Goodbye 2008!

Today has been a day that I have been longing for. I don't know why, but for some reason in my head I have 2009 as the end to all of the not so great things that have happened in our lives in 2008. I know realistically that 2009 will bring some challenges, but I can't imagine any year of my life being as hard as the year that is hours away from ending.

2008 had many challenges for me and my family. In May I lost my mom. I can't ever imagine having pain like this again. Although the memory of her is in all of our hearts the mourning seems like it gets more difficult before it will be able to get better. Every time I look at my girls I see her and that is an amazing blessing that I have. I am sure my grandmother and aunts and uncles feel the same when they look at me. I struggle when Dylanne does something amazing or K'la goofy as I immediately want to pick up the phone and call her. I lost my best friend this year and that is a hole that I still struggled to mend.

Just when we thought it couldn't get worse my Goddaughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At this point I was numb and unable to offer much support to her or her family. Ally proved to be my strength though and showed me a great deal about survival! Ally is now cancer free and just a "normal" kid again.

Then the rain began and we were dealing with the floods of 2008. Luckily since we live in Urbana, we were blessed to not have our homes affected by the flood. However, both of our works were affected. Mine was affected for 2 weeks and Mike continues to be in an alternate location. I worked emergency childcare in those weeks for flood victims and Mike got a little vacation for a month. Not very fun though when you aren't getting paid.

What else could really happen to our family? Well, finally we had a diagnosis for Micheala and her sleep apnea. This was such a relief and such a nightmare at the same time. It proved that I wasn't crazy and the apnea was really occurring again, but it also came with brain surgery. Mike and I again were like zombies and just went through the motions of everyday life. I pissed everyone off at the Hospital, but in the end it paid off. Micheala had her surgery on August 4th (our 7 year anniversary). The hardest part of that day actually proved to be the ride to the hospital while Micheala begged us to stop and get her something to eat. She was a champ! Out of surgery early and out of ICU in less than 24 hours! She had the nurses and doctor's earning their pay while she was in there as she wouldn't sit still and insisted on moving her bed up and down or jumping on her bed. All of this from a 3 year old that just had brain surgery. She is continues to do well. As I tell most people, she is earning time outs again so that's a good sign.

Finally, our lives could move on, right? Not so fast. At the end of October, we found out that my cancer had made an unwelcome return and that I was to do treatment again. Ugh, will it ever end?

Well, I do have to say that it has. I am done with treatment and it is all behind me (let's pray).

So after reading the above I hope you understand why 2009 can't begin to get here fast enough.

I didn't write this to get sympathy, it was simply something I needed to do for myself as closure and I thought I'd share my thoughts. 2008 wasn't all bad. I was able to spend time with family and friends. Mike and I made friends with some neighbors and they are wonderful and we treasure their friendship. Strange enough, my mother's passing brought some blessing too. I now have a relationship with my mother-in-law that is beyond anything I could have dreamed. She proved to be my rock many times when I wasn't sure what to do with myself. She may not even know how much she helps me with dealing with my mom's passing, but she does, even today. I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful family. I also found out that I am going to be an aunt in 2009. I know this is an exciting time for anyone, but being an only child this is something I have waited a very long time for! I am so excited to spoil him rotten! I also have to be thankful for the friends and family that are healthy and in my life. I am still able to be close to my grandmother and I think she is my soul mate. My mother was always my best friend, but my grandmother has always been my soul mate. We are two peas in a pod and growing up in a house with her, my grandfather and my mother to all raise has been the biggest blessing of my childhood. I couldn't have asked for anything better and the fact that I still get to visit her and drive her crazy is something I truly cherish.

I know that I am rambling now and probably not making much sense, but I just wanted to write this all down for my future reference. Tonight, we will be ringing in the new year with great friends. I had thought that going to the bar was what I wanted to do, but things often don't work out for a reason and staying in with my husband, beautiful daughters and great friends is just what I need and I couldn't have asked for anything more special.

I wish everyone a very blessed, happy and healthy 2009. May no one ever go through a year like I did in 2008 and may you all keep your family and friends close to your heart!

Finally After 20 Years, The Wait Is Over!

I've waited 20 years for this weekend and I finally got to live out my boyhood dreams.......I got to see the Giants play live! A friend of mine, got me a couple tickets to the Giants/Vikings game on Sunday and Heather and I took the trip. We left the girls with Grandpa and Grandma Schrock for the weekend and headed up to Minneapolis. We stayed at the Marriott City Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday night, the same hotel that the Giants stayed in. As we checked in, I ran into Dominick Hixon, Giants wide receiver, and a few other players. No autographs or pictures because they were headed to a team dinner. Just a few short moments later, I saw Eli Manning get out of the elevator, which was quite a treat for me. Throughout the weekend we ran into various other Giants personnel. I rode the elevator on Sunday morning with the Offensive Coordinator and team doctor! Our seats were awesome, row 9 in the corner of the end zone on the Giants sideline. We got to the Dome at 10:30am so I took some pictures from our seats of the pregame warm ups. I didn't take any during the game, as I was just soaking it all in.
The pregame pep talk from the captains.
Brandon Jacobs did not play due to a soar knee and there being no real reason to play him, since we already had home field locked up for the playoffs. He is on the far right in the blue wind pants. He is much bigger in person than on TV! In the background you can see Eli getting stretched out.
Here are wide receivers Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham.
Finally my boy, Ahmad Bradshaw. I was a bit surprised at how big he was in person since he looks small on TV.

Although we didn't win, it was a great time. I felt 10 years old again. I met some awesome fellow Giants fans and some real asshole Viking fans, but overall it was awesome. Heather was a good sport as well because even though she is a Bears fan, she still rocked out the Eli Manning jersey for the game!

Christmas at the Schrock House

I hope that all had a very special holiday, I know that all of us at the Schrock House did! We started the celebration on Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Schrock's house. We enjoyed presents, food and company while the girls played with all of their new toys. Dylanne got a make up set, a color spin art machine and High School Musical books. Micheala got a Polly Pocket race car track, Horton Hears a Hoo movie and an air brush art machine. We all had a good time which just goes to prove that there is nothing better than spending the holidays with your family.
Here is one of many pictures of the girls opening gifts on Christmas morning. They each got a Nintendo DS, clothes (blah), High School Musical dolls and a Taylor Swift doll. They got a few other odds and ends gifts, but I cannot remember everything that they got. they both were very excited and were very happy with there gifts, which made Heather and I feel relieved.
A shot of the girls playing with Micheala's Polly Pocket race car track at grandpa and grandmas. This thing was not easy to put together and I thought about throwing out in the snow a couple times during the construction of the track.
Micheala and Dylanne receiving their Cabbage Patch Kids in memory of Grandma Brenda. Heather and I wanted to do something special for the girls to remember Grandma Brenda this Christmas, so we bought them each a Cabbage Patch Kid from Grandma Brenda. Heather and I talked to the girls about how Grandma Brenda was with us in spirit and that we should always remember her, not only on holidays, but everyday.
We decided to go with Cabbage Patch Kids because Heather said that when Brenda got Heather her first Cabbage Patch Kid, it was on Christmas, so we decided to make a special connection that way. This was our first Christmas without Brenda and it went alright. We will always remember how she never had a lot of money to spend on the girls, but would always seem to buy the perfect gift for them. I guess Grandmas just have a special way of knowing these things.

Here's to a Happy New Year to all!

Two Dimes

Here's a story I would like to share with all of my family and friends. It is about legendary Green Bay packer Quarterback, Bart Starr and his family.

Bart Starr had a method in which motivated his boys to do well in school. He would reward the boys with two dimes every time they brought home superb reports from school. Bart would also tell the boys how proud of them that he was and the boys just ate it up. Bart simply just wanted the boys to always do there best and strive for excellence. One particular weekend, Bart was in St. Louis playing a game, and even though the Packers won the game, Bart had a pretty rough game. He was very disappointed in his play on the field and didn't think that he played to the best of his abilities. After a long trip, Bart returned home late Sunday evening, absolutely worn out both mentally and physically. He put his things down at the door and finally made his way to bed. He just wanted to sleep off his disappointing performance and start fresh in the morning. As he made his way to bed he noticed a note on his pillow. It was from his youngest boy and read, “Dad, we thought you played great” and taped to the note were two dimes.

I read this story and I think about all of you reading this post. I think about how much I appreciate each and everyone of you for the roles that you've played in my life. I also realized that I often times don't thank all of you enough for just being such great people. You have always been there to pick me up when I was down and congratulate me when I was on top of the world. So in the spirit of the legendary quarterback, Bart Starr, I give all of you two dimes, in hopes that you can look at this post when your feeling down and know that you are appreciated and loved.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Eilders Christmas

The girls and I went to my family's Christmas this past weekend. We truly had a blast visiting with our friends and family. I really was not looking forward to the first Eilders Christmas without my mom, but now that I went I know that it was just what I needed! Being around my mom's siblings and my grandma brings me closer to my mom and I loved every minute of it. We played games and ate food for 12 hours and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Iowa Football Banquet

Tonight my neighbor John and I got to go to the Iowa Football Banquet. Ryan, my cousin, extended an invitation to us and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was awesome to say the least. I had a blast and got to meet some of my favorite Hawkeyes. Thanks Ryan for a night that I will always remember.Ryan and I after the banquet. Doesn't Ryan look sharp in the threads?
"Captain" Kirk Ferentz and I after the banquet. Coach Ferentz is one of the nicest guys I've met.
Andy Brodell and I talked a bit about his punt return against Iowa State.
The highlight of the night was meeting the 2008 Doak Walker Award winner, Shonn Greene. I think it should be noted that Shonn gave his Offensive MVP award to his offensive linemen and walked off the stage after giving it to them. He is truly a class act.

Thanks again Ryan for the awesome evening.

Christmas Concert at the CPU Elementary

Tonight the Schrock family enjoyed the vocal stylings of the K-1st graders at CPU. This was Dylanne's first winter concert and she was excited. Each grade sang 2 songs and all did very well. All of the kids looked very nice and did a super job. The gym was packed and I realized that CPU is no longer a small school.Micheala and I enjoying the concert. Micheala sat silent with a blank stare on her face throughout the entire concert.
Dylanne in her concert outfit. Striking a pose as she is a "diva".
One more of my cute little 5 year old. Job well done Dylanne!

I Can See Clearly Now...........

A few weeks ago, Dylanne came to heather and I and said that her eyes hurt and she was having headaches. After a couple days of the same complaints, we scheduled her for an eye appointment. Sure enough, she needed to start wearing glasses. She got her glasses on Tuesday and is doing really well with them. The eye doctor explained that she is farsighted and would need to wear her glasses at all times. This helped explain why she was coloring outside the lines and so on. She was nervous about going to school today, because she didn't want people making fun of her. I walked her to class today and her friends told her that her glasses were "pretty cool", thank God.

What is Thanksgiving?

A question that I was asked by my two girls this week. I thought long and hard on how to respond to this question. I think that it is important that the girls know the "history" behind Thanksgiving; with the pilgrims and the Native Americans, but they learn that in school. In 2008, it's not so much about pilgrims and Native Americans anymore, but more about the meaning behind Thanksgiving. Then I started to think a bit more about the meaning of Thanksgiving and how it's different among different families. For example, I sure many families in Cedar Rapids are thankful for a place to call home after the flood this summer. With this being said, I thought that I would talk about what Thanksgiving means to me and what makes me thankful.

I am thankful for the opportunity to spend this holiday with my friends and family. Living so close to my family can be trying at times, but is a blessing most of the times. It's comforting to know that I have such a loving and supportive family so close to help out in my times of need. I'm not sure what I would do without them being so close by, bailing me out of so tight situations and tough times.

I am thankful that Micheala is in good health. There was a time this summer in which Heather and I were not sure what was going to happen to her and we were scared. We cried many nights and prayed very hard. We were all pushed into her health situation with no real warning and had to fight through her surgery and recovery with positive thoughts. We found out that Micheala is a lot tougher than we gave her credit for and she recovered with flying colors. I remember the morning of her surgery and how on the trip down to the hospital I was hoping for a blow out or car trouble so I could have an excuse to not put her under the knife. I learned a lot that week about trusting the professionals and dealing with adversity that I had no control over.

I am thankful for the opportunity to watch Dylanne grow into a fine young lady. Her progression n school has knocked me off my feet. She is getting involved in many other activities and is really growing socially. She is so proud every night when she comes home from school and spells a new word for me or does math problems.

I am thankful for my beautiful and strong wife, Heather. Although she is frisky at times, she is my rock. As I watch and support her as she battles her health issues, I am amazed at the amount of strength and determination that she to overcome some of her current hurdles. I am thankful for the way that she continues to love me everyday, no matter what. Her ability to show me unconditional love, even after I make mistakes, just blows my mind and confirms the fact that I am married to the perfect woman.

I am thankful that I get to welcome my nephew to the world next year. Watching my sister go through her pregnancy is quite amazing. She seems to have a "glow" about her and it is really special to see. having her and her family in Urbana is great, as we get to see them more often and just hang out.

I am thankful for my parents and the "fun" we've had over the last 3 months, going to the Hawkeye games. I've always wanted to go to Hawkeye games with mom and dad, and was finally able to do that this year. I know that growing up the last thing you wanted to do is hang out with your parents, but now, I love every minute of it.

Finally, I am thankful for all of our friends. We have made some of the greatest friends over the past few years. Jason and Erica have been great friends. Hanging out in the yard in the summer, ice fishing in the winter, football games and the way they treat our girls like their own is what makes them so special. John and Denise have also come into our lives as special friends. We find that doing the simple things with their family is the most fun. We have many more friends that have been great throughout the years, and for that I am thankful as well.

So Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the things in your life. The good times, the bad times and the times that you'll never forget. The friends, family and the people that you meet through passing. We take this day to be thankful for the people we share on lives with on this earth and in heaven.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Schrock's Black and Gold Blowout

November 22, 2008 marked the first Black and Gold Blowout at the Schrock house. My neighbors talked me into having a party for the Iowa vs. Minnesota game, so I decided to go for it. I sent out invitations to a few of my neighbors, and family to come join in as the Hawkeyes stick it to the Golden Gophers. Stick it to them, they did, with a 55-0 beat down in the dome. As for my party, I had a few rules. 1) Everyone had to bring a dish to share with everyone, beer drinking makes you hungry. 2) You would only be let in the door if you were wearing Hawkeye clothes of some kind, this led to the "Keepin' It Real" competition that I will talk about in a minute. The "Keepin' It Real" competition was an award that I decided to make up and award to the person who sported the most Hawkeye gear and spirit. A certificate and traveling trophy was the award. It was a lot of fun as everyone did their best to win the award. Those in attendance were Terry and Marie Schrock, Chris, Joni and Baby Shaw, Mike, Heather, Dylanne and Micheala Schrock, John, Denise, Dylan and Jay Harris, Chad and Debs kids (Shay, Ryan and Wyatt), Chad and Deb were in Minnesota at the game and Jason and Erica Liedtke. Below are some pictures of the night.Wyatt won the "Keepin' It Real" award. He was decked out in Hawkeye gear from head to toe including a Hawkeye jacket, onesy, sweatshirt, pants and face tattoo. Way to go Wyatt!
This is the "Shonn-o-meter" that I made to track Shonn's yardage to the single season rushing record. He needed 107 yards to break the record previously held by Tavian Banks, and got 144 yards. Shonn's picture was placed on a magnetic strip so that his progress could be tracked throughout the game. Dylan did a nice job of staying on top of this.
The certificate indicating that Wyatt won the "Keepin' It Real" award. He will keep the certificate, but the trophy will travel from year to year.
The Floyd of Rosedale is the traveling trophy for the "Keepin' It Real" award. I made this thinking it would be fun to develop a traveling trophy. Everyone seemed to be in to the idea.
Mom and Dad in their Hawkeye gear for the party. Sorry Mom, the Hawkeye slippers were not enough to win you the award.
Chris and Joni. Yes, Chris is in Hawkeye gear. When asked, Chris said that he would, "wear anything for a free beer". He was a good sport throughout the night, and might be turning the corner as far as being a Hawk fan is concerned.
Dylan Harris sporting the Hawkeye shirt. He had a tattoo on the back of his neck that said "Go Hawks". He was also in charge of the "Shonn-o-meter".
Here is Wyatt in some of his Hawkeye gear. He's upset because the Hawk game hadn't started yet. Give it time buddy.
The divas of the Black and Gold Blowout. They are Ryan, Shay, Jay, Dylanne and Micheala. They all had "Go Hawks" written on their cheeks. All of us parents think that this is a positive way to raise our kids, with Hawkeye Games!

We all had a blast and maybe next year we can have more people. Don't forget to cheer on the Hawks in whatever bowl game we play in. GO HAWKEYES!

Elfin' Things Up!

Thanks to Jenni Benesh for starting the "elfin'" craze. It was a lot of fun and I had a lot of laughs doing it. I hope everyone follows Jenni's lead and takes time to create themselves as elves. Thank You again Jenni, I hope you all enjoy!

elfing around

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elf country

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elf disco

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elf madness

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's Great To Be A Hawkeye!

How 'bout dem Hawks! Last Saturday brought the last home game of the season. It was a sad one as we had to say goodbye to those seniors that we live and die with every week. Players like Mitch King, Matt Kroul, Brandon Myers and Seth Olsen. These guys, along with the other seniors, will be missed next season. It was fun to celebrate this game because, we won and my wife and good friends got to come along to the game. This was Heather's first game this year and she picked a cold one. In my opinion, it's never too cold to watch the Hawks. We had a great time and a lot of beer. It was also the last hoorah with our tailgating regulars, Larry and Marilyn Nielsen, Kevin and Laurie Raddatz, Chris and Tiffany Nielsen, Terry and Marie Schrock, Jim and Barb Brecht, Al and Rachel Brecht, and Roger Brecht was at a few games as well. I cannot forget to mention Betty, who furnished us with her front yard and restroom facilities all season. The season is not over yet. We have some unfinished business in Minnesota and in a bowl game. Go Hawks!
The Urbana Hawkeye Club. Heather, John, Denise and me.
One more of the Urbana Hawkeye Club..
Our friends from Urbana, John and Denise Harris.Heather and I getting ready for a Hawkeye victory.

Schrock Update

Hello all! I thought I would take a few minutes to offer a quick update on everyone in this household, so here it goes...

Micheala - Micheala is doing fine. She is up and down on whether or not she likes preschool, but she goes and seems to being doing well. She dressed up as Sharpay from High School Musical for Halloween and got lots of candy. Her and the dog have a love/hate relationship; she loves the dog and the dog hates her. Although Mika has not gotten agressive towards Micheala, Mika does not like the constant smothering that Micheala often times inflicts. Her progression in regards to her surgery seems to be going as planned, although we had to cancel her last appointment due to a scheduling conflict. Micheala is showing strong personality traits that resemble mine, which absolutly drives Heather crazy. i enjoy it, but at the same time can see why Heather gets pissed at me. She is enjoying dance class and really has taken to cheerleading, and yes she cheers for the Stormin' Pointers!

Dylanne - Dylanne is going through some tough times in her life. She is starting to experience "clicks" at school and amongst her friends and is learning a tough lesson in having manners and treating people with respect. I am doing everything that I can to teach her that being nice to everyone makes it difficult for people to ignore or reject you. She is very concerned everyday with what she wears to school and what others will think of her. Since our house seems to be the "after school hangout" for all the neighborhood kids, I have started timing out all of the neighborhood kids for foul play. I sat all of the kids down one day and explained to them that this was a house in which no arguing or fighting occurs and explained to them what would happen if it did. last Thursday I had everyone in the neighborhood sitting in opposite corners of the house for arguing. They were all pissed and some wanted to go home before finishing their time outs, but I would not allow that option. So far it has worked and I've heard no complaints from the other kids parents. It's about respect for each other and not driving me fucking crazy by telling on each other every five minutes. Back to Dylanne. I am so prooud of her progress in school. She is learning to read and how to spell. She is a busy girl, being involved in dance and girl scouts.

Heather - Busy with work! She has recently found out that she has arthritus in her back and it causes her pain throughout the evening. She is still plucking away at grad school and really has to manage her time between work, school and the kids. Today, she went to Iowa City for a Veterans dinner honoring her mother and said that it was a good time, but difficult. She recently turned 31, and turned away two tickets to the Jewel concert, as her family was in town. I guess I'm not real good at getting presents, oh well. Heather likes to spend her minimal free time hanging out with one of her new friends, Denise Harris. they are two peas in a pod and enjoy riding their husbands asses. She is still involved in helping raise awareness for cancer research as it has hit too close to home too many times. She has a conference in which she is to speak in Minneapolis later next week. She is nervous as it will live on the internet. She also has another trip to Washington DC coming up soon for her work. Like I said, she is busy and I hardly get to see her.

As for me.....I guess I just do what I do. Recently, my work had to lay off two of our workers. I am not one of them, but feel their pain as it effects all of us schedule wise. I am happy to still have a job, don't get me wrong, hopefully we can get a permenant home soon so our workers can come back and we can serve the youth that need our help in a more effective manner. I'm living and dying with the Hawkeyes. I cheer and I cry. I can't explain why it effects me so much, but it does. Like I tell everyone, there is nothing better than spending Saturday afternoon with 74,000 of your friends. I really enjoy tailgating with all of my family and friends and hope that I can share this with my girls someday. The New York Giants are kicking ass, need I say more? Tonight I worked on a school project with Dylanne and stopped to realize that it seems like just yesterday I was feeding her oatmeal in her high chair. My girls are growing up fast and it just amazes me. Where has time gone?

That's us in a quick summary. I'm excited because it's almost time to go ice fishing!

Indiana Game

There's nothing better than a road trip to an Iowa football game with your dad and friends. Roger, Jim, Alan, Dad and I all took the journey to Bloomington, Indiana for a much needed vacation and a much needed Iowa victory. It started on Friday morning with the drive to Indianapolis to our hotel. We got there, had some beers, went to Cheeseburger in Paradise to eat......and have more beers, followed by us retiring to our hotel rooms for more beers. Roger puked, Alan bit his tongue and bled for 2 hours and Jim , dad and I laughed for hours. We got up at 6am on Saturday and headed to the game to tailgate and play bags. The game was hot, as dad and I wore black, and it was a blow out! We headed home after the game and arrived in Iowa at 10pm.

I think that Roger and Al would agree that this trip is so much fun because we get to talk about old stories and spend time with our dads; something that doesn't happen much when you have your own families to worry about. We all spent a major of the car ride trying to name Roger's unborn child. We threw out some dandies, but Roger turned them all down. The favorite name by all was "Fucking Max" and that has an inside joke shared by those in the car. Thanks to Rog, Al, Jim and Dad for a great trip!
Relaxing in the hotel
Tailgating
Tailgating and Jim indicating to everyone that he is #1
The SWARM, a thing of beauty and intimidation
Victory is ours!

Odds and Ends

A few odds and ends to update everyone on. Nothing too important, but fun. Dylanne was involved in a cheerleading camp at the high school. She went for one week and then got to cheer at a Jv football game. She seemed to really enjoy herself and still practices the cheers at home. I have to give a big thumbs up to the high school cheerleaders for having the patience to deal with these young gals and it was a great way to get the youngsters involved in school spirit. Dylanne's kindergarten teacher asked me if I would make a "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree" for her classroom. She showed me some examples of the trees that the other teachers made, but Dylanne and I were determined to go above and beyond. We simply could just not settle for a one dimensional cut out of a palm tree, so Dylanne and I put 2 and a half hours into a three dimensional tree. The "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree" is a lesson plan based on the book to help the students learn their ABC's. The class painted the tree and the teacher was impressed with our hard work, to say the least. Finally, I'm painting garages again. My neighbor, John Harris, asked me if I would paint a tiger hawk in his garage. So I gave him what he wanted, which was a 6 foot by 8 foot tigerhawk. I am currently in the process of painting a "G" for Green Bay in my Packer loving neighbor's garage. I should be finishing that project in the next day or so. Below are some photos of the events spoken of in the above paragraph.
Dylanne has spirit! They also did a dance routine to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Like I said, Dylanne had a great time cheerleading.
The "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree" that Dylanne and I made for her class. I have yet to get a picture of the painted tree, but I have seen it and the kids did a fantastic job painting it.

The Tigerhawk in John's garage. GO HAWKS!!!!!!

Our New Baby!

I have finally given in to all of the nagging and complaining that, "We don't have a dog" or "The girls sure would love to have a dog" and allowed a dog to enter the household. Heather's cousin, Erin, felt that she could not give her dog the amount of attention that it needed and asked us if we would like to have the dog. So, we accepted the offer and got the girls a minature schnauzer. Her name is Meka (Mee-kuh) and is only 6 months old. She is very loving, doesn't shed and is not aggressive. She is also potty trained, can sit and comes when you call her name. She does have "little dog syndrome" and tends to bark at the unknown. We are told that this breed is very protective of the family and will bark anytime someone unknown enters the room. I must admit, she's pretty cute, but is a responsibility. I have been trying to incorperate all the responsibilities in with the girls, and so far, so good. The girls seem to be very happy with Meka, so that makes me happy. Aside from the barking, I don't mind the little shit either. Here are some photos of Meka, the new Schrock.

If you're wondering about the name. She was already named and we decided to stick with it. It is a German girl name to reflect on the breed. I wanted to call her Butch or Barky Von Schnauzer, but was rejected by the girls.