The Sweikar Family

I've Been Tagged!

2008-12-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

A--Attached or Single: Attached, for almost 5 years!! I love you Dan!!!
B--Best Friend: I am so blessed to fave a few, Jackie, Lindsey, and of course Dan is my very very best friend
C--Cake or Pie: Confetti Cake with Rainbow Dot icing!!!
D--Day of Choice: Either Tues. or Thurs. (my days off during the week)...I get so much more done during the week!
E--Essential Item: my cell phone...it is the lifeline between Dan and I!
F--Favorite Color: I love purple and blue...bright and happy
G--Greatest Accomplishment: being pregnant twice and was STILL able to graduate from college with good (Jackie says GRREAT) grades!
H--Hometown: Champaign, Illinois
I--Indulgences: Chocolate, Swimming, Tanning (I haven't been in a few weeks...I need to GO!)
J--January or July: I love July, cook outs, fire works, pools and sun!!
K--Kids: Yep...Brooklynn - 2 years and Kaylee - 17 months
L--Life is incomplete without: my family, honestly I would be nothing without them.
M--Marriage Date: February 28, 2004
N--Number of Siblings: 2 Sisters!! I'm the middle (yes I had the syndrome and now I am so glad...it made me a pretty strong person I think)
O--Oranges or Apples: Oranges - if the are ripe
P--Phobias or fears: losing a child or my husband overseas
Q--Quotes: "Families Plan and the Army Laughs" and "It Is What It Is"
R--Reason to Smile: The sound of my kids laughing, getting a SUPER SWEET e-mail from Dan
S--Season: Summer...I love the sun...did I mention that already?!
T--Tag 5 Friends: umm whoever thinks this is cute just go for it!
U--Unknown facts about me: I cannot burp...the air comes up and then sits in my throat and makes a REALLY weird noise...we call them alien burps..yummy thought I know
V--Very favorite store: Sams...enough toilet paper to last a year is GRRREAT
W--Worst habit: I have a LEAD foot...atleast 10mph over the speed limit...awful I know!!
X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultrasound, they are way more fun and exciting!
Y--Your favorite food: Steak...PRIME RIB!!!
Z--Zodiac: Taurus

Bravo Co 634th BSB Christmas Potluck

2008-12-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

So we had our military Christmas party on Sunday, Dec. 7th. We got together first to make and send cookies to all of our soldiers. Our company has been divided between 8 different FOB's (not exactly sure what that stands for but it means they are all mixed between both remote and long-time standing bases). Anyway, we were hoping to send 100 cookies per FOB, but looking at the cookies we were not sure that was going to happen. So we counted and found that 1200 cookies later we could send more than expected! We just know the guys are going to love them.

After we were done with the cookies we had a potluck. It was so nice to be around others who are facing the same situation! Anyway, the kids played and I got some cute pictures so I thought I would post it :)

Update...Dan is now on his way to Afghanistan. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for your support. We REALLY appreciate it!

Painting!

2008-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I just wanted to share that we have finally given our house a little bit of character! We have (well I should say Mike has...he owns his own painting business) painted our living room and kitchen and they look amazing! We are waiting until Mike slows down again and then we are going to have him paint the upstairs bathrooms and bedrooms. Needless to say, we are keeping him pretty busy, but it is so nice to have family (this is Dan's cousins husband) doing the work. And he is AMAZING! He makes it look so easy...I love paint but hate the work so I am VERY grateful he will do it.

So just to let you all know, Dan is the one who picked out the colors. He is so good at this kind of stuff. I told him that instead of Industrial Technology he should go into Interior Design (and for anyone who knows my husband) his response was GAY!!! (no offense to those men who do it...be proud you have style. I sure don't!! :)).

Brooklynn's 1st Haircut!!

2008-12-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

So Brooklynn will be 3 in February and she FINALLY had enough hair for Aunt Jackie to trim it. She was so good for Jackie. She was just sitting still watching Polar Express...wish she would sit that well for me...HAHAHAHA.

Our Trip To North Carolina

2008-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

So we spent Thanksgiving week in North Carolina. Not only did we get to visit with Jackie and her family (I FINALLY met baby Sommer...3months later!), but Dan's leave from training at Ft. Bragg was that same week! I love when things work out perfectly!!! :) The traveling went as smooth as it can with 2 small children. This was their first time on a plane...and though I think they did pretty good considering their ages, I am in NO hurry to travel again :) I know a lot of you can sympathize!

Anyway, as soon as we landed in Fayetteville we headed to Jackie's house to drop off the grandparents and then Jackie, the girls and I went to pick up Dan. He is looking great! It was just so nice to see his sweet smile. We picked him up in a parking lot and Brooklynn wanted to run into his arms, but due to the dangers around we couldn't allow it...so precious! So for the next 4 days we ate everything Dan wanted (he had lost some weight due to not eating...army food is not good...I have tried it, I know!!!). Red Lobster, Miyabi's (Japanese restaurant), Arby's, Tony Romos...just to name a few.

We hung out with our children We went to an arcade...Dan and I felt like kids again playing SkiBall and having waterspray races...yes I cheated by tickling him...I don't like to lose :). We even got time without our children (Jackie twisted my arm :)). We had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family (one of Dan's army buddies and his wife joined us as well).

The day after Thanksgiving we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese and were there literally 4 hours!! CRAZINESS!!! Everyone had a good time though. Later that day we had to take Dan back to the base. We have gotten really good at quick goodbyes. We gave hugs, kisses, said I love you and then parted ways. We are so proud of Dan and what he is willing to do for not only us but the rest of the country.

Now we are home not only missing Dan but we are missing Jackie and her beautiful family as well...didn't plan the whole saying goodbye to 2 people...it was rough. But we feel very loved and privileged to have had the time we did.

I know you are not going to believe this, BUT I have more blogs to follow!!! I am trying so hard! Love to all!

Halloween :)

2008-11-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. My girls had a blast and the weather was great! I wish Dan was home to see them, but we are understanding more and more how much he is needed elsewhere. Enjoy the pics of the pretty pirate and the cuddly little lion :)

Painting Pumpkins...and paper

2008-10-18T11:21:00.001-07:00

So I thought I would try to do something fun today with my crazy children. Since Halloween is vastly approaching I thought "grrrreat we will paint pumpkins!" So I had the day planned, I was going to get some work done first thing this morning and then reward the girls with painting (something we RARELY do...sad I know). So after I got my work done we headed home. In the back of the car was Kaylee screaming (which for some reason she had decided to do ALL morning!)and Brooklynn actually being quiet. Needless to say (evidence is in the pictures), Kaylee went to bed as soon as we walked in the door. Brooklynn and I did all the painting. She had a great time and looked so cute. Now she is sleeping peacefully and I am enjoying QUIET!!!! :) Have a great day and GO ILLINI!!!!!!!!!!!

The new Memorial Stadium...just for Jackie!

2008-10-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

So my intentions are mixed here...I am hoping that when you see how awesome the stadium is you will want to move home...I know wishful thinking! Dad's seats are right behind the brick wall (the blus seats)...they are actually chairs too!!!! Anyway, it is super nice and I wanted you to see it! Hope you enjoy all the pics! Love you!!!!!!!

We are so proud of you daddy!!!

2008-10-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

First I must say sorry for the random order of the pictures...should have planned it out a little better, but hey I am posting FINALLY right?!?!

Well, as most of you know Dan has now left for his 12 - 15 month deployment. We are all doing good, but of course it is quite an adjustment! All your thoughts and prayers have been a tremendous help and comfort this far...keep them coming!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, the pictures are from events before Dan left and also of the people who lined the streets to say goodbye! The girls playing in the park was taken the day before Dan left. The pictures of the girls looking into the sky were taken the night of Dan's deployment ceremony. They had a fireworks display and the girls loved them!!!!!!

Obviously this was a very emotional and touching week. We are so proud of Dan though and grateful for all he is doing for us and this country! Please keep him in your prayers as he needs as much strength as possible! Dan, we love you...thank you for being the best husband, father, friend, uncle, son, brother EVER!!!!!!!!!!! Miss you baby!

I love my hair

2008-09-06T11:13:00.001-07:00

So all of you know that Jackie is a hairstylist (my favorite at that). She has been doing my hair for atleast the last 5 years. She is the only person I have trusted since my TERRIBLE haircut at 10yrs old. I would post a pic of that but it would make me cry and all of you laugh so I am not going to do that to myself :) Anyway, my point...since Jackie moved a year ago I have been waiting few and far between to get my hair done because I was not ready to try someone new. Well, my good friend down the street convinced me to go see her friend and I am so glad that I did! Though I would have LOVED for Jackie to be the one chopping my hair off, I faced a HUGE fear and am so happy!!! You know how "before" pictures are always so ugly...people look dead without make-up and they are always frowning...I didn't want to do that but as you can see my hair looked awful because I had it in a pony tail for work that day. Nevertheless, I love my hair! It turned out great and I think I even cried a tear of relief. I miss you Jackie, but thank you Debbie for making me look hip. Like she said to me "you have two kids, we know you are a mom, but no one said you have to look like one." Alright, thanks for reading my way outdated blog :) I hope you are all enjoying this football season...HOW EXCITING!!!!!! Love you all!!!

Kaylee is 1!!!

2008-07-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Kaylee turned 1 yesterday (7/19/07) and I still cannot believe it! Time really does fly by! We had a pretty quiet (well as quiet as it could be with 4 little girls running around) party for her. We did a beach theme since it is hotter than heck out here right now :) Everyone seemed to have a good time. Kaylee LOVED her cake. When Brooklynn turned 1 she cried as we sang to her and barely touched her cake. Well, Kaylee was the exact opposite. She started tasting the frosting as we were singing and then when she got her own piece she was pretty excited! While the other girls just ate the frosting Kaylee ate it ALL!!!!

It was hard to not have daddy here for the party, but I guess this is just one of the many things he will be gone for...I know it is really hard on them that he is missing all of this, but he is doing REALLY well in his classes...we are so proud of him!

2008-07-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

So this past week was a busy one for our family. With Dan being in Cali, I was left to take care of the children...so fun and yet SO tiring!!!! Anyway, my dad took us to his company picnic at Knight's Action Park in Springfield, IL. We had a really good time though it did start off a little rocky. Brooklynn has been having some separation issues so when my dad tried to take her into the water without me she freaked out and started crying/screaming. So we decided to eat lunch and then all head out to the water. Well, that went MUCH better! We went in the kiddie area and she went down the little slides and played under a little waterfall. She went in the wave pool with grandpa...when the horn signaling the start of the waves went off, grandpa covered her ears and she covered her eyes :) We even floated around the lazy river...I LOVE that thing! It turned out to be a great day and I am really glad we went. And now every night when we say our prayers Brooklynn says "Thank you for the waterfall that day." Here are some pics of me with the girls. Hope everything is good with you all!

Random

2008-07-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

So there is really not much to blog about...Dan is gone in Cali for 2 and 1/2 more weeks then he is home for a night and off again! Brooklynn is still being a stinker with potty training and Kaylee is walking a lot more now. My life is crazy! Each day brings somethingnew to the table but I am trying to take everything with open arms. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the random pictures of our summer this far! Love you all!

More Zoo Pics

2008-07-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Fun day at the Zoo

2008-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

We went to the Indianapolis Zoo on Saturday with the girls and my friend Lindsey. It started to sprinkle on us a couple of times but no down pours which is a very good thing! Kaylee enjoyed the day in the wagon. She didn't care much for the animals, but she LOVED the Teddy Grahams Linds got for them! Brooklynn had a fantastic time! She loved the dolphin show and all the animals!!! She got to ride on a carousel with Dan and when the ride was done she looked at Dan and said "thank you very much daddy!" It was precious!!! Dan didn't want to take her in to pet the goats so I did and thought you can't really tell for the pictures one of the goats started licking my shirt...ICKY!!!! You can see that by the end of the morning at the zoo everyone (including daddy) was very exhausted! It was wonderful to do something fun with Dan before he leaves. We did have a really nice time...I think we will try the St. Louis Zoo next :) Enjoy the pics and have a great day!!!

The cast is off!!!

2008-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

So, Kaylee got her cast off last Thursday! I think she is a lot happier with that thing off as am I...I can't tell you how many times I got kicked with that thing!!!! She still crawls with her leg out to the side, but she is starting to walk a lot more. I don't know if you can tell in the pic of her leg, but she had a lot of dead skin. The doctor said it was normal and told me not to scrub it. Everytime she rubbed her leg on something, dead skin flew all over the place. Gross right?! It only lasted a day or two and now it is back to normal. Hope you enjoy the pics :)

Time out

2008-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I am finally posting again. I know I am not very good at keeping on top of this thing. Lately I have not been very good on staying on top of myself. Anyway, I just wanted to give you all an update. Dan made it home Friday after spending 2 weeks in Iowa at a training camp. He did really good in all his classes and is now ready for phase 4 of BNOC in Aug (so he can get promoted). He had a very interesting trip home. They closed I-80 (the main interstate between Illinois and Iowa) due to severe flooding. So from 6:30a.m to 10:30 a.m I was trying to find him a safe, dry way home. Well 8 hours later he walked through the door with some beautiful roses and chocolate (the EXACT way to my heart...he knows me all too well). We are all so glad to have him home. Now he is right back to work and hating every minute of it. Yet he works so hard for us and we are so grateful.

Well, I thought I would take a "time out" from the day to send this update! Hope all is well :) Love to all!

Bath Time for Kaylee

2008-05-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here is our new sink top and in it is Kaylee getting her first sponge bath for the next 4 weeks. I am really loving the new sink because it is deeper so Kaylee can actually fit in it and since she has a cast she can't climb out....hey, you got to look at the bright side of things :) Love to all!!!

Kaylee's Bad Day

2008-05-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

As you can see Kaylee isn't having the easiest first year of life with her big sister Brooklynn. Let me tell you what we think happened (we are still not 100% sure). Tuesday night the girls were playing on the floor, which they do quite often, and Kaylee was having fun for a while then she got fussy so we knew she had enough. The rest of the night Kaylee would cry whenever I sat her down. I thought she was teething or something because as long as she was being held she was fine. Well, Wed. morning rolls around and I am trying to get ready for work when my mother-in-law shows up. I was changing Kaylee's diaper and she started to cry when I pulled her legs back. I thought, maybe there is some diaper rash or something...NOPE. Still thinking nothing of it (am I a bad mom?!) I left for work. My mother-in-law called me at 8:15 and said that she thinks something is wrong because Kaylee will not crawl or pull herself up on anything...RED FLAG! Kaylee does NOT sit still. As most moms know that once your child can move on their own, they will!!!!! Anyway, I decided to come home and get Kaylee into the doctor. Well, her pediatrician was completely booked and so was the on-call doctor so we drove all the way out to Urbana to see Dr. Shuster. I tell you this because Dr. Shuster was my husbands pediatrician who moved to Michigan and has obviously returned. The 1st thing he said to me was "I remember your husband Dan." I thought to myself of course you do he was a crazy kid!! :) I love you hunny!! Anyway, we had to get an x-ray taken which Kaylee HATED and as you can see she broke her leg. It is a proximal tibia fracture and has to be in that pretty purple cast for 4 weeks. She is quickly learning how to get around. She will not let this keep her from being active. Kids are AMAZING!!!

Anyway, in light of everything that has been going on lately, I am just so grateful to be a mother! Children are fantastic and they bring so much joy and love to the world!

One tough cookie

2008-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

While all the guys were outside working on the yard, I was inside with the monkeys and right when I think things are calming down, Brooklynn gets hurt. She was laughing, eating cheese and twirling in the kitchen when she went WHAM into the corner of the counter. Before I could even finish asking where her ouchie was, I saw the blood and while I was trying to calm her down she pees on me. She felt so bad that she went potty...she kept apologizing to me. It was pretty precious but I have to admit that the 30 seconds of chaos was enough for the whole day!

Today we asked her how her ouchie was and she says " I fine mommy." She likes looking at in the mirror and saying "awwwww"

She is a trooper. We call her our little boxer now :)

Have a safe weekend everyone!

We have GRASS!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

So most people wouldn't get excited about grass, but WE ARE!!! After a week of VERY hard work and some rain the yard is done! Dan and his dad worked all week to prepare the yard and then Dan's uncle helped lay sod and it looks great, right?! Not only do we have grass but we have 2 trees! It is pretty amazing how our backyard went from a muddy mess to a play area! I just wanted to show you all the pictures :) Hope you all are having a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!!

Home improvements

2008-05-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am a slacker I know! As I sit at home sick today I thought I should finally update this thing. So a lot has happened! I have a new job doing hygiene...FINALLY!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!! Right now I work 3 days a week which allows me to be home with the girls some. The dentist I work for is so fun and all the girls in the office are FANTASTIC! Brooklynn and Kaylee are growing like weeds and I am trying to enjoy every minute of it. Brooklynn is doing a TON better with potty training (unless Dan is the only one home...for some reason she won't tell daddy, but she will tell everyone else) and Kaylee is so close to walking. I am not sure that I ready to chase 2 little monkeys around, but I guess I don't have much of a choice. Dan is trying to switch his job in the army. Right now he is a mechanic for duce and a halfs, humvies, etc., but he is thinking about becoming a generator mechanic. I really like this idea because as it sits now when Dan leaves for Afghanistan he will be on the recovery team (he has to go out and get the trucks that have either broken down or been blown up...not my choice of jobs). However, if he works with generators then he will sit safely on a base and not have to travel out. Obviously, I like job #2 :)

We are doing a lot of home improvements. It all started with the bathroom, now our guest room is complete (as you can see above). We bought a new kitchen rug which I LOVE and we have a new counter height table on the way!! Dan went out last night and got a new kitchen sink AND Dan and his dad are preparing our backyard for sod (I will get pictures!!!) It is so fun to change things to make this place our own (until the bills show up of course :))

I hope all is well for my family and friends. We miss you very much!!!

Love,

Susan

Just in case you were wondering...

2008-04-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dan really likes the bathroom and he told me that he would never question my painting skills again...YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think my next project will be our guest room, but I am taking my time with that one! I think we have all the colors of our house picked out but than again, Dan changes his mind a lot :) Alright, have a great night everyone!

Adding character...

2008-04-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

I painted our 1/2 bath this weekend while Dan was away at Drill. The pic to the left was the before color and to the right is the after color. The picture doesn't so it much justice because it is a lot brighter than that, but I am finished and excited to see what Dan says when he gets home. This project really helped me to remember why I dislike painting so much...the obstacle of getting around the toilet and the sink....it is no wonder that houses get painted BEFORE all the junk goes in!!! Anyway, I just wanted to drop a note about this because it is the first really change/character that we have added to our home. I will let you all know what Dan thinks of it later...keep your fingers crossed! :)

Potty Training

2008-04-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is a very quick insert about something exciting that happened to us just last night!!! We have been working on getting Brooklynn potty trained for what seems like forever now and we had ahit a bad spot where she just didn't care anymore. So we thought and thought about what to do to get her excited about the big girl potty again. We tried punishment...didn't go over well. We tried getting her own step stool so she could be more independent..that was exciting for about 5 seconds and then...of course CANDY!!!!!!!!!

Every time she goes on the potty she gets candy. If she climbs on the potty, squeezes a couple of times and then still doesn't go she gets a small candy. But if she goes potty then the candy gets bigger!!!!

Ok on to the exciting part...Dan and I spent last night taping up our small bathroom, as we are getting ready to paint it, (sorry Jackie I forgot to take before pictures!!!!). Anyway, we are in there working away when Brooklynn (who was in her pull ups for bed and normally does not care if she wets them) came in and said "I poo poo." She then pulls down her pull up and gets on the potty to go both pee pee and poo poo! We were SOOOOOOOO excited! Now if this sticks we will soon find out, but I had to share that exciting news! Have a fantastic day!!!

Easter pics cont'd

2008-03-25T06:31:00.001-07:00

Easter with the Sweikar's

2008-03-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some of our pictures of our Easter adventures...hope you all enjoy!!!

Life...

2008-03-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jackie for getting on my case enough to make me post again! I really like the idea of this, but making the time is obviously an issue for me. Jackie, just stay on my case and eventually I will get better with this :)

Ok, life has gotten a lot better for my family. I got a job and I work Mon, Thurs, Fri and 1 Sat a month. SO I get Tues and Wed. with my monkeys! I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Let me update you on what is new in my kid's lives...Brooklynn is still working with the potty training thing. Some days she is amazing, others are NOT so great! When she has an accident we always ask her "where do you go pee pee?" Well, now if she has an accident she asks herself "where pee pee go?" "in potty!!"It is pretty precious, but I have to admit I am getting tired of changing peed pants and cleaning up messes on the floor or couch. So if you have any suggestions my ears are open!!! Brooklynn is also talking a lot! She loves to dance and sing! She has a huge heart and loves to push mommy and daddy's buttons! But I woudn't trade her!!! Kaylee is a crawling machine now!!! It is great that she can get around by herself now. I just can't believe how big she is getting!! Kaylee loves to dance and wrestle with her sister (well, most of the time anyway).

Ok, since today is one of my days off, we have a lot of errands to run so I am going to jet. Love to all and we hope to hear from you soon!!!

This crazy life...

2008-02-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Alright I have either been really busy or very lazy...I think it has been a combination of the two if that is possible :) Life has handed us a few lemons this year already and of course I am trying to make that lemonade :) Our holidays were jam packed like everyones. The girls enjoyed them very much!!! Now we are in 2008...let's see what I can tell you. Oh yeah, I am losing my job at the dentist office that I wanted to work for SOOOO bad! The dentist that I was hired to work for is leaving the practice which means no more hours for me. I have had a couple of interviews so keep your fingers crossed and pray really hard for me :) It is nearly impossible to get a hygiene job here since there are numerous dental hygiene schools around this area. We really need more dentists, but there is NO WAY I am going through all that schooling!!! :) I know that things will work out though!!
As most of you know Dan is scheduled to be deployed for a year. Due to security issues I really can put too much of that info on here which I am sure you all understand...We are both bummed about it, but know that he has to do this. So if any of you have some free time next year please feel free to come visit...we have a guest room!!!!
Some exciting news: Brooklynn turned 2!!! I cannot believe it! She is doing pretty good with the potty training situation and just like her cousin Joshie, she feels like she has to tell everyone "I potty." Kaylee is getting very close to crawling which is so wonderful and very frightening at the same time. To have 2 on the go all the time may just be all the exercise I need!
Dan and I are approaching 4 years of marriage!! We both agree that it feels more like 10 but we wouldn't change it for the world. It is hard to believe that 4 years ago on the 28th it was 65 and sunny. I AM SO READY FOR SUMMER!!!
Well, I wanted to get an update out so that you all knew I was still trying to do this blog thing. I am working on getting some more pics of my family up here as well. Have a wonderful week and God bless!!!!!!!!!!!

My Girls

2007-12-09T07:55:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of my girls! This one is Kaylee looking super cute!
Now she is showing off her bling bling :)
Brooklynn with her burned hand. You can't tell but I was a mess!
You can see the blister on her thumb but she had another one on her ring finger too. Poor baby!!!

Update

2007-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

So here is an update of the family. On Friday, Nov 24th (yes it was black friday) we pierced Kaylee's ears! She looks so pretty and only cried for a second. She really handled the situation well! I will try to get some pictures up soon so you can see them. Then on Wednesday Nov. 28th we were going to take a family picture for our Christmas cards. While I was trying to find Dan a sweater, Brooklynn grabbed my curling iron and burned her hand! I was mortified!!!! I rushed her to Convenient Care where they reassured me that she would be fine. Well, she is healing quite nicely and now if we tell her something is hot she stays clear of it! We did end up taking our family picture the next night, so all is well with that! :)

We are also in the midst of potty training Brooklynn. It is an up and down thing as most people know. We just got her some "real" big girl pants...I can't believe she is getting so big! Anyway, I can definitely see why people wait to do this...it is stressful and so easy to cave in and just give up, but I am trying to stay very motivated so that Brooklynn will get it instead of resorting back. Wish me luck.

Ok this is all I can think of for now! I will write when more chaos occurs...Love, Susan

p.s. GO ILLINI! We made it to the Rose Bowl! YIPPEEEEEEEEE :)

Intro

2007-11-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Let me start out by telling you how my family began...

Dan and I were best friends in high school. He is a year younger than me (and believe I hear about it all the time!). We never dated through high school, but always found a way to keep in touch. After Dan graduated he went into the National Guard. When he returned home from boot camp and AIT in 2001, I decided to pick up the phone and see how things were going with him. We got together for lunch and a short time after that decided that it was time to try dating. January 25, 2002 Dan finally asked me to be his "girlfriend." 3 days after that he left to serve in Germany for 7 months for Operation Enduring Freedom. That was a rough patch of life for the two of us, but we knew we would make it through. Dan proposed to me in July of 2003 and were married 7 months later (February 28,2004).

Dan works for Clifford-Jacobs Forging Co. and is still in the National Guard unit. He is trying to get back into school to get his Industrial Technologies degree, but the army continues to make that a challenge. I just graduated from Parkland College with an Associates in Applied Sciences...in short I am a Dental Hygienist and I love what I do.

Ok, now for the fun part...February 4, 2006 we welcomed Brooklynn Michele into our family! She looks just like her dad and is such a joy to have around. We love watching her learn and grow. And the energy she has is unbelievable, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Then Brooklynn got a little sister named Kaylee Suzanne on July 19, 2007. Kaylee looks a lot more like me and she was born with hair!!!!!!! Brooklynn LOVES being a big sister! She helps out and gives her lots of hugs and kisses.

So this is a quick intro into our lives. I really am going to try to do better at keeping people up to date on the new and exciting things we are facing. Love you all.