Catching Up

The kids are both sleeping (and Mommy managed to get in a little nap and then sneak away!) so I am going to try to get us caught up. On a related note, our updates may need to pause for a while because I just tried to turn on our camera and nothing happened. I replaced the batteries to no avail. We have been using a digital camera donated by Andy's Uncle Dave and Aunt Patsy at I think my first Thanksgiving with the Kishlers, and it may have retired!

This must be just after awakening because Maggie is in her "kity 'jamas" and she's got a great smile. Ok, so that means it must be several hours after awakening because Maggie never smiles just after awakening. I must also point out "Maggie's George" as Maggie calls him, who Maggie just very excitedly noticed in this picture.

Susannah has a pretty smile too.

"I'm so cute."

Susannah loves to bounce in her seat suspended from the door frame, and Maggie likes to entertain her while she's in it. As long as Maggie isn't grabbing the straps and violently pushing her to narrowly miss the walls in the hallway, this is a good thing.

Maggie reading from her prayer book to Susannah.

"I know I'm cute."

P.S. This "pink doggie dress" is Maggie's absolute favorite. She would wear it for days on end if we let her, and it is always her first choice when I ask her what she wants to wear. Most days, I have to tell her it's dirty, to which she replies, "I'll wash it."

Pile of Cat

And we pause our regularly scheduled cute-child updates to bring you this important message:

Faust and Opie can be pretty cute too.

Staying with Friends in Quincy

A couple of weeks ago, we and a couple of other families from Chicago traveled southwest in Illinois (Andy: "Good, I finally get to see the rest of the state."), past our state's capitol (Andy: "I think I saw a gold dome!"), to the home of The Cheese People. A hour or so away from Quincy, we stopped for lunch with a friend of mine who I'd met online through a Yahoo Group. We had a great time meeting in person, and I'm sorry we didn't think to take a picture together! Laura, thanks for meeting us!

On to the Quincy photos!

Dad, even though nearly all of us congregating in Quincy were or are "in the business" we still don't always slice the cheese straight. But at least we're capable of doing so if necessary.

Maggie and friend Josephine in an obligatory co-bathing shot.

Sunday, we had the privilege of visiting St. Raphael Mission. They have a lovely storefront church and were very welcoming to us and the multitude of children we brought with us.

A matinée presentation of some children's classic, complete with popcorn, followed church. (From left to right: Evalina, Sonia, Maggie, Josie)

Maggie made good use of the available art supplies.

The littlest Hanchett, Gabriella.

Our hostess, Sarah, giving Josie a goodbye hug.

Thanks for a lovely weekend, Hanchetts!

Christopher Gary Kubat

MADISON
Christopher Gary Kubat, age 27, of Madison, passed away on Friday, Feb. 29, 2008, from injuries sustained in a traffic accident. He was born on Oct. 13, 1980, in West Allis, the son of Gary and Nancy (Voss) Kubat. Christopher was a 1999 graduate of James Madison Memorial High School. He married Virginia O'Dell on June 29, 2002, in Madison. Christopher was family oriented and enjoyed spending time with his family. He was an avid Colts fan and Badgers fan. He enjoyed sports, hunting, camping and snowmobiling. Christopher was a Polar Plunge participant and an Eagle Scout with Troop No. 420. Christopher was a member of St. Mary of Lourdes Catholic Church in Belleville. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; two children, Anna and Peyton; his parents, Gary and Nancy Kubat; a sister, Tracy (Shaun) Hall; two brothers, Jeffrey (Sarah Pabich) Kubat and Kevin Kubat; maternal grandparents, Harry (Jane) Voss; his paternal grandmother, Margaret Kubat; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Dean (Robin) O'Dell. He is further survived by aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Harold Kubat; Virginia's grandfather, Marvin Blizzard; a cousin; and an uncle. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH, 602 Everglade Drive, Madison, on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, at 10 a.m. with Monsignor Donn Heiar presiding. Burial will be in St. Andrews Catholic Cemetery in Verona. Visitation will be at the GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL HOME, 7435 University Ave., Middleton, on Monday, March 3, 2008, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Friends may also call on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until time service at the church.
Gunderson West Funeral and Cremation Centers 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761 www.gundersonfh.com

Memory Eternal

My high school friend, Virginia, recently lost her husband in a car accident. The accident was caused by a semi driver who lost control of his vehicle on an icy road.

Chris Kubat passed away February 29, 2008.
His young family will miss him dearly.

May his memory be eternal.

Hal's Sleepover

Since the snow (mentioned in the previous post) was rapidly covering everything and no one wanted to go out in it, Hal slept on our floor.

Maggie and Susannah are ready for bed and saying goodnight to Uncle Hal.

As soon as the kids were awake, so was Hal. Susannah thinks Hal makes a good baby seat.

"How crazy should I be while I show off for Uncle Hal?"

Maggie and Susannah Representin'

Here are Maggie and Susannah wearing gifts from their aunt and uncle.

This is Susannah's Swamp Buddies shirt -- a Christmas gift from Uncle Hal.

Here's Maggie wearing a Purdue sweatshirt from Aunt Ellie and taking a stroll on an absurdly warm February day. Of course, as soon as we got outside, it started drizzling and then ended up snowing, leaving Hal stranded on our living room floor (ah, just like old times).

Here's the shirt up close. You can almost read it.

Andria's Big Test

My friend since high school, Andria, came for a visit in order to take a big test (have you found out how you did yet?). She and I went out for cake and coffee at Taste of Heaven -- it was delicious. If you ever go, get their Jeanine Cake or the Lemon Cloud Cake. Amazing.

Then Maggie made sure Andria brushed her teeth,

and tucked her into bed with a story. It took some convincing to get Maggie to leave the bed and let Andria get some sleep.

Thanks for visiting, Andria!

Ohio Visit Part II

Ok, I'm trying a different approach to posting. Maybe it will ultimately take less time if I upload all the photos first, and then add the text. Only problem with that is I have to think backwards and begin with the final photo. Whatever.

After visiting the old Kishler plot, we made a trek out to the oldest Catholic Church in Ohio. The current building is the third to occupy this spot, but it was erected in the 1800's, so it's still not new!

The beautiful stained glass windows originated in Germany and were most recently taken from a church in New York. This is the Annunciation of Christ by Gabriel to Mary.

This is a replica of the original church building on this property. The congregation quickly outgrew it.

When we returned to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we were visited by this large bird that we determined to be some type of eagle. If I would have posted this in January (or, come on, in February even), I might have remembered it's name.

And here I am messing up history (as Jesse observed) by holding the wrong kid for a photo (Laurel's future children: "Who's that, Mom? That's not grandma in this photo!")

Blessings on your Holy Baptism, Baby Laurel!

Ohio Visit Part I

Forgive me for how long it has taken to post these photos and memories!

Back at the end of January we traveled to Ohio for Cousin Laurel's baptism. We actually don't have photos of the baptism itself (I always forget to take out my camera until the end of a trip), but we had a lot of fun on Monday that I managed to photograph.

We began the day at a coffee shop (The Coffee Ward) where they had kid-sized recliners that Maggie loved.

We had the idea that we might be able to get all four kids to smile simultaneously and capture it on film.

It was slightly easier to get both Laurel and Susannah to at least look pleasant at the same time. Of course, this was facilitated by Laurel falling asleep mid shoot.

This photo turned out pretty cute.

Next we visited the graveyard where the Fairfield County Kishler Patriarchs are buried (they are the first two of seven generations of Kishlers to have lived in this area, I think).

John Kishler. 1769 - 1843

Christine Kishler

Mary Kishler

Daniel Kishler

Notice the tree growing into these tombstones. I wish I'd gotten a photo of it from farther away. Anyway, I'll continue in the next post, because I'm afraid of losing any more photos into Blogger Never-Never Land (as has happened many times with this post).