You’re a good man, Daddy. November 1, 2009

My husband is playing the role of Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown for a local theatre company.  Greta and I attended the opening night show. We made sure to stop at the ice cream shop below the theatre before the show. I am very proud of my husband. He has worked so hard, and the show was fabulous! When I asked Greta, what her favorite part of the show was, she said, “Daddy!”. Of course

But then she thought about it and said, “And ice cream, too!”

**sorry, friends- no flash photography allowed at the actual show**

Happy 90th Birthday. October 14, 2009

My Grandmother, Marie turned 90 years old today! She is my only remaining Grandparent.  I have so many memories of Grandma Hain. She always had a kitchen stocked full of candy! She also had the most beautiful jewelry.  When we would go visit, my sister and I would work up the nerve to ask Grandma if we could have a piece of jewelry before we left. I remember being so nervous to ask her, even though she always said “yes”. Grandma was a fabulous cook and baker! She always had baked goods ready to go just in case someone stopped by to visit.

I think my all time favorite memory of Grandma Hain was from when us kids went to stay with her one summer.  Grandma has a Czech accent and when one of my siblings asked, “Grandma, can we go to the pool today?” she replied, “could be!”.  So cute!

Grandma always made a big deal that our birthdays were both in October.  It was kind of like our little shared secret. She even gave me her baby ring that has the October birth stone.

Another thing I am proud to share with Grandma is her hazel eyes.  She is a beautiful woman and even though she is in a nursing home and unable to make dumplings and sauerkraut and care for all of her beautiful plants- she is still lovely to be around. Happy Birthday, Grandma Hain. I love you!

daniel son. October 14, 2009

This summer my brother Eric was staining the deck at my parents house.  Greta just had to help Uncle Eric.  She ended up helping him for a really long time. Uncle Eric is so good with kids! Greta would occasionally start whining or crying when she would get frustrated. Eric responded by getting on her level and gently telling her, “remember, if you want to help- there is no crying”.  Not too bad for a bachelor!

I’m not sure what the bandanas are all about, maybe Eric was pretending to be Mr. Miyagi?

the castle. September 25, 2009

Greta loves making forts with Daddy. At any given time, there very well may be blankets, pillows and all of the couch cushions on the floor.  They do this  a lot after dinner and before Daddy has to run off the Charlie Brown rehearsal.  The other night, Miles got in on the action, too.

We thought Miles was going to become a regular at the castle, but…

Then, he tried to escape! (Daddy is protecting that little head )

come to the fair. September 8, 2009

Labor Day afternoon was spent at the State Fair.  We had a fabulous time! We started out looking at the animals, which we thought Greta would love.  Unfortunately, she was much more interested in tracking down big poops on the floor than visiting with animal friends. So, off we went to look at the exhibits. This is always Joe’s and my favorite part of the fair. We saw photography, produce,  paintings, quilts and even home made peeps!  Then Greta and Daddy went on a ride.  We finished off our evening with a fine fair dining experience.  It was a perfect day!

Congratulations! August 2, 2009

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kurek!

somebody’s getting married. July 27, 2009

“Somebody’s getting maaaaa-weeeeeed!” Muppets reference anyone???

My little sister Jill is getting married!!! I am so excited for her. I have never seen her as happy as she is with her fiance, Christian. I really do mean never… not even when she got her Barbie Corvette! We are all just thrilled to have Christian join our family. He and Jill are a perfect fit. This does mean that my sister will be permanently living in Switzerland, but that just means we will have to visit!

Today we had a bridal shower for Jill. I think it went well. We played dorky games and ate and ate and ate some more.

Congratulations, Jillybean!  I love you

Fancy Nancy returns. July 15, 2009

Our local Barnes & Noble recently had a Fancy Nancy reading hour. Of course, we were there!!

Happy Father’s Day. June 22, 2009

To Joe, Dennis and my Daddy-

Happy Father’s Day!

Here is the photo that I framed for Joe for Father’s Day this year.  The photo is from our camping trip last weekend.  Joe told me that this was one of his favorite memories with his father One of my favorite memories with my father has to be having him as a basketball coach in junior high and more recently, hearing his wacky answers while playing the game balderdash!!! Happy Father’s day- we love and appreciate all the many things that you do for us!

the best. April 14, 2009

Easter was great! Joe and I got to sing on the worship team at our church in our brand new worship center for the first time! We sang at all 3 services and it was incredible.   Then we headed home (only 4 minutes away) for Easter with the family. We ate good food, let the kids entertain us and enjoyed each others company. Miles was teasing us by almost crawling and Greta was doing her best to snitch as much Easter candy as possible. It was the best!