The Oscar Goes to...

...in the category of best performance by a male in a drama...

Max!

Oh my goodness...the drama around this house the past month has been high. For the past month we have had at least one of the kids at the doctor's office or emergency room each week. Only 1 visit was a "well" visit (Lucy's 1 year checkup). Sunday however, Max got to demonstrate his vocal ability in a dramatic performance at the park. He came running toward the play area which, unfortunately for Max is not covered with sand or mulch, and made a wrong step onto the ROCKS! He went down hard onto his knees and the screaming commenced. Please don't think me heartless...I wasn't too concerned at first because he screams like this if he stubs his toe. When I went over to pick him up...no easy feat considering he is 55 POUNDS...I noticed he had taken a good chunk out of his right knee...okay, I understood the screaming. A very nice mom came over with a bottle of water to clean up the sand/blood/rocks on his knees...I thought Max was going to kick her...he's not fond of anyone touching his booboos :0

Upon examining the knee closer two other moms and I decided I should head for the emergency room. Since I had Abby with me I called John to come and meet us there to take her home. (Oh yeah, I called John AFTER I carried Max to the car). We got there and we got to the examining room. He got it cleaned with peroxide...screaming the whole time...the doctor came in an checked it out and did the unspeakable...TOUCHED IT...Max screamed the whole time. When the doctor explained that they would have to irrigate it to get the rocks out of his knee I thought Max was going to lose it! Six swabs had to be used to get all the rocks out. I was sitting on the side of the bed facing Max trying to distract him...HAH! What was I thinking? At one point he tried to move his leg away from the doctor so he couldn't get to it...that's my boy :)

When all was said and one...a lollipop and posicle had been consumed and no stitches needed...YEAH!..we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up his antibiotic and made it home.

Oh yeah, Max also NEVER WANTS TO GO TO THAT PARK AGAIN :)

Lucy's 1st

I'm still having a hard time dealing with the fact my baby is a 1 year old! She is becoming such a little person. Here are some pictures from her birthday dinner...

The Birthday Girl!

"Blowing" out her candle...which, by the time I got her close enough,

Max had already taken care of...stinker!

Does it look like a teddy bear? It's supposed to be. It's not professional...I made it...just like I have made all my kids birthday cakes since Max was a year old. I have wonderful memories of my dad making my birthday cakes growing up and I want to continue that tradition with my kids...

I know what you're thinking...either

1. Wow, how cute. He looks like such a good boy that never gives his Mom a second of trouble, or

2. He's a cute little stinker who looks like he's up to something.

If you know him then you know the real answer... :p

The Princess ... do I have to say more?

Scroll down to the next post to see pictures from another party...

Think Back...

...it was a hot sunny day in July...lots of kids...laughter...water...food...cake...are you there yet? Right, Abby's 3rd birthday! Remember, we had the water party outside with the pools and slip and slides? Anyway, look who finally got around to getting some pictures on the blog! WooHoo! I finally got them from my dad's camera. If anyone would like to stress to my husband on my behalf how much I NEED a digital camera I wouldn't complain. Just don't tell him I gave you the idea :)

Anyway, here are just a few pictures from that lovely day :)

The birthday girl...chillin' in the pool

My very tall 5 year old on the kiddie slide! You're kidding me right? The ride was over before half of him got started! :)

Lucy...keepin' cool in the baby pool!

The cake I made for Abby...she wanted a princess castle...not exactly the picture I had in my head but she loved it!

My big (wet!) girl blowing out her candles!

My whole left side was soaked after holding her :)

1 Year Stats...

I took Lucy to her 1 year checkup yesterday...

She weighed in at a whopping 20lbs. 3 ozs....

She was 29 inches long...

This puts her in the 40th percentile for weight and the...get this...15th percentile for height! I guess she really is just a little peanut :) The doctor said she is growing beautifully. I had taken her last week for what I thought was a bad case of eczema but it turned out to be a viral rash on her back. It was looking worse yesterday but the doctor said it would start going away by next month (I read that this particular rash could take up to 14 weeks to go away completely)! Meanwhile I am slathering her in calamine lotion to help with itching and giving her a small dose of Benadryl if it really starts to bother her...

I asked him about her feet because I thought they seemed to be turning out more than they should. He saw her walking and assured me it was normal and would correct itself in time (the more she walks). All in all it was a good visit and she got a clean bill of health. We'll go back in 3 months and see if she's had any growth spurts (hopefully in the teeth department)!

Until later... I'll post some pics later...I have to help Abby with a project for school :)

Oh yeah...Weight Watchers...

I weighed in yesterday and I stayed the same from last week...no loss...but hey...no gain! I was told that is very good after a week with a big loss. I'm not complaining. Since I started going back to Weight Watchers last October when Lucy was 4 weeks old I have lost 27.4 pounds. Not too shabby I don't think!

Check it out!

Check out my sister Mallory's blog (go to the right hand side of the screen and click on her name) to see pics of the cutest kids!

Also, although I am extremely jealous of my other sister Shea leaving for a weeklong trip to Hawaii tomorrow, please pray that she and her husband have a safe and enjoyable trip and pray that my parents survive the week taking care of Shea and John's 4 kids! Who got the short end of the stick there :p ?

Has It Been A Year Already?...

My beautiful sweet Lucy celebrated her 1st birthday yesterday! I can't believe it...where has this year gone? I am having a particularly hard time letting go of my "baby" now that she is offically a "toddler". I have been very emotional about her birthday for the past couple of weeks and all the "big girl" stuff she is doing now.

Well, she hasn't had her 1 year checkup yet but I had to take her to the doctor this past Monday for what I thought was a bad case of eczema and what the nurse thought over the phone could be a possible milk allergy...YIKES! Turns out it is some kind of viral rash that may take up to 14 weeks to clear up...UGH! NO MILK ALLERGY THOUGH! Anyway, they weighed her and she came in at a whopping 20 pounds 10 ounces :) So needless to say she got to turn her car seat around on her birthday and start riding forward facing. When I first put her in the car she just kind of looked around and enjoyed the new view. She really seems to like riding the new way and doesn't seem too upset about not being able to see Max and Abby as well...maybe it's because she can see Mommy now? :)

She still only has two teeth and I swear that is all she'll ever have! She has gone through a few spurts of crankiness and drooling and I was convinced she was going to get a tooth ...nope...nada...nothing. She certainly doesn't let it stop her though from enjoying her food! She just gums it to death or pushes it down onto her two teeth until a piece breaks off. If she doesn't get any more teeth by 18 months I'll be taking her to get fit for dentures.

Lucy is a major chatterbox! When Abby was born I was worried that she may not talk much until she was older because Max talked so much. I was worried for nothing...same goes for Lucy. I think she probably talks as much as Max and Abby combined now! She says a few words really well and gets close with a few others. Her current favorite word is "Daddy". She says it clear as a bell. She also says "Mama", "Nana", "Papa", "doggie", "ba-ba" (bottle or her "bobby"), and my favorite..."stinky" (she wrinkles up her nose when she says that one). She also tries to say "cookie", "please", and "kitty". Otherwise she squeals or grunts or screams or reaches for what she wants.

In keeping with the tradition of the children in this family (walking by their 1st birthday)...Lucy has started to walk! This past weekend, John and I sat on the floor with her and helped her get started and she would walk back and forth between us! We have kept practicing with her and now she will actually let go of something and try it on her own. She has taken some headers into the floor but sits up and laughs at herself and wants to do it again! Give her a couple of weeks and she'll be in line with Max and Abby running around the house! This morning I had her walking from me to Abby and I thought I should dress her up as a baby Frankenstein for Halloween because she takes the stiff legged steps and holds her arms straight out :) Too Cute!

We had a party planned for this past weekend and my sister Mallory made some beautiful invitations but it didn't work out so my dad made a wonderful dinner last night and I took the teddy bear cake I made for Lucy to their house and we had a small "party" with John and I and the kids and my mom and dad and their neighbor Carol. Lucy grabbed at the cake right away and did all 1 year olds proud by making a huge mess of herself AND the cake! She also showed off her walking skills since she had a fresh audience :)

We borrowed a video camera from our neighbors and I will try to see if I can get a clip on the blog. If not, I'll get some pictures up this weekend.

Monday is her 1 year visit so I'll post more stats at that time. Sorry for the long post...

7 Years Ago...

September 15, 2001

"Let Me Call You Sweetheart"

...I married the love of my life. John and I definitely keep each other on our toes and challenge each other constantly but in a good way. Even without kids our lives would not be boring :) God found the perfect match for me just as I knew He would. John is my best friend, my partner, my husband, the father of my children, my soulmate, and most importantly...the one God chose for me to spend my life with. Happy 7th Anniversary John. Boy has a lot changed in 7 years! I love you Sweetie and I can't wait to see what the next 60 - 70 years holds for us :)
Love,
Stach

38 Years and counting...

September 12, 1970... Look how cute!...and YOUNG!



September 15, 2001... Still cute :)
not the most recent pic but I liked it...it was from my wedding

38 years ago my mom and dad got married. They have raised 3 daughters and are now enjoying their 7 grandchildren and their empty nest...well, except for their four legged grandchild (not part of the 7) who is currently living with them :) They have loved each other a long time and have been a wonderful example of marriage. I couldn't imagine having a set of parents any better than mine.

Love you Mom and Dad...Happy 38th Anniversary! Thanks for everything and for always being there :)

Weight Watchers Update...

I weighed in today.....

drumroll please....

THIS WEEK I LOST.....

2.4 pounds! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!

Insert confetti here :) We'll save the parade and marching band for when I make it back to my goal weight...!

Many Thanks...

John and I decided that it would be best if I went to Indiana alone to go to my Grandpa's funeral. I flew up on Monday and I met Shea and Mallory there. We had a late dinner waiting for us at Uncle Bud and Aunt May's house...THANKS for the GREAT GRUB :) Tuesday was the viewing so we headed over to Ferdinand where my aunts, uncles, and cousins were staying and hung out with them until it was time to go to the funeral home. I never realized how many cousins my dad has :)...I don't think he did either :) I have always known that my Grandpa was a kind and loving and thoughtful man but to see the number of people who came to pay their respects was amazing. He touched so many lives. It was very comforting as well to have my Granny and aunts and uncles and cousins from the Kleeman side come to pay their respects. Thanks so much and I hope you all know how much you are loved. Although they may never see this blog, thanks to all the wonderful nuns and others who prepared food to have at the house, at the funeral home, and at the luncheon after the funeral...it was great.

Wednesday morning we went to the church early and after the entire family said our last tearful goodbyes, we laid my dear sweet Grandpa to rest next to my Grandma. The mass was nice and I learned more about my Grandpa than I knew before. I also realized that my dad is so much like his father in many ways...all the good ones :) The American Legion post provided military graveside rights which was tough to witness but deserving of this World War II vet who earned a purple heart. I am so fortunate to have been able to grow up knowing all 4 of my grandparents and although I didn't get to see them that often, I cherished every moment. I want my children to realize how very lucky they are as well to have such loving and wonderful grandparents...all 4 of them.

Finally, A GREAT BIG THANKS to Jack and Charlotte for coming down here to help John out so I could go to Indiana. I know John appreciated the help and I do as well. It means a lot and I know it wore you out :)

Coming soon...Lucy's 1st Birthday!!!!!!!!!!

Sweethearts Reunited in Heaven

On October 16, 2000 my Grandma Marie (my dad's mom) passed away suddenly. She left behind not only children and grandchildren and great grandchildren...she left behind her sweetheart of 55 years, my Grandpa. My grandparents were VERY close and VERY much in love. My Grandpa seemed at a loss when my Grandma died. He talked about my Grandma all the time and the love in his eyes and voice when he spoke of her had not diminished over the past 8 years. He kept busy the last 8 years and continued to enjoy seeing his children and grand/great-grandchildren, however it was always evident how much he missed Grandma.


On Thursday, August 28th, these two sweethearts were reunited again in heaven. My Grandfather passed away in his sleep and I know that my Grandma was waiting for him to take him home so they could now be together forever. Although it doesn't make the pain of his passing any less, it gives me comfort knowing that he is now right where he has always wanted to be (probably since the day they met) next to her. I picture them sitting on a swing with Grandpa's arm around her.


Grandma and Grandpa...your love and devotion to each other and your strong values are an inspiration to all of us. You raised seven wonderful children who loved and respected you and in turn are passing on those values to their children and grand children. Although the family tree has lost one of its strongest branches, be at peace knowing that the seeds you planted will continue to grow strong. You will be missed but remembered always with love.