Wisconsin Part 2

Thursday is grandma's day off and so we headed to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. The girls loved all the Curious George things and also all the other things to play with. We were there for a good part of the morning and into the afternoon. Friday was a pretty slow day, the girls and I just hung out and played at home. In the evening I went to dinner with Josh, Ben, and Christina. We went to Front Row Friday's. It was packed, there was a game on. It was nice to see people actually cheering for the Brewers. I think I might have even seen more Brewers clothes than Packers while in Wisconsin. After dinner we met up with Eric and stayed out for a little while. Saturday the 5 of us plus the Chapman's went to Stone Fire Pizza. The kids had fun playing games, painting their faces, playing in the water table, and on the playground. The Chapman's came back to grandma and grandpa's house. They kids played and played until their energy ran out. The Chapman's went home and it was off the bed for everyone else. Sunday was church, we headed out to breakfast, then grandpa, the girls, and I got some gym time in up at M.O. Maddie was having a blast playing hockey. We watched a movie and ate ice cream in the evening (movie and ice cream per Maddie's request). Monday morning I got us packed and ready to go. Grandma went into work for a couple of hours. When she got home it was sunny, 40 and so we finally got the chance to go to the zoo. Our zoo pass works in Milwaukee, so we didn't have to pay. There was no one there and so Maddie and Emma had a great time. We got to see all the animals that we don't have: polar bears, penquins, kangaroos, and the like. We left with enough time to go back home get our bags and then headed to the airport. Our flight was uneventful, the girls did great and were happy to be home. We have been settling back in. Chad had a game on Tuesday and we have been just getting back into a routine.

Wisconsin Part 1

Well we made it to Wisconsin in one piece and it was only a little chilly when we arrived. We managed to survive the plane ride without the DVD player and I was pretty impressed at that. Grandma met us at the airport, we had to make a stop at grandma's office and then we went on got some lunch. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and unpacking. Friday was Opening Day, I didn't get to go, but still enjoyed watching it on TV and even watching some of the people in the parking lot as we drove by. Friday night Mike and Jana got there and we sat and talked for awhile, but then it is early to bed for most of us. Saturday Jana and I were getting ready to take the girls to the Zoo, we got there and saw how long the line was to just get into the parking lot (it was family free day), so we opted to go to the mall do a little shopping and then head home. We did make it to the playground in the evening for a little while. Sunday was church and baby Pownell's baby shower. The guys went to the baseball game, the kids all stayed home and played fairly well together (as well as 6 kids 4 and under can play). The first couple of days of the week were just waiting for grandma and grandpa to get home so they could play with the girls. We would run some errands in the mornings and then come home to wait for them. Tuesday evening grandpa and I went to the Brewers game. They played the Reds, won and it was a really good game. Wednesday morning uncle Josh met us and we all drove down to the Huster's house in Matteson. The girls and I got to meet baby Ben and the girls loved playing with cousin Luke. We hung out for most of the day. We went up to Scott's school to say hi and bye in the same sentence (it was dress rehersal for their dinner theater). Then we started the trek home. We ended up taking Harlem most of the way, made our way past CURF, stopped at Gene and Jude's for a hot dog and then it was home. Josh stayed for a little while so he could watch Criminal Minds. Then it was off to bed for the rest of us.

Happy Birthday Uncle Phill

So Wednesday the 2nd, we celebrated Phill's birthday a day late. We had the usual people over for dinner and some cake. Maddie insisted on getting Phill a birthday crown, but we couldn't find any so she settled on Spongebob party hats.

Going Home

We are getting ready to go home. Our bags are packed and we are waiting for grandma to get home from work so we can play for a few more hours before we head back home. We have had lots of fun the last 11 days, but I think we are all ready to be back home in our own beds and back into our "normal" routine. After we are settled back in I will make sure to post our doings and some pictures from our trip.

Spring Break- Part 3

So our two hours between visitors went quickly and the girls and I got in the car and headed to the airport. Neither of them made it there without falling asleep. We met grandma and aunt Amy at the baggage claim to pick them and the bags up. Then we went over and met grandpa, uncle Joel, Ben and Sam at the car rental place. We headed toward the house and grabbed some lunch. After we got home and semi-settled, we went up to school to get Chad and to play on the big baseball field. Sam was in seventh heaven having "that guy" (Phill) pitch him the ball and him run around the bases. Ben and Maddie just had fun playing in the dirt. We headed home and had a quiet evening. Thursday we all went down to the Zoo. It seemed as if everyone had a good time and by the lack of sound in the cars on the way home it was confirmed. That evening Joel, Amy and I went to Chad's game while grandma and grandpa stayed home and watched a movie with the kiddos. Friday the three older girls headed out for a little shopping while the boys headed to the playground to play, eat lunch and then put them down for naps. After naps we headed down to Lutheran South for yet another baseball game (do you see why our life is all baseball). The Saders pulled out a victory and once again Sam got to play a little on the big field. We got home in time for the massacre of Michigan State, I don't think Chad would have taken it so easy if they would have lost their baseball game. Saturday grandma, grandpa, Emma, Ben, and Maddie headed to the German Heritage Festival in Tomball(really to just ride the rides) while the rest of us headed to the Tigers/Astros game. It was not a good weekend for Michigan sports team in Houston. Sunday we went to church, then of course to Aviator's for lunch, the boys had their fantasy baseball draft and then we went to Harris County for dinner. Shelly and Phill met up with us also. Amy, Shelly, and I took a quick trip to Target across the street and then it was home. This morning dad and Joel took Chad to school and then to Harris County for breakfast (Joel's 3rd breakfast there this trip) and then they will be heading to the airport later this morning. We have a couple of days to get the house in order, to pack, and to just get ready to go to Wisconsin on Thursday.

Some of these pictures of from Spring Break- Part 2. (All our pictures started blending together)

Spring Break- Part 2

Well we got the house all cleaned and ready for the first set of visitors. Chad's parents, Ben, Lydia, and Kurt all arrived on Friday evening just in time for pizza and a movie. I think all of them were just thankful to be out of the car. Saturday morning came the Easter Egg Hunt at church. Maddie was ready to go, but it took Emma a little coaxing to have her start the egg hunt. That evening we relaxed by watching NCAA basketball, playing some games, egg dying and visiting. Sunday we did not go to sunrise service, but we were all ready for the 8am in plenty of time. We had some breakfast at church and then we headed home so I could start cooking. The girls had fun looking for their Easter Baskets(they weren't too hard to find). Then they all went to the playground so I could get our meal ready. We didn't have ham, even though I wanted it, but it seems that my husband despises it, so I thought it would be better not to have it. That evening I did get my ham, since Phill and Shelly brought me some leftover from grandma and grandpa Wilke's house. The Wilke boys decided to come over and play some video games with Ben and Kurt, Chad and Mike played too, but didn't do to well. Monday the boys all went golfing while the girls just stayed home and got some laundry done and relaxed. Tuesday Chad had to go back to school, so the rest of us headed to Old McDonald's Farm. We spent the morning petting animals, feeding the animals, taking pony rides, riding the train, and playing on the jungle gyms. I think I even saw Ben, Lydia, and Kurt having a good time. I'm pretty sure I saw some smiles out of them. Tuesday evening we went to Chad's game. It was a long one so grandma, grandpa and aunt Lydia took the girls home, while the boys and I waited for Chad. Wednesday morning I got Ben to the airport by 6:20am, then did some grocery shopping, then Lydia, Kurt and I went up to school for Chapel, which Grandpa J was doing. The Janetzke's left around 11am and the girls and I had a couple of hours before the next round of visitors came.

Some of the pictures are from Spring Break- Part 1.

Spring Break Thus Far (I guess it is almost over)

Spring Break might be ending for Chad, but it seems like it is just beginning since all our visitors start coming today, but here is what we have been up to this week:

*baseball practice
*got in one baseball game of a doubleheader before the rain came
*celebrated Christian's birthday with pizza, cake, the play in game, filling out NCAA brackets, and the Rockets
*cleaning the house
*going to the drive-in to see Horton Hears a Who, with the Keipers
*Chad and I even got the girls to fall asleep at the drive-in and we got to stay for the second show
*Church
*Eating our normal Sunday lunch at Aviator's on Thursday
*getting yard work done
*potty training (I should probably put this one on about 10 times)
*fighting with Verizon Wireless
*fighting off Emma's cold on top of allergies
*HAVING FUN

Looking back at the week we didn't go do anything exciting, but I know that the girls have really enjoyed having Chad home this week. I know I have because I have been able to get a lot done without them at my feet.

What have we been up to??

One word: Baseball. That's right baseball season is in full swing. District started this week and the girls and I even managed to go to both games. There should have been three, but Tuesday's had gotten canceled because of all the rain we had on Monday. If you would have looked outside on Tuesday you would have never thought that the game would be canceled, but there was standing water everywhere on the field. Thursday we headed down to Lutheran North. The Crusaders lost 2-1. There was one very bogus call at the plate. Tyler slid into home, hit is with his hand, the catcher lost the ball, Tyler stood up and touched it with his foot, the catcher got the ball back, tagged him and the ump called him out. I thought Chad was going to get thrown out, but he had every right to be upset. Friday came and this time they played Northland at home, I'm pretty sure that most of the boys were already thinking about Spring Break, they lost 6-1, it also didn't help that they had 6 errors.

So yes baseball is upon us and this week there is practice today, suppose to play two games tomorrow (there is an 80% chance of rain), a workout on Wednesday and then 4 days of no baseball.

So what else keeps us busy this time of year, well all the playing we have to do outside, potty training, yard work, getting ready for visitors, and just the normal everyday life here in our house.

We usually get outside everyday for a walk and to play at the playground. On Saturday we got out to the Zoo. It was a beautiful 85 degrees out. It was a little crowded, but I think more of the crowd was just at the park, since there is a new train that can take you through the park that the Zoo is in. Maddie told me that she wants to take Ben and Sam to the Zoo while they are here, I'm pretty sure that if I let her, she would go to the Zoo everyday.

Potty training has begun for real and Maddie is doing well. We have one week under our belt and so for so good. She is just wearing pull-ups right now, but she doesn't usually put up too much of a fit when she has to sit on the potty. She loves to put her sticker on her chart after she has gone and every couple of times she gets a couple of pennies, she loves coins right now. We will keep working at it. She actually used the bathroom at North the other night, so that was pretty impressive.

Yard work- we are almost done with what I want to be done with for now. We have cleared out all the bushes and extra stuff and now we are just putting in what we want. Our yard is easy to take care of which I think for now is what suits us.

This week our to-do list is about three pages long since it is spring break, but we also have house guests starting on Friday and until the 31st. Chad's parents, Lydia, and Kurt will be making the drive on Thursday and Friday. They will be here for Easter and then be heading up to Dallas next Wednesday. My parents, Amy, Joel, and the boys will be flying in that same day and be here until the 31st. We are looking forward to having everyone here and I'm thinking that they are looking forward to some warmer weather.

Both the girls are growing and talking more. Emma is just trying to keep up with Maddie. I'm pretty sure she is ganging on her. She tries to say and do everything that we are all doing. She is a pretty typical little sister. She still has some dramaness, but it is getting better. We don't have as many screams of death in the day. She is starting to just fight back when Maddie is annoying her.

Maddie is starting to use her imagination more and starting to take things more literal. She also loves to tell you everything. Like the other day she informed me that Target is red and Wal-Mart is blue. Yesterday we were leaving Sunday School and I told her we were going to cut through the pavilion and she asked me if she could use the blue scissors. She loves to play dress-up and rock her baby dolls, but she still can leave a ring of dirt in the bathtub.



Emma actually going down the slide the right way


Maddie just hanging out at the playground


Our little Texan cowgirls


Maddie decided that the floor was more comfortable than her bed


Maddie is ready to go shopping, don't worry I don't let her out of the house like that


Cool Emma in cool shades

Rodeo Houston

Monday morning I got a call at about 8:30am from Rita asking me if I wanted to go to the Rodeo and Tim McGraw concert. She was given tickets and couldn't use them, so she offered them to Chad and he said yes. I was on a mission to find a babysitter and see if anyone else wanted to go. So I called Shelly left a message and then realized that they had the winter sports banquet, so that meant a lot of people were going to be out.

We were up at school showing Greg, Jamie and Naomi the school. They were in town for a baptism. So I started working on the babysitting part. We knew that Michael could stay over, but he had to work and so he couldn't get here until 8:30ish. We needed to find someone from about 6:30-8:30. We asked a couple people and everyone had something. I was starting to think that I wasn't going to get to go, but finally we found a senior girl who offered to babysit. At that point it was just Chad and I going. We headed home for naps and to get ready. We went back to school to pick up Chad at about 5:15 and he said that Kim and Andrew were going to join us and so the four of us went and had a great time.

We got there about 7:45, saw barrel races, bull riding, chuck wagon races, calf scramble, and of course Tim McGraw. The concert only lasted about an hour, but it was a good one. There were some older gentlemen sitting next to us and it was cute to see them dancing along to Tim McGraw. Then it was on to the adventure of getting home. We had taken a shuttle down and now had to wait in line to get back. It was like waiting in line at Great America, weaving and always seeing the same people. It was a long line, but it went pretty quick. We were almost to the end and over in a different shuttle line there was this girl who was so drunk she was making the biggest fool of herself. The four of us just stood there watching and laughing. I even had to take a picture of her. So we finally got home about 12:30, the girls sleeping in their beds, Michael sleeping on the couch and us just ready to crash.

Chad got Michael out the door and to school in time for him to get to their choir contest and the girls and I have just been hanging out today. I figured today is a good day to get laundry and other stuff done around the house.

This weekend is another baseball tournament. Thursday's game is at 1:45, Friday will all depend on if they win or lose. They could play twice on Friday, so we will have to play it all by ear.

The girls are waiting for their company to come. Everyday Maddie asks me when people are coming. She knows that she has both Janetzke's and Heffelfinger's coming, so she usually asks about someone from either family. Maddie is always coming up with some crazy ideas and there is Emma just following behind.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Last Week

Last week Chad was gone for a few days at the Baseball coaches conference in Waco. The girls and I decided to have some fun while he was gone. The previous post shows you our good deals from Target. We also headed to the playground on Thursday and Emma was just having a great time "talking" to anyone who would listen.

Friday was a beautiful day and so we decided to head to the Zoo. Maddie knew exactly what she wanted to see and when. We of course headed to the elephants first. Maddie did a great job and walked the whole time. We ate lunch at the zoo and then headed home in the early afternoon. The Merry Go Round is under construction, but hopefully next time we go it will be fixed. Friday night we watched a movie and had pizza.

Saturday was another trip to the playground and then over to Diane's to watch the Packers game. Chad just met us there since that was about the time they got back from Waco. He said the conference was pretty good. The speaker on Saturday was Roger Clemens. He stayed clear of any steroid talk.

Sunday we had a pretty normal day. Church, lunch with Wilkes and then home. The girls took long naps and while they were napping, Michael and Christian came over and Chad and I just went bumming. We were going to go see a movie, but there aren't too many good ones out there.
This week has been uneventful. Emma had a doctor's appointment today. She is 33 and half inches and 29lbs. She has some more teeth coming, so can be pretty cranky. We then went to Trinity to sign Maddie up for preschool. So that means that potty training is beginning. She needs to be potty trained to go to school. She wants to go, so hopefully that will help with the process.

It is suppose to be on the cool side here, but hopefully it warms up and dries out for the start of baseball on Monday. That's right baseball starts. There is no school, but Chad has his first day of practice.

Hope everyone stays warm up north. You know that you are always welcome down here.

What a Deal

It was like Christmas again in our house today. I told Maddie that we could go to Target and let her pick out some toys with the gift cards we got for Christmas. We had taken a couple of things back and so we had a total of $38 to spend in gift cards. Well to my surprise we got to Target and they had three aisles of toys all 75% off. She was in heaven. She picked each toy out herself and even had enough left over for a treat. I was so amazed at all the stuff they had. They have been playing with all the toys since we have gotten home. I put a few of them in the closet for later. Emma loves the baby stroller best, she keeps pushing the baby in circles around the house. I would have to say that Maddie likes the princess register the best. I think that was the best deal, it is originally $39.99 and I got it for $9.47. That was the most expensive toy of the day. I just had to share my awesome deals of the day. If you have time go check out your local Target and the clearance aisles.

Good to Be Home

Well we have made it full circle and are back in Texas. We had quite the relaxing break with lots of hanging out with family, playing Wii (Nintendo Wisconsin), playing Phase 10, and just enjoying our time up there.

We left Wisconsin on Thursday morning and got back to Texas on Friday early evening. We stopped off at school to watch Christian's basketball game and then got home to meet bumpa J who was down here for a conference. He spent the weekend with us and headed for the airport after church this morning. We have unpacked all our stuff and toys are being played with constantly. We even kept some toys in the closet to bring out later after the newness wears off a little bit.

The girls are enjoying being back in their own beds and also being able to play outside without having to put on all their gear. We were out riding bikes today. Chad put together the Diego bike so now we have two identical bikes for them to ride.

Chad doesn't actually have school until Tuesday. Tomorrow they have a meeting and then he will get some work done in the office. He is also heading to Waco on Thursday with Phill and Steve for a baseball coach's clinic. So he has an easy week to ease back into school.

Baseball starts on the 21st and so then the madness will begin. We are also going to be starting potty training, so just more to add to the madness.

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas

Well we made it to Wisconsin in 21 and a half hours. We ended up driving straight through. That wasn't our original plan, but the way things fell and happened, it ended up being the right thing to do. We left Tomball at 1:30pm on Friday and arrived in ra-ra and bumpa J's driveway at 11am. The girls did great. They slept most of the way. They would wake up when Chad and I would stop for a bathroom break or just to get out and stretch, they would see we weren't there yet and usually just fall back asleep. Saturday was spent doing a lot of nothing. We watched some movies, played with the cat and were asleep by 8pm.

After a full night's sleep and then some we headed to church in the morning and back home for the rest of the day. Maddie and Emma have been enjoying going up and down the steps and playing with the cat. Yesterday I did get out to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Chad has been enjoying playing some video games with his brothers and dad. We have been keeping ourselves busy and warm.

Christmas Eve is here and I finally feel like it is Christmas. Maybe it is the cold and snow or maybe it is being home and with family. Maddie got a shot at sledding this morning and thought it was the best thing ever. We got some pics and I will make sure to put them up soon. She didn't even complain about the cold.

I pray that all of you wherever you may be, some here with us, some back in Texas, some other parts of the country; have a very Merry Christmas. I will make sure to post some pics after the next few days of celebrating.

Wisconsin Here We Come

Emma likes to chew on Maddie's nuk.


Are we packed? NO

Have we cleaned up the house? NO
Are we finished with laundry? NO
Are we excited to go? YES

As you can see we are not ready to go physically, but I'm pretty sure we are all ready to get going and be with our families up north. Today is the first day of finals, so Chad was in quite the giddy mood when he got home from school yesterday. I have slowly been putting clothes out to be packed, but there is still laundry to do. I can be confident to know that we will be packed and ready to go by 11am on Friday.

This past weekend we had our Texas Christmas. Chad reffed a basketball game in the morning and I was able to get some cleaning done. I decided to go the lazy/easy route and we just had lasagne from Stouffer's. Everyone had a good time and the girls loved opening up their presents.
Side note: (Maddie story)
I had taken the presents out of the closet and they were sitting in the corner of our room behind a chair. I was getting ready in the morning and the girls were in our room. Maddie saw the presents and got all excited. So I had to explain to her that we weren't going to open them until after Uncle Phill came over and that wasn't until after her nap. This was about 10am. So we were playing and doing stuff around the house and about 15 minutes later she came up to me and said "Mama, I'm tired". She is getting too smart for her own good. She knew that if she went to bed, then she would be able to open presents.

The boys (Michael and Christian) loved their Guitar Hero, but they might have to fight Phill to be able to play it. I'm pretty sure that Phill now has carpal tunnel from Saturday night.

Sunday was the CLHS Christmas concert. We all went and the girls did great. Maddie at one point, while it was quiet, shouted "Mike" since Michael was up on stage singing. Everyone around us had a good laugh.


Maddie ripping into her first present.

Mike helping Maddie or is it Maddie helping Mike?

Emma getting a little help from Christian.

The beginning of Phill's carpal tunnel. Maddie wanting to play guitar hero.

Getting Ready

We seem to be getting ready for lots of things:
*Texas Christmas here at our house: Wilkes, Odingas, Karner, and others that we call our Texas family together to celebrate Christmas.
*Chad is getting ready for finals (I also think he is getting ready to not have class for 2 weeks)
*We are getting ready for our adventure up north
*We of course are getting ready for Christmas
*We are getting ready for baseball to start in 5 weeks

We are anxiously waiting for next week so we can start our Christmas trip. We are hoping that the weather cooperates. We are also hoping that the snow will stick around for Maddie. She so wants to build a snowman, but knows she can't until we get to rah-rah's house because that is where all the snow is. It will be funny to see what she thinks of actual snow, not the plastic snowmen in the yards.

Here are a few pictures to tide you over until we get to Wisconsin. I'm sure that I'll have some more after this weekend and we have Christmas here.


Maddie amazed by the lights on the tree.

She really loves the winnie the pooh ornament, luckily we haven't had any broken ones yet.
Taking pictures at school by the big tree.

Nothing but sister love in this picture.

Just a fun one of the girls the other night.

No Football, What Do We Do?

That's right, this is the first Friday since August 24th that there hasn't been a football game. So what have we done? Well we watched Frosty and Frosty returns. The girls are now in bed and we are watching none other than Friday Night Lights.

It has been beautiful here this week. We have had the windows open all week and have been spending lots of time outside. Tomorrow it is suppose to be in the high 70's again, so I'm sure we will enjoy the weather.

We will be leaving in two weeks and I am looking forward to it. I am hoping that all the snow will still be there when we get there.

Have a great weekend. I know that this isn't a good post according to bumpa Heff because there are no pics of the girls. I will try to put some new pics of them up soon.

Disappointing Loses

The first disappointment was the Sader football team. They played as hard as they could, but couldn't come up with a victory. They also lost one of their top players on the first offensive play of the game. He also played both ways, so it was hard to recover from that. We were bummed that we missed it, but had a great time in Minnesota.

There was the second disappointment, the Lions. It was a hard game to watch for me, so I can only imagine what it was like for Chad. There weren't too many obnoxious people giving him grief. He took it in stride and even told Mike to just let him have it. Mike took the subtle approach at letting Chad have it.

Here is one of those obnoxious guys. He was sitting in front of us a couple of rows and there were more than a few times that all of us wanted to either tell him to shut up or hit him.

After the game we headed back to Mike's brother's house and just hung out some more. It was a short getaway, but well worth it. Chad had a great time at the game and I'm sure that he blog about it when he gets the chance.The girls did just great with great aunt Kathy (or Kappy as Maddie says). There were a few tears from Maddie when we got back, it was like then she realized that we left her. So a big thank you to Kathy and Dave and the rest of the Wilde's for watching the girls. We got home last night around 5. The girls liked being back at their own house.

Besides the game it was fun to just hang out with Jana and Mike. We got to see Jill and Jay while we were there and even managed a couple of hands of cards. We got in Saturday without any problems. It was snowing when we got there and only one runway was open, but it we made it safely. We stayed in for Saturday. Sunday we headed to the game, it was a little chilly walking from the car to the stadium, I realized that I need to make sure I have a scarf for Christmas.

Chad is doing a baseball clinic this weekend. I am thinking that maybe the girls and I will head to the zoo since it is suppose to be in the high 70's. We have a little over two weeks until we head home. We are getting ready for that. I am done with Christmas shopping and wrapping. We will be having Texas Christmas on the 15th, so that will be the beginning of all the celebrations for us.

Now that football is over, we will be moving onto basketball for just over a month before baseball starts. Christian is playing basketball this winter, so I'm sure we will be at some of his games.