What fun!!

So much fun in a matter of 15 minutes!! Connor finally got to use the sled that Santa brought for Christmas. We were all full of smiles, especially Connor, even with one small wipe out with Daddy. Everything went really well, until Connor took his gloves off and stuck his hand in the snow. It was time to quit anyway! We had a great time.

Who Knew?!?

Who knew that ketchup make everything taste better!!! I've been struggling with Connor to eat vegetables. I'm bound determined to have him follow in my veggie-lovin' taste. Dale will only eat corn, everything else "taste like grass". Connor ate the same amount of broccoli as me tonight. The only difference is that I didn't dip mine in ketchup. What ever works, right??

P.S. I'm lovin' the laptop, Connor is taking his bath while I blog!!!

Good Job Connor!!!!

Connor went pee on the potty!!!!! This is his first successful time. I'm so excited and proud of my little guy. Hopefully M&M's and stickers will help us keep it up. We'll see how the rest of the weekend goes. Have a great Saturday.

Hello Again

I'm now vowing not to be at the bottom of Leslie's blog list. I just got my new laptop and have been surfing the web while watching t.v. HOW GREAT IS THAT!!!

So, Leslie, here is my response to your challenge. I will incorporate what's been going on the last 4 months.

1. I am so excited to be planning our cruise. Dale received a surprise vacation for his 30th birthday. We leave on Feb 28 for a 7 day cruise to the western Caribbean, with stops in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Mexico.

2. I'm really glad the Connor is learning to stay in bed. He recently discovered his ability to get out of his bed on his own. Thankfully he is listening to us when we tell him to go back to bed!!!

3. I'm proud of Dale and I for sticking to our diet faithfully for the past two weeks, 6 weeks to cruise time.

4. I'm so thankful that I will be hosting a scrapbooking day next weekend. I've not spent near enough time at my desk.

5. I love watching the Biggest Loser. Last season I watched it as I ate ice cream or pie, now it's carrot sticks and fat free dip. YUM!!

6. I'm seeing how having this laptop is going to help me become sleep deprived.

7. I enjoyed Connor explaining how the cots at school fell on top of him to his Dad. This is probably one of the first "stories" we will here. FYI- he is fine, him and two other boys were climbing and CRASH!!

8. I'm really excited for Dale since he will be going to FTO (Field Training Officer) school in May. He will make a great teacher.


9. I'm waiting to ask Leslie or Erin to help me update my blog. I need pretty back grounds and pics!

10. I really enjoyed Christmas. Connor dove under the tree for presents. It was the best Christmas of my life!!

11. I need to start thinking about paint colors for my ENTIRE home, I'm getting quite tired of looking at white walls.

12. I think this list is alot harder to complete than I first thought.

13. I'm tired of wet slushy snow. Go away already!! Please!!! My toes are cold all the time!!

14. I'm so thankful for Erin and Chad watching Connor last Saturday night so Dale and I could go out for my birthday dinner. Thanks again.

15. I will try very, very, very hard to not let more than 1 week go between blogging post. I know I've made that promise before. I will really try this time.

16. I crack up when Connor gets so excited over watching "Little Einsteins". He is obsessed, we have to make sure we tell him No periodically. He would watch them all the time if allowed.

I'm so glad that the list is complete. I will try to post some pics from the last 4 months soon.

Have a great day!!

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.