Who do you root for now?

I have been trying to figure out who to root for in the playoffs and I think that I have made my decision. I am going to root for the Diamondbacks. I figure they are the only club that I don't have any reasons not to root against. It was either them or the Angels, but I figured I stick with the NL.

This past weekend we have been clearing out our backyard and finally today I am done. Chad has some work to do, but otherwise we are almost done. I was telling someone yesterday that I now finally feel like we can get stuff done around the house. Last year at this time Emma was only 3 months old, so it was hard to get outside and do anything. Now they play outside while I get work done. It is a nice deal. It still has been hot out, but not unbearable. It has been hovering in the 90's, but on Sunday it is suppose to be 78 degrees. That will be so nice.

This week is homecoming, so that means a big football game on Friday and even bigger mums that night. I don't think I have posted any pictures of mums the last couple of years, so maybe I'll try to get some this year. Chad has to be at the dance on Saturday night. Then on Sunday is Faith Keiper's first birthday party, Monday is the athletic golf outing, so this weekend is pretty packed.

This past weekend we headed up to the Woodlands for a MOPS outing. The girls had fun playing with the other kids in the fountain in the park. Then we headed for something to eat and then it was home.
Ra-ra is coming to visit in about 2 weeks, so I'm thinking we will be heading to the pumpkin farm. I know that she can't wait and I think Maddie can't either. She loves to talk to her on the phone, but also on the computer. On Sunday she even got to see Ben on the computer. Emma is always walking around with her phone and when you ask her who she is talking to, she says wa-wa.

Thank You....

...to the Brewers for:

1. a season to remember

2. making the city of Milwaukee realize that there is more to life than the Packers (even if only for a short time)

3. making the race for the pennant interesting down to the last weekend

4. always being my team

I do have to say that I am still angry about all of this. It made me more mad when last night after the game I was watching Scrubs on WGN and they cut in and went live in the streets of Chicago. That must be my competitiveness coming out. It sure was a fun season though. Everyone just thinking that we took an early lead and by June were going to be out of it. Even last night announcers were not giving the Brewers enough credit. I guess I just have to get used to that.

I guess I should also thank mom and dad, for making me into the crazed Brewers fan I am.

Can They Pull It Off?

That seems to be the question of the hour, of the week, of the next 6 days. Can the Brewers pull it off? If they keep playing like the last two nights then I have no doubt. It was disappointing last week being at the game, coming back in the top of the ninth, to then lose it in the bottom of the tenth. We had a great time. We got to the stadium early and watched the end of batting practice from a few rows back. Then we headed up to our seats, got our dinner and just enjoyed the game. Sarah and Josh met us there and it was fun to just hang out. Sarah is originally from Park Falls Wisconsin, but she knows nothing about baseball. It was like watching a game with Katherine. We had some really good laughs. We watched them the rest of the weekend while playing the Braves. I have come to the conclusion that I can't watch them. Chad usually has it on, but I can't watch. It is too nerve-racking and it will be for the next week.
The rest of the week was taken up by volleyball on Thursday, football on Friday, and watching football and baseball the rest of the weekend. Friday we also went to Pump It Up with some friends. Pump It Up is an inflatable place. It was fun, (on the picture below- Maddie is up on the top left. Gabe on the right is Sarah's son)
Maddie loved the slides and so did Emma. I had to carry Emma up them, but she loved it anyways. Chad was a loner at football on Friday. I decided to stay home and just hang out with the girls. Saturday came good ol' grocery shopping and then a trip to IKEA with Sarah. We had a good time. I got a shelf for the kitchen and a desk for our room for all my scrapbooking/stamping stuff. Saturday night Steve came over for dinner and baseball.

Sunday I was taken back to the days of high school physics. Wilkes came over for the Texans game. Michael needed some help in Physics and so I was the one who helped him. It took me awhile to remember some of it, but once I read a little it all came back to me.

This week we have been "watching" the Brewers and keeping an eye on the Cubs. Last night Maddie and Chad set up a fort. Maddie was having a great time. If you want the in depth story you can go to Chad's blog. (link at right)



It may be nerve-racking, but I sure hope the Brewers pull this off. GO BREWERS!!!

Pictures From Last Week

Emma having a pre-dinner snack (sand)


Maddie catching butterflies


Maddie actually looking and smiling


Emma hasn't quite figured out the trampoline


Emma and her goofy grin


You can really see Maddie's scar on this one


This is probably my favorite picture of Maddie since she has been born. She was just sitting by the football field and contemplating something really hard. It reminds me of how my mom's favorite one of Jana is her without a smile.

A Relaxing Weekend

That's right, there were no football games, no retreats, no birthday parties or any of the like, so we took advantage and got out of town. We only went as far as Carrollton (Dallas), but it was worth it. We left Friday by 3:45 and were up there by 8:45. We hit some construction along with a longer dinner stop than expected. We had no plans and no agenda, so it was a great time. The girls got to play outside in the sandbox, Maddie was trying to catch a few butterflies, the boys watched football, we all played cards, got to see Adam, and Kathy and I even snuck in a trip to Hobby Lobby. We had a nice relaxing weekend. We didn't even head home until about 6 on Sunday. It was later than usual, but I think Chad wanted to get the most out of the weekend.

Other than our short trip, we haven't been up to much. We continue to keep up with the Brewers even 1200 miles away. We are heading to the game tomorrow and hope that they can play like they have been. On that same note, I continue to curse the Cubs every time they win.

The girls are just as wild as ever. Maddie is talking more and more and about 85% of the time I know what she is saying and the other 15% I feel like she is talking Maddiese. Emma tries to keep up with Maddie and is getting better and better. She is developing quite the personality. She is becoming a typical little sister. She will push Maddie and keep pushing her and then when Maddie pushes her back, she starts too cry. She is already learning the art of annoying. Maddie is loving blowing bubbles. It is so nice that we are able to start going outside again because it isn't 150 degrees out. They both love to ride their bikes. Maddie also loves to help with the weeds.

We don't have a visitor until October 19th, so almost a month. I'm sure we will be keeping ourselves busy until then.

Pictures For Bumpa

I was informed that if there are no pictures of the girls on a post then it isn't a good one. It has taken me a few days to get these up here because our picture software was acting up, but here are some pictures of the girls for everyone, but especially bumpa Milwaukee. Yesterday was freshman retreat for Chad, so he was gone yesterday afternoon and we will pick him up later this afternoon. Not too much else going on this week. I am going to go to a MOPS meeting and church tonight. MOPS is Mothers of Preschoolers, but it is geared for moms who have kids from 0-5. There is a daytime one, but they are a little more intense and so my friend Sarah goes to the evening ones and invited me to go with her. We are heading up to Dallas this weekend to spend some time with Kathy, Dave and the kids. We are hoping to get a chance to see Adam and others who live up there. Next week we have tickets for the Brewers/Astros game on Wednesday. We got them from a parent at school, his business has pretty much the same seats as mom and dad. First row club level on the first base side. I'm excited to go. Ra-ra called this week to let us know that she will be coming for a visit in October and then her and bumpa will be here for Thanksgiving.

Well here are those pictures, hope you enjoy them.

Maddie loves to take pictures, so here is Emma
up close and personal.





Here is Maddie in her big girl bed for the first time
It is actually a bunk bed that can be two twins.








Maddie playing cards with Steve




Maddie's battle wound. It has finally gone completely away
after a week and a half.





Chad thought Maddie needed a toy guitar and so here
she is rocking out to Curious George.

Good Friends, Good Fun

This past weekend we had two of my friends come to visit. Fritz came from Baltimore on Thursday and Anne came from Orlando on Friday. We had lots of fun just talking and hanging out. We did make it to the football game on Friday, but not until the 4th quarter. They lost by 3 points. It was a good fourth quarter and it sounded like it was boring up until then, so it was good we got there late. Wilkes and Steve came over after the game for a couple of beers which I think Phill and Steve needed. (They both coach football)

Saturday was college football, so Anne and I left the boys home with the girls. We ran some errands and did a little shopping. Fritz was quite devastated with Michigan, since that is his team. So of course we gave him a hard time the rest of the evening. We went to Harris County since Fritz has never had real Texas BBQ and we know that Anne loves the place too. Saturday night we played some games, Phill and Shelly stopped by after a wedding they were at, Steve and his roommate Matt came over also.

Sunday we headed to Sunday school, church and then back home to watch the Cubs/Astros. A guy I went to college with that Fritz is good friends with was visiting Houston, so him and his wife came over for dinner and some exciting games of Imagine If and Battle of the Sexes. Again Steve came over; do you see a pattern here?

Both Anne and Fritz left on Monday. Anne was here until the afternoon, so her and I just hung out with the girls and ran some errands. It was a great weekend and I was so glad to have them both here. We did lots of talking and lots of laughing. It had been three years since I last saw Fritz and so we realized how fast time can go and how awesome it is to have friends like we do.

So this post is for Anne and Fritz (even though he hardly reads my blog) thanks for being such great friends. I don't know when the next time I will get to see either of them, but when I do I know that we will just pick up where we left yesterday.

Inmate Number 6052007

Yep, that's right according to a mean old lady in Hobby Lobby, I have a future juvenile delinquent on my hands. Chad was at retreat last night and today, so I took this morning to run some errands and then we went to pick him up at the camp they stay. Maddie also got to take a swim in the pool. So we were at Hobby Lobby before grabbing some lunch. She was strapped in the stroller and was getting antsy. She started to cry and throw a temper tantrum just like any 2 year old might do. Mean Lady Hobby Lobby came into the aisle we were in and informed me that I have a future juvenile delinquent on my hands. She quickly turned and went back to the aisle she came from. From there it went something like this:

Me: "Excuse me, do you have a problem with my child?"
Mean Lady Hobby Lobby: "Yeah, she should be better behaved in public"
Me: "Well she is only two" (thinking that everyone thinks she is four because of what she looks like)
MLHL: "I have two year old grandchildren who are better behaved than her"
Me: "And I'm sure that they are perfect all the time"

At that point I walked back into my aisle. Another mom came into the aisle and told me that I was a whole lot nicer about it than she would have been. We chatted for a few minutes and that made me feel better. I was so boiling mad. We are also trying to get Maddie to stop using her nuk, so I don't give it to her just to make her be quiet. She threw her tantrum for a few minutes and then she was fine. We were in the store probably for another 15 minutes. So all of you mothers and fathers of toddlers you better watch out because tantrums lead to being a juvenile delinquent. As we were going to check out, I was looking for Mean Lady because I wanted to tell her that I hoped she had a good rest of the day. She had already left the store or at least wasn't in any of the aisles that I passed.

Needless to say I left Hobby Lobby pretty mad. It all passed soon and I was able to laugh about it, but it is amazing to me what other people will say to you about your parenting skills when they don't even know you.

I was going to get Maddie to hold up a inmate sign and take her picture, but I forgot before writing this post.

Not too much else going on. This weekend we have a couple of friends coming to town. Friday is the first football game of the year and so I'm sure we will be there for a good portion of Friday evening.

Two Peas in a Pod

That can be a great thing, because the girls keep themselves entertained by playing with each other. It also can be a bad thing because then they are always in each other's space. Maddie has become very aware that Emma invades her space, so to solve that problem she pushes Emma out of the way. Maddie has spent numerous minutes in timeout the last week or so. Emma also is very aware how Maddie can invade her space, so she will bite Maddie. It has been a battle that is like being bipolar. For twenty minutes they can be playing so well together or at least next to each other, then in an instant it can change to them screaming at each other. I have a feeling that this is what the teenage years are going to be like. They have been sharing a room since we got back from Wisconsin the first time. Maddie is doing very well with being quiet when she goes to bed. I think that helps her to just lay there and fall asleep. In the morning it is so fun to listen to them "talk" to each other. Emma usually is the one who wakes up first, but Maddie is soon to follow. Maddie also like to jump into bed with Emma in the mornings. Usually I find them in there laughing and playing peek-a-boo. We have a feeling that there are going to be many nights where we are going to have to tell them to go to sleep and stop talking.

Here is how I found them the other morning. I don't know how long Maddie had been in there for, but they were both just content sleeping in the same crib.

Epitome of Potty Training

That's right, Maddie has taken an interest in the potty, so we are going on it. We aren't full fledged training, but she likes to sit on the potty. She also likes to take all her clothes and diaper off and run around the house naked. Today we got big girl underwear. I was even surprised when she chose The Little Mermaid over Dora. We will see how this goes. So on this topic, I decided to go to the library and get a couple of books about potty training, just to thumb through and see what they have to say. I was reading in one how that somewhere between two and three a kid grows to about 50% of their adult height. Now if that is true that means that Maddie who at 26 months was 37.5 inches will be somewhere around 6'3". We are going to start that whole basketball thing soon or maybe even volleyball.

Anyways back to my title, I think that this picture explains it all: Maddie with no clothes, with the potty bowl on as a hat. She is learning this whole bathroom thing by osmosis.

Loads of Pictures

Back Home

We are finally back home and glad to be here. We loved seeing everyone but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, being lazy on your couch, seeing friends, and not living out of a suitcase.

First off the National Youth Gathering- it was an awesome, uplifting time. I was so happy that I was able to go and even participate in the Mass Events. Maddie and Emma even enjoyed dancing and singing. We got to stay at the Peabody, see the duck parade, and hang out with the Janetzke clan. Grandma Heff was there, but she divided her time with us and the group from Mount Olive. Anne was with us most days and it was fun to just walk around and talk with her. Anne, Grandma Heff, the girls, and I made it out to the Magic Kingdom one day. Maddie loved seeing everyone, but most of all loved riding the Flying Dumbo's. She waited in line so well and then just giggled the whole time. We also made it to Universal Studios before we left. We got to see Curious George, Shrek, and of course Dora. I think Maddie enjoyed herself. We flew this time and the girls were great on the plane. From Orlando we went to Cleveland, we were suppose to go to Chicago, but when we landed in Cleveland the Chicago flight was delayed, but there was a flight going to Milwaukee that we got on. Mom was flying to Chicago, so she was able to get our bags and we got home a whole lot earlier, which the girls were thankful for.

Thursday began wedding errands and odds and ends. The girls were pretty wiped and so they just played and napped most of the day. We had some help Friday morning from Kendra, so Chad could go golfing with the boys. We took the girls up to Grandma and Grandpa Janetzke's and they spent the weekend with them. We saw them at the wedding and part of the reception, but it was nice to not have to worry about them and able to talk and hang out with everyone. We picked them up Sunday afternoon and then just hung out the rest of the time. We did manage to get some swimming in on Monday morning with Ben, Sam, Amy, us, Jana, and Mike. We got in yesterday afternoon, about an hour and a half later than scheduled. We went up to school so Chad could catch up on anything he missed yesterday. Then it was home to do some grocery shopping and unpacking.

Chad is at school for more meetings, both girls had doctor appointments today. They are both growing like weeds. Lots of shots, but they both did great. The rest of the week is just getting settled back in. This weekend the Brewers are in town, we will be watching them from the comfort of our sofa.

We are so glad to have been able to see all our family and can't wait to see you in the cold of December. (That is hard to imagine since it is over 100 today)

Never enough time

We are heading back to Texas tomorrow after 10 days gone. We have lots to do when we get back and Chad is right back into meetings tomorrow afternoon. After we get settled back into a normal routine, I will fill you in on Florida and Jana's wedding. I have lots of pictures, but want to put them on our computer and then onto here. Hope that everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

A loss for a title

I have no idea what to title this post. This is just an update. We haven't been up to anything too exciting. We are starting to get ready for Florida. We are leaving on Friday morning and will be in Florida until Wednesday and then it will be off to Wisconsin for Jana's wedding. It is hard to even remember what we have been doing. Last week we got a night of free babysitting from Caitlyn (she was Maddie's babysitter during basketball) and we went to a friend's birthday party. Then Friday the Wilke's came over for dinner and to watch the Astros game. The rest of the weekend was pretty low key, playing outside, Chad getting the lawn done, and the like. Sunday Isaac came over to play while Paul and Christa were at a funereal. He was having so much fun that he didn't want to go home. We are actually going over there today to play again this morning. Tomorrow will be laundry and packing. The girls are pretty much ready to go, but Chad and myself need to get our stuff together.

I'm sure that I'll have pictures from Florida, so maybe when we get to grandma and grandpa Heff's we can put some up.

Happy Birthday Alan and Eric (today and tomorrow)!!!

What day is it?

Do you ever ask yourself that question? Since we have gotten back home from up north, it seems like I am asking that question a lot. I then found it funny that Chad's dad was asking that same question today. Grandpa J is here for the LCMS Convention. We have been down there a couple of times and even spent the night last night. There are other people we know who are down there, so we have been running into people all over the place.

So what have we been up to? Oh, just getting estimates on our air conditioning, because the evaporator coil is busted. Tomorrow we have one more company coming over to give us an estimate and then we will set up an appointment to get it fixed. We are melting down here. We have a room air conditioner in Maddie's room and has closed off the bedrooms and that one keeps us all cool for sleeping. It also hasn't been too hot out, so it isn't all that bad. I know that Chad will disagree with me, but the heat doesn't really bother me.

Last weekend we were out for the CUW Alumni event. It was at a small brewery. We were all wondering what to expect, but it ended up being a really good time. We mostly hung with the Tomball people, but we did manage to meet a couple who moved here in January and they work at the medical center.

Nothing else too exciting the rest of the weekend. We did go downtown on Sunday and we were in the convention center when they voted for president of synod. Maddie got to go swimming and loved it. We bought her one of those suits that is pretty much foam on top, so it is like wearing a life vest all the time. She was a little hesitant at first, but then realized that she could float there all by herself. She managed to get into the water two more times since then.

I am starting to put things together in my head for Orlando and then for Wisconsin the Sequel. We are flying, so we have less space then we had the first time, but I figured our clothes for the wedding are already taken care of. I'm looking forward to Orlando. I get to spend some time with Anne. The whole Janetzke family, minus Josh, will be there. Ben, Kendra, and Lydia will be with a group, but I'm sure we will see them around. Grandma Heff will also be down there, so that will be fun also.

I don't have any new pics. I wanted to get one of Maddie the linebacker (with her new suit on, but my batteries were dead). Next time she has it on, I'll make sure to take one. Emma is starting to get more adventurous. She is figuring out how to use things as steps to climb up on things, like the couch and chairs. We haven't had a bottle since we came back from vacation, so we are hoping that we kicked that habit. We will work on the nuk with Maddie when we get back from Wisconsin in August.

The second half in pictures

Seeing Lone Stars

Yes, we are back in our own home and sleeping in our own beds. We had a very uneventful trip home. We stopped in Joplin, MO on Tuesday night. We got there in time to swim and watch the whole All-Star game.

So the rest of our trip was good. We took in Summerfest on Saturday night, it was good. We had a little trouble towards the end of the night, but it all worked out, right Joel? Sunday was Jana's wedding shower. It was pampered chef and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Mom's mojito slush was a big hit. Monday we headed up to Minnesota, we got up there right around lunch time. We got to see a bunch of people from TLO. We got to play cards with Jill, Jay, Jon, and Elsa. It wasn't complete until we called Jake.

Tuesday we went to MOA, walked around and then just hung out the rest of the day. Us girls did do some shopping. Wednesday we headed to Germantown for Kendra's graduation party and fireworks. The Minnesotans came with us and stayed until Saturday morning.

Thursday we spent our anniversary on a couple of brewery tours. We took the Lakefront Brewery tour first and then headed over to Miller. We had a great time. We then ate dinner at Friday's Front Row. All we needed to do was stop at church and we would have had our Beer, Baseball, and Jesus.

Friday we went up to Mequon to check out all the work they are doing. It looks like a completely different campus. Saturday was just a hang out day. We got things ready for Emma's party and then went out for a little while with Jana and Mike. Sunday was Emma's party it was fun and a good way to just relax as our vacation was coming to a close. Monday was a packing day and then we headed out Tuesday morning.

Today Chad didn't go to school today we are just getting some laundry and stuff around the house done. Tomorrow Chad will have baseball work out and in the evening we are heading downtown for the CUW alumni thing for the convention. Then grandpa J. will be here on Saturday morning for the convention. So we will get to see him for a little while this weekend and into next week. We are going to enjoy the next two weeks at home until we leave for the Gathering.

It was so great to see everyone up north and we will see most of you at Jana's wedding.

On My Honor

I promise that when we get back to Texas (Wednesday or Thursday) I will post all about the rest of our trip. I need to get us packed and back to Texas before I can even think about all the adventures we have had on our trip.

I do want to say "Welcome to Texas" to the Truwe family. We are hoping to get over to San Antonio to see the new place as soon as we can.

Another week gone

We have finsihed week two of our vacation and are getting ready to start our next adventure. This past week was filled with just as many things as the week before. Monday was golfing for Chad with his dad. I spent the day with his mom and Kurt. Tuesday was the Brewers game. It was an awesome game. They scored 9 runs in the 7th inning. In that inning they hit a grand slam, a two-run homerun, and then 3 other runs. Wednesday we headed to Chicago to visit with the Frixen family. We got to play with Kylie and Ella. Chad and Karl got to talk sports all afternoon. Thursday was grandma's day off, so Amy, Ben, and Sam came to the house to play with all of us. We headed down to Summerfest for lunch and some playing. Thursday night Chad took the girls up to his parents house while I went to Summerfest with Renee. We were going so we could see REO Speedwagon. We stayed at that concert for about an hour and then left because it wasn't very good. It seemed that we weren't the only ones, the next morning the paper didn't have a very good review. Yesterday we spent the day at Noah's Ark. That was actually the first I had been there too. The girls loved all the kiddie pool stuff. Maddie even took a ride down the lazy river. Chad and I ventured on some slides. Jana and Mike got into town last night, so it is good to see them. Today we are planning on watching the Brewer's game and then Amy, Joel, Jana, Mike, Chad, and I are heading down to Summerfest for the evening. Tomorrow we have a wedding shower for Jana and then on Monday morning we are heading up to Minnesota for a few days.

Our Trip Thus Far

We so far traveled through 6 states and have one more to go. We made it to Saint Louis, Fort Wayne, Hartland MI, Lansing, and now we are in Milwaukee. We got to go to the Saint Louis Zoo last Friday. It was hot, but Maddie still loved looking at all the animals. We got to spend some time just visiting with Beth and Mark, thank you for your hospitality. Then on Saturday it was off to Fort Wayne. We got there in the later afternoon and just relaxed the rest of the evening. Sunday brought church, I got to meet up with a college friend, some bbq at Nathan's parent's house, then just some more relaxing. We did have a little car trouble. We thought it was the starter, but turned out to just be a dead battery. So it wasn't as expensive, but it still had to be towed and serviced at the dealership. Then we headed on our way to Little Bickel camp in Heartland Michigan. We got there in short order got unpacked and spent three days just visiting with all of Chad's aunts, uncles and cousins. We had lots of fun and lots of pictures. We went to Lansing for an extra day to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Bickel. We got a chance to play some cards with them and also just do come visiting. Friday we saw Grandma Janetzke, then it was on the road again. We got to Milwaukee around 6pm and are just getting settled in here. We have been having a great time so far and know that we will still have more. The pictures are just more of the story of our trip in pictures.