Shout Out to Mom and Dad

The other day, my mom and I were talking and she said something to me that really got me thinking. She said, “Your dad and I were talking this morning and it dawned on me. I am done raising you. There is nothing more I can teach you, I can no longer “parent” you, I’m done. From here I can only guide you and give you my opinion. You are an adult now and self sufficient. You are able to make your own decisions.” It really got me thinking. Are we really ever “done” being a parent? I don’t think, as a parent, no matter what the age your children are, you never really stop worrying about them and for the health, safety and well-being, but I do think my mom raises a good point. Now I am older, graduated college, have a career, am a wife and mother, and our relationship has changed - and in an amazing way. While we will always have that "parent/child" relationship, it now goes deeper than that. I can confide in my parents the way I would a friend, and the best part is, they totally get me! They know exactly what I like, what I don’t like, how I think. They know where I came from and what I want out of life. It is no longer their responsibility to take care of me, but rather enjoy me and my family. It is such a special relationship and I am so lucky that we have that bond together.

This whole parent thing is still a strange concept for Bob and I to wrap our hands around. We have fallen into a good routine of bottles, diapers, feeding, rocking, playing and caring for Anna. I have no doubt in our ability to take care of her, but we haven’t really had to make any of the big decisions yet. Where will she go to school? When will we let her pierce her ears or wear make up? What age will we let her date? What will her curfew be? Some of this stuff totally freaks me out. When I was a teenager I was never concerned about my safety when I was out and about with my friends, I really never thought anything bad would happen. Looking back, some of things I did probably weren’t the best decisions I have ever made. I have a whole new respect for my parents…they had to have faith in me I would make good decisions and now Bob and I will have to put the same faith in Anna and in ourselves to teach her the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and how to make good decisions – talk about the ultimate responsibility!

Everyone says, when you have a baby, all the hard work, sleepless nights, and sacrifices are worth it when they smile and laugh at you. Don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt that Anna’s smile doesn’t melt my heart, but I believe the sacrifices we will make will utlitmately be worth it when Anna is older and Bob and I have the same relationship with her as we do our parents now – what a gift that will be! Thanks mom and dad for all you have done for us kids - it wasn’t until I became a parent myself that I truly understood the sacrifices you have made!

Go Pack Go!

Things certainly are getting exciting here in Green Bay. Last weekend, the Packers were able to beat the Bears in their final game of the regular season, ensuring themselves the wild card in the play offs. Growing up I was never really that interested in football, but once I started dating Bob I quickly learned…if I wanted to hang out on Sundays, I better learn the game and now I cannot imagine not cheering on the Packers every Sunday! I was fortunate enough to go to the game and watch the excitement go down from the 1st row. I have never been that close to professional football and it was quite the experience and was very thankful for the opportunity. Not only was it great to be so close the action, it was also exciting to take in all of the sideline chaos…from security, local and national TV cameras, TV personalities, players, there was so much to see . The most exciting part of the game for me was after the game had ended, before running through the tunnel, Rogers, Jennings, and Driver, ran around the field slapping everyone’s hands before going in to the locker room. I had told my dad jokingly before going to the game - I was going to be sitting so close I would be able to slap Rogers on the behind….little did I know, I really would get the opportunity to slap his hand!!!

While Bob and I both love to cheer on the Packers, we all know Bob is a much bigger fan and certainly invests more energy and emotion into the Packers each season, so I felt kind of guilty going to the game without him. I appreciate his understanding and encouraging me to go and have fun – thanks sweetie, I love you!!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Bob and I went back and forth on what we would do for New Years 2010. We contemplated going out to a party we were invited to, but it just didn't seem right to not ring in the new year with our little Anna Rae, so we decided we would just stay in, make a fancy dinner, and celebrate as a family. A week before Christmas, I was out shopping with my mom, Peg, and Anna, and found a ridiculously cute dress at Ann Taylor that I couldn't resist and was marked down from $248 to $29.99. So then I decided we would join my parents at Thornberry for the night, as they were attending their annual formal for New Years and it would be a great place to wear my spanking new dress. After further discussion, we decided that while the dress was adorable, Bob would have to rent a tux and that would negate the money I saved on the dress. So the dress is tucked safely away in my closet for another time.

A few days later we were talking with Bob's parents and decided we would spend New Year's Eve with Paul, Lois, and Brad at our house. We had a great time - instead of a fancy dinner, we made one of our favorite meals, Cincinnati skyline chili. If you have never had it, it comes highly recommended by the Seidel family. You can pick up the seasoning mix at Festival or Woodman's in Green Bay and it is super easy to make.

Our New Year's celebration consisted of a wonderful dinner, 3 hours of a very intense game of Uno Attack, mojitos, tons of laughter, and good family fun - I honestly don't think I have laughed as hard as I did Friday night in a long time. It was wonderful to spend a night in with Anna and family and celebrate what is truly important to Bob and I - the love and support of good family. The next morning, Bob and I made a commitment to each other that we will spend every New Years Eve as a family playing games and enjoying each other's company.

As I reflect back, I am overwhelmed with all we have to be thankful for in 2010 - most importantly our little Anna Rae, who is such a healthy and happy baby, good jobs, a roof over our heads, food to eat, our health, puppies who we adore, and the love and support of family and friends. While there were some lows in 2010, including the loss of Bob's grandfather, my job loss in the beginning of the year, and Michele and Mike's loss in December, I am reminded that it is those struggles that mold us into who we are and we are stronger because of those experiences. I am optimistic 2011 will be a good year. We look forward to watching Anna Rae learn to toddle around as she continues to discover her new world, Anna's baptism and first birthday, I will officially start part time at my job, and a Packer Superbowl victory - Bob's input of course!

We wish everyone a healthy and happy 2011!

Merry Christmas!

Remember when you were young and it seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive? Every year I am more amazed at how fast Christmas seems to come and go. This year, Bob and I were exceptionally excited for Christmas and to celebrate with our little Anna's. We had a great Holiday. Anna loved her gifts, and while Bob and I know she would have been happy with just ribbons and wrapping paper, we were happy to spoil her on Christmas morning. Our Christmas celebration consisted of mass on Christmas Eve, lots of family time, eating wonderful holiday food, giving and receiving gifts, and one awesome Packer win on Sunday! One of my favorite gifts was one Anna gave Bob and I Christmas morning when we were opening Santa gifts at our house. We had jokingly set a goal for Anna to roll over from her back to her belly by Christmas. The past few weeks she has been so close I just knew she would do it soon and low and behold, Christmas morning she did! Needles to say, Bob and I were just thrilled! Only now, we really need to watch her close!

Bob and I both have this week off of work so we decided to take advantage of some of our free time and booked a night up in Door County Monday night. We had an absolute blast! Bob and I have stayed at the Homestead Suites in Door County quite a few times and were so excited to share it with Anna - it is such a great place to stay - the location is awesome, the rooms have giant whirlpool tubs, they have a great pool area, free breakfast in the morning and the rates are not bad, especially during the week. We took Anna swimming for the first time, went out to dinner at the Bayside Tavern, had a nice lazy morning, did some shopping, and had amazing pizza (homemade Italian sausage, goat cheese, and wild mushroom blend) for lunch at the Wild Tomato before heading back to Green Bay.

Later this week we are looking forward to celebrating our first New Year's with Anna. It is hard to believe how much as changed in 2010 - we had many highs and lows and are very thankful for all the blessings in our life and look forward to what 2011 will bring us!

Anna on Christmas Morning!



Opening gifts from Santa on Christmas Morning!



Anna with Uncle Brad and Aunt Ann!



Anna all ready to go swimmng for the first time!



Enjoying some time in the pool with daddy!

Anna's Christmas Photo Shoot

Last weekend, our good friend Kelly came over to take some Christmas pictures of Anna. Kelly took pictures for us when we were pregnant with Anna and we really appreciated her time and talent, so when she said she would be able to take some Christmas pictures for us, we were thrilled! We had such a great time taking the pictures, especially when at one point, as I was trying to pose Anna, I am pretty sure she said "no." The pictures turned out great and we are thrilled with the results. Of course, while I love the posed pictures of Anna in her cute Christmas outfit, including her red and white tutu, Kelly continued to snap away when we were done and just chatting and the candid ones turned out even better - great eye Kelly! My favorite are the ones the capture Anna's awe and amazement with the Christmas balls from the tree - she can't seem to get enough of the red shiny balls and her reflection in them, it is just too cute!

The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped, the Christmas cards are sent, and the cookies are baked (and eaten - thanks mostly to Bob, but I forgive him!) The Seidel's are 100% ready for Christmas, it cannot come soon enough! Bob and I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Christmas morning as a family with Anna, Belle, and Oscar. We hope everyone has a wonderful and joyous holiday - stay tuned for more Christmas photos!

Baby It's Cold Out There....

So the blizzard of 2010 hit and it could not have come at a better time! Over the weekend we got close to a foot of snow, which ended up clearing out all the activities we had planned. While we were bummed we were unable to travel to Madison to celebrate Christmas with some of Bob's family, it was nice that we finally had a weekend where we were able to bunker down at home and enjoy each others company as a family. It was the perfect excuse to spend the day in our comfy clothes, watch movies and just enjoy being a family - I even made Christmas cookies! Anna got in on the cooking to - above are a few pictures of her helping mommy cook sweet and sour spare ribs in the crock pot and frosting cookies with daddy. We tried two new crock pot recipes this weekend and highly recommend both - super easy and super tasty!

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

4 lbs spare ribs
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup pineapple or guava juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB cider vinegar
2 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TB cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place ribs in foil lined shallow roasting pan. Bake 30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes. Remove from oven, slive meat into 2-rib portions. Place ribs in 5-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except cornstarch.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Uncover and skim fat from liquid.

Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup liquid from slow cooker, stir until smooth. Pour mixture back in slow cooker, mix well. Cover and cook on HIGH 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Parmesan Potato Wedges

2 LB red potatoes, cut into 1/2 in wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 TB butter cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Layer potatoes, onion, butter, oregano, salt and pepper in slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Pretty Pretty Lights Everywhere

Every year, WPS sponsors the Festival of Lights at the Botanical Gardens in Green Bay. Also, every year they pick one night where the gardens are open only to WPS employees. Given Anna's recent love and fascination for sparkly pretty lights, we decided to bundle up and headed to the Botanical Gardens tonight. It was a great event and we think Anna really enjoyed it - especially the lit up caterpillar tunnel you could walk through. We loved watching her eyes get bigger and bigger and take it all in!

On the Christmas front, we finally picked out a Christmas tree, put it up and decorated it this past weekend. It has been quite an adventure. Bob and I both love real trees and this year decided to chop one down ourselves. We picked one out from Bob's parents neighbor's (that's a mouthful!) land. When we got there, both Bob and I realized the trees weren't really our "style" but we didnt want to hurt his feelings so we did our best to pick one out we liked. By the time we got it home, we realized we were in over our heads - considering this one only cost $5.00 - we got a lot of tree for our money - it is HUGE! We decided to make the best of it and are proud of our tacky tree! While it is a little awkward, it certainly has character and we know it is a tree will never forget! Every time I look at it I can't help but laugh, and it smells amazing! We think Anna likes it as much as we do:)