Totus Tuus

Bowling Birthday Party

2012-01-13T20:09:00.002-06:00

Here are pictures from Nicholas' 4th Bday Party.

We had to light the candles twice because

he was sooo excited he blew them out before

we had a chance to sing Happy Birthday.

Here is my favorite:

Nicholas' 4th Birthday

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today is Nicholas' 4th Birthday!

Born today in 2008 on my Aunt Eunice's wedding day.

(Sort of messed up my parents' plans to attend the wedding - Sorry!)

He is a sweet boy with a penchant for orneriness.

Loves to play with little action figures and run

around with the big kids. Still loves "french fries, ketchup and

chocolate milk." And his mother's spicey chili.

We love you Nicholas!

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T14:40:00.000-06:00

New Year's is upon us in the middle of this Christmas Season. Every year I like to make resolutions. I can't say I've always accomplished many of them. But, there is always hope that I will. What better time than the start of a new civil year to reflect on what is working and what is not working in our lives. I think 2011's list had some 10 items on it. It was about 7 too many! For 2012 I'm going to make a short, accomplishable list.

1. Monthly Confession.
2. Get into better physical shape by walking 3 or 4 times a week. Start small, then increase!
3. Lose 20 lbs over the course of the next year by counting WW points and #2 above.

So there it is. Emily's 2012 New Year's Resolutions. Are you making any resolutions?

Christmas 2012

2011-12-30T13:25:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! It's a blessing to be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord until Epiphany, the Feast of the Visitation of the Magi.

The Krondak/Ganzel/Burris Families gathered in KC on the Plaza for a pre-Christmas celebration. Had lots of fun visiting with cousins, aunts, uncles, great-aunts & great-uncles, grandparents & great-grandparents. We were even blessed to be able to attend Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in KC, MO, which is the church where Sophia was baptized. Msgr. William Blacet is going strong at 90 as pastor...WOW!

We took a nice break after returning from traveling and getting ready for Christmas here at home. Put up our tree and nativity, baked up a storm, exchanged goodies with neighbors, and prepared to just be at home for Christmas.

Michael read at 5 PM Christmas Eve Mass and Sophia sang in the youth choir (in the choirloft with the other kiddos:) at the same Mass. Michael also sang in the MidNight Mass Choir.

It is a blessing to be able to be at home for Christmas. We were not in a hurry to be anywhere on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning/day. With that said, I do miss seeing family on these very important of days. But the kids had all day to play with toys, I could cook at my own convenience, and on the Eve we got to track Santa on Norad and get cookies and milk out in a lazy way.

I made crockpot Lasagna for Christmas Eve, a lot of bread machine panettone bread, and a rib roast on Christmas day. I must admit kids ate alot of sweets and goodies both days! We also made up single layer round birthday cakes for the big kids to decorate for Jesus' birthday.

Nicholas finally started feeling better on Christmas Eve, but now Alex & Will are congested (but no fever, thankfully).

Here are some pix from our Christmas holiday:

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T12:01:00.000-06:00

ChristmasGreetings 2011

Dear Family & Friends,

Hope this Christmas letter finds you and your familyhealthy and enjoying all of the pre-Christmas excitement - parties, moreparties and sugar.

The Krondak family has had a year full of school, houseimprovements and some traveling to visit family. Here is a little update on our kids:

· Sophia, 8 1/2, has become a proficient readerand is mastering the art of cursive handwriting. As always, she is a big help to her Mom. She made her First Holy Communion inMay. She continues to like to draw andcolor. Her summer activities includedcoach-pitched softball and a lot of toad-catching.

· Will, 5 3/4, has officially become a part ofour Divine Mercy Academy as a kindergartener. He has a good head for math and is improving every day on his pencilskills. He is our big-idea guy. He usually brings big, complicated plans toMom for her to execute - right now! Thiswas his first year to participate in TBall during the summer. He had a great time playing on the team andwearing all the cool baseball gear.

· Nicholas, 3 3/4, is in that awkward stagewhere he wants to do everything his big sister and brother do, but he isn'tquite old enough yet. This summer he didget to take swim lessons like the big kids. Nicholas still loves to play with the Little People and his littlePirates. He also has a cute littlesinging voice.

· Alex, 16 months, is a busy toddler. He's close to graduating from the crayon-eatingclass to the crayon-sorting class. He'srecently discovered his pointer finger and is slowly developing word skills toreplace shrieking. He is a cute littleboy with beautiful blue eyes.

Some of the house improvements we've accomplished thisyear include a new AC unit in the spring and new roof with guttering, soffit,and fascia in the fall. We alsoundertook a couple of bedroom re-models. Sophia moved into a girly pink room, while the boys moved into the bigblue room complete with their bunk beds set up.

We also went to Michael's 20th high school reunion. Michael enjoyed seeing all his classmatesfrom Immaculata High School. They had agreat turnout and the reunion was very enjoyable. We are planning on going to more reunions.

Emily's Dad, Frank, recovered well from his open-heartsurgery in January. Michael's parents,Bill & Anita, celebrated 40 years of marriage in June and his grandparents,Mike & Betty, celebrated 65 years in August! We visited Wichita, Leavenworth, Pawnee City,Lincoln, Colorado Springs and even got to visit Michael's sister, Sara, in LasCruces, NM. Our parish, St Elizabeth AnnSeton, completed a year and a half long building project. We are officially in the new beautifulchurch.

Hope you find timethis Advent to spend some quiet moments with Jesus as we prepare to celebratehis birthday.

10 Strange Facts About Me

2011-11-21T12:28:00.001-06:00

This is my creative writing project for myself today. (Read: my 10 minute break.) Thanks, Debi, for the idea.

1. I can wiggle my ears. Just discovered this was a unique skill in my house.
2. We don't put up our Christmas tree until the 4th Sunday in Advent.
3. I love jalapeno chips and coca-cola.
4. I nurse my babies into toddlerhood. Perhaps not strange to my readers, but odd in the culture.
5. I like to read fantasy adventure fiction. Nothing dark or scary though.
6. I have the urge to buy lots of dishware, but not the space.
7. I've been to Dachau, a German Concentration Camp, twice, but never to the Grand Canyon.
8. Every May and June, I have the itch to travel oveseas.
9. I'd like to live in Italy.
10. I have the strange knack for remembering birth dates and historical dates.

Divine Mercy Academy - Year in Progress

2011-10-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the new school year, we instituted a few changes in our homeschooling. Some little things and some big things. Here is an update on how it is going thus far.

One of the BIG changes was where we do school in our house. Up to this year, we did school daily at the kitchen table with schoolbooks stored on the kitchen counter top and some of the couch work in the living room. This year, we have three school desks in the basement in a little class area. The school area is working great! We have utilized our space better for storing books, displaying work, and doing work. It is nice to have the designated school area and the rest of the house our living space. The kids and I (contrary to what my mother thinks;) spend a great deal of time in our house. It's nice to have a space that is not a school space - for the non-school times. Redundant, I know. Sorry!

Up at 7 AM. --- Well this lasted for a little while. Currently week 11, and I haven't gotten up at 7 AM for weeks. We are usually up between 7:30 and 8 on a normal basis. This is still giving us enough time to get school started by 9:30ish.

Kid's Daily Devotional --- working out as a good read-aloud for Sophia.

Mom's shoes on ASAP in the morning --- doing this everyday keeps me ON TASK!

Trying to get school started daily at 9, 9:30 at the latest --- depending on what else is going on in our family, we are making this happen. Some things just can't be avoided: bill paying, grocery shopping. When these happen, school usually starts at lunch time.

Read Alouds at the couch upstairs, then downstairs for seat-work --- doing most of our work downstairs. We retreat to the table upstairs if I need to start a video for Alex or Nicholas.

I've also instituted homework...oops, I mean evening work --- did this for a while, but it just wasn't working for us. School needs to happen during the day for us.

Alex --- Boy, he is a shrieker. When he wants something, cover your ears! We try to get lots done while he is in a good mood in the morning, then even more done while he is napping.

Alex...the Desk Dancer --- still working on this one....

Nicholas --- he has his own desk (that Alex likes to sit at, esp. if Nicholas is already there). He colors the All About Reading page daily. Listens in on what everyone is doing. Occasionally plays independently upstairs, which usually means he is making a mess in the bathroom with water and toothpaste. He doesn't want to be far away from everyone else. So, we manage....

Some of the new curriculum we are using this year:

Blood and Guts AND The Body Book --- Enjoying both of these texts, esp. the Blood & Guts. I really thought she'd be all over the Body Book as we cut out and paste together different paper body parts, but it can be quite involved at times, which intimidates her.
Story of the World --- Makes this history loving Mother happy that Sophia is really eating this one up.
Catholic National Readers --- This was a frustrating one. Using these as Daily Read-Alouds for language arts. After getting some advice from my consultant on how to handle her FAST-WORD SKIPPING reading out loud, beginning to see these as a valuable tool now.
Miquon Math. A little math enrichment --- working nicely.
Piano lessons for Sophia --- already into Primer B. I think she is enjoying this, even though she complains about having to practice. I've noticed she has started to sing more at Mass also since taking lessons.
All About Spelling --- Sophia flew through Level 1. We will be starting Level 2 next week. I anticipate she'll complete Level 3 by the end of this school year.

I haven't written much about Will's Kindergarten year, so I'll remedy that now. Up until this year, he has been very reticent to use a pencil to write with or draw with; forget coloring all together! He would have rather used a pencil to form an airplane or use as a sword. Since, school has begun I have seen a great improvement in his abilities. He'll - mostly willingly - do his handwriting and math. He colors a new letter page daily. He's even experimenting some with colors, although he doesn't get over-excited about shades. He's forever informing me that he wants to color the picture what color it's supposed to be! No coloring horses green for him!

He rhymes very well. We haven't started on reading proper yet. I'll start that up after Christmas. Just working on pre-reading skills so far.

In math, he is working on counting and adding, which he is doing extremely well. I've given him his own addition flash cards to work with.

The kid loves caramel - just like his mom. So, this week I've been using it as a carrot to help him memorize his prayers. So far, so good.

Will can be a hand-full. I'm thankful he isn't in a classroom of 20 kids. He couldn't survive. He needs to be moving all the time. I am seriously impressed by his math skills. He's going to be a smart little guy.

I love all my kids. Still thankful to be able to homeschool - even when it is a challenge. Say a prayer for me!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-10-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...Oct. 26, 2011

Outside my window...it's dark and cold out. Autumn has arrived with the changing colors of the leaves, cooler weather, a little frost, maybe some snow soon.

I am thankful for...a fun evening with my family yesterday: pizza and Captain America DVD.

From the learning rooms... Sophia is working on cursive and multiplication facts, Will is really improving with his pencil skills and he is flying through his math really well. No longer worried about Sophia's reading skills. She has become quite the independent reader.

From the kitchen...meatloaf and mashed potatoes plus apple crisp for dinner tonight. Perfect weather for it.

I am wearing...jammies.

I am creating...mental Christmas lists.

I am reading...Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars.

I am hoping...fair trick-or-treating weather.

I am hearing...the baby's sleepy music and Father & Daughter playing cards before bed.

Around the house...we are awaiting the rest of the new guttering, fascia & soffit to be installed:)

One of my favorite things...the smell of coffee in the morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week...leading Sophia's Little Flowers meeting on Saturday, carving pumpkins on Sunday.

Here is a picture I'm sharing...All Saints Eve Preview: One Captain America, One Green Lantern (costumes are interchangeable, so we'll see who is actually who on the big night), Sophia as the Egyptian Princess who drew Moses (Alex) from the water.

What's New at Divine Mercy School

2011-08-23T22:11:00.003-05:00

Last week marked the beginning of the 4th year of our homeschooling adventure. It hasn't always been easy or fun, but it has been rewarding. I love the fact that I am the person who is influencing my kiddos. Most of my own childhood memories revolve around school so I'm happy to be giving this gift to my kids: childhood memories of their family and learning together.

We've changed our schooling for the better this year. Michael suggested moving school from the kitchen table to the our carpeted basement area. I was hesitant at first because so much of my life is in my kitchen. My husband usually has pretty good ideas, so I decided to give it a try. We moved both of our little school lift-top desks downstairs, acquired a third desk for Nicholas, rearranged a bit of furniture and posted school stuff on the walls in our new space. Poof - a new classroom. We also added a new gate to the bottom of the stairs to keep the one year old downstairs with us. We truly live in a gated community now;)!

Here are a few other of the new things we are trying:

Up at 7 AM. In order to make this happen, I put my coffee maker on a programmable timer. I figured if my coffee was already made when I got up, it would be easier for me to roll out of bed. It's working so far.

Kid's Daily Devotional. Sophia and I have been doing this in the morning. It's a short meditation on a verse from one of the daily Mass readings. So far, so good.

Mom's shoes on ASAP in the morning. Truly means I'm ready for school and getting things done when I put my shoes on. Not just sandals, but the lace up type. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.

Trying to get school started daily at 9, 9:30 at the latest. This helps as Will is now doing Kindergarten. Sophia is in 3rd grade. Nicholas and Alex are along for the ride, but they are going to be two very smart pre- and pre-pre-schoolers!

Read Alouds at the couch upstairs, then downstairs for seat-work.

I've also instituted homework...oops, I mean evening work. This is just a little review of some the things they were working on in the morning. Math worksheets, handwriting or cursive worksheets, flashcards, etc. Just a little work to reinforce what they did in the AM.

Now it isn't all rainbows and lollipops. Here are some of the things I'm dealing with:

Alex. One Year Old. Enough said. Well seriously, the boy wants to gnaw on every crayon and pencil he finds. Hence, writing instruments are being highly policed.

Alex...the Desk Dancer. Boy can he climb....and quickly! Working diligently to change his habits.

Nicholas likes to answer Will's school questions. I've been setting him up with an "educational" video the past couple of days in the guest room, which is also in the basement. That is only going to last so long though. Got to figure something else out for him.

Some of the new curriculum we are using this year:

Blood and Guts AND The Body Book. Both are going to be very fun, hands-on anatomy texts for Sophia and any little boy who might be listening.

Story of the World. History with an activity book. :):):)

Catholic National Readers. Like the McGuffey Readers ... only CATHOLIC. How cool is that?

Miquon Math. A little math enrichment.

Piano lessons for Sophia.

Hopefully, I'll update again soon with how these changes are working out.

Alex

2011-08-10T17:12:00.003-05:00

"Little" Alex turns 1 today. Here are a couple photos. More to come....

summer 2011

2011-06-19T21:14:00.001-05:00

Summer 2011

May

2011-05-29T15:43:00.009-05:00

May has been a seriously busy month for us: First Communion, Zach's Graduation (trip to Wichita), Homeschool Track & Field Day, Cabin-camping with friends, and now bedroom redecorating.

I've already posted regarding Sophia's First Holy Communion. The next weekend we traveled to Wichita for a quick visit for my oldest nephew's college graduation. Congrats to Zach! Go for that MS ASAP. Had a nice visit with my sister, brothers, parents, and other family members we don't see that often. (PS we live in NE - it's just north of KS)
Zach the Grad with some of his fans.

The Wednesday following that trip, the kids participated in the annual Track & Field Day. Sophia was even interviewed for the local news. Sophia, Will & Nicholas each ran, jumped, gunny sack raced, kicked soccer balls, and threw softballs. It was ALOT of fun - and a bit chilly. I led a group of six 5 & 6 year old boys.
5/6 year old boys at the Track & Field Day.
Will is in the gray hoodie on the left.

The next weekend our friends Matt & Dawn Sauer brought their crew of five daughters to hang out with us at the local lake. Kids fished - didn't catch anything, girls got all gussy-ed up at the local beauty college as part of Sophia's early BDay party, and lots of kids were almost blown away by gale-force winds. Luckily, no one blew into the lake. Nicholas did take a little swim, but thankfully he had his life-jacket on.

Lucy, Clara, Sophia, Anna & Mary after hair-dos.

Sauer & Krondak Kiddos:) with their
candy necklaces (AKA warrior beads).

This Memorial Day weekend we've been switching bedrooms for the kiddos. Will and Nicholas are moving into the bigger "blue" room and Sophia is moving into the newly painted purple room. Talk about alot of work, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Will's TBall game. Team sponsors: Adams & Swanson Funeral Home!

Summer is in full swing. Swim lessons and Library reading program start in a week or two. Multiple Tball games a week. Hello, Summer!

Sophia's First Communion

2011-05-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was Sophia's First Holy Communion. It has been a good, long year of CCD preparation and school at home to get her ready to receive our Lord, Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity, in this beautiful sacrament. It was also May Crowning at church AND Mother's Day. Sophia and the other little Communicant, Amy, got to carry up Mary's crown together, then placed it on together;).

In front of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes before Mass.

As you can tell it was a little breezy outside.

Both sets of Grandparents came for the special day.

Amy and Sophia with Fr. Mark Seiker.

She was quite done with pictures by this time - as you can tell from the teary eyes.

She justed wanted a snack, MMMOOMMM!

All smiles as she poses with the decorated brownies.

Our good friends, Mary Kate & Ron Tejral, made the trip up from Stillwater, OK. We've been friends since we met them at OSU while Michael was a grad student. We had a great time visiting and letting the kids get re-acquainted. 9 kiddos between the two families!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-04-05T10:21:00.008-05:00

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...4-5-11

Outside my window...The sun is shining, the sky is blue, looking forward to spring coming and staying!

I am thankful for...birds singing. It always lifts my spirits.

From the learning rooms (this week)...for Sophia: ordinal numbers; for Will: beginning MathUSee primer and Little Angels Reader A. Real School for a big boy.

From the kitchen...re-learning how to make healthier, whole grain pancakes, that my kids will want to eat.

I am wearing...nothing special, but I have my shoes on!

I am creating...my summer schedule - in progress.

I am reading...Inkspell by Cornelia Funke and an abridge version of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.

I am hoping...for a good school day.

I am hearing...the kids listening to the end of The Magician's Nephew audio story.

Around the house...I'm babyproofing as we have a crawling almost 8 month old!

One of my favorite things...is a good cup of coffee (repeat - I know:)

Here is a picture I am sharing...

My Alma Mater, Wichita State University, won the NIT Championship last week. Here is my tribute to the Shockers! Some of my best memories from my childhood include watching the Shockers play with my Dad!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-03-01T20:56:00.004-06:00

Simple Woman's Daybook

Started this last Tuesday, tried to continue on Wednesday,

finishing up... For Today 3-5-2011

Outside my window...it's growing dark. It was a pretty sunny yet cool day. We are all looking forward to spring weather. Mind you, not the mud, but definitely the warm weather.

I am thankful for...Sophia's independent reading really beginning to take off. Nicholas figuring out the potty!

From the learning rooms (this week)...adding new sounds: silent consonants. If they are silent, are they really "added"? No matter - they are sure helpful to know!

From the kitchen...a day of left-overs and a lunch of Book-It pizza with the above emergent reader:).

I am wearing...jammies.

I am creating...a little girl's room - in my head.

I am reading...Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Am also studying The New Age Counterfeit in our church bookclub.

I am hoping...spring portraits.

I am hearing...the aquarium filter, the furnace kicking on and off, and a nursing baby.

Around the house...I'm prepping for Ash Wed. and 6 weeks of Lent. I actually have lenten "decorations."

One of my favorite things...watching a movie with my husband.

Rate yourself as a cook....

2011-02-28T17:07:00.005-06:00

At my recent Pampered Chef party, the consultant asked us to introduce ourselves by rating ourselves in the kitchen (1-10 - 10 being the best). Off the cuff, I rated myself as a 9/10 as I introduced myself. I really wasn't meaning to be arrogant, but it probably sounded that way.

Seriously, I've been "cooking" now for 11.5 years. I sure hope I'm good at it. I don't serve gourmet meals or anything fancy, but I do serve nutritious, tasty meals - three times a day. I think I know my way around the kitchen and can get a good meal out in a timely manner too.

Leave a comment on how you rate your KITCHEN-ability!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-02-22T13:27:00.003-06:00

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

For Today Feb. 22, 2011

Outside my window...the sun is shining, but it is still cold. I literally just pushed a couple of my kids outside to burn off some energy. They didn't stay out too long.
I am thinking...about my summer schedule, which seems to be filling up QUICKLY!
I am thankful for...StoryTime at the Library.

From the learning rooms...adding a new sound: soft g in ge, gi, gy. Wow - how a few sounds can really expand your ability to decode words.
From the kitchen...I'm planning turkey-mac skillet.
I am wearing...a long sleeve Tshirt and jeans.
I am creating...an independent reader.
I am reading...Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Am also studying The New Age Counterfeit in our church bookclub.
I am hoping...for success in losing some weight in the next couple of months.
I am hearing...bored kids.
Around the house...Sophia and I are planning the decor in her "new" room.
One of my favorite things...is coffee with whipped cream.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Pampered Chef party on Thursday.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...my volcano cake & the 5 year old!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-02-15T15:54:00.004-06:00

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY Tues., Feb. 15, 2011

Outside my window...the sun is shining, the snow is melting, birds are singing. My screens are actually open it is so warm and beautiful.

I am thinking...of a troubled friend who needs some prayers right now.

I am thankful for...the beautiful day. A respite in winter.

From the learning rooms...adding a new sound: soft c in ce, ci, cy. Wow - how a few sounds can really expand your ability to decode.

From the kitchen...I'm planning pork stir-fry tonight.

I am wearing...Tshirt and jeans.

I am creating...a potty-trained 3 year old - hopefully!

I am going...to the Doc. office in 30 minutes with a sick almost 5 year old. Fever now for three days and a cough. Pretty miserable kiddo.

I am reading...Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Also started the Abolition of Man by CS Lewis

I am hoping...for good weather this weekend for a fun birthday party for above almost 5 year old.

I am hearing...birds singing outside.

Around the house...I really need to get some cobwebs cleaned up. WOW! Plus sort LOTS of papers to file or trash.

One of my favorite things...is coffee with whipped cream.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Fire Station Tour/Birthday Party. Bake and frost a volcano cake on Thursday!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...my little 6 month old:

the simple woman's daybook entry

2011-02-03T22:06:00.003-06:00

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY February 3, 2011
Outside my window...it is dark and cold. Seriously cold.
I am thinking...about how to get my almost 5 year old to stay in his bed to go to sleep. Minimally, he gets up 7 times after I put him in bed, to tell me he can't go to sleep. What is a Mom to do?
I am thankful for...my kids. I most likely complain too much, but I wouldn't want it any other way.
From the learning rooms...we have been reading about the Solar System, just started reading aloud King of the Golden City (in prep for 1st Communion), starting the sounds "aw", "au", "wa", "squa", "all", and "al", and finishing up rounding to the nearest thousand and ten thousand chapter. Just started using a pencil grip (actually 3 different kinds today). Preschooler is just having fun with letter sounds and counting to 10.
From the kitchen...nothing exciting. Wanting to make Turkish Delight. Thinking alot about making chocolate-zucchinni (sp?) muffins.
I am wearing...fleece PJs.
I am creating...hopefully a reading family.
I am reading...A Wrinkle in Time. Seriously enjoying Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle with Sophia.
I am hoping...for new dining table this year.
I am hearing...Oscar's dinner: crickets. (He's the gecko!) The furnace kicking on.
Around the house...lots of clothes to fold and put away. Maybe tomorrow.
One of my favorite things...whipped cream in my coffee.
A few plans for the rest of the week: picking up Will's Bday invites/announcements tomorrow. Planning for my first Altar Society meeting as President - YIKES! Help me, Lord!
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

My Dad, Frank, and my kids the day before his open-heart surgery. Precious!

2011-01-13T18:21:00.003-06:00

I’ve been thinking a great deal recently about the time of my life before I was married. I was in my early 20s living at my parents’ house, going to college and working, hanging out with friends at the Newman Center (Catholic center on campus), just “waiting” for the rest of my life to start. I’d known for many years that I wanted to get married and have a family. At the time though, there weren’t many dating “prospects” being offered to me. I struggled with a lot of indecision about school and what I would do with my life if I never married. Honestly, I felt heartbroken that I might never marry. It came to a head one day as I was driving to work. I finally told the Lord that if He wanted me to be single…Fine, I’d be single for Him and happy. I felt a lot of peace after that “giving over” to God – fully trusting that His will would be sufficient for me. It wasn’t long after this incidence that I met Michael and the rest is history, so to speak.

I guess I’m writing this reflection for my college age friends and family. We so often times in life, especially at that early/mid twenties age, can’t see where life is taking us. This is the golden opportunity to place each day into the hands of the One who loves us the most, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Trust that he has a perfect plan for you, whether we “like” it now or not. But while we are waiting for “life” to start, walk with the Lord daily. Pray, go to church, serve others around you. Give of yourself and the irony is that you’ll realize your “life” really is happening every day. This practice of waiting on the Lord will also set a beautiful precedent for you in later life.

As a 30-something married mother of four now, I can further see that this “waiting” happens throughout our lives. Even after we were married, the long expected family didn’t happen overnight. We had to wait a full four years – with ever so many tears – for that first baby to be born into our family. Even now with a full house of 4 very busy little people, sometimes I feel like I’m stagnant at this time doing the same tasks over and over. BUT the reality is we are all racing toward the finish line. I pray to be found worthy at the end of the race. I pray the same for you.

I think this song, While I’m Waiting by John Waller, says it all. Blessings to you!

2010-12-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

The Year in Review – 2010
January – Nicholas turned 2 with a little party at home. He has had a full year: adding lots of words, pirate skills & weaning. Emily started the year out feeling morning sick a lot – expecting baby # 4!
February – We celebrated Will’s 4th birthday. He got his first bike! Michael & Sophia attended the Daddy-Daughter Dance. She even got all “made” up at the afternoon spa.
March - Visited our niece Victoria in KS for her 20th Birthday. On the way home, we visited the Edgerton Science Museum in Aurora, NE. Had an ultrasound of Baby K. – BOY!
April – Celebrated Easter on Michael’s birthday. Sophia & Will participated in the Tinker Tri; the next morning Michael competed in his third O’Rourke Tri, which was cold & rainy!
May – We travelled to KS for a visit with Newman Center friends. Lots of fun seeing everyone…and all their kids! Sophia started her second season of T-ball. June – This month found us celebrating Sophia’s 7th birthday at the Children’s Museum, planting our very sad garden, and traveling to KC for Michael’s family reunion. Spent a night in Missouri after a car break-down, then had no further difficulties. For the 2nd summer in a row, Sophia spent a few days by herself in KS with Grandparents. Michael & Emily celebrated 11yrs of marriage!

July – Watched the fireworks with friends. Emily hostess-ed her first Pampered Chef party. Will got to attend his first swimming lessons, finally! Sophia passed her lessons (J)! We travelled to muggy Pawnee City to visit Michael’s Grandparents in our “new” minivan. Counted down the days until Emily’s due date. Another summer of Totus Tuus – enough said!
August – Victoria came to NP to be here for the baby’s birth. Finally on the eve of her last day here & 6 days overdue, Emily went into labor while at the ice cream store. Alex was born with Victoria and both Grandmas in attendance. Started our 3rd year of homeschooling with Sophia in 2nd grade and Will in pre-school. It was a busy month.
September – Celebrated Alex’ baptism on Labor Day weekend with Aunt Gretchen & Uncle Vic as godparents. School, new baby, school, new baby, school, new baby. It is kind of a blur now.
October – Helped with Pumpkin Fest at church… and it only rained a little! Spent a week in Denver visiting the Aquarium, the Science Museum, the Zoo, the candy factory & the good Bishop. Awesome!
Halloween was actually not snowy this yearJ. Bible themed costumes: Ruth, David, Joseph & his coat of many colors and The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
November – Alex’ happy personality beginning to emerge. He weighed 17lbs at 3 months! Travelled to Wichita for Thanksgiving. We are truly blessed in the Lord with family, friends, health, employment & freedom!
December – In Progress! Preparing for Christmas by doing the Jesse Tree with kiddos. Planning to visit KC the weekend before Christmas. Then we’ll celebrate Christmas and New Years at home with our own little family.

Prayers for blessings in the New Year
KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-11-20T16:19:00.002-06:00

Pix of Alex - finally

2010-11-13T15:14:00.004-06:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of Baby Alex. The photos are in the wrong order, but enjoy!

Little Brother Alex with Big Sister Sophia, Biggest Brother Will, and Big Brother Nicholas!

Trying to get everyone to look the same direction and look semi-smiley - HUGE!

Alex' Baptsim

At the Aquarium in Denver.

Most recent group shot.

Baby Alex snuggled up with Mommy

Baptismal outfit

Little Monkey Toes - irresistible!

More cute toes!

Alexander Daniel Aaron

2010-08-17T16:17:00.004-05:00

Our little guy arrived at 4:46 AM on 8-10. Hoping to post the full birth story soon.
He weighed in at 8 lbs even and was 20 1/4" long.

40 Weeks Pregnant

2010-08-05T15:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my due date for Baby Krondak. I'm trying not to get too anxious about labor. I know it will happen when it happens. I am trying to walk for a longer period of time on a daily basis. Just trying to walk my little guy down.

I've been blessed to have 4 good pregnancies - with nice long labors. I anticipate the same with this baby.

So if you have some extra time, say a prayer for me that labor will start (soon & naturally) and baby will come safely.

Multiple Posts

2010-06-14T18:40:00.001-05:00

I've finally caught-up on my blog, so keep scrolling down for several new posts.

Sophia's 7th Birthday Party

2010-06-14T16:22:00.002-05:00

Sophia is celebrating her 7th Birthday in June. We originally planned to spend her summer birthday outside at Cody Park Rides. Due to tremendous storms and almost cold, windy weather, we moved it inside to the Children's Museum. It was a good party with lots of friends and both sets of grandparents, plus three cousins (Ian & Olivia from Wichita, Cameron from Olathe)!

Here she is with her horse cake and sparkler candles.

As you can tell, she has recently lost two bottom teeth.

The very favorite toy was the Zhu Zhu Pets. She received several of the houses/tunnels, but only one little hamster, Jilly. We soon figured out that wasn't going to work with two brothers at home. So Grandpa K. and Daddy went out on an emergency Zhu Zhu Pet shopping trip so that every little person would have his/her own little, squeaky hamster.

TBall, Children's Museum, Wind Storms, & Gardening

2010-06-14T16:17:00.002-05:00

Sophia is in her second year of TBall this summer. She has really improved since last year. Last summer, the drink and the snack was the big motivator for each and every game, not so much this year.

Here she is batting.

We spent some time at the Children's Museum in May.

Here is Will doing a puppet show.

Sophia declared it the best day in her life when Michael pulled a broken branch out of our cottonwood tree. It provides lots of entertainment for three little people.

I put a little garden in this year.

I've planted acorn squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes.

Along the back I have Indian corn and mammoth sunflowers.

Our cottonwood tree has really produced cotton this year.

Just look at it blowing around the kids.

Fishing & Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-14T15:39:00.007-05:00

We decided to take advantage of the Free Fishing Day in Nebraska in late May. Of course, it happened to be the windiest day ever! We got a nice spot on a dock at a little pond. First disaster occurred when our cooler blew into the water. Fortunately, it stayed right side up, so Michael was able to retrieve it from the other side of the pond. It was that windy. We just watched it blow across. Then, while Michael was holding "Will's" pole, a fish bit. Will claimed it as his fish. We threw the little fish back. The second disaster occurred when the hat that Will is wearing in the below photo blew into the water. No chance in retrieving it. It is heart-breaking to a 6 and 4 year old to watch it sink in to the water. Oh, the tears that were shed over that hat.
We decided it was a good time to leave before Nicholas blew into the water! On the way home, we purchased 3 new hats from Walmart. So much for our free day!

Memorial Day weekend is the opening weekend for Cody Park Rides. Below are some photos of the kids on the ferris wheel and eating ice cream. It was a good evening. Nothing blew away:)

2010 Homeschool Field Day

2010-06-14T15:24:00.006-05:00

At the end of May, the NP Area Homeschool Association hosts a Field Day for the kids. It is very well organized and planned out so that the kids get to participate in a variety of field-type events. Below are some of the high-light photos. Preschoolers get to take part in scaled back events, while the bigger kids "compete" in their age divisions.

Will & Nicholas running the first race.

Will is in the red sweat-shirt and red hat; Nicholas is off to the right of him.

He, of course, brought up the rear in the both foot races, which made him very sad.

But for the 2nd foot race, Nicholas had picked up the get-ready stance - hands on his knees - from the bigger kids!
Will jumping in the gunny-sack race. Nicholas was
having a snack about this time.

Sophia competed with other 5 & 6 year olds. She did really well in many of the events.

Below she took 1st in the 50 Yard Dash, then 2nd in the 100 Yard Dash.
(She is in red pants, white shirt and blue hat.)

She got 1st in the High Jump.

Below is the Soft Ball Throw, which she took 3rd place in.

I think this one is the Running Long Jump.

She placed 3rd in the Standing Long Jump.

Here she is (3rd from left) in the gunny-sack race.

I did not include a photo of the Soccer Kick, but she took 3rd in it.

All in all, it was a very good day, but by the end of it I was exhausted!

New Post

2010-06-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

Well, this isn't much of a post. Mostly a reminder to myself that I need to get the photos off my camera and onto the computer so I CAN post about the things we've been doing.

We've been having some wonderfully cool weather here the past few days. We haven't turned on our AC yet this summer. Relax all you weekend guests! We'll have it on by Thursday of this week, but then we'll probably turn it off again for the next couple of weeks. We are just soooo green, you know. Really - we are cheap!

Enough for now. Off to mop my dirty kitchen floor.

Tri Pictures

2010-04-24T20:49:00.004-05:00

Finally, here are the pictures from both the Tinker Tri & the adult Tr.

Tinker Tri 2010

2010-04-23T22:28:00.003-05:00

Sophia and Will both participated in the O'Rourke Tinker Triathlon tonight. It turned out to be a beautiful night with 70 degree weather. It was iffy this morning as it was raining when I leaving the grocery store at 10:30 AM.

We managed to have them assigned to the same lane in the same heat during the swim. Both wearing life-jackets, they made it across the pool, with (Will) and without (Sophia) a little help from Daddy. They jumped out of the pool, they dried off and ran to their bikes. Michael ran with Sophia during the bike, and I walked with Will. Will was following the "slow and steady wins the race" philosophy, which was OK for me. I ended up only having to walk - not run - beside him. He was so cute. I think he was more interested in the painted lines and the asphalt on the street than the race. We did see Sophia riding back to the staging area - Michael was a ways behind her running - trying to keep up! After Will's very leisurely bike ride, Michael ran with him during the last phase. Both got medals, lots of pictures by Mom, apples & granola bars.

Nicholas was happy to eat popcorn in the stroller and hang out with Grandma & Grandpa during the race that lasted 24 minutes.

I'll load the pictures after Michael's Tri on Saturday.....

Manhattan

2010-04-03T20:06:00.005-05:00

Palm Sunday weekend we travelled to Manhattan to visit my niece for her 20th Birthday. My parents, sister and her boys, brother and his kids, and Tori's brother also came for the weekend. We had a great weekend which included a nice spring (wet) drive through the Kansas countryside along Hwy 24, swimming at my parent's hotel with the cousins, a nice meal out with Tori and her friends, an afternoon at the Sunset Zoo, quality time with Victoria, and then a stop at the Edgerton Exporit Center in Aurora, NE (science museum). We haven't been anywhere since last September, so this was a much needed excursion out of town. Thanks to my Aunt Lou who let us descend on her house and stay for the weekend! Below are some of the pix.

Ian (8), Sophia (6), Sean (5), Olivia (5), Will (4), Josh (3), Nicholas (2)

Dragons VS. Easter

2010-04-01T21:21:00.002-05:00

Last week while at the grocery store, the kids and I ran across a huge "dragon" display. Of course, I had no clue that there is a new dragon movie out in theaters. Sophia wondered why they were celebrating dragons more than Easter. We agreed that Jesus wouldn't like that!

20 Week Sonogram

2010-03-23T09:19:00.003-05:00

We had our 20 week sonogram for the new baby yesterday. The kids came with us to see the baby kicking around. I don't think the technician was too eager to have so many little people in attendance, but they did pretty well. Only Nicholas got bored and had to be taken out for a bit.

Here is a picture of Baby Krondak due in early August.

Jumper

2010-03-04T11:40:00.002-06:00

I had my 18 week OB appointment today. The kids came with me as it is usually a pretty quick appointment. The Doc found the baby's heartbeat - and noted what a little jumper the baby is. Last month, he or she was jumping all over the place also. I didn't feel any of the jumping the baby was doing while listening for the heartbeat today, but I have started feeling other movement. So the movement I FEEL must be HUGE jumps and somersaults.

After waiting in the room with the older kids for a good 25 minutes, I can attest that the baby comes by the jumping quite naturally!

Lenten Facebook Break

2010-02-23T21:35:00.002-06:00

This Lent I decided to give up Facebook. The first couple of days were rough. I found myself automatically wanting to click the now-deleted shortcut key. I did check it on Sunday - just to see if anyone else wanted to be on my blog list. I was amazed that once I had checked it again, I had not really missed that much. Maybe - just maybe - by the end of Lent I'll have broken my FB addiction.

I do miss posting random thoughts as status' though. So perhaps I'll start posting them here.

Little Kicks

2010-02-23T21:33:00.003-06:00

As the ticker along the sidebar states, we are 16 weeks into this pregnancy. I finally started feeling human again a few weeks ago, but still have my "green" moments. I felt the first tiny kicks this past weekend. Somehow, that makes it all worth it!

Will's 4th Birthday

2010-02-23T20:58:00.004-06:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Will's 4th Birthday with swimming with friends, then home for pizza and cake. He has been talking about his much anticipated birthday for quite a while now. He had a good day!

Thanks especially to Grandma and Grandpa Krondak for braving the snow to travel for the party. Because of the crazy snowstorms over Christmas, we had not seen them for a good six months. It was great to have them here.

Nicholas & Will with the pirate cake.

The very cool TRex.

The very FAVORITE Buzz Lightyear toy.

In his Superman shirt and wearing his Spiderman watch. Thanks Aunt Gretch!

The kids (wearing their Christmas outfits) before Mass the next day.

Daddy Daughter Dance

2010-02-15T19:01:00.003-06:00

Michael & Sophia went to the locally sponsored Daddy-Daughter Dance the Friday before Valentine's Day. The Rec Center sponsored a "Spa" before the dance. Little girls could have their make-up, nails and hair done. It was so cute. Sophia ate it all up, while Will & Nicholas were tremendously bored while she was being dolled-up.

Here are some pix.

Simple Woman's Daybook - my entry

2010-01-20T21:00:00.003-06:00

Visit The Simple Woman's Daybook for more!

Outside my window...it's dark. Kids are in bed, quiet.

I am thinking...about my 6 year old's constant tummy-aches. What can I do to comfort her?

I am thankful for...the Republican winning in MA. Maybe we'll be saved from universal coverage now.

From the learning room...lots of addition facts drills and sight word games this week.

From the kitchen...finally feeling better again so I made fish for dinner, even had brownies for dessert, and the table was even set with care.

I am wearing...pink jammies and my winter flannel, need to be in bed shirt.

I am creating...since I'm not omnipotent, nothing. I'm helping God grow a new little person inside me right now (almost 12 weeks along now).

I am going...go to bed soon.

I am reading...sadly, The Woman's Day magazine. I need a good book!

I am hoping...for good news at DH's job soon.

I am hearing...a sleeping 2 year old and the gurgling of the fish tank.

Around the house...I've made a to-do list of jobs I've been shirking recently. With no nausea comes productivity.

One of my favorite things...my three year old's prayer tonight: Thank you Jesus for making me and Daddy friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week: walking at the Rec Center, coffee out on Saturday morning.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Kids want to be like their parents. Here Sophia is carrying a doll in a sling, just like Mommy.

2009-12-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

Come, O long awaited Savior, Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in thee.

Greetings to you and your family during this Advent Season as we prepare for the birthday of our Savior! Advent at our house consists of daily creating a paper ornament for our Jesse Tree, which sketches out Salvation History, and lighting (and blowing out) our Advent wreath candles – a real treat for the 6 and under crowd!

Sophia, 6 ½ and counting, is in the 1st Grade of our home school, Divine Mercy Academy. She excels at math and handwriting, and has declared herself the smartest girl in our house, with which we don’t argue. Every night Daddy reads her a story and then she reads Daddy a story. She participated in her first season of T-Ball this past summer, which was redeemed by the weekly snack and drink!

Will, 3 ¾ and counting, is fine-tuning his sword fighting skills, which is why the nerf sword is usually high up on the china cabinet. He can pick out letters and sounds, count to ten, and knows his colors. He continually amazes us with his ability to play independently for what seems like hours during the school day.

Nicholas, 23 months and counting, is our happy, compliant little guy. We marvel at his use of the word “pees” and the way he likes to bring you his dinner plate after eating! Like any little person who is zeroing in on the big 2 year mark, he knows the word NO. Oddly enough, when he says NO, he usually is nodding his head yes! Like all of our toddlers, he is beginning to work on giving up his daily nap.

Michael & I celebrated ten years of marriage in June – with tornado force winds. Luckily no damage to our house. We will also be consumer debt free after the beginning of the year thanks to Veritas Financial Ministries and Dave Ramsey’s daily talk show. It has been a long road, but it is very worth it. Michael won the fitness section of the Triathlon in August and is currently training for the Tri in. He also is now a licensed Professional Engineer! I am working on winning the battle over laundry in our house, while home education keeps me on my toes and busy every day. Our Parish family is embarking on building a new church. By this time next year,

St. E. should be nearly ready to move into a new beautiful church!

2009 Trip Synopsis: Celebrated Easter with Michael’s Grandparents, coordinated & attended the Newman Center reunion in June, Sophia had her first overnight with Grandparents, helped to celebrate my Mother’s 70th Birthday in July, hosted Michael’s family reunion, and went camping with friend's in September! It has been a full year of go-go-going, which is part of the reason that we are staying at home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and Joy in the New Year through Christ Jesus, the infant King!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T17:58:00.002-06:00

Well, we spent our first Thanksgiving at home without extended family this year. Our friend from church, Ed, did come to share our 22 lb turkey with us. It was a nice, quiet sort of holiday without any rushing around. Except for the rushing to the Mall on Friday morning to watch Santa arrive on the big red tractor, which he did not actually do. We kept waiting and waiting with the other people outside the mall, then someone let us know he was already inside. BIG BUMMER!

And "quiet" is not exactly accurate either. Our hot water heater leaked on the Sunday morning of Thanksgiving week. So from Tuesday until the following Sunday we lived with 3 gigantic, industrial type fans and a dehumidifier to dry up the water in the carpet and the drywall. We did actually turn the fans off during Thanksgiving dinner and a couple other times.

All in all it was a good holiday with much to give Thanks to God for....like employment, fans to dry carpet, emergency funds for emergencies, good health, ability to educate our kids at home, for our children, and each other!

2 Kid Funnies....

2009-11-22T18:12:00.003-06:00

After church today, we took the kids to eat lunch at Pizza Hut. If you've been to Pizza Hut during the Holiday seasons, you know they set out board game cards for customers to "play" while waiting. Great marketing plan! So we were playing this game where you give clues to a word to one person to guess the word. I was giving clues for "belly button" to Sophia. It was a pretty poor clue, I must admit. I said, "You are born with this." Sophia readily guessed - original sin?! We were happily impressed!

Our local Pizza Hut has also installed flat-screen TVs in the corners. Will was busily watching basketball. But what really caught his eye was the Super Juicer! He giggled and said how much he wanted one of those! My children are so innocent as they never watch commercials:):):)

Welcome, Autumn...or Winter!

2009-11-04T08:53:00.002-06:00

October was a full month for us here in west-central Nebraska. We had 3 BIG snows amounting to 30" of snow. Keep in mind that our average seasonal snow total is 29"! This probably doesn't bode well for a mild winter.

The first unseasonal snow dumped a ton of snow on our parish's annual Pumpkin Festival. Thanks to last minute scrambling and quick thinking on the part of the committee in charge, we were still able to have a successful Pumpkin Fest INSIDE church. (Start praying now for autumn weather for next year!) The next snow was a couple of weeks later. Kids made a snowwoman, which I failed to photograph. That foot of snow melted as fast as it fell. The last snow pretty much closed down our small burg the day before Halloween. Michael couldn't even get the car out of the driveway to get to work. VACATION DAY! We now know why our town has so many jacked-up trucks ... just to navigate the snow. The city did actually plow our street on Halloween. Not complaining here, but that created a HUGE pile in the middle of the road. Fortunately by Halloween night, it had warmed up and melted lots of the snow so we could trick or treat with some friends.

On to other family updates, we are in the 12th week of school here. Sophia is making real progress in her reading program this year. When I get frustrated, I know I need to cool my jets and remember that she is a young 1st grader. She is zipping through her math program. Tonight we are going to prepare for her Science Fair Project next week. She has completed one session of a Homeschool PE class at the local gymnastics club. Hoping that the program will continue! She is also taking part in a monthly science presentation at our local children's museum. Some 60 kids participated in the first session in October! Michael has started training for the spring Triathlon. Will is training Nicholas in the art of being a little boy.

Looking forward to a quiet, dare I hope dry November!

Below are some of our pictures from the month of October.

Nicholas as The Dragon, Will as St. George of Merry England

and Sophia as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Camping

2009-09-22T10:58:00.005-05:00

The weekend after Labor Day we went camping with some old friends. They have five girls aged 10 down to 6 mo, so all of my kids had someone with whom to play. It was a good weekend full of visiting, cooking and eating outdoors, walking, doing battle with flies, playing in the sand, making s'mores, fishing, and having adult beverages after the kids fell asleep. I don't know if this was really the high-light, but the first night we had a terrific rain storm that flooded one tent. The next morning we all had to stay in our respective tents until the rain subsided and some of the water soaked into the ground. Our resident Eagle Scout had the very wet job of relocating 4 little girls to a dry tent and moving the wet tent out of the flooding. Kudos to Matt! Then the real work began of drying clothes and sleeping bags out so they could be used 2 more nights.

All in all it was a superb weekend of building great memories for our kids. We look forward to making this an annual event - minus the flies and flooding!

On Sunday morning we all put on relatively clean and dry clothes to go to Mass:

Matt snapped this great shot of Will (3) and Clara (almost 3). Young Love!
We've agreed to betroth them;)

Tooth Fairy

2009-08-26T14:30:00.006-05:00

My 6 year DD lost her first tooth on Saturday. It was quite a full day for us as DH had just completed a 97.5 mile bicycle ride to the next town over. After dinner on the drive home, I noticed Sophia twisting the loose tooth. Sure enough as she was getting ready for bed she brought the tooth in to show us. Every one took a turn holding the precious tooth. Panic ensued when it dropped to the off-white carpet. Fortunately, she found the very tiny tooth.

We put it in her hand-made tooth fairy pillow from Grandma Anita.

The Tooth Fairy was pleased to find the coins she had stashed away for this late night moment.

Sophia was pleased to wake up to find a gold dollar coin.

Here is a picture of the newly lisping Sophia:

1st Day of 1st Grade

2009-08-18T13:48:00.001-05:00

My student....

Truly a home school....

Busy Summer 2009

2009-08-16T21:10:00.009-05:00

Our summer is sadly coming to a close as tomorrow (8-17-09) we start our second year of homeschooling in our officially christened home school, Divine Mercy School. Sophia will be in 1st grade and Will will be doing a few pre-school activities. But we'll share those details in a later post.

We've had a very full summer. Here are some of the highlights of our busy, crazy, hectic time off.

Sort of in reverse order!

Gardening

Fun in the yard
Coordinating church outfits

Patients First health care rally

Dinner with cousins

Eating lots of watermelon

Family time at the park

Michael's family reunion & Triathlon weekend

Finishing strong at the Tri

Being statues with Grandpa

Slushies with Cousins

Playing at the park with Cousins

10th Anniversary

Mom's 70th BirthdayFrank & Florena's 45th Wedding Anniversary

Goodlooking Cousins

A very Superhero summer

Climbing trees

Showing off Muscles

Totus Tuus water fight -even 3 year old brothers get to join in the fun

Totus Tuus Ice Cream Sundae

Lots of time at the pool

4th of July Fun at Amy & Matt's house

When the sun went down, it was soooooo cold we broke out the blankets to watch fireworks!

Cody Park Fun

Fun on bikes

More fun with Cousins

6th Birthday Girl - even has a loose tooth!

Post Swimming Lessons Snacking!

Reading with the favorite, oh-so-cool older cousin!

Newman Center Reunion.

Chance to see our favorite Bishop!

Some of his spiritual grand-children:)

Well, that's all folks!

Patients First Rally

2009-08-05T21:40:00.003-05:00

The kids and I went to a Patients First Rally today. Main message (see the bus pic): Keep Your Hands Off My Health Care, Mr. President. We had 300 people at the rally - including my three budding conservative activists! Quote from Sophia: No Obama No. :)

Sophia

2009-06-29T08:08:00.004-05:00

Many of you know that we were married 4 years before our first baby was born. That three plus years of infertility was hard on us. I consider Sophia our miracle baby.

Here are some photos of my Little Miracle in honor of her 6th Birthday.

10th Anniversary

2009-06-25T22:53:00.006-05:00

June 25th marks our 10th Wedding Anniversary. We have been marveling at how quickly the time has flown! I can honestly say that marriage only gets better and better.

Below are some photos from our wedding .... and us now.

(Sorry - I don't know how to scan these photos without the white edge.)

Happy Anniversary, Michael!

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Scrapping...

2009-06-15T23:08:00.003-05:00

I'm finally finishing up Will's Baby album. My version of the traditional baby album plus the next couple years. Okay - maybe just one more year. If I can get through the 2nd birthday, I'll consider the albums done!

I ran across some seriously cute photos of my two little guys that I wanted to post here....

Will

Nicholas

Making memories

2009-06-11T20:57:00.004-05:00

My kids and I made a memory today. A Mom memory. Something to file away in my mind and bring out to cherish when these little people in my charge are grown and gone.

In an effort to accelerate my weight loss, I've been walking or biking for about an hour every day. Some days, Nicholas and I go for a walk after dinner; some days we all bike together. Today, we went walking at the Mall. It was a little chilly outside and I thought the Mall might prove more interesting to the kids. After the first 30 minutes, Sophia was pretty bored and ready to leave. So, I started telling stories as we walked to pass the time. I told Three Little Pigs, my version of Kipling's Elephant Child and Sleeping Beauty (Disney version).

They loved it. They absolutely ate it up. Will sat back in the stroller, fingers laced behind his head, listening intently. Sophia chipped in lines here and there especially for Sleeping Beauty - her all-time favorite. She has memorized whole sections of the good fairies dialogue. Nicholas fell asleep - lulled by my voice and the walking.

The most ironic thing is that I am a terrible story-teller. Michael is the real story-teller in the family. I forget whole parts of the story, have to back track to fill in, then stumble back to the part we were at. It has to be a chore to listen to me. BUT they loved it. The last 3o minutes of the walk flew by. We had a blast. We made a memory to hold on to.

While the other unattended, unsupervised 6, 7, & 8 year olds were running from vending machine to game machine, plugging quarters in and using there newly acquired stretchy "sticky fingers" to hit banners hanging from the ceiling.

Parenting certainly has it's ups and downs. There are days I feel overwhelmed and discouraged. But not today. This was definitely a good day.

cute game

2009-05-22T19:09:00.005-05:00

This is a cute little game. Thanks to Jessica!

You're supposed to do the following:

1. Open the 4th picture folder on your computer
2. Open the 4th picture and post it on your blog
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

Okay so here it is:

One of my all time favorite Sophia photos. She was about 14 months old modeling a new outfit.

1. Matt

2. Dawn

3. Chrissy

4. Becky

Kid Update

2009-05-18T14:42:00.003-05:00

Here is a brief update on what my kids are up to these days...

Sophia (5.875 years)

She has started TBall this summer. Last Wednesday was her first real game. She is a REAL beginner. Just learning how to field the ball and swing. They put her on 1st base right away. After about 10 batters she started getting the hang of it! It was a terribly windy night. By then end of the hour, she was sure she didn't want to play TBall again. But after the drink and the treat, she declared how much she "loved Tball!"

Some of the other little girls on the team either have experienced older siblings or just over-achieving parents. More than half of these girls are outfitted with name-brand "activewear" and cleats! Mind you, they are FIVE years old!

She is eagerly planning her 6th birthday party. Maybe she gets that from me! Most of the fun is in the planning anyway. It is also hilarious how every day she changes her mind on what she wants to be when she grows up. After a visit to Morrill Hall (the mammoth exhibit), she wanted to be a dinosaur "hunter." After recycling today, she is determined to become a person that makes stuff out of junk. We'll see what tomorrow holds...

Will (3.25 years)

Will's big news right now is that he is officially potty-trained. YEAH! YEAH! He is doing a super job getting to the potty - by himself most of the time. The other day I came in from the backyard and asked Michael where Will was. If you can't hear Will or see Will, he is probably somewhere pooping in his pants. So, I started looking and calling for him. I found him in the bathroom...pooping in the potty!

When my parents were here, my Mom bought Will a little set of lego-type knights. They have itty-bitty swords, shields and helmets. He absolutely adores these little "soldier men." The most amazing thing is that we haven't lost any of the pieces yet - Will is trying though!

Nicholas (16 mo)

Nicholas' 1 year molars have finally come through. He is pretty busy just trying to keep up with Will & Sophia. You know your baby isn't a baby anymore when he tries to take his own clothes off - just like his big brother & sister.

He is extremely interested in birds right now. Loves to watch them out of the window. Reminds me of the hours that Sophia & I spent bird watching in our old house when she was probably about the same age. He likes to say ball and bird, Mom and Dad, and gives lots of other words a good try.

WSU Newman Center Reunion

2009-05-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

NEWMAN CENTER REUNION
(for Alumni from 1991-1995)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
At St. Paul Parish / Newman Center

4:00 PM Holy Mass celebrated by Bishop James Conley

5:30 PM Enjoy a glass of wine in the Basement

6:00 PM Spaghetti Dinner in the Basement
The current Students at the Newman Center will be preparing and serving the Spaghetti Dinner. The NC will also be providing garlic bread, lemonade, water, and table service.

What you need to bring:
Your family (kids welcome),
Also bring DVDs, balls and games for the kids to help keep them occupied.
A side dish and a dessert,
A bottle of wine to share,
Pictures and memories to share,
A little cash donation to St. Paul’s.

Have photos to share with others in a slideshow? Email pictures to Matt Sauer at kc0lex@sbcglobal.net by 6-1-09.

If you can’t make this Reunion, but would like to share pictures of your family with us, please email them to Matt Sauer at kc0lex@sbcglobal.net by 6-1-2009.

Would you like to help with the music during Mass? Contact Aasiri Fernando at afernando@cessna.textron.com.

NEED A HEAD COUNT for the dinner
RSVP by 6-13-09 to emilykrondak@msn.com

FYI - I'm trying...

2009-05-12T12:28:00.002-05:00

I just put all of my summer commitments on my calendar. This is how I feel: AAGGGHHHH!!!
So many things - I had to color code all the different items. I am drowning in color!

So, if I told you that I would do something for you/with you this summer, I'm trying..........

I am doing absolutely NOTHING in August.

Pix of mid-week vacation

2009-05-01T21:16:00.004-05:00

Kids and I went to Lincoln for a mid-week "vacation." Michael had some meetings, so we tagged along. We visited the Capitol Building, Lincoln's Children's Museum, and Morrill Hall (AKA The University of Nebraska State Museum). We walked everywhere - even with cloudy weather - and had a good time. All in spite of Nicholas developing a fever and a touch of diarrhea (me, too!).

Some fancy doors at the Capitol Building.

Note Nicholas' cheesy smile.

At the Children's Museum, Nicholas loved the big, stuffed dog.
Will's very favorite at the Ch.Mus.: the Fire Truck. In fact, I could hardly pull him away from it, then he would run back to it! (Big potty victory: while in the tree house at the museum, Will told me that he needed to go potty and then held it until we got to the said potty! YAY!)
Evidently, Nebraska was once home to huge Mammoths as well as other BIG dinosaurs. Fossils have been found all over the State, including near where we live.

Sophia's new dream occupation: Dinosaur Bone Hunter!

This HUGE tortoise fossil was mounted high up on a wall, so for

perspective I had the kids stand against the wall with their arms up.

Best of all at Morrill Hall, we basically had the entire museum to ourselves. Can't beat that.

Michael & Will's TRI pix

2009-04-28T11:19:00.003-05:00

Michael ran in his second TRI this past weekend.

He improved his time from last year and felt good the next day.

What else can you wish for?!

At the Finish Line!

************************************************************

Will got his own mini-TRI on Saturday.

He and Michael biked to one corner and back,

then ran to the other corner and back.

He was very pleased afterward - even got his own medal.

Go, Will!

Next year, we'll have two in the Tinker Tri - Will & Sophia.

Tinker Tri-Athlete

2009-04-24T22:29:00.003-05:00

This weekend is the local Triathlon. Michael participated in this TRI last year - his very first. He is gearing up to do it again this weekend.

As a way to increase a love for the sport and to get kids moving, the Tri sponsors a Tinker Tri for kids 14 & under. It is broken up into 3 age groups. Soooo....Sophia took part in her first Tinker Tri this evening. She swam 25 yards (with life jacket on), biked 1/2 mile, then ran 1/4 mile - with Daddy beside her the whole way. She was super excited before and after! She can't wait for next year's event!

Guess who was sad that he didn't get to TRI?
Will gets to have his own athletic event tomorrow with Daddy & his own cheering squad, Mommy, Sophia & Nicholas!

With the Curls....After the Curls

2009-04-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

I finally gave Nicholas a hair cut....

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T13:29:00.003-05:00

We spent Easter with Michael's Grandparents, Mike & Betty. Had a great visit, "hunted" eggs, saw Grandma & Grandpa, and made it to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday Masses.

Trip to the Zoo

2009-04-09T13:45:00.005-05:00

In March the kids and I took a trip to my hometown to visit my family. We also took the opportunity to go to the Zoo. Here are some favorite pictures.

*************************************

Ian, Sophia & Sean seeing which handprints fit them.
The 7 Little Reasons why my parents keep so busy!

Josh, Sean, Nick, Will, Sophia, Ian & Olivia.

My Cute Kids

2009-04-09T13:39:00.002-05:00

Here are some recent snapshots of the kids being silly and cute...

Will is practicing his weight-lifting & balancing while Sophia balances a tray.

Will absolutely loves to wear his black hat and cap while playing with his hobby horse. Probably the best $10.00 I've ever spent.

Sophia posing as a model ... in a t-shirt & baggy pants:)

I sure hope he doesn't have a future in acting...

Nicholas is just too cute with his curls and stripey sweater.

Small Successes - 12

2009-04-09T13:27:00.003-05:00

1. As I make bread almost daily in my bread machine, I've started pre-measuring the ingredients into my own "bread mixes." In the fridge & ready to bake!

2. I've enlisted the kids' help in sorting clean clothes. I dump the clothes in a big pile and they help me sort it into their own baskets, which makes it easier to get it folded and into the correct drawers.

3. As I am cleaning up after dinner, I make a lunch from leftovers for my husband's next day's lunch. Saves time and money.

Go to Faith and Family Live to read more small successes.

Feast of St. Joseph

2009-03-19T18:35:00.004-05:00

Today, March 19th, is the Feast Day of St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus.

We celebrated by having a St. Joseph feast, Italian style. I made homemade minestrone and braided bread. As dessert we had cream puffs...store-bought this year, but I plan to make them for next year's feast day.

Read more here about the St. Joseph Feast Day celebrations

Fancy Nancy

2009-03-18T09:40:00.002-05:00

What happens after reading Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor:

Random thoughts at 3 AM...

2009-03-13T02:54:00.006-05:00

Here I am awake at 3 AM. I've been awake for a while ruminating over the fact that I might have mastitis. Yesterday, we spent most of the afternoon at the car shop then some of the evening running around town. Not much chance for Nicholas to nurse. Good news is that Will is done nursing. Probably contributes to the way I'm feeling right now. I wouldn't call him "weaned" exactly as Mommy has just said, "No more. All done." He had gotten down to nursing about a total of 10 minutes a day - at bedtime then a couple times during the night. I feel shaky and chilly, but oddly enough no fever.

I've been meaning to write an update on the kids. So here goes.

Sophia has started blending sounds. YEAH! I thought it would never happen. We've been using homemade flash cards. I think she has memorized some of the words, but she is beginning to sounds words out. A couple of weeks ago, she picked out the word "at" on a digital gas-station sign (SAVE AT SHELL). I introduced the long O sound last week using the word "no". Later on, as it was a really warm day, while she was playing outside, I heard her writing with chalk ALL OVER the back yard fence, "n..o..no" - over and over. OK, I know that is horrendous punctuation, but cut me some slack.

She's also started asking the big questions, like when was God born. I should really prepare for the how do babies get in your tummy question. Not that I'm pregnant now, but would like to be in the near future.

Will's big news is that he has stopped nursing, making all those people out there who were worried about a 3 year old nursing, give a big sigh of relief. After Sophia weaned (at 40 months) I think I had a hard time relating to her. I'm determined not to let this happen with Will. Seriously, when he isn't fighting dragons with his cape and black cowboy hat on using any long object as a sword, he is a very sweet boy. Just alot of energy. Right now he likes to say "of course" to everything. Think he picked it up from his sister. I don't think he really knows what it means though. He can spend hours playing with his Little People "people." His favorite is the horse and rider. Before bed tonight, I was playing Sleeping Beauty with the Kids. Nicholas was the King, I was the Queen (note I had triplets: Aurora, Madeline & John), Sophia was my Royal Helper (and the story instigator) and Will was Sir Galavant, of course. Our "soldier-man" was running around (as described above) protecting us from dragons, ogres and bad angels. :)

Will is also working on potty-training. Well, sort of. He is convinced that pull-ups are underwear, will go when I take him, but doesn't very often tell me that he has to go. I guess time will tell on that one.

Let's see .... Nicholas is 14 months old now. This is how old Will was when we got pregnant for Nicholas. Seems quite amazing. He is quite the little imitator right now and using the stairs pretty well. I've even been able to put one gate away. Oh - this is funny. He loves mini-marshmallows. We've been using marshmallows as little rewards for Will. Of course, Nicholas wants some also. I got out a bag of cotton balls the other day, he went crazy thinking they were marshmallows! He can say Mama well. (GRIN) He also approximates at ball and Daddy.

Can't think of anything else. I'm going to take some tylenol.

Lenten Activity: Crown of Thorns

2009-03-03T08:20:00.004-06:00

Click on the picture of the article to see a better copy. This looks like a neat idea for a family.
From the Southern Nebraska Register, 2-27-09.

King Cake ... well, sort of

2009-02-24T20:08:00.006-06:00

While flour-less and car-less today, I decided I wanted to make a King Cake for Fat Tuesday. My friend, Dawn, a true Southerner, suggested that I use refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, which Michael kindly picked up for my on his way home from work.

Here is my picture of my "King Cake":

While enjoying our Cake, we explained to the kids who the true King is, what Lent is, how we give things up for Lent. Sophia said she was going to give up her baby dolls for Lent. WOW! Then she said, "I have something else I can give up." Both Michael & I were eager to hear her new ideas. Very matter-of-factly she said, "School." How fast they learn!!!

Chef Boyar-yuck

2009-02-24T11:57:00.004-06:00

As I was growing up, I watched my fair share of television. I remember commercials for Chef Boyardee. Surely, it must be something wonderful. Tasty...fun...yummy...right?

I bought a can of Chef Boyardee's Mini-Bites. What better way to encourage letters and numbers for my budding five-year old almost reader. I opened the can, warmed it up, and ... yuck. Neither Sophia nor Will would eat it. So, I tasted it. My taste-buds are a little off right now because of a cold, but they are right. It really doesn't taste very good. Spongy pasta in a too sweet red sauce. All my childhood Chef Boyardee illusions burst. I guess we'll stick with peanut-butter and jelly on homemade bread!

Letter of the Week ???

2009-02-23T15:47:00.003-06:00

I am super behind on my Letter of the Week posting. We've actually not been keeping up with it as Sophia started coloring a new "Letter Person" each day after Christmas. Our entire back sliding glass door, front door and some of our coat closet has the finished Letter product posted on them. We play a "Letter Game of Mystery" in which the Contestant (Sophia or Will) must identify the letter and sound of each Letter Person as the Host (Mom or Dad) slowly unveil them WHILE speaking in a funny voice. It is a lot of fun and the kids get marshmallows when they are finished. Nicholas has quickly taken to loving mini-marshmallows!

She has begun blending sounds pretty well using magnetic letters. There are many she has already mastered and I add more each day. Mostly two lettered sounds and words, some three letter words like Mom, Dad, God. Another game we have been playing is for each letter flashcard or word/sound flashcard she identifies correctly, she jumps up a step on the staircase. I guess you can say she is getting her exercise too!

Weekend Pix with Grandparents

2009-02-23T15:41:00.004-06:00

We had a visit from Grandparents this weekend.

Here are some pix of my Mom & Dad with the kids:

Before they left on Monday morning. Kids still in their PJs.

Grandpa Bear with Nicholas & Sophia.

This was sweet of Sophia & my Mom.

One of Will's birthday presents: cowboy hat & light saber!

He usually wears his cape with it also. He told me he was BATMAN!

Go figure?!

Make a donation to help...

2009-02-20T09:51:00.004-06:00

the Octuplets born in January: http://www.thenadyasulemanfamily.com/

I don't know the entire situation. All I know is that it is hard and costly to take care of newborns - no matter the size of the family. These babies need help.

Let's step up to the plate.

Grandparent Visit

2009-02-16T20:05:00.005-06:00

Michael's parents visited us this weekend for Will's 3rd Birthday. We had 9" of snow on the ground for the kids and Grandpa to play in. They made these mini-snowmen.

Classic Grandpa-Grandkids photo!

Snow Angels!

Will & Nicholas in matching "flying" hoodies.

Grandma has good taste in kids' clothes!

Will's Birthday Weekend

2009-02-16T19:53:00.004-06:00

My second-born is turning 3 this week so we had a little party for him at the local children's museum. Below are some of the pictures.

Will is crazy about airplanes right now, so I put one of his jets on top of his three-layer cake. I'm so glad that 3 year old children are so easy to please!

Other milestones for Will include wearing pull-up "underwear" and working on weaning. He is even learning his letter sounds now as Sophia is working on them in school!

He is such a sweet boy!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Will!

Cleaning Schedules

2009-02-04T10:23:00.006-06:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time keeping my household clean and tidy. No surprise here! I usually do my all-out cleaning with chemicals once a month or right before company is coming. Boy - I wonder where I picked up that cleaning gene?

Anyway, I found this cleaning schedule through a Mommies Network Community I visit. The schedule is broken up into daily, weekly and monthly tasks. I don't know if I can stick to it, but I'm going to try.

BTW, that local forum I mentioned has been really useful. I've been able to connect with other local Moms on-line and also in-person. Many communities have these same forums. You might check your own community for one....

K, L, M Weeks

2009-02-03T13:09:00.006-06:00

Starting our 3rd Quarter of school, here is the list of books we've been reading for the past several weeks:

Kamishibai Man by Allen Say - really liked this tale of a Japanese storyteller vs modernity.
Here's That Kitten by Maria Polushkin
Kaya's Kindergarten and the Letter K by Cynthia Klingel - just discovered this series. Great for beginning learners.
Phonics Friends: Kella's Kitten by Joanne Meier
Kangaroo's Adventure in Alphabet Town by Janet McDonnell
The Kweeks of Kookatumdee by Bill Peet - of course, we all loved this rhyming story by Mr. Peet.
Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson - very cute story.
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen - All of us like this story & the illustrations. Really, who wouldn't want a lovable lion at the library?
The Lemondade Club by Patricia Polacco - a little too heavy for Kindergarteners. About cancer.
Leila at the Library and the Letter L by Cynthia Klingel
Oh, Look! by Patricia Polacco - cute rhyming story.
Phonics Friends: Lilly's Lost Lunch by Joanne Meier -
Mouse's Adventure in Alphabet Town by Janet McDonnell - kids loved this one as well as the K story.

Mommy's favorite this time around from the Library: Light and Easy Cookbook (from Cooking Light). I've discovered the cookbook section at the library! I don't know why I never thought to look up cookbooks before. I've borrowed several great ones - one on biscotti, one on waffles, one on Christmas cookies.

The Amazing Nicholas...

2009-01-31T09:30:00.005-06:00

Nicholas Joseph at 12 months

Sophia - Nicholas - Will

Before I forget any and all of the amazing things my little 12 month old is doing, I had better blog them.

1. He has figured out how to slide off of my bed on his tummy, feet first to the floor.

2. Next are the stairs - I fear. He likes to walk up to them - if the gate is not up - look at the stairs going down and sit down. This is usually when I scoop him up & carry him down. He wants to go down by himself!

3. Our "new" old-fashioned school desk with attached swivel chair is in the kitchen next to the table. Nicholas loves to climb up on the school seat to "stand" at the table. This is one thing I can not baby proof. It is too heavy to move around, can't gate it off and covering it would do no good. He is pretty good at it, so keeping my fingers crossed & hoping his Guardian Angel is doing overtime for him.

4. He remembers that the Thomas the Tank train toys are kept in a storage box under the gecko's table. So he crawls behind the tablecloth, pulls out the box and dumps it out all over the floor!

5. His most ingenious acrobatic act is pushing the couch cushion up, so he can get a knee up on the couch to pull himself up and stand triumphant on the couch. Now, neither Sophia or Will did this because we used to have a couch cover. After many washes, it's seams finally gave way. S&W didn't even know we had couch cushions! Now, I have to keep a blanket tucked into the couch and anchored under the feet of the couch.

As I am writing this, he is sitting on top of the little picnic table. AAAGGHHH! But he is very good at it. As long as we doesn't STAND on it, he will be fine.

He is beginning to say Mama, demands his own banana if he sees the big kids eating them and has his 8th tooth coming through. My baby is getting to be a big boy.

I haven't cut his curly blond hair yet though:)

Beth

2009-01-27T20:48:00.004-06:00

My older sister died when she was 25. Her name was Beth. She was a stay-at-home Mom with two little kids, Zach & Tori (4 years & 22 months respectively at the time of her death).

She was 7 years my senior, but was a totally awesome sister. I know people always say that about people who have died, but truly my sister was.

The birth order in my family is Dan, Beth, Gretchen, Emily & Aaron. As we girls were were "book-ended" by two brothers, we were always very close. Throughout my childhood and teen years, Beth was a fun, loving friend. As I was entering the teen years, Beth seemed to have a revolving closet door. Gretchen, Beth & I used to borrow each others clothes all the time. Never had a disagreement. She was always very generous with the money she earned working at the local bakery.

She was married with little ones when I was in high school and only lived a block and a half away from us. I often spent long hours at her house playing with the kids while she did other stuff. As a Mom now - what I would give to have a little sister living so close to me ... willing to play with my kids so I could finish some housework!

I was in my second semester of my first year of college when she died suddenly. On my Mom's side of the family, a "fast" heartbeat condition is prevalent. Basically, the heart speeds up for no reason. Electrical hay-wire. On January 27, 1992, Beth's heart went hay-wire. She died suddenly at her home with her little children and a little guy she babysat around her. Her husband, Craig, on duty at the fire station, called home to chat. Zach answered the phone saying, "Mommy's dead." Gretchen rushed to the house. Beth couldn't be revived.

I didn't find out about all of this until I got home from college classes some two hours later. A neighbor drove me to the hospital, but no one prepared me for anything serious. My poor Dad met me in the parking lot in tears with, "She's dead." WHAT!!??? I got to see her body, we all clung to each other.

Then the week from hell was upon us. She died on a Monday and was buried on a Friday. I don't think any of us ate anything the entire week. We were all shell-shocked. I remember feeling a million miles away from God that week. I kept asking myself, "Why her? Why not me?"

It has been 17 long years since that day. I'm not the same person that I was before she died. I was changed forever.

Here are some things about Beth...

- She loved the WSU Shockers! My Dad & Beth held season tickets during the glory years of Xavier McDaniel. Go SHOX!

- She loved watermelon. We swore she could smell it from her room in the basement.

- She and her best friend Julie liked to eat Chinese food. She always brought home the left-overs, which we all nibbled on.

- She was a La Leche League Leader. She was a successful VBACer. Zach was born via C-Section. She was adamant about delivering Victoria vaginally. She did it.

- She knew what she wanted.

- We use to go to the mall every Sunday to window shop. Always had to check the baby clothes department at JCPenney.

- She had great taste in clothes and home decor.

- She couldn't spell to save her life!

- Her birthday was December 31st, New Year's Eve. She was born sunny-side up:)

- She was a devoted mother (I'm sure better than I am), and a good wife.

- She was plain fun to be with.

- I miss her.

My daughter is named for her, Sophia Elizabeth. I have her picture displayed at home and mention her in our everyday conversation in hopes that my kids will learn something about her.

The moral here is don't worry about the end of the world. The Lord can come for you any time, just like He did Beth. Be ready to meet Him.

Two Funnies from the weekend...

2009-01-26T10:16:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, Nicholas awoke from his very long nap, crawled out of (my) bed without a peep or a plop, and I found him sitting at the top of our short staircase to the living room. I don't know how long he had been sitting there. Looked like he was contemplating crawling down the stairs. More amazing than funny - I guess. I even had the baby monitor on - and still didn't hear him. Usually, when he wakes from any nap, he lays crying in bed until I come to get him.

On Sunday morning, I tried to have Will put a quarter in his pocket for the collection at Mass, but he didn't want it. Later, I heard him talking in the other room about quarters, so I assumed his Daddy had given him a quarter. As the collection basket neared us at Mass, I looked at what he was holding - foreign currency! I have a collection of foreign coins from pre-children trips. Sophia likes to play with it. He found one & put it in his pocket! I knew we would have major melt-down if he was not allowed to drop it in the basket, so in went the Queen's money! Good thing Michael is on the collection-counting-committee at Church. He was able to retrieve the coin without too much suspicion;)

If you give a Mom a Muffin...

2009-01-15T09:13:00.000-06:00

If you give a mom a muffin, she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She'll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She'll remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper. She will get out a pound of hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things to Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She'll smell something funny. She'll change the two-year-old. While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring. Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee. Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup. She will pour herself some. And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

by Kathy Fictorie
based on "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff

"I" Week Books

2009-01-09T14:56:00.006-06:00

2nd Quarter - Week 6

"I" Week Books

The Iguana Brothers by Tony Johnston. Cute story with great illustrations. A little hard to read aloud as the two main characters are Tom & Dom. I found myself stumbling over their names all the time.
It's MY Birthday by Pat Hutchins
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Others we are also reading this week

Wilderness Cat by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. Nice illustrations, but the story doesn't flow very well.
Tikvah by Patricia Polacco. Of course a well-written story about some neighbors, Jewish Sukkoth (?), cats, and fires near Oakland, CA in the 1990s.
Zella Zack and Zodiac by Bill Peet. Loved this story written in rhyme about an abandoned ostrich chick and friendly zebra.

Stupid...

2009-01-08T23:12:00.002-06:00

Have you ever done something stupid? You know, like as soon as you say it or do it you regret it? I seem to do this every day. It must be somehow in my genes. I can't seem to shake it.

So, if I have offended you ... I'm sorry.

I'll probably be saying it again tomorrow.

Back to School

2009-01-07T21:04:00.003-06:00

Today was our first day back to school since the Christmas break. I'd like to say I have all sorts of additional things already planned, but I'm not quite there. Schooling between Thanksgiving and Christmas was very difficult. We just did the important items like Math, Letters & Handwriting and let the rest slide. Oh yes, Sophia did learn several Christmas songs like Joy to the World, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and the ever-popular Go Tell It On The Mountain. Maybe we should have really called that Phys Ed because every time we sang Go Tell It... she thought she needed to skip & run in circles!

I am very happy to report though that we are back on track with our phonics study. Slowly but surely. We took a break from it in October as the text we were using just was not working for us. My DD would "fight" me every time I got it out. It was like pulling teeth! My consultant at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy suggested laying off of it until after Christmas. In the meanwhile we concentrated on a Letter a Week program, which is going very well.

Now, I am going to follow Ruth Beechak's A Home Start in Reading text. Basically, she'll be learning the sounds of the letters using homemade flashcards. We'll move on to blending the sounds, then proceed to the Bob Books, a cute little first reader set.

I do want to extol the virtues of some awesome Leap Frog DVDs, Letter Factory, Word Factory and Math Circus. At the suggestion of one of Michael's co-workers (former homeschooling Mom), we bought the Letter Factory DVD. It boldly states, Teaches Phonics, on the cover, so we thought for $10 at Wal-Mart - what could it hurt? WOW! It is only a 30ish minute video, but after watching it a few times, Sophia had learned the letters sounds and was teaching them to Nicholas!!! NO JOKE! It's just a cute little story about a beginning reader, Tad, who is touring a "Letter Factory." Great music too! The Word Factory shows how letters build words and Math Circus teaches beginning math (number recognition, intro to addition and subtraction). Both Sophia & Will really enjoy watching the movies. They even request them!

So today when we started back to our new phonics program, I whipped out my colorful homemade flashcards and Sophia whizzed through them. I am eternally grateful to Leap Frog!
Other items in the works post-Christmas include some fitness stuff I'm working on (got to read that book), continuing our Letter a Week along with the phonics, and some more Music study (from the library). Maybe even a gymnastics class...

Later this week, I'll post our "I" week books that we are reading....

Happy 1st Birthday, Nicholas!

2009-01-05T09:42:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Baby Fever....

2009-01-01T22:04:00.004-06:00

Hold on - I can feel baby fever is setting in.

I know lots of new mommies and expectant mommies right now. In fact, my church playgroup is made-up of four moms - 2 just had babies, the other is expecting twins soon, and then there is me. I've been telling myself I want to wait until May 2010 to have another baby. Lots of good reasons why: we need to upgrade to a mini-van, we need to pay off some debt to get into said mini-van, we need some more spacing between children (22 months was a bit hard for me), I'd like a summer baby instead of a winter baby, I need to wean Will, on and on. But then the other part of me says - you are getting older not younger, why wait, we can handle it....

I think Sophia was nearly 18 months old before I felt I was ready to even consider having another baby. She was a pretty high-strung, needy baby. She was about two when we conceived Will, who was 14 months old when we conceived Nicholas. Big difference in age. Nicholas will soon turn 12 months.

I guess the point here is that we know we would like to have more children. With our past infertility, I just don't want to miss the chance to have more for frivolous reasons.

With all of this said, I guess I need to be ovulating first.... Perhaps the Lord has a plan for me after all.

2 Year Old Warrior.....

2008-12-30T18:43:00.003-06:00

Will the Warrior King

Fully equipped with Advent Wreath for crown, fuzzy pink scarf to hold sword, plastic keys to the Kingdom, and fleece cape!

Not as the Manufacturer Intended....

2008-12-30T18:39:00.004-06:00

Beware the unintended uses of the versatile Rocking Puppy.

Goals 2009

2008-12-30T15:40:00.002-06:00

In an effort to actually keep my goals by making them public, here is my list of 2009 Goals:

Purchase 3 mo register & start back on WW in January.

Weigh 135 by June 2009.

Fit into black dress for 10th Anniversary.

Pay off debt.

Build Emergency Savings.

Help Sophia start to read.

Wean Will & get him potty-trained.

Limit internet-use to evening only (except bill paying) and not during school hours.

Pray Chaplet in morning and rosary & daily reading in evening.

Christmas in Kansas

2008-12-30T09:12:00.003-06:00

Well, here we are in the middle of the 12 Days of Christmas, the period from Christmas Day to the Feast of the Epiphany. Last year at this time we were eagerly awaiting Nicholas' birth. We kept hoping that each day would be IT, but he waited until January 5th to make his grand appearance!

The weekend before Christmas we travelled to Kansas for a long Christmas vacation. We managed to spend at least 4 days each with Michael's family and my family. We had a really good visit, but opened way too many presents. In fact, we couldn't stuff everything into our car! Poor children (tongue in cheek), they will have to wait until mid-February when my parents visit to see the rest of their Christmas gifts.

Some of the highlights of our trip to Kansas:

Sophia & Bubbles Grandma got all gussied up to go see the Nutcracker Ballet.

We celebrated Nicholas' & cousin Cole's 1st Birthdays ... a little early. And also Great-Aunt Toni's B-Day - I won't mention her age:)

It was almost the Christmas that Aunt Allison "lost" Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa, but Great-Grandpa Mike found his way to the restaurant without the aid of directions or a cell phone!

It was soooo cold outside that my bottle of benadryl froze in the car overnight!

Then a few days later we had 70 degree weather and hail overnight.

We got to visit with our friends Dawn & Matt and Ron & Mary Kate. Good times all around!

We got to celebrate my nephew's successful potty training with a Potty Party at ChuckECheese.

Nicholas developed the pincher grasp.

Below are some photos from the trip:

Nicholas at ChuckECheese.

Will with one of Grandma's giant Nutcrackers.

My sweet niece Olivia with the same Nutcracker.

Will & Olivia perched on top of giant green elephant plant stands.

My Family on Christmas Day.

GrandKids on Christmas Day.

My Family before Christmas Eve Mass.

Nicholas eating cupcake.

Great-Aunt Toni, Nicholas & Cole.

Christmas Greetings...

2008-12-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas 2008

Greetings to you and your family this Christmas season!
We hope this letter finds you surviving – I mean enjoying – the race to Christmas.

Last year at this same time we were eagerly awaiting a birth. I would like to say we were ardently preparing for Jesus’ birthday, but really we were hoping our third baby would make an early appearance. Nicholas Joseph Krondak was born on January 5, 2008, a week or so after his due date. Again, we were blessed to have my parents, Michael’s parents, & my sister and her family with us when he was born. He weighed in at 8 lbs 11 oz after a very good, natural birth. He has continued to surprise us with super long arms & legs – off the charts at every doctor’s visit. He has begun to walk, is a good eater and spends a lot of time chasing his sister & brother!

Every family should have a two year old – just to keep them on their toes. Will is our ever-changing little man. He is quite a talker, smiler, hat-wearer, pretender & even a terror every once in a while. He is definitely all boy. He is most of the time found wearing a cape with sword (vacuum wand, toy tool) in hand. Right now his goal in life is to “save the world” just like Larryboy, the VeggieTales’ super pickle!

Sophia, our ever-industrious five year old, has reached a major milestone. We’ve begun homeschooling our smart little Kindergartener with the assistance of St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. It has been a rewarding – and sometimes trying – experience. I am truly amazed at how much she has learned so far. When we aren’t schoolin’, she is usually at the table drawing and telling stories.

Michael & I are closing in on our 10th married year in June 2009. WOW! Michael spent 1/3 of the year preparing for the Professional Engineers Exam, which he took in October. As real torture to the examinees, results aren’t released for three months. He also completed his first triathlon in April. He’ll be training for more triathlons and the Bataan Memorial Death March in Las Cruces, NM in 09. Becoming a home educator has certainly changed my day. I am much busier than I was before, but in a good way. I find I have less time to burn now – forcing me to be more efficient with my time.

2008 Trip Synopsis: We traveled to Leavenworth for Easter, Wichita for my niece’s high school graduation, Lincoln & Omaha for Michael’s family reunions, Denver to see old Newman Center friends, and, sadly, to Lawrence, KS for my Aunt Lovetta’s funeral. Please kindly say a prayer for her husband and four sons.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and Joy in the New Year through Christ Jesus, the infant King!

Emily, Michael, Sophia, Will & Nicholas

Christmas at Home 2008

2008-12-19T16:03:00.003-06:00

As promised below are photos from our early Christmas. Enjoy!

And the Reason for the Season....

Not much to say....

2008-12-18T11:07:00.004-06:00

I wish I had something interesting to post here today. Not much has been happening other than getting ready for Christmas & having school. I feel like we are sort of in a circling pattern. We leave on Saturday to visit both sets of Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, and cousins for 8 days.

I have mastered putting Nicholas in the Rucksack hold with my baby wrap. It sure makes a difference when it is 4:30 PM, I'm trying to make dinner, and Nicholas is super crabby. He's actually fallen asleep a couple of times & I've managed to transfer him to the bed both times still asleep!

The Big Man himself - Santa - will be making an early visit to our house tonight. I have so much yet to do - wrap, prepare food for tomorrow, pack for our long trip. AAAGGHHH!

I'll try to post tomorrow afternoon with our "Christmas" pix.

And the Prize for the Earliest Christmas Card goes to...

2008-12-03T21:36:00.003-06:00

I'm the type of person that loves to receive & send mail. So, Christmas card buying and holiday letter writing is one of my favorite parts of the pre-Christmas season. I say "pre-Christmas" season because we don't start decorating for Christmas until after Advent. We then leave up all of our Christmas decorations through the Epiphany (Jan. 7th). But, I digress.

A friend from my hometown, Becky S., is the winner of the Krondak See-Who-We-Will-Receive-the-First-Christmas-Card-From Competition. And, I must say, it was a beautiful card with a lovely picture of her family. I have to brag a little on her. She has lost some serious weight in the past year and looks absolutely stunning! Becky always sends a great photo of her family. I'll admit here that I've tried to pattern my family pix off some of the great ones she has sent.

Congratulations, Becky! Sorry, there isn't an actual prize, other than knowing yours is the first to go into our Christmas card sleigh.:)

Post-Thanksgiving Favorite Memories of All Time

2008-12-02T19:48:00.005-06:00

As Thanksgiving was creeping up on me, I pondered posting my favorite Thanksgiving memories. Then in the days following Thanksgiving, I was too busy eating all the left-overs to post ideas. Now, day 6 after the holiday, I have a few moments to actually write about this Thanksgiving and the Thanksgivings past.

I think my all-time favorite Thanksgiving was in 1984 or 1985 when we gathered in my Mom's hometown along with my 20 or 30 other relatives to surprise my Grandfather for his 70th birthday. I was in elementary-school at the time, so some details are fuzzy, but I remember running around the K of C Hall with my cousins, eating pancakes that were a little burned (my Daddy wasn't charge of the grill that meal I'm sure), dressing up in old Prom dresses and generally having a wonderful extended family Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving was spent at our house with Bubbles Grandparents & Horsey Great-Grandparents in attendance. Michael fried up the turkey to moist excellence, Great-Grandma Betty brought cranberry salad, Grandma Anita brought an awesome broccoli salad and I filled in the other requisite dishes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and dumplings. Our guests even graciously wore the homemade Indian headdress and Pilgrim hats the kids and I made. On Friday, we made it to the mall in time to see Santa arrive by Tractor. Then the kids sat on Santa's lap - Will's very first time to see the big guy so close up. Sophia very seriously asked, "Should I say I've been bad or good?" She didn't want to say she'd been good or even bad, but decided she would thank him in advance for the gifts he was going to bring to her!

While the guys cheered the Huskers on to victory over Colorado, I had a lesson in knitting from Bubbles Grandma. I am determined to learn how to knit pumpkin hats, but I need to start with a simple scarf to gain some actual knitting skills. Let's hope I can make some progress on it before winter is actually over.

So, that was our Thanksgiving 2008. We had a very nice visit with the grandparents.

Now, only 22 more shopping days until Christmas!

It is official - Nicholas is a WALKER!

2008-11-26T22:03:00.003-06:00

You know your little one is a proficient walker when he can stop in mid-stride, glance over his shoulder at you while grinning and then keep walking forward ... without falling on his rear-end.

I am desperately trying to catch a few moments of his first steps on a video clip but no success yet....

5 Things Game

2008-11-24T20:17:00.006-06:00

The "5 THINGS GAME"

The rules are to write 5 things under each of the 5 headings, and then tag 5 other people.

10 years ago...

1. I was engaged.

2. I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my extended family on my Mom's side.

3. Working two jobs to help pay for wedding.

4. I had my own Holy Hour at Church - WOW! Now I can only find a Holy 5 Minutes in my day.

5. I was childless.

5 Things on Today's "To-Do" List...

1. Clean the kitchen,

2. So I can go grocery shopping. (We'll see how crazy Wal-mart is two days before Turkey Day.)

3. Mop the kitchen floor.

4. De-Clutter our guest room.

5. Say my daily prayers because it is going to be one busy, hectic day!

5 Snacks I Enjoy...

1. Coca-Cola & Jalapeno Chips

2. Chocolate

3. Peanut Butter

4. Coffee & Scones

5. Did I say Coca-Cola & Jalapeno Chips - very good combo!

5 Things I Would Do if I were a Millionaire

1. Pay off my house and then build an extra room for a dining room.

2. Buy a Mini-Cooper. So Cute.

3. Help my church build a new building.

4. Pay off all of my siblings house mortgages.

5. Fund Michael's Chess Hobby & School Hobby:)

5 Places I Have Lived... I'm trying not to give too much personal info here, so generics:

1. Kansas 25 years

2. Kansas 1 year

3. Oklahoma 2 years

4. Kansas 3 years

5. Nebraska 3 years

5 Jobs I've had/Still have...

1. Dillons grocery clerk

2. Insurance Adjuster's secretary

3. Insurance Agent

4. A.G. Edwards office person (now I can't remember the title)

5. Mother to 3 little people - which means I'm a cook, cleaner, driver, gardener, entertainer, story-reader, librarian, stain-remover, teacher, and nurse.

Okay.. now I am tagging 5 friends...

1. Florena
2. Dawn
3. Matt
4. Erin
5. Chrissy