Coming Soon...

Hopefully this week or weekend.... Prom 2010

Spring Break II

Jake went to Florida too this year for his spring break. His was definitely a "college" vacation.

I don't know if there is a photo from his experience that doesn't include a bottle or glass of some type of alcoholic refreshment. I'm still looking......

Spring Break 2010

For the second year in a row...no vacation for me.

I never quite recovered financially from the fiasco of 2008,

where my truck broke down and I had to stay in Florida for 5 extra days.

Maybe some day.....

Amanda and her friend Leslie went para-sailing.
Scarry.

The girls flew down with Steph and John for a week in Fort Meyers Beach.
The weather was awesome every day, they met a lot of new friends and had a great time in the land of sunshine.

I got a lot of cleaning done and spent the week with three dogs.
Oh, well....

Madison 2010

Time for the annual visit to the capital in Madison...

an exciting adventure for a new group of students.

We had nacho sales for two months to earn the money to pay for our trip.

Once again, many of the kids had never been out of the city.

The entire 4th grade class. 19 of them are mine.

I thought the bus was going to tip over when we passed some

horses grazing in a field out in the country.

The kids all flew over to the windows and were in complete awe.

They had never seen anything like this.......

The kids were thrilled that Jake met up with us
and was a chaperone to this group of students.

My son in his new "home" town.

Thanks for helping out Jake.

Judy's 50

Another 50th birthday.

My friend Judy celebrated the big 5-0.

Her husband kids threw her a nice surprise party.

Judy and Tim

The birthday girl with her 3 kids: Carla, Timmy and Deanna.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Random Cousins O'Neill

Random photos of Cousin Kaitlin on her visit to Wisconsin last summer '09.

With her Gramma at the state capitol
Smile!

Kaitlin and my Amanda

With Coke

See you in summer of '10 Kaitlin!

Random Cousins Duehring/Henriksen

Just some random photos found in the old file cabinet....Cousins.

Nick and Braden
Gramma Jeri and Molly

Maggie

Evan

Mary

Eli

Micah

June and some dude.

Molly

Dawn and Nora

Elise

Braden and Eli

I'm sure that Braden learned how to make this face from Nick.

Yesterday

Seems like yesterday that we built the house in Pewaukee.....

I held her little 3 yr old hand into the fresh concrete of the front sidewalk

on the day that they poured it. Here we are 13 years later...

Jake is on the other side of the walk.....

now, how do I get him to pose for the same photo?

Braden's Birthday

I love birthday parties for little kids....

This was the first birthday of my cousin Braden.

Posing with Gramma
Not too sure what to think of this gift opening stuff.

One candle.

Umm..this is MY cake. Get your own!

Yummy!

Taking it all in from my seat of honor.

Posing with Mom and Dad.

Back to the gift opening...

Happy 1st Birthday Braden!

Four Months !

WOW....I can't believe it's been four months since I posted on my blog. What happened???

Well..the number one thing is called "Facebook" Yep, I signed up for an account. Despite my daughter telling me that "old people shouldn't have Facebook".... ....I love it!

What a great way to stay connected with family, friends, co-workers .... and even contact and catch up with old friends from my past. I have become re-aquainted with people that I haven't seen in almost 20 years. Friends from high school, college, church, the old neighborhood, work, and even people that I babysat for long ago.

And, of course, there's Farmville. Yes, I have a farm on the internet. It is so theraputic to come home from work, have dinner with Mandy, spend a bit of time together and then go and take care of my chickens and cows. As pathetic as this sounds...it's relaxing.

Just as long as the farm doesn't interfere with the Tonight Show...which I must see every night.

Work days are long and weekends busy..... everyone who reads this silly blog is on my Facebook, except my parents, so I have just been depending on Facebook.

I started to miss the blog....it seems like a more permanent memory of our lives. Nothing exciting has happened...nobody said their first word or learned to walk....those days are long gone, but there are still memories.

So here I go..

I apologize for the posts that I did late at night...= boring, and the fact that most photos are just people lined up like soldiers. I have to include more candid photos......

oh well.....

Butterflies

It's amazing how you don't realize what you have in your own town.....

well in Milwaukee anyway.

Once again, I ventured out with my students...this time to the Public Museum.

I had never seen the butterfly exhibit. It was really cool!

You're in this big greenhouse type room and
they literally land anywhere they want to.

In addition to the fully grown butterfly, you can watch each and every stage of their development... from caterpillar on..right in front of you.

And you can touch and hold them.

We did the whole Milwaukee thing and

yes, we visited the creepy old lady in the rocking chair too.

She has been rocking in that Museum since I was a kid.

Anyone who has been to MPM knows the old lady.

Scarry.

My Class 2009-2010

Our "Christmas" photo:

They are wearing the sweatwhirts that I was able to buy them

using donations from family and friends.

The classroom is sooo cold during the winter

and few of them have more than 1 short sleeve uniform shirt.

They are not allowed to wear any type of sweatshirt

unless it meets the guidelines of the uniform code.

So basically most of them freeze all winter

because they cannot afford

another uniform shirt.

I was also able to get them each a little bag with a Christmas gift and candy.

They also each made a nice homemade card for their family

using materials supplied by my sister.

Thank you to:

Mom, Dad, Teddy, Candy, Judy, Tim, Jacki, Carla, Toots,

Kathy, and friends from Foxwood subdivision.

T.W.I.R.P. 2010

Just a photo from the TWIRP dance that Amanda attended in February of this year.

...with friends.

Cousins

This photo was taken at Coast: Jake, Nick and Mike Zilli

...Cousins.

Candy is 50!

The new year started with my sister-in-law Candy reaching the big 5-0.

Here she is with her daughter Chrissy.

Candy and RJ with Ellen

Family photo: Chrissy, Candy, RJ, Nick and Robby

Happy Birthday Candy!

Christmas Day

No matter where our travels bring us on the 24th....

and despite wind, snow, ice and any other obstacles....

we always spend the 25th at home with the kids. (and dogs)

Here are Jake and Mandy in front of the tree

with Rocky, Sadie and Cocoa.

Jake and Coke

Mandy and Rocky

Merry Christmas 2009

An Engagement!

Christmas for my side of the family was up in Wausau this year

but, it wasn't just Christmas......

It was the celebration of an engagement.

Finally!

Craig and Tara are going to get married!

Mom and Dad pose by the tree.

Luke and Amanda ...your turn.

All the "kids" ... your turn.

The annual "tree" photos.


Merry Christmas 2009

Amanda's Birthday - Take 3

Unlike most other people who have December birthdays

...my daughter can never complain that her special day was overlooked in any way.

These photos are from the actual night of her birthday...the 21st.

We had dinner at Coast with family and a few friends.

Group photo.... (l-r)

John, Aunt Mary, Candy & Robert, Hannah, Jake, Nina, Paul,

Amanda, Steph, Ellen and Carolyn.

Family photo

Amanda with her big brother.

Amanda with Grandma Zilli

And yes, ANOTHER cake!

Happy 17th Birthday Princess!