My Soccer Boy

Just a few pics of Grant during his last soccer game.

Halloween 2009

Here are some pics of Halloween 2009. As you can see we all had a wonderful time.

Many Faces of Lily

Lily celebrated her 3rd birthday on October 10. I just can't believe my baby girl is 3. Check out her pics and see how much she has changed.

What a Difference 2 Years Make

Lily and I have become sooo close in the past year, she is truly my baby girl. We have our routine down, evry morning I say "morning Lily bug" and she says "morning mama bug" and giggles. We both pick out her outfit for the day and her hairstyle as well. She will either say "piggies" or "pony" which means pigtails or ponytail. As hard as the first year with her was, she has truly come into her own. She no longer cries when people come over, she does not bite out of frustration anymore and she is learning to be my Target shopping buddy.
The relationship between Lily and Grant is so very special. Although they do aggravate each other, like any typical brother and sister, they do love each other. There are days when Lily is in daycare and Grant is home with me and by lunch time he is begging me to bring her home. When we go shopping he likes to look at toys for her and will try to talk me into getting it for her. Grant will swing her on the swingset in the backyard, he will kick the soccer ball to her and pitch a baseball to her and let her hit it with his bat.
Doug and Lily have a sweet relationship as well. If Doug is not at home she will say "Call daddy" so I will call him at work so she can say "Hello" to him. I think she likes to hear his voice. When she hears the garage door open she runs from whereever she is screaming "DADDY" and will run in his arms.
I am so proud of Lily and all the milestones she has reached. I love you Lily, Thank you for letting me be your mother.

Our 2nd Gotch day

Todayy we celebrated our second Gotcha Day, celebrating Lily's adoption. It was a great day.

A Day at the Botanical Gardens

About 2 weeks ago the 4 of us, plus my mom and Doug's mom went to the Botanical Gardens for the annual Chinese festival. The day was perfect, the weather was awesome and the kiddos were so well behaved. Enjoy the pics.

Easter Egg Hunting

Just a quick pic of Lily and Grant on thier hunt.

My Fine Cooking Skills

I admit it, I am not the best of cooks. As a matter of fact, I am awful. Tonight after working at the hospital I decided to make a grill cheese for dinner with some soup. As you can see, I had a problem with the grill part, I burnt the bread so bad that the exhaust fan came on and we had to open windows to let the brunt smell out.
Here is a picture of my burnt masterpiece and the other pic is Doug explaining to Lily what happened. I need Rachel Ray.

Catching Up With Good Friends.

Saturday night my friend Marsha and her family had my family and Lisa's family over for dinner. The 3 of us, meaning Lisa, Marsha and I used to work together at Christian Northeast Hospital about 10 years ago, not only were we co-workers we were also the best of friends. We had so much fun at work, laughing all the time, and then after work we would usually go to a happy hour or do something fun. During the last 10 years we have watched Marsha get married and have a daughter, Lisa have 2 sweet little girls and of course witness Grant being born and the adoption of Lily. The other hospital staff used to call us " Charlies Angels" because we did everything together.
Thank you Marsha for cooking such an awesome dinner and hosting such a wonderful get together!!!!

Super Heros

I was not sure if I should title this Super Heros or Super Freaks.

Early Morning Fun

This morning after getting Grant on the bus, Lily and I decided to play out back. Although the weather was a little on the chilly side we are trying to give Sydney a lot of attention and play time. Poor Sydney Dog misses Ringo so much. I think Sydney, Doug and Grant are really missing him. I also miss him however, I don't miss him being miserable, depressed and suffering. I hope I don't sound heartless, but those last 2 weeks were very hard on me watching his health decline.
I am so ready for spring, I know everyone in the St. Louis area is.

Missing My Grandpa

A week ago Thursday I lost one of the most important and influential men in my life, my grandpa. My grandpa died at the age of 95 from advanced age and severe fluid retention. His name was Anthony Bracht, however he went by the name Tony. Although Grandpa Bracht was not formerly educated he was the smartest man around. He was such a hard worker, the strong silent type. He retired from Shell Oil in 1975 and spent his time gardening, fishing and most of all enjoying his grandchildren, all 10 of them. Grandpa Bracht was a true class act and he will be missed by the whole family. I like to think that God called Grandpa home to be with his wife. My Grandma Bracht died in August 2007, approximately 2 weeks after Doug and I returned from China. Grandpa really missed her, they had been married for 65 years before her passing and he would talk about her often.
I will miss you Grandpa, however I am not saying "Goodbye", I am saying "See you later"

Saying Goodbye to Ringo

On Weds, Feb 25 I had the dreadful task of putting our Border Collie, Ringo to sleep. He was in so much pain, suffering from herniated lumbar discs and severe arthritis that he could barely walk. He could no longer climb up or down stairs and needed help just to get to a standing position. He was so depressed and the look in his eyes was lifeless. I could not let him suffer any longer.
Ringo was such a good dog and he will be so missed. During his younger years Ringo could catch a Frisbee like a champ, he lived for that job and would catch Frisbee for hours if we continued to throw it to him. He was always very found of Grant from the day we brought him home from the hospital. When I look at pictures of Grant as a baby, Ringo was right there. When Grant started playing in the backyard as a little tike and I would be making dinner, Ringo would alert me if there was anyone at the fence or if Grant needed me. This was one sweet and smart canine.
The pictures above were taken the day before he passed away. I can see the sadness in his eyes.
Grant is doing pretty well with the situation. My friend Lisa, bought a book called Dog Heaven. It is so sweet and I highly recommend it for anyone.

After Lunch Laughs

Right after Lily and I ate a scrumptious lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and whatever grub I came up with I sent her to the family room to play so I could clean up the kitchen. I knew she was up to something, so when she came up to me with her backpack on, her keys and cell phone saying "Bye Bye Mama" I just cracked up. I also got a big kick when I looked in her backpack, books, lipstick and a comb. She is so my kid.

Cool School Project

Grant attends an elementary school in the Parkway school district. His teacher is Mrs. Major and she is awesome, she is always coming up with cool projects for the kids to do. In honor of presidents day the class did a project using paper plates and cotton balls to make a George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I thought it turned out good and just had to share it.

Just a couple pictures of Doug and I with Grant and Lily.

Road Trippin !!!!!!!!

This past weekend the Sattazahn family decided to take a road trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kansas. A three day getaway to just hang out as our little family of four to celebrate Valentines Day and reconnect.
The Great Wolf Lodge is a resort type of establishment that has a indoor and outdoor water park, a video arcade and a place called the Cub Club where kiddos can go and play games, play with toys and make crafts. Needless to say, Grant and Lily had a wonderful time swimming, playing and making crafts. Doug and I had a nice time also, however we came home exhausted. Now we need an adult vacation with no kids, no crafts and no video arcades. I am thinking of late nights, sleeping in late, taking in a good movie and lots and lots of adult beverages.
The pictures shown are of Grant and Lily, plus Flat Stanley just before leaving. The kids playing in the pool and playing bingo. The last one is of course, a big bear that people can sit in.

A Big THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Although this is the first time I have blogged about her or posted her picture, I have to give a Big Shout Out to my niece Jessica. I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments as of lately. When I first met Jessica she was about 7 years old and 9 years old when I married Doug. I have had the privilege to watch her grow up, graduate high school and college, land her first professional job and blossom into an incredible, dependant, kind and caring woman.
Jessica is always there to help out Doug and I with babysitting or dog sitting. The best part is that she doesn't just do it to help us, Jessica truly enjoys spending time with Grant and Lily. She will take her youngest cousins to the mall or the Zoo or even to the park. This past Sunday, Jessica and her grandma Mary Jane (Doug's mom) came over to the house at 6:45am to hang out with the kiddos so I could work my shift at the hospital. John, Grants super hero, joined in the fun around 9:00am and they all went to the Science Center. They had a wonderful time, but boy did they look exhausted. I just can't thank Jess enough for being the wonderful person that she is. I also want to add that she will do crafts with the kids and helped Grant put together a scrap book of pictures and activities that he did while Doug and I were in China adopting Lily. I don't think she knows how much that book means to Grant and I. As a matter of fact, we look at it once a week so he can tell me all the stories behind the pictures.
Happy Birthday Jess----we all Love you

Going To The Bus Stop

No matter what time we wake in the morning it seems as though we are always in a mad rush to get to the bus stop on time. Grant takes his time to get his coat and backpack on. Plus, the lunch menu needs to be gone over and evaluated. However, the real hold-up is my little Hot Pot Lily. Every morning after we put her shoes, coat, hat and gloves on, lily insist that we take a baby doll or her stuffed panda to the bus stop. Although this process can be a pain in the rump, watching her put her baby in the stroller and push it up the street makes me smile. Plus, not only does she take baby, she takes a purse with her coca cola chap stick. Enjoy the pics, they really tell the story. Make sure that you notice the 3rd picture. Lily could not get the stroller thru the snow, so she did what any good little mama would do---she picked up the stroller.