Hilarious Ninja Kitty

Sometimes when I just want to laugh, I will look up funny cat and dog videos on You Tube. This is one of those videos.

And then................

This is what a 22 year old does. They sit in front of the tree and shake every present to see what it is. So far she thinks Danny is getting a bike bell and some marbles from his Grandma Joan. LOL!!!!

Happy Birthday Brianna!

Brianna turned 22 years old on Sunday. Happy Birthday and many more!

Christmas Roadtrip

Would you believe it? It looks like the snow machine is going to take a much needed break and turn off on Christmas day. That means we are headed to Minneapolis in the red Dodge sleigh to see Russ's Mom and John . We are bringing the Christmas dinner. So far its ham, garlic mashed potatoes and rolls. I have not decided on veggies yet, but something besides broccoli, at John's request, lol.

It will be Russ, Brianna, Daniel and I as our other two, Clarissa and Taylor are now enjoying themselves in sunny, warm Florida with my parents.

Farewell

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done
For this, the last battle, can't be won.
You will be sad, I understand,
Don't let the grief then stay your hand,
For this day more than all the rest
Your love and friendship stand the test.
We've had so many happy years,
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;

When the time comes, please let me go.
Take me where my needs they'll tend
And stay with me, if you can, to the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time, you will see,
It is a kindness you do for me.
Although my tail its last was waved
From pain and suffering I've been saved.
Don't grieve that it should be you,
Who must decide this thing to do,
We've been so close, we seven, these years;
Don't let your heart hold any tears.
Smile, for we walked together for a little while.

Taylor in the Paper.

Even though they lost, Taylor had a great game and made the Milwaukee Journal for blocks.

Milw. Riverside def. Milw. Languages, 25-11, 25-13, 23-25, 25-18. Kills — Candice Nichols, MR, 6; Erica Eggert, MSL, 3. Assists — Ashley Parks, MR, 16. Blocks — Taylor Jerome, MSL, 4. Aces — Parks, MR, 6; Ali Hugin, MSL, 4. Record — MR 4-1 (conf.).

She had a couple of kills too. She played well and it is fun to watch her get up that high on the net since she is only 5'6.

More Volleyball

These pictures were taken last Saturday at a day long tourney. I love the shots I get where there is some action. I am saving my pennies for a camera that will take action shots a little better, but these will do for now. The game is so fast I never notice how high Taylor actually jumps until we look at the pictures. I love the last picture, because this is Taylor-having fun and smiling even when things are not exactly going the team's way.

Bob

I love this picture. Nosey Bob! Well, Danny just let him in just after I let him out. I thought that was strange and then I noticed his mouth was shaped weird. He ran into the bedroom and jumped on my bed and deposited a BIRD! I asked Danny to kindly remove it. He wrapped paper towel around it and put it out on the driveway. It flew away! We thought it was dead.

I wish the family would just look at his mouth to see if it is empty when they let him in. This is the second alive(very alive) bird that he has gifted us with, and who can forget the psycho chipmunk that took us two days to capture and get out of our house.

Addison

This is Addison, she is the daughter of our friends and the love of our lives. We actually used to fight over who got to hold her first when they came to visit. She just turned two. This picture was taken at her birthday party last week. She is saying "go Packers!"

Danny Has Job

Finally! Danny has a job! The Sentry supermarket down the street called Danny on Monday to see if he was still interested in a part time job. I answered the phone and almost screamed YES!!!! to the person on the phone, I was so excited!!! He trained last night and starts his first night tomorrow on the floor. He will be a cashier, something they usually have 18 and older do, but the woman in charge said Danny seemed very mature and they would just train him for that.

Hummingbird

We had a hummingbird on Thursday. It was darting in and out of the flowers drinking a little and chasing a whole lot of bugs. It flew over to the patio and checked Russ out, about five inches from his face, and then flew into the trees by the garage. We were surprised because we had not seen any for about a week and thought they had gone south.

More Volleyball

Salve! Come esta?

Here are some more pictures of Taylor at some recent games. Not winning alot, but having fun. Taylor continues to do well and has some really good kills under her belt.

Italian and Sign Language.....Ummm Okay!

The countdown has begun...... Soon there will be a baby in the house. No, not our baby! Someone else did all the work. We just get her during the day to spoil , love and play with and then she goes home. Her name is Kaiya and she will be three months old when she starts coming the end of October. Yup, I guess we are going to learn sign language together and I am going to take Italian online, so maybe I can share that with her too. For anyone who wants to learn a language, you should check this out. Totally free and looks like fun. http://www.livemocha.com

You can see Kaiya here http://thekraners.blogspot.com/.

Another Russ Project

Russ recently picked up this 1972 Bronco for a steal and is in the middle of finishing it.
It has all new sheet metal, two engines, suspension and a lift kit. It needs a few panels welded, engine work, and of course paint, but this is in great shape and with too many new parts to list. The past owner just ran out of time and ambition.

Dan

We took this picture of Danny today at my Mom and Dad's house. This may be his graduation picture, but he still needs to think about it. He wants to get his hair cut and take some more pictures after that. I personally love this picture. I got him to wear a more formal shirt and my Dad borrowed him a tie and tutored him on the "how to tie a tie procedure". AND he is almost smiling, so it looks nice. Enjoy!

Clarissa

Russ safely delivered Clarissa and a whole lot of "stuff" back to school today. She lives in a really adorable apartment on State Street. This is the main street that starts at campus and goes to the State Capitol Building. State Street is full of great stores, speciality shops, restaurants, bars and bums. In fact, Russ had to shoo three away today who wanted to give them a "hand" moving her stuff upstairs. So helpful people are in Madison, lol! Clarissa, we miss you already and will come to visit soon and bring all the things you forgot. Love you!

LOL

Look who Clarissa and I saw at the store. They really seem to be getting along at the moment. Ha! I suggest you always carry a camera in your purse for moments like these.

Taylor's Volleyball

First scrimmage of the season. Sorry about the color, but that's how pictures turn out in the gym. In case you can't tell, Taylor is number 4, lol.

Happy Sweet Sixteen Taylor!

It was my sweet girl's 16th birthday yesterday. Eight of us(including Danny's girlfriend and Taylor's boyfriend) went out to Taylor's pick, Olive Garden. Most of the family has not been there so it was a good choice. We had lots of fun and then we came home to light the candles on her cake and sing Happy Birthday. We were all so full that none of us could actually eat the cake last night, so the kids will be snacking all day today.

There and Back

Taylor, Danny, Clarissa, Russ, Brianna, Jerry and Grandpa

Jerry's House

Jerry(Russ' Dad)

Sign says it all ;)

Kids creative use of sparklers.

Carved angel on 1700's tombstone.

Interstate 86-New York on the way home.

Snack stop in Ohio on the way home.

Eolia Mansion and Gardens

Beautiful mansion and gardens overlooking Long Island Sound. Eolia is named after the island home of the Greek god of winds. We were not sure if we could wander through the gardens, but really, after we saw some of them through the gates there was nothing that was going to stop us. Turns out its part of the park and wandering is okay!