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Welcome to the Horvath Family Website! Peter ~ Michelle ~ Michaela ~ Atticus ~ Jackson ~ Prescott Home Pictures Stories Family Guestbook |
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Updated: Jun 02, 2009  |
April 6, 2009 ~ I wish I could say I had some reason for not updating more frequently, but I don't. Just crazy as usual. So here is an update on everyone and I will really, really try to do better!
Family - We are going to Disney in a few weeks with my mom and dad and Jenn and Jeff and Kyle. Everyone is excited for that trip! We are also going camping for the first time this summer - YIKES! I think we'll leave Press home for that. Peter -- Still at the Law School. He just finished his CRHP retreat at church and it was a great success! A new Dean of the law school was just announced so we'll see what that brings. I think Peter is looking forward to some warm weather and playing outside with the boys! Michelle -- I am very happy at Barnes & Thornburg. I started there on November 14 and they have made me feel very welcome! I get to work with a lot of the same clients and I get to keep my hours so that is a very good thing! I am looking forward to this summer to and to Michaela's graduation - we have a lot of activities planned. We had Michaela and Jackson's birthdays and now are looking forward to Atticus and Prescott's birthday. I'm in the middle of re-decorating the kids' bedrooms and that has been fun. Michaela has a teen room, Jackson a sport's room and Atticus will be getting a Harry Potter room shortly. Michaela - What can we say about Michaela? She is growing up before our very eyes! She is almost finished with 8th grade. So far this year she has excelled at volleyball, basketball and school work. She was the high scorer of her b-ball team with the next highest scorer only 30 points behind! She just finished club volleyball and wants to attend about 3 volleyball camps this summer! She also just went on her confirmation retreat and now wants a "purity ring". (Peter said to buy her 10 - one for every finger). She has her confirmation, her 8th grade class trip, her sports banquet and her graduation coming up in the next month and a half. She has even conceded to getting a couple of dresses for the events! Her braces are off and yesterday she had her hair cut short and very cute! She is truly growing up before our eyes. I am a little sad but sooooo happy that she is turning into quite the young lady. She and her friends have had a great time this year and her two best friends are going to Marian with her next year. I pray they all make the volleyball team. We're moving on to a new chapter and while I am excited to see what it brings I will always miss the sweet innocent girl who thought a tampon was a toilet paper roll :-) Atticus -- He is still our Harry Potter, Scooby Doo, Professor Dumbledore and anyone and everything else except for Atticus Horvath. He makes us call him by the name of the person he is that day. His teacher loves him and said she could write a book on the things that come out of his mouth. Uusally during prayer. He has prayed for our dog that died, a lamb that died, our cows in our backyard that give us milk, squirrels that are our pets and for Chinese people (b/c everyone is out to get them). Of course none of this is true but that is what he prays for. He has quite the imagination - there is no comparison! He has started swimming lessons again and picked up right where he left off. He is ready for the summer! Jackson -- Jack is still our sports nut! He shoots "baksets" for at least 1 hour a day. We have 3 basketball hoops up inside the house for him. He is happy for hours with a basketball in his hand. He got to go to many ND b-ball games and LOVES Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson and Kyle MacLarney. He can dribble down the court and makes about 80% of the his shots in hoop in our driveway. Everywhere he goes everyone is amazed by his natural talent. He is also our little devil. And I mean D-E-V-I-L. He now has taken to saying the word poopy in every sentence he speaks and it can describe every word. he still loves his binky and wooby and went to all of Michaela's v-ball tournaments b/c he loves sports so much. He is adorable so he gets away with more. Seriously, everyone loves this kid! Even Michaela's friends came to his birthday party b/c he just has that personality that everyone adores. We'll be watching out for him in the years to come! Prescott --- wow! He is almost 11 months old and starting to take steps. He follows Jackson everywhere and just lights up with the littlest amount of attention. He is still very sweet and now sleeps through the night - yahoo! He is huge and I am not kidding. He was 27 pounds at 9 months old! He is in 24 months and some 2ts already. To put it in perspective, Atticus was only 23 pounds at 15 months old! I wish I had more time to spend with him only but he doesn't seem to mind. Michaela is a big help - she is giving him dinner now so I can write this. Now -- I am going to try to update more frequently with less information. Taking 15 minutes shouldn't be that hard. I'll also upload pictures soon - Yeah right :-)
November 2, 2008 ~ Hello and Happy Halloween to everyone! We hope you all had fun trick-or-treating like us! Michaela is up and running with volleyball. We had our first game yesterday and Michaela was awesome! She is a real leader out there! I am very proud of her. She tries hard and has a desire to win. Best of all she is a big support to her teammates. Especially the young ones! They won their first game and we're hoping for another victory today! We are busy trying to raise money for the 8th grade year end trip to Chicago. The 8th graders had Bingo during Grandparents lunch and it was a great success! On Halloween, Michael and 3 of her friends dressed up and went trick-or-treating and then the all stayed the night here. They actually went to bed early though b/c of volleyball the next morning! Then Papa took her and two of her friends to the ND football game! They had a blast! Atticus is really taking to preschool. He loves his teachers and classmates. he also loves to go to school with Michaela. He is really blossoming under their guidance. He is so funny and this morning sang songs to Prescott all morning! He is also getting taller so I am running out of clothes for him! Jackson is still our character. On Halloween he drop kicked a football through the basketball hoop and was jumping around so excited! He LOVES sports! Daddy and Jackson went to the ND football game yesterday. The longest game in Irish history with our 2 year old! Peter said he did just fine! Prescott is doing new things everyday. He doesn't roll over yet but mostly b/c we can't leave him on the ground or the boys will tackle him. He doesn't get much tummy time. He wants to sit up and likes his real food. He is really big too. In at least 12 month clothes now and soon to be in 18 month sizes! Crazy. His smile and laughter though can melt anyone's heart! Peter is the new spiritual director for the next Men's Christ Renews His Parish retreat at St. Bavos. He has meetings every Sunday. He still also likes to play basketball on Saturday mornings (at 6:30 am!). I will be taking a new position with Barnes & Thornburg on November 17th. I will be working with my current boss over there. It was a really hard decision to leave a place I've grown to love with people I truly care about, but it was an opportunity I couldn't refuse! We get to start their IP department from ground zero and I've always enjoyed a challenge! We are off to Florida over Thanksgiving with Peter's family. We're hoping to have some fun in the sun before the real winter starts. Take care!
September 23, 2008 ~ Prescott went to the doctor yesterday for his 4 month check-up. He is off the charts at 19 lbs 10 oz and 28 1/4 inches long! No wonder he is about to outgrow his carseat! He is still 3 pounds heavier and a little longer than Atticus at that age - whew! Peter finished his retreat this past weekend and had a great time. We survived but everyone misses daddy when he is gone. Not that I mind watching whatever I want to after everyone goes to bed, but we do miss having daddy around - even for 36 hours. I'll write more later. Prescott is having a hard time with his shots so he's bound to wake up soon..... take care! September 18 ~ Hello everyone. We finally have our new laptop, internet is working and router is now working -- hopefully we'll be able to update more, now. Isn't technology wonderful?? Michaela is cheering right now and getting into the groove of 8th grade. She won the election for Student Council Secretary (thank goodness since she was the only one running!). She also showed some grace when her one of best friends, Kiersten was running against her "special friend" Bryce (daddy won't let him be called a boyfriend :-)) for vice president. She didn't know what to do. When another friend told her to vote for Kiersten b/c friends are always there but boys aren't, Michaela said that Bryce has been one of her best friends since 1st grade. In the end she abstained from the VP vote. We are very proud of the speech she gave before the election. I had 3 different teachers tell me or email me about how wonderful it was. They said it was the best speech they had ever heard. Of course, I had read her speech and was wondering what the fuss was so when I asked her she said that she threw the written speech out and was speaking off the cuff. She must have her dad's public speaking skills.... Atticus has started Pre-K at St. Bavo. He LOVES it and we LOVE it. It is amazing how much he has learned in 4 weeks! They wrote a book , which is darling and he was the helper one day. He is really happy there and loves to go to school with his big sister! Jackson just got over the flu. He is even cuter when he is sick. He is developing his sense of humor and cracking himself up. He loves Prescott more than anything (sometimes too much). Jackson went to the dentist for the first time on Tuesday and held up pretty well. He has perfect teeth like Atticus. Jackson also loves to write down our order and my brain is getting a workout trying to come up with new things to "order" all the time. Prescott is getting BIG. He is now in 12 month size clothes - good grief! He has a check-up on Monday and I think he'll be between 18-20 pounds, easy. He loves to sit up and watch his brothers, but our bumbo is almost too small for him! He like the exersaucer too. His teachers at daycare agree that he is an angel. I am still trying to figure out if he looks like either Atticus or Jack? I am back into the groove at work. Now I need to get organized at home. I am starting to wonder if that will ever happen! I need about 2 more hours in every day to get everything done. I don't know how my mother did it!!! It seems there is always laundry to do, dishes to be done and toys to pick up. If anyone has tips on how to "have it all", I would love to hear them. We're hoping once Press is on more of a schedule that things will fall into place. Here's hoping! Peter is glad that the students are back. Orientation is over now (hooray!). He is church right now setting up for a retreat this weekend. Everyone say an extra prayer for the men on his CRHP team and the men going on the retreat. They have been planning this retreat for a whole year! I know that someone's life will change this weekend and Peter is the best lay minister I know...... Peter and I were able to go to the ND game against Michigan last weekend. It was fun to catch up with friends and family and to avoid the rain! That will be my only game this year and it was great, really great to spend an afternoon with Peter alone. Thanks to my folks for watching all of the kids! Sunday we went to Disney Playhouse Live in Ft. Wayne and took Atticus and Jackson, they loved it! Thanks to Jenn for watching Prescott and my folks for letting Michaela hang out there. Peter had a meeting on Monday night. Tuesday Atticus and Jackson had dentist appts and that was Aunt Diane Celie's 50th birthday! My mom had a surprise party for her at her house that night. Later that night Jackson woke up vomiting until about 6 am, when the diarhea started...... I stayed home on Wed. morning and then packed up Jackson and Prescott and picked up daddy at the car place where he was getting his brakes replaced. I dropped them off at home and went to work. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Horvath for then picking up Michaela and Atticus from school (since Peter's car was at the shop) and taking Peter to pick up his car. Tonight I had an athletic meeting at 6 at school and then Peter came for his meeting at 7. He brought Jackson and we swapped in the parking lot and then I came home. As I am typing this I guess it is no wonder that all of the things around the house don't always get done! Our anniversay is next weekend, September 28th. Six years. It seems like yesterday that we were married. Six years, 4 kids later and I love him even more! I'm not sure if we'll be able to get away for dinner this year, but that is alright ~ I wouldn't change a thing! Love is a beautiful thing!!!! August 21, 2008 ~ Here is an update..... Back to School and Back to Work! Michaela ~ Michaela started 8th grade last Wednesday. I just want to cry every time I think about it. How could my baby be in 8th grade? I know I'll be a mess when she gets to high school! Michaela is still the most responsible 13 year old I've ever met. She helps out all the time with her brothers and seems to know when I have about reached my limit with the boys. She'll take them outside to play or put on a movie. We've rewarded her with a cell phone so I guess she is officially a teenager now! She started cheerleading and is not going to play softball this fall. We hope she has a fabulous 8th grade year! Atticus ~ Atticus will start Pre-K at St. Bavo on Monday. We are really excited for him and so is Michaela. She was already planning on how she will take him to his room in the morning and pick him up after school (very sweet!). Atticus is taking a break from swimming and will start soccer in September. Something different to do. He also starts speech therapy next week to work on some lisping and stuttering. Nothing major but we thought it would be better to correct it now rather than waiting until kindergarten or 1st grade. Jackson ~ Jackson is still our devil in disguise. He is so adorable that it's hard to reprimand him and so smart we forget that he is two! He loves, loves, loves, loves to be outside -- especially to ride the new ATV daddy bought for the boys. He loves his brother Prescott too. He went through the biggest adjustment when Prescott came home and we're hoping by getting back to a more structured life he'll not need to misbehave to get attention -haha! I have a feeling that he will be our challenge in later years. Too cute and too smart for his own good! Prescott ~ Prescott is an angel. A very big angel! He is over 17 pounds at 3 months old and wears 12 month size clothes! Crazy. He actually is 3 pounds heavier than Atticus at the same age. He is, however, the best baby in the history of the world! He rarely cries, uses his thumb or fingers as a pacifier and sleeps all night. I think God must have known that I needed a Gentle Ben this time around! Peter ~ Orientation starts tonight at the law school so it is see you in a week for us. That is okay. The students at ND love Peter. He works hard and gets to know so many of them, it is really is remarkable. Football starts soon so that will make him happy (if ND does well, that is!) Michelle ~ I am back to work. I really love my job and I don't feel like I am constantly yelling at my kids all day to stop that or pick up or put away, etc.... I still get off at 3 every day. I had to stop nursing due to an infection and I really miss that. Most of you know that this post-pregnancy has been a little rough (physically) for me so now that I am done nursing, I really feel like I have turned the corner on all my ailments! Our house is chaotic and full of fun! The volume of noise in our house is sometimes deafening, with singing, playing and crying but I really wouldn't change a thing. When Atticus has a funny story to tell me and I am doing a hundred other things, I remember what my mom's cousin, Gail, told me. She said that she wished when one of kids told her they had something to tell her and she would say "just a minute", that, rather, she would have sat down with them and said, "tell me every single thing you want to say and I will sit as long as it takes for you to tell me". They grow up in the blink of an eye. It is a good lesson for me and I really do try to soak up every moment and every word and every silly face!
July 9, 2008 ~ Okay, we know it's been a long time since we've updated. We've been a little crazy but in a good way! Here is an update on everyone: Prescott ~ He is a wonderful, wonderful little baby. He is such a joy to have around. He is starting to smile and coo. It's nice to experience those "firsts" again. He gets lots of love from everyone. Sleeping about 4 hours a night. Eating every 3 hours during the day. He was a trooper at Cedar Point! And we think he is going to beat the record for our biggest little boy! I couldn't ask for a better baby. Jackson ~ What a daredevil as we are finding out this summer! He has no fear of the pool and can swim on his own with the proper life jacket. That means he can jump off the diving board by himself! He is as tan as the coppertone baby and everywhere we go everyone says how cute he is. That is his saving grace b/c he'd be in a lot more trouble if he wasn't so adorable! Since I've been home with the kids he has eaten lotion and mascara. He has overflowed the toilet he brushes his teeth (and the walls and sink) about 10 times a day and insists on doing EVERYTHING himself. This morning he took off the clothes I had dressed him in and put new shorts on (backwards). What fun! Atticus ~ Atticus is still our Harry Potter. He is at swim lessons right now. He is a fish and will stay in the water until his eyes are so red they hurt just to look at. He is also brown as a bear and is enjoying the summer. Still in swim lessons (working on diving the other day!). The other night he acted out the scenes to a Harry Potter movie for me -- I couldn't believe how well he did. He's also into Ben 10 (an alien cartoon hero). I now realize this is what boys do. They pretend to be ogres, aliens and good guys shooting bad guys. Michaela ~ Next week Michaela attends the last of her 2 volleyball camps. She's already completed the Bethel Camp and will go to Marian High School next week. She doesn't know anyone going to Marian but she loves volleyball so much that she will go on her own. That's our girl! She is reading a book a day (when she has one) and is doing great. Up to 5'9 and 1/4 now. Taller than mommy! Michelle ~ I am enjoying being home with the kids and looking forward to going back to work. I can't get anything done when I feel like I have all the time in the world to get it done. I'm most efficient when I'm busy. I go back to work August 18th after Michaela is back in school. It will be hard to leave the kids but good for them, too. Once I think I've got a routine down, something comes up and it goes up in flames. I tried the nutritional dinners, the educational games, library time, Barnes and Noble time - it's exhausting! Peter ~ He is enjoying the summer and swimming with the kids. Up at the lake or at my parents' pool it's been fun in the sun. He is so great with the kids and doesn't mind staying in the water ALL DAY so mommy can nurse and not get in the cold water! Check out the pictures (finally). We'll try to be better!
May 30, 2008 ~ I'm sure most of you have heard the news by now. Prescott Kee was born on May 12th at 1:46 pm. He was quick (5 hour labor) and bruised (pictures will come soon) and oh so adorable! Prescott surprised us Monday morning when my water broke. I told Peter to take the kids to school (Michaela had a bowling party at school that morning) and to come home and get me so that we could run up to the hospital. We got there about 9 am and contractions started right around then too. My cousin Carla came over to be our labor nurse (she works in Mishawaka but came over when she heard that I was in labor). I was soooooo glad to have her there - something very comforting about having your family around. I had an ultrasound at 11 am (to see how big Pres would be) and they thought maybe 9 lbs. I had an epidural around 11:45 and then our biggest boy at 10.1 made his arrival 2 hours later. Michaela's bowling had been cancelled so she was there (not in the room, but was the first to see him). Grandma, Papa, Jenn and Michaela were all there. Grandpa Horvath just missed it since we thought it might take a little longer than it did. Since Prescott came, I've been a little sick. Monday (Memorial Day) they finally figured out what was wrong. Uterine and/or kidney infection and now I am being treated for both and feeling SO MUCH BETTER! It was a rough ride there for a while. A lot of thanks to Grandma W for taking so much time off of work to be home with me for over a week! Some days I didn't even get out of bed. Peter had to take care of the boys and Michaela as I was out of commission. I was able to still nurse Prescott so that is fine. It was crazy, but I guess that will be our life from now on. Prescott now weighs in at 11.12 lbs!!! Atticus has strep throat so we were in the dr's office on Wednesday and weighed Pres. Jackson loves his brother and gives him a thousand kisses a day! Atticus loves him too, but not with the same "zest" as Jackson! Mcihaela is her always helpful self. She just got all A's and 1 B on her report card and now she is officially an eighth grader! Prescott is crying so I have to run. I will write more later and will post pictures soon! Take care!
April 25, 2008 ~ We had a great birthday party for Atticus (or Harry Potter as he likes to be called). It was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun playing outside. Atticus was very excited about all of his b-day presents and he has been very good about sharing with his little brother and Michaela too! Check out the pictures. We've cleaned out the camera so it is ready to go. Speaking of.....Baby update - I went to the dr. yesterday and I am dilated between 2-3 cms. YEAH! The plan is to either have the baby by Sunday or wait until after law school finals, May 10th. I'm sure that won't be a problem!!!! We'll post again should we have some exciting news to share........ Until then, take care!
April 17, 2008 ~ Well, yesterday was Atticus's 4th birthday so we thought we would share some reasons why Atticus is great! Atticus is great because: 1. He has a wonderful sense of humor! 2. He loves his family and even lets his little brother help open his birthday presents! 3. He has an incredible imagination and shares stories with us all the time. 4. He is a great swimmer! 5. He can get his head stuck in a chair and not cry! Check out the new pictures! Happy Birthday, Atticus! April 11, 2008 ~ Baby Update: We had an ultrasound last week when I was about 33 1/2 weeks along, baby is measuring 36 weeks and about 6.5 pounds already! Everything looked good on the ultrasound so no c-section - yeah! Yesterday I had a regular check-up (at 34 1/2 weeks) and am now measuring 38 weeks. That is pretty normal for me and the size of babies we have. I go back in two weeks and my doctor will check to see if I am dilated yet. I am convinced I will be at least 3 cm, since I have a LOT of Braxton Hicks and some are very painful so they must be doing something! My biggest concern is going into labor during Peter's finals week May 2-10th. We're all crossing our fingers that we hold out until at least the 11th. My OB assured me that even if we wait until the 11th, I can deliver naturally so that eased my mind a little bit. I don't want the little guy to get too big to deliver. She said if anyone was meant to have babies it was me and not to worry about it. She is great! We'll probably schedule an induction for right after the 10th, if we haven't had the little guy by then. A part of me wants to wait for the surprise, but with 3 kids at home it is more practical to schedule an induction, I suppose. Happy, Happy Birthday to Grandpa Horvath (on Monday)! April 2, 2008 ~ We had a great weekend at the indoor water park at Castaway Bay in Ohio. A Christmas present from Grandma and Papa Watson. The Henkes, Berndts, Horvaths and Watsons all went. It was a lot of fun. The kids had so much fun and we were able to celebrate Rylin's birthday with her on Saturday night. Atticus and Ayden got to see a Snoopy movie and have story time with Snoopy on Saturday night, too. Jackson went down the slide about 500 times, Atticus LOVED the wave pool and Michaela enjoyed the big rides. Thanks to everyone for helping out with the kids -- I am moving much slower these days and spent most of the weekend in the kiddie area or in a chair! On Friday night, Peter and I went to the Vegas Night at St. Bavos to benefit the Athletic Association. We have a GREAT Athletic Association -- they buy all of the kids their letter jackets every year. It was a lot of fun catching up with friends and Peter and I even won a prize. An admission pass to all athletic events at Bavo's next year and (most importantly) FREE POPCORN! With Michaela's schedule, we'll be sure to take advantage of that and really, there is nothing like popcorn to keep two little boys occupied! Grandma and Grandpa Horvath come back today from a month in Florida. Of course we are putting them right to work. They are going to babysit for us tonight while Peter and I go to the Law School Trivia Night to benefit the Special Olympics. This is after Michaela's last quiz bowl, pizza party and Atticus's swim lessons. Aunt Jenn will bring Atticus home from swimming for us while we head to the Trivia Night. I'm sure I'll be so tired I won't know anything and from what I hear the students are really geared up to beat Peter! Atticus is having his speech tested tomorrow. With that missing tooth and a little stuttering this past year, we just want to make sure that he doesn't need any therapy. I'm sure he is fine and quite frankly, as soon as I made the appointment, his stuttering stopped (of course!). After that we have an ultrasound to check on the little guy. By the way - I am huge, huge, huge. I think he is growing by leaps and bounds these past two weeks. Last night at the grocery store the checkout guy asked if I wanted help to my car -- good grief! You know it is pretty bad when total strangers give you that sympathetic look and start holding open doors, carrying bags, etc... Jackson is doing pretty well in his big boy bed. Once he gets to sleep he'll sleep all night. Now he just gets up a little earlier than usual. Today it was 4:30 and he stays awake! Take care. I'll post pictures soon - maybe we can get a good picture at the ultrasound!
March 25, 2008 ~ Well, we had a wonderful Easter weekend! We went down to Indianapolis on Friday afternoon and stayed with David & Sheila and Charlie. Aunt Laure was there too. Saturday was the birthday party day for David and Charlie. Happy 40th to Uncle David and Happy 4th to Charlie! It was a great party. Spiderman and German food and decorations on the side. The kids had a lot of fun playing together! We headed home Saturday afternoon and everyone dropped mommy off at church for the Easter Vigil. Then on Sunday we all went to church at 9 came home and hunted for Easter eggs at our house. The boys were getting pretty good at hunting by that time. Then we headed over to Grandma and Papa's for dinner and another Easter egg hunt! The kids got a lot of candy and coins. I think they'll use the coins at the water park this weekend in the arcade! All in all it was a very relaxing weekend. Yesterday Michaela and her friend Marie worked on their science project for school. They got it all finished. They had to film themselves as newscasters reporting on a volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Take care -- we'll update after the water park this weekend. They cannot wait!!!!!!!
March 21, 2008 ~ Happy Easter to all of our friends and family.... Last night we colored Easter eggs at our house. Atticus LOVED it and was very, very excited. He had an animal coloring kit. Jackson didn't seem to understand why we were doing this, but he went along with it and colored several green eggs. He also seemed to like drinking the water, vinegar, food coloring combination - YUCK! We must have told him 10 times to quit drinking/licking the water! Hopefully, non-toxic. Michaela helped her brothers and then spent some time on a few eggs of her own. Jackson's coloring kit was a sports ball theme. We usually don't get two kits, but I just had to get that for Jackson. Peter is home today. Michaela has a half day of school. We'll all meet up at church at 12:30 for Good Friday mass and then we are heading down to Indianapolis for nephew Charlie and brother-in-law David's birthday parties tomorrow. Tomorrow night we'll head home in time for me to go the Easter Vigil. Congratulations to Autumn Watson on completing the RCIA (becoming Catholic). The Easter Vigil is the mass in which the candidates receive all of the sacraments to officially become Catholic. I am really excited for Autumn and know that it hasn't always been easy going to the weekly classes (with two small boys) but really admire her for being such a wonderful role model for our whole family! This is my favorite time of year in the Church. I love, love, love all of the masses. Today's service is a somber one. Tomorrow evening we are filled with hope and Sunday morning is all about rejoicing! If you've never been to a Chatholic church, now is the time to go! Michaela, of course, was grumbling about all of the masses b/c this morning at school they are going to do the Stations of the Cross and then we'll all go AGAIN at 12:30. I told her she would be extra Holy this weekend - wink, wink... Someday she will appreciate it :-) Sunday we will have Easter at my parent's house and then we'll start getting ready for the water park next weekend. Spring Break soon after that. Hope you all have a blessed and relaxing Easter weekend and that the Easter Bunny comes to see you! Take care!
March 5, 2008 ~ Hello to everyone! Congratulations to the Wrubles! Sophia was born yesterday. We can't wait to see her!!!! Time is flying by! Michaela is giving us a run for our money -- literally running her everywhere and all the time! She is gettting ready to finish volleyball, basketball and quiz bowl before Easter. We are really looking forward toa nice long break from all of our activities (at least until May -haha). I think Michaela is going to sit out softball this summer, which will provide us with some time to regroup and enjoy the summer! Atticus started swim lessons again. He took the last session off but was very excited to start up again. He is doing very well and they even tried diving last week. I get to take him tonight (I missed nearly the entire last session with Michaela's volleyball) so I am looking forward to seeing those adorable kids again. I also found his new bathing suit that I bought at the end of last season for about $1.00 at Target. I was very excited b/c I find those great bargains all the time, take them home, put them away and invariably find them right when they have outgrown my great bargain! I was determined to find that suit this time and was really surprised and happy when I did! Finally, finally it worked! Atticus is taking to climbing into our bed in the middle of the night and he is starting to question/argue/demand, etc.... So last night I re-read Super Nanny and will try to re-focus. That Super Nanny really is Super! I don't always watch the show but the book is easy to read and has great suggestions. I'm trying to get Peter to read the book too, rather than me relaying the information - we'll see - I think one of his eyes rolled to the back of his head when I mentioned it last night :-) Jackson is still our ball freak. He had a breakdown at Michaela's scrimmage last Wednesday when he couldn't go on the court and "shoot the bakset" as he calls it. He is adorable in every way and to continue my Super Nanny love - as I found out yesterday, perfectly normal. I think my expectations of him to act more like Atticus are out of line with his age. You cannot reason with a 2 year old nor should I expect to! Until then we'll just let him be a kid and start employing the avoidance technique! Yesterday he brought sissy's real basketball in from outside and he dribbled the ball on the kitchen floor for the better part of the night. I have never in my life met a kid who is so happy playing with his balls (pun intended - haha). Peter is taking Michaela and Jackson to the ND Basketball game tonight. Jackson's first. Should be interesting. I predict he will be enthralled at first, yell "Shoot the bakset" about a million times and then cry when he can't go on the floor to play! I pray they don't leave a stray basketball sitting out where he can see it or that will be the end! My parents will be there, but when he gets going with his yelling - even I pretend I don't know who he is! I have a doctor's appt. this afternoon and then start the 2 week check-ups, unless I can convince my obgyn to delay the birth of this baby until we're ready. July works better for me...... Grandma and Papa have been stocking us up with clothes and things so I guess he is coming one way or another! Grandma and Grandpa Horvath are in Florida for the month of March -- we're hoping they send the sun our way! Take care!
February 20, 2008 ~ Parties, Parties, and more Parties!!! I've uploaded some pictures from our various Birthday happenings this month! Last weekend we had a surprise 60th birthday party for Grandma and Papa Watson. We think they were pretty surprised. Lots of goings-on behind the scenes and many thanks to Aunt Kathy and Aunt Ann Watson for all of their help getting ready and scheming with us! It wasn't easy tricking them (with the small town we live in and our gigantic family). Sunday we had a birthday party for Ayden and Jackson. Spiderman and sports -- can't go wrong. That was a lot of fun and Jackson is enjoying playing with all of his new toys (so has Atticus!).We now have a little break before the next round of birthdays..... Jackson hit is noggin yesterday going after a ball under our kitchen table. I wasn't in there but I think he just slipped and ran right into the leg of a kitchen chair. It immediately became a goose egg and started to bruise in a straight line, so of course I told Peter to call Grandpa H right away. He was at a meeting down the road. Peter was calm and collected and I was freaking out b/c I'd never seen a bump that size or immediate bruise like that and Jackson was just crying and crying. Michaela had volleyball practice so we loaded everyone into the car and headed to Grandpa's meeting, pulled him out of it and he gave Jackson the once over. Bad bruise but that was about it. We all took Michaela to practice and then headed home. We checked on Jackson throughout the night and this morning he has a big badge of honor on his forehead. Funny how at bedtime last night, Atticus said his brain hurt and he needed an ice pack too. Monkey See, Monkey Do! I guess I will re-schedule their pictures! Take care! February 13, 2008 ~ Well, it was two years ago that Peter and I were in the hospital waiting for our little Jackson, our, er - last baby! He was very, very excited about his birthday this morning and sang his ABCs several times (b/c he doesn't know the words to Happy Birthday!). It was funny, and then...... I was curling Michaela's hair for her (b/c she has an 80s dance tonight at 6:30 pm and Quiz Bowl match at 3:30, so rather than pick her up at 5 and then race back to school, her teacher/coach offered to get pizza and let the quiz bowlers stay at school until the start of their Dance thru the Decades program). More information than you needed to know, but that was why I was curling her hair at the crack of dawn this morning (I usually don't do her hair!). Anyway, Jackson awoke at 6:15, so I went to get him and he was very excited and was running around. Michaela and I were busy with the aforementioned "hair issues" and I look over and Jackson had moved one of his little chairs over to the sink and there was red nail polish all over the chair. Well I thought that was left over from the other day when he actually had poured red nail polish all over the floor (that's a different story) but then I noticed that he had it on his face, hands, clothes and more was coming out of the tip of his little finger. He was trying to wash it off in the sink. Turns out he had taken the blender off of the dining room table, opened the top and put his binky in it. When he pushed the buttons on the blender nothing happened so he stirred his binky with his finger, cutting it on the blades. I did manage to get about 3 bandaids wrapped around it for about 10 mintues and the bleeding did stop, for now. Daddy came in from "shubbling" and Jackson showed him his birthday bandaids. This of course is a typical day for us! Tonight we'll have a little family celebration with Jackson (if he stays awake long enough after the dance program) and then his party is this Sunday with Ayden. Should be fun - Spiderman and sports! On his birthday, we thought we would share with you why Jackson is great.... * He loves his whole family tons and tons * He gives the best kisses at the slightest hint of anyone being sad * He goes straight to the naughty step when he needs to and then coyly peeks around the corner and says, "sorry" with a big smile and a laugh * He loves to "tackle" daddy * He is the happiest kid in the world if you give him a ball or a balloon, very easy to please! Take care ~ we'll let you know how the dance goes tonight (they are dancing to Thriller!) now I know I am getting old!
February 7, 2008 ~ Michaela had her first basketball game last Saturday. They ended up losing but Michaela made one good shot and had several rebounds. It's hard to sit in the stands and watch but we're all trying to remember that they are 7th and 8th graders and aren't always going to "post up" like they should. Last year I spent most of the season telling the men in the family to be quiet but had to remind myself on Saturday. It is hard to do! On Sunday Peter took Michaela and four of her friends bowling for her birthday. They had a lot of fun and Peter took a book to read so they really felt "on their own". We're not yet comfortable leaving Michaela or her friends anywhere by themselves yet but they really don't want us around. After bowling everyone came back to our house for dinner, ice cream cake (Michaela gets the same kind every year!) and we thought they would watch a little of the Super Bowl. No chance - they were in the basement playing Guitar Hero and being girls. Michaela's friends are really sweet though and a great group of girls. They've been together since 1st grade and they are very nice to Atticus and Jackson. The girls ate dinner in the dining room and both Atticus and Jackson carried their plates into that room to eat with the "big girls". They all said it was okay and even let Atticus hang out with them in the basement for a while. I had a doctor appt. yesterday and everything is just great - except I am huge, of course! Heartrate is still 150s and I am measuring exactly as I should be. I go again March 5th and then start the 2 week check-ups. Time flies! Hope everyone is staying warm and dry. We have had the craziest weather I can remember this winter! I can't wait until the boys are a little bit older and can go outside in their snowsuits and burn off energy for hours on end! Take care!
January 30, 2008 ~ Hard to believe that Michaela is really 13 today! She got a birthday surprise - school is closed today! She was very excited about that! Tonight we'll do a little party with the boys and then she and her friends are going bowling on Sunday. Daddy is taking them, so he'll love that! 6 teenage girls at the bowling alley! Then the girls will come over to watch a little of the Super Bowl (or rather, the commercials). Extra break for all of us today. No quiz bowl after school and no basketball practice either! Just a relaxing evening at home. Papa W. took the boys for a haircut yesterday at his barber shop. Our usual place went out of business. The boys did great and and got wonderful haircuts. The barber shop reminds you of what a small town is. Some old man bought Atticus a candy bar and everyone walking in knew everyone else. Michaela had basketball practice after school and then volleyball practice later in the evening. She's handling both sports pretty well so far. Sunday her club volleyball team went 3-1 at the tournament. Her coaches are phenomenal, that's for sure! Some teams have one coach who sits there and does nothing, literally not saying a word. Michaela has 3 coaches who pace back and forth and strategize and are so very excited, it is really fun to watch! Michaela got her first real block on Sunday, a "roof". She was very excited and talked about it all day. I think her coaches were more excited than she was. Last night after practice she told me she got 2 more blocks, so hopefully she is getting the hang of it. Her first b-ball game is this Friday. Saturday I am off to lunch with some of the Watson ladies and then to see Evita. I am really excited - expecially to spend time with all of the wonderful, wonderful women in our family! On a sad note, please keep the Van Poppel family in your prayers. Dennis "Creeper" died yesterday after a truly courageous battle with cancer. I still remember summers up at the lake with the Van Poppels and I will always remember Creeper with a smile. He touched many lives...... January 18, 2008 ~ I'm not quite sure what we'll do....... 3 boys, 4 years old and under! I guess our house will be full of laughter, love, chaos and the occasional paramedic (haha). Ultrasound yesterday revealed "boy parts". The technician put the wand on my stomach and the first thing she said was "it's a boy". Peter and I were dumbfounded -- 1) that it was a boy and 2) that she found it so fast! I think everyone thought it was going to be a girl, including our OB. I had no clue but was secretly hoping for a boy myself. Girls are fun, but we're sort of on a roll with the boys. Now for a name! We'll keep everyone guessing on that until delivery (there needs to be some sort of surprise!). Michaela spent a good 45 minutes going through the name book last night and came up with some whoppers! Michaela took the news really well. There is something to be said for being able to play the drama queen, "It's another boy, OH NO!". Funny about Atticus though -- he had been calling the baby a girl for a long time now so I went to pick him up at school and all the teachers there were dying to know. So I whispered to Atticus to tell them all that he was having a brother and he turned around and yelled, "It's a SISTER!". I said, "No, it's a brother" and he said "It's a sister, girl, girl, girl". Took a few minutes for it to sink in that it was a boy, but I think by bedtime he had come around. He is joining the name game and is voting for Mad-Eye Moody Baby. Too funny. Well that is it for now. Everything on the ultrasound looked good! I'll try to post those pictures if I can. Two arms, Two legs - very, very, very, very active. He was moving around so much that the tech had a hard time getting all the pictures she was supposed to take. We'll update more later! Thanks to everyone for sharing in our good news! January 10, 2007 ~ Finally another update! The Birthday theme is for Michaela's upcoming 13th birthday! A teenager - what are we going to do????? Santa came to the Horvath house (despite our many threats that he might not come) and everyone got what they wanted! Michaela got her Wii, Atticus got his pirate ship and Jackson got his basketball hoop! They also got way too many other presents! Santa thought he would save a little money this year by getting a cheap version of a pirate ship, but 3 hours after opening and 3 broken parts later, Santa had to go get the "real" pirate ship that was a little more expensive but will last a long, long time! Santa has learned his lesson! Atticus also got the Smart Cycle for Christmas and he loves it. Highly recommend for anyone with an active 3-4 year old. He rides it all the time as it is hooked up to the tv and he rides it even when there is no game to play! It is really cool. He also got a giant remote control fire truck that he and Jackson love to drive around. Michaela is getting out of the "toy" stage and into the "clothes but also cool gadgets" stage. Very difficult! The Wii is a big hit though and mommy and daddy really like it too. Tennis and bowling are our favorites! Peter was off for a week and a half over Christmas which was really nice! January 2nd he was off to New York for a conference for several days. Michaela (of course) had practices and games while he was gone. Many thanks to everyone for helping out with the boys while I drove her all around and took her to all of her activities. Peter is now back to work but will soon go off to Kansas for a KU basketball game with his dear friend Chad. Chad comes in every year for an ND basketball game and always asks Peter to Kansas for a b-ball game so this year Santa bought a plane ticket for Peter. I worked through Christmas (but not too hard) and was busy getting ready for our office move. Last Friday we moved our office down the street to the top of the Key Bank Building. My new office is a lot smaller (also a lot nicer) but so is just about everyone elses. Now we just have to find space for all our "stuff". I can't believe I have been here for 10 years now. I really do love my job though and the flexibility is something you can't put a price on. Michaela is winding down her Bavo volleyball season. They are still in the tournament and will hopefully play Sat/Sun/Mon. The next loss is the last game for this team. She has also started Network, a club volleyball team, and will start basketball soon too. We're going to give it a TRY and see how things go. Her coach for the club team is adorable and was the MVP at Bethel College this year. Just a junior so next year we'll get to see her play. Meeting her was great b/c it reminded me of when I played club ball and had an ND volleyball player as a coach and how TOTALLY COOL that was! It's great to see my old coaches too (they run the club team). The only downside is that I feel really, really old now! All these young faces everywhere! Went to the Dr. yesterday and all is well with the baby. Heartrate is still 150s and I am measuring smaller than I did with the boys (but still right on target) so maybe this is a girl? We have an ultrasound scheduled for next Thursday so check back to see if we can find out! Oh and everyone in our house is now flu free. Atticus and I had the worst of it and it took me a lot longer to recover than anyone else. Blaming that on the pregnancy! Take care, stay well and we'll try to keep things more updated! My New Year's resolution is to update at least twice a month!
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