Where did this come from?

Thank goodness I subscribe to a feed from SF Signal,  because otherwise, I'd never know about this!  Coming in June 2011 to TNT.  Speilberg is the executive producer, so I looking forward to this one! Just think, aliens from outer space EVERY single week!  Yipee!
(I hope they don't have this on at the same time as my zombie show on AMC, I'd hate to have to choose between aliens and zombies...)

Happy 22!

Great googely moogely!!! Ms. Molly is 22!!  Hope you had a happy day!

Another Anniversary has gone by...

Our Dad's been gone for three years now.  I can't believe it's been that long! It seems like just the other day to me.  I still miss him and think of him daily, as I know we all do.  I like to think he and Danny are up there remodeling some room in heaven!

Love you, Dad!!

Mom and Dad

Here's a little picture that obviously made it through the flood of 1998.  I had to clean it off some, but wanted to get it into image form because it was "worse for wear!"  I wonder if this was downtown San Antonio? Absolutely no clues on the back of this picture.  Does anyone recognize those buildings?  I wonder if this was from when they were dating...they both look so young here.

Hey, is that a cigarette in Dad's hand?

A Very Merry Christmas!

 What a wonderful Christmas Day!  

Grammy & Grumpy got to have breakfast hosted by KT and her parents, and we were so blessed to be able to share KT's first Christmas morning!  
KT had received a big red wagon from Santa! She definitely was lovin' it, so it was a BIG WIN for Santa!  She rode all around her house being pulled by Grumpy.  I think we can count on many rides in the future with Grumpy as the horse!


Then everyone came out to our casa for a late lunch.  Before everyone arrived, the Forsythe clan all exchanged our stockings and small gifts.  We had a limit this year since we all agreed to save our money for the annual ski trip coming up.  


But KT really raked it in!  She got a baby doll that is action-activated (once you get the on/off switchy thing figured out!), a car she can ride on or push around, and a boom box complete with several CDs of music she can dance to!


Big treat! We finally got to meet Ms. Ella Wren!  All of about one month old -- she is beautiful! Very pretty head of dark hair, like her parents, and she's gained weight very nicely.  She had the cutest little pudgy hands!!
But, I couldn't get over her nose!  How precious is this - her nostrils are heart shaped!! What a grand coincidence of genetics! Very precious and beautiful!
Grandma and Grandpa Hoyt are totally in love -- and Mari and I are scheming about how we will spoil our granddaughters in the future.After the grandbaby went to sleep, we broke out the Tripoley game. This last picture I'm not quite sure how to caption -- girl with bread stick cigar?! ha!

Christmas Eve Lunch with Grandma Schwencke

We had lunch today with Mom at her Assisted Living home.  We had a great turn out, Mike and Kathy, Mary and Andi, Jeff and Colleen with KT, and JR and me!  Mom seemed to enjoy it and she ate well, but got tired and we wrapped it up after about 1-1/2 hours so that she could nap.  I'm so glad we did it, though.  I know she knows that we were there, but she's definitely slipping a bit more all the time.

Our Second Christmas event of the season!

Dinner on Wednesday night hosted by Gene Veselka, Ashley's dad!  We had such a good time, great food and wonderful company.  It was so good to catch up with Gene again and especially having the whole family together. We ate at Los Agaves on Blanco Road.  Really good food and such nice people waiting on us.  The drinks were great (well, except for the Michelada that JR ordered and insisted that I try.  Not a good idea... yuck!

We almost had the entire restaurant to ourselves, and KT was so interested in walking around with her Grumpy looking at all of the pictures and the Christmas tree.  Her latest trick is to point with her right hand pointer finger and she says "Oooohhhh!"  I think that's something her mamma taught her!  So cute! 

  

What I'm Reading....

So I finished The Passage, moved on to and finished The Fall, and now I'm listening to Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest.  And, I'm loving it!!!  This is a combination Steampunk and Zombie genres - and I have to say that the two people who are doing the telling are EXCELLENT!!  The two voices belong to Wil Wheaton and Kate Reading.  Kate has an amazing voice and she is by far the stronger reader.  I'm definitely going to be looking for more books read by her.

The story is about a mother, Briar Wilkes, who has a past that she's running from, and a 15 year old son who is anxious to find out the truth of their past.  Her son, Zeke, runs away to the walled up city of Seattle to clear his father's name, and runs into the "undead", pirates, and more. The setting is the late 1800s by the way, in an alternative United States. Wild!

The characters are so likeable, you feel like you know them after only a few chapters.  I can't wait to find out how this one turns out!

Another Photo of Grandma!

There's a stamp on the back of this photo "Stauffer Photo Service, San Antonio" and a "43".  This is my mother, Rebecca Jo Vahalik Schwencke, and she looks about 15 or 16 here, doesn't she?  My math is fuzzy (as usual) but it seems about right.

Take a look at those snazzy boots!! Wowzer!  She was probably supposed to be out keeping an eye on the turkeys.  That's one of the jobs she always told us was her's on the farm.  Her story was that she was supposed to be watching for varmints (coyotes, wolves, bear, lions, tigers?? wonder what a varmint was?) but she usually spent the entire time reading a book perched up in a tree.  Hopefully the turkeys took care of themselves.

Mesmerizing....

This is different.  I actually loved it.

Schwencke Family Christmas 2010

Thanks to Kathy and Mike for hosting the family get-together this year!  Since we didn't find a single day that worked last year, I really like having it a week early this year so that everyone is free to attend their own thing on Christmas week, and I think the younger generation (now that they are all finding significant others) appreciate it, too!

John's looking mighty serious there!

We started the festivities with a "wine tasting" compliments of Josh Schwencke.  I LOVED this tradition and hope that it continues (as long as they are all sweet wines!) ha!  I dropped out about 3rd wine down the list from "sweetest" to "dry."  I'm not much for those dry wines.  Josh even brought a tray of "palette cleansers" which included deep chocolate, cheese, crackers, apple slices, and mushrooms.  I can tell that Josh does a good job with these type of events as he tried as hard as he could to keep us in line.  It's just hard with various aunts and uncles who all talk non-stop.  But after a few glasses, no one cared aniwa, ennuwai, anywai, anyway... hiccup!

Sarah and Colleen

It was so nice to see all of the nieces and nephews (not all of them, but a good representation! We'll have to work on getting them all in the same place at one time someday!)  Everyone has grown in to such nice people.  We got to meet Molly's new friend, Marshall, and he held his own! I was proud of him! We can be very intimidating when we are all together, but I heard he comes from a large family, so he may be used to it!

KT was the center of my attention, as usual! She is so cute and kept us all entertained.  This is her first Christmas, and she seems so aware of everything going on around her, I think she knows something is a bit different!  Could be those cute Christmas outfits her mom and dad have been dressing her in!

KT and Emily

All in all, a good time was had by all -- I know my John was feeling "no pain" when he handed the car keys over to me for the drive home!  Good thinking!

Thanks, Kathy and Mike!  We had a blast!

My Uncle Harvey Hoermann

My Uncle Harvey died last week, in his sleep.  He's been having a very hard time of it lately and I'm glad he was released in such a peaceful way. We attended his funeral on Saturday morning.

I've always liked Harvey so much.  He was such a kind and sweet man, even after his speech was gone, he continued to communicate by his very own type of sign language and using a pad of paper and pen.  

My Uncle Harvey, Grandpa, Grandma and my dad, Herb Russell

From the funeral home obituary:

~Harvey Glenwood Hoermann~

Harvey G. Hoermann, age 82, passed away on Wednesday, December 15, 2010. He was born in San Antonio on October 24, 1928 to Albert and Lena Jaritowicz Hoermann.

Harvey was a 1946 graduate of Seguin High School and Texas A&M University, class of 1950, with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry, and later received a Master’s degree in Agriculture Education. He then served as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He was a county agent for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Bexar, Goliad and Refugio counties. Mr. Hoermann received the National Distinguished Service Award in 1976.

Survivors: loving wife of 55 years, Leona Vahalik Hoermann; daughter, Dr. Karen Hoermann of Houston; son, Steven Hoermann and wife Karen of Yoakum; grandsons, Christopher Babb, Michael Hoermann and Jason Hoermann; great-grandchildren, Michael, Jordan, Gabrielle, and Zack Hoermann; sister, Doris Spellmann and husband John of San Marcus; brothers, Dr. Albert Hoermann and wife Wanda of Georgetown, Robert Hoermann and wife Dorothy of Pottsville, Sidney Hoermann and wife Kaye of Seguin, Jesse Hoermann and wife Donna of Seguin, Dr. Arlon Hoermann and wife Susan of Bedford and Grady Hoermann of Seguin along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral mass at 10 a.m. on Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Rev. Matthew Huehlefeld officiating. Burial at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be grandsons, Christopher Babb, Michael Hoermann, Jason Hoermann and brothers, Jesse Hoermann, Arlon Hoermann, and Grady Hoermann.

My prayers are with his family, my Aunt Leona, my cousins Karen and Steve. I'm sure he left a long shadow and will be very missed.
   

A few pictures from the funeral luncheon 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

Been a while... I know....

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  I have no excuse except that we kept KT for a week while her parents were off having a grand old time in Boston and New York.  We were having a grand old time here with KT!
No really, it was.
It's just that every bone and muscle in my body has been aching and paining ever since. 
Here's a newsflash....
Taking care of a 10-1/2 month old 23# baby is HARD WORK!!

Even for two people.

Whew!
Double whew!

It's one the floor, off the floor, catch her before she eats the cat food, "no, KT, don't put the string in your mouth!", change the diaper, struggle with the baby so that she will let you put the new diaper on, watch out for what you might find in the diaper, "oh My God, ewwwhueeeu!", fix the food for daycare, don't forget to put the food in the diaper bag (which I did, first day...darn!), clean the bottles, wash the bottles, sterilize the bottles, read the nipple size (3 or 4, not the 2s), don't forget the bottle stopper or you'll have juice all in the diaper bag, refill the bottles, grab the baby, keep the baby from kissing the dog, seperate the baby from the cat before she gets scratched, read to the baby, wash the baby (sigh...this was the only time she was still...she loves the tub! yeah for the tub!), find a cuddly suit for her to sleep in, try to get her feet in it and zip it up before she moves...darn, I'm too slow....feed her the bottle when SHE WANTS IT or else!, konk...she goes out like a light.

Ah....blessed time to myself.....zzzzzz.........

Whatza? Whisszza?? 4am... up and start all over again... oh no!! did anyone make coffee?

Honestly.  I don't know how people do this.  Except that they are much much younger then I am.  And I think I've gotten a bit "spoiled" to having my own time and using it my own way. 

All in all, it was a rewarding and wonderful time, especially when she gives you one of her open mouthed slobbery kisses.  That made everything A-okay again.  And she really is the sweetest child. She's curious about everything, though, and you've got to keep your EYE on her at all times!

KT wondering how to get up the stairs! Yikes!