Happy Halloween!

I saw a dear friend the other day in the parking lot outside of Target, and she reminded me to do an update, so here goes!

Halloween, WOW! What a fun time. Remember when we were in college and it was just fun to dress up and go out and drink? Well, now that we've got kiddos, the holiday takes on a whole new meaning...

Unfortunately, for my kiddos, who are now 2nd and 4th grade, they don't really care about their costume anymore, and they don't want their parents tagging along with them while they scope the neighborhood for candy. *sigh*

So, this year, a friend took her son and our boys to trick or treat, and we sat in the driveway of our "E.T" - like neighborhood and passed out candy. It was fun, but I have to admit that I was a little sad that the boys didn't want us to go along. They were both dressed as football players - wearing their uniforms from our church league. They just wanted candy...not really concerned about dressing up anymore.

Here's the best part - Mark and I went to a costume party over the weekend. We weren't concerned about the candy anymore - just worried about our costumes! Mark dressed as a Monk, and I dressed as Sarah Palin. We looked awesome, if I say so myself... and we got NO CANDY but didn't care!

Eventually the chaos died down around here and the boys fell asleep watching a movie. I got on the computer and tried to find some fun pics of Halloweens past to share, and here's what I found!

Peace to you all!

Football, football, and more football!

Well, John did great in his last flag football game of the season. He scored 2 touchdowns, and he had a ton of fun.

Riley also had his last tackle football game this weekend. The Eagles went up against Nativity, and they lost even though they tried really hard. The team worked well together, and the coaches were great! Riley loved being part of the team.

J's game face

J's last flag football game of the year was today. We had perfect weather for it! 67 degrees, sunny, and the leaves are starting to change...like I said, perfect!

His team did really well. They had 4 first and 4 second graders, and it was funny to watch the intense, focused 2nd graders and the easily distracted 1st graders trying to work together. Coach Chris did an awesome job with them - they learned some plays and drills and everyone got turns to be QB, RB's and WR's. They even scored 5 touchdowns today!

R is in the playoffs now - his first game is tomorrow at 3. I'll let you know how that turns out!

Cake Decorating!

A long, long, long time ago, when Nellie still lived in the totally awesome state of Indiana, she and I took a class at the public library on cake decorating. After the class, we were inspired, and this the deliciousness we made. Wanna know the secret?

Fall leaves

Fall leaves...

There is a single tree in Holliday park, right behind the nature center, that turns out the most beautiful yellow leaves I have ever seen. One year, while R was busy with Kindergarten, J and I went to the park and looked around at the beautiful fall colors. At the time, it was early November, and J had just gone trick-or-treating with the neighbor kids and really understood what was happening well enough for him to be excited about it.

But, and there's always a "but" to a story like this one, he had on shoes that he HAD to wear, but were too big for him, and as he ran to the neighbor's house to get candy, he fell. Hence, the-bright yellow band-aid on his forehead.

Recently injured or not, he was a good sport and posed for pics under my favorite fall tree.

(It's a Ginko tree, by the way.)

Bapa loves Gram

She's been gone a few years now...and all of us who knew her, loved her. There has never been any question or doubt in my mind of the love Bapa and Gram felt for each other. They were together through the worst times, and celebrated the best times together. Their love has been an inspiration, a goal, for everyone in our family to imitate.

Gram and Bapa started dating when she was only 15. After High School, they ran away together and got married secretly over the weekend, and took a short honeymoon in Chicago. Not long after that, Bapa set Gram up in an apartment on the top floor of a house, and he joined the Navy. He was gone for 4 long years, working on a ship as a mine sweeper - his ship went ahead of the fleet searching for mines in the water - setting them off before their fleet came through so the Americans could pass safely. I can not imagine the heartache Gram must have felt during those long days.

When Bapa got out of the Navy, he went to work in Michigan City, but the company he worked for fell on hard times. They thrived when they had been making supplies for the war, but later had only orders for new railroad cars to fill. Bapa liked the work, but it was inconsistent, and with a wife and child on the way, it was frustrating.

My dad was born, and Bapa pulled some strings to get a job on the South Shore, a railroad that ran from South Bend to Chicago. There he got consistent work, a consistent paycheck, but also was gone 7 days a week. We can only imagine the strain it put on their relationship, but their love stayed strong.

After a lot of hard work, when my Dad was about 4 years old - 1950 or so, Gram and Bapa were able to buy their first house. Bapa knew someone at the bank, and because he was in the Navy, he got a military loan. He was able to buy his first (and the one he remains in to this day) house in 1950 for just $5,800. A two bedroom, one bath, with a basement...it was perfect. No garage, no driveway, but all that would come...

Bapa kept working for the railroad and Stevie was born...just 4 years apart, the boys would fight like all brothers do, but have been close as adults. (Ask Stevie about going fishing with his big brother!)

A garage was added, a driveway, and after hours and hours of hard work, Bapa finished the attic and turned it into a two-room bedroom/study for the boys. Hardwood slats cover the walls everywhere, perfectly fitted and finished to this day, 50 years later.

The boys grew up, as kids will do, and Jimmy got married. Stevie later joined the Marines and got married, too. 3 grandchildren and 3 1/2 great-grandchildren later, the house still stands as a symbol of the love Gram and Bapa shared for so many years.

When Gram passed away, all of us felt a hole in our hearts and in our lives. She genuinely loved each and every one of us. I am convinced that the love she shared with Bapa fed her, especially through the tough times near the end when we all thought our hearts would break.

Thank you, Bapa and Gram, for the shining example of love you have shown us throughout your lives and throughout the years.

I love you.

The Little Red Barn

Bapa has a little red barn in his backyard. It's stored many things over the years...a baby carriage that we used to push my cousin, Mandy, around in when she was tiny. A few balls and bats, lawn mowers, mice (much to Bapa's frustration) and most importantly, memories.

When R was little, I started taking his picture in front of the barn. It's something I do now every time we go up to visit Bapa. The little red barn hasn't changed much over the years, but the boys sure have. Here's a small sample of the many shots I've taken.