Hello, Family! Just got back from a long weekend in the Yellowstone area. Brandon and I and the dogs rendezvoused with Brandon's older half-sister Heather (from Helena, MT) in West Yellowstone. Heather's mom and Heather's 6-year-old daughter were there too - as were her dog and our two dogs. We toured the National Park a bit (saw Old Faithful do its thing), perused the touristy shops, and drove up to Hebgen Lake for some swimming and doggie fun. We were supposed to get home last night but since it was Brandon's birthday I deferred to him when he suggested we extend our vacation and spend Sunday night in Alpine, WY - just the 2 of us (4.5 of us if you include the dogs and the little guy). So here it is Monday afternoon and I just got back to work. You'd think I'd be doing something work-related but mentally I'm still on vacation.
Melissa, I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandma Grace. She and your whole family are in our thoughts and prayers. Chloe too!
Hooray for camping! I sure hope it goes well. I'm a big advocate of getting kids unplugged and outside. Kudos to Michele & DJ for taking on a camping trip with two young ones. Michele, thanks so much for sharing Sami's ideas for acquiring food while camping. And your hypothesis for how fishing might go was not only hilarious but also spot-on. :)
Back to the grind.....
Monday, July 23, 2007
Making their Dreams Come True
Hi, all! This should be pretty short. We are packing up and getting ready to hit the road for our first family camping trip. Chris and Sami are very excited. Though, Sami was disappointed when we nixed her idea to fish and hunt for food. As graceful as they are, wildlife in Asia would here them coming. Fishing would be fun and exciting for all of five minutes. Sami would spend all her time playing with the worms and Chris would spend his trying to decide which worm he should use for bait.
We are going to Lake LaDonna in Oregon IL. We will be coming back on Wednesday. It was a last minute decision and hastily planned. We wanted to get it in before Thursday when Michele will be starting her part time job in the Jewel bakery. She will be working enough hours to qualify for health insurance. We figure with two little kids who know no fear and the outrageous cost of COBRA that a part time job was our best option.
Got to go pack. The plan is to leave at 1:30 when CAILLOU is over. Melissa, your grandmas and family are in our prayers. We are looking forward to seeing Don and Peggy at the Tom Chapin concert on Saturday, provided we survive camping.
We are going to Lake LaDonna in Oregon IL. We will be coming back on Wednesday. It was a last minute decision and hastily planned. We wanted to get it in before Thursday when Michele will be starting her part time job in the Jewel bakery. She will be working enough hours to qualify for health insurance. We figure with two little kids who know no fear and the outrageous cost of COBRA that a part time job was our best option.
Got to go pack. The plan is to leave at 1:30 when CAILLOU is over. Melissa, your grandmas and family are in our prayers. We are looking forward to seeing Don and Peggy at the Tom Chapin concert on Saturday, provided we survive camping.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Happy Birthday Daddy-to-be :)
Dave and I hope you enjoy your day! We're certain you have something fun planned. Hopefully, you will have as beautiful a day as we are having here in Chitown.
Dave and I went to Lake Geneva last Saturday with some friends. We rented waverunners. It was a blast! Can't wait to do it again.
I took Chloe to the vet a few weeks back for her follow up for the rash on her belly. It cleared up beautifully. The vet heard a heart murmur. She went on Monday for an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). They found mild thickening of one of the chamber walls of her heart and her resting heart rate is high. The cardiologist said since it's so mild, repeat the echo in a year. She may end up being on daily meds to slow her heart rate down. We're thankful it's not life threatening.
On a bad note, my Grandma Grace, ( my Moms Mom) was diagnosed with leukemia on Friday. There is no treatment available for this type of leukemia. This poor lady has gone nowhere but down hill over the past 6 months being diagnosed with COPD, congestive heart failure, and, now leukemia. I think she is going to be put into hospice care this week, as her doctor said she has about 3 months to live. I hate when docs put expiration dates on peoples lives, but I understand it's to help people get their affairs in order. I just pray that Grandma Grace ends up being a miracle and lives a whole lot longer, just like my Grandma Dorothy has been and continues to be. Needless to say, my Mom is a complete wreck. Surprisingly, Grandma Grace is accepting the news very well. Hope she's not in shock. Any prayers you can send this way would be most appreciative.
Have a wonderful week...
Dave and I went to Lake Geneva last Saturday with some friends. We rented waverunners. It was a blast! Can't wait to do it again.
I took Chloe to the vet a few weeks back for her follow up for the rash on her belly. It cleared up beautifully. The vet heard a heart murmur. She went on Monday for an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). They found mild thickening of one of the chamber walls of her heart and her resting heart rate is high. The cardiologist said since it's so mild, repeat the echo in a year. She may end up being on daily meds to slow her heart rate down. We're thankful it's not life threatening.
On a bad note, my Grandma Grace, ( my Moms Mom) was diagnosed with leukemia on Friday. There is no treatment available for this type of leukemia. This poor lady has gone nowhere but down hill over the past 6 months being diagnosed with COPD, congestive heart failure, and, now leukemia. I think she is going to be put into hospice care this week, as her doctor said she has about 3 months to live. I hate when docs put expiration dates on peoples lives, but I understand it's to help people get their affairs in order. I just pray that Grandma Grace ends up being a miracle and lives a whole lot longer, just like my Grandma Dorothy has been and continues to be. Needless to say, my Mom is a complete wreck. Surprisingly, Grandma Grace is accepting the news very well. Hope she's not in shock. Any prayers you can send this way would be most appreciative.
Have a wonderful week...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Dreary Monday
It seems I just deleted a rather extensive message. Will I ever get to be computer competent?
Pop has gone to a wake this evening, for the father of the wife of one of his bowling buddies. I stayed home because I need to go to bed early in order to get up at 4 tomorrow. Weak excuse, no?
We're getting back to normal, whatever that is, after vacation. The laundry is finally caught up, and the piles of stuff all over the kitchen are diminishing. It makes me crazy to have clutter all over the table and counters, so I'm determined to keep after it.
The garden is producing, especially green beans, cucumbers, zucchini and peppers. Free veggies will be given to anyone who stops by! No ripe tomatoes yet, but plenty of green ones. We've gotten a little rain today and that should help things along. I tried using moth balls to repel the chipmunks from digging in all the flower pots. So far it seems to be effective.
The Devonshire's Ice Cream Social was a lot of fun. It was "girls" day for us, as Sami, Michele, Gram and I were the attendees. They had pony rides, a caterpillar crawl, an inflatable slide (Sami's favorite), a magician, and of course ice cream, corn dogs, popcorn and snow cones. We hope that Chris and D.J. had fun at the first meeting of their chess club.
I have a new front end manager starting this week. Hope she turns out to be as good as Laurie was. She was very understanding about whatever time I needed to take off.
Still haven't gotten around to shopping for another car. It needs to be big enough for Gram to get into and out of, but good gas mileage is another requirement. Any suggestions? Just before we left for Utah, it cost me $470 for a new water pump and hoses and cooling system flush. At least it's no longer gushing anti-freeze all over the garage floor.
I'm hoping that my boys will keep me up to date on the job market situation. I don't like asking all the time, but Pop and I are certainly interested and anxious. You're in our prayers and we hope for quick resolutions. Anything we can do, let us know.
This time I hope not to delete this thing, so I shall publish! Happy summer, everyone!
Pop has gone to a wake this evening, for the father of the wife of one of his bowling buddies. I stayed home because I need to go to bed early in order to get up at 4 tomorrow. Weak excuse, no?
We're getting back to normal, whatever that is, after vacation. The laundry is finally caught up, and the piles of stuff all over the kitchen are diminishing. It makes me crazy to have clutter all over the table and counters, so I'm determined to keep after it.
The garden is producing, especially green beans, cucumbers, zucchini and peppers. Free veggies will be given to anyone who stops by! No ripe tomatoes yet, but plenty of green ones. We've gotten a little rain today and that should help things along. I tried using moth balls to repel the chipmunks from digging in all the flower pots. So far it seems to be effective.
The Devonshire's Ice Cream Social was a lot of fun. It was "girls" day for us, as Sami, Michele, Gram and I were the attendees. They had pony rides, a caterpillar crawl, an inflatable slide (Sami's favorite), a magician, and of course ice cream, corn dogs, popcorn and snow cones. We hope that Chris and D.J. had fun at the first meeting of their chess club.
I have a new front end manager starting this week. Hope she turns out to be as good as Laurie was. She was very understanding about whatever time I needed to take off.
Still haven't gotten around to shopping for another car. It needs to be big enough for Gram to get into and out of, but good gas mileage is another requirement. Any suggestions? Just before we left for Utah, it cost me $470 for a new water pump and hoses and cooling system flush. At least it's no longer gushing anti-freeze all over the garage floor.
I'm hoping that my boys will keep me up to date on the job market situation. I don't like asking all the time, but Pop and I are certainly interested and anxious. You're in our prayers and we hope for quick resolutions. Anything we can do, let us know.
This time I hope not to delete this thing, so I shall publish! Happy summer, everyone!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Happy Birthday, Michele!!
And thanks for all the name suggestions! You're right about 'J' names. I happen to be partial to them myself ;). I just found out in an e-mail from Melissa that she and Dave would like to reserve the name Jacob. Jacob was in our top 5, so that goes to show you it's a good name. I like Joshua too. We've been getting some good suggestions from various friends and family, and of course some silly ones too. This morning a coworker suggested "Swiss" as in swiss chard .
Our friends from Ohio (Jonathan, Susan and Henry) are leaving today after a really nice 6-day visit. Henry learned how to cast a fishing pole, spent hours jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, and rode ALL the rides at the new Celebration Center, including bungee jumping off a 72-ft tower. Yesterday we played laser tag and mini golf. Brandon and I are pooped!
Hope you're having a GREAT birthday and that your evening with the ladies is fun-filled.
Love, Julie
Our friends from Ohio (Jonathan, Susan and Henry) are leaving today after a really nice 6-day visit. Henry learned how to cast a fishing pole, spent hours jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, and rode ALL the rides at the new Celebration Center, including bungee jumping off a 72-ft tower. Yesterday we played laser tag and mini golf. Brandon and I are pooped!
Hope you're having a GREAT birthday and that your evening with the ladies is fun-filled.
Love, Julie
Baby names
Thank you Julie and Brandon for making dear Christopher happy and forcing your unsavvy sister-in-law to learn how to use the picture feature of her phone. Congratulations!!
Christopher would like you to name the baby Christopher. As much as I love the name, also, that could get confusing. I am partial to "J" names. I think they are very strong names. Had I had my way, Chris would be Justin which is my absolute favorite boy name. Joseph, John, Jacob, Joshua are good too. In fact, there is the sweetest, most polite young man in Tae Kwon Do named Joshua. So if he is a good representative of Joshua's I'd go with Joshua. Xavier makes an excellent middle name. You could go with Francis Xavier and call him "Our Special FX".
We've had a busy summer. Most of June was spent getting ready for Sami's birthday party. She was so excited. She came up with the idea of decorating big boxes like cars and having the kids wear them and racing with them. The race was supposed to be around the cul-de-sac, but because of rain, we raced around the house. Chris crashed and burned his second time around and that ended the game. He wasn't hurt but the car wasn't up for another run. The pinata was a big hit, no pun intended.
Michele's family is having a reunion on July 21 to celebrate some relatives coming in from California. Michele got the task of making a welcoming banner. The project was bigger than anticipated. She tends to get over creative and overwhelmed.
Otherwise, Michele and the kids have been going to museums, parks and zoos with friends and cousin Kathleen. St. Charles and Geneva have big summer fesitvals with parades, carnivals and food that we go to every year. Sami loved showing Kathleen around. We get together with Kathleen and family for dinner twice a month. I fear those girls growing up, driving and dating. They are so confident and spirited. Good for them, bad for Chris and Joey.
DJ started a new job in June. Then he learned about Dave's upcoming lay off and decided that he couldn't let his brother get the best of him, so yesterday he got laid off. We are thinking of living the TV show "Promised Land". In the show, dad got laid off and the family packed up an RV and traveled across the country. Dad worked odd jobs and mom homeschooled the kids. Can we borrow the PW for a couple of years?
I should go, the kids need breakfast, then they are being shipped to a sitters all day. My birthday present to me, a day without my angels. Tonight, my bible study ladies are coming over for dinner. It's potluck,they provide the food and I provide the drinks. I'm trying my hand at berry margaritas. If I am successful, maybe I can get a job as a waitress and DJ can be Mr. Dad.
Take care, stay cool and looking forward to seeing Julie, Brandon and the as yet unnamed nephew.
Christopher would like you to name the baby Christopher. As much as I love the name, also, that could get confusing. I am partial to "J" names. I think they are very strong names. Had I had my way, Chris would be Justin which is my absolute favorite boy name. Joseph, John, Jacob, Joshua are good too. In fact, there is the sweetest, most polite young man in Tae Kwon Do named Joshua. So if he is a good representative of Joshua's I'd go with Joshua. Xavier makes an excellent middle name. You could go with Francis Xavier and call him "Our Special FX".
We've had a busy summer. Most of June was spent getting ready for Sami's birthday party. She was so excited. She came up with the idea of decorating big boxes like cars and having the kids wear them and racing with them. The race was supposed to be around the cul-de-sac, but because of rain, we raced around the house. Chris crashed and burned his second time around and that ended the game. He wasn't hurt but the car wasn't up for another run. The pinata was a big hit, no pun intended.
Michele's family is having a reunion on July 21 to celebrate some relatives coming in from California. Michele got the task of making a welcoming banner. The project was bigger than anticipated. She tends to get over creative and overwhelmed.
Otherwise, Michele and the kids have been going to museums, parks and zoos with friends and cousin Kathleen. St. Charles and Geneva have big summer fesitvals with parades, carnivals and food that we go to every year. Sami loved showing Kathleen around. We get together with Kathleen and family for dinner twice a month. I fear those girls growing up, driving and dating. They are so confident and spirited. Good for them, bad for Chris and Joey.
DJ started a new job in June. Then he learned about Dave's upcoming lay off and decided that he couldn't let his brother get the best of him, so yesterday he got laid off. We are thinking of living the TV show "Promised Land". In the show, dad got laid off and the family packed up an RV and traveled across the country. Dad worked odd jobs and mom homeschooled the kids. Can we borrow the PW for a couple of years?
I should go, the kids need breakfast, then they are being shipped to a sitters all day. My birthday present to me, a day without my angels. Tonight, my bible study ladies are coming over for dinner. It's potluck,they provide the food and I provide the drinks. I'm trying my hand at berry margaritas. If I am successful, maybe I can get a job as a waitress and DJ can be Mr. Dad.
Take care, stay cool and looking forward to seeing Julie, Brandon and the as yet unnamed nephew.
Monday, July 9, 2007
back home - the heat is on!
Wow! It's hot here in the Midwest, and the humidity is dreadful. We came home on I88 instead of the usual I80, so we were able to stop and have a short visit with the North Aurora gang. Turns out they had spent the afternoon at Centennial Beach in Naperville. They were displaying some signs of sunburn in spite of the sunblock.
Spent time this morning in the garden, before breakfast. Pop and I picked green beans (9 pounds of them!). Also some Hungarian peppers, the longest of which measured 10 inches. I came in 'cause I couldn't take the heat, but he's still out there, watering and weeding.
The house was over 90 degrees when we got back yesterday in the late afternoon. Dave, tell Steve that the A/C passed the test. It took some time, but it brought us down to livability. Everything's unloaded and brought in, but it will be awhile before things are in good order. I have 489 unread messages in my e-mail, and I expect to be deleting most of them. Our actual snail mail is due to be delivered this afternoon.
We certainly enjoyed our time with the Chards. Pop likes to say that I learned to kick back and take it easy - not a hard habit to develop if you concentrate :) They're doing well and Julie looks great. I know that she is most anxious for the ultrasound that's scheduled for tomorrow. No fair - we had to be in the dark about who was being born!
I'm off to the shower. This afternoon I'll head over to Grandma's for a visit and to catch her bills and banking up to date.
Utah fires are big news. They were bad when we left, and I guess they're worse now, The news makes it sound like the whole western USA is afire. Keep watering, Hyrumites!
Mom
Spent time this morning in the garden, before breakfast. Pop and I picked green beans (9 pounds of them!). Also some Hungarian peppers, the longest of which measured 10 inches. I came in 'cause I couldn't take the heat, but he's still out there, watering and weeding.
The house was over 90 degrees when we got back yesterday in the late afternoon. Dave, tell Steve that the A/C passed the test. It took some time, but it brought us down to livability. Everything's unloaded and brought in, but it will be awhile before things are in good order. I have 489 unread messages in my e-mail, and I expect to be deleting most of them. Our actual snail mail is due to be delivered this afternoon.
We certainly enjoyed our time with the Chards. Pop likes to say that I learned to kick back and take it easy - not a hard habit to develop if you concentrate :) They're doing well and Julie looks great. I know that she is most anxious for the ultrasound that's scheduled for tomorrow. No fair - we had to be in the dark about who was being born!
I'm off to the shower. This afternoon I'll head over to Grandma's for a visit and to catch her bills and banking up to date.
Utah fires are big news. They were bad when we left, and I guess they're worse now, The news makes it sound like the whole western USA is afire. Keep watering, Hyrumites!
Mom
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Fabulous at 65!!!
Happy Birthday Peggy!!! (wherever you are) Bet the ac is cranked as you're smooth sailing back to Naperville.
Looking forward to hearing all about your visit w/ J&B, and Don's rafting adventure.
Wishing you a wonderful day...
Melissa (Dave too)
Looking forward to hearing all about your visit w/ J&B, and Don's rafting adventure.
Wishing you a wonderful day...
Melissa (Dave too)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Headed South
Mom and I are fixin' to hit the road pretty soon. We'll meet up with Pop and Brandon at our friends' house in Loa, UT. We'll spend a day or two there (in the Capitol Reef area) before saying our farewells and going our separate ways. Mom and Pop will have to decide if they want to take the southern route home through the floods or the northern route home through the fires. Brandon and I will just be glad to get home on Thursday night and unwind a little together before our next round of house guests arrives. Jonathan, Susan and Henry will be visiting from Toledo from Friday through the following Thursday. We're looking forward to seeing them and we're looking forward to seeing YOU too!
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