Happy Halloween!!!

We had so much fun trick or treating our very first year!!! It didn't take Connor and Addison long to figure out this whole knocking on doors/getting candy business. They were both just absolutely adorable and well behaved. They will forever be Halloween buddies!

I must also mention that Connor is a such a strong little boy! We went for his flu shot this morning and he did remarkably well. I was so shocked, no crying, no whining, no tears period!! I am one super proud mommy!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Connor!!

Happy Birthday Connor!! It was so much fun celebrating Connor's second birthday. On thursday, we celebrated with chili and a Thomas the train themed cake. Dale and I gave him a Thomas the train ball pit. He had a blast. He recieved so many great gifts, he's been bouncing between them all weekend. Celebrating your birthday for two days is definetly twice as nice. On friday evening we went over to Nana's and Papaw for dinner and cupcakes.

On saturday, we met baby Drew for the first time. I'm quite smitten with him and I think Connor liked him too. Who know's maybe Connor will get a sibling for his next birthday?!?

Road Trip

Connor embarked on his first road trip without Mom and Dad this weekend. He left around 5am yesterday morning. He went to the Ozarks to visit his Great-grandma Wells with his Papaw and Nana. This is his third trip down, first with out me! It is so quiet around here. Dale and I enjoyed sleeping in, a movie and an adult dinner out. I woke up at 7:15 this morning, fully rested. I really tried hard to stay in bed, but just couldn't. Long gone are the days of sleeping til noon, even if you try. I'm a little nervous what kind of little boy will be returning to my home tonight. From the sounds of it, he has been having a blast. Powder sugar doughnuts for breakfast, chocolate bars for afternoon snack, pizza for dinner and a sugar cookie from the bakery while grocery shopping with Grandma. I pray there were veggies on the pizza and a large glass of milk with breakfast. I'm so glad he is able to experience this time away, I know I will forever cherish the times spent with my grandparents in the Ozarks. Chad and I were just as spoiled and rarely heard NO as well. I am cleaning the house today to pass the time til I get my hands on my little rug-rat. I miss him so much! I will try to post pictures of his big adventure.

I'm sure he was as easily contained this time as he has been in the past!!

November 2006

July 2007

Welcome Andrew Henry Hedenberg!!


My cousin Leslie brought another beautiful baby into the world on 9-16-08. Drew weighed 8lbs, 9oz and was 21 inches long. We are so happy for you all!!

We have had a great Saturday!! DMH has an employee picnic every September and this was our first year attending. There were so many things to do, great food, games and petting zoo and PONYS!!!! Connor had his first pony ride today. He loved every minute of it. I think I might have an animal lover. He was so happy to be in the petting zoo. He told me there was a bunny probably 15 times. Connor also tried cotton candy for the first time, by the time he actually ate it most of it was gone, thank goodness.

After the employee picnic, we attended a picnic supper with some friends from our church. We had such a great evening just hanging out with friends. The kids played on the playground equipment and Connor is so brave!!! He ran with the older kids like it was no big deal. (I'm sure being hyped up on cotton candy helped.)

I hope everyone has a great week and I will try very hard to make another entry before another month goes by.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the summer. How the time has flew by!!!

Riding is just so exhausting!

Playing with Ella last Saturday.

Fun in the sun in St. Charles.

Just relaxing and enjoying my first fudge pop!

Dale's back surgery update

Dale went to see Dr. Pensek on Tuesday for his 6 week follow up. Dr. Pensek said he was doing really well and should start physical therapy. He went today for his first PT appointment. He will be going three days a week for 4-6 weeks. Hopefully he will regain alot of the strength in his back soon. Dr. Pensek did increase his weight limit from 5lbs to 30lbs, so he can now technically pick up Connor.

Thank you to everyone that has helped us out of the past couple of months. Having Dale out of commission was very difficult, but made much easier with all your help. A special thanks to everyone that helped move us into our new home, it is so greatly appreciated!!

Home Sweet Home

Home sweet home has changed for us this past weekend. Our new address is 3655 Tulane Dr.
Decatur, IL 62522. I will try to post some pictures once we get connected to the Internet this weekend. The house is so much bigger then our last one and Connor is loving all the space to run and play and all the boxes to nose through. I've been kicking my self for not video taping his reaction when he saw all of his stuff in his new room. It was priceless. Just image, shock, surprise and total confusion on a 1 1/2 year olds face. We are pretty close to some train tracks now and Connor is currently obsessed with "choo, choos". He gets so excited when the trains blows it horn, he stops what he is doing and listens so intently. We are all very excited about the move, and will enjoy it so much more when the other house sells. Dale is loving how new and big the house is, my favorite thing so far is the master bath. I have my own sink. :) I hope everyone is doing well and I will post some pictures soon!!

The Humor has Returned

Dale and I returned home from the hospital late this morning. Dale is doing remarkably well. He is walking and joking. I knew last night after surgery that he was feeling much better because he was trying to make me laugh. I've been the witty one in our family for the past couple of weeks, since he has been feeling so bad.

Dr. Pencek told us that he removed a piece of disc from Dale's spine about the size of the tip of your thumb, he said that it was pressing on his nerve so that the nerve was as tight as a guitar string. He said he was a little nervous that it might pop when he removed the pressure. Thank God that didn't happen. I can't even imagine what we would have to deal with at that point.

Dale is on a 5lb weight limit and can't drive until he is seen by Dr. Pencek in 10 days, it will be a long 10 days for him. We are hoping that he will be back to work in just a few weeks on light duty.


In other news, please keep my cousin Nic in your prayers. He is headed off to Afghanistan for a second tour. He will be doing some training at Fort Brag before leaving. Nic was in Iraq just two summers ago.

Our hearts go out to Clair and Sharon at the loss of their dog, Taylor. Taylor was so lovable and always greeted us with a wet nose. We are so sorry for your loss.

Finally, the fire investigators believe that the fire may have been caused by a candle lit in the upstairs bedroom of the neighbors house. From the sounds of it, the house is a total loss. They are still waiting for the major loss adjuster to make the final determination, but their is so much smoke and fire damage upstairs and a ton of water damage in the downstairs portion. The fire investigator took the footage that Tammy taped for study material in different classes that he teaches around the country.


I hope every has a great week.

There is still no official word on what started the fire. The homeowners are staying with relatives and are starting to get a few new belongings. A friend that stopped by the house said that they were at JC Penny's getting some new clothing, which the store was giving them a $500 shopping spree. Kudos to Penny's. I snapped a couple of pictures from the doorway of the back door and some of their belonging that the fire department brought out in trashcans. I was way to scared to venture inside from more pics. It is amazing how horrible it looks!

I tried loading the 11 minute video, but blogger said that is was uploading for the past 30 minutes. I will try to upload a smaller clip later.

Not much to say today, we went swimming at the athletic club after church this afternoon. Connor had a great time splashing around with me and grandma. I think he might just turn into a little water baby. Dale just lounged pool side. He wanted to make sure he didn't get a sunburn.

I guess some of you may not know, but Dale is having back surgery on a herniated disc in the morning. Dr. Pencek will be removing a portion of Dale's disc between his vertebrae that is pinching his nerves coming off his spinal column. Dale has been in a great deal of pain and on many pain killers for the past 2 weeks. His right foot is numb and that is driving him crazy. Dale is looking forward to feeling better. He will probably stay overnight in the hospital, just for observation. His amount of time of work is dependent on how he is doing. Please keep him in your prayers.

WOW!!!

What a day!!

I thought we were having a really great day by taking Connor to the zoo for the first time. Everything that happened today pails in comparison to what happened after dinner. After cleaning up the dinner dishes I stepped outside to water the flowers on the front porch and found that our neighbors house was on fire!!

Thankfully everyone made it out o.k. Chad and Tammy were over for dinner and video taped and kept an eye on Connor, while Dale informed some neighbors and I stayed with the homeowner. It was so awful to watch their house burn and not be able to do anything.

The pictures are no justice for the strength and intensity of this fire. I will try to upload some video in the next couple of days!!

Please keep them in your prayers, I can't imagine what they are going through.





Connor did have a great time at the zoo. He loved the reptile house, but wasn't so keen on the super sized tortoise that we were able to pet. The train ride was the highlight of his day, until there were firetrucks and firemen at our house!!

WOW!!!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!!!

I hope everyone is having a great Father' s Day. Connor gave his daddy a pen holder with stickers on it. It is so wonderful getting little gifts. I use to think how horrible it must be to get stupid little gifts from you children, that is until you get a little gift from your own child. I can't wait for these gifts when Connor actually starts to take a bigger part in making them.

Dale will be spending most of his second Father's Day in bed. He threw out his back on Monday night while working. He has been on our floor since. Dale has a very large herniated disk in his lower back. He is currently taking Vicatin for pain, a double dose has finally given him some relief so that he can sleep. He made a trip to the ER last night to try and get a stronger pain reliever. The gave him a shot, but it did no good. We are hoping to hear from a neurosurgeon on Monday. Please keep him in your prayers.


To all our fathers:

Thanks for all you do, we love you. Happy Father's Day!

First ER Visit

On Monday night we had our first trip to the ER for Connor. Thankfully he just twisted his ankle and was sent home within an hour. I was so relieved. Connor was running down the hall and fell, letting out a "pain" cry. He refused to walk on his left leg, crawling would work!! Every time he put pressure on his left ankle for the next 3 hours his leg would buckle. It was awful to watch. We decided he should be check out after taking with our doctor. By the time we left the ER he was walking pretty good, wobbly, but much better. By Tuesday afternoon, he kept reminding me that I wasted money by going to the hospital. I was really hoping we would make to 3 years old before we made an ER trip, but o'well.

Great Weekend

We have had a great weekend, busy, but great.

On Saturday morning our realtor stopped by to put the final details together to get our house on the market and it is official, our house is for sell. I pray God brings us a good buyer and helps us find a new home to buy. We are aiming for Mt. Zion or Warrensburg school districts. It was a little bit of a sad moment watching Dale help the realtor put the yard sign up. We have had so many wonderful memories here the past 6 years.

Saturday afternoon was spent going to the park with Connor and Grandma Faye, a little shopping at the mall, at playing in the kiddie pool on the deck. This very white girl is now a very red girl. Who knew that a person could burn so quickly.

We were then off to see Grandpa Pope and Tammy for a cookout at their new home in Mt. Zion. Grilling out is the best!! Cheeseburgers, chips and dip, baked beans-- yum, yum. We had a great time getting to spend a few hours with everyone.

After church on Sunday morning, Bob, Faye and I went to take pictures of Connor at Scovill Park. He is such a good little boy. Dale and I have to pick the best out of over 200 pictures. Bob's camera is awesome.

It is now nap time and I ran an errand to meet with my sister Erica. I'm going to ask a favor of everyone this week. Please keep Erica and her friends in your prayers. She is leaving the country on Tuesday for a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. She will be with a group of about 50 people that will give vaccinations and general medical care to people in need. I can only pray that their are all safe and have wonderful time.

I must also say Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband. 12 years ago today we started dating. It is amazing how long and short that sounds. I feel like Dale has always been apart of my life. I love him so much and I'm so happy we have never given up.

Catch Up

So needless to say, I have neglected the blog. We have been very busy little people. We are putting the house on the market. In the last month, we have made quite a few improvements getting the house ready. Dale has done a great job of not complaining of all the work we have to do. Dale and I were talking last night that the house looks so good, we don't need to move anymore. :)

Connor's doing great. He's really becoming quite the ornery little boy. He loves to sing and read books. Old McDonald is his favorite song, I think he is stuck on a dairy farm, though. Playing outside is another great thing were are able to do. It is like pulling teeth to go back inside when were done.

We are starting to plan our first family trip. We are looking for ideas of things to do and places to go. We want to go away for just a couple of days, not to far with Connor. Please help us think of something.

I hope everyone is well. I will try very hard to stay more on top of blogging.

Have a great day!!

Way to Go Bob!!!!

We are so proud of Bob. On Sunday he participated in his first triathlon with his son, Sean and daughter-in-law Michelle. He made it through a 500 meter swim, 13.4 mile bike ride and a 5K run in under two hours. Connor was amazed at watching all the people swimming. He had a great time cheering on his Grandpa.

The Great Banquet Weekend

I really need to make a diligent effort to blog more frequently. I have been gone for the past few days so therefore I have a reason. I had the opportunity to attend the Great Banquet #50 this past weekend. The banquet is a weekend "retreat" where a group of women come together to listen to speakers and get to know Jesus better. It truly was a life changing weekend. I had such a great time. I met so many wonderful women and I learned so much about God's love for me. THANK YOU to everyone that helped with Connor this weekend, I'm so grateful I had the chance to go.

I came home so exhausted from the busy weekend that Sunday night we all crashed. So today after work we made up for it. I picked Connor up from daycare and we went home for a wagon ride and some relaxing time walking around the yard. We looked at flowers, picked dandelions, and grilled out. Connor even thought it would be good to lick a dandelion !

Also, I can't get over how much Connor looks like Chad in the picture of him sitting in the wagon.

Happy Birthday Robyn

This weekend flew by for us. Saturday was spent cleaning the house and trying to get Connor to take a nap. I really would like to know how Kids N' Fitness gets him to take a two hour nap. I never get more than 45 minutes out of him. Thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Dean, Dale and I were able to attend the Superchick concert at Foursquare Church in Decatur. Superchick is a Christian rock band. They were very good, but the opening acts were less than desired for us. We have decided that we are old!! We sat, yes that is correct, sat at the back of the auditorium for a good portion of the opening acts. I never did care for rap, I can now say that it was never just the lyrics I didn't like. Christian rap is not any better, maybe cleaner, but not better!! All in all we had a very good time.





Sunday morning came very early with Connor waking up at 5:30. We visited Foursquare church and had a very good visit. The church service is different than what we are use to but the Holy Spirit is definitely there. Connor had a great time in the nursery. I believe we will be back for more visits. After a birthday lunch for Robyn, we went house hunting. Dale and I have been looking for a new house in a better school district. We found one in Mt. Zion that we are interested in, therefore the stress really begins!!! We will be praying that God helps us make the right decision, and not just a spontaneous one. I hope Robyn had a great birthday and that you all have a great week.

Just Getting Started

So I don't really have a clue about what I'm doing, but I'm going to try anyway. I have so much fun laughing and smiling while checking in with the Hedenberg family blog. I thought this might be a great way to share more photos with everyone!! If any one has tips just let me know.

Maybe someday my posts will be better :)


The newest thing in our house is that Connor, rather all of us, have started potty training. We haven't had great luck, but Connor will sit on the potty to listen to some stories. I'm a little concerned he will get upset when he does finally succeed because the royal chair sounds music as a reward. I know he will someday torture me for posting a picture of him on the potty on the world wide web, but hey, I'm just a very proud mommy!!