Merry Christmas 2009 !

Merry Christmas to everyone!
We had a really nice Christmas and Olivia had so much fun. We spent Christmas Eve making cut-out cookies and she helped to decorate them all. It makes such a mess but she had a lot of fun and was excited to pick out the cookies that we would leave for Santa.
After spending the rest of the morning and early afternoon preparing for a houseful of people coming for Christmas day we went to our 4:00 pm Christmas Eve church service. After that we came home to open a few gifts that were exchanged between us.

We almost forgot to set out the cookies and milk and then it was off to bed to get a good night's sleep before our busy Christmas day.

Olivia woke us up at about 6:00 am and said "hurry, there are pwesents under the twee!" She had a great time opening everything and we all had fun watching her. Everyone got a lot of nice things and then it was to get ready for all the Manning side to come to our house.

It can get pretty crowded in our house but we had a great time. The food everyone brought was terrific and I think everyone had a good time.

Once again Olivia got a pile of presents from Grandma, Grandpa and her aunts. Being the youngest she of course got to hand out all the presents to everyone and was in her glory getting all the attention.

The holidays can sure be exhausting but we really had a great time and made many good memories.

Next stop will be celebrating Christmas with the Pitz side on New Year's day.....but that will be at Bob and Cindie's house so I can spend the week recovering from the Christmas weekend!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our family to yours!!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Olivia's first visit with Santa happened this past Saturday when he came to town for a little gathering at the fireman's hall. We never got to try to sit on his lap last year because we never had time or reasons I can't remember, but since he was coming so close I thought we would try it this year. At 3 1/2 I figured she could handle it but in the couple days before she would say she would talk to Santa "when I'm bigger". I thought she would throw a fit or refuse to go near him but she surprised me again.

I think it helped that I told her it had been a long time since I had gotten to talk with Santa and I was so excited to get to see him again. She took that all in and I convinced her she had to let him know what she wanted for Christmas. We got there just as a firetruck was honking it's horn bringing Santa to the party. She went right up to him saying "Hi" and "Mewwy Christmas" and tried to push her letter on him. He was very nice and asked her to give it to him inside when she could sit on his lap and talk.

So she went in with her list made out, in an envelope and was determined to get it to him which was a good thing because she drew a blank sitting on his lap and could only think of "a candy cane" that she wanted. Santa actually produced one on the spot for her but she couldn't think of anything else she wanted. She was a little starstruck but did so well and I got some good pictures of it. We had a lot of fun after that eating some snacks and making ornaments. We even got that all done and got back home for nap time.


We have to soak in these years while she is young and makes the holidays so much fun!

Merry Christmas!!

Jenny Is 14 !

I need to catch up on my blogging! Jenny's 14th birthday was on December 4th. she had some friends over to spend the night and had a good time. Olivia and I had baked and decorated some cupcakes for Jenny's birthday. Olivia gave her a present which was one of those necklaces that are broken in half. Jenny's half says "big Sis" and the other half is for Olivia to wear when she is older that says "lil Sis". We also had the traditional birthday meal with Grandma and Grandpa Manning on Sunday, December 6th. This year Jenny picked a salmon dinner that is a really good recipe I had tried before but it think it turned out the best this time. We all enjoyed the salmon, potatoes and peas but especially enjoyed the Simma's cheesecake birthday cake that Dad picked up.

We had a really nice visit, she liked all her presents and is constantly reminding us that she will be starting to drive in 1 1/2 years. Hard to believe!!

Happy 14th birthday Jenny!

I'll be doing more updates to come soon since my birthday and the holidays are coming up so soon. Watch for the "visit with Santa" update to be here one of these days!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009 !

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We had another wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Manning's home. We eat early and stay all day, actually eating twice. Everyone was able to make it and we had a great time and great food, just eating too much as always but that's expected every year.

The kids are all growing up so fast it's hard to believe. Olivia kept everyone going and goes from one cousin, aunt, uncle, to the next. Steve and I are actually off the hook for the day because there are so many other relatives and she knows she is wrapped around their fingers.
She kept taking one at a time into the playroom to play with her. It was a standing joke as to who her next "victim" was going to be. For missing a nap she was in really good spirits all day, even eating her food pretty well.

She was very proud of the "turkey cookies" we brought to surprise everyone. They were made from tracing her own hand and she and Jenny and I all decorated them to look like turkeys.

Kendra surprised Grandma and Grandpa with a hand drawn picture she had been working on for a few months. She drew it from a small, old photo I had to sneak out of the house and get to her. None of us knew she was such an artist until we saw the picture.

And you know it has been a long busy day and it's time to go home when the oldest and the youngest cousins finally give up and curl up in Grandpa's big chair.

Thanks for another wonderful Thanksgiving G & G !!

Another Fun Visit

Thursday we got to have another visit with Eleanor, Wesley and Marilyn. Grandma Manning came along with Olivia and I and we all met at Marilyn's parents home so we got to visit with Eleanor's grandparents again too.
As usual we had a great time. This time the girls started playing together right away rather than taking an hour to warm up to each other. They basically ran around the whole time we were there except for when we sat down for lunch.

Little Wesley is getting very big and he tried his best to keep up with the girls. Eleanor is very petite and I think her little brother will pass her up in size very soon.

Eleanor is progressing the same as Olivia and it is fun to hear them talking to each other and being able to understand each other more each time we get together. They really had a lot of fun.

We all had a great visit and a fun time. You cannot find nicer people than Eleanor's family and we will look forward to our next visit with them.

My Worst Friday the 13th Ever

We lost another family member today.

My Blazer left me this morning at 7:00 am. I'm thankful it didn't happen during the night when he was alone. I was there for him as he passed on but it was one of the hardest things I've experienced.

Blazer turned 11 years old this past July 1st and he has been with me from day one. He has seen me through many good times and bad and has been there for it all. He was a puppy from Grandma Manning's dog and was born in 1998.
I picked him out from a litter of 9 and knew instantly that he was my dog. I actually held him in my hands before he was even 24 hours old.

Since then he has been the sweetest, most gentle, loyal dog anyone could ever ask for. There was not a mean bone in his body. I was always comfortable with Olivia around him. She could lay on him, dress him up and play with him however she wanted and he was always gentle and kind without even a growl.
Age and health finally caught up with him this morning though. I'm glad I was there for him right to the end but I miss him so much already and we all will.

Since Smokey died 1 1/2 years ago Blazer became a house dog and was living with us, constantly in the house. I think he really enjoyed that and hope the last year of his life was happy as we tried to spoil him as much as possible.

Goodbye Blazer, our house will not be the same without you!

First Haircut

Yes, I finally broke down and had Olivia's hair cut (trimmed). It has been growing for three years and 5 months. Don't worry, it is still nice and long but it was time to have it trimmed to keep it healthy. She has been coming with me for my haircuts all the time but today was the first day she got to sit in the big shot chair and get her hair cut too.


She did really well and said it was fun. She was pretty squirmy but Michelle has a lot of patience and worked fast.
Olivia did seem to enjoy admiring herself in the mirror a little too much while Michelle worked.


When she was all done, Michelle braided her hair real fancy and Olivia loved it. I think her hair may grow even faster now that it has been trimmed up but I will probably let it keep growing for a while again before we get it cut the next time.
She was a very good girl and knew if she was Michelle would give her that all important sucker on the way out.

Thank you Michelle!!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Happy Halloween and Happy Halloween-birthday Aunt Lynn!

Olivia had a busy weekend with Halloween and had a lot of fun.

This year she was a little more picky when it came to her costume. We tried on a bunch in the store, some were too itchy, some she liked on the hanger until she put them on (typical girl). Finally we we put on this Minnie Mouse dress and that was the one. She looked really cute and was comfortable too.


Saturday morning I got her dressed up and went to Aunt Lynn's house to trick or treat and wish her a happy birthday. Then it was off to Aunt Nancy's house for more trick or treating and visiting. Then we got home for lunch and a nap.

After dinner we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for more trick or treating and visiting.

She had too much candy already but on Sunday I dressed her up one more time and went up and down our street. The weather turned out great and she had a lot of fun going door to door. This year she was much more vocal and always said "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" after getting the candy.

We didn't even bother going into town for the trick or treating because she had her fill and we were able to get back home in time for her nap and the Packer game.

It was a busy weekend but we had a lot of fun too.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend!

You Want To Get.........WHAT ?!!

PRESENTING......The latest member of the family......."GIZMO"

Steve stopped in at PETCO in West Bend last week to get suggestions for a cat that throws up hairballs on a pretty regular basis. After coming home with new bags and cans of cat food he takes me by surprise by telling me what he thinks we should get........and let Olivia pick it out.

I couldn't imagine what he was talking about and was really surprised when he said we should get a ferret. He said he had always wanted one (although I don't believe he ever revealed this to me!)

So, of course I start thinking about it and how much fun it would be for Olivia and......to make a long story short.....Olivia and I brought one home on Tuesday. I read up on them first and our neighbors actually brought their two ferrets down to our house Monday afternoon to see how Blazer and Misty (and Olivia) would react. As they ran around our living room, Olivia squealed with delight, Blazer wanted to bury his head and Misty looked totally disgusted while she growled and hissed.


On Tuesday morning Olivia and I took a road trip to West Bend "just to look at them". The salesperson there was very good and we brought home a 3 month old boy ferret, along with everything else it takes to care for one. She told me the cage was so easy to assemble, just pull it out of the box and it practically folds out into place....yeah, right! An hour and a half later I had the whole thing put together equipped with litter box, three levels with tubes, slides and a hammock. Water bottle food dish and toys. She is also the person that told me they send them home with their new owners is a cardboard box. I asked if that would really hold him and she said "oh sure, he'll try to get out but will be fine". Well, that ended before we left West Bend. He was biting, scratching and crawling out of the box while I'm trying to drive. I ended up pulling over and held him in my lap with one hand and drove with the other. Then he settled right down and was actually very good.

Wednesday was his first full day here and he is doing well. Olivia loves him and we play when we can but he is only left out of his cage when he can be totally supervised. Blazer still wants nothing to do with him and Misty hisses and growls but is very interested in him. If he gets too close he gets a paw smack on his face.

I think it will be a good experience for Olivia and fun for us although it means more chores for me.

Stay tuned for more pictures and excitement.....

Pumpkin Patch

Now you know it's Autumn when you hit the pumpkin patches.

Saturday, since everyone else was deer hunting all weekend, Olivia and I spent the morning at Waldvogel's farm. It was our first time going there for all the activities and we both had a really good time.

They had goats to pet and feed, a miniature golf course, a big underground slide, bike race tracks for big "kids" and little kids, a duck race, pumpkin launch and all kinds of other little Halloween decorations and games.



They also had a haunted mine and granary but Olivia was afraid of those and said when she "gets bigger she will be bwaver" and will try those then. She said she was "weewe bwave" to go down the big underground slide.

She was a little intimidated by the huge corn maze they have and didn't want to do that because she told me "people get lost in there".

But they did have a train ride and she always loves the train rides. This one was really nice and pretty long. They went around the corn field, through a tunnel and all along the way had scary costumes and scenes set up. She was also very "bwave" going past all those scary things.




She had a great time racing the little plastic ducks once she got the hang of pumping the water. She was excited to be able to keep the ducks and put them in her bath at home.

We wrapped up our experience with a hayride out to the huge pumpkin field. She found a nice little pumpkin, I grabbed a medium one and we finally headed out early in the afternoon. We had lunch at McDonald's and I had all I could do to keep her awake on the way home before she got to her own bed to take a big nap.

We had a lot of fun and it was a good way to burn off her energy.

Where Did Summer Go?

These first two pictures were taken just three weeks ago, when it was beginning to feel like there was a little Autumn in the air (can you find Olivia on the bench?). My flowers all looked pretty good yet so I snapped a bunch of pictures so in a couple of months I can look back and remember how nice it was outside.
It sure was a fast summer and even though I was getting a little tired of watering plants everyday I am not looking forward to the snow flying.

This third picture was just taken a couple days ago and this is about all that is left of my flowers.

The hanging baskets are still alive and good enough to put out during the day also. We are hanging on to summer as long as possible.

The garden was a huge success this year but I now have it all cleaned out and ready to be tilled up for next year.

There is still a lot of clean-up work to do outside before winter really hits and I guess I can look forward to catching up on scrapbooking once all the work (besides snow blowing) outside is cleaned up and done. There has to be a bright side somewhere!

Farewell Toby!

Today was a gloomy, depressing day and not only because it was damp, windy and raining all day. Today we had to say goodbye to another friend and part of our family.


Grandma and Grandpa's cat Toby came to them many years ago as a stray, looked over the place and decided that was going to be his home and he never left.

He was such a cool cat, friendly to everyone and always looking for attention from anyone and everyone who stopped in to visit.
He was a real character and became a part of our family. Whenever any of us stopped in at Grandma and Grandpa's it was just part of the routine to ask "so where is Toby?". You could either find him him relaxing in the sun room or sleeping under the covers in "his bed" in "his room" (the spare bedroom). If he happened to be outside and you left your windows open, most likely he would end up searching through your vehicle. When we had big family get-togethers he always came out to greet everyone, strutting out as if to say, "here I am, now the party can begin". This picture was taken in August at G & G's 50th anniversary party. That day was the first sign he gave that something was not right . He didn't seem to be himself and from there he slowly got sicker and sicker. Not wanting to eat, losing weight, etc.. After vet visits, bills, pills and a lot of work he kept going even though most of us can't believe he lasted as long as he did. He was a tough old guy but eventually it got too bad and he is finally at peace with no pain or illness. We never got an answer as to what exactly was going on or what exactly was wrong but it finally took over and got the best of him.
We will all miss him but there was such a special, strong bond between him and Grandma that I think it will take some time to get over this one. He was a very special cat and although we are all glad he has no more pain there will be an empty void for a while at the Manning house.

GOODBYE TOBY! WE WILL MISS YOU!

Labor Day Weekend Party

We ended the summer with a Sunday Labor Day party with the Pitz clan. Almost everyone on Steve's side was able to make it to our home for an end-of summer-cookout. We grilled about 10 pounds of beef tenderloin that turned out really good. Everyone brought a dish to pass and we were all in the mood for wine and beer and an afternoon of socializing. We had great weather and a really nice, relaxing time.

After dinner a group of us went for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful evening. After cleaning up some we all ended up on the back deck enjoying a fire in the chiminea, gabbing and making smores. Steve's nephew Josh played his guitar and it was just a really nice get-together.

Olivia was able to get her afternoon nap in before anyone arrived so she was ready to go for the rest of the day. She chose TJ, one of her cousins, to latch on to this time and wanted to hang around him and his sister Anna all day. They are very nice kids and put up with her all afternoon.

She even spent some time at night cuddling with with Grandma Pitz. The last of the crew left at about 11:00 pm and although we were tired, we really had a fun time getting everyone together again.

Still More FIRSTS....

At three years old it is time to start getting used to seeing the dentist......

Today was Olivia's very first time going to the dentist for her own check-up. She has been there many times before when I'd take Kyle and Jenny but we always stayed in the waiting room. Just the last time they were there I took her back to watch what they did so she would get used to the idea of doing it too. I wasn't sure how she would be in there but I had been preparing her a day or two in advance. We talked about not being shy, answering their questions and doing what the dentist told like opening your mouth real big.

She also asked me if she would get a new toothbrush and that seemed to be the most important task at hand.

When the time finally came she did really well. She said hi to everyone there and when it was her turn she walked back with me and jumped right into the chair. She was real interested in the paper napkin clipped around her neck.



She asked me a lot of questions while we were waiting for the dentist but got quiet once he came over. He was very nice with her and she could not have behaved better. She laid back with the chair, opened her mouth while he made sure all of her teeth had come in and he was even able to clean and floss them.

Of course she didn't like the light shining in her eyes and told me later that her toothpaste at home tastes a lot better than his but all in all she was a very good girl.

The dentist said her teeth look very good and he commented that when they behave this well for the very first check up you probably don't have much to worry about when it comes to future appointments. I was very proud of her.

She was so excited about the new toothbrush. Even though she has two battery powered "Dora" toothbrushes at home now she only wants to use this new, small green brush he gave her. If only the excitement over a new toothbrush from the dentist would last into adulthood......

Happy 50th Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa!!

Saturday, August 22nd was Grandma and Grandpa's Golden Wedding Anniversary. We all were together to celebrate on Sunday. They treated us all to brunch in Iron Ridge and then went out to their farm afterward. The brunch at the Iron Ridge Inn was really good and everyone enjoyed it. Olivia even ate really well until it was finally time for her to run between tables and flirt with everyone again.
We had a picture frame personalized with all the grandchildren's (12) names around the outside and since we had everyone together at the same time, we went outside to take pictures and we will blow up one with all the grandchildren to be put in the frame.


As usual many of the grandchildren have other things to do and places to go so not everyone was able to come out to the farm but we still had a great afternoon visiting and eating again. Olivia missed her nap but kept going all day. She was really tired at night though and was ready for bed.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for brunch, getting us all together and having a great day! We hope you enjoyed your 50th as much as we did.

Congratulations!!

Milwaukee Zoo Experience

The last time I entered a post was in July, now it already the middle of August. Part of the reason was because my computer caught a virus and was out of commission for about 2 weeks. But, we are back up and running now and our latest new adventure for Olivia was the Milwaukee County Zoo. We went last Friday and she had a great time. The weather was stormy and we had to wait out a rain storm right after lunch but that made the crowds at the Zoo very thin which was nice.

Unfortunately they shut down the train ride before we had a chance to get on it which was disappointing but Olivia did get to ride on a camel and also got in another pony ride.
She liked that a lot and loved seeing all the animals we read about in her books. The monkeys were especially funny and with the glass enclosures you can really get an up-close look at them.

These pony rides were nice because they put a belt around her so I didn't have to walk along with her. This was her first time riding a horse "ALL BY MYYYYY-SELF!"

It takes so long for summer to get here but now I am counting down like everyone else.......three weeks from today is the first day of school!! Yea!!

Olivia will be home with me for another year before she starts any school. Right now the playgroups are enough and a year from now when she is 4 we will be getting her ready for preschool and soccer practices. Time sure flies with a little one around. Stay tuned.....