Got this email from Donna today:

“Well, Jake is certainly making a name for himself in our neighborhood….people are amazed at how well-haved (thanks to you) he is…if they see him outside they come out to visit and watch his race-track routine around not just our house, but our next door neighbors yard as well…he goes so fast, that he almost caught a deer’s disappearing tail, as it leapt the creek and went into the woods….but was so well behaved that as soon as Dale yelled “Jake-Stop” he did!! Don’t get me wrong…he has gone into the creek after the ducks, and generally just has a real good time . he’s very welcome in our next door neighbors yard ( and house ) but last night the neighbor had on a real strange looking hat and I finally heard him do some serious barking (Jake, not the neighbor)…he DID NOT like that that!!

“On Oct. 30 my husband had a heart attack, and Jake was my very comforting compainion while he was in the hospital…now that Dale is home for a while to recuperate, Jake is completely attached to him.

“We put the Christmas tree up this weekend, and so far , his tail has only knocked 2 ornaments off of it. I’m sure Jake will make out like a bandit at gift-giving time…..everybody loves him!!!

“Well. just wanted to let you know he is doing fine…and to wish you all a very Happy Holiday season!”

We miss him very much, but it warms our hearts to know he is so loved!!

Halloween pictures… These were taken with Marlie’s Mommy’s camera.

A little over a week ago, there was a Parent Night at your school. All the kids and all the parents ate lasagna in the classroom with your teachers. It was fun! Here you are eating with your good friend Marlie…

There were MANY dessert choices! (We each brought in either a salad or a dessert.) Is this a little slice of Heaven or what?!?

This place is certainly an important part of your life, Peanut Butter. It is your community. When you arrive in the morning, many little kids’ voices shout, “Hi MAYA!!” And you can tell your teachers really love you. It’s a good, good thing to know how safe and happy you are when we can’t be with you.

Rochester has different sculptures of horses ALL over town. Isn’t this a fun one?!? It makes us giggle every time we come! There is a sweet story about these pictures by the horse. On the drive to gymnastics, I accidentally deleted a number of very sweet pictures of you on your bike. You listened to me lamenting my loss, “I lost all those pictures of you on your bike… that makes Mommi very sad.” You looked so concerned, I asked “Will you smile again for me… maybe by the horse?” Without skipping a bit you said enthusiastically, “Yeah. Sure!” And you did! You are so wonderful!!

This is Ms. Jan – your teacher… You really seem to love gymnastics. The first parents’ night is in 2 weeks! I can’t wait to see what you’ve learned!! Love you Peanut!

One of my favorites for sure (an expression I am all too familiar with 🙂 )

You will ALWAYS be a princess to me!

And some random summer pictures to show you how incredible you are…

9/6/07 “I came in about 9:15am and Maya was the 1st one to welcome me with a great smile. She grabbed my hand! They all seemed happy and ready for a fun-filled day! Maya is an awesome jumper!! She climbed and jumped off the platfrom in the muscle room. Maya really likes to receive praise… this really encourages her to engage more! Maya received a sticker today for listening and cleaning up after herslef. She was one of two children who received a sticker!!” -Maritza

9/7/07 “I came in at 11:45am and they were eating lunch. Maya ate meatloaf and 2 servings of fruit an d milk. She was ALL smiles!! She took a 1.5 hr nap. She sat on the potty twice but only went once. This was great!! Hooray… She received a sticker for this… And a little parade… I noticed today that Maya voluntarily decided to clean up the books that were on the floor and the couch…” -Maritza

9/10/2007 “Maya seemed very happy today!! She enjoyed all the centers today. She played with playdough, shaving cream with food coloring, babies and baby clothes, and the train set. She participated in all the activities and followed all directions. Great Day!!” -Maritza

9/18/2007 “Maya had a very good day. She was very affectionate towards her friends. Lots of hugs and kisses!! Centers: train set, tools and blocks, potato head, coloring pencils, people in house. Maya played first with coloring pencils – her drawing is in her mailbox. Tools next, then people in the house.”

9/23/2007 I logged that you had gone pee pee on the potty THREE times and poo poo on the potty once on Sunday. Maritza was very excited to hear you had such a great day… This is what she wrote the next day: “Potty training can be very exciting and fun. It’s great to hear about it!! Maya is a very sweet girl! Very affectionate!! It’s great working with her. She played with the tool set and babies with clothes (dressing) during centers.” -Maritza

9/27/2007 “Both regular teachers are out today – The Spruces (that’s you!) did very well – however, potty routine was a little “off” for Maya today – hope to have more success in the p.m. Maya enjoyed showing us her dancing moves today – she poured sand into many different sized containers at the sand tables. She also enjoyed playdough and block building. outside, she’s working those legs on the swings & loving the bikes!!” – Bonnie

We see the same wonderful things in you Miss Maya –
* a beautiful, full-of-life spirit
* a strong little body and will
* creative and talented
* caring and affectionate
You are LOVING bike-riding and playdough at home too. I think you would swim three times a day if we would take you. You are into watching Dora the Explorer 15-minute movies, and George is your favorite TV cartoon. You’re still a huge jumper – I bought you a little standing, in-door trampoline at a consignment sale last week, and you haven’t stopped jumping on it! You’ve been saying “I love you, Mama” just out of the blue. You still squeeze my cheeks together with your little hands and put your nose about an inch from mine and say, “I’m so proud of you!” in your awesome two-year old voice. Melts my heart every time!

When we say grace before meals, we hold hands and usually sing. You always choose “Itsy Bitsy Spider” for your prayer…. sooo we sing Itsy, Bitsy Spider and end with some enthusiastic Amen’s! You also consistently insist on having your elbows held instead of holding hands.

Tonight, at dinner I asked if your bananas were tasting good. Without missing a beat, both index fingers of both hands were pointed straight up to the sky with an enthusiastic, “TASTES GWEAT!!” Your Daddy and I laughed and laughed…. Seriously, what joy you bring into this world!!

Thank you for being you!
I love you to pieces, Your Mommi

I have some sad news… your Great (in many respects of the word) Aunt Margaret died this week. She is Oma’s little sister. And she is your Mommi’s Godmother as well as Aunt. We are all very sad as we will miss her very much, but we know that she is in Heaven with God experiencing JOY beyond our understanding! She doesn’t hurt anymore. She doesn’t feel sad anymore. She is peaceful. God is good, Peanut. God is good. (I pasted her obituary at the bottom of this message as a little reminder for all of us of the amazing person she was… what an inspiration.)

Oma and all the rest of us will miss her very much. To cheer Oma up a bit, I thought I’d post some more fun pictures of you.

New Sneakers

Mommi went shopping with her friends Judi and Meg… We didn’t even KNOW we were trying on the same clothes… hehehehe…

You are SUCH a fast runner, and you LOOOVE to run!

Here are some from last weekend when we went to Springdale Farm for a fall festival and apple picking with Jimmiqua:

And here are some fun pictures of you and I at the farm… Your Opa will probably especially love these!! Hi Opa!!!

We hope these pictures give you a little smile, Oma. KNOW that we are loving you to pieces… Our hearts are hurting with yours…

*Margaret L. Fromm

Margaret Louise Fromm, 63, of Sparta died Thursday, September 27, 2007, at
Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse after a two and a half year
battle with ovarian cancer. She was born on March 23, 1944 in Lincoln,
Nebraska, to Edwin and Ellen (Meyer) Friedrich. As a pastor¹s daughter, she
moved several times to rural Minnesota towns during her youth. She graduated
from Rushford High School in 1962. Marge attended Concordia Teacher¹s
College in both St. Paul, Minnesota, and Seward, Nebraska, graduating with a
degree in Elementary Education in 1966.

She married Wallace E. Fromm on June 12, 1965, in Belevidere, Minnesota.
Marge taught in a rural Nebraska town for one year before they moved to
Williamsburg, Iowa. She also taught for one year in Iowa before the birth of
their first child, Lowell in 1967. For several years, she was the secretary
of their church. Marge and Wally had three more children, Beth, Clay, and
Julie, before moving to Sparta, Wisconsin in 1973.

In 1980, Marge began a lifelong career, culminating as the Library Director,
at the Sparta Free Library. As a devoted employee, she was respected,
admired, and loved by those that knew her. Because of her declining health,
she retired in June of 2006.

Not the stereotypical image of a librarian, Marge loved adventure and being
outdoors. She spent numerous vacations sailing, both on area lakes and on
Lake Superior, biking on trails throughout the state, white water rafting
along the rivers of the Appalachian Mountains, cross country skiing,
camping, and canoeing along area rivers. She also enjoyed reading, playing
card and board games and, more than anything, spending time with her
children and grandchildren.

Marge was a member of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church. Her faith in God has
sustained her through many challenges in life. She has met difficulty with
uncomplaining strength, joy and love that could only come from the Lord.
Church attendance, prayer, Bible and devotional reading have all given her
much hope through the hardest of times. We rejoice that she now has met
Jesus face to face and look forward to spending our eternity with her.
She is survived by her husband Wallace, of Sparta, her son Lowell Fromm,
also of Sparta, her daughter Beth (Darren) Pierce, of Marion, Iowa, her son
Clay (LaRae) Fromm, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her daughter, Julie (John)
Falkers of Viroqua, Wisconsin, and nine grandchildren: Dustin and Cassandra
Pierce, Michael, Benjamin, and Tabitha Fromm, Rachel, Andrew, Joseph, and
Hannah Falkers, her mother Ellen Friedrich of Austin, Minnesota, her brother
Gustav Friedrich of Highland Park, New Jersey, her sister Miriam (Lloyd)
Luehmann of Austin, Minnesota, her sister Mary (Chuck) Rohe of Zumbrota,
Minnesota, her sister Muriel (Gene) Stark of Prior Lake, Minnesota, and her
sister Marilyn Friedrich of Huntington Beach, California.
She was preceded in death by her father, Edwin Friedrich, and a sister,
Martha Friedrich Fendt.

Funeral services will be Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran
Church, Sparta, with Reverend Mark Wessel officiating. Burial will be in
St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Cemetery, Sparta. Family and friends are invited to call at Lanham-Miller Funeral Home, Sparta, on Sunday from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m and at St. John¹s Ev. Lutheran Church from 10 a.m. until the time of services. Online condolences may be
offered at www.lanham-miller.com. Memorials may be given in Marge’s memory to St. John’s Lutheran Church Building Fund and to the Sparta Free Library. The Lanham-Miller Funeral Home, Sparta is assisting the family with funeral arrangements.

You started real gymnastic classes for the first time this week. You will have a 45-minute lesson with 3-year olds and Miss Jan once a week. Miss Jan has been teaching at this gymnastics center for over 15 years. Everyone raves about how great she is working with little tykes like you. Many of her students end up in the “accelerated” program called PERKY… that’s gotta crack you up – it does me. So you might be a PERKY next year. Hee hee… can’t even type it without laughing.

Anyway, you had a FANTASTIC time! They have incredible equipment. I think the lessons will teach you how to channel that amazing energy and fantastic strength and coordination that you demonstrate all the time. I’m sure most parents say things like this, but you have always had surprisingly strong athletic potential – you throw very well and quite often very on target. You climb better than most of your peers. You jump confidently and competently off of very tall things… landing firmly on 2 feet. When I take you to classes with other 2 year olds (like at the Little Gym), you are the first in line and you can do the things (like a front roll) without any help. Your daycare teachers comment on this agility as well.

Anyway, I think gymnastics will give you a good start for whatever you decide to do… soccer, dance, football (right Auntie Amy?)…

Here are some pictures I was successful in sneaking from the night:

By the way – they don’t let parents even WATCH you. It was quite painful for me. I so wanted to know what you were doing…. so I sneaked around to the corner of your classroom about four times to peek in on you. I got yelled at once bu the secretary, but that just means I need to also sneak by her next time. It was fun to see you sit on your circle and watch so attentively waiting for your turn to give it a try! You have such an incredible spirit… I love you Peanut Butter!

Okay – so this is the last BIG event that I missed out on blogging about this summer. Early July, Daddy and I went to Niagra-on-the-Lake for a couple days and Oma and Opa flew to Rochester have special time with you while we were gone.

These pictures are from your wonderful time with them… and some others… These pictures came from Oma and Opa’s camera and include not only their visit to Rochester, but also a wedding in Minnesota, and Niklas’s baptism in Michigan.

Opa and Opa, Uncle Mark, Aunt Bi and Niklas (as well as Aunti Bi’s parents) went to my cousin Kayla’s wedding in Minnesota. As you can see, she is a BEAUTIFUL bride!!

4 Generations Again – How GREAT

Niklas’s Baptism at the River and Family Time Following