Art 101

Welcome to a wedding. I can't tell you who is getting married although I'm pretty positive it is Emily and her future man. You'll notice that both the bride and groom are dressed appropriately for the occasion, the groom even has a top hat. I love the heart above their heads signifying that they are in love and the big smiles on their faces. It's an outdoor wedding so the wedding guests consist of a bird and a squirrel. Now the archway I know is from Emily's recollection of Lisa and Jason's wedding this past September (the wedding both she and Matt were attendants in). Their archway was draped in flowers and Emily drew individual flowers attached to tulle (I don't think she knew what the fabric was but she remembered to draw it). What totally took me off guard was that on a very high table in the archway are the 3 candles that were used for the unity ceremony. I was surprised that she remembered that detail as it is not something that is portrayed in the wedding ceremonies she see on TV or her movie DVDs - really she has only see it at cousin Lisa's wedding and one other wedding she has attended. Once again her attention to detail takes me by surprise. It is a beautiful wedding - I'll have to save the picture and show it to her when she is getting married for real - which is not going to be for a long time.

Revisiting the Past

This picture was taken on New Year's Eve of 2005. Matt was only 6 1/2 months old and Emily 3 1/2 years old (how old Matt is today). This seems like a lifetime ago. The picture was taken in the morning so that is why I think they are so happy - also why it is still light outside. Today we got some snow - not a great amount - but the wind here is crazy so it is swirling around like blizzard snow. I know for a fact that Emily and Matt did not stay up until the ball dropped to ring in 2006 - then again I'm sure Matt probably had an early feeding in the new year. Tonight we are headed to a friends house to just relax and enjoy the night. We will see if we make it until midnight or not. Happy New Year to all our family and friends. May you be truly blessed and be a blessing in 2009!

Who Said Hives are Where Bees Live

Well, for two weeks now, I have been suffering from intermittent itchy skin (this picture was taken 5 days into my plight). First, the itching would be on my hands, stop then head to my leg, stop then travel to my arms, then maybe to my back and stop for several hours only to start all over again in new areas and patterns. At first, it was minimal but a little annoying. Then, the last few days - while away on a family getaway to PA- the itching went into hyper drive. I wanted to get out of my skin. The attacks were coming more frequently, were becoming absolutely painful and welting was occuring. I finally called my doctor's office first thing Monday morning only to find out he is out of town but thankfully another doctor was covering for him. So, Tuesday afternoon, just after we got back from PA, I went to the doctor. Of course, I wasn't having an attack at the time - typical when you finally go to the doctor about a problem. But I was smart, when I was having one of my worst attacks, I took pictures. Well, I have hives.....a result of an allergen, stress, cold, heat, infection, who knows. The doctor mainly wanted to take care of the itching/hives and deal with the cause later if it doesn't subside or disappear after being medicated. So, I'm now taking both Zyrtec and Pepcid every day to let the antihistamine get rid of the hives. Today has been pretty much an attack free day so I'm pretty happy and glad to be starting the new year not scratching myself like crazy. Oh, by the way, Monday night at dinner when I told Emily mommy's skin is very itchy so I was going to the doctor, her first concern was whether I would get a shot and then she said "maybe you have fleas". Yes, I still love her and, of course, set her straight that I don't have fleas. Leave it to a child to make a funny out of your misery.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox greeting

Art 101

This is a drawing of Christmas from Emily's viewpoint. Lately, when looking at her drawings, I've seen the simplicity of a child's thinking. In Emily's mind, Christmas is about Jesus being born and she depicted that with Mary, Joseph (in traditional wardrobe), the baby Jesus (swaddled and smiling) and some really cute sheep. But she also thinks of Santa at Christmas and so that thought is shown with Rudolph flying through the air (red nose and all). What I love is that she combined both thoughts into one picture without there being the issue that these ideas are traditionally not considered compatible. This is a look at her very innocent and real thoughts melded into one. If only we could all be so free thinking and accepting as a child.

Revisiting the Past

Christmas morning 2006. Looking at this picture I'm amazed at how much both Emily and Matthew have grow. This was Matt's first "active" Christmas. Emily made sure that he enjoyed every minute of it. They were very happy when they came downstairs to see all the presents under the tree. The kids are now at the age where we have started traditions they are able to be a part of like making reindeer food and putting it on the lawn, decorating cookies for Santa, watching Polar Express, reading the Christmas story before we open presents and making a birthday cake for Jesus. This year we will be going to the Christmas Eve service at the church we have been attending. Today is Emily's last day of school, yesterday was Matt's. Tomorrow Dave has a half day so he is taking Emily with him while Matt and I are home. We love this time of year not only for what the holiday represents - our Savior's birth - but we also get to spend a lot of time together as a family before Dave starts his busy season at work. After all, the season is about amazing love and family. Merry Christmas everyone!

Family Picture Time

We always take family pictures when Grandpa Don and Grandma Anne come to New Jersey, especially during their Christmas visit. The kids get a picture taken with their grandparents and Dave and I get one with the kids. It is amazing to see the difference from year to year - how much the kids have grown, how Dave and I have aged (gracefully of course). We have always stood in front of the fireplace with the kids standing on the raised hearth. This may be the last year Emily will be able to stand on the hearth. They are growing up fast. It is hard to believe that in just 6 months Emily will be 7 and Matt 4. Of course, it is always nice to have family together at the Christmas Holiday.

All Aboard!

Saturday we took Grandpa Don and Grandma Anne into NYC to Grand Central Station to see the train show in the NY Transit Museum. We knew Matt would love this outing. When we first arrived, we waited to watch a laser light show they do in the "grand hall" of the station. It was beautiful. After that, we headed to see the model trains. It is a great set up of the city with multiple trains running throughout the cityscape. It even had a mountain (not something you find in the middle of Manhattan) that on the other side had the North Pole and a Polar Express train. Matt loved seeing all the trains. The only way we got him out of the exhibit and to lunch was taking him to one of Grand Centrals tracks to see a real train. We had lunch in the dining concourse at Juniors (the place famous for cheesecake). Boy, were we stuffed when we left there so it is good thing we had more walking to do. After visiting several stores and purchasing another stuffed dog for Emily (this one is named Sleeping Beauty), we headed to get coffee before going to the car. While Dave was getting coffee, the kids decided to engage in a conversation with two police officers on duty in the station. One was a lady, so Emily told her how much she loves police girls and police men. She even told them about the one boy in her class who is mean to her and calls her a baby. The female officer told her to just ignore him. I think she was hoping they would arrest him and put him in jail - too much watching COPS with daddy. After Emily and Matt gave both officers hugs (Emily even got them to hug her new dog), we headed to the car. Matt took a well deserved cat nap in the car - we didn't use the stroller at all, he walked the whole time. We also tired out Grandpa and Grandma with all the walking too. Needless to say, we all slept very good that night. It was a great family outing.

*** There are more pictures on my FaceBook page - Enjoy!

Got Snow?

Well, it finally happened, an accurate weather forecast for a snow storm. Lately, I've tended not to believe any snow forecasts here - they usually end up with a dusting or dry ground. I thought that would be the case yesterday as there was still no snow at 10:00 a.m. but the the first few flakes started to fall and it progressed from there. Dave's parents are in town, so with both kids in tow (school was closed that morning) we headed out to a late breakfast then to Kmart to get the kids some snow boots (Matt was wearing his rain boots and Emily her new "fashion" boots) so they could play later that night in the snow with Dave. The snow was accumulating fast so I decided around 1:00 to go out and shovel seeing the kids had grandpa and grandma to entertain them. It was like being a kid back in Buffalo and going out to shovel the snow. I have to say I actually enjoyed it and knew Dave would be happy he wouldn't have to shovel as much snow later that night. Dave's company decided to close a little early so he was expected home around 5. I did a second run at shoveling around 3:00 to make it clear once more and even cleared out the entire approach of the driveway - snow plow piles and all - now that really reminded me of Buffalo. I should take this moment to say "thank you" mom and dad for making me shovel snow and learn the best and quickest techniques for snow removal with a shovel. I even got a compliment from my neighbor and her husband on how well and quick I shovel. I told them "hey, I'm Buffalo born and bred - snow removal is in the blood". Dave was very happy that he didn't have to shovel at all last night and just got to play outside in the snow with the kids. Surprisingly both Matt and Emily loved being in the snow and stayed out a long time. We are suppose to get a few more inches tomorrow, we'll wait and see. I guess we will have a white Christmas after all, even if it is leftovers.

The Dusting before the Storm

This picture is of the light dusting of snow we received Tuesday night which melted with our 50 degree weather Wednesday. Today, however, we are awaiting our first true snow storm. Both kids schools are closed so they are here at home. As of right now, there is no snow but it is expected to start late morning and get progressively worse. Of course, this Buffalo native never really panics when snow is predicted; it is the ice storms that I dread. Grandma and Grandpa Wessel came to town yesterday. So, we are heading out for breakfast, going to get snow boots for the kids then heading home to spend the rest of the day inside. We will probably do some crafts and make some chocolate truffles to pass the time. By the way, the first flakes are starting to fall as I type this entry.

Art 101

If this picture were titled it would be "Bunnies and Christmas". Actual these are two picture from a "book" Emily drew and made for me. The first picture is of her partying bunny rabbits. You'll notice even the sun got in on this party. Emily also included mommy's favorite flower -the tulip - in mommy's favorite color - chocolate brown. For the party feast, a row of delicious carrots. The next picture has a Christmas tree (drawn completely by Emily, no assistance), a stocking and a few presents. The green item coming out of the stocking is a present and the item on the side is a Christmas berry with leaves. I asked her what the blocks were surrounding the stocking and present and she told me the bricks of the fireplace (our stockings are hung from our fireplace). You have to love a child's imagery of the things in their life.

Revisiting the Past

Matt was our cookie monster of Christmas Eve 2006. While he was taking his nap, mommy and Emily made and decorated cookies for Santa. We had all the cookies sitting on the kitchen island. Well, Matt decided he needed to sample the cookies for Santa. Fortunately, daddy caught him in the act before his sampling turned into taste testing all of them. Of course, what mom can resist taking a picture of their child with cookie stuffed in their mouth and frosting all over their face, not to mention hands - daddy had control of them. This year we are making and decorating gingerbread cookies for Santa. This will be Matt's first year to participate in the actual decorating of the cookies, that is if he wants to. He may just want to sample again.

My Sister Help Me

Matthew is pretty self sufficient when it comes to getting dressed. However, he has been requesting as of late that "my sister, Emily, help me" put on his pajamas. Most of the time Emily is very willing to comply to his request except for when she is in "the middle of somefing (th issues)". Usually, Matt's incessant crying for Emily to help him wins over the thing Emily is or wants to do. It is nice to see Emily caring for Matt and Matthew wanting to be taken care of by her. It also makes me happy to know that there will always be a level of caring between them (lets hope it continues during their tween and teen years). For right now, we'll savor all these loving moments between brother and sister.

Little Things can Lead to Big Things

Sorry for the lack of entries as of late, but we ended up having to deal with a big headache at the end of last week. This year we decided to convert from oil heat to gas. The inside conversion was done in Sept/Oct but we still had to have the underground oil tank removed (the tank has been underground since 1957) as it is now mandated that all tanks must be removed when no longer in use. Well, the morning (Thursday) started off well. Matt loved seeing the backhoe and the dump truck but a short time after Dave left for work (he went in late) I was given the bad news that the tank failed inspection. There is a small hole in the tank (see the picture with the ruler - that's the hole). I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to the removal company, which led to phone calls to our insurance company and so on an so on. They removed the tank from our property that day, filled the hole and are coming back in January to do remediation. Basically they have to dig and remove all the "contaminated" soil from the property. The hole will be bigger than the last time and we may have to loose the maple tree. The hole was actually situated at the part of the tank closest to the tree - possibly leading the its contamination - and away from the house. On top of this, Matt ended up with a cold that led to a fever on Saturday, so I've been otherwise occupied. Hopefully I can get back on track with this entry.

Superstar

For quite a while now if you were to ask Emily what she wants to be when she grows up her answer was always "a ballerina". Just recently that changed. The other day her response was a "superstar". Does she know what that is? I don't think so but she has the look down pretty well. She even roped her brother into dressing for the part. Of course, with that stance he looks like he should be her bodyguard. I love this picture because they are "superstars" dressed in pajamas wearing shoes and sunglasses. Matt's shoe choice is actually Emily's Sketchers. Somehow I don't think it mattered to him that he was wearing girls shoes, it was all for the part.

Art 101

The one day Emily decided to make a special picture for Matthew. As most of you are aware, Matthew is a fire truck fanatic (thanks to a lot of encouragement from his dad). Well, Emily tried her hand at making a fire truck and did quite well. You'll notice the ladder on the top, the brown hose and the purple bell. The apartment building is full of flames. I'm not quite sure who all the people are and why one of them is performing a split. You will notice though that Emily's future cat, pettyball, made it into the picture - laying down in the middle of the street. I'm assuming that everyone is smiling because they made it safely out of the burning building. The only thing missing, a few firemen might help. Maybe next time.

Revisiting the Past

It seems only fitting to select a picture from the past that includes Emily and Matt's oldest cousin on the Papp family side, Brian, especially since he will be celebrating his 19th birthday this Friday (12/12). I took this picture of Brian "playing" basketball with Emily when we visited Illinois in July 2004. At the time when I took it, I was just taking pictures of the kids playing. Later when I developed it, I thought of its significance. This is my oldest brother's oldest child playing with my oldest child. There is a 12 1/2 year difference between these two cousins. The sad thing is that they hardly know each other. I'm sure Brian can remember back to our visit, but Emily only remembers it when looking at pictures from that trip in her scrapbook. There is very little I regret in my life, I know that all that has happened has been part of God's plan for me and my family. If however I could change one thing, it would be the distance between family. I regret that my kids have not "known" their cousins - on both sides of the family. I remember being at the hospital the day Brian was born and seeing him grow while I was attending Moody Bible and Dennis was at Trinity. I never thought that that would be the most time I would spend with my nephew. Although, I am sad that I have missed time with Brian and his sister, Shellie, and brother, Nathan, it makes my heart ache that both Emily and Matt will only really know them in glimpses of their memories from visits (which sadly have been few) and pictures. The thing I have learned is that family is so very important whether they be near or far. It is important to keep in touch, whether it be through a blog, facebook or some other means of communication, a card even - it doesn't have to be a phone call. Soon Brian will be out on his own starting his adult "life" and the only advice I can give to you on your 19th birthday is always remember the importance of family and if you can keep them close.

Determined without Explanation

Thursday when Emily came home from school she was chattering about a project she had to do for Miss Rocha (the mainstream 1st grade teacher) and needing a shoe box. I checked Emily's homework list in her correspondence book and the only homework listed was reading in a book. I looked for any special notes regarding a project and found none. Emily was determined though to do this project. Numerous times I tried to get her to elaborate but she couldn't. So, I just let her be because knowing Emily she was going to do it anyway. We cleaned out a pink photo box that stores her stickers in for her to use. She had already organized some paper, markers and an assortment of dinosaurs she has received out of the school prize box (for good behavior) during her kindergarten and summer school sessions. Emily asked me to help her with the sand, cutting out her palm trees and giving her tape to secure the dinosaurs. When it was all done, she was very happy and placed it next to her backpack for school the next day. In the morning, I asked her if she was taking it and she said that it is for Miss Rocha and the kids. Because Emily can still be a little over sensitive, I decided to let her take it with a confused note of explanation to her special ed teacher, Miss Lisa, saying I don't know why but Emily made this for Miss Rocha's class and was determined to bring it to school. In Emily's folder that night was a note from Miss Lisa explaining that Miss Rocha's class for science had made animal habitats in shoe boxes. Emily saw them in the class room and wanted to make one. Miss Lisa explained that her special ed class would do it in a few weeks (the other kids in the class weren't all that interested in doing the project). She was delighted by Emily's determination to do the project and with its outcome seeing she did it in just one night. Because of a change in schedule, Emily wasn't able to show it to Miss Rocha on Friday but Miss Lisa kept it at school, per Emily's request, so she could show Miss Rocha and the kids her habitat on Monday. Dave and I were pleased that even though Emily couldn't explain in detail what she needed to do and why, she performed it to the specific of what the class was to accomplish. Way to go Emily.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

This was our week to get the house filled with Christmas cheer and decorations. Normally, we would decorate the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving however, our time was taken up with other activities. Dave had off on Monday but we spent that morning Christmas shopping while the kids were at school. After school, we took Emily and Matt to the IMAX theater to see Madagascar 2 (we had the theater all to ourselves), so that day was taken too. Fortunately, Dave had off on Wednesday, so while I was at the gym, he put up the tree and got the lights on. He also did all the outside lighting. When Emily came home, she and I started decorating the family tree. Matt joined in when he came home from school. Emily once again has a small tree in her room. The small tree use to be placed in the basement but last year we put it in Em's room because we knew Matt would destroy it. Well, Emily has taken ownership of the tree, so it is in her room. Matt was upset - "where's my tree and lights". So, while we were at Awana, Dave went and got some ligths for Matt's window. He was very pleased. I love the glow of the lights at night. The kids just plain love the lights no matter what time of day. Turning the lights on her tree is one of the first things Emily does in the morning - I turn them off once she leaves for school. Matt tends to turn on the family tree because the power strip it is on also powers the train under the tree - he lives for the train. It is so nice now that the kids are old enough to help and enjoy the decorations.

Another Addition

Say "hello" to Pinecone. This is Emily's latest addition to her menagerie of stuffed animals. Pinecone is Emily's idea of a test pet. He came with a little crate, brush and dog bone. On Sunday, she insisted on taking him to church because he would be alone and scared here at home. We compromised on Pinecone staying in the car; he did eat lunch with us at the restaurant. Monday she took Pinecone to school and Tuesday too - the last day we would let the dog go to school. Pinecone sleeps in his crate right by Emily's bed. So far she has taken excellent care of her doggie. Of course, we still have to get into her head that a real pet would be constantly wanting attention and have vet bills. Thank goodness we don't have to talk seriously about a pet until she is 10. In the meantime, I guess we will have to continue making room for the stuffed animal variety.

Revisiting The Past

Our tribute to the past takes us back to the first Christmas season of our first child. This photo was taken at the Garden State Plaza, our local mall. They had an area filled with huge wrapped packages and "snow". We decided to lay Emily in the snow as our own little present. I love how she is lifting up both her head and her feet in an attempt to get up. This seems like such a long time ago and yet just like yesterday. It is hard to believe we are about to spend our 7th Christmas with Emily and our 4th with Matt.

Art 101

Scooby Dooby Doo Where Are You?

Here they are, the Mystery Machine Gang. From left to right, we have Scooby wearing his SB dog tag, Daphne dressed in purple with her signature red hair and headband, Shaggy in his green shirt, Fred with his blond hair and of course, Velma with her eyeglasses and pleated skirt. Emily and Matt love watching Scooby Doo. We even bought a few of the season episodes on DVD.

Christmas Fire Truck Parade

Every year the town of Wallington hosts the largest fire truck parade. Trucks from all over NJ and parts of NY come to participate. The only requirement is that your truck be decorated for the Christmas season. The last few years we have all gone to this event but this year it was boys night only. Emily and I stayed home and did some girl things. Matt and, of course, Dave were in their glory. Because Dave was with the Carlstadt fire department, he has access to one of the local fire houses where you can get some food and warm up during the parade. The best part is that Matt gets to go on the fire trucks from that station when they return from the parade route - that is where the helmet picture came from. They had a great time as usual. After all, what boy doesn't like lights and sirens.

Emily's Turkeys

I thought I would share this drawing of Emily's turkeys with you. They are two very colorful birds. You have to love the little gobbler she placed on each of them. There is nothing like a child's hand print turkey.

I Am Thankful for...

For the last 3 years, I've had Emily do a list of things she is thankful for during the month of November leading up to the ultimate day of thanks Thanksgiving. This year instead of doing a tree with "thankful leaves", Emily did a banner where on each pennant she drew a picture of what she was thankful for. So, here is her list:

* a friend, Gianna

* candy

* toys, girl toys

* a cat (there's a surprise Pettyball made the list)

* a gingerbread house

* animals

* Veterinarian Barbie & Emily

* Jesus, who loves the children

* Powerpuff girls

* taking care of animals

* Wowee toys

* Halloween

* Miss Lisa, my teacher

* homework (she's only in first grade, give her a few more years)

* Thanksgiving Pilgrims

As you can see, Dave, Matt and I didn't make the list but we figure it is because she tells us every day that she loves us (numerous times). Maybe next year we will all be mentioned.

Thanksgiving Day

We had a wonderful day in spite of being up almost the whole night Wednesday on to Thursday with Matt. Matt got one of his classic colds where he gets congested and rids himself of all the yuk by spitting up - that event happened at 3 in the morning. Thankfully it was only once and not too yucky. Knowing that his sickness was just from the cold we kept with our plans for the day. Dave however ended up having a cold come on and wasn't feeling good - the lack of sleep didn't help either of us. We spent the morning at home and headed to our friends Jack and Dawn Switzer's mother's (Dawn's) home for lunch at 2pm. I took this picture of Matt there. We had a wonderful time with the family. This was our fourth year having dinner at her home. The food was yummy. We left there around 6:30 and headed to see our friends, Travis and Kathy Watson and their kids, at Kathy's parents house. The Watson's recently moved to Williamsburg, VA and our last time seeing them was at a wedding this summer. It was wonderful catching up with them. Matt loved playing with "the boy in the orange shirt" their son Nathan. Emily and Kailey were busy playing too. We all came home very tired. Dave and I put the kids to bed and headed to bed too -all asleep by 9:45. Thankfully every one slept through the night.