February Happenings...

After an extremely sad & stressful January, February has been a MUCH happier month for our family.  Everyone is healthy & our busy daily life is feeling normal again.  So let's recap the month's events.

My Groundhog Momma turned 55 I miss her every day but I miss her even more on birthdays & holidays. I love you Mom!

Maddy got a A+ on her Biome Research project. Now if she could just pull up her Math grade, she continuously makes careless mistakes and is squeaking by with a C average.

Mike & I redecorated the girl's bedroom.  My Dad & my Step Mom gave the girls bunk beds for Christmas, we just needed a wide open weekend to work our magic!  Super Bowl weekend picked out some cool paint colors and busted our buns for 3 straight days! Everything turned out beautifully and the girls love it! We're still figuring out what to hang on the walls but for the most part their room is complete!  Click over to my personal blog for more pics & details about how this project came together. 

Mike took on a painting job for a family friend near his parents.  Unfortunately, the job needed to be done Valentine's weekend.  Mike & I worked our buns off (again) together Saturday & Sunday while the girls spent some quality time with Grandma & Grandpa... but Sunday night the girls & I had to get back home and Mike had to stay to finish.  Monday was Valentine's Day, we missed Daddy but it was for good reasons.  I don't cook much when he's away, so for a treat I ordered us Chinese!  I love that my girls like ethnically diverse foods!  We ate dinner at the coffee table, watched Be My Valentine Charlie Brown & read a cool book from the library about the history of Valentine's Day by Gail Gibbons.  For those of you who think it's a bogus made up Hallmark Holiday you are sorely mistaken!  Google it if you don't believe me!  For the record I don't believe in spending boatloads of money to make my loved ones happy, but a special dinner at home, a bottle of wine or champagne, a small treat for the girls is just perfect in my opinion.

The girls also celebrated Valentine's Day at school.  They love their sweet notes & treats from their teachers & classmates!

Also this month!  Mike began training for a new department at work!  He was increasingly unhappy in sales so when the opportunity arose to transfer to the tech team he jumped on it!  This going to be a much better fit for Mike, it's a MUCH less stressful position in company and he'll advance more quickly with experience in two departments.  Unfortunately, the pay isn't the greatest at first, but in a year that will ALL change.  He still has his awesome benefits and there will be plenty of overtime until then.  In a time when so many people are out of work Mike is sooooo grateful to be working for a company with an extremely bright future! 

Goodbyes

Sadly, January was not a good month for our family but I've yet to mention any of it on our family blog.... until now.  Both of Mike's Grandmas passed away in a span of 17 days.  He went to Chicago for each of their funerals.  He drove both times totaling about 70 hours.  It was a very sad, exhausting & stressful month.  Unfortunately, the girls & I weren't able to go with for either trip and in a weird way it was for the best.  The first time Mike left the girls & I discovered we had head lice & the second time he left we came down with the flu.  Needless to say, Mike & I were both ready to put the sorrow & distress of a horrible horrible month behind us.  Thankfully, February is off to a much better start.  

Since, Mike's Grandmas were such a big part of his upbringing, it's only right that they are memorialized here on our family blog. Both were amazingly ladies in their own ways, one had a small family, one had a very large family but both loved Mike, his parents & his sisters with all of their heart.  I've said it before but I'll say it again.  I am so blessed to be a part of the families that these two special ladies created.  Without them, my husband wouldn't be who he is today.  

Here's a few pictures to remember Grandma Schuth & Grandma Lewandowski.

WoW!  This was our wedding day... 3/6/99  I'm so glad we took pictures with all of our grandparents.  From the left is my Grandma Tait, Mike's Grandma & Grandpa Lewandowski, Mike's Grandma Schuth, my Grandpa Copp & his partner Julia.  (My Grandma Copp passed away when I was 7.)  My Grandma Tait & my Grandpa's partner Julia are all that are all that's left of our wonderful grandparents. I'm so glad they were ALL a part of our special day.

Mike & Grandma Schuth... Summer 2003

Both of Mike's Grams with Madelyn when she was 10 months old... March 2004

Grandma Schuth, Maddy & I during a visit to Chicago... August 2004.

Grandma Lewandowski & Maddy in Chicago... August of 2004.

Great Grandma Schuth, Madelyn & Pudge... Fall or Winter of 2004?

Grandma Schuth's 88th Birthday celebration, pictured with all of her children... from the left: Bernice, Keith, Ed, Al, Joan, Carol & Betty Jean.

Great Grandma & Maddy... Summer of 2007

Great Grandma Schuth, Grandpa Schuth & Mikayla... August of 2008 at Allison & Mike's baby shower for Cameron.

Mike & Grandma, her 92nd Birthday... March 2010

Grandma & the Schuth grandbabies Mikayla, Madelyn & Cameron

Maddy & Great Grandma

Relaxing at the condo... October 2010... from the left, Grandma, Aunt Bernice, Mike's parents, Mike, Allison & Uncle Keith.

Farewell visit at Grandma's house Thanksgiving weekend 2010, just before she moved back to Chicago.

There are many more pictures but these are my favorites.  It makes me sad that one by one our Grandparents have been leaving this Earth for a better place, that even Mike & I, his parents, my parents are all growing older.  Time goes by so quickly, I wish sometimes we could just push the rewind button to go back to some of these days we spent together.  I hope that all of our grandparents are smiling down on us from heaven, we love them and will always miss them... 

till we meet again...

New Years Eve

Ooopps!  I did it again, I feel behind with our family blog, this one is going all the way back to New Years when our best friends came down to celebrate with us.  Nothing fancy, we all just wanted to relax and make the night enjoyable for us & the kids.

They kids biked, scooted & rolled!

We ate some yummy appetizers!  The kids love my pizza dip recipe!

Mike built a fire so we could keep warm outside & make s'mores!

The kids had a dance party in the living room and watched America's Funniest Home Videos on my bed.

And of course, Mike & Brad had their shot a celebratory Yager.  I was sipping champagne all night, unfortunately my best friend wasn't drinking with me.  Jackie is pregnant again, she's due June 5th and it's... drum roll please... ANOTHER BOY!

Christmas Day

Last year Maddy & Mikayla were up at 4am Christmas Morning, imagine how overjoyed I was to wake up at 8am and realize they were still sleeping.  I was so happy to have time to sip my coffee and see their faces when they first woke up.  They didn't waste any time opening their presents!

Maddy is truly growing up, she's excited about a pair of shoes!

Mikayla's faces were priceless!

Grandma Tait got the girls a new art easel!

Mikayla loves her new scooter from Santa, she couldn't wait to get outside to give it a test drive!

Maddy couldn't wait either.  Yes, she is riding her new bike with training wheels but not for long.  We're going to let her get use to how it handles and then the training wheels are coming off this spring!

All dressed & ready for our family to arrive.  We hosted Christmas Dinner!  On the menu?  Ham, sausage stuffing, german potato salad, sweet potatoes, a green salad & rolls, plus mimosas, some appetizers & desserts!  A big thank you to Allison & my Mom-in-Law who brought their yummy dishes & helped me tremendously in the kitchen!

It was a beautiful sunny day, the girls had a ball playing outside with their cousin Cam.

Mike enjoyed showing Mike P & his Dad his new golf clubs.

Gosh, what a nice day.  I wish every winter day in Florida could be like this one!

The fam - minus Lauren & Gregg who were with Gregg's family for Christmas Day.

After dinner, Mike & Mike P played a little Guitar Hero World Tour.

And... Mikayla & Cam had a bath.  

It was a wonderful blessed Christmas Day, Maddy & Mikayla loved their presents, we relaxed with our family and ate a yummy dinner... the girls were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open at the end.  Maddy fell asleep on the couch and Mikayla crawled into her bed and put herself to sleep.  

Ahhh... another successful family Christmas!  

Santa Claus Is Comin'...

After we got home from our family's Christmas Eve celebration, we were in a rush to get the girls to bed!  Santa had just visited us at Auntie Allison's & Uncle Mike's but the girls had to be sleeping for him to bring presents to our house.  So we quickly put out cookies & milk for the big guy, as well as some carrots for the reindeer and then we tucked Maddy & Mikayla in.  

Mommy & Daddy's work was DONE, the rest was up to Santa!

Daddy & I also left Santa one more treat, a bottle of Sam Adams Winter Lager.  We love a cold beer after (or during) a hard day's (or night's) work!

The girls' handmade Christmas cards to Mike & I, so cute!  We'll treasure them forever!

A little while after I went to bed, I heard Gringo scampering around in the living room.  I went out to see what kind of trouble he was getting into, but he must have been scampering with excitement because there were new presents next to the tree!  Santa brought the girls new wheels & soft toy puppies in cute designer puppy bags. Thanks Santa!!  You're the BEST!!