Mountain Climbing Daredevil

I have decided that Kaitlynn is going to be either a mountain climber or a daredevil like evil Knievel. Here is a picture I took a while back of her climbing up onto the box that we store our Christmas tree in. What a little stinker... and when I let her know that I knew what she was doing she covered her mouth like "Uh Oh... I'm in Trouble." I love this kid!

Happy Birthday Party Cassie!

Today was Miss Cassie's 9th Birthday party. Her actual birthday is on Christmas eve day so her family chooses to celebrate in January so that it is just as special. Funny enough though is the fact that we ended up doing our Christmas exchange between the nieces this morning just because we didn't do a "Bronander" Christmas. So we decided that we would be getting together today anyway so we headed over to their place early. Kyra was stoked because she got her soccer ball for this spring and some kind of wet dry sand thing (thanks again Paula... wink wink) that she was totally thrilled with. Kaitlynn got a big bag of building blocks that she loves (they are scattered all over my kitchen by the way) and will not leave in their bag. Paula fed us too! It was this really yummy chicken concoction that was like a marinara but not really.... and of course she will not be sharing the recipe with me anytime soon... BOO! I borrowed Dad's steamer and brought along some freshly steamed broccoli which actually went over better than I expected from the little girilies. Paula made crescent rolls too, yum! After we cleaned up from Christmas it was just in time for Cassie's birthday party. She had alot of guests and some pretty cool gifts too. I think her favorite was from her Uncle Tony and his fiance Kelly (s/p?). It was a little gerbil (I think) and it was totally black with a long tail. At my house it would have been called a rodent and a rat but Cassie's was honestly excited and I think this little guy is going to be loved very much... and if shes not careful eaten by the cats... they were eyeing him up pretty good :)

Sleep Over

Tonight Kyra is going to one of her first official sleep overs. I was kinda torn when she told me though because during the school year we only get to see her every other weekend and if we are lucky sometimes on Christmas or Spring break. So you can see why I was reluctant to give up one of our days with my most precious girly friend. Anyways, we decided that she should definitely go because she was one of three girls invited to actually stay over after the birthday party. Not to mention that it was "excellent Emily" vs the other Emily that we will not mention here (trying to come up with something other than bad names) which Kyra is not so fond of. Speaking of "the other Emily" Kyra was so cute because she informed me that Emily was pretty much a vegetarian... she just eats ham, chicken and fish... so she doesn't eat cow then? I said... she didn't like that very much. Before she left for the sleepover we spent a little time catching up and hanging out at home. She was playing with the camcorder that Auntie Mary from Texas had gotten her and pretending to suck out her sister's brains... here is a picture. This is just about the time when I remind Tim that this is definitely his daughter... what a weirdo :)

pLaY pLaY pLaY!

We took the girls out to eat last weekend because we were just too exhausted to cook anything at home and frankly I had an itch for Burger King french fries. So we headed to our favorite location about 10 mind from home. There is a Target located conveniently on the way so I talked Timmy into letting me stop. I picked up a new digital photo frame for the kitchen which is really cool... have I mentioned I like to take pictures. So after that we got the restaurant and let the girls play in the play yard thingy since there was nobody in there at all. It was Kaitlynn's first time and I was a little nervous about how she would handle it. And at first she was definitely a little reserved... but then when she saw Kyra was having fun she let go of her inhibitions and started crawling all over the place. It was super cute to watch the girls play together. I know I make Kaitlynn happy and I know she loves her Daddy and I... but nobody makes her giggle like Kyra can. Thank God for big sisters. This pictures is of Kyra questioning the limit of "1" persons. Somebody must have scratched off the other numbers and she thought it was pretty amusing... so we took a picture!

China Buffet

Today I met Paula and Kaitlynn at China Buffet for lunch. Paula has been watching her for the past few days/nights while I have been working. 12 hour shifts are awesome pay but they get to be a bit long. All I end up doing is sleeping and working... harumph. Anyways, I guess while she was away, Paula taught Kaitlynn how to walk (a little). She used gum to entice her, which I thought was pretty inventive and incredible smart. Bella baby loves that stuff! So after we ate Paula showed me just how close Kaitlynn is... it truly will not be long. Before we left I had to stop so Kaitlynn could say bye bye to the fishies and the froggies... The next 17 years should be interesting :)

so sad

So my bestest friend in the whole wide world is moving away this spring. Yes my BFF Jackie is headed down to Chicago this April and is going to leave. Boo Hoo... Now who am I going to watch my scary movies with?

Wedding Bells

Today Mom, Dad and I drove down to Sheboygan to meet with AJ and Anna to talk about their wedding. It is about half way for both cars one coming from Green Bay and the other from Milwaukee. Kaitlynn and Kyra stayed home with their Daddy and actually went out to lunch with Auntie Karla. It was a cloudy and brisk day but when Anna walked in with that wedding cake... it made it a whole lot brighter :) We met for lunch and finalized the list of invites on Mom and Dad's side. I have to give the soon to be's credit because I really forgot just how much work it is to plan a wedding, especially long distance like that. So get your calender's ready and mark down July 24th 2010. I am sooooo excited for them. Since Dad got sick there hasn't been all that much to look forward to... and now there is! Woo Hoo... I couldn't ask for a better sister in law... Anna you are the best!

Wiiiiiiii

We bought my Dad a Wii for Christmas this year to go along with his new big screen TV and surround sound. We figured if this was going to possibly be his last Christmas we might as well make it a good one. The funny thing is that we are all really digging this Wii thing. I have to say that it is almost addicting. I have to apologize to Timmy for making fun of him for getting all freaked out when his character dies... it really can get to you. I just picked up The price is right on half price so hopefully I wont get too hooked on it. I have a feeling that this may be the new Herrman hangout... which would be a-okay with me! We played a whole lot of bowling when Mary and Carlos were here and my game is improving... but no where near Carlos'. He is the bowling master!

Grown up

So I am starting to feel like a real grown up. This past week I made one of my first purchases where I felt like it was "a big deal." So I know you are asking me why I don't feel like a grown up since I am almost 28 years old and have a husband and a baby... I just feel like I am perpetually in college or something... its really weird. But anyways... I have been collecting these glass paper weights for years and up until now have been storing them in the basement's extra room. I have always wanted a light up cabinet to showcase them but have never had the money or the nerve to get one. Since Dad got sick I have realized that if there is something I want to do or get done I should get to it because you never know whats going to happen. So I bit the bullet and bought one. Bella... my bestest shopping buddy ever, and I went out pricing units this past week when I had off. Of course I had to pick the days where we got dumped on with snow... but that is typical of my luck. So I found one that I liked at WG&R that wold break my bank account and bought it. They must have been having a sale because they took an extra 20% off the top which was awesome because that covered the cost of a little white toy chest I have always wanted to get miss Bella Bean. So, we loaded the toy chest into the back of the magnum (it was pretty heavy) and scheduled the cabinet to be picked up on the weekend. Tim's brother Andy was nice enough to let us use his van (and strong back) to being it home on Saturday afternoon. It was killing me because I was so excited to see what it looked like that I didn't really sleep at all... which is bad since I have to work three 12 hours nights this weekend. Oh well, whats good sleep like anyway? SO here are a few pics of my beloved cabinet which i think is technically called a curio... I have no idea. You will see that my little people are in the bottom. Kaitlynn thought it would cool to play with these one day so now she can admire them through the glass. The picture is of Tim and I when we were 16 years old... Isn't it amazing how life works out?

2010 Resolutions

So here are my 2010 Resolutions...
1- Breathe: I have been keeping myself so busy with Kaitlynn, my Dad and my Mom that I have not had much time to do anything else. Mind you I do this on purpose... but I need to stop filling up my days to avoid what is actually going on around me.
2- Date nights: Timmy and I are going to try and have a few "dates" a month. We were independent people before we got married and so it really doesn't bother either of us to be in the same house and not be spending time together. I know it must sound weird to alot of you but for the most part we would rather being doing our own thing than something we don't want to do together... However, now with the addition of little Bella Bean, our relationship is strained just the slightest bit (totally recoverable don't worry).
3- Get stuff done: I always have all these little projects going on and I now realize that none of them are finished and I am overwhelmed. Starting now there is a mental (and physical) checklist to get things done. Which leads me to number four...
4- Uncovering the Elliptical machine: and getting back into shape. I think with all the good food this fall and the incredible stress eating I was doing, I have packed on a good twenty pound which need to come off. I usually carry a little extra chunk on me in general, but its getting to the point where I am uncomfortable and that my friends means I need to change.
5- Opening up: this is the hard one... I don't like to talk about myself or my problems. As far as I am concerned no one needs to hear about my issues. But I have decided that the more I talk about it the better I feel... So watch out for the flood of info these next few months. I am working up the courage to talk freely about my Dad's cancer because I know I am going to cry... and I hate crying.
It is for that exact reason that I am sooooo grateful to have my little baby to hug and kiss. Here is a silly video of her climbing the steps at my parents house. It is hilarious that this little 14 month old can climb the steps like a pro but cannot walk - Go Figure!

xmas with Anna and AJ

Today was our last family Christmas and we celebrated it with Anna and AJ before they went home to Milwaukee. We started our day out at the dealership getting the oil changed on the Magnum. Interstingly enough AJ was across the street with his car doing the exact same thing... weird. After that we all met at the China Buffet which is our family's preferred buffet (which is weird to say). Kyra loves it though... if you ask her what she wants to eat she will reply without hesitation... Chinese. I am talking any time of the day or any day of the week... Chinese. So after our meal we headed back to Mom and Dads to play a little Wii while AJ and Anna went to get their cell phones on the same plan. I cant believe they are going to be married in a little over six months! Whoa... We exchanged gifts and had a nice visit before they left. AJ (with help from his sister) got Kyra an excavation kit while mom and dad got her an easy bake oven. Dad won a drawing for a child's gift at work which benefited the Salvation Army. It was awful nice of him but I had to scold him for how much he paid... I guess its a donation though. Nice hot mits Anna... I think Carlos would be jealous


Speaking of donation I just gave 30.00 bucks to the local firefighters of Green Bay... or was it the police. Either way it doesn't matter because all I could think on the phone was "whats the minimum donation?" And "If I don't donate is something bad going to happen to me?" Isn't it sad when you have to feel guilted into giving... there is definitely something wrong there. But luckily if I lock myself out with the stove on I should get some prompt service right?

This is Kyra opening her gift... total excitement!

2010

2010 is gonna be great... I know it!

I wish you good health, Lots of love and best of luck to everyone with those resolutions :)