It's a BABY!!!!!!!

It's official news!!!!  Here's the first sonogram of baby Waterman who is due November 5th.  We are very excited to be parents of a little baby and are happy for our families.  This will be the 11th grandchild on the Waterman side and 6th grandchild on the Lane side.  We will try to keep the blog update to date with all the latest news of our new addition.  Baby is very healthy and our next appointment is April 25th.  Paul has been a big help around the house.  I'm so thankful that I'm not sick, but I'm really tired and like to EAT!  We enjoy hearing from you.  Have a fantastic week!

Spring break

Well, last week was spring break for UNI and West high where Carlos goes to school.  Carlos was busy with soccerr (of course!) and we both worked.  Friday we all three had the day off which hasn't happened in a long time so we made the best of it.  We hung around Waterloo and our house to get a few things done and took the dogs for a walk.  Then we had a nice lunch and headed to Cedar Rapids to do some shopping.  We hung at Planet X for a couple of hours and the boys had a good time taking in all the events.  Even if little kids did cheat while they were playing laser tag.  Paul was called "old" by one of the cheating kids!!!  Saturday we spent more time at home and running errands and then headed to Edgewood to see Paul's grandparents.  Had super with the Hamlett's for Grandma's birthday!!!  Sunday was the usual routine around the Waterman house and I got my 2 1/2 hour nap in as well.  There was some outstanding basketball on as well.  We didn't get everything done on our list, but it was good to spend some time as a family.  It was a rough weekend with Carlos so if anyone has tips on raising a teenager that expects to get everything he wants and has no $$$  please let us know.  My dad is currently in Chicago having some pre-op tests done the next two days as he prepares for hip surgery at Northwestern!  We are excited for him and a better life he will have after the surgery. 

We love to hear from you so leave comments, give us a call, or stop by our house in Waterloo!

Welcome to the blog!

Greetings! For those of you who have just joined the blog- welcome! We have taken a bit of time off as life has been pretty hectic. We will be better about more regular updates and I am nudging Melissa to give an entry a try! With that said- here are a few updates on what is going on with our family.

We just recently returned from a quick trip to Peoria. Our time was spent hanging out with family and especially spending some quality time with Melissa’s grandparents. We had fun going to the beauty shop, the bank, and out to eat. A soon-to-be congratulations goes out to Melissa’s brother and sister-in-law, as they will be having another baby in the next seven days! Thanks to Dave and Wanda for their hospitality!

Sunday, Carlos and myself (along with the Smothers family) had the opportunity to celebrate the Hartman Reserve Maple Syrup Festival! During a Volunteer Tuesday event at UNI, I got to work closely with my boss and co-worker to help the nature reserve prepare for this annual event. After hiking through the woods and checking buckets for sap, learning from the syrup-maker how the process works, and standing in line for 45 minutes, we made it to the front of the line. Chris Cakes brought a big rig and made 4 dozen pancakes at one time! I was amazed by both the efficiency and the speed of the one made who make the cakes! After 7 pancakes (along with butter and milk from Hansen’s Dairy), topped with real, homemade, Hartman-Reserve maple syrup. I was stuffed, but the food was great and was a great reminder to buy fresh- buy local!

Wedding bells are in the air. No Carlos is not getting married, but we do have many friends who are at various stages in the process. Kelli and Mike are getting hitched Memorial Day weekend, Kyle and Alisha as well as Deanna and Jonathan tie the knot in August, and Kim and Dusty are to be wed in September! Janessa and her now fiancé just got engaged within the last week!

Since it is Ash Wednesday- it would also be appropriate to wish you a humble and insightful Lenten journey (for those of you involved with Lent). I will be trying a variety of new things for this journey and will hopefully have many success stories to post. This year I am giving up all pop and coffee! I will also be adding a few things, including but not limited to watching less TV and updating the blog on a more regular basis! We are interested in knowing what you are changing in your life for Lent. Feel free to post and let us know what you are doing, and hopefully we can provide some support. If you post and keep us updated- I will post your updates on our blog as well!