Easter

Heather decided that she wanted to try and tackle the task of hosting Easter dinner this year. So we invited Grandpa and Grandma Schrock, Grandma Beard and Chris and Joni to our house on Sunday night for dinner. Everyone but Grandma Beard could make it. Heather worked all day to prepare a ham, potatoes, corn and many other dishes. Joni brought cookie bars and chocolate pie for dessert. The meal was fantastic! The girls were excited to have everyone at our house and they each got another Easter basket from grandma and grandpa. We had loads of fun and I have a few photos from the whole Easter experience. Heather did a fantastic job with preparing everything. GOOD JOB BABE!

Thursday night after returning from vacation, we did Easter eggs. Was it messy? Yes. The girls had fun though and it's always refreshing to see them enjoy themselves. Heather got in on the action as well.

Sunday morning the gals had their Easter egg hunt and unfortunately I was unable to be there due to work. I did get to help hide the eggs the night before, so I got to contribute a little bit. Heather said the girls just went nuts looking for their eggs. Their Easter baskets were hid as well. We had them do a little scavenger hunt, involving index cards with clues on them, which eventually led them to their baskets.

Grandpa being Grandpa after Easter dinner. He was wearing Dylanne's basset hound hat while bowling on the Wii.

The Wii bowling tournament after dinner. We played many games on the Wii, which was great fun, but we were all exhausted afterwards. Watching Joni boxing was funny as she seemed to shake her butt like an excited puppy while throwing punches.

That was our Easter. I hope everyone's Easter was as fun as ours.

Flower House

Micheala had been asking to go to the flower house ever since we came home from vacation. I had no idea what she was talking about. I asked her what was at the "Flower House" and she said, "two beds with three pillows and flower blankets." She of course is describing our hotel room. Of course Micheala would know how many pillows were on each bed as she loves pillows and blankets. She thought it was a real treat to be able to have more than one pillow.

I thought it was so cute I had to share this quick little story with everyone.

Happy Easter!

The Schrocks invade Wasserbahn

With cabin fever in full force at the Schrock house, it was time for a mini vacation. We originally were trying to go stay in Dubuque, so we could go to the fish museum, but were unable to get reservations, so we headed south to the Amanas and Wasserbahn Waterpark Resort. We thought that we were only going to be able to stay Wednesday - Thursday, but we got lucky and were able to get in Tuesday and stay until Thursday. We had so much fun and were all so tired by Thursday morning. We did a lot of swimming, shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall and had Micheala's godfather, and good friends, Phil and Nicki come to visit on Wednesday night. Here's some photos of the last couple days.

Dylanne and I fooling around in the hotel room. I was so proud of Dylanne this weekend because she was so well behaved, aside from the times that I instigated jumping on the bed and pillow fights. Heather put an end to those activities real quick.

Oh Micheala. I am convinced that this girl could have fun anywhere, anytime. She is such a goof ball to begin with, but was extra goofy this weekend. She entertained everyone in the hotel restaurant when she stood up in her chair after the meal and let out a loud bump. Trying to save face, I said "Micheala, what do you say?" She smiles and says, "Thank You!" Early indication is that this child is going to be a WILD one when she gets older.

We took a break from the fun to go visit my Grandpa and Grandma Schmidt's grave in nearby Conroy. It meant a lot to go see them, since I hadn't been since they passed. The girls were real patient with the trip, but had a lot of tough questions afterwards.

Dylanne wanted to go down the big slide at the park, but Heather and I were a little apprehensive. She was just tall enough to do it and the lifeguard assured us that she would be fine. She was scared to go at first, but after she went the first time, she wouldn't stop! She was such a big girl and thought she was pretty cool. This really made the trip enjoyable for Dylanne, and I loved seeing her laugh and be full of so much excitement.

Micheala spent her time in the zero depth end, which is the way we preferred it. She enjoyed playing with the other kids there, as well as, going down the kiddy slide with Heather. Heather and I did take the girls into the deeper water with us and let them float for a while, but they both seem to have there own favorite parts of the waterpark, so we let them do there thing.

Micheala after a blue sucker. I thought this picture was a bit freaky so I decided to post it for fun.

Finally, numerous hours of swimming and shopping equals worn out girls. This weekend was very special to our family because with Dylanne in school and Heather and I working opposite hours, we don't get many opportunities to spend extended amounts of time together. Everyone got something this weekend; The girls got to swim, got new clothes, new shoes and toys; Heather got new clothes and a new Coach purse; I got the BILL! (Ha Ha Ha) It was worth it, and I recommend Wasserbahn Waterpark to anyone looking to spend a mini vacation with their family.

"Wii" likes to party!

It's funny how impulsive someone can be when not properly supervised. Today I was at Lindale Mall getting my oil changed and tires rotated at Sears, when I had an hour to blow. So, I walked the mall and went into one of my normal stops, Gamestop, and decided to see if they had any Nintendo Wii's on hand. Nintendo Wii's have been almost impossible to get; they sell out immediately and are very popular right now, so I expected the guy to say they were out. But wait, he had one! I've been on a 3 week journey trying to find one, and had given up, but now I've finally found one. So of course, I bought it. The girls and I spent the night bowling, boxing and playing baseball on it. We quit because we all got so damn tired. What a workout! Dylanne has picked it up real good. Her first bowling game was a 108 and she recorded two first round knockouts in boxing. I'm thinking this was a good investment, based on the amount of fun we had tonight.
Dylanne showing us how to put together a couple combos and how to knock someone out!

Dylanne working the body of her opponent. After the fight she was quoted, "I worked long and hard during the fight and it just came down to who wanted it more; I answered that with my right hook!"

Heather cannot be outdone by her daughter, or maybe she can. Heather is quite sore after a night of Wii.

Heather preparing herself for a boxing match. "Million Dollar Baby" is what we now call her.


Micheala is just a little too young, but she still likes to pretend. Here she is representing her future school, or as I like to tell her, "Keepin' it real". I put together a movie of the girls the other night and have gotten some positive responses on it, but have been unable to post it. I do have a few copies on DVD if anyone is interested in watching it. It was inspired by the women of the Schrock house. Anyway, that's all for now. Peace, Love and Hawkeye Football!

The Schrock House Family Day

Today, after I got off of work, we decided to take some of our tax return money and have a "family day". Since the girls are such a big write off, we decided to take them to do something special. We decided to take a trip to Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville and visit Build-a-Bear. The girls were real excited and had a good time. From there, we shopped a bit, the girls bought clothes at Old Navy and then we enjoyed some Pizza Hut for dinner. As an added bonus, I bought the girls the High School Musical 2 soundtrack and they love it as much as the movie.

Above are the new additions to the orphanage of babies/dolls/stuffed animals the girls already own. On the left is Dylanne's bear, Hannah. Hannah is named after Hannah Montana, one of Dylanne's idols. Notice the Hannah Montana shirt and skirt. She also has the guitar purse and much needed cell phone. The blond wig is a little over the top, but it's what Dylanne wanted. On the right is Mylee, Micheala's new leopard. She is named after Mylie Cyrus, the other Hannah Montana character. I won't bore you with the explanation of the Hannah Montana show. Mylee has a brown wig and an all pink outfit. Heather and I both laughed at the fact that Micheala wanted her leopard to have pink crocs, because that's all Micheala wears on her feet in the summer. As expected, we spent a few dollars to say the least and a lot of time waiting, as it was packed in the store, it was all worth it and the girls worked hard today to earn their new special friends.

This is picture is actually try number 3. I was trying to get a picture of Heather and I and she kept looking away or blinking. Finally we got the shot. If we both look exhausted it's because we just spent the day in the mall with a 2 and 4 year old.

Random shots of the girls. I love taking pictures of these two goof balls. It's amazing how quickly your kids grow up. I still remember Dylanne being a baby like it was yesterday.

Finally, sisterly love, in what is often times, hard to come by. Micheala is progressing in the potty training aspect of her life. She still won't drop the deuce in the toilet, but is now at least peeing. Dylanne is coming right along educationally. We had parent teacher conferences last week and her teacher told us she is ready for kindergarten. She also said she is amazed by Dylanne's ability to rhyme. I seriously don't know how to comment on that. Peace, Love and the Iowa Hawkeyes - The Schrocks

Nena and Phoebe come to Iowa

On March 4th and 5th, The Schrock House had two very special visitors. Great Grandma Norma and her peppy puppy, Phoebe, graced us with their presence. Norma is Heather's grandmother and lives in Lena, Illinois. Phoebe is a shih tzu that keeps Norma on her toes and company throughout the day. The girls have called Norma "Nena" since they were little and it has stuck, so we will refer to Norma as Nena throughout the rest of the blog.


We don't get to see much of Nena these days due to the 2 1/2 hour drive between Urbana and Lena, so anytime we get to spend time with her is awesome. Above, Nena and Phoebe are getting some rest on the couch in our basement. Phoebe had gotten harassed by Micheala all day and was looking to Nena for protection. Even though Phoebe had enough of Micheala's rough housing, she never acted aggressively towards Micheala. She is a very cuddly dog and well behaved.

Did I mention that the girls absolutely adore Phoebe. Here's Dylanne holding Phoebe in the basement.

Dylanne playing with Phoebe on the floor.

Heather makes homemade play dough for the girls. It is edible, for safety, and is quite fun to make and the girls enjoy playing with it. Nena is making "mock" cookies with the girls on Tuesday night.

Here's Micheala showing Nena how to make cookies. "No, do it this way!"

Like I mentioned before, we always love when Nena visits. The grown-ups play "Contract Rummy" and we try to let Nena win when we can because she is a bit "competitive". So Nena, from our hearts to yours, thanks for coming and we love you very much.

Finally, March 4th will forever be remembered as the "end of an era" for many Packer fans. Yes, the retirement of Bret Farve. I am not a "Packer Backer", as a matter of fact, I don't care for them much at all, but I am man enough to recognize those who have helped make the game of football awesome. Being a Giants fan, I often kid that the last pass that Farve threw was an interception to Giants defensive back, Corey Webster, which ultimately cost the Farve and the Packers a shot at the Super Bowl (which we all know how that ended). Nevertheless, Farve was a true ambassador of the NFL and with that being said, we will miss you Farve and we salute you and your accomplishments.

Doin' drugs at The Schrock House

Well, I think we are on the road to recovery, but not without enduring on of the toughest weekends in the history of the Schrock family. Above is the medications our family was on over the weekend. We all have to take the remainder of our medicine for the rest of the week. The girls got better about taking their meds, but still put up a little fight. Heather and I did not get much sleep this weekend and I had to stay home from work because it was just too much for one person to handle. Thursday night Heather and I got about 4 hours COMBINED sleep. With both girls spiking fevers, it was an all night observation party for Heather and I. Friday night was more of the same. Dylanne started feeling a bit better but Micheala was spiking fevers of 103. By Saturday, Dylanne was doing much better, but Micheala was pretty crabby and still spiking fevers. However, Heather woke up a bit sick and I was fighting off headaches and a sore body all day. I don't think I was sick, just exhausted from watching over the girls. Sunday was a better day all around, I had a few headaches and Heather was feeling sick to her stomach all day. All in all, I think we're on our way to healthier happy days!

As promised, here are some pictures of the new edition to our family, Pink(y). Dylanne chose the all pink cage and accessories (of course). Pink uses a fish head koozy as one of her hideouts. She also has may treats including yogurt and fresh vegetables. She has a ball that we put her into so that she can run around on the floor. Dylanne has done an excellent job taking care of her and is very eager to get the chance to hold her. As some of you may have noticed, we have a child safe lock on the cage door so that the girls don't get any ideas and try to let Pink out without adult supervision.

Finally, a rare photo of the girls feeling better this Sunday evening. If you can see, Dylanne has chapped lips and it looks like she has a "Hitler style" mustache. I learned a lot this weekend about patience. Seeing your family so helpless against the sickness really makes you struggle emotionally. Being trapped in the house with a sick family makes you struggle psychologically. We didn't want to pass along the illness, so we isolated ourselves from others. We eventually had to take a drive today to get some fresh air. i think we went through a thousand cans of disinfectant spray and a thousand gallons of germ-x hand sanitizer. I can also add that I have officially seen every cartoon movie ever made.......twice! Thank God, spring is on the way!