The Sulaks Est. 1998

my boys

2010-04-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Megan is growning up too fast...1st communion dress

2010-02-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Megan and I went to Carsons trying to take advantage of the 2day sale. They had about 10 styles to choose from. Megan chose 3 to try on and picked this as her dress. The headpeice comes from her cousins in AZ when they had their 1st communions 15 years ago or so. Too cute!

Let the Crawling begin

2010-02-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

It's offical. Ray is on the move!!

crawling?

2010-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

ray is really moving! he's got the army crawl down pat, and tonight he was very close to being up on all 4 and move. sooo close!

holy cow, it's 2010

2010-01-06T19:11:00.001-08:00

i just can't keep up.. here is christmas 09 and what we did during break!

brookfield zoo for zoo lights.. it was a bit chilly

field museum, now here, we had fun!

Mom of 3

2009-07-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I have been slacking a bit on the blogspot. My little Ray is now 3 months old this week. Time has been passing me by. We just had his check up and he's at 15#8oz. He's not missing any meals. He's as sweet as sweet can be, and Timmy and Megan are really loving to him. Everybody love Raymond!
We just celebrated his baptism this past weekend with lost of family and friends. My family came in from AZ and Becky and family from England. The day was more than beautiful, inside and outside. It was truly a blessed day. Photos are on the upstairs computer, so that will have to wait.
All my house company has gone home, and we are taking each day one at a time. Our weekends are full of family gatherings, and we hope to fill our weekdays with activities with the Moss' as much as possible. Seeing Finley and Timmy together is fun. They are getting along very well.
One day at a time is my motto, and I'm really trying to take it easy. No pressure. Enjoy each day and not stress. The less I stress, the less Todd stresses.. that's the goal. He doesnt need any stress, just fun!

Ray Ray is here!

2009-06-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Raymond Carl "RC" Sulak

April 29, 2009 at 5:13pm

9lb 14oz & 20 inches long

When is that baby coming

2009-06-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

we were all counting the days...

Bike Rodeo at school

2009-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

It was a day of bike safety after school. They planned a really fun day.

Thank goodness we had no rain.

A Ballet in April

2009-05-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, again.. it's been too long. Here's some updates...

she's the one on the very end.

Megan's ballet recital 4/26.. the date I'd been waiting for, to have our little baby!

this was his due date.

March Madness

2009-03-25T21:10:00.001-07:00

Today, Megan saw me on the computer and ask that we check out Aunt Becky's blog. Of course, we did, and realized that I too have not blogged in forever. It's a month. That's terrible. What is the matter with me. Did facebook take over my blogging time? I did start limiting my time on facebook because it truly can consume you.
We are on spring break this week. Although, we wont be traveling, we are trying to make the best of our week. We attempted the zoo, but rain and a prego lady at 8months doesn't really go well together. I figure we'll try that once the baby is here. The zoo is not going anywhere. Monday we did have lunch with Daddy, and of course ran into some he knows. Tuesday, we went to a ceramics place and made an Easter table piece and some eggs. Megan and Timmy did all the eggs, and then thumb prints on the table piece. It took a long time, but the painting kept the involved. We went with friends we were going to the zoo with. Our day ended with some wonderful baby news. Our friends the Weinbergs had their baby girl, Macey Elle. We took a quick trip to the hospital to meet her as today wasn't an option. It was a full house, they have a lot of family. She's a beautiful baby. Looks just like her brother. Today is Wednesday, and it was full of Timmy's therapy appts. I moved them around so we didn't have to cancel, but got 3 of them done in one day. One more tomorrow morning, so we still have the afternoon. I'm thinking pedicures for Megan and I, and Timmy will come along for the road. I have some gift certificates that were never used for massage time at a salon. Gotta use that stuff up. Such a waste of money and gift from someone who wanted it used! I've actually got a stack I've been finding in odd places so we'll start using them. Even returns, it's crazy. Depending on weather and availability, I hope to get the pedicures on Friday. It's suppose to be really nice out tomorrow and we can go to the park for hours. Timmy has been coming to both Todd and I often with his shoes.."tie" he says.. the weather is getting better, but tomorrow will be really good.
Todd's got the guys over as we speak for poker and it's a big group. I'm glad for that. Two lucky guys got here early, and we got them to help move a bed upstairs.. thank you very much! Todd's parents bought a larger bed, and gave Megan the Q. She currently is using a K that was intended for a guest room. It's much too large with all her stuff in there, so this should be a good solution. With a headboard and all, she's gonna love it. Eventually we'll get to Timmy's room. We need to paint it, and coming up with what to paint it is the problem. Something car/train related, that we don't have to worry about getting old any time soon. We plan to have both boys in there together. Leaving the baby's room open, for yes.. another baby. That's my plan for now anyway.. but we are taking it one baby at a time.
Suzanne, Gloria, Angela and a friend Cathy just left for England yesterday. And with prices these days to go overseas.. I would have been on a plane in a heartbeat, if I were not so prego. Now that would have been a great spring break. I swear, I'll never get there....
Quick baby update, he's doing well, measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule. I dont think that really means anything personally. I'm still expecting 27th or later. He's for sure taking up space. He's very active and expecially at night, like right now. Making is even more difficult to sleep, as if I were getting enough already. I tried to go to bed last night at 1030, but it may have been close to 1 before I actually feel asleep. It's terrible. Todd even rubbed my back for 45 minutes. Then, in the mornings, I'm even more terrible. Ok, so I'm going to put on some boring TV and see if that helps me drift off to never never land.. wish me luck.

Catch me up February

2009-02-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks now since I've journaled. Let's just say getting up earlier hasnt worked out so well. I've gotten a few days, but on the average even, it's the same. We are not late for school, and that the one goal that I cannot lose!
Baby is doing great. Have another ultrasound next week, not sure why, but ok. See if he's still growing like a weed or settled into a steady pattern. He's moving ALL THE TIME, and as exciting as it is, I feel like a circus act. But I'm the only one that knows what's happening. If I even grab for Todd's hand, the baby stops. Once in a while I catch someone close to me to feel him moving.. but it's not very often at all.
Timothy is talking up a storm. His words are really coming together well and he's soooo close to sentences. He says "I two", "my turn", "more please", in his own sounds of course... but you can tell what he's saying. I also noticed the other night checking on him sleeping - that he has grown - at least an inch! I need to take a picture of him all stretched out and put it next to the one I have of Megan! He's also getting very attached to Todd. Just today, Todd brought him to the end of our Daisy meeting (I'm Megans leader) to leave for work (at the bar) and Timmy suddenly was sad that Todd had left. He just didnt realize that he was being "dropped off". It was so cute, but so sad. If I didnt pick him up at that moment.. tears for sure would have been next. The lip was already starting.
Megan is impressing me by the day. She has her age 16 moments, but when she's herself I can really see her shine. We've been practicing spelling lists for a while now, and her teacher said she was mixing things up by putting all the units together with some of the words misspelled and that was the quiz.. figure out which were wrong. So, we practice this week, what I thought she'd misspell, and I wasnt too far off and Megan got 100%. I was so excited for her! Math is another one that we've been practicing. They do Mad Minutes where they are basic fact they time them on knowing under 2 or 3 minutes. They are on addition under 10. So, I created a few templates to test everyday and she get so excited to test with them. Even takes them in the car when she knows we'll be waiting for something. She's almost under 2 minutes. Teaching her new ways to remember the answers, or that it's the just the reverse of what she just did and realize it has been the biggest ah ha for her. She's really into music which I do love about her. I've been pushing to get her off the TV habit. She doesnt want much anyway, but instead of wanting to watch.. she now listens.. or reading. We've just started chapter books and she's getting so much better at sight words the books are getting easier and faster for her to read. She does quiet time in her room for book reading too. Got to get those good habit in her brain. She and Todd have been having a blast with the Wii as well. This getting her to the tech side a bit. She's not really on the computer much, and I need to fix up an old one upstairs to be just for her and her kinda games to promote that a little more. The office is upstairs which makes that a bit harder to work. We'll figure it out.
Todd is loving the Wii as well. Finding more and more people that have it is fun too. Share games and maybe we'll get it online and play against people soon too. We bought a wireless bar so we could travel with it. Take to GrandmaPapa or a road trip was the idea. It's been fun to watch the two of them play together and connect that much more. He's at the bar again on Friday nights in the kitchen making sure each dish comes out perfecto! His cousins bar in Geneva - River Lane Pub if you are a local.. check it out. Thankfully, he's only there till 10, and it' snot such a long night. Sometimes he'll pick up a Saturday shift, but that's once a month. We still have to allow time for riding at the fire station of course. It hasnt been once a week, but he goes as often as we can spare him.
I'm pretty much over the nesting phase. I feel good about what we have to do before the baby gets here, which is getting the bassinet down from the attic and baby clothes. I guess I need to figure out where I'm going to put those clothes too, since I wasnt planning to move Timmy yet. Maybe a little more planning to do. I've been trying to think ahead to future todos and get them started so I dont have them all start when I dont want to talk to anyone. Like the vacation bible school program this summer, we've started working on that and getting teams started. I've been checking room by room for things to sell in a garage sale. It will be my first, and probly only.. but we've got to much to just give away and of course could use the money. There is a neighborhood one in April that I either need to plan for, or around and be done with it. That will be a huge relief once it's over! There are just all these things to follow up on.. couch issues, washing machine problems, never a dull moment!
We'll that's the update for now. It's time for bed. Kids have been playing nicely together while I type away. nite nite.
Pictures below are from Megan's school at lunch time. Enjoy.

Baby Sulak

2009-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd journal a bit about the baby. He's measuring about 2 weeks ahead of his due date. The date won't change, but I believe that was Megan's turn out too.. and she was 9 days late. We are not in a hurry to get him out though. He's due 4/26, which is Megan's ballet recital, and 4/25 is our wedding anniv. Gotta give the poor kid his own day. So, maybe 4/30 wouldnt be so bad. I wont be doing anything to help him along, that is for sure.
He's moving ALL the time. It's getting harder and harder to sleep. I wake up often, and it's not even to use the bathroom. I think at the 6am wake up, I might just start staying up and get things moving. And if you know me, that is UNHEARD OF. Going to sleep after 6am is so hard to get up to get Megan moving. So, I'll give it a try. Maybe that will get me going to bed earlier. I've always had such a hard time falling asleep, prego or not. Todd can fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, and he's a snore-o-rama man, so it's gets a bit..uh um.. troublesome for me to sleep. He's been having me go to bed and he does his shower and last minute preps for the next day allowing me time to get to slumber. It just doesnt always work. I try.. I do.
I've been doing the nesting thing, but it's really things we've wanted to do anyway..but now have gotta get a move on. We've moved Megan into the guest room. She now has a king size bed. WHATEVER! She stays in bed all night and that's all I care about. She's been in the guest room for about 2 months anyway. She's been having issues in her room, which we believe to be related to our TV install w/surround sound in the ceiling. It happens to be rather close to her bedroom and she can hear it. So, now we have some time to fix that problem before Timmy moves in there. He's still in the nursery room. His new room will need to be painted, as we had it all done perfectly for a girl. No way can it stay the same purple! Maybe this summer. No hurry. Megan's old bed will be Timmy's eventually too. It's a loft type bed with a slide, which he enjoys, but will be removed until he is much older, and the bed has been turned so he cannot use the ladder either. It will be toddlerbedville for a while. But again, not till summer. The baby will be in our room for a good amount of time, we're just not rushing it. And he may need a crib too, so we'll take our time. The nursery doesnt need to change at all. We actually bought blue/yellow duckie bedding for Megan, so it's been used over and over. We did have to paint some of the top 1/2 walls for Timmy though a few years ago. I was doing a faux finish with a feather duster to give some extra to the white walls, and it looked like rosettes. Which was fine for Megan, but not for a boy. The top 1/2 is still white to this day. Have done nothing to it. There are pictures on the walls and a Thomas quilt made for Timmy that will move with him to his big boy room. I sure hope this baby likes trains and cars.. or he's gonna be miserable!

Timmy at a play place

2009-01-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

We started a new playgroup last week, and afterwards, we went to the mall play space. He had such a good time. I remember taking Megan to Randhurst all the time. This is at Golf Mill. Fun Fun. Enjoy.

Todd's 35th bday

2009-01-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

A Family Day Out

2009-01-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Lake Havasu City

2008-12-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Night we flew to Vegas in route to LHC. (It's a shorter drive than Phx) to see my Dad and Cheryl. We stayed till Tuesday. My sister and her family met us there for the weekend on their way home from her in laws. It worked out great, short visit, but a good one. Everyone got a long, and the kids had a great time. It was cold, sometimes colder than Chicago.. but we made due. Enjoy the slideshow.

Santa Came!

2008-12-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at the Vanni's 2008

2008-12-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas Eve, we are with Seghi (Suzanne) side of the family. Megan has the best time with her cousins. The Vanni's have been hosting for the past several years. It's always a great time. The kids do a hot potatoe game with different candy vs. gifts. They love it.

Sulak Christmas 2008

2008-12-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is Christmas with the Sulak side at Mom & Dads. We started doing it the Sunday before Christmas to help everyone make it. Who knew it would be so could that day. I think everyone stayed a bit later just to avoid the freezing outside.

Megan 1st Piano recital

2008-12-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

I have to download it yet, but here's a picture of her at the piano

Gingerbread House party 2008

2008-12-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

enjoy!

MP Winter Parade

2008-12-11T18:58:00.003-08:00

My girl scout daisy troop did the winter parade this year. Yes it was cold, but they really had a good time. Timmy went along for the ride as well. Todd was few ahead of us for the FD. Check us all out online at mountprospect.org and see the parade online!

Train time with Papa

2008-12-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Timmy wants to help, but next year he may be more flexible. Megan is all over it and can do whatever he needs. They are a good team.

Papa took out a box of cars and the like for Timmy this time. He had such a good time with that box.

Breakfast with Santa

2008-12-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Card Photo Shoot

2008-12-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

The kids were very good about taking pictures tonight. Megan just gets it and love her new fancy dress. Timmy, well, just tell him he's getting candy and he's in. Really, when I showed him the outfit, he wanted nothing to do with me. When I offered candy, he moved like a rocket to get changed. Unfortunately, he thought changing was the only thing he had to do. He did a great job though, as long as Megan didnt touch him. So we dont have any huggie kind of pictures. Cheers to Megan, my little beauty. You'll notice Timmy and his cheeky smile.

Christmas Time

2008-12-04T20:13:00.001-08:00

This is the tree in front. I'll post the back tree soon.

We are unable to put ornaments too low this year because of a little 2 year old.

I remember when it was just Megan. We put a little tree up and had it far up so she wasn't able to reach it. We also didnt have the addition then either. Times have changed.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Megan

2008-11-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, choo choo

2008-11-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

Between the 3 of them, I dont know who is having more fun..

Happy Halloween - M&M style

2008-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

This year we were the family of M&Ms. Some of you may recognize the costumes from years ago when we had halloween parties. Megan saw them and decided we should all be M&Ms. So, Meg was the girly green, and Timmy was the red mini. Too cute. We had to bribe him to wear it too. Tell him he gets candy, and those arms go right up to put it on. BTW, I'm the "peanut" M&M, get it? Hope everyone had a great day!

Green Meadow Farm

2008-10-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our trip to WI to the Green Meadows Farm. We went last year and had such a good time. It took an hour to get there, which is about the same for any local farm too. Not commercialized and low key. It's a full farm, and very welcoming. You should give it a try.

New views of baby Sulak

2008-10-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the scans I was talking about before.
Below, you can see the back of the baby. The head is on the right, and leg.. on the left cris crossed. The head looks a little funny because you can see the brain. Weird, I know. Look at the next.. much better looking.

So this scan, the baby is looking up. Head is on the left and you see a little something of a stick and that's the hand with all 5 fingers. The other hand is up, but it's harder to see mixed with the body. Too Cool!

Just an update..

2008-10-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, first I was off a bit on my weeks. We are just entering 13weeks now. I had a new scan, so I'll post it soon. It was really neat. One you can see a full hand "waving". Most of the visit, s/he was lay on the side (backing facing us) so we could see the legs crossed with little itsy bitsy feet. The tech was having a hard time waking the baby up to be in the position she was looking for. The baby was very comfortable, because the appt lasted about an hour. Man o man. Everything else was perfect.
Timmy therapy has been going really well. Each therapist is working on something new recently. Different things to challenge him. For example, lean on your arms to keep your head up while laying on the floor. His little arms are not that strong, so he's been practicing. He's got some new words too: all done, in/out, on/off, up that I can recall right now...and the animal sounds, but he's been doing most of them for some time.
Megan loves school and her teacher. She's doing really well, reading better every day. She has a journal to keep track of each book she reads or is read to her and turn it in after each sheet is filled up. Unfortunately, I was not on top of it for Sept, and we missed out quite a few. She/we read 3-4 books a day and each sheet is only 16 books. We try. I wouldnt say she loves homework, but she does well with it.
Todd is loving the fire dept and every chance he gets to do ride time. It's even better when he get to do the fire dept open house, or whatever other little volunteer (but paid) things they offer. He really does enjoy it. Playing softball once a week is keeping him busy as well.
And as for me, besides baby news.. I'm doing a bit of side work, trying to keep up with the basics and getting back to the organized Brandi I once was. Where'd she go anyway.

A Sulak Announcement

2008-09-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Our 3rd is on the way.. Baby Sulak is about 14 weeks now (8 in the scan above). All is well. I'm just tired. Recently recovered from the flu. Not fun!

Due April 26th. My bet goes on May 3rd. Anyone else want to take a bet on the due date?

Timothy Turns 2

2008-08-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Fried Bread Night

2008-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

My big 1st grader!

2008-08-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is Megan's first day of school. It was a 1/2 day for everyone. We rode bikes, it's about 6 blocks. We hope to do it as often as possible.

She lost another tooth!

2008-08-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

They wanted to come out so bad.. finally, she is a toothless wonder! She's ready to sing "all I want for Christmas". Although, they are already coming in, and that may be a mute

point by then.

Naper Settlement

2008-08-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the Naper Settlement in Naperville this day. We've never been and the Moss' joined us for the day. Megan earned a free entry coupon from the library after completing the reading program. It was very interesting and the setup was so cool to see and teach Megan how things "used to be". Good day trip. Recommend it!

Cousins Club Golf Outing 2008

2008-08-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Every year there is a golf outing for the family (Seghi/Vanni/+). It's move around to different golf courses, and houses for the pizza after, but it's always a good time. Many moons ago, this was the first big thing Todd took me too when we first were dating. Boy, that's a story! The attendance was a bit lower, but not in the fun department. Pictures of each team, then the winners of each prize were announce, as we a few extra putting and chipping games were played at the Pasquesi's. And see how many kids there are now. They are taking over! Enjoy!

Chicago Botanic Gardens

2008-08-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the gardens with the Moss'. Neither of us have been before. It was all very interesting. From the layout, to the vege gardens.. and nut trees.. to the TRAINS. Did you know there is a mini train set up there? A friend had told me and I was all over it. Timothy would have been fine staying at the train exhibit all day. It was awesome. Take a look.
ps. sorry about the be-heading in the group shot. I was trying to level it on a light in the garden so we'd all be in the picture. and megan was the photographer of most you'll see here.

Megan lost another tooth

2008-08-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Megan's top teeth have been loose for a while now, and FINALLY one of them came out. The new tooth is already on it's way. She also lost the bottom one, the new one is already in (see above) and it finally pushed the old one completely out. Isn't loosing teeth so much fun...

Friends in Therapy

2008-08-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

The office Timothy receives therapy from was hosting a festival

type in their parking lot. I thought it would be a bit more for kids, but it was people selling stuff. We did get the train ride (seen above) and there was a Mad Science vendor that did a show that was really cool (good party idea!) as well as a clown type lady that had games for the kids to do. I thought they'd have food, but it was hotdogs and chips, and that is just not going to cut it. So after the train ride, we went to Portillo's and got back just in time for the Mad Science show and clown lady. The clown lady was actually dressed in a cat suit, so you got me. But she did give me a lot of ideas for Timmy's birthday party. Simple and practical. Yahoo!

Lincoln Park Zoo

2008-08-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

We visited the Lincoln Park zoo with the Moss' this day. It was a Thursday before the air and water show.. so it was very loud. Very cool to see the planes practicing so close. The weather was good, and we had a great visit. A discovery; Timothy really likes birds and fish.

"I'm a artist Mom"

2008-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

We saw someone painting in the park, and I was explaining all the tools they use. So, Megan decided she was an artist too, and wanted the set up outside so she could do a landscape picture. She was busy out there for over an hour. It was great fun. Timmy is enjoying his yogurt shake! Yum!

The Wiggles 2008

2008-08-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

We saw the Wiggles again this year. This time we brought our newest fan Jake Weinberg and his parents. We had a great time! It was time for Chili's after, and we weren't the only ones with this bright idea. We waited 1/2 hour as all the other Wiggle fan came to join "us" for dinner. Thanks for coming Jake!

dinner with friends

2008-08-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had a night at the Kiernicki's house this night with the Puccetti's as well. All the kids had a GREAT time and didnt want the night to end. Hopefully this will be a routine evening for us all. It was a lot of fun.

Megan's taking Piano

2008-08-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Megan is taking Piano now. This day is her 3rd lesson. She's really excited about it, and as you can see.. so is Timothy! She can play twinkle twinkle, and old mcdonald.. ask her to play for you.

Dinner with family

2008-08-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

We had dinner with the family this night, and the boys were sitting next to each other "sharing" food. They were so cute and entertaining. Megan received all the Grandma Papa love sitting between them.

Indy - Day 3

2008-08-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

And finally, the place that brought us this mini vacation, Indy Motor Speedway! We saved this for the last day to ensure Todd was able to "soak" it all in. The tour on the bus was very interesting, and the video vs the slideshow doesnt do it justice (sorry). It was educational for everyone (and Timmy just had a great time with all the cars). Did you know a man wanted to enter a race but his car was over weight by several hundred pounds in the earliest of racing days. He drilled as many holes in the frame as he could to get it under weight, and was still over by 120. Again, I like the history stuff. Where everything came from. You'd never know I didnt do well in history in HS. Enjoy.

and by the way, the trip home was FANTASTIC. Megan used my ipod most the way home, Timmy watched Blue's Clues and both sleep for a bit. I think I know what Megan is getting for her birthday....

Indy - Day2

2008-08-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

After a restful night (not) we headed out to the zoo (had lunch) then off to the childrens museum. It was a packed day, but we enjoyed every bit of it. We saw so much, had plenty of snacks along the way and had a great time. I'm sure they both would have loved to be at each exibit, in each place...all day long. We went to the downtown area for dinner (attempt 2) and found mall parking for $2!!! We had a great time at Hard Rock Cafe!

Our Indy Vacation - day1

2008-08-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

We drove to Indy for a weekend away in August. It was 3 VERY long hours to drive. You will notice no pictures from the car... We did arrive, and relaxed a bit before seeing some of the downtown sights in the canal district. Finding dinner was the worst. It was like downtown Chicago with parking ($15).. SO we ended up at Sam's club. Nice huh. Remember, it was a long drive! The goal was to eat. And they do have salads. It wasn't bad. Thank you Todd, for having your Sam's card on you!!!

4th Annual Sulak Family BBQ

2008-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

We had family over for gathering just to gather.. with a little twist. The Moss' are in for the annual August long visit, and Finley has just turned one. We celebrated family and a birthday (or 2, or 3). The MP FD came for a special visit as well. The kids had such a good time looking around the truck. And all of them on the front is priceless. Thanks for coming everyone.

my chunky monkey

2008-07-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Megan at 9mo

The Moss' are here, the Moss' are here

2008-07-25T11:57:00.001-07:00

The Moss' arrived yesterday and we enjoyed dinner together while catching up. Isn't Finley cute as pie, and a chunky monkey to boot. I'll have to find some Megan chunky monkey picture to compare!

last pictures of Sammy

2008-07-24T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sammy pictures

2008-07-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Sammy Girl

2008-07-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today (Saturday) was our Sammy girls last day here with us. It was her time and we miss her so much. She had 2 seizures in the last few weeks, and has just been down hill from there. She was very weak in the legs and having trouble getting around. She was was not herself. These last few days I was talking with the vet daily with updates to see what our next steps were. We tried to make her as comfortable as possible. We now are positive she had a brain tumor. I have photos to share and will upload them soon. Samantha Rae (Flusche) Sulak, Red Golden Retriever born on Oct 13, would have been 14 this year. I purchased her from a breeder when I was in HS in AZ at 8 weeks old. Todd and I have been sharing stories of when he met her, and how she was welcomed to the IL family so warmly. That's the kind of love she shared. She was a great dog.

a little VBS

2008-07-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

For the first time in many year, our parish hosted VBS. VBS is vacation bible school and is for elem age groups with volunteers of all ages. There was a mention of a meeting to have VBS at SR some time ago, and I showed up to the meeting, very excited and eager to have it at SR. Some how (wink wink) I ended up running the show. It was not my plan, and I kept asking who was going to be the coordinator, and it just kept going.. then one day, "well, I thought you could run it". So of course, I did gladly. I was concerned, only because I had never done it before. Megan has attended many, but I've never seen the logistics of VBS. Now that it is over, I can say with a smile, that I'll do it again next year. Timmy, bare with me honey.

Just doing a little shopping

2008-07-09T19:58:00.001-07:00

for Sammy food. She's not be well in the last few weeks. She's had 2 seizures, that we know for sure. She's 13.5 years old now, her birthday is in October. It's one day at a time right now. She was out of dog food, so this was our trip out. Timmy loved the Timmy size cart. He did need a little help steering though. Those wheels need a little grease.
And a stop in to see Daddy. He was doing ride time at the fire station. It was a low key night.

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today, June 18th, was my mom's birthday. As the day approached, I began feeling like I was not myself. I called it a funk when Todd asked me what was up. As her DOD approaches, I feel more and more overwelmed with her passing and missing her presence. I miss her.

Happy Birthday Mom.

AG portrait

2008-06-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

As a part of our Memories with Mom (see may), we also had this picture taken. Just taken me a while to get it scanned and posted.

last day of school 2008

2008-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Home Depot June

2008-06-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

I tried to get bob the builder theme song here, but it would work. Timmy is really getting into it now too. You'll see his hand on the hammer with Todd. We made boats this month.

sunday dinner 4 - collage of pictures

2008-06-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

sunday dinner 3 - ice cream face

2008-06-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

sunday dinner 2 - airplane

2008-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday Dinner 060108 - big wheel

2008-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Family Gathering at Gary and Karen Sulaks

2008-05-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

Karen's son graduated college and we celebrated tonight at Gary and Karens. It was a beautiful day. Here's a few pictures of all the kids playing..

Megan's ballet photo shoot

2008-05-31T21:01:00.001-07:00

Megan's in two pre-ballet performances this year, hence the 2 costumes, at the park district this year. As you know she has really short hair now, so a bun is out of the question. We had to gel it back and then bobby pin it in place... then bobby pin the hair pieces. And if you know Megan, this was SO much fun. She is so cute though. We had some minor adjustment in one of the costumes and she did well with that. Mrs Linda is with her below and we weren't able to find Mrs Vikki to take a shot outside the photo area. We've never had ballet pictures before. It's always been me taking them on the stairs. So cute! The recital is June 8th.

Old Friends Gather

2008-05-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

We had our friends over Sunday. We haven't gathered as a group in a long time and it was so nice to see everyone and catch up. I didnt break out the camera since both Karen and Jen had theirs. Here is the link to Karen's site with kid pictures http://thekals.blogspot.com/2008/05/bbq-at-sulaks.html. I'll add more from Jen's camera later. It was a beautiful day! Outside ALL DAY LONG. We had just purchased outside "furniture" Saturday and many pieces needed to be assembled. I could have done without that. But it's very cool and it was fun to change the use of the space. It was very comfortable. The kids explored the entire back yard and every toy in the garage. Mom, Dad and Aunt Gloria stopped in for a bite and conversation to boot. It was a good day. Thanks for coming everyone!

People Watching 0508

2008-05-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

We had dinner with Aunt Gloria today at CPK in AH. Which is right next to the train tracks and station. Even for a holiday, the tracks were busy. Of course a walk or two is always necessary during dinner. Especially tonight. We sat outside, beautiful night, but service was :(, I mean really :P!!! We enjoyed the company just as well and even ran into an old preschool friend and family.

Megan on 2 wheels

2008-05-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Megan achieved 2 wheels today, on a bike that is. We've talked about it, but when her neighbor friend was practicing this weekend, she was even more excited to pursue! She did it! It only took about 15 minutes. Her bike is a bit small now, so we'll need to visit the bike shop....

A visit to Megan's class

2008-05-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday, I volunteer in Megan's class when they have centers. (Grouped activities) There are several parents that volunteer for this Mon-Thur. It's so fun to be in their watching them. These are pictures I took when I went for centers 1-16. The first shot of Megan at her table she does not have the pencil in her hand, and sitting patiently and quietly....while everyone else finished, or gets started (if you look closer, her sentence is written out, where others have not started) What a smarty! The 2nd set is her center. She's on the mat w/her group and they are putting words in order to make a sentence. The first one she's helping her friend Sharon figure it out, then the next she's putting her own sentence togther. There were about 5 bagies of "sentences" and she wizzed right through them.

Muscial Feet

2008-05-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

A Closer Look at Megan's hair

2008-05-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

For all you Megan hair fans.. enjoy! It really is cute. She's so gorgeous she can handle any hair style.

A Day at Public Works

2008-05-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

We made it to the PW event this year. For some reason we always miss this! They had a paw clues fact finding mission that Todd and Megan took on along the way. Megan allowed a moth caterpillar crawl all over her arm, we went up in the bucket (notice my white knuckles), and tried to get Timothy to relax. Momma's boy he is. He pretty much didnt leave my arms! Oh Timmy. I spent some extra time at the recycling booth. Did you know that the plastic lid on your milk jug (as well as all other lids) are made of a different plastic than the bottle? Did you know that when you recycle them, they should be removed from the base (bottle, jug, etc) so they dont get mixed when the recycling happens. A lot of plastic is discarded because the wrong plastics get mixed together and they cannot use it. Note to self!!! And make sure to rinse out your stuff. Otherwise they get critters in the recycling process as well. It's not garbage. It's recycle! Try to do your part! www.swancc.org for you Cook County folk. Check out more in your area!

Girl Scouts at Coco Keys

2008-05-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

For scouts, coco keys offered a special in May. We all went as a school of daisies and had a great time. Here are just a few shots of the day. Everyone went as families vs troop. You will notice, Timothy didn't have such a good time. He didnt want much to do with the water, but the fan, he watched for some time. They were HUGE!

Go Marching

2008-05-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Timothy has been very interested in musical instruments. His developmental theropist brought them every visit and that was his favorite part of the hour. So, we bought him a set of his own to use and Megan and Timothy have been marching for us ever since. Too cute! They are a great marching band. Megan really marches, and shows Timmy how to pick up your knees, and he picked up on it right away. I'll have to video it next time.

Cat in the Hat week

2008-05-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Megan brought home Cat in the Hat for school and selected 5 Dr Suess books to read for the week. We journaled all the adventures with him as well as pictures. Here are a few from the week. He went out for yard work, and needed a jacket. He went to ballet and GrandmaPapa's for dinner and watched the Country Music awards. It was an eventful week!

Memories with Mom

2008-05-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago I rec'd a American Girl Store (AG) card for upcoming events. Included was a Memories with Mom lunch and theater, and best of all, it was for 6+. Most shows are for 8+. So, for Mother's Day this year, I decided to spend the most of it with Megan. We drove down (a Brandi first), we checked in, got Emily's hair done (she had to sign for it, too cute), had lunch in the cafe, photo shoot (the girl, Asha was waiting with Megan) and then the Revue ended our day. After the show, the girls came out for autographs. It was all very exciting. No pressure, no hurry hurry, it was a great day. We ended the evening meeting up with "everyone" for dinner. They were mostly done by the time we got there, but that's what happens when you have a no pressure, no hurry hurry day! I recommend it to everyone. At home, Megan and Timmy gave me a robe and 2 plates for projects to make with their own craftiness and then use for tableware! Perfect!

Happy Birthday Brandi

2008-05-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

It didnt feel like a birthday (5/7), but we tried. Megan has had a cough for about 2 months now. we've been to the Ped doc several times, an allergist, etc.. It's weighing me down! (doc visit 5/6) Then, Timmy ended up with a VERY high fever (5/7), and then the ER the next morning (5/8). What an eventful week!

I did get my very own iPod (we've been all using Todd's thus far), shopping money and my favorite Kim Anderson figurines! Thankyou everyone!

Fire Safety Week at Randhurst

2008-05-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

this is their 29th year. with changes happening to randhurst, who know what next year will bring...

Happy Mother's Day Moms

2008-05-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Communion Anyone?

2008-05-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Since I can't update http://www.prettyandpersonal.com/ yet.. I thought I'd share my design for 2008 communion cards. Please email me if you are interested!

HD Kid's Workshop May

2008-05-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

The 1st Saturday of the month, every HD has a Kid's Workshop area. This month they made a Mother's Day bouquet. It was very cute. I have a little sassy, and a little cute.. well, a lot cute.

On April 25th to be exact...

2008-04-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

On April 25, 1998, Todd and Brandi Sulak were pronounced husband and wife. Can you believe it's been 10 years? To celebrate this huge milestone, we contacted Father Hurley to renew our vows. Fr Hurley married us "back in '98" at St Edna of AH, and his last ceremony was the private christening of Megan Michele Sulak in Jan '02. He is an amazing person and we were so blessed he doing well and able to give us this gift. And an additional gift was The Blessing of the Rings ceremony he did as well this day. For those who do not know, I lost my wedding ring in AZ the night of my mothers funeral. To have this new ring blessed made the ceremony complete.
Thank you Father Hurley!

Megan was such a good helper. Alter server in her future?
St Edna was remodeled and added on to as we were transitioning to St Raymond. The parish is beautiful and was nice to see where our pledge was used... anyone remember the orange carpet?
Dad (Jerry) was our photographer while Grandma (Suzanne) ensured that Timmy continued his nap successfully. Thanks to you both for joining us on this day.

Kindergarten Tea

2008-04-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the school had their annual Kindergarten Tea for each class. They sang us songs and we had cookies and lemonade in the gym. It was all very cute.

A popsicle kinda day

2008-04-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

A family favorite at the Sulak house is popsicle. Some time ago, we found a sugar free brand that everyone loves, and the flavors are more than you'd expect. They are called swirl pop, found at Sam's Club. Timothy is now holding his own popsicle.

"Kool-Aid" Stand

2008-04-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Megan has been begging to do a lemonade stand. We had kool-aid and made it work. We were very successful for an hour stand! She's already itching to do it again. And we were very green about it. We brought our own cups out and washed them when we were low, and the green towel is for spills instead of paper towels. She's been very helpful and going with the green flow (unlike Daddy who wants the paper napkins back!)
Timmy was very social and busy with his "paper work". His new found pass time is drawing!

Megan's 10 INCHES

2008-04-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Megan donated her hair for the 2nd time this year. She had 10 inches cut off and donated to LOCKS OF LOVE who make wigs for cancer children. She really understands they need it, and that she has great hair to give! She is REALLY short now, and loves it!

Timmy also had a trim, but you wouldn't know it, he was hysterical the entire time. No pictures to prove it. I had all the mom's looking at me, hopefully feeling sorry for me and Timmy as I had his head in a arm vice just to keep him still. Let's just say he's not good with people touching his head. This is haircut number 3, all different people! :)

Jake's Birthday party at Gymboree

2008-04-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

We managed to get a family shot in! Our friend Jake celebrated his Wiggly party at Gymboree. Timmy was a bit overwelmed, but did ok. Megan was all over everything and very helpful to others. She may have been the oldest guest! We had fun.

Happy Easter

2008-04-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Back to January

2008-03-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Taking a few minutes to get myself updated. It didnt take to long to get pictures updated this time. I do what I can, man.

So, here's Meg with her 2nd tooth missing. The perm's are already making headway.
Bundled up baby! (Timmy @ 16m) Man, what a winter, will it ever stop. I love the snow and all, but geeze!
Timmy at front row with Papa and the train. This is a regular thing w/them. He's loading and unloading the barrels.
And then there's the pro, Megan who can not only run the train by herself, but all the side stuff too. She's a quick learner!

Getting the beat down.

2008-03-05T21:18:00.001-08:00

My My.. when we finally get an update, I hear about how long it's been. My word. kidding.
I do miss it and need to get more regular again. If it didnt take so long to upload pictures (i can never just have one) or the pictures were on whatever computer I was using.. my goodness, doesnt the technology know what I want by now?
A few updates; Timothy had his 2nd round of therapy evals Tuesday (OT and PT) and qualified for both. Although, they said she's right there, and this will only be a temp thing to ensure he stays ahead of the game. Concern about him favoring his right leg when he's walking, but he is a new walker after all. Give the kid a break. His muscle tone was all good and "she like the way he moved" hehehe. OT was concerned about upper body strength. She was able to tell just by the way he picked things up. So interesting. more to come on that.
Tonight was family reading night at Westbrook (Megan's school) and officer friendly and his partner read a few books! It was fun to be at the school "after hours" and the LRC was open too. She was able to check out a 2nd book, man was that the hit of the night. And a pencil and bookmark put icing on the cake! I did take pictures, but again, wrong PC. The LRC was celebrating Dr Suess' bday. What a fun guy...
Todd did some more ride time at the fire dept last night. On call 3 times. I think that might be the max so far. He's been called the cooler, since the tones stop when he walks in. Bad for him, but the guys love it b/c they get to sleep. They can't wait for him to stay over night! Although, it may be the cookies he brings in every time too. The right thing to do when doing ride time is to bring a dessert. We decided on something practical, affordable, and something everyone loves.. choc chip cookies. So, it is indeed, expected now.
I'm still busy busy with the upcoming auction event for church. this weekend is the auction for the school dist. I learned of that one a little late in the game, but i think that is where my efforts will be focused next year. i wish they were not so close to each other. this community is not that big to have 2 large events w/in a month of each other. Anyone listening!!! And this summer St Ray's is bringing VBS back. It's been a long time, and we have a new director of youth commissions. She's very excited, and is dragging me along side of her. I am excited though.

To Becky - ck that camera already and send it home. I'm sure it's the same error we got before and requires a tech to fix it. like 404 or something?
A public thank you to Grandma Suzanne for helping me every Wednesday, also known as errand day, so that I can get just about all my stuff done in one day leaving the rest of the week to little chaos! And she does my dishes too.. great mom!
To the Ross'.. Megan has been asking about going to AZ. I'm really working on it! Hope you have a great spring break. Try to take a day off, would ya!
To Christy; call me, write me.. tell me you are good.
My friends, the Weinbergs.. We love you guys and send many smiles and laughter your way.
And to my many friends who have recently lost a loved one, it has been one report after another, so sad. We are thinking of you and wish the memories flood you with joy during your mourning.
And my husband who thinks I dont want to spend any time w/him, b/c I dont go to bed at the same time. I love you honey!

Love to all, B

Under Construction (ie Terribly Busy)

2008-02-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for my lack of updates. You know I'm busy if I can't keep this up!
So, I thought I'd give a few updates of what is actually happening recently to catch you all up, in words...
Timothy is WALKING. He is doing so great. He's getting up with more ease and can walk around with little effort for a few minutes before he looses his balance, or realizes crawling still gets him there faster. He's a 2 fisted little man. He's got something in his hands at all times, between his "money" from the piggy bank, to little people. Loves circles, I have found that he will hold on to and go back to anything with circles. I have a picture to share at a later time that is very cute. He's putting the spice jars (circular) in the spice rack. It's next to the basement stairs for me to take down there (not currently using, but cannot part w/it) and Timothy will make his way to that space and play there with them like shape shorter for who knows how long. Typically when I'm making lunch/dinner timeline. Similarly the coins for the piggy are of course circular, and the shape sorter has circles and he will hold the circle and put the rest in.
He can SHAPE SORT like no mans business. He's very good at this and it doesnt matter what brand. I say brand because we have a few, and he's been exposed to a few more.
He has STARTED THERAPY for speech and developmental. He's shown the most improvement in developmental area, and it's just because he's getting it, not because he's got therapy. That has only been one session. The speech is a little bit harder. He is signing w/me very well and that is our main source of communication. It is simply the best to know what your little one is saying, and see the joy on their face that you do UNDERSTAND! I know Finley is ready for some signing lessons Auntie & Uncle! We did it for Megan and although she spoke early on, there was no middle phase period where frustration took place.
Speaking of Megan, she is just a doll. We have been giving her extra incentives to behave like the best Megan we know she is and avoid any outburst and tantrums that we have been experiencing much too often. Not sure the source, but want them gone! So, since Megan is actually a little Todd Jr, you can imagine how well the get along. Megan will earn a Webkin (latest trend for kids - very cool) every time she has a perfect day with daddy. I would give her one every day if they got along that often.. and I hope someday it will be like that. She also earns furniture for her barbie house from Santa every good deed! There was 100 pieces, so that was another good incentive for her. And when it says 100 pieces, I took for that. There was a dresser and a mirror, and it counted as 2 pieces. I have to make sure I dont run out too quickly. The house can't take much more!
With that, I am tasking myself to much of course, but it's all what I want to do. I have projects going everywhere. From the attic to the basement and all inbetween. Purging, organizing, facelift, and keeping up with the everyday cleaning up stuff. Some day it will all be perfect right! I'm also volunteering at Megan's school with a few PTA committees and her classroom. It's very fun. I'm currently working on the St Raymond's spring auction event, and it's a bit more than I bargained for. I will not be taking as much responsibility in the future. I dont know that the chairs knew it would be this much either. I'm in charge of the inventory that comes in, organizing it, logging it, and managing the paperwork. Then, when the auction stuff comes to play, I'll be in charge of that. The event is actually occurring on April 25, which if anyone recalls, that is our wedding anniv. I didnt plan it, but it is also our 10th. Yes, 10 years! So, Todd and I are making it a party for us too. We've asked some family to attend with us so we can have them all at a table to ensure a good time! It's going to be quite a splurge! We will also be staying overnight, and my girlfriend Lauren from work is staying overnight for us! Isn't she wonderful! I have taken advantage of the opportunity with the auction to submit services for auction to promote business with Pretty and Personal. I am currently gearing my efforts to the "Scrapbooking Savior". Basically, I will do your scrapbooks for you. Just being excited about it has gotten me talking about it more, and already I have a new client today! It's going to be a good thing!
Todd is busy busy too. Trying to do ride time as much as we can take it, attending his weekly drills at the fire dept. He takes cookies for dessert when he has ride time (had to come up with something simple that we can do regularly) and we are now known as the cookie people, wife, or something like that. They expect it. It's quite funny and charming at the same time. They all love him and ask him to ride a day shift. Hope that can happen sooner than later, I know he's really itching to do it!
That catches you up on everything I can think of right now. Have a great day! B

Timothy's new trick, I can stand unsupported

2008-01-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Megan taught Timmy something new today. He is learning to balance on his own, and as seen, Daddy appears to be a great balance "beam". He would stand for about 30 seconds, and then "boom". It became more of a "boom" game towards the end, where he'd stand for 2 seconds, just to get the boom. They had a blast in their for about 1/2 hour.

Timothy's 2nd Haircut

2008-01-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

before we got started..
some half time amusement with patty cake
7th inning stretch with music
"hey lady, stop touching my hair"

after...

And rewarded with a choc chip cookie afterwards! he was a good boy. but we have to come up with a new plan on haircuts. these are the good pictures. you would think i'm the worst mom making him getting a hair cut if you saw the others. But look at that face, is he the sweetest boy you ever did see!!!

the Perfect Snowman

2008-01-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

with her "Coke" Stand.

Todd and Megan had a great afternoon.