Hey you in Seattle STO LAT PANI DANA

STO LAT Dana, got you rletter, will be thinking about the trip. Have a really Happy Birthday today 3-31-08

STO LAT Pani Basia P.

Have a very Happy Birthday today. STO LAT.

UPDATED Plans for Saturday...Maple Syrup see how it gets done

We (SDEJSMSL) are planning on going to the North Park Nature Center on Pulaski ave. in Chicago. Will let you know what we did and how we enjoyed ourselves.
What really happened, I went with Maddie, Stevie & Lily to the Syrup Festival.on 3-29-08. It was held at North Park Village, around Peterson and Pulaski. It was a little cold day, but was great to get out and see how they tap the trees and get Maple Syrup.





A tree has to be at least 40 years old to get a gallon or less in a day. Then they take and boil it down, it takes 40 gallons to make on e gallon of syrup. When it drips out of the spout it tastes like water that is very little sugared only. Till they boil it down then it thickens. We got to taste the boiled down version also. They also had games and crafts for kids to do. Besides trying their hand on the drillling and placing the spouts on the trees. It was a very enjoyable morning and afternoon. Then we went had lunch and got home by 2PM. They took a nap after the cool brisk weather. Then we went shoppping to Sams, took the groceries to my moms and spent the late afternoon at her house. We played hide and seek, Yes,.. my mom of 82 was hiding in places all over her house and the greatgrandkids had a ball looking for her and myself. Hey, what else do you do in the house with grandkids? Don't you play hide and seek?
**We got home pretty late as Stefan was gone for the day out motorcycling with his friend Andy B., The grandkids spent the night and Steve or Karen will get them on Sunday. (Karen and Steve went to NIU for a concert).
**P.S. Suzia and her kids did not make it to the syrup festival. Stevie was sick all night with a slight fever and upset stomach. Ela went with Koy to his friends Phil to help out for the day and Julia was at home with mom taking care of her brother and doing house chores.

Friday, Sci-Tech Museum in Aurora

Of course on Wednesday I worked, then on Thursday I watched MSL all day. We went shopping during the snowfall. Maddie commented that I had all white hair from the snow on my head. We finished shopping for groceries to make dinner and then we went to the mall to walk around. After a few hours we headed back home and made dinner.

FRIDAY: We went to the Sci-Tech Museum in Aurora. It is a hands on museum converted from an old Post Office in Aurora. Suzia and myself and Ela, Julia & Stevie went to this museum. We spent about 3-4 hours inside. We turned cranks, pulled levers, pushed buttons, looked inside peep-holes, banged on instruments, see how static electricity works, how tornadoes are formed, instruments inside, how speakers work for sound, etc.... Wow!!!! there was a ton of things to keep the kids occupied and interested to see how this works and how that works. A very good place for kids over 5 years old I would say.

Babcia gets some hands training on this exhibit.
SO this is how Dorothy felt inside that tornado in Oz.

This is a neat game to play, it is TIC TAC TOE with a reflection mirror in front of you. You see your piece and the other piece with a reflection. It sure boggles your mind to think in reverse.
WHAT YOU LOOKING AT? Did you get a laugh from this picture? GOOD.. laughing is good for the soul.
This breeze feels good.

Ela gets covered in a bubble.

Ela gets eaten by a monster.

Carousel Rides in the Pavilion

Karen and myself went to the Elk Grove Carousel Pavilion place. We had fun with all 6 of my grandkids together again. After all this was Spring Break, so I arranged my work to be able to enjoy this time with them.

In this place Jumps and Jiggles, the kids had things to jump on, climb on, walk thru, over and under. A great place for ages up to 8 possibly. Ela and Julia played around with the little ones to keep them occupied. There is an indoor Carousel ride that was fun. Karen and myself did not want to go on it, because we both get dizzy being on a ride that goes round and round and round ,but for the sake of the kids we did go and guess what, we did not get so dizzy. Why? because we were facing backwards most of the times and that lessened our dizziness. (Ok maybe that is not the right explanation , but it worked)

March 24, 2008

Monday after Easter. I was watching Maddie, Stevie & Lily for the evening and then it turned out I would watch them overnight. During the day, Karen's mom had taken Karen's cat Snickers to the Vet. He was not looking good for a few days already. He had some problem that would not get better on its own. It ended that he had to be put to "sleep". Karen was devastated and I offered to watch the MSL overnight to give them some time together, for her and Steve. She would pick the kids up on Tuesday sometime.

TUESDAY: By late afternoon, after MSL were gone, I was watching EJS for the afternoon. Suzia had a paper due for school that evening. I said we would go for a hike or something like that, but before we left Ela asked to stay behind with her girlfriend, they were going rollerskating. So Julia & Stevie and myself went for a hike on the trails in their neighborhood. We also walked around cemetaries, they were curious as to what is in those "little houses". So we peeked inside and went into the chapels on the grounds. Just one of those things kids want to know and never get to ask. While driving around I happened to notice a street Julia, so I took a picture of the sign. Spend the rest of the day with the kids and had dinner at their house and Stefan joined us there to eat.

A very busy week, Easter and afterwards

Okay last time I left you guys off at.......I had gone Easter basket blessing with Ela, Julia & Stevie. After that Suzia came and picked up the kids late in the afternoon. Suzia & Koy had errands to run.

EASTER SUNDAY.....We had a joyous brunch/lunch, whatever. All the children and grandchildren were over as well as other members of the family. My mother in law Babcia Hela and Stefan's brother Bogdan. Then my mom Babcia Zosia and my brother Daniel. Heniek & Teresa had her brother over so they cancelled out on Saturday. The lunch was eaten and every body went to relax by the fireplace. (It snowed a few days earlier and was cold outside). Karen and Steve and Suzia had taken on the task of egg hiding. I kept all the kids busy in one bedroom, looking at the computer pictures and other things to keep them occupied. After a few minutes the Easter egg hunt began. Everybody had a basket to collect the eggs in, which were hidden. Some were placed just so, that Lily could even find them. All I could hear was, I found one,... oh wait there is another one over there. that one is mine..... The older kids were told to pick up the ones above their waist and the younger ones could pick any that they found. Egg counting ended the hunt, and they looked inside to see what they got inside those eggs. There were over 150 eggs hidden to find between 6 grandkids.

Happy 4th Anniversary Amy & Matt 3-27-08

STO LAT on your 4th Anniversary together and now with a little Madalyn to make a family complete.

Kristin, Happy Birthday to you in Florida

Happy Birthday Kristin McC. in Florida. STO LAT to you from us here up north in the cold weather.

Happy 14th Birthday Perry

March 25, 2008 Happy 14th Birthday to you Perry. STO LAT from us all.

THINK SPRING

Life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take, but by moments
that take our breath away."
HAPPY SPRING

Happy 5th year together 3-23-2008

To our friends Marysia & Danek Happy 5th year together. Happy Anniversary, I am so glad that you finally "found" each other and to enjoy your life together as man and wife. Who would have thought that after all these years,...yep you were meant for each other, after all these years. STO LAT and Happy Easter to you.

After the coloring of eggs...HAPPY EASTER

Ela, Julia & Steve "my Kolega" spent the night. They were so tired after all that activity that I begged their mom & dad for them to spent the night. Yipppeeee. They did. On Saturday Stevie helped decorate the Easter Tree with tiny eggs, Ela, Julia and I spent the morning cleaning up a bit and then going to the store to get stuff to put in the baskets to get them blessed. In church there were so many people getting their baskets blessed that we had a long line to wait to get ours back.
After the church blessing we had a quick lunch and then Suzia & Koy picked them up.. Stefan went to work for the afternoon and I am setting up for tomorrow's Easter Brunch with the whole family again.

SMACZNEGO JAJKA i WESOLEGO ALLELUJA TO ALL. HAPPY EASTER

Week of fun before Easter

Looking for the eggs, a practice run.
We practised "finding" eggs, so we could get the hang of looking for them on Sunday. P.S. that was a good thing since it snowed 6-8 inches on Good Friday, and I don't think we will be looking for the eggs in the snow on Sunday.
Our main photographer was Suzia.
Having the grandkids over and spending time with them was fun. Here are a few of the things we did together.


Coloring Easter eggs with our great nephew and great niece also was enjoyable. Julia loves to "do" everygirls hair that comes to our house. So of course Belia had her hair done by Julia. Maddie tries out her hand at the new spinning egg dyeing machine that makes eggs look like tie-dyed.
Crayons were in use by all even Miss Lily. Andy had to draw on the tablecloth or else that would not be Andy. My Kolega Stevie had fun popping the ball clicker toy that I picked up at the Dollar store. Who knew it would make so much fun. Lauren and Alex had fun coloring the egss and dropping the eggs into colored cups. Pan Maca first thought that we have to break the eggs, before coloring, so needless to say that we went thru a LOT of eggs to get a few nice ones. Oh well they were ALL nicely done by the kids.

I say the more kids the merrier the house will be with them here enjoying themselves. From left to right are Stevie, Ela, Alex, Julia,Lauren,Maddie,Lily and Stevie.

We ALL sang Happy Birthday to Janette over the phone, I wonder if she guessed all the voices? STO LAT Janette.