Wow last time I blogged something, it was snowing out....I better get more active in my blogging. This has been a quick year....backing up the calendar, in March - Billy and Laura bought a new house on Tuesday and were moved in by Thursday. It took long hours alot of gas going back and forth and many helpers. The house is great and finally large enough to handle all the crew and toys and dogs....they certainly deserve the additional space and I wish them well.

The next week Amy and Eric bought their house in Lombard but they took a little more time moving into theirs and moving out of their apartment...It is a perfect size for them, 3 bedrooms and basement, attached garage and partially fenced in yard, complete with 2 annoying dogs next door....again I wish them well and it has been fun watching both siblings moving, decorating and enjoying their new homes.

In April, good Friday to be exact we took down 2 60 year old trees in Mom's backyard. It was pretty scary at times but it sure makes a difference in the yard. It appears much larger and sunnier that before....Billy was on a 52' lift cutting and sending the chunks down to the ground with help from Andro, his cousin Pat and Pat's wife Beth and brother in law. It took all day to get the trees down and has taken all summer to get rid of the wood...it seemed appropriate that on Good Friday when we commemorate the nailing on the tree of Christ,..we are cutting them down..

In May, we celebrated Mother's Day and Mom's 84th birthday....she preferred to keep a low profile...we went out to dinner with Greg and Deidra and paid dearly for it later...

In June we bid farewell to our Priest at our Church and had a party for him after all the masses. It was a busy weekend but he certainly deserves to retire and enjoy himself. To say we will really miss him is an understatement....it is not easy getting use to someone new all over again.

Amy and Eric actually went to the JP and tied the knot on June 25th, 2010. They did this for many reasons mostly work and insurance reasons. They will have their official ceremony still in October. We were planning to have a garden wedding reception but the weather this year has been so unpredictable and volitle that it was finally agreed upon to have the reception at the church in their hall. It certainly does make planning the event easier...but someday I would still like to do an outdoor wedding..fortunately I am running out of children to get married so it will have to be for someone else.

In June we also went to the girls (Alana, Ava and Brooke's) recital. After a year of dance we saw the fruits of their labors. It was long but quite enjoyable. They really put in alot of work to acomplish their goals. Ava and Alana are also in dance competitions and will be dancing their way to Mrytle Beach South Carolina in July....good luck to them both.

In July the 4th was relatively uneventful. We bar-qued at Kate and Blakes and watched the fireworks in the evening. The best part of the weekend was the extra day off on Monday.

During all this time and these events, Mom and I have been working on the backyard to get ready for Amy and Eric's shower....Man there's alot of weeds out there. But finally on the morning of the 4th we actually completed the yard. I love sitting out there and just looking and imagineing what to do next.....

The next event was Brooke's 4th birthday and we spent it with all her friends and family..

We celebrated Ava's birthday when they came back from vacation at the bowling alley with all her friends and cousins.

Next up was Mason's 1st birthday.....turning 1 is a big deal...just waiting for him to walk and talk....if he is like his sister...we may want to still wait a bit...

In August, we had Amy and Eric's wedding shower. It turned out to be a great day, no rain, no mosquitos thanks to Eric, but we did have little bees all of a sudden....here are some of the pics...

Thanks to Kathy for coming all the way out for the shower and bringing these lovely homemade bride and groom sugar cookies....pretty cute...

The Bride and groom really cleaned up and after the event so did Kathy, Mom and I....only 38 more days until the wedding and then it will be time to relax and enjoy the fall.....looking forward to that............................................... Well that is as far as my brain can go in one evening....and I have promised myself that I will blog more often...it is a lot easier than trying to remember......

As you can tell I am the slowest Blogger in the midwest....but believe me, I blog everyday in my mind and in my heart. Today is one of those occasions when I need to blog in actuality....I have been blessed in my life in many ways but one of them is my sister Kathy who celebrates her birthday today...we have been friends forever..the best of friends to be exact...maybe not always the best when we were teenagers....and I do remember being ousted out of our room and having all my things packed up and waiting for me OUTSIDE my door...but that was okay..thank God Mom and Dad had a big house...There is nothing in the world greater than a sister. She is someone who knows your secrets and keeps them, feels your pain and hurts with you, knows your soul and the secrets tucked inside. Kathy is a terrific role model and someone I have always admired. She is funny, loving, dedicated to her family and her job...she even has the best husband in the world...and he likes to do laundry....she smiles often and brightens anyone's day that is lucky enough to spend it with her...She has been there always for me and I have always appreciated her presence. Though we live miles and the state of Indiana apart...we are always together...

Happy Birthday Kath and when you blow out the candles, As the younger sister

I have never been without a friend or ever alone and I know

we are together always.....

Love ya

OH my Gosh....I thought it was March that came in like a lion and out like a lamb....well January has truly been a flurry of activity. January started off with the shock that my sister-in-law Bonnie, my bother Phil's wife, was diagnoised with Lukemia and is currently in the Univeristy of Chicago medical center undergoing Chemotherapy. When we heard the news it was as if someone hit you with a mack truck. Our prayers and thoughts have been with her and her family as she undergoes a tough journey. So far Bonnie has weathered the chemo and is remaining extremely strong and has received her second treatment this weekend. We are all hoping and praying for her recovery.

This last week began with Bill and Laura looking at a new house that just went on the market. It is perfect for them, it has all the room that they need for a growing family. It has four bedrooms, family room, living room, dining room, basement, fenced in yard everything. They went back on Tuesday looked at it again, put an offer in, the couple countered, they countered and before Wednesday dawned they had purchased the home....Wow who buys a home in 1 day...they did I guess and they were very excited...

All week Laura was not feeling good, by Thursday she ended up in the hospital and by Friday morning she had surgery to remove her appendix.....yikes. Bill has been playing Mr. Mom and new homeowner and now has a new respect for Laura and all she does... it has been a tough week for them. Laura came home from the hospital Friday and Saturday they celebrated Alana's 6th birthday at the bowling alley with 20 of her closest friends and family....

Happy Birthday Alana... I couldn't help myself...I was amazed at the true bliss Andrew got with just a simple sucker....my kind of kid....

While Saturday morning, Amy was scheduled to have knee surgery to repair some dangling cartilidge and was back home recouping on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday came and we all, gimps included, attended a mass for Jonathan. It seems strange to think it has been 6 years since he died. My biggest fear was that I would be here saying someday...I can't believe it has been 30 years since he's been gone. Time passes so quickly and so many events have passed with it. He is missed always and next month his birthday turns him 25 while he remains always 18....I know it has been said that time heals...true enough I guess, but in reality it doesn't heal, it will always be a wound that lies just under the skin. Time transforms you into different people and I know for myself that I will never be the same person I was then and the current person will go on to be a part of all the new events that are constantly happening and he will always be our special silent obseverer from a close distance.

Well as we close out this week and begin anew tomorrow...one never knows what this week will hold.....keep your fingers crossed...anything is possible....

Well Happy New Year to my adoring fans of one or maybe two.....

New Year's Eve came and went very quietly..mainly because I could not find anything good on TV and from sheer boredom gave up and went to bed at 8:45...I am a thrill seeker. Seriously, I searched all the stations, I had already watched all the DVD's, but before I went to take the dog out I flipped through the channels and settle on one but a commercial was on so I went to take the dog out...when I came back in Mom was laughing hysterically and watching the TV. In hopes that something funny or good was on I asked her what she was watching and she replied whatever you put on, but it was all about the Penis and the Vagina...I'm like OH MY GOD...I seriously need a life and apparently so does she...but at least she laughed her way to bed and New Year's Eve came in very quietly.





I did get up early and went outside and though everything still looked exactly the same as it did the night before, we had entered a new year and a new decade as well. As I stood in the peace of the early morning and the snow was falling, I tried to imagine what this year will bring. I can only hope that health, happiness and love made the top of the list. If you have all of those the rest can be overcome. This should be a busy year, they all seem to be after a while. Plans are being made for Amy's wedding..(not telling Mom exactly when though, she seems to get creative during even years and years when one of my children will be getting married!!).

Brooke has been struggling with how to walk for the next six weeks. The doctor put quite a large cast on her leg. I tried to explain to her my 3 day rule for illness, but she did not seem to grasp the idea that if Christ can die and rise again in 3 days, surely you can get up and try to walk. It took some days and practice and now I believe she should be ready to get back to school as she has learned to walk on her own. Actually she has tried to dance with the cast on as well.

Well with the New Year slowly aging into it's first week, the resolutions of losing weight, getting organized, or starting fresh with new ideas are slowly starting to dim and slipping back into the comfortable ways of the past seem to be taking over. I will try to blog more, if nothing else for my own journalizing...I may need it in the future to remember the wonderful times of my dwindling youth....

But with all sincerity I do wish that all the wishes made and hopes renewed with the dawn of a new year come true for all.....we shall see....

It is hard to believe when I look at this blog, that I have not made an entry since Easter. Amazing.....and yet the spring, summer and fall and all the doings contained in that time have come and gone. It is now Christmas and the new year is just around the corner..

I will try to play catch up with the months in between and bring myself and anyone else who ventures on to this site up to speed.

May blossomed and so did all the tulips we hastily planted in the fall last year...Surprisingly most of them showed up and I was amazed at the colors that they were. I guess in my haste I forgot to notice what colors they were when we planted them. The yard went thru it's tansformation and soon there was color everywhere. We celebrated Mother's Day, Bill and Laura's 1st wedding anniversary, Mom's birthday and moved right into June.

All throughout June and July, we were busy reassembling our Family History book. This time the book was re-written and everyone was given the opportunity to update their history. Once I received them all, the book was then put on CD's and saved in a more Highly technical version. I passed all the photos on to Deidra and with her careful eye and love of music, put them all on a DVD for everyone to have and enjoy. The preparations were underway for our family to gather from Wisconsin, Georgia, California, Ohio and Illinois for our family reunion in August.

July came in and we celebrated Ava's and Brooke's birthdays.

Ava turned 4

and Brooke turned 3.

Balloons, cake, presents...heat...alot of heat, jumpies...and more. Katie was nearing the home stretch in the baby making category and was getting well on her way to looking forward to delivering.....

August finally arrived and so did our guests from California. They actually arrived a day earlier than we thought and so to their surprise and as much my own, when they arrived we were caught unaware...we were happy to see them and spend the time together....The week was full of activity...different family members arriving at different days and times. We spent a day at the river aboard Phil and Greg's boats. They took down the river for a boat ride and then we ventured over to Phil's in Morris for a family picnic.

Katie and Blake were at the hospital awaiting the birth of their son, Mason James, who arrived just as we were leaving Phil's.

On Saturday we spent the day at Greg's in Sugar Grove, bar-b-queing, playing bags and catching up with old aquaintennces....It was well into the evening before everyone headed out and we vowed to do this again and keep in touch with the cousins.

September came and the kids began school. Brooke started Pre-school and surprisingly she loved it...we were a little worried. Rick began working from home as well as myself three days a week.

October blew in and it was a great fall, we celebrated Amy's birthday...and then the following day she became engaged to Eric with the prospects of a wedding in the fall of 2010. Katie and Blake celebrated their anniversary and Katie celebrated her birthday the day before Halloween. Halloween came and I made a monkey suit for Andrew...he seemed to like and even won a contest for the cutest home made costume. I am sure it had more to do with him than it did with the costume.

November was the most pleasant month and we celebrated Laura's birthday and Andrew's 1st birthday. Andrew accomplished learning to walk before he turned 1 and is a man on the go....Thanksgiving came and went and finally so did the left overs. We always have a brunch so the kids can still get to the in-laws for dinner. We had a great time and a quiet evening later.....December rolled in and the activities began..it has been non stop between office parties, Christmas decorating, shopping and baking. We prepared for our family Christmas this year at Phil's in Morris. Everyone came in and it was a day of surprises for everyone....even Santa came dressed in all his glory and

riding in the wagon being pulled by 2 huge white horses..We did a live nativity scene very spur of the moment and what a fun filled day.

Well Christmas has now come and gone...the excitement, the presents...the kids...barring Brooke's heroic leap down 3 stairs in the family room, ending with a visit to the emergency room and Dr. Rob and a cast on her broken ankle/leg.....she has spent the rest of her vacation sitting on the couch alot and wishing she had just walked instead of jumped...but all is well and so will she be...

Soon this year will wind down and 2010 will arrive without plans or ideas of what is yet to come. It is always thrilling to begin again and scary at the same time....I will make the new year's resolution to try harder to blog, if nothing else for myself.....and to appreciate more what I enjoy and that is my family in whatever circumstance I find them in......

Happy New Year!!!! to all.....

The Perfect Gift...

Today is Mother's Day and yesterday I watched as the stores were full of shoppers looking for that perfect gift that would somehow express exactly how much you loved Mom....The streets were packed, the malls were worse. I myself after much deliberation trying to think what is that perfect gift that could say it all? What about flowers, jewelry, candy....all of them were terrific and satisfying in their own right but it still seemed a bit lacking.


After thinking about this for a while it suddenly occurred to me that I know what that perfect gift is...for me to my Mom it is us.. her children. She lights up when we are around. She is herself when she can fix you something to eat or just sit and listen as she relives the stories of her parents, family and our history. She is at peace when one by one her kids call or stop by to wish her a happy Mother's day. She is grateful to God to have been a Mother. It is at those moments that you have glimpsed the perfect gift. I am grateful to God for Mom and the gift that she has been to myself and my family. She is more than just a Mom. She is a friend, a shoulder to cry on, a good listener, an example to strive towards and my best friend....Happy Mother's day Mom...love you with all my heart...


I myself can truly say that the best gift God ever gave me was the ability to be a Mom. That was the happiest time in my life. I remember trying to do it all, make meals, laundry, run the kids to events, listen to their papers, help them learn how to be adults....good wives and husbands. It was a selfish pleasure that has touched my heart and if they only knew that they never need to look for that perfect gift...because I already have them.


I know someday it is inevitable that I will sit in a rocking chair with drool coming out of the corner of my mouth, but (oddly enough for me)...a smile. I know people will think I am demented, or lost in another world and they will be right. I will be lost in the moments of motherhood..and reliving that most precious time again and again in my mind.


To watch my children become parents is a humbling experience, many times you want to step in and say let me show a simpler way...let me help you..but instead it is now my job to observe from the sidelines and take pleasure in watching what they have learned be put into practice. I am proud of each and everyone of them and the families they are raising. I am sure as all parents and moms know..your children are the best...and why not they had us for teachers....I love you all and you are my heart and you never have to worry about that perfect gift, you already gave me all that I will ever need....


To Katie, Amy and Billy you are my life and Jono you are my future...Love to you all.....Mom.

Music that touches the soul

When I was younger than I happen to be today...I always wished I could play an instrument...My absolute favorite instrument is the violin. The closest I ever got was the guitar and though I tried and learned some of the chords, I could never master it. I am pretty convinced that musical talent must have skipped our generation.

I was thankful to see it in my children. I sat through many concerts of squeaky violins, brassy saxaphones and children with the hope in their hearts that they would be good....really good. Eventually the squeaks calmed down and the tune appeared, then the melody and before you knew it, the concerts I went to were amazingly professional and I was very proud of every note and the discipline it took to acheive them. I tried very hard to convince them to play the violin but instead we had coronets, drums, saxaphones and a bass. I was sure I would have my own band that could play whenever and your mind could wander to a serene place and the music would just play on. Not so much...now the instruments are gone..the drums long abandoned in the crawl space, the coronet...not sure where that went, the sax is on a permanent vacation to a friend's house that will never return and the bass is back at the rental shop. The only thing that couldn't be returned are the memories of listening to the squeaks turn into harmony, melody and a song that touched your soul.

Well now the grand kids are ready to begin that journey..and so this weekend in a fluke I caught a glimpse of a future star...or at least she believes she is. Here is Brooke doing her rendition of "Old McDonald" and playing her own accompanyment.

Now here is a picture from Easter and all my G kids. They also make a noise that can be music to my ears. It is now in their laughter that I hear the melody, their screams I hear the harmony and when all together they create the symphony that plays always in my head....my little musicians...

Brooke, Me, Andrew, Ava and Alana...Star material...