MACK FAMILY OF 3

Labor day weekend fun and big changes!

2009-09-08T21:45:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Gary, Emily and I were invited to spend Labor Day weekend with my friend Debbie and her family at Debbie's family cottage in St. Germain, WI. I used to go up there in the summers with Deb when we were kids and thought it was so great that I was now going with my husband and my daughter. Deb and her husband Keith (whom I also have known since Jr. High) have two adorable kids, Ben (6) and Sarah (4)that Emily loves to play with. They got along so well and had a blast together fishing, swimming, boating and exploring! My wonderful Friend Valerie also joined us for the weekend. The weather was beautiful, we enjoyed a full day on the boat Sunday, the kids got to swim and climb a huge sand dune and slide or roll down into the water! They loved it! Emily had her first speed boat ride and caught her first fish and also caught a small bass off the pier fishing Sunday night. We saw Bald Eagles everywhere and enjoyed a couple of spectacular sunrises. We were so greatful for this trip that was so much needed! Great company, weather and food! Thanks Deb, Keith, Ben, Sarah and Valerie for a great weekend!

We have had some changes here lately also. I have returned to the working world and have landed a job that I didn't even know existed let alone a job I really thought I would like. I am now working for a company in Burlington, WI for a company called Cannella Response Television. This company founded the infomercial! I work in the media department and I am the assistant to the Media consultant. I will assist in gathering data and stats on how the infomercial did at the assigned air time and help decide if that is a good spot for that specific product, some scheduling, run and distribute reports and all other assigned tasks. Oh yea today I got to sit and watch TV for a couple of hours! LOL. I am real excited about this job and all the possibilities for growth! Stay tuned for more updates!

Catching up!

2009-08-19T13:02:00.002-05:00

It has been awhile since my last posting.

Summer has flown by at an alarming rate! The kids in our school district are already back in school, this being their first week. Also with the end of this summer we decided to sell our camper. We have only taken it out a couple of times in the last two summers. The other factor was we really needed to take care of some financial obligations. The camper sold in less than an hour of posting it on Craig's list and we were able to make those obligations. That was a huge blessing. So that brings me to my next bit of information. With the end of the summer also came the end of my baby-sitting gig here at home. I have lost all my full time kids and could not make ends meet with just the two part time guys I was watching. I have been diligently seeking full time employment AGAIN! I have had some very good interview experiences, however it really is a tough market out there right now! I am competing with executives who are willing to take entry level staff accountant positions just to remain employed. It has been quite frustrating to say the least. I am hanging in there and have some great friends throwing leads my way and doing what they can and great family support as always and for that I am so grateful!! I am open to any opportunities that may be out there.

Emily has been great! In the last couple of weeks she has gone from minnow to a full fledged fish in the water. Last week she started to "dive", head first into the pool at Aunt Linda's house and then later that afternoon at our friends pool she taught herself how to do a summer-salt (is this how you spell it?) in the water after seeing her cousin Ben doing early in the day!! She is fearless in the water. We are so happy she loves the water because both Gary and I enjoy the water too. She is starting to talk about school more often and I am ready for her to start a pre-school program. As soon as I get a job and know where I will be going we will be able to make a decision on where Emily will start pre-school.

Gary is doing well and his job is secure for today. We take it day by day. He is working on getting his resume in order also, just in case. I am sad to say Gary did not get to any air shows this summer. We all know how much he enjoys those, but between the cost and our busy schedules it just was not possible this summer. The weekends are precious to Gary and we try and make the most of them here at home! So he keeps busy with Emily, home and of course watching his beloved Cubbies!

So we are all doing well considering the job situation. God has sustained us thus far and will continue to provide. We have our health, home, dinner on the table every night, and each other. What more do we need?

I am asking you all to keep the Bionda/Woods family in your thoughts and prayers. Nick Bionda was a high school classmate of mine and his step-son Zak Woods, was diagnosed this past July with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and just started his Chemo treatments. I have listed the link to the web site that has been set up so we can follow Zak's progress as he puts this cancer in it place!

Was it a tornado or potatoes!

2009-07-30T22:19:00.004-05:00

Today we had a little excitement around here. Emily and I were at the neighborhood park when a lady come over from across the street to collect her kids and let us know a tornado had been spotted in the county and was headed right for McHenry. Now at this point in time the sun was out and it was beautiful! I told Em we had to get home because a storm called a tornado may be coming. She was OK with that and never showed any signs of being afraid. She let any one she encountered on our way home they needed to go home because a big storm was coming! We got home, secured our items for the crawl space, (it's a space under the house that is a bit bigger than a crawl and Gary, at 6' 6" can stand down there) and called Gary to let him know what was going on. By this time the skies had darkened and the neighbor was out watching the weather with a scanner. The tornado sirens started and we headed for the basement. Then I heard our scanner say the warning had been lifted and the sirens stopped. Em and I came up and went outside to see what was happening and my neighbor told me his brother-n-law had just spotted the tornado over the hospital, (for those of you who don't know the hospital is only 1 mile from our home) and he sent us back under ground! As we came in the scanner was reporting the new sighting and the sirens were back on. Now I was really scared at this point, but not Emily! The tornado never touched down. I do believe it went over the house, the lights flickered and it was like a huge wave of air or wind that blew over the house and then the down pour. So Emily and I weathered our second tornado (the first one was in the middle of the night last year, May when Emily was 2 1/2, that one did not touch down either) together, this time without the comfort of Gary. Emily called her daddy to tell him we were alright and there were no more "POTATOES" in the sky LOL! We are alright, God certainly was watching out for us today! THANK YOU!!

Dougherty Family CF fundraiser

2009-07-29T14:56:00.004-05:00

As most of you know I have a cousin, Matt who is living with Cystic Fibrosis, and will be making the journey from California to Illinois to make this event. Gary also lost his nephew Ryan last year to this horrible disease and we miss him deeply. Ryan left behind a wife and two beautiful children Lily and Wyatt. We need to stop this disease now! We would love to see anyone who can make it out to this event! If you can not make it and would like to make a contribution, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange that for you. Thanks to entire Dougherty family for their time and energy to raise funds to help wipe this disease out!

Walla-Pa-Looza!!

2009-07-26T19:28:00.001-05:00

What: Walla-Pa-Looza 2009, A musical fundraising event to benefit the American Cancer Society

When: Saturday August 1st, 2009. 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Where: Johnsburg Community Club at 2315 W. Church Street in Johnsburg, IL

Walla-Pa-Looza 2009, a musical fundraising event, will be held on Saturday, August 1.

Volunteers from all over the county will converge to raise funds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Walla-Pa-Looza 2009 will be held at the Johnsburg Community Club at 2315 W. Church Street in Johnsburg, from 2:00 pm -11:00 pm. The event will feature four live bands throughout the day; Always Frantic, Dannyand the Devils, Peter & The Versatiles and Blush. Food and beverages will be available for purchase thanks to Half Times Pizza and Ribs. Events throughout the day will include a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, ticket raffle and more. A $5.00 per person donation will be collected upon entrance to the event. As this is a charity event, we are seeking support and financial assistance from the local community. We appreciate but are certainly not limited to donations like raffle items, silent auction items and of course cash donations are always welcome! We also have a corporate sponsorship program available for those local businesses wishing to participate at a level that will allow greater exposure of their business. Please join the
fun for a fabulous day of friends, food, dancing and a chance to make a difference in the lives of the many people touched by this disease.

For more information on the event, volunteer opportunities, donations or sponsorship contact:

Chairman: Craig Wallace 815.363.1189 cwallace4000@comcast.net
Co-Chair Corporate Sponsorships: Nick Bionda 847-254-9093 nbionda@yahoo.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Cash donations can be made on the web at www.walla-pa-looza.org
Check payments can be made out to “Walla-Pa-Looza” and mailed to:
Walla-Pa-Looza
c/o Craig Wallace
4000 Cedar Creek Dr.
Johnsburg, IL 60051
All contributions to Walla-Pa-Looza are tax-deductible.
Tax Id#: 5911-809-9
Special thanks to the Woodstock Infantry Club for the benefit of The American Cancer Society.

Sunset Lake Resort 2009

2009-07-19T21:10:00.005-05:00

OK, time to get caught up here. First I need to wish my husband a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We celebrated Gary's birthday camping this weekend with my sister, Sarah and her family and Gary's niece Rachel. This was Rachel's first ever camping trip and she did great. The weather was not good to say the least but we certainly made the most of the weekend. We found a new (well new to our family) campground in the Moline area called Sunset Lake Resort. The site we were able to secure was right on the lake and we were greeted by some very friendly ducks! That was very cute until they came callin' at dawn the first morning, they were not so cute then! We did not let the kids feed the ducks the next day to deter them from waking us up so early. That did not help, they paid us a visit every morning.

The weather was too chilly for swimming in the beautiful and very large pool, but there were so many other things to do. We had fun mini-golfing, paddle boating and canoeing. My brother-n-law rented a golf cart for the weekend and the kids, and us big kids too, loved cruising around the resort in that. We celebrated Gary's birthday on Saturday and surprised him with a homemade birthday cake. Thanks to my sister for baking the cake. We also enjoyed making and eating s'mores, hunting for fire flies and enjoying the campfire at night. The camper served us well, however the temperatures dropped so low Thursday night we had to run to Walmart and get more blankets and tennis shoes. Rachel and I only had sandals and our feet froze. After we picked those things up we were quite comfortable the rest of the weekend. We love to camp and this new place is wonderful and we can not wait to get back there.

The weekend ended with a little more excitement than I would have liked. While I showered Sunday morning before we left Gary, Rachel and Emily decided to take one more canoe ride around the lake. They loved the canoes and paddle boats and did real well in them, that is until the very end. They were coming in from their ride and were pulling up to the pier when Rachel stood up to leave the boat and at the same time Gary leaned to reach for the pier on the same side. Rahel jumped up on the pier and Gary did not straighted himself upright and well you guessed it! Emily was in Gary's lap and he grabbed hold of her and over they went! Thank goodness Emily was wearing her life jacket and Gary was able to stand and touch bottom. Gary lost his cell phone and his wallet was pretty drenched but the important thing is they were alright! Emily was more shaken up than anything, but it has not frightened her away from the water. She is already talking about going back in the boat and being able to swim when Summer gets here! So a good time was had by all and we are looking forward to being able to get back there soon.

2009-07-08T10:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Emily felt our dog Molly needed to be apart of the dress-up fun...I am thinking Molly didn't feel the same way ;)

4th of July 2009

2009-07-08T09:59:00.002-05:00

This year we enjoyed the 4th of July fireworks here in McHenry at Peterson Park. Steve McMichael was at the celebration this year doing a promotion and we snapped a picture of him with Emily right before he tried to kidnap her...just kidding folks, we was smitten with her though!!

What a difference a year makes!

2009-07-04T10:34:00.003-05:00

Look at the two pictures below. The first one is Fourth of July 2006, Emily is not yet 7 months old. The next picture is Emily the following year, she is just over 18 months old!! HOLY COW!! What a difference a year makes! Side note, look at Gary's shirt...this is becoming his July 4Th version of the Christmas sweater folks!

Happy 4TH of July!!

2009-07-04T09:56:00.004-05:00

We would like to wish all our friends and family a wonderful Fourth of July!! Thank you to all the men and women who have served our great country and for those who are fighting for and protecting us today. Everyone be safe today!!

Here are some pictures of past 4TH of July celebrations.

Jellystone 2009

2009-06-27T21:53:00.004-05:00

Hello there back to blogging!!

Camping on Father's day weekend has become a tradition with us. This is our third year doing so. This past Father's day we camped at Jellystone park in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin. We left on Friday in between storms, arrived at the campsite and just as we finished setting up another round of storms blew in. We spent the first night in the camper watching movies on the portable DVD player. The camper, as usual did not disappoint and kept us warm and dry. We awoke on Saturday to sunny, blue skies and warm temps. The day was spent at the pool. Emily is a fish!! She loves to swim and would spend the entire summer in a pool if allowed. Emily made a new friend named Lexi at the site next to us. They swam at the pool, visited neighboring campsites and played at the playground together. They were inseparable, except when helping her daddy get the fire started for roasting marshmallows. The fire ring was very wet from the previous day's rains but they never gave up and we had our camp fire and s'mores. There are some pictures of Emily entertaining us while the fire was being built. She can be such a goof ball and cracks us up! Also this past week Emily started swimming under water and not by accident! We were at a small water park in Woodstock and Emily saw her cousin Sophie and her little friend Kaliegh swimming under water and Emily was not going to be left out. She covered her face and under she went. She did this continuously for about 20 minutes and each time she came up for air she had a huge smile on her face and would put her little fists in the air and say "YES"! She was so proud of herself and to be honest I was too!! So now we are looking to get her some actual swim lessons so she knows the safety procedures and the proper way to swim. We are having a great time this summer and I can hardly believe it is the end of June already.

Enjoy the pictures!

Today we celebrated my nephew, Dylan's 2ND birthday. I can hardly believe Pickles is 2 already. Where does the time go?? My sister and her husband rented a water slide for the party and as you can see by the pictures it was a huge hit and not only with the kiddos!!

Visit with Auntie Ria

2009-05-20T20:00:00.005-05:00

This past weekend my sister Maria came up from Florida for a short visit. She has re-connected with old friends through Facebook and wanted to see as many friends as she could in person while home. We arranged a dinner at our favorite local Chinese restaurant, Plum Garden and then headed to a local watering hole that was a popular hang out when we were younger. We had a nice turn out for that and Maria got to talk with friends she has not seen in quite some time. It turned out that night was also the same day as a local golf outing held every year and a few classmates of mine were also out and about that evening and it was fun for me to see them too. So we had some great family and friends time but no matter what it just isn't long enough. It is so hard to say goodbye because each time I just don't know when I will see her again. Finances, work, kids...schedules get busy and the trips back and forth get further in between. So we cherish each visit and time we can spend together.

Also...Today I took Emily for her Summer hair cut. She looks so cute!!

Emilyism

2009-05-12T13:26:00.003-05:00

The other night I read Emily the story of Jonah before bedtime. Emily loves to be read to and always asks a lot of questions through out the stories. This time she had a very intent look on her beautiful face and was very serious about this story. After the story ended she rolled over and fell right to sleep. The next morning at breakfast I asked her about the story of Jonah. I asked her what Jonah did and she told me that Jonah disobeyed God. Then I asked her what happened next and she promptly replied..."God put Jonah in a TIME-OUT in the fish's belly". She got the story all right! She went on to say no one can hide from God because he can see everyone. She just amazes me!!

A girl will go to any length for chocolate

2009-05-05T13:54:00.004-05:00

I really thought I hid those well! I turned my back for less than 3 minutes...

there really is no need to say anything more. :)

Funny little things

2009-04-29T19:10:00.004-05:00

Today I was doing something and I could hear Emily playing patty-cake with one of the toddlers. She was going along fine until the part where is says "put it in the oven", Emily's version is "put in the microwave" for baby and me....I could not help but laugh out loud and think that certainly is sign of the times today or maybe I make too many microwaved items? This also reminded me of the time Emily was with me when I went through the drive-thru at the bank. As soon as we pulled up to the window and the teller greeted us, Emily yelled out I want chickie nuggets and french fries please. That was a good laugh too and we cut out McDonald's for awhile. :)

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T13:39:00.002-05:00

This past Easter weekend was full of traditional Easter activities and fun. It really reminded me of how we, as kids spent Easter. On Saturday my family came over and we colored eggs, had an Easter egg hunt and enjoyed lots of surprises and yes candy! We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed being together. On Sunday we all gathered at Gary's mother's house for another afternoon filled with fun, family and food. Emily really enjoyed spending time with her cousin's Rachel and Cassidy. They both were so sweet and loving with Emily. Thanks to Cass, Emily now knows how to operate an I-Touch and probably will want one for Christmas. :) Emily, Rachel and Ben had an egg hunt and were very spoiled by Grandma Jean. As usual the food was awesome, plentiful and thanks to Uncle Rick's parents joining us this year there were extra special, authentic Italian foods!! We are very lucky people to be able to celebrate the most important time of the year with family!! Our blessing are endless! Here are some pictures of our great Easter weekend. Enjoy.

The Barbie house

2009-04-10T22:29:00.010-05:00

Emily's cousin Sophie passed on her Barbie house to Emily. Thank you Sophie!! Uncle Lenny brought it over and we did some painting. Emily really got into fixing up her new Barbie house and loves playing with it. We are still on the hunt for some furniture. We are hoping this year's garage sales net us what we need to furnish the rooms. Here are a few pictures of Emily and her handy work.

Gary painted Emily's name on the side. :)

Emilyism

2009-04-09T09:02:00.004-05:00

This morning while we were laying in bed waiting to get up Emily was telling us about a dream she was having. She doesn't know it was a dream, she thinks this all really happened. She told us Molly-dog was swimming in the pool, and that was "silly" and then she told us she couldn't find her mommy. Her mommy had been standing next to the "man" and she could not see her mommy. She then told us there were no super-heroes to help her. Gary asked her, "there was no Spider-man, no Wonder Pets"? Emily promptly replied, "no just God, he could save her". We both could feel our hearts just melt!! We told her that was exactly right, God would always save her. Leave it to a 3 year to remind us what Easter is all about. Thank you God for sending your son Jesus to "save" us.

The headless..Snowman?

2009-04-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

I have heard of a headless horseman, but a headless snowman? This is what was left of Gary and Emily's snowman after the mild temps and rain this week. One of my parents said it look like it had been to a witch doctor. It was kinda creepy looking, I'm glad it's gone!

Girls just want to have fun!!

2009-04-02T19:41:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of the kids on one of the gloomy days this week. They always have so much energy. I have been playing music for about 30 minutes a day in the mornings and doing everything (well at least trying to keep up) they do as an exercise routine. Enjoy!

Key Lime Cove March 2009

2009-03-25T08:50:00.002-05:00

We went to Key Lime Cove back in January and had such a great time we decided to take advantage of the BOGO special still going on. This time my Mom, sister and her family joined us. We had a great time again. Key Lime does such a great job for the kids!! I am not good at taking pictures but I managed to snap a few this time. Enjoy!

Prayer Warriors needed

2009-03-19T15:23:00.003-05:00

I am asking for those who visit this blog to please take a moment and visit the Caring bridges link on the right if you haven't already done so. This is a journal of a childhood friend of mine who's husband was left a quadriplegic in an accident in their home. Jen has been keeping a journal of the daily trials she faces in helping with her husband's care and raising two small children. She is having some major difficulties right now with the insurance company not wanting to pay for much needed PT and OT for Alan. She is also showing her amazing faith in God and the promises he has for us. She has glorified God through all this and still holds to the belief God's plan for them is bigger than she can imagine. She truly is another woman that God has blessed me with in my life. She has taught me through her journal how God works and sustains us in this life on earth. Jen and I grew up in the same neighborhood as kids and graduated from the same high school. We went our separate ways after high school and have recently reconnected. Her husband Alan, as you will read, is an aerobatic pilot and flew on a team. Jen herself also flies. Besides our connection with our belief in God and Jesus as our savior, we share the love of planes and aerobatics. What a wonderful gift from God to have us back in touch. We pray everyday for Jen, Alan and the kids. She needs our prayers to help fight the insurance company right now. Please read her journal and pray with us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T17:06:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say Happy St. Patty's day to all our Irish friends and to our friends who are not Irish also. We all have a little Irish in us on this day!

Friends

2009-03-10T11:41:00.007-05:00

I posted last week that prayers were answered and we were sent a new friend for me to care for. Well that did not work out and Mom found someone else that fit her needs better. That's all right. God has pointed us in other directions that will help with the finances and I am still able to stay home with Emily. We still have our friends that do come every day and we do have a great time. I have two little girls that are 14 months and 17 months old. Sadie is 14 months old (she will be 15 months on the 18th) and Anthem is 17 months old (she will be 18 months on the 23 or 24th). They both have developed so much in the last 6-7 months and it has been a blast watching them grow. They both are starting to say words. Today they both said Emily for the first time that I heard. They both also can say "please". They love to explore everything and keep me very busy. We are learning the sharing thing and well we all know that takes time. These two spend the most time with Emily and I and I wanted to introduce them to our family and friends. Here are some pictures of our friends.

Anthem is on the top and Sadie is on the bottom

Thank you Schmit Family

2009-03-06T14:10:00.002-06:00

I would like to thank the Schmit family for my birthday card and gift card for a Shutterfly photo book. I can not wait to put that together. Your thoughtfulness is so appreciated!! We miss and love you all.

Flu Bug

2009-03-05T12:32:00.004-06:00

Well I guess it was bound to happen. We have dodged the "CRUD" bug here for as long as we could. This past week I started with a head cold that was really no big deal. By Tuesday night it was starting to be a big deal along with a tummy ache. I thought maybe I had too much meatloaf at dinner. Well that was not the case. I woke early Wednesday morning, around 2 AM with the worse stomach flu I have ever had in my entire life. In fact I really don't remember ever being this ill. I spent all of Wednesday in bed with a fever that reached 101.6 off the Motrin and then would hover at 100 on the Motrin. Most of the children I watched had already called in sick on Tuesday night with one thing or another too. Gary stayed home Wednesday to tend to Emily and well neither one of them minded spending an extra day in the middle of the week together. They really had a good time together playing outside most of the day so I could rest. Thank you Gary, these are the times I am reminded how much I really love you!!! My mother-n-law, Jean brought me some wonderful homemade chicken soup that I was able to enjoy late last night. Thanks mom, it was wonderful. I took today off to get a little more rest and to start the sanitizing process. I am also still enjoying that soup. I do still have a bit of a cold and headache, but no fever or stomach aches. I pray now that Gary and Emily do not get this crud bug!!

I hope everyone else is healthy and will stay healthy for the remainder of the winter. Days are getting longer and warmer it won't be long now!!

Happy Birthday Ryan

2009-03-02T06:55:00.003-06:00

Today is Ryan Sweeney's 28th birthday. Ryan is Gary's nephew who passed away last June after a life long battle against Cystic Fibrosis. Today Ryan is in God's kingdom breathing easy. WE MISS YOU RYAN!!

Answered prayers

2009-02-26T13:39:00.003-06:00

Recently we discussed the possibility of me needing to go back to work outside the home in the evenings because the ends were no longer meeting. This is not something we really wanted but were willing to do what ever we needed to. I prayed for God to send us the answer and to lead me where I need to be to help with our families finances and he delivered as he always does. I have a new full time charge starting on Monday...praise be to God! God has sent us a new friend named Rome. He is 5 and will be here full time until he starts Kindergarten in the fall. This will also help this summer since I will be loosing my two other full time kids. I have seen so many horrible stories of families loosing their homes and are living on the streets, in tent cities and in shelters that are full beyond capacity. But for the grace of God..., This could happen to anyone of us today. We give all the glory to God for our health, desire, ability to be able to work and have the employment to meet our responsibilities.

Random Emily Pictures

2009-02-24T16:58:00.006-06:00

Here are some random Emily pictures from the last couple of months that I haven't posted. She is growing at an alarming rate and so his her vocabulary!! She keeps us going that's for sure!! Enjoy.

Camping in the living room

2009-02-24T08:34:00.010-06:00

We started our morning today camping. We made a tent out of Emily's comforter from her bed. Here are a couple pictures of Emily and our friend Sadie in the "tent". They are too cute!!

My birthday prayer

2009-02-22T13:04:00.000-06:00

O God of new beginnings and wonderful surprises, thank you for the gift of a new year. May it be a time of grace for me, a time to grow in faith and love, a time to renew my commitment to following Your Son, Jesus. May it be a year of blessings for me, a time to cherish my family and friends, a time to renew my efforts at work, a time to embrace my faith more fully. Walk with me, please, in every day and every hour of this new year. Above all, may I remeber this year that I am a pilgrim on the sacred path to you. Amen.

This was given to us at church for the New Year, but I feel it is also an appropriate prayer at the start of my new year.

Jackson Grabow

2009-02-20T20:46:00.000-06:00

Jackson Grabow 24 months old little boy who recently had a brain tumor removed and is now undergoing intensive chemo therapy to battle the cancer. A fundraiser is being held to help the family with the medical expenses.

Spaghetti dinner 6-8:00/ Silent auction 6-8:30/Raffles all night/live entertainment and karaoke.

When: Saturday 2/21/09 6-10 PM

Where: McHenry VFW 3002 W Rte 120 McHenry

Cost: $10 for adults and $8 for children

Donations can also be made at the Amcore bank in McHenry for Jackson Grabow.

WWW.caringbridge.org/visit/jacksongrabow

Thank you

2009-02-20T17:30:00.002-06:00

I have be meaning to post a huge thank you to my very thoughtful and loving husband for the beautiful roses he sent me for Valentine's Day last week. We were not able to spend much time together last Saturday, but he wanted to make sure I knew how much I am loved and appreciated. Thank you Gary, I love you too!!

More prayers needed

2009-02-17T06:54:00.002-06:00

Last Friday I reported Kale was well enough to return home and he did. By Sunday afternoon he had taken a turn for the worse and was re-admitted to Lutheran General. He now has full blown pnuemonia. Poor little guy is still very sick and needs all our prayers. Please keep Kale, Amy and Jeff in you thoughts and prayers!!!

Baby Kale is going home

2009-02-13T13:34:00.002-06:00

Amy called this afternoon and Kale is well enough to go home today. He is still very ill and will need suctioning of his lungs at home for awhile. Amy's mom will be here to help her while Amy and Jeff return to work next week. We continue to pray for Kale's improving condition!! Thank you all for your prayers over this past week.

Baby Kale update

2009-02-10T14:31:00.002-06:00

I just spoke with Kale's mom, Amy and Kale has had some improvement. He is still on oxygen and feeding tubes. The doctor's are still not giving him anything orally. If his levels stay at 60 or below Amy can start to feed him tomorrow. Please keep this sweet baby and his family in your prayers that he continues to improve. Amy's mom is coming in from N. Carolina to help with the baby. Hopefully he will return here in 2 weeks. WE MISS AND LOVE YOU BABY KALE!!

I was mistaken about the hospital, Kale was transferred to Lutheran General yesterday not Good Shepard.

Prayer request

2009-02-10T13:10:00.003-06:00

Please be in prayer for my little buddy Kale. Kale is 12 weeks old and I started baby-sitting him about 3 weeks ago. Over this past weekend Kale developed RSV. He was hospitalized at Good Shepard yesterday evening. I am not sure of his condition today, but the next time I speak to his mom I will post any developments on his condition. This is my friend Amy and her husband Jeff's first baby. Please pray that God holds this family in his care and grace during this difficult time.

Emily-ism

2009-02-09T09:08:00.003-06:00

Every Sunday we need to be at church at 9 AM for Sunday school. Gary comes along and will hang around until his greeting duties start at 9:45. He will either sit in the parlor or in the nursery. Yesterday he was in the nursery alone and he heard what he thought sounded like Emily cough. Then he heard a group of little foot steps running toward the nursery. He got up and looked out the door and there he saw our little Emily leading the group of three that managed to escape the Sunday School classroom and three teachers! Not far behind was Miss Linda trying to corral her flock back to the class room. Fourantly they ran right for the nursery and Gary. What a sight this must have been to see. When Gary and I met for service and he told me what happened I really couldn't help but burst out in laghter. Only our little Emily!

Message from Church

2009-02-08T21:54:00.002-06:00

This is what I walked away with from Church today. I know I heard a lot more but this is what stuck. I need to be reminded of this from time to time...

The gift that God is offering is available out of love to everyone. It is a gift not only of quantity (eternity) of life but the quality of life.

What am I doing to improve the quality of my life and the lives of the ones I love?

Cabin Fever

2009-02-06T17:16:00.002-06:00

I am not sure about anyone else but I have had just about enough of winter that I can handle! I have never really complained about winters here in Illinois because I choose to stay and live here. This is my home and winter comes every year at the same time, this is no surprise. That being said, the last two winters have pretty much taken it's toll don't you think? I can't remember winters being this cold and snowy and lasting so long. Are the winters really more intolerable or, and here goes, am I just getting OLD! Now Spring will come around and then Summer and we will enjoy all the activities these two seasons bring. Then Autumn will be upon us and there is really no season prettier than Fall in the midwest. I will then be axniously waiting for the beauty of the first snow fall and hoping for a white Christmas. I am insane! So I guess I just needed to vent my cabin fever and get it out of my system and yes I do feel much better. God truly blesses us with having four beatiful seasons to enjoy each year. March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, I am looking forward to greeting that lamb this year!!

Stressed out?

2009-01-28T07:44:00.003-06:00

My very dearest friend Valerie always has a positive outlook for me when I need it and when I don't. She shared this with us on facebook this morning and well of course it was just what I needed to hear! I know why God put Valerie in my life 35 years ago! Thanks Val and I hope you have a great day today!

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

"How heavy is this glass of water? "

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. "

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

And my favorite...

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

Monday 1/26/09

2009-01-26T11:24:00.009-06:00

Thank you Aunt Maria and Uncle Don for my T-shirt from your cruise and for my hair bow!!

It has been awhile since my last post and well there really is not much going on. We all are experiencing cabin fever and are so ready for spring. I am hoping to work my schedule this summer so I have one day a week off with Emily so we can do fun stuff together. I do want to give a big congrats to my childhood friend Kristina who had her first baby last week, a boy named Jack Riley Liszkiewicz . He was a whopping 10 lbs and 23" long. Congrats Liszkiewicz/Muse families!

Gary's job is still holding strong in spite of some scary rumors that things with the company were not good. Pray-fully things will continue to go forward. I heard today the company I worked for, for almost 9 years, Precision Twist Drill Co. just laid off the credit/collections department along with some other positions and the credit functions will now be handled in Canada. Come on!! I am really tired of hearing of this. These jobs need to be kept here in America! Gary always remindes me he feels very blessed to have the job he does and I know he is right. So please say a prayer for those dozen people who just lost their jobs last week.

On a lighter note:

I have been warned that the two's are not nearly as bad as the three's, I conceed to that notion already and we are only a month and half into the threes, however as I look at this picture I know God always grants me more love and tolerance than I could ever muster on my own. 99.9% of the time Emily makes me smile and laugh, she is just too darn cute for cryin-out-loud. This is Emily's new saying along with "oh my gosh"!

Dylan and Sophie were here for a visit this weekend, here are some pics of Dylan I was able to snap, he also is too darn cute for words!!

Gary will do anything for love!

2009-01-17T17:17:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of Emily and Gary this afternoon. I had to spend some time doing a deep cleaning on our bathroom downstairs and Gary was keeping Emily occupied for me. When I went to check on them this is what I found them up to. This is one of those priceless moments I would not trade for anything!

Fun Weekend

2009-01-12T09:09:00.004-06:00

This past weekend we went to a new water park resort in Gurnee called Key Lime Cove. Right now they are running a grand opening special, buy one night get one night free. We were able to take advantage of that special and had a great time. It is a great place for family entertainment. Emily loved playing in the water and even was brave enough for the little slides. She said next time she will try the bigger slides. I'm not sure I am ready for that. There was a lot for Emily to do other than swim too. On Saturday night there was a dance party for the kids with a DJ. Emily loved the dancing and the bubble machine. The only sad part was my niece Sophie went with us and at around 11:30 Friday night woke up with the stomach flu. All she wanted was her Mom and Dad, understandably. Gary met my brother-n-law half way so Sophie could go home. She is feeling much better now and hopefully she will be able to join us next time. We are planning on going back soon. Here are some pictures of our little swimmer/dancer.

Building the toy box

2009-01-03T09:17:00.003-06:00

After this Christmas/Birthday celebrations Emily needed to be more organized. We went to Toys-R-Us and bought her a new toy box. Here are some pictures of Emily and Gary putting the toy box together. This man has the most patience of anyone I know. It was a hoot sitting back and watching all this happen. Enjoy the pictures.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T07:20:00.003-06:00

To all our family and friends we would like to wish a very happy, healthy and blessed new year. May this year ahead of us bring opportunities to be an example of God's love and the chance to show our compassion and tolerance to all of God's children. I pray that as our new President elect takes office, God guilds him with all the many difficult tasks he has facing him. I pray this new year brings renewed faith in our government and great country to those who have lost their faith and hope in America, possibly due to lost jobs and/or homes. That they find their strength in God as only he can provide. I pray for our family, that God continues to hold us up in our grief over the loss of Ryan and Grandpa Tom and that each day God takes a little bit more of that grief from our hearts. We all have a new start today, to change what we want to change and to continue to do what works in our lives. My goals for 2009 are to live the words of Christ more diligently, to be more of service to God and his Church. To be a better citizen and to help my fellow American when and where I can. To be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend and to take a little more time for my self and spiritual health. So friends and family may God bless you in all your endeavours for 2009!

Christmas Celebrations

2008-12-28T16:05:00.002-06:00

This year was a year of fun, excitement and wonder. Emily truly made Christmas this year the most fun it has ever been and the true meaning of Christmas was more apparent to me than ever before. We truly are a family blessed by God beyond measure. We did have our moments of sadness when we missed having Ryan and Grandpa Tom here to share the Christmas season. We were most comforted with the knowledge that they were celebrating Jesus' birthday with him in heaven instead of here on earth and were both happy and healthy. Aside from the gifts and all the hoopla the the blessings of family and true friends were by far the best part of this season. Here are a few pictures of the two celebrations, and "mother of the year" here did not take any pictures of Emily opening her gifts Christmas morning. Gary did get it all on video and when I figure out how to upload that I will post it. The pictures I did get of Emily on Christmas morning were of her playing with Molly-dogs toys she got for Christmas :). Enjoy the pictures!

GO BEARS!!

2008-12-22T15:54:00.002-06:00

Emily and Sophie are wishing the Chicago Bears...GOOD LUCK tonight!!!

Christmas Past 2004

2008-12-22T08:02:00.006-06:00

I was going through some old Christmas photos and here are a few of my favorites from past Christmases...

This is my sisters, nephew Curtis and I warming up in front of the fire place.

Frozen Tundra!!

2008-12-21T17:31:00.003-06:00

I don't have to tell most of you that IT IS FREEZING here in Illinois! I just had to post this picture of Gary. When a man wants a grilled steak neither, rain, snow, blazing sun or yes snow and sub zero temps will stop him! The white specs are snow and yes Gary is grilling steaks! I must say they were very tasty.

Christmas cookies are done!

2008-12-20T18:35:00.003-06:00

Friday was spent baking Christmas cookies with the help of my little elf Emily. She had so much fun and I loved starting yet another holiday tradition with her. It was a perfect day for cookie baking. The weather was too snowy to be out-doors. We did miss my Mom being with us, the weather kept her from coming over. Gary did manage to make into work on Friday despite the foot of snow we got. He rode into work with a co-worker who lives in McHenry too and has a four wheel drive truck. They made good time and arrived both to work and home safely. The adorable apron and hat Emily is wearing was a Christmas gift from our friends Molly and Sadie Dwyer. Thank you Dwyer family!

Getting ready for Christmas

2008-12-17T22:16:00.010-06:00

Go, Go, Go. That is the gear I am stuck in right now. So much to do and one week left to do it in. Will it get done? Yes of course it will, it always does. I made a promise to myself this year. When I start to feel like the walls are closing in on me and I am not getting enough done, I will stop, pray for strength and remember it always gets done. It has worked! I have a peace in me this year that is new and welcomed. I know the Christmas season is not about the "STUFF" and yet that was all I could think about in the past. Too much has happen to our family this past year to live that way, living in the peace that God has to offer is such a better way of life for me. I am glad there is still one week left to enjoy the Christmas season and all the last minute preparations, to enjoy our daughter's excitement that her fourth Christmas season is bringing her. To know we will be celebrating with family and friends and that we all have truly been blessed by God's grace.

Even as life is rushing past beauty shines through! Michigan Ave, Christmas 2004

Happy Birthday Kristin!!

2008-12-16T06:43:00.002-06:00

We would like to send a big birthday hello to our niece Kristin Sweeney in Michigan. Today is her 30Th and we hope she has all the many blessings God has to offer today and always. Kristin is an awesome example of God's love and grace and what a Christian is really about. She has inspired us to become better people through our faith and a need to know our God better. We are so very blessed to call her our niece! Have a great day kiddo we love you!!!

Visiting Santa

2008-12-15T13:44:00.002-06:00

On Sunday we visited Santa at Spring Hill Mall. Visiting Santa is a time honored tradition in our family, however I do not remember it being so exhausting. Emily did not take having to stand in line very well and my never tiring husband was glad to follow her around the mall looking at all the decorations while my sister Sarah and I held our spots in line. Once we reached Santa Emily made a good impression and was as sweet as can be and had a huge smile on her face. I am not sure she gets the whole Santa thing yet and that's OK with me as long as she gets the true meaning of the Christmas Season. Only 10 days to go, how is every one's shopping coming along? We are almost done with the exception of a few things to pick up. Cookie baking is on the calender for this coming Friday and then I can official say...I'm ready!!!

Happy Birthday Emily

2008-12-11T06:37:00.005-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BEAUTIFUL, LITTLE GIRL!! Well it is finally here, Emily is 3 today. We love you so very much Emily and give thanks to God every day for allowing us to be your parents.

Emily at 12 hours old.

Emily at 2 1/2 and her first train ride to the city

Thank you Kristin

2008-12-09T21:32:00.002-06:00

I am sending a big thank you to Kristin Sweeney for helping me put my blog back in order. It looks better than the original and very festive for the season. Thanks again Kristin.

Side not: Gary made it home from S. Elgin safely in the snow. A one hour and forty-five minute drive at time only doing 25 mph. Thank you God for being with him and seeing him home safe to us.

Two lil' fashion bugs

2008-12-09T07:16:00.004-06:00

Here is a cute picture of Emily and our friend Molly. I love the clothes from Children's Place and so does Molly's mom and we both love the great sale prices. The girls have quite a few similar and matching outfits. Molly came today in her new comfy dress and Emily has the same dress. Today they are twins and they are so cute about it. There is nothing sweeter or more innocent than the giggles of two little girls.

Emily's (1st) 3rd Birthday Party

2008-12-07T19:34:00.003-06:00

Today we had a family party for Emily's 3rd birthday. The party was originally to be at Aunt Lisa's house and we were to celebrate both Emily's and her cousin Jeremy's birthdays, however Aunt Lisa became very ill Friday night and ended up having short stay in the hospital for stomach pain. I am very happy to report Aunt Lisa is much better and resting at home. We wanted to go ahead with Emily's party (with Aunt Lisa's blessing) because she has attended many, many family birthdays and always asked "is it my birthday too" and sadly we always had to say no not this time. She always was a good sport about it. So now the time has come when it is her day and we just did not have the heart to disappoint her. Gary and I scrambled to get the house ready for 12 people for a party and we managed to pull it off and get most of our Christmas shopping done too!! My wonderful husband was such a huge help, Thank You Gary!! All evening on Saturday as we prepared Emily would say "thank you for my party mom and dad", this just made my heart melt and it was all worth it! Emily loved her party, well most of it...Emily will no time soon want to blow out any candles. The party ended on a somewhat sad/scary note. As Emily blew out her candles she bent over the cake and yes you guessed it her hair caught fire. In this picture you can see the glow of the flame starting to catch her hair.

I don't have to say it but I will, this by far was the most terrifying moment of my life. It all happen so quickly, all I could think was get water on her. I grabbed her, pulled her close to me to smother the flame, ran for the sink and got water on her hair quickly. This was all a matter of seconds. All I could do was scream and then cry and when I saw she was alright cry some more. Gary was filming and has some of it on camera and it is very disturbing to hear it played back. I have not figured out how to up load video yet and I probably will not post this video when I do figure it out. Gary and I agree we should just get rid of that disc. Emily fell asleep in my arms and I held her for two hours after that. Both Gary and I have thanked God a thousand times over for his grace in that this could have turned out horribly different. Emily has one little red mark on her cheek and her hair is a bit uneven on one side, that is easy to fix and the little red mark will probably be gone by morning. Other than that the day was a huge success. Emily had a wonder family party.

Thank you everyone for coming today we love you all!!

Family happenings

2008-12-06T20:43:00.005-06:00

It has been over a week since my last posting and life is whizzing by. We are in full swing with the Christmas season. The house is decorated, most of the shopping is done and cooking baking is in the calender for the 19Th. This is a long standing family tradition and I am excited that Emily is old enough to help now. I will be sure to post the pictures. This could prove to be quite an adventure. Here are a few pictures of Emily, Sophie and Gary decorating the house last weekend.

Emily's third birthday is right around the corner. I am having a real hard time with Emily turning three. More so than one or two. I guess it is because of how independent she has become this past year. She has developed a little personality all her own and wants to do it all herself. There isn't anything she wont try to do. For the most part I'm happy about that, other times it scares me to tears. She is learning so much so fast! I am so very thankful that we have been able to work things out so I can be home with her. Time goes by way too fast. So I continue to try and live in the now and not worry too much about tomorrow and enjoy every minute of Emily for as long as God see fit to allow me too.

This is a picture of one of our dress-up days.

Thanksgiving 2008 pictures

2008-11-27T20:09:00.003-06:00

Hello again. What a wonderful day we had! We hope the same goes for all our family and friends. The food was great and plentiful. Some of us started making our shopping lists for tomorrow morning as you can see in the pictures a group looking trough the all the ads that came in today's paper. I was a bit proud of the turkey, it turned out better than I had hoped. Sophie (my niece) and Emily were big helpers with the dishes and the day ended with a snooze on the couch! I also included a couple of pics from the the other day when we had a little snow fall. Emily was so excited we had to get into the full gear to go out and play. Enjoy the pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T08:15:00.003-06:00

Gary, Emily and I wanted to take time to wish all our family and friends a very happy and joyous Thanksgiving! Our little family has so much to be thankful for this year, the list is endless. Most of all we are thankful that we have a loving God who loves us beyond understanding despite our many shortcomings. His Grace is awesome! Please keep those serving our great country in your prayers today who could not be with their families but instead choose to serve our country so far from home. Love you all!

Emily's first big girl party

2008-11-23T13:11:00.003-06:00

Emily went to her first big girl party yesterday for her friend Rylee from Church. She was so excited. Emily helped wrap the gift, picked out her outfit and let me do her hair. The party was at a gym that had mini trampolines and other gymnastic type things for the kids to play on and in. Here are some of the pictures of that. Also, here are a few pictures of Emily's first try at lipstick (actually a tinted lip gloss), without my permission of course. This not only ended up all over her face, hands, clothes and hair but my favorite chair in the living room too. You can tell by the pictures she got the lip gloss no where near her lips! She new she was in hot water the second I saw her but I couldn't stay mad long after she assured me "it's OK mom". So I snapped some pictures, hid the rest of the lip gloss and cleaned up the mess. Emily spent some time in the tub and her room.

Happy birthday Sarah

2008-11-22T14:45:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my littler sister's 30TH birthday, happy birthday Sarah!!! We celebrated with dinner from Plum Garden, everyone favorite. I pray she has a great year and gets through this holiday season. Sarah is a supervisor for Best Buy and already has her plate full with the holiday retail shopping season. These are pictures of Sarah with our nephews Tyler and Curtis when they were here in June for a visit. We miss you guys!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-14T15:19:00.002-06:00

Hi there again. I am trying to get caught up on the past years activities. I switched to a new computer back in June and have not transferred all my old pictures over to the new computer yet so it will be awhile before I can post pics from the first half of the year. Here are this years Halloween pictures. The group pictures are all the kids I sit for and also include my niece Sophie and my nephew Dylan. We have as follows: Little cowboy: Timmy 18 months, Lil' pumpkin: Sadie 10 months, ladybug: Emily 2 1/2, small witch: Molly (Sadie's big sister) 3 1/2, little leopard: Anthem, 13 months, big leopard: Mackenzie 8, motocross kid: Elliot (Kenzie's big bother) 10, Anthem's brother National is not dressed up, big witch: Sophia, 6 and the little Wookie is our little Dylan at 16 months old. See the pumpkin cake? I tried my hand at baking, I have a long way to go. Gary said it looked like an orange Sponge Bob. It tasted good and Emily and Molly enjoyed licking the beaters. We had a great night trick or treating and mother of the year here did not take one picture of that. My sister took tons so I will try and get those posted before Christmas.

Emily 0- 3 years old

2008-11-13T17:33:00.011-06:00

Emily will be turning three next month and I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures from the last three years to see her go from a 5 lb (how much she weighed the day she came home) bundle of love and joy to a adorable, trouble seeking, smart and beautiful almost three year old. Gary and I thank the Lord every day for this miracle. We spent the first 4 years of our married lives praying for a child of our own and just when we thought there was no hope along came our little girl. We did not know what God had planned for us and knew there was a reason why we did not have a baby right away. Emily needed us and we needed her. I believe that was the reason! She continues to amaze us with all she does and learns and yes frustrates us beyond belief some days. Yet I would not trade one of those frustrating days for a day without her!

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Veterans Day 2008

2008-11-11T07:03:00.000-06:00

Collier Barcus was a family friend who loved and and served in his country selflessly. Collier was killed in action in Iraq on 7/8/2004. The Mack family would like to extend a huge thank you to Collier and all the men and women who are serving and have served our country in our armed forces. You are in our prayers today as our country honors your service. If you know a soldier or see a soldier today please take a moment and say "Thanks". Collier we have not forgotten!!

New blogger

2008-11-10T19:42:00.000-06:00

Hello family and friends. I have finally done it, I have created a blog to keep in touch. i acnnot promise I will be able to keep it up daily but I will do my very best. I recently sent a up-dated e-mail with pictures so I do not have much to report today. I need to organize my pictures also so I can post albums. So let's see how this goes and I will come up with something interesting soon.