Becka's letter to Santa

Becka [4-1/2] wrote this all on her own:

Family Christmas Portraits

Our Family Christmas Card Picture

Joy to the World! Siblings and Friends :)

Zack - 32 months old

Becka - 4-1/2 years old

Classic Kid Quotes

Our town has a large leaf vacuum/mulcher truck that picks up the leaves that we rake to the curb. Upon seeing this Becka got all sad and said, "Why are they cleaning up fall?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I [Chrissi] took Becka with me to vote. I spent significant time telling her that voting is a right & a privilege, especially for women who couldn't vote until about 100 years ago. Becka thought for a moment and said, "But girls are smarter than boys." **For the record, I NEVER taught her this! But I am so proud that she figured it out for herself! ;)

Facebook

I haven't been as good at posting to this blog since I got on Facebook. Feel free to look me up there [Chrissi Kemnetz Wall] for our most current pictures & video.

Halloween Fun

Becka was Cinderella & Zack was Bob the Builder!

First Day of School

Becka started 4-year-old PreKindergarten.

Waiting for the bus:

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

We visited the Jelly Belly Factory in Wisconsin! So fun!

And here's the kids showing off their jelly bellies! :)

Dangers of having a big sister

Day Out with Thomas & Train Museum

We had a great time riding Thomas and exploring the other trains last weekend!

More pictures:

http://www.slide.com/r/NnVI4rLO0z-Nkg5LbIh3vdjZTolZHCwy?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Bump in the Road

Zack tripped :(

He reminds us of the old Saturday Night Live character "Head Wound Harry".

Bowling

The kids & I went bowling!

Our scores averaged around 63, but we had fun! The kids really enjoyed the slippery shoes!

Becka does the Monkey Bars

Becka shows off her newly learned skill!

Lake County Fair

We went to the Lake County Fair! We saw lots of animals, went on pony rides, ate corn dogs, climbed on tractors, tried on firefighter gear, saw a magician -- The kids had a ball!

Check out more pictures: http://www.slide.com/r/sUOc0RXF6D9QaMRThYKYypIY_qRLNKoq?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

The Harvest is Plentiful ...

Becka has been tending her own tomato & bean plants this summer. Recently we enjoyed 'her' first tomatoes. She was so proud of herself!!

Grandparents are GREAT!!!

We're so blessed to have both sets of grandparents living close-by & so actively involved in our kids' daily lives. Saturday we went to the Arlington Heights Frontier Days with Grammy & Grappi [Mommy's parents] and out to dinner at Bill's Pizza with Janma & Papa T [Daddy's parents]. Such a fun-filled day!

Visit to the Fire Station

Today we went to visit our local fire station. The firefighters were very nice -- They showed us all their big trucks, ladders, hoses, etc. Becka & Zack even got to sit in the fire truck!

As we were about to leave, one of the firemen said to Becka: "Do you know how to call for help?" She took a deep breath and in her loudest voice screamed "HELP!!!" The firefighters all chuckled, but the lieutenant said to me, "Time to teach her about 9-1-1, Mom." Ouch - The truth hurts!

So, this afternoon we learned about 9-1-1. Becka [age 4] now knows that if she dials 9-1-1 Circle (our talk button) that a policeman will come to our house to help us. We even made up a little song to help her remember it. I was surprised how quickly & enthusiastically she learned it. Zack [age 2] was trying to sing along, too!

So here's my public service announcement for today: Teach your kids about 9-1-1, and pray that they never need to use it!

Balloon Hats

Zack's First Train Ride

We took a train ride downtown to have lunch with Auntie SueSue for her birthday. Zack was mesmerized! :)

New Identity

I retired my old license plate that I've had for 14 years [HI RED 1] for this:

It's meaning is two-fold: Becka Zack MAMA [of] 2 or BZ [busy] MAMA [of] 2.

Honk & wave if you see us around town in our gold minivan!

Becka's Field Trip to Dairy Queen

Becka & her PreK class took a walk to the local Dairy Queen today for an end of the school year treat. When she got home I asked what she did today.

Becka: "I walked to Dairy Queen!"
Chrissi: "What did you do there?"
Becka: "I ruined my appetite!!"

Becka is FOUR!!

Hard to believe she's 4!! Enjoy her pictures! :)

Cubbies are in FIRST PLACE!!!

OK - We're about 25% done with the regular season and the Cubs are in first place and tied for the best record in both divisions [23 wins, 15 losses for a .605 record]. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp WooHoo!!

And just because she's so cute, here's a couple videos of Becka from last summer:

Go Cubs Go!!

Cinco de Mayo

I [Chrissi] was trying to tell Becka that today is Cinco de Mayo. "Cinco tomato?" she repeated. :)

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom & Dad Kemnetz

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom & Dad Kemnetz!

Today we celebrated my parents' 40 years of marriage. They'll be the first to admit that their marriage isn't perfect [whose is?], but they are definitely a great model for honoring their marriage vows.

Thanks Mom & Dad for loving each other in good times & bad -- What a great legacy you are leaving and what a fabulous example you are to your children & grandchildren. We all love you!

- Chrissi

One Big, Happy Family

As a gift to my parents for their upcoming 40th anniversary [May 4], we had a picture taken of our entire family.

Mom & Dad [Kathy & Ernie] Kemnetz in red; Wall Family [Chrissi, Michael, Becka & Zack] in green; LaDeur Family [Susan, Jim & A.J.] in blue; Ernie Kemnetz in grey.

- Chrissi

Next Year is Here - Go Cubs!!

GO CUBS GO!!!

My Dad & I [Chrissi] went to Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs opening day today. It was the first time either of us have been to a Cubs season opener. Typical Chicago weather in March - cold, windy & rainy. Despite 2 rain delays and the Cubs loss 4-3 in 10 innings, we had a great time. And, being an eternally optimistic Cubs fan, I truly believe that this is their year!! :) GO CUBS GO!!!

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc

- Chrissi

Career Aspirations

Becka's class had a fireman visit recently, so we have 2 plastic firefighter hats in our dress up chest now. Becka put one on Zack and announced, "Zack is going to be a fireman when he grows up!" "That's great honey," I said "But what if he wants to be something else?" She didn't miss a beat: "Well, then he can be a SUPERHERO!"

-- Chrissi

Happy 2nd Birthday Zack!

Zack turned 2 today, so we went for pictures!

To Tell the Truth ...

Yesterday [March 18th] was my birthday. Michael reminded Becka of this in the morning, and then the following conversation transpired:

Becka: Happy Birthday, Mommy! How old are you?
Chrissi: How old do you think I am?
Becka: Uh-oh.
Chrissi: What's wrong, honey?
Becka: Mommy, I'm not supposed to lie.

Kids' Websites

I updated the kids' websites today:

Becka: http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/r/rebeckajoy/

Zack: http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/z/zackarymichael/

Enjoy!

Chrissi

Becka's Hoarsey Voice

Becka & I [Chrissi] are both sick, but her voice sounds worse than mine ...

Thankfully, she's still in pretty good spirits. Pray for us all to be back to 100% soon!

-- Chrissi

What's in a name??

I [Chrissi] was in our office with Becka recently. She looked at one of my old diplomas & asked what it said. I read it, including my name as Christine Ellen Kemnetz. "Who is that?" she asked. "That's me -- That was my name before I married Daddy. Someday when you get married you'll change your name, too." She thought for a few seconds and said, "I think I'll change it to Kemnetz."

I'm sure Grappi Kemnetz will be thrilled!

Valentine's Day fun

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Daddy had to work tonight, so the kids and I enjoyed a heart-shaped pizza for dinner. Love to you all - Chrissi

Row, row, row your boat ...

We're in the midst of a blizzard here in Chicagoland [over 1 foot in the last 8 hours!], so the kids & I are homebound! :) Becka's school was canceled for today. I'm trying to come up with creative activities & games for a 3-1/2 year old & 22 month old, but it's a challenge. We've colored, done play-dough, sang, wrestled, painted, made a tent in the living room, baked bread, done a puppet show, tried to count the snowflakes - you get the idea. Then I remembered we'd gotten a package yesterday in a larger box - A-HA ... Boxes make great toys! So we pulled out the box and made a boat. Both kids fit inside and were tickled pink as I sang Row, row, row your boat while pushing the boat around the house. Then Becka started to sing:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life goes down the drain!

Uh-oh! Looks like I need to work on those lyrics with her!

Chrissi