in any word she can find. Like in church when we sit down and you can hear her talking to herself saying," E-X-I-T". She has a little trouble with lower case letters that don't look like the same uppercase letter.

So the weekend came again and this time it was off to Michigan for Chad's cousin's wedding. Which is where the camera was lost, so no pics of the wedding. We enjoyed seeing family and got to spend two nights with the Heiden's. We had lots of laughs and enjoyed being able to attend the wedding since we are closer now.

The last full weekend of October was spent hanging out with the Chapman family. They came up to trick or treat with us in the neighborhood. Grandpa and grandma Heff's neighborhood always has an evening trick or treat with a costume contest and other things. Maddie was once again a sausage- it was much more of a hit here, then in Texas. Everyone asked where we got it- it even won her second place in the costume contest. They went home with lots of loot, but Maddie was tried, so she went to bed early.

We have been visiting grandma J often during the day, since we are both home. She enjoys the change of routine and both Emma and Maddie love to play up there. Emma has spent more time up there while I help at Maddie's school. Her favorite thing to do is to make cookies with grandma. She likes to help mix, but really she just likes to be the taste-tester.

Last weekend we went down to Woodstock for Halloween. We went to the square with Ben and Sam for some trick or treating and then Ben and Maddie went to a couple other blocks. Emma and Sam had more fun handing out candy to other kids then actually getting it. Jana and Mike met us back in Milwaukee for the weekend. We had fun just hanging out for the rest of the weekend.

This week Maddie had school on Monday and then on Tuesday we headed up to the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells. We were up there a day early because we went up with grandma and grandpa J. Chad, uncle Kurt, aunt Lydia came up on Wednesday. For a few days we enjoyed being in the hotel and playing in the indoor waterpark. We did get a few pictures from borrowing my parent's camera.

We got home yesterday and have enjoyed just being home for the last day. Today Maddie had her last day of tumbling and then it was off to watch uncle Kurt's basketball game. After the game we took the girls to see Madagascar 2. The girls enjoyed the movie along with the popcorn and soda. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a resting day and getting laundry done.

So here are a few pics from raking leaves, and the waterpark. Hopefully that has caught some of you up on us and it hopefully it isn't a month before I post again.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Camera MIA

So I think our camera has been lost somewhere between Michigan and Wisconsin. I am hoping to clean out the car tomorrow and look for it. We are going Trick or Treating tomorrow in the neighborhood association at my parent's. Cousins Ben and Sam are coming too. I know that I have been quite the blogging slacker. You can leave me comments and tell me to get my butt in gear if you want. Emma and Maddie have taken turns being sick in the last couple of weeks. Maddie had it much worse than Emma. Maddie is still liking school. We are getting to go to Wisconsin Dells the first week of November for the Wisconsin Teachers' Convention. The girls and I are going up a day early with Grandma and Grandpa (The Superindendent) so we get to spend an extra day at the indoor waterpark.

Maddie is excited that it is suppose to snow flurry on Sunday. She sure is going to be disappointed when the snow doesn't stick to the ground.

Hopefully I will find my camera and be able to take some pics tomorrow. I am jsut excited that people will know Maddie is a racing sausage and not think she is Spongebob Squarepants.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

National League Wild Card Baby!!

I know I know, some of you are sick of my Brewers posts, but can you blame me. It has been pretty exciting here and so here is another Brewers post. So today was Emma's first game ever. We tailgated with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Everyone was very nervous for the game, but were ready for it. It was a great game. It was very nerve-racking, but when Braun hit that homerun, the place just went nuts. There were a good number of Cubs fans there, but after that they didn't do too much more cheering. During the whole game we were all keeping an eye on the Marlins/Mets score. Whenever the Marlins would go up- the whole place would erupt. After the game all the Cubs fans started leaving and we stayed. They ended up putting the Mets game on the jumbrotron and everyone was on the edge of their seats watching. After they lost, the place went nuts and just couldn't believe it. All the Brewers came back out after celebrating in the lockerroom and came out on the field to celebrate with the fans. Some of them were spraying champagne into the crowd and everything.

Here are the pics from the game and celebration:



Here are a few pics of the girls and their cousins from the last couple of weeks. We have been enjoying the warm weather, we went to the Zoo this past week and Maddie is still loving school.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Wow!!!

So last night my dad and I were at the Brewers game. We were a few rows back from our usual seats, it was also fan appreciation night, we didn't win anything. We were just watching, keeping score, talking to the guy next to us, and hoping for a Brewers win. Gallardo was back after being out for 4 months. He pitched four strong innings, by the bottom of the 4th it was tied 1-1 and stayed that way until the bottom of the 10th.

So here comes the extra innings, I looked at the clock and it was a little after 10, I'm thinking my limit is 11pm. We were all getting anxious. Three walks and two outs in the 10th- I was thinking they were going to walk in the winning run. Let me tell you, it was amazing. I don't even know if I can describe it. Two strikes with Braun up, he hit it and everyone knew it was gone. It wasn't one of those major league pop-ups that some people around you think is out, but doesn't even come close, it was gone in the 2nd deck. It was awesome!! That is definitely going to be a game that I will never forget.

We now have three games against the Cubs, while keeping an eye on the Mets playing the Marlins. We are all going to the game on Sunday- I'm just hoping it doens't come down to Sunday, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle it.

Best part of the Grand Slam- dad called it. Right before the pitch, he looked at me and said he is going to hit a grand slam. Classic dad.

Sorry this is about the Brewers and not much updating. I promise after this weekend I'll post some pics of the girls, the Chapmans are coming and Maddie starts tumbling tomorrow.

Monday, September 08, 2008

New things all around

Well Chad started at his new school- at least that is what the girls call it. He started on the 25th. He got into the swing of things with just a 4 day work week since they had Friday off for Labor Day weekend. That same week we had a new member orientation at church and an Open House for Maddie. Labor Day weekend was spent just hanging out. My parents headed to Iowa to see baby Nolan and to help Jana and Mike pack. We had some people over on Saturday to watch football. Chad was more than disappointed when the Michigan State game was not shown here. He even had three tvs going- one for the Missouri game, one for the Michigan State game, and one for the Brewers game. We all had lots of fun and even got a few rounds of MarioKart in. John- a freshman at CUW who is from Concordia, Tomball even came over to hang out.

Sunday after church we headed to Matteson for Luke's 2nd birthday party. We were in the midst of all the Harley riders heading home from Harley Fest. I was mad I didn't take more pictures over the weekend, but I did get a few on the way down to Matteson. The girls loved all the motorcycles all week and looking for them wherever we went and they were everywhere we went. I loved seeing them all too. I always said I wanted a Harley. So back to Luke's birthday party. We had a good time just hanging out and visiting with the Husters. There were a couple of other teachers from Scott's school there too. Luke had a great time eating his cake, opening his presents, playing with his presents, and then taking a bath with his cousins.

Monday we headed up to Germantown to help do some cleaning. It ended up being a burning of all the things that were being thrown away. I think everyone was having way to much fun throwing things into the fire.

We had a quiet day around here on Tuesday. Chad had a fantasy football draft with some of the other teachers from school. I ended up at the Brewers game with my dad, cousin, his wife, two of my uncles, and my other cousin. It wasn't that great of a game considering they lost in 10. Maddie wanted to go to the game so bad, but with school on Wednesday she wasn't allowed. She was crying and whining and begging to go. She was crying about it and my dad and I were standing there listening to her when she comes out and says, "But I want to go to the game, I LOVE the Brewers". My dad and I couldn't help but laugh. Needless to say she still didn't get to go.

Wednesday was Maddie's first day of school. She has three under her belt and is loving every minute of it. Every day after I pick her up she goes on and on about what she did. This week is the first full week- we have school pictures on Wednesday. She likes her teacher and there is a student teacher for the first 7 weeks. On the first day when I picked her up her teacher told me how she was walking and talking and ran into the door- all I could do was laugh and say that that was typical Maddie.

Friday Maddie finally got to go to the Brewers game. My dad, Chad, myself, and her went. While Emma stayed home with my cousin Alex. Maddie did pretty well. We did go and play on the playground for about an inning and a half. She was the star of the jumbotron getting on it about 3 times. We got to watch C.C. pitch again and see them win.

Saturday Chad and I got to head to the game ourselves. The doctor my mom works with has season tickets with another doctor. They are three rows behind the Brewers dugout. It was great to sit so close, but I actually prefer to sit up in my parents' seats on the club level, there is a lot more room up there. We saw another great win and a complete game shutout from Ben Sheets.

Sunday the Chapmans were here to go to the game. The girls and I dropped Grandma and Ben off at the game right at it was starting and then ran some errands. We then headed out to eat with them for Amy's birthday after the game. We have been keeping ourselves busy and are pretty much into a rountine now that school has started. This weekend is the first home football game. I know that the girls will probably be looking forward to going, as long as it isn't too cold for them. Maddie is always insisting on wearing a coat or sweatshirt to school. It has been in the high 60's.

Happy Birthdy to Amy!!!
Happy Birthday to Isaac- we wish we could be at your party.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Catching Up



So here are some pictures from our going away party, our trip up to Wisconsin and the last couple of weeks here in Wisconsin. Phill and Kim threw us a going away party at the Wilke's house and it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of beer, cornhole, and laughs. Then there was the stop in Leona, Texas; the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Arch.

Since we have been back in Wisconsin we have been keeping ourselves busy. We have been out to Pewaukee Lake to celebrate my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary. The live on the lake so there was lots of jet skiing, tubing, and swimming. Both the girls loved it- we are hoping to go out again before summer ends.

We took a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo. There are some animals that the Houston Zoo doesn't have and so Maddie like looking at the penquins and polar bears. We also took in the Wisconsin State Fair. The day we went happen to be UW- Madison day and the Badger marching band was playing. The girls loved the band- their father has turned them into fight song freaks. Emma enjoyed her cream puff by eating it without her hands- she just dove in head first.

We have been following the Brewers and took in a game last week. The girls stayed up in Germantown and we enjoyed the game with Kurt and my dad. We watched C.C. pitch a complete game and a Brewers' win.

We have celebrated my birthday with a 15lb. brisket. Phill you would have been proud of my mom- up at 6am and it was delicious. We got to hang out with some friends that just moved back also. This week Chad has started meetings- he was installed on Monday and meetings for the rest of the week. Monday starts the school year- Maddie has another week after that before she starts. We have the faculty get together Saturday, Maddie's school picnic on Sunday, first day of school on Monday, new member orientation on Tuesday, 3K Open House on Wednesday, let's just say that the next week will be busy.

Today was the first day at Concordia- hope all you Texans had a great first day. Only 2 more days left for the week.

Friday, August 01, 2008

I know, I know



Okay I know that I have been a bad blogger and have been slacking, but I think that I can be forgiven given the circumstances of moving half way across the country.

So where should we start- Chad accepted a call to Martin Luther High School is Greendale Wisconsin. It happens to be my alma mater and I even have a couple of cousins still there. He will be teaching Theology, coaching basketball, and also is the head baseball coach. He is pretty excited that he gets his own classroom again.

So 5 days after accepting the call we packed up and headed to Iowa for Nolan's baptism. We arrived on the 3rd and got to hang with the Pownell's for an evening by ourselves before everyone arrived on the 4th. We were in Iowa for the weekend and then it was back to Wisconsin for a week. We celebrated Chad's parent's 35th Wedding Anniversary, Emma's 2nd birthday, and Chad's 29th birthday. We managed to get a few Brewers' games in. Chad went to three and I went to two. We took Maddie to Monday's game- she had a blast. She actually sat for 7 innings and watched the game. I managed to spend a little time in Chicago. I took the train down there and picked up Anne from Midway. We rode the train home and had a great time. I surprised Chad with the Grepke family joining us for Chad's birthday tailgate.

We headed home on the 14th and then all the packing began. We had about a week of packing and then the movers came on the 24th, packed up and on the 25th they loaded the truck. We headed to Dallas on the morning of the 26th to hang with the Wilde family. Sunday morning we took off for Saint Louis. We spent two nights at the Kiessling Hotel. We got to the zoo on Monday (with cousins Ben and Luke too) and also the arch. Then headed to Milwaukee on Tuesday. We morning. We relaxed for the evening and the Wednesday it was unloading the truck. We spent most of Wednesday in Germantown rearranging boxes and furniture. Thursday was unpacking at the Heff house and today we are waiting for the Pownell's to get here to spend some time with them.

We are happy to be back in Wisconsin. We will miss Texas and all our "family" there. I did make the promise that if the football team gets to the state championship we would be there. The next couple of weeks will be adjusting to everything new. Chad starts meetings on the 15th, school starts on the 25th. Maddie starts school on the 3rd and we are hoping to get Emma into some swim lessons this fall also.

Slide show above is from our first trip to Wisconsin.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Coming Soon to Wisconsin

We are in Saint Louis and will be on our way to Wisconsin tomorrow. I have lots to blog about and will in the next few days. My pictures from our "vacation" to Iowa and Wisconsin were left on grandma Heff's computer and so I'll be putting those up soon also. We can't wait to see everyone. Our truck is coming on Wednesday and then it will be time to get settled.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Water



Water seems to be the fun of choice for us lately. The last couple of weeks we have been out and about a bit. Last Thursday we headed to Chad's baseball game. It is the prep team aka JV- they are all played at the same place and there is a playground there, so we decided to go. The girls had fun even though Maddie asked about 10 times where Hannah is (I guess she thinks baseball games equals Hannah to play with). We only went away with one casualty. Emma fell going down the steps, luckily her hands hit first and she just ended up with a scraped nose. After the game we headed over to Odinga's. We ordered pizza and played some Euchre. In case grandma Bickel is wondering Steve and I won. The girls were enjoying playing with the dogs and didn't even make it out of the subdivision before they were sleeping.

Friday we hung out at home, did some laundry and the like. Around lunch time we headed down to the Schneider's house. They live down by Lutheran South, which is down by NASA. We hung out for awhile and then headed out to the lake to go out on their boat. Emma wasn't so sure about the boat while it was moving, but when we anchored and just hung out she was a much happier camper. Maddie was ready to jump in right away, Emma hesitated but then didn't want to come back into the boat. I decided that I was best served staying on the boat. On the way back to the dock Maddie got to drive the boat. She still isn't so sure about how to do it, but she thought it was pretty cool. We ate some dinner with them and then it was time to head home.

The rest of the weekend was a pretty normal one around here. Sunday we set up the little pool with our swing set slide in it. Maddie was having a blast. It was a little too fast for Emma so we would have to put her only about half way up otherwise she would go down too fast. They played for quite awhile out there and were just laughing the whole time.

This week is VBS. I think that Maddie is enjoying herself. She is all geared up to go every morning. Monday Emma and I dropped her off. Her teachers are kids from Concordia- so that helps. When we left on Monday it was Emma who cried because we left Maddie behind. Tuesday and Wednesday there were some tears. Today she didn't cry, but needed to make sure that dad went with her to crafts and then she was fine.

It is raining pretty good right now, so I don't think we are going to get outside this afternoon. We will have to see what we can do otherwise.

Nothing too pressing this weekend. I'm sure I will be getting ready for us to leave next Wednesday- we are looking forward to our trip.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A New Cousin

We want to welcome Nolan Michael Pownell- he made an appearance at 12:18 this morning. Weighing in at 6lbs. 9oz and 20 inches long.

Jana and Mike are doing well and so is baby Nolan as he is known in our house.



Other Texas News: Trinity dedicated it's new sanctuary this past weekend. It was a very beautiful service with wonderful music. President Kieschnick was there from Saint Louis. Lyle Lovett who is member at our church- sang three hymns.



We also have a dog for the next 10 days. Wilke's are on vacation and asked us to watch Sam the dog. She has been here since yesterday- she loves when the girls drop food, but doesn't always love them in her face all the time. Maddie thought it was so cool this morning when she woke up and Sam was sleeping with her. We are hoping Sam helps us out by keeping the cats out of our yard.

We are starting to get ready for our trip. We are looking forward to spending a few days in Iowa meeting Nolan. Grandma and grandpa Bickel will be at Chad's parents house while we are in Milwaukee, so it will be great to get to visit with them. I am hoping to maybe catch the last day of Summerfest, I know we will get to at least one Brewers's game, and we will be celebrating Emma's birthday.


I had found the girls some roller skates at a garage sale and we had been waiting to use them until we got helmets and pads. Well we got Maddie her helmet and pads (we figure Emma has enough trouble just walking- skates probably aren't a good idea) and she had her first turn on skates the other day. She did pretty well, but did fall on her butt a couple of times.



We just made a date to the drive-in tonight for Maddie and Isaac- so I better go get lunch ready so they can take good naps this afternoon.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Maddie's Birthday


So Maddie is three- can you believe it?? We did some celebrating yesterday, but her party isn't until tomorrow. Yesterday we headed to the Nuk Store (aka Toys R' Us) to trade out nuks in for a toy. She had been talking about getting a robot for the longest time- we even found one, but she decided she didn't want it. We walked up and down every aisle and finally giving her a 10 more minute warning she picked out the Tika elephant (it's a Barbie toy) with 4 minutes to go. We headed to the checkout where she handed over her two nuks (in a plastic bag) for her toy. I had to do a little explaining to the lady, but she thought it was a good idea. Maddie handed her nuks over pretty easily and walked out with her toy.

After the nuk store we headed over to ITZ (just like Stone Fire Pizza- if you don't know what that is- it is like an upscale Chuck E Cheese with better food). Maddie had fun playing the games and riding the rides. Of course Emma was also in on the action. We headed home in time for our naps. Maddie did ask for her nuk, but after just a few minutes she was sleeping.

After dinner the Wilke's came over for cupcakes and to open a few presents. We had gotten a few cards and a present in the mail, we had also gotten her a couple of things and so she enjoyed opening those. Last weekend we also put together the new swing set in the backyard for the girls to share. Okay, I didn't put it together, but the Wilke boys, Chad and Karner did. It took them about 6 hours to put it together and the girls were more than happy to break it in that evening.

Maddie also decided to give herself a birthday haircut. Well she decided her bangs needed to be cut. She did a number on them this time. I figured at least she didn't cut one of her pigtails or her sister's hair. I'm just waiting for that day.

The night concluded with a little crying because she wanted her nuk, but she did fall asleep and didn't wake up during the night looking for it.

New Orleans


Sunday morning after church and lunch we headed on I-10 to New Orleans. We would have made great time, but had about an hour delay in Lake Charles because of construction. We rolled in about 8pm. The girls did great in the car- they napped, watched movies, and stared out the window.

They were excited to see grandma and grandpa and thought that jumping on the bed was lots of fun. We had talked about going to the beach on Monday, but decided against it since that would be more time in the car. So instead we headed out and just did some walking. We hit the Riverwalk, the girls got to ride on the ferry over to Algiers and back, we went down to the French Market where they both got some beads, took the trolley back to the Riverwalk for lunch, back to the hotel to swim, and then we took a little ride out to Camp Restore. We took the round about way and got to see some of the city and the damage that is still there from Katrina. That evening Chad and I went out for dinner and some beignets.

Tuesday morning we got packed up and headed out to the Zoo.


They had a very nice zoo and the girls were loving it. We headed toward to airport to get some lunch and then to drop grandpa off at the airport. Then the rest of us headed back to Houston.