Monday, February 25, 2008

Where did February go??



I feel like this month just started and here we are at the last week. Even though it is a short month, it still has flown by. I'm thinking that has to do with it being baseball season and having such nice weather that most of our days are spent outside.

We have three weeks from Friday before our first round of visitors. We are looking forward to spending Easter with some of the Janetzke's. Before they come we do get to enjoy a week of Spring Break. Chad has baseball the first couple of days, but then after that we are hoping to get enjoy the time off. We are thinking about going down to the livestock show, catching the new Dr. Suess movie, and just playing outside. If the weather keeps up, it will be 80's while everyone is here. The Janetzke's will be heading up to Dallas on Wednesday the 26th and that same afternoon, my parents, and the Chapman's will be joining us. They will be with us until the 31st. We are hoping to catch the Astros/Tigers game, going to the beach, the zoo and I'm sure other things too. I will have two days to get the house in order before the girls and I leave to come up to Milwaukee. We are leaving the morning of the 3rd and will be getting back to Houston on the 14th. I am hoping that the snow will be gone when we get there.

The girls are doing great. Emma is starting to be able to hold her own with Maddie. Emma is still a little bit more dramatic, but we are working on it. We have decided that March 1st is potty training camp. We are hoping that by the time we are ready for our summer trip she will be potty trained. We hear that we are going to be sharing our wedding anniversary with Chad's cousin and so it looks as if that will be taking us to Michigan during the summer.

Maddie is entertaining dad and Emma in her room right now, I'm pretty sure they are having a karoke contest in there.

The pics are from the last few weeks. As you can see we have been having lots of fun inside and outside.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Here he is...

Benjamin Lee, don't quote me, but he was somewhere around 8lbs 6oz and was born this morning around 3am.

Maddie is already very confused about cousin Ben. I was telling her about him and all she kept asking was about Sammy. Since she knows that Ben and Sam go together. I have a feeling that until she can grasp the concept it is going to be confusing for her.

Hope that all is well with all the Husters.

It's all about the Benjamins, Baby.

Let's see, we have: Ben Ben the Heiden boy, Ben Walther, Uncle Ben, cousin Ben, and now cousin Ben #2. That's right the newest Huster has arrived. We got a call at 3am this morning that Benjamin Lee was born. Chad answered the phone, so I don't know any of the stats. No pictures have been sent, but when I get any and all the info, I will post it.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Ra-Ra's Visit

Well Grandma Heff got to escaped the snow and cold and visit us for a few days. She got in Thursday afternoon. She was greeted with 70 degree weather and two grand daughters who were very happy to see her. We met up with Chad, Wilkes, Karner, and Kim at Mel's for dinner. Friday we headed to the Zoo. We ate lunch, saw all the animals and then headed home. Both girls were sleeping before we hit the exit. We took the long way home and stopped for an ice cream treat and a quick trip into Target. Chad had practice and so we went to school and helped him clean up. Then we all played some baseball on the field. Emma likes to run the bases. Maddie likes to ride the 4 wheeler with Uncle Phill.
SIDENOTE:
This picture is from a couple of weeks ago. It was at Christian's last basketball. Her and Faith were just having a great time dancing to all the music.
Saturday morning Chad had an optional workout. He had a pretty good number of guys showed up. The girls, grandma, and I ran some errands and even did a little shopping. We came home for a nap and I got ready to go out. Chad and I went to see 27 dresses, it was very funny. We then met up with Kim and Karner for dinner. We moved out party to a bar and met up with Andrew and Karner's roommate. Grandma thought she was going to have to call the police because we didn't get home until almost 3am.
Sunday brought church, Sunday school, and lunch with the Wilkes. We came home to do some yard work. Chad even cleaned out the gutters.Grandma and I went to a couple of stores around by us and then we watched a movie to round out the evening.

I still had grocery shopping to do, so there was no better than at about 6:30 this morning. I took Chad to school at 6 and then it was off to Wal-mart for groceries. There weren't too many people in the store with me and that was just fine. I probably got my grocery shopping done in 3/4 of the time I usually do. We went to the Conroe Outlets, but I don't think we will be going any more because there aren't too many stores left.

Grandma has to go home tomorrow, but we sure have had lots of fun while she was here. She will be back in 6 weeks. But in 5 weeks, Chad's parents and some siblings will be here for Easter. I'm sure in those 5 weeks we will be keeping busy with baseball.

We are still waiting for the arrival of our newest niece or nephew. Hopefully there aren't any snow storms that will keep Kathy and Scott away from the hospital. We will share news when we get it.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

I have no words for a title.....

Yesterday my "grandmother" passed away. Now some of you may be wondering why grandmother is in quotations. This grandma was my dad's stepmom. My grandfather and her got married after my dad's mom passed away. My parents were already married and had two kids. This is the grandma that I always knew as grandma, but knew that my dad's mom had died a while ago. With Grandma Heffelfinger passing I have no grandparents left. I know that isn't that uncommon, but I sometimes wonder what I have missed not knowing them or them knowing about me. There is the obvious of me wanting them to know my girls and knowing what my parents were like when they were kids.

Over the summer my dad said that I would have liked his mom, Grandma Marcille. I don't know why that got me thinking, but I realized that I know little about her. I know that she loved photography and pictures. I sometimes wonder if that is where I got that from. I don't know how her and grandpa met. I don't know when her birthday is, I don't know when she died.

My mom's mom died when I was little, but I do have some memories of her. I remember going over to her house after 4 year old kindergarten and playing go fish with her. I remember listening to 8-tracks with her. (Yes I even remember 8-tracks) I remember having snacks with her, graham crackers and Tang. I don't know her birthday and I don't know the day she died, but I do remember her.

My mom's dad died when I was a sophomore in high school. Grandpa Waga was a quiet guy, but I think that if he was still alive, Chad could get him to talk, just like my dad could. I remember his brown el camino sitting in the garage with the back down and him drinking his Pabst. I remember his candy up in the cupboard and you always got a piece when you left. I remember the music box that hung on the wall above the sink and still wish I would have salvaged after the fire. I remember damn cat and having to tell him that he ran away after the fire, because we didn't want to have to tell him that the cat died. I remember his basement with his tools down there. I remember 3 bananas, sardines in tomato sauce, and low sodium V8. I remember the day he died and having to tell people who called that he died. I remember his funeral, it was my birthday. I remember him in his flannel shirt, because why should he be buried in a suit when he never wore one. I remember the pig he made at the Lutheran home that won a prize at the State Fair after he had died. I don't know his birthday either, but I don't think that is important because of all the things I can remember.

My dad's dad died December of my senior year of high school. I do remember the day he died, I was in Green Bay for a basketball tournament. I remember going to see him in the hospice once, but then not again. My dad said that he didn't want us to remember him that way, but how he was. What do I remember, well I remember shorties and bags of chips opened at the seam. I remember always wanting to go to the store with my dad on a Saturday at the small chance that Grandpa was at the Four Walls and we would stop to see him. That meant nothing better than a Kit Kat and a Mountain Dew and a dollar in your pocket when you left. I still find myself checking the parking lot when we drive by. I remember staying over at his house on 60th and Beloit and playing games with him. I remember his car that he painted that hideous blue, you all know what I am talking about. I remember the Lakeside Country Club jacket that my dad still has and had put on during Christmas. I remember his cardigan sweaters that he had on no matter what the temperature was outside. I remember everyone telling me stories about him the summer I worked at Interstate. I know that he was in the Navy, but never got to hear any stories.

I don't remember that much about "grandma" Heffelfinger. After grandpa died, she wasn't around as much. I know that she probably felt a little out of place being with her husband's family. The one thing I remember and always will was a few Christmases ago. It was either the one before Chad and I got married or our first one. We were at Susie and Kip's and we were sitting around the table. We were just chit chatting and she brought up Grandpa Heff. She was telling me how he used to carry a picture of me from tennis in high school and show it to all his friends. I don't know why she was telling me at that point, but it really meant a lot to me.

After my mom told me about her on Sunday and telling me she wouldn't make it through the week I just got to thinking about all of this. My girls are pretty lucky to have their grandparents and be able to see them and play with them and get to grow up with them. We may be thousands of miles away, but already they are forming their memories that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. I hope that they have memories that will make them smile their whole life. As ra-ra Heff is getting ready to come down here, I see Maddie getting excited and telling me how she wants ra-ra to go to the playground with her. She wants ra-ra to sleep in her bed with her. She know that we have to go to the airport and pick her up. Those are the things I want her to remember and I think that she will, just like I remember those small things that mean a lot to me.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

2 1/2 going on 13

Four months before Maddie's 3rd birthday and I know what I am getting her. An MP3 player. She is always asking to listen to mine and so I think I might have to look into getting her her own. She also likes to listen to the cd player while we go for walks. I have gotten some weird looks, but it keeps her happy.


Here are a couple of Valentine pictures. Ra-ra Rita (school secretary) bought them matching pj's and so we took a few pictures for her.
This hasn't happened in a long time. Thursday we went for a walk and both of them fell asleep. We didn't even make it to the playground because they fell asleep before we got there. I guess they were tired, I think it has to do with the cold the both of them have.
This picture is for Great Grandpa Bickel. They are watching Michigan State basketball and enjoying a little snack. The funny thing is that Maddie is already in bed and Emma was still up.


There was the last week in pictures. We have enjoyed the weather, sunny and warm. Baseball is in full swing and we have two weeks until the first game. Christian had his last basketball game last night and so we were up at school for that. The girls just like going because there are always kids to play with, especially Maddie knows that Isaac will be there.

Maddie is getting ready for ra-ra to come on Thursday. Every time she sees an airplane she tells me that ra-ra comes on an airplane and we will need to go to the airport and pick her up. Emma is talking more and more and just likes to be Maddie's shadow. Her new favorite word is help. No matter what the situation she uses it like she is going die if someone doesn't come right away. She was yelling help from the kitchen in her dire way, I went in there to see what she needed help with, none other than she couldn't get her sock off.

Maddie is still working on potty training. We haven't gotten down to too hard core of business, but we will be soon. She is going to be the kid who thinks she is going to miss something important if she has to stop to use the potty.

We are going to go enjoy our Saturday, since it is beautiful outside. Tonight Chad and I are heading out to a house warming party and the Wilke boys are coming over to watch the girls. Michael even changes diapers now, so that makes life a whole lot easier. Considering the party starts at 7:30 and the girls are both in bed by 8:30 I'm thinking the boys shouldn't have any problems.

I would say go Pats or Giants, but I could care less who wins the Superbowl!! So Happy Groundhog's Day!