New Addition

We are so excited to report - of course, the only people who reads this are my kids, and they already know about this but it's fun to write - that our daughter Jessica, wife of Derek, mother of Caleb, is pregnant, due April 14th (or thereabouts) will be having a BOY! How did we get all these boys. He will be grandson #4 in 3 years I might add. Unbelievable. We feel so blessed to watch our daughters become mothers. I know how my mother feels now when she said how proud she was when Brian and I had our first baby. You just can't describe the feeling of deepest joy. Now look at pure joy on Caleb's face! I don't have to describe it - I can just show you. Caleb is 2 1/2!

Greg and Lindsey's son, Cole, is ll months old in three days. Where did this past year go. He is walking holding onto your hands. By the time we see him at Christmas, he will probably be walking on his own. We cannot wait to see him. We are also very proud of Lindsey. Lindsey just ran a 1/2 marathon in 2 hr. 10 min and 44 sec. I don't know how she does it, but here is her picture at the end of the race (that is, if I can find it!) This is Greg and Cole - so happy to see Lindsey with her medal!

And now we have our grandson #3 (Jackson) living with us with his mother, Amanda, while her husband Matt, is in Afghanistan. Jackson is 4 1/2 mos. now and is cooing, and laughing. He just smiles all the time now. Very laid back and easy going. I can't imagine how she is feeling right now with her husband gone, but we are praying for him daily for his safe return. Matt, if you are reading this, we love you! Come home safe Daddy!

As I finish on the eve of Thanksgiving Day, I think of the many blessings that Brian and I have had this year and realize that our blessings are in the pictures above, not to mention each other.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Time to Catch Up!

Well, folks - it's time to catch you all up in the Tischendorf household. Lots to tell but since I'm a woman with few words, it won't take too long. Here's a synopsis!

Oct. 21 - Left for CA to be with Amanda and Matt during Jackson's surgery. He had a cleft lip like Lindsey's and Greg's Cole. Jackson did great. A pretty rough week after surgery, but we all knew that going in. He is doing fine now - loves to eat, sleep and ...... In that order! Amanda will be posting before and after pictures of Jack soon so some time in the next week or so you can look for pictures on her blog!

I spent 10 days in sunny San Diego. The weather was really really nice. Much better than Chicago weather. I also helped them pack up their apartment as Matt was leaving for Afghanistan and Amanda was moving back here with us.

October 30 - Said goodbye to Matthew - he was leaving for Afghanistan Nov. 4. Such a hard goodbye but proud of our marine.

November 3 - Brian left to say goodbye to Matt and to drive Amanda back here to leave while he is gone. He will be back in June from his deployment.

November 4- Matt left. Convoy to another base, flew to Maine, flew to Ireland, then to Krykstan

(sp?), arrived yesterday in Afghanistan. Amanda heard from the commander in chief (or whoever is in charge of the battalion) letting families know that they had arrived safe and sound and they will be over there for about 200 something days, which brings him back in June. Hopefully, there will be no extensions as sometimes there are.

November 5 - Brian, Amanda and Jackson started driving home from San Diego. Beautiful weather the whole way and now Brian wants to rent an RV to do the trip again to see the sights along the way.

November 8 - They arrived safely home. What a relief, however, November 6 I went to our cottage for a little R & R and came home Monday morning well rested and ready to face the next 7 months with a daughter and grandchild home. I must say, Jackson is a very good happy baby. Just keep him fed, enough sleep and changed diapers and he is a happy camper. Mom is doing well too considering the circumstances. Can't imagine how she feels right now but we all will stand behind her during this time.

Exciting News in the Tischendorf Household

I'm sure everyone knows by now that Brian and I are going to be grandparents again. Though, I think the only person to read my blog are my kids, and one of them definitely knows that she is pregnant! Yes, Jessica and Derek will be having a baby April 14th and Caleb will be a big brother/sister. I'm sure he is soooo excited about this - well, maybe not, but he will be by the time he/she is born and he understands that a new baby will not be going home to Lindsey or Amanda. Mommy and Daddy can hold Cole and Jack now without him getting upset so he will be fine in April, I'm sure.

September has been a relatively quiet month - (Since I wasn't allowed to talk about this baby) - we just putsed (sp? is this a word) around the house, babysat Caleb which is always a joy, went to our cottage, oh yea - this was exciting. Louise went with Jane Velander to Garner, Iowa for their annual quilting camp. We had sooooo much fun - learned a few techniques, got a lot of patterns. Mary and Connie, the owners of Country Threads, designs and makes their own quilts, so we have a lot of original designs. I'm very anxious to get started quilting, however, I have accumulated a lot of projects for Christmas presents and for my kids that I don't have time to quilt.

October is here and winter will be as well. I leave for CA for Jack's (my grandson) surgery in CA on October 21. He has a cleft lip. I will be going out for 10 days to help and to help the kids pack. Matt is leaving for Afghaniston sometime in November and Amanda and Jack will be coming back here to live so she doesn't have to be a single Mom for the 6 to 9 months that he will be gone. I can't imagine the feelings that she is going through right now nor his mother and what she is feeling.

Here is a picture of Papby with Caleb, Cole on the beach and Jack with Nana!

Life is Calm - Scene 2

Time has come and gone these past 3 weeks and life was hectic but enjoyable with the gang all here. If you want to keep up with my kids, I sure can't, read their blogs about their vacation when everyone was here. They have certainly captured the highlight moments of it and great pictures to tell. However, I can't pass this one up. Brian retired, I believe we have mentioned that several times this past year, well - he was showing Matt how he sits on a chair on a saucer skiing behind a boat. It's hilarious, so here is a picture of him.

Do you think he loves retirement or just showing off?

BTW - he is holding a Pepsi can!

Needless to say, we enjoyed our vacation with our kids, the baptism of our grandson Jackson, watching our grandson Cole crawl and our grandson Caleb saying - "I big boy - I do it". He cracks me up.

Life is Calm?

Just got back from vacationing at our cottage in Wisconsin. Two beautiful weeks of calm, serenity, a little rain, leaks in roof (a new roof added while I was there), scrapbooking, quilting, eating, reading, contemplating life.  Life couldn't be better.  Can life get any better?  Of course, Amanda, Matt and Jackson are coming in tomorrow night for two weeks, Lindsey, Greg and Cole are coming in Friday night for a week.  Life is good!

Brian came up for the weekends which was nice.  He worked really hard on getting our bathroom done.  We  now have a shower, toilet and new sink, new floor, new water softener and tankless water tank.  The egg smell is now GONE!  We can take a shower now and not smell like eggs when we're done.  It's great!

While I was up at our cottage, Brian babysat Caleb on our usual Thursday.  I have to tell you a story he told me.  It is sooooo cute - nana bragging here.  Mom & Dad (Caleb's Mom and Dad, that is) are doing a great job of raising him and teaching a little structure in his life.  By the way, he is now almost 27 months old.  He had all his toys out in the living room and he was getting hungry.  So all of a sudden, he puts all of them away, his little people in the farm building, cars away, and anything else that he had out.  Climbed up at the dining room table on the chair and said, "Papby - I'm hungry, can I have a waffle!"  This is after Papby bought doughnut holes and that is what he had for breakfast.  Papby didn't get the concept of not having two breakfasts!  LOL!   Mom & Dad trained Caleb well for cleaning up his toys before lunch.  Papby didn't say a word - he just did it!

What's coming up this week - well, I have already said the kids are all coming in.  There is a Sutton/Petersen Reunion on Saturday (Brian's side of the family), Baby Jack Jack is being baptized on Sunday, family picnic at our house after the baptism, (Matt's side too), leaving for the cottage after the picnic to spend 3 or 4 days.  All 11 of us - let's hope it doesn't rain - pray for NO rain!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

On Wednesday, Amanda, Matt & Baby Jack will be driving to Minnesota with his mother for a family reunion, on Thursday, Brian and I will be babysitting Caleb and Cole so their parents can go to a Cubs game.  They are really excited about going to that.  Lindsey and family will be leaving on Saturday, Amanda & family will be leaving Tuesday.  

Well - that's all folks - enjoy your week but as I just said to Jess - I'm a monthly blogger, so see you next month!!!!!!!

Here's Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the promised pictures of my GRANDSON!!!!!!!!!!!

About time Nana writes!

Hi Friends:  Where has the time gone - guess I could say that at the beginning of every post.  But all I know is, I seem to have missed spring and summer is here already.  July is half over - I can't believe it.  

It's a little bit late to publish but here is a quick synopsis about our trip to Alaska. Above is a picture of Mt. McKinley, one of many highlights of our trip.  If you can ever go, put it on your bucket list.  It's a must see adventure.  We saw many beautiful and awesome sights.  We

 walked on a glacier, 

dog-sledding (we actually rode behind the amazing dogs), 

historical sites, and Denali is fabulous.  We saw four of the "Big Five" animals that everyone wants to see in Alaska.  A moose, a wolf (very rare to see in the day time), Dahl sheep (also rare to see - they live on cliffs so unless you hike you don't get to see) and caribou.  We missed the grizzly bear but did get to see a grizzly bear and her cub at a wildlife conservation park.  Enough about Alaska - just wanted to get June out of the way and on toward the good stuff!

Now onto some even better news than Alaska.  Our youngest daughter, Amanda and her husband, Matthew (married last August) had a son on June 30.  Our third GRANDSON!  Two grandsons born in one year. I guess Dec. 28 is last year but they will be 6 months apart (plus two days).   It takes my breath away! We have been so blessed this year! 

We are out in CA with our kids and our newest grandson! His name is Jackson Trygvie Rau and he is a adorable!  He was 6 lbs. 12 oz., 21 inches long with lots of brown hair.  Matt, Amanda and Jackson are all doing fine.  He is growing like a weed!   He is sleeping well (for the most part), eating well.  So, basically, he is doing what babies do, eat, sleep and poop!

He has a cleft lip like our Cole and will have surgery in 3 months to correct it.  It is only his lip - it doesn't appear to be his palate so one surgery should do it.  He won't have it until 3 months old so sometime in October he will have his surgery.  I need to upload pictures from my camera so as soon as I upload, I will add them to this blog or the next blog.  Stay tuned!