Things I'm Thankful for

Last night I was trying to get to sleep and couldn't so I thought of maybe counting sheep, but that sounded boring so I thought maybe I could think of things that I was thankful for.

I'm thankful for..having 4 beautiful and healthy children.
I'm thankful for..the 5 beautiful and healthy grandchildren I was given.
I'm thankful for..the 16 years I knew and loved my mom.
I'm thankful for..all my friends near and far. Some knowing as long as 53 years!
I'm thankful for..meeting and marrying Herb.
I'm thankful for..being able to help Herb with his health issues.
I'm thankful for..being 60 years old and in good health.
I'm thankful for..having my kids near me when I decided to leave San Antonio.
I'm thankful for..being able to live on my own for the first time in my life in 2001.
I'm thankful for.. my wonderful kitties. They love me no matter what I do.
I'm thankful for..all the love Herb has for me.
I'm thankful for..Jen and Mark working things out.
I'm thankful for..my daughter in law and 3 sons in law. I love them all.
I'm thankful for..my 2 sisters and brother.
I'm thankful for..the love my grandchildren have for each other.
I'm thankful for..Matthew being able to start college next year.
I'm thankful for..all of us being safe during hurricane Ike and having somewhere safe to go.
I'm thankful for..having a job that I enjoy going to every day.
I'm thankful for..my kids all getting along with each other so well.
I'm thankful for..being able to go on a family vacation each year.
I'm thankful for..getting to know 2 of my half sisters.
I'm thankful for..having 2 wonderful grandma's.
I'm thankful for..the happy years I spent with Tom sr.
I'm thankful for..knowing how it was to live in a time that was safe to take walks and not
having to worry.
I'm thankful for..being able to spend holidays with my family.
I'm thankful for..Rob finally able to do dialysis at home.
I'm thankful for..being able to know my mother and father in law Smith.
I'm thankful for..being in touch with my dad for a little while before he died.
I'm thankful for..all the good memories I have of living in Durand, Illinois on the farm.
I'm thankful for..being able to afford things that we like.
I'm thankful for..Cat and CJ both living to the age of 18. I miss them and Cita a lot. They gave
me a lot of joy and happiness.
I'm thankful for..my 2 nephews that I wish I was able to get to know better.
I'm thankful for..my kids being such good parents. I hope they learned a little of that from me.
I'm thankful for..my 3 Godchildren-Trina Laube, Lauren and Neil Lindsay.
I'm thankful for..my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom for giving Rob a home after our mom died.
I'm thankful for..all the memories I have of mom. I wish Debbie had more.
I'm thankful for..the education my kids have. They are all doing so well.
I'm thankful for..being able to do crafts.
I'm thankful for..my grandma and grandpa G. giving me a home after I graduated from high
school.
I'm thankful for..someday being able to see all my loved ones in Heaven.

Cindyshelle

Even a year later in 1st grade her curls haven't come back! Isn't she a pretty little girl!!

When Cindi was about 5 she got her 1st haircut from her Aunt Joan. Her hair was always very curly until this day when it went pretty straight. It is still curly now but it's funny how it changed

On Cindi's 2nd birthday she got a HUGE box from her uncle Robbie filled with toys wrapped up in newspaper. She had more fun opening up each one and we all had fun watching. Uncle Rob always had fun shopping for the kids. He told us people watched as he played with the toys in the isles of the stores. If you knew Rob you knew it could get a little embarrassing if you were with him!

Sue was a little mother even at this age. She loved taking care of her little sister if she wasn't playing with her dolls.

When Cindi was a few years old, she couldn't say her whole name which was Cynthia Michelle. She would say Cindyshelle. To this day, she sometimes signs cards to me --Love, Cindishelle. This picture was taken in Durand, Illinois in our driveway. There weren't too many cars going by but the kids knew not to go into the road. The driveway was pretty long with a small hill to go down. Cindi's hair was pretty curly at this age.

How did I forget that we lived in Chicago?

Yes, I forgot that after we moved from Addison, Illinois, we moved to Chicago. At the time Tom went to University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and I worked there in the financial aid department. We lived in a very small apartment a few blocks from the school. Tom's brother and his family lived upstairs from us. Our apartment had 2 very small bedrooms. Cindi and Sue's was big enough for a twin bed and a crib almost next to each other. The small dresser was at the end of the beds. Our room was a little larger. The living room was small but ok except if the curtains were open you looked into the next apartment building apartment and saw their living room. The same with the kitchen. The kitchen had a few cupboards above the sink that was very low. It also had a built-in china cabinet like thing that was nice. There was a small closet that I can't remember what I kept in it. The bathroom was off the kitchen that had a sink that never worked so we brushed our teeth in the kitchen. On the only Christmas that we spent there we were told that we couldn't have a tree. With 2 little girls we had to do something so we got a tiny artificial tree that was about a foot tall and I made foil balls to hang on it. Santa found us so it worked! At one time my sister, Debbie took the train and then a cab to come and visit. I guess I forgot to tell her that the entrance to the apartment was on the side and she couldn't find how to get in so she went next door and found some men, that I think were mobsters, and called me from their meeting room or whatever it was. I then went out and met a sister in tears! Since I wouldn't drive in Chicago I did most of my shopping at a small mom/pop grocery store that delivered. I would call them and a young boy would deliver everything for me. I used to see a Good Humor truck on my way home from work and would stop sometimes to get Sue an ice cream treat. She always looked forward to that. There was a hospital right across the street that Cindi spent a few days in. She fell down a flight of steps at our apartment. She had a snowsuit on so had a lot of protection, but she was acting strange after. I took her to the doctor and he wanted to observe her in the hospital. She ended up having bronchitis and nothing from the fall.

Moving to the country!!

When Cindi was just a few years old, we moved to Durand, Illinois. It was an old farmhouse about a hundred years old. Tom and his family lived there years before when he was younger. It was old but huge. There were 2 stairways to go upstairs-one on each side of the house. The things that I did not like is that there were only 2 closets-one upstairs and one down and the kitchen was very tiny. Shortly after we moved there we started meeting neighbors. One of them had a few of the close neighbor ladies come to her house for a breakfast to meet me Sue and Cindi. Everyone was so nice. That's where we met Mary Jo and her 1 year old daughter, Heather, who was just starting to walk. Mary Jo's husband, Neil, was a farmer so when Mary Jo and I decided to have a garden together at our place he came over with his tractor to plow it and plant our sweet corn. We also had green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, squash and peas. The kids helped when they were older picking the corn and taking the ends off the beans. Everything tasted so good in the winter. I would can lots of tomatoes and freeze lots of beans. Everytime someone came over and we had vegetables in the garden we would fill their trunks. The kids played a lot outside and liked to play school or with their dolls. The winters were cold but the snow was fun to play in. I remember one time during the winter when Sue was waiting for the school bus on the front porch she decided to put her tongue on the iced up window and it got stuck!! We have lots of good memories of living there. Lots of family holidays when the house was filled with people. The country is a great place to raise kids. If any of you kids have any special good memories please write them here-I'd love to hear some. I might not remember them but will if I hear them.

Here's baby #2!!

Sue is holding Cynthia Michelle the day she came home from the hospital. We were living in Addison, Illinois. My sister, Joan, was staying with us at the time so she took me to the hospital before Cindi was born and Tom met us there. When we came home Toms Aunty Ann stayed with us for a few days to help me. Cindi was the smallest of all my babies.

Here is Cindi the day of her baptism. We had quite a few people attend. I don't remember what we did afterwards.

I always loved being a mom to my kids.

Sue was always a 2nd mom it seems. She helped out all the time.

The doctor always thought I was having a boy but it took a few times! Sonograms were not around yet to see if it was going to be a girl or boy so you had to be prepared for both.

My kids never had much hair until they were about a year old so you would never guess how curly Cindi's would eventually become!

My first borns first few years...

The seat Sue is sitting in is what I used as a car seat!! I would put her on the front seat passenger floor in it while I drove. Remember we did not have car seat laws 40 years ago!!

Sue loved cats at an early age. The siamese here was related to Cat, our first cat that lived to be 18 years old.

I love this picture. All ready for bed in her pj's. Grandma G. is sitting behind her.

A few picture machine pictures. I think Sue looks a lot like my grand daughter, Bristol in these 2 pictures.

Along comes baby #1

On May 6, 1968, little Susie Lucek was born. I was at the hospital for 20 minutes when she made her entrance! I didn't have labor pains so I didn't realize I was in labor. A week or so before I did go to the hospital I had false labor and went to the doctor. We lived quite a ways from the hospital so your dad said that if this wasn't the true thing I would stay with grandma Lucek until you came since they lived closer. We didn't have a name picked out since you were supposed to be a boy. Your dad said how about Susan and I just agreed.

2 months old. When you were born we had no idea how to take care of a baby! I was always reading Dr. Spock. I guess I did ok since you just turned 40!!

5 months old and you were bald!! You didn't get hair until you were almost a year old.

Notice the table! It's the same one that I use now! Also your high chair in the background. We used that for Matthew and Lauren when you came to see me.We were playing cards with Rob at this time and it was getting late but you didn't want to go to bed so I let you stay up and help me play my hand. I've been told a few times that you were a little stinker at this age and we let you get away with it but look at how you turned out!!

This was taken at Susan's 1st birthday party. We invited a lot of relatives and most of them came. The picture above is of Sue's mom & dad, her paternal grandparents and paternal great-grandparents. The picture below is of all her grandmothers living at the time-great-grandma Stella Lucek, grandma Madge Lucek, great-grandma Anna Munson and great-grandma Hazel Gulgren. You were the first grandchild and great grandchild on both sides.

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