Tom & Mikey

Andrea Graduates From College

Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University

The Making Of A Star

Tonight Tom and I introduced Tobi to American Karaoke!  Since Leaman's has karaoke every other Thursday, we decided to eat dinner and stay to sing.  Tobi was a little nervous at first, but once he sang, he was HOOKED!

Celebrating Our Anniversary in Burlington

Tom and I spent the weekend in Burlington, IA at the casino for our 1st anniversary.  We had so much fun and it was needed time together!

Disney On Ice

Tom's mother got us tickets to see Disney on Ice at the IWireless center.  There was only the four of us that went (Shirley, myself, my nephew Marcus, and Skylar)

Family Game Night

All of us gathered in the living room to play Farkle

Skylar and Tobi - The Dynamic Duo

Skylar is so happy to have Tobi around, because he loves to play and be silly with her.  

Happy Birthday Tobi

This picture was taken one minute after midnight on Tobi's 17th birthday!  We are so happy we can be a part of your day!  Tobi's family called him the next day to wish him a happy birthday.

To Whom It May Concert - band practice

Since Tobi's drum set is setup in his bedroom, the boys practice almost every day in Tobi's bedroom.  It gets a little crazy but it's so fun to listen to them!

Halloween

Marcus, Kyra, Carter, Skylar

This is how I decorated the backyard for our trick or treaters!  I had spooky sounds and music playing on my laptop.

Tobi Cooks Schnitzel and Spaetzle

Tobi has been wanting to cook dinner for us ever since he arrived.  We went to the grocery store together and purchased all of the items we needed, and he walked me through how to make schnitzel and spaetzle.  We have never had this meal before, so we were all very anxious to try Tobi's favorite food to eat in Germany. 

When he arrived, he gave us all gifts.  My gift was a spaetzle maker, and this was my chance to learn how to use it! This picture shows Tobi making the spaetzle with the gift from his mother.  It's a pancake-type batter that needs to be poured onto a slotted tool (kind of like a cheese grater).  The batter drops into a boiling pot of water and makes small dumplings. 

Tobi's Schnitzel
6 thin pork cutlets
Seasoned breadcrumbs
Milk & Eggs
Oil for frying

1. Pound the pork cutlets until 1/2 inch thick.
2. Dip in milk & egg mixture.
3. Coat with seasoned breadcrumbs.
4. Fry in oil until golden brown.

Carving Pumpkins - Halloween 2010

At The Ballet

Tom and I had our date night at the ballet.  This was the last performance to ever be seen on the stage at the Capitol Theater in Davenport, we were honored to attend.  The ballet was based on a book which was written by Tom's boss at work, Mike Romke.

Steve and Tobi Prepare For Football Game - Toga!

This week's theme for the football game was "Toga," so Tobi wanted to participate.  We went to Walmart and bought a twin bed sheet and watched YouTube videos on how to make a sheet into a toga.  After many times practicing, we figured it out!  This is the boys just before they left for the game!  It was going to be cold at the game, so Tobi decided to wear warm clothes under the toga, it was still stylish!

Tobi went to the game with Kaitlyn, and they found me during to get a picture of them together!  

Football Game - Blackout

This week's theme for the football game is "Blackout," so the boys bought some black face paint in the Halloween section at Walmart and got creative.  Max came over to help get ready, and this picture was taken just before they left for the game!

Football Game - Whiteout

This week's theme is "Whiteout," which was a little more difficult to pull off than we had expected.  After a trip to the mall, Steve purchased some white skinny jeans.  Tobi bought some white shorts and used a white shirt he already had.  Luckily, the boys already had white rimmed sunglasses!  Here's Steve, Tobi, and Max just before they left for the game.

Tobi's First Taste of Whitey's Ice Cream

We went to Moline to visit my parents so Tobi can get to know them, and my Dad suggested taking the kids to Whitey's Ice Cream.  I thought this was a great idea since it's a Quad Cities staple, and sort of a tradition.  This picture was taking inside Whitey's with my Dad just after Tobi tasted the treat for the first time!

Football Game - Rock & Roll

Since this week's theme at the football game was Rock and Roll, I had to do some preparation for Tobi to have what he needed.  I went to Dollar General and found a Halloween wig and the bandana, then I went to Walmart and found this t-shirt for only a few dollars on clearance!  We used black face paint to make black lips and my eyeliner, which didn't want to wash off very well afterwards!

Tobi Meets His Soccer Teammates

We were graciously invited to a family cookout with the varsity soccer team so Tobi could meet everyone that he will be teammates with this season.  Since Tobi has only been in school for a week, he hasn't really had a chance to get to know any of these boys.  I'm really happy we were able to attend, the boys had so much fun swimming, canoeing, and just being boys!

Tobi Visits Tom's Work

Today I drove the kids to Moline to visit The Dispatch building where Tom works. Tobi was introduced to all of Tom's co-workers, and was given a tour of the facility.

Our Exchange Student Arrives From Germany

We have been so excited to have a new member of our family arrive for months, and today is the day!  Tobi arrived from Germany at the Quad City Airport after a very long day of flying.  We arrived at the airport early, and all of us were so anxious to meet Tobi!  We have only seen pictures and chatted on Facebook a few times. 

I made this poster for us to hold up at the airport a few days before, and Skylar was really wanting to hold it when he walked in.  This picture was taken about 15 minutes before we watched his plane land in the observation area.  There were other local families there waiting to pick up their exchange students as well.  We felt proud of our sign because another family ran to the store to buy poster board and make their own sign!

As time got closer to his arrival, we waited around the greeting area, and eyed every single body we could see in the distance to see if it was him.  I know that all of our hearts were racing to meet our new friend!

I held up my phone and recorded the event of when we first saw Tobi.  It was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, awkwardness, and happiness.  We all hugged and said hello, and walked to collect his baggage.  Small talk started while we waited, and I could tell that he was probably tired from such a long day.  When we left the airport, the three kids sat in the back of the Jeep and we asked Tobi about his trip to America, what his favorite foods are, if he was hungry, and if he was tired.  It was hard to believe at that moment he was going to be a major part of our lives forever.  I'm really looking forward to getting to know this young man and introduce him to all of our friends and family!  Below is the video I took when he arrived at the airport:

Anxiously awaiting a German

We are so excited to have Tobi stay with us this year!  His arrival date is August 15th, and we have to drive to Chicago to pick him up so he doesn't have to wait in the airport for a 8 hour layover to fly into Moline.  Skylar and I made both the German flag and the US flag for Tobi's room.  Tom and I got a new tv and put together the armoire to have in Tobi's room.

Concrete for the Hot Tub

The guys had this knocked out in no time!

River Bandits family outing....sort of....

Tom and I took the kids to the River Bandits game and upgraded our seats so we could have a great view of the game.  Tom, Skylar, and Steven went to get food, and when they came back Skylar was white as a ghost and could barely walk.  She sat down next to me and quickly passed out.  We called the ambulance and they took her to the hospital, luckily everything was okay and it seemed she had heat stroke.  So instead of having her baseball autographed by the baseball players, she now has an autographed baseball from her nurses and doctor from the day she had her first ride in an ambulance :)

Our day with the Chicago White Sox

Back in May, Tom and I attended our first White Sox game together.  We sat in the family section (without knowing until we got there) and I befriended a nice man in front of us.  His name was Jose, and he was willing to help me get autographed children's books from some of the players.  I gave him my business card and a few days later, he found me on Facebook and added me as a friend.  He invited Tom and I to go with him to the Sox vs. Cubs game on Saturday.  We were soooooo excited!  Jose's cousin, Ramon Castro, is a catcher for the White Sox, and Ramon reserved the seats for us. 

We arrived at Jose's home in Chicago and he drove my car to the park.  We pulled in the players parking lot and all of the attendees instantly knew Jose and waved him in.  We parked next to many fabulous cars, and we hurried into the ballpark.  Our seats were behind the bullpen, so before the game we met Ramon as he was warming up Freddy Garcia.  One of the pitching coaches knew Jose and gave him a baseball from the bullpen, which Jose gave to us.  All of the players and coaches in the bullpen signed our baseball! 

Our signed White Sox bullpen baseball

After the game, we went back to Jose's house and got dressed to go out with Jose and his family.  We went to a bar called Pancho's owned by Alexei Ramirez' (White Sox player) in-laws.  When we arrived, we were greeted very kindly by Jose's relatives who had flown in from Florida, California, and Puerto Rico.  Another White Sox player arrived later in the night, Dayan Viciedo, a 21 year old brickhouse who was very nice. 

Dayan Viciedo, Ramon Castro, Jose, Tom

It was a night to remember, I salsa danced my night away and ate some amazing Puerto Rican food.  I really look forward to the day when we can have Jose visit us and return the favor. 

Geocaching with Skylar and Becca

Sky found a "micro" geocache

This one was hidden under a big rock in Richmond Hill, Sky took a necklace from it and Becca left a piece of sidewalk chalk inside for the next person

The name of this geocache was called "Big Sky" and it was hidden on a fire hydrant near a camper sales parking lot with a camper named Big Sky.  I thought this picture was more appropriate :)

Sky and Becca found a geocache at the Library!

Sky using the GPS to find our next location!

Niabi Zoo with Skylar and Grandma Shirley

Today we went to Niabi Zoo.  It was VERY hot outside, so we packed some drinks and snacks in our backpack.  Grandma Shirley came along with Skylar and me, so it was a day for the Timbrook girls.  We walked around the zoo and then took a train ride.