Dorothy Mae Robertson Rolli

Matthew's Nana passed away this morning.  Nana will be greatly missed.  Here are some memories we will always hold dear:

Matthew:  Matthew remembers summers with Nana.  Playing cards with Nana was a big part of their time spent together.  At one point in Nana's life she was paralyzed, after 20+ years she recovered miraculously, Matthew would assist Nana at the grocery store during this time.  They'd hop in her baby blue Pinto and head to the grocery store.  As a reward Nana allowed Matthew to choose a comic book.  Nana also played hide-and-seek with Matthew, they had to use their imaginations since Nana couldn't really walk around to hide.  Nana told me once that she remembered Matthew saying, "Are you up a shree?"  "Are you down a shree?"  I guess Matthew hadn't mastered the /t/ sound at that point.  There was also a time when Matthew and Nana were headed back to the farm from Nana's house and they brought a bunch of pennies with them as they were going to play "Garbage" with the pennies.  Well they had left the pennies on top of the baby blue Pinto and when going around a corner the pennies fell all over the road.  I believe they stopped to grab as many as they could but the road was tarred over soon after.  That corner is still named "Penny Corner".

Me:  Nana is quite possible the most prim and proper lady I knew.  Her home was immaculate and everything was cleaned and decorated just so.  Oh to see her table scape when we would all go to her tiny summer home on Rolli Rd.  The dishes and serving pieces were always placed in just the right spots.  Her fried chicken and pie crusts...... oh my goodness!!!  Matthew and I had the foresight to ask her to put together some recipes for us.  A year before we were married Nana gave us some of her favorite recipes in a recipe card holder.  Her scalloped corn is one of my favorites.  I do have her pie crust recipe, too.  Nana also gave me a very special gift.  She had received tiny cordial glasses from her husband on their 1-year anniversary, they were passed to me, a grand-daughter-in-law.  I am still quite honored.  I will always remember how much she loved my Isaiah and Anna.  I remember especially with Isaiah she was just so proud to hold him when he was a baby.  She got such a kick out of his big belly laugh as an infant.  We also have a beautiful picture of Nana as a little girl, about 3 or 4 years, she is in a little farm dress and her little bare feet look as if they are just itching to get back to whatever it was she was doing.  We know where Anna gets her busyness from I guess.  If given a choice, Anna would be outside in a sundress and barefoot all summer as well.

Isaiah:  My boy is sweet and tenderhearted.  He just loved giving her hugs and talking about things.  Isaiah remembers programming Nana's digital TV set-up.  Oh, Nana just thought Isaiah was a genius for getting everything set for her.  He explained it all so well too, according to our Nana.  When Isaiah was about three we were at a Rolli reunion held at a WI State Park.  This park also had a little gift shop from which a little brown Swiss Bessie Cow was purchased for Isaiah from Nana.  Isaiah remembers this and the Bessie Cow has quite a special place in his heart.

Anna:  Anna's favorite memory of Nana is from this past Christmas.  Anna practiced and practiced the song called, "Happy Birthday, Jesus".  When we visited Nana before the Christmas Eve service at church, Anna sang her song for Nana.  I'm not sure what made Anna want to sing this song especially for Nana, but she did.  Nana beamed.

Thank you, God, for the gift of Nana.  Thank you that Isaiah and Anna have memories of their Great-Grandma, Nana.  Thank you, for the gift of eternal life so that we who are left behind have hope, hope in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  I pray this in your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Born Again ~ Full Circle

I have always had many questions that were not getting answered, in a clear manner.  While growing up in the Catholic Church I followed along, although not very well.  I did not pay attention or understand the mystery of the mass.

After leaving the Church in the early 90's I found some answers at the evangelical church.  This was a wonderful stopping point for me.  Matthew and I were married and we started our family in the evangelical church.  My questions were getting answered.

While later attending a new church, due to our family moving, we began experiencing a new set of questions.  We did not find the answers this time.  Frustration set in as the further we dug, the more questions we unearthed.

Frustration led to disappointment until a conversation we had with my dad, mom, and sister.  The conversation was emotional yet eye-opening.  We were now on the right track to explore in the right direction.  We needed something more, something deeper, something concrete.

We, as a family, are going full circle and coming home to the Catholic Church.  We are excited and relieved.  For the first time in a long time, we can breathe.  This is one of the many resources we read that helped us understand and negate the misconceptions of the Catholic Church that we received for many years.

All the new questions that Matthew and I began to have were answered, finally.  I recommend this book to all, whether wondering and disappointed or happy and content.  This book does not attack any point-of-view but rather politely explains the basis of the Christian Church.

A special thank you to my Dad for faithfully praying for me and my family for so many years.

Well, hi there!

I thought I would stop by and begin again.  We have had numerous updates and changes since the last post.  I'm quite sure many have abandoned all thoughts that I would return.  I thought it would be fun to document the next phase in our life.  I'm quite excited to see where this new journey takes our family.  More information to follow.  I am currently revamping the blog, new title, new look, new posts.  This is the "testing 1, 2, 3" blog entry.

Looong Overdue #2 - First Day 2009

Yes, the first day has come and gone. However, I now can post photos of the wondrous first day of Third grade and PreK. I also have some shots of my kiddoes going to their Open Houses the day before the first day.


We went to Anna's Open House first. The PreK program is at the elementary school. She is very excited to be in Isaiah's old school

















Then it was on to Isaiah's school to meet all of his new teachers. Third graders don't always appreciate "beginning of the year" photos. Not that I have experience with this phenomenon, it's sort of a guess.
















The real first day! Isaiah had his hood up because the skeeters were bothersome that morning. Anna's wearing the sweater my Grandma knit for me when I was a little girl. Pretty neat.

















My two little friends. One last hug before the bus arrived. Anna still cries and gets sad when Isaiah's bus pulls up. I don't mean only on the first day. I mean ev.er.y.day! She hates that he's leaving her for an entire day. You'd think she'd sort of get used to this but, alas, she does not.

Loooooong Overdue - Polk County Fair

We had a card reader issue which has since been remedied. (thank you Matthew) Due to the long standing problem our picture sharing has been back-logged. I'll start this catch-up session with the Polk County Fair held WAY back in July. It sure is a great fair, we had lots of fun this year. Here are some highlights.



This is Isaiah's recipe poster he entered. This is an original recipe created by Isaiah. His recipe is entitled "Po-tacos". If you bake a potato and heap on taco meat and other toppings you'll have a Po-taco. It's very tasty.












Close up of poster detail. Isaiah wrote everything out and even took the photos of the individual toppings.













Another close-up. We even integrated the food pyramid and Isaiah color coded ingredients to match their category in the pyramid.










Explaining all about his poster to the judge. She asked a lot of neat questions.














Poster, certificate and ribbon on display.













Anna volunteered to assist Auggie the Clown. I really don't know what he would have done without her.













Our 4H club worked a shift at the 4H Food Booth. Isaiah's job was a general cleaner. He cleaned tables, cleared trash and kept the floor clean.















Anna participated in the pedal pull while Isaiah and Papa worked at the food booth. She came in 4th place for her age category. This is one place away from attending the state pedal pull competition. I had no idea there was such a thing. Anna is bound and determined to attend the state pull next year. Her new hobby is eating spinach, think Popeye power. She's in training.














Papa, Isaiah and Anna even snuck in some fun while at the fair. I wanted no part of this type of "fun". I just took the photo.

Fall Sports Fun

School has started in full swing as have fall sports. We have two new items on the playlist this year folks. Flag Football and Soccer.

Isaiah is playing flag football, his first time. He has a really, really, really great coach so I'm positive they'll have a winning season. I mean REALLY great coach. He's cute too. Okay, okay enough of that. Isaiah is really enjoying flag football and of all the sports he's tried football may just be the ticket. As a mom I've had a blast watching him play. It's fun.

Anna is playing soccer for the first time too. She has wanted to play soccer since she could walk. Seriously. I'm not sure how this love for soccer came to be either. She was an infant the last time Isaiah played soccer so she certainly doesn't remember watching her big brother. Anna is prepared though, she's had her soccer ball, it's pink, since she was 18 months old. Anna received the ball for Christmas from either Isaiah or Matthew, can't remember now. The ball isn't quite as pink as it used to be but yesterday it got it's first trial as a real, honest to goodness soccer ball. It's sort of like the teddy-bear story about Corduroy.




Anna is the peanut in green socks. She's practicing the skill of stopping the ball. (notice her "pink" ball, yep, it looks white now)

One of the best things about soccer is the fact that your two best friends are on your team. Just ask Anna, she'll tell you the very same. From left to right is Emma, Anna and Ally. Emma and Ally are twins. Very convenient for Anna. We sort of consider the girls triplets. It's easier this way.

Here we have the triplets, I mean Ally, Anna and Emma, speaking with their coach.

Anna will conquer the sport of soccer, I have no doubt.

On to flag football. Isaiah is celebrating their 2nd victory. His team is 2-0. Guess who took this photo. Anna! I thought my mom took this shot. This is pure happiness caught on film. Actually it's a digital photo so I'm not really sure what it's caught on?

Isaiah's in there. Gray shirt, dark gray shorts and white socks. Not sure if this was while they were on offense or defense but they sure look intense don't they?

Getting ready for the play to start. His coach is the tall guy in the tan shirt and gray shorts. Looks surprisingly like my husband. These two sure are having fun.

Step Aside

Anna will be getting registered for Soccer this morning. Initially I was planning to take both children along to registration. Matthew's plans have changed and he will now be at home this morning. Due to past experiences I decided I might get through the registration process a bit faster sans children. I mentioned this to Anna stating it won't take long and she can hang out with Papa until I return.

To which Anna replied, "Mama, you better take me to registration. They might hafta ask me questions about me. Well, they might need to ask you questions too, but you better just take me along."

Fiscal Geography

Overheard conversation between Isaiah and Anna:

I: Anna, that coin is mine.

A: Ee-ah (what she still calls Isaiah, although she can pronounce his name just fine), I want dat one.

I: Anna, that one is mine. You can have this one.

A: What is it?

I: This one is quarter, it's for humans. The other one is just a Euro you can't spend it here anyways.

(I'm quite positive Isaiah meant no offense to all our friends that use a Euro as their currency)

Africa

Conversation at the Rolli house this morning:

Isaiah: I'm going to grow up and build a house in Africa.
Me: You're leaving me and going to Africa?
Isaiah: Yeah, I want a pet giraffe and elephant.
Matthew: Go to Como Zoo.

Early Bathtime

Lots of fun was had outside today. I find it ironic that this morning I assumed it would be too wet to play outside, due to the morning rain.

Sand is much more fun when it's wet.

This is what happens when I say, "Sure, I don't mind if you add water to the sand."

Sword of Light.... or not so much

We had a very busy, fun-filled day today (more on that later). Last night we were all up late watching the fireworks in Osceola. Because of our busy day today and late night last night we're relaxing in the living room at the moment watching old cartoons on the Boomerang channel. At the moment Thundaar the Barbarian happens to be on the TV.

Apparently Thundaar's weapon of choice is the Sword of Light.

While watching Thundaar restore good to the world and defeat all those bad guys that go around causing destruction in their path Anna spilled some soda on the floor. No worries, our resident hero, Papa, took care of the spill.

Matthew said to Anna, "No problem! I have my OWN of Sword of Light."

Anna said, "Where?"

Matthew then clarified, "Well, actually, it's more like a Domestic Towel of Cleanliness!"

Somehow Sword of Light sounds a bit tougher. I will say, however, the Towel of Cleanliness did a nice job cleaning up the soda.

Art Camp

Last week Isaiah went to Art Camp. He had a blast, as always. The theme was Wild,Wild West. Yee Haw! He not only practiced the visual arts but also the performing arts. Very fun! All week the excellent counselors at St.Croix Art Barn in Osceola plan neat projects for the kids to work on and they run around outside and play big group games that all campers play. On Friday, last day of camp, the children put on some sort of performance. Last year Isaiah was in a play and this year it was a cowboy fashion show (to show off all their projects) and a line dance. This is so out of Isaiah's comfort zone it's not even funny. He did it though. (even with all those people looking at him....gasp

Gramps and Grammy came to see the performance.

Getting ready for the big dance.

Walking very quickly off stage during the cowboy fashion show. Again, not Isaiah's element.

Isaiah you did great!

Dear Matilda,

I know you enjoy our new home. You have found a perfect spot to relax while the two-legged dogs eat their meals. It is ingenious really.

You have never in the 18 months you have lived with us ever, ever begged for a handout. You are a super dog. You simply sit in advantageous locations where there is a slight possibility of a crumb or two falling. If, then, a small morsel happens to fall you simply snatch it up for the sole purpose of making my job of cleaning the floor easier. I understand and appreciate your efforts.

I must warn you, however, when the shortest two-legged dog named Anna is enjoying an ice cream cone you may want to relax a little further away from your normal spot. No real reason, just a precautionary measure.

Thank you.

love,

Katie

Rainbows and Football

I was driving Isaiah to art camp today and he asked if we could ever drive to a rainbow. I said we could not and then explained, scientifically, all the reasons we could not actually get to a rainbow.

I continued driving and wasn't paying much attention to Isaiah and Anna's conversation (argument?). I believe it had something to do with talking rainbows and flowers.

Isaiah then felt the need to explain the unrealistic characteristic of speech among inanimate objects. Other than this I really wasn't paying much attention.

My ears perked up when I heard Isaiah say, "Anna, in real life flowers don't talk, rainbows don't sing, mountains don't have mouths, those star things aren't real and girls don't have football-shaped heads."

I said, "Are you talking about Dora?"

Bargain

Isaiah just informed me he had a great idea for the day.

I: Mom, I think we should go to the zoo today.
M: Why?
I: I want to go to the zoo and bargain for the zebra or giraffe.
M: Bargain?
I: Yeah, I want to bargain for the the zebra or giraffe.
M: You mean, like buy?
I: Yeah, I think I could bargain for the zebra for about 50.
M: 50 ... dollars?
I: Yeah. (then he looked at me like you silly mama and said...) No, Mom 50 cents, ha.
M: hmm, yeah that'd be fun.

I'm going to vote to just stick with the original plan and go to Grammy and Gramps' house.