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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Birthdays, Dozer Day, Sooo Big and Other Exciting Events...
Here are some recent pictures of our adventures in random order (basically the way I pasted them in here).
The first of many Sooo Big pictures of Molly (her latest trick) - she always tilts her head to the side and gives a sly smile...
Trying to get a nice picture of Mason but Jeff had to stick his head in to make it goofy - I guess I now understand why Mason does that all the time...
There is something so sweet about the side profile of a baby's head - so precious.
The first of many Sooo Big pictures of Molly (her latest trick) - she always tilts her head to the side and gives a sly smile...
Trying to get a nice picture of Mason but Jeff had to stick his head in to make it goofy - I guess I now understand why Mason does that all the time...
Here is Megan with her new friend, Lexie. Lexie's mom Lindsey and I are good friends from MOPS so the girls see a lot of each other.
Megan is becoming a show-off for the camera, too now.
One of a few shots from Dozer Day. It really is quite amazing to see how big the equipment is there. The tire the kids are in was literally taller then Jeff or I.
Just one of my favorite shots of Molly. She looks identical to Mason at that age.
We took our kids and some cousins to Build A Bear for Megan's birthday. It was a blast and we basically just hung out at the mall that morning. Quite fun and no mess to clean up!
Megan named her new bunny, "Bunny".
Here she is opening her present from Mason - a large My Little Pony with lots of pink sparkly hair - she loved it!
Another Sooo Big from Molly...
Mason coming home from his first day of school - by the looks of his smile, I could tell he had a great day. Lots of good friends in his class, desks this year and a great teacher!
Megan is becoming a show-off for the camera, too now.
One of a few shots from Dozer Day. It really is quite amazing to see how big the equipment is there. The tire the kids are in was literally taller then Jeff or I.
Just one of my favorite shots of Molly. She looks identical to Mason at that age.
We took our kids and some cousins to Build A Bear for Megan's birthday. It was a blast and we basically just hung out at the mall that morning. Quite fun and no mess to clean up!
Megan named her new bunny, "Bunny".
Here she is opening her present from Mason - a large My Little Pony with lots of pink sparkly hair - she loved it!
Another Sooo Big from Molly...
Mason and Megan on the first day of school...
(for once, not at each other's throats in the morning)
Mason coming home from his first day of school - by the looks of his smile, I could tell he had a great day. Lots of good friends in his class, desks this year and a great teacher!
Megan just being her cute self...
One of the first times I walked in to find Molly standing up - time to lower her crib!
And another Sooo Big... (does that ever get old? Not for me, but I'm her mommy!)
Ok, last one, I promise...
And a cute shot of Megan and Mason jumping on our bed at the Country Springs Hotel. We had a gift certificate to use so we spent just one night in the Governer's Suite and had a blast at the waterpark and arcade. A nice little get away, not far from home.
And another Sooo Big... (does that ever get old? Not for me, but I'm her mommy!)
Ok, last one, I promise...
And a cute shot of Megan and Mason jumping on our bed at the Country Springs Hotel. We had a gift certificate to use so we spent just one night in the Governer's Suite and had a blast at the waterpark and arcade. A nice little get away, not far from home.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Comparison - easier than I thought
So I guess it's easier than I thought to tell the three apart. I didn't have a naked shot of Mason (what kind of mother am I?) so I found 3 close-ups. You can definitely tell they are related but it's obvious to me who's who.
Mason Maxwell
Megan Rae
Molly Ann Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Official Promotion for Heidi
Well - sort of. June 4th was my last day of work at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare and now I am a full-time stay at home mom! It'll require a rework of our budget, but I am looking forward to the summer with the kids.
Here is a picture of my Wheaton friends at my goodbye lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. They are the greatest group of people to work with and I am going to miss seeing them on a regular basis. Hopefully, we will be able to keep in touch, though, as I have with former Manpower friends.
Here are some pictures of the fun the kids and I are having so far...
We got this jumper from a friend - Molly loves it and is finally getting the hang of jumping in it instead of just spinning herself around.
My dad has been spending quite a bit of time with us - Molly just lights up when he comes around.
I love this picture of Molly - I have pictures like this for Mason and Megan, too. I will try to find them and post them with this one and see if you can tell the difference.
The three "M"usketeers!
Messy Molly...
Here is a picture of my Wheaton friends at my goodbye lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. They are the greatest group of people to work with and I am going to miss seeing them on a regular basis. Hopefully, we will be able to keep in touch, though, as I have with former Manpower friends.
Here are some pictures of the fun the kids and I are having so far...
We got this jumper from a friend - Molly loves it and is finally getting the hang of jumping in it instead of just spinning herself around.
My dad has been spending quite a bit of time with us - Molly just lights up when he comes around.
I love this picture of Molly - I have pictures like this for Mason and Megan, too. I will try to find them and post them with this one and see if you can tell the difference.
The three "M"usketeers!
Messy Molly...
This activity gym was also given to us by a friend (same one as the jumper) and Molly sits at it daily. You'd think with 3 kids I would have had one of these but I didn't.
Mason never wants to give me a serious smile so I frequently have to bargain with him - if he gives me a good smile, I'll let him take a silly/action shot.
Megan has taken to climbing in Molly's crib with her and either laying with her or reading books to her. What is funny about this is that Megan herself has a crib but she has yet to climb in or out of it. (Shhhh...don't tell her that if she can scale Molly's she can probably scale her own!)
Well, we're keeping pretty busy. Certainly not as much down time as one would think when you're unemployed but fun, none the less. More photos to come...I've got 3 months worth waiting to post but thought I'd start out slow since it takes so long to upload pictures to blogger (anyone else have that problem? Suggestions?). Happy Summer!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Molly Ann at 6 months
My friend came over today to take some six month pictures of Molly (the same friend who did our family pictures and Molly's newborn pictures). Here is the smilebox she put together with a preview of them - just click PLAY...(you may want to close the window with our blog in it after you click play so you can hear the music from the smilebox, otherwise the music from our blog overrides it)
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Saturday, February 21, 2009
Top Ten Things I Learned from Mom...
This was my tribute to my mom that was read at her memorial service:
Years ago, Mom used to watch David Letterman, so in the spirit of his daily Top Ten list, I have come up with the Top 10 things I learned from Mom.
10. When in doubt, make a list. Mom had lists for everything – phone numbers, agendas, medications, things to pack on a trip, things to do before a party, food menus for get-togethers. You name it – she probably had a list for it. She continued her list making even though her hand-writing was not what it used to be. She would write the list and then ask me to type it up for her. When Jeff and I moved into the house in Germantown 9 years ago, she typed up and gave us a list of phone numbers for the neighbors, local restaurants and the essential city numbers like the village hall, the post office and the rec. department. To this day, the list is posted on our fridge and is used at least weekly.
9. Whatever something costs, you can find it for ½ price (or less) somewhere else. Mom was a huge fan of rummaging and clearance shopping and was able to find anything you were looking for. If you mentioned you were looking for a unicycle, she would find it. She would often call me from a rummage sale or store and say, “I found such and such for $1.00 – do you want it?” I have picked up her knack for finding deals and although I don’t think Jeff believes me, I have saved our family a ton of money. Just this week I came home from Kohl’s with a pair of black dress pants and a sweater for a total of $12.00. It truly is a finely tuned skill to find deals like that - I am so thankful she passed that onto me.
8. Always smile – it makes a huge impact on others. When I was younger, I was shy, and I mean REALLY shy. We would see people from school at a store or restaurant and I would be too afraid to say hello. The kids always knew my mom so she would smile and say hello to them and practically force me to do the same. I hated it at the time but over the years I have seen the impact she had on people when she would greet them with a big smile. It put them at ease immediately and would put a smile on their face. I sure am going to miss her beautiful smile.
7. Have fun and laugh a lot. Even though our family had our share of hard times over the years, we more than compensated with the fun we had. Whether it was our weekly family game night, backyard pool parties, having our own Iditarod (the dogs would pull us around the house in a sled), or the Frisbee games with the neighborhood kids in the backyard, Mom always made sure we were having a good time. Thanks to her, I now play a mean game of Payday and Pit, in case anyone is up for a challenge.
6. Make daily routine chores and events, non-routine. One of my most vivid memories of our family when I was young is when the sheets got washed at our house. Katie or I would lay down on one of the sheets and my parents would grab both ends and swing us back and forth. It was better than a roller-coaster ride – and it could be the reason I don’t despise doing laundry today. Another thing she did was make it a race for us all to get buckled in the car. It was a time before buckling your seatbelt was the law and she wanted to make sure we made it a habit for when we were old enough to drive on our own. It worked, because if I’m moving my car in a parking lot from one space to another, you better believe I have my seatbelt on.
5. Make everyone feel important. Another one of the many things Mom did well was make anyone and everyone feel important. I saw this mostly in the way she related to children. They would flock to her when she would sit down on a floor with toys and she would play with them – and I mean truly play with them. Not just sit there while involved in an adult conversation or watching TV or doing something else. She gave them her full attention and it made them feel special. More recently I saw this in the way she related to the other patients where she went to get dialysis 3 times a week. It certainly was not something to look forward to but the other patients along with the nurses and workers were her friends and she went out of her way to get to know them and make them feel important. I know they are all missing their friend today.
4. Serve others. This was Mom’s specialty – almost to a fault. She was unable to go to any function or get-together without helping in some way. During recent years when her health started to slow her down, I would say to her, “Mom, why don’t you just come and BE at this party. Don’t bring anything, don’t worry about helping – just sit and relax.” She told me that she was physically unable to do so and would rather skip the party. I am sure almost every person in this place today has a story about how Mom served them in one way or another. It was a true gift she had and we all could learn from the unselfish way in which she lived her life.
3. Love your children and grandchildren unconditionally. There is no question that she did this better than anyone I know. During the 8 years I played volleyball thru high school and college, I think you could count on two hands the number of home games she missed. I always knew she was so proud of me, even if I didn’t have a good game. While I was away at college (a whole 30 miles to UW-Milwaukee), I would get care packages, postcards and letters from her weekly. Even as an adult, on birthdays I would find a cake and candles in my fridge when I got home from work. She always made us feel special and deeply loved. Regarding her grandchildren, there are not adequate words, nor do we have the time, to explain how much she loved them. My heart is broken from the thought that my three children will grow up without their “Nana”.
2. Stay faithful no matter what. Arguably the most important thing you can teach your children. Deuteronomy 6:5 reads “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Although Mom had a quiet faith, it was strong and steadfast and did not falter even through the difficult times she faced. It was obvious she never doubted that Jesus was her savior and that she would be going to be with Him some day. The frustration and pain of the health issues she faced could have easily jaded her but I never once heard her ask why God was putting her through it. This is definitely a lesson that is taught through actions and not words and I pray that for the rest of my life, whatever obstacle God brings me to, my reaction to it is a testimony of my faith, rather than an uncertainty of it.
1. Leave a Legacy Nichole Nordeman’s song Legacy says, “I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering. A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name, unapologetically – and leave THAT kind of legacy... Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred. I just want to hear instead, "Well Done, good and faithful one...”
A true legacy is not left in the amount of money you had, the jobs you held, or the houses you bought or built. All of these are things that moth, rust and thieves will destroy, according to scripture.
No – a true legacy is left in the way you made a difference in other people’s lives with your kindness and generosity. In the values that you instilled in your children and the love you gave them, your grandchildren, your husband and other family. And by the way you walked by faith, not by sight. Mom did all of these things – and she did them well. Now, Katie and I have a beautiful blueprint with which to map our own lives, so we can continue her legacy.
I miss you Mom – and I love you more!
Years ago, Mom used to watch David Letterman, so in the spirit of his daily Top Ten list, I have come up with the Top 10 things I learned from Mom.
10. When in doubt, make a list. Mom had lists for everything – phone numbers, agendas, medications, things to pack on a trip, things to do before a party, food menus for get-togethers. You name it – she probably had a list for it. She continued her list making even though her hand-writing was not what it used to be. She would write the list and then ask me to type it up for her. When Jeff and I moved into the house in Germantown 9 years ago, she typed up and gave us a list of phone numbers for the neighbors, local restaurants and the essential city numbers like the village hall, the post office and the rec. department. To this day, the list is posted on our fridge and is used at least weekly.
9. Whatever something costs, you can find it for ½ price (or less) somewhere else. Mom was a huge fan of rummaging and clearance shopping and was able to find anything you were looking for. If you mentioned you were looking for a unicycle, she would find it. She would often call me from a rummage sale or store and say, “I found such and such for $1.00 – do you want it?” I have picked up her knack for finding deals and although I don’t think Jeff believes me, I have saved our family a ton of money. Just this week I came home from Kohl’s with a pair of black dress pants and a sweater for a total of $12.00. It truly is a finely tuned skill to find deals like that - I am so thankful she passed that onto me.
8. Always smile – it makes a huge impact on others. When I was younger, I was shy, and I mean REALLY shy. We would see people from school at a store or restaurant and I would be too afraid to say hello. The kids always knew my mom so she would smile and say hello to them and practically force me to do the same. I hated it at the time but over the years I have seen the impact she had on people when she would greet them with a big smile. It put them at ease immediately and would put a smile on their face. I sure am going to miss her beautiful smile.
7. Have fun and laugh a lot. Even though our family had our share of hard times over the years, we more than compensated with the fun we had. Whether it was our weekly family game night, backyard pool parties, having our own Iditarod (the dogs would pull us around the house in a sled), or the Frisbee games with the neighborhood kids in the backyard, Mom always made sure we were having a good time. Thanks to her, I now play a mean game of Payday and Pit, in case anyone is up for a challenge.
6. Make daily routine chores and events, non-routine. One of my most vivid memories of our family when I was young is when the sheets got washed at our house. Katie or I would lay down on one of the sheets and my parents would grab both ends and swing us back and forth. It was better than a roller-coaster ride – and it could be the reason I don’t despise doing laundry today. Another thing she did was make it a race for us all to get buckled in the car. It was a time before buckling your seatbelt was the law and she wanted to make sure we made it a habit for when we were old enough to drive on our own. It worked, because if I’m moving my car in a parking lot from one space to another, you better believe I have my seatbelt on.
5. Make everyone feel important. Another one of the many things Mom did well was make anyone and everyone feel important. I saw this mostly in the way she related to children. They would flock to her when she would sit down on a floor with toys and she would play with them – and I mean truly play with them. Not just sit there while involved in an adult conversation or watching TV or doing something else. She gave them her full attention and it made them feel special. More recently I saw this in the way she related to the other patients where she went to get dialysis 3 times a week. It certainly was not something to look forward to but the other patients along with the nurses and workers were her friends and she went out of her way to get to know them and make them feel important. I know they are all missing their friend today.
4. Serve others. This was Mom’s specialty – almost to a fault. She was unable to go to any function or get-together without helping in some way. During recent years when her health started to slow her down, I would say to her, “Mom, why don’t you just come and BE at this party. Don’t bring anything, don’t worry about helping – just sit and relax.” She told me that she was physically unable to do so and would rather skip the party. I am sure almost every person in this place today has a story about how Mom served them in one way or another. It was a true gift she had and we all could learn from the unselfish way in which she lived her life.
3. Love your children and grandchildren unconditionally. There is no question that she did this better than anyone I know. During the 8 years I played volleyball thru high school and college, I think you could count on two hands the number of home games she missed. I always knew she was so proud of me, even if I didn’t have a good game. While I was away at college (a whole 30 miles to UW-Milwaukee), I would get care packages, postcards and letters from her weekly. Even as an adult, on birthdays I would find a cake and candles in my fridge when I got home from work. She always made us feel special and deeply loved. Regarding her grandchildren, there are not adequate words, nor do we have the time, to explain how much she loved them. My heart is broken from the thought that my three children will grow up without their “Nana”.
2. Stay faithful no matter what. Arguably the most important thing you can teach your children. Deuteronomy 6:5 reads “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Although Mom had a quiet faith, it was strong and steadfast and did not falter even through the difficult times she faced. It was obvious she never doubted that Jesus was her savior and that she would be going to be with Him some day. The frustration and pain of the health issues she faced could have easily jaded her but I never once heard her ask why God was putting her through it. This is definitely a lesson that is taught through actions and not words and I pray that for the rest of my life, whatever obstacle God brings me to, my reaction to it is a testimony of my faith, rather than an uncertainty of it.
1. Leave a Legacy Nichole Nordeman’s song Legacy says, “I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering. A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name, unapologetically – and leave THAT kind of legacy... Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred. I just want to hear instead, "Well Done, good and faithful one...”
A true legacy is not left in the amount of money you had, the jobs you held, or the houses you bought or built. All of these are things that moth, rust and thieves will destroy, according to scripture.
No – a true legacy is left in the way you made a difference in other people’s lives with your kindness and generosity. In the values that you instilled in your children and the love you gave them, your grandchildren, your husband and other family. And by the way you walked by faith, not by sight. Mom did all of these things – and she did them well. Now, Katie and I have a beautiful blueprint with which to map our own lives, so we can continue her legacy.
I miss you Mom – and I love you more!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Finding joy during the pain...
It has been a tough couple of weeks since my mom died. Explaining it to my children, watching my dad grieve the loss of his sweetheart of 36 years, coming to terms with my own life without her. Through all of the pain and tears, it is essential that we continue to find joy in our lives. Molly has played a huge part in helping us all do that. She is the sweetest, most easy-going (and cutest I might add) baby and makes us smile even when we're hurting. She is almost 4 months old and is at the stage where she smiles and giggles at everything. We knew she was a blessing when she was born but had no idea how important she would be in our lives just a few months later. She was a source of joy for my mom for the three months they got to spend together and is now our source of joy through the pain we're experiencing. Here are just a few pictures of her adorable smile. Tell me you're not smiling right now just looking at them!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Barbara A. Krumins 1947-2009
My mother passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 24th. Below is just a small group of recent pictures of her with my children. My heart is broken that they will now have to live their lives without their precious Nana.
We love you and miss you more than you can imagine Mom! We will anxiously await the day we meet again in heaven.
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