2005

Sammy Retires!!!

My dad finally retired from Anheuser this year. Well he isn't retired because he still works there a few days a week. We went down to Disney to celebrate and my sister and her family surprised him by showing up. We got off the ride It's a Small World and there they were her and her husband and all her kids.

2004

The biggest thing to happen this year was we added an entire 2nd floor to the house. We as in the Amish did it for us. There 3 - 4 guys that came every day during the week. They would arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 am. The moment they got here they started banging and hammering. This year was one of the wettest ever. There was like 80 some days it didn't rain but we got our 2nd story on without any rain at all. The 2nd floor is for the kids it has 3 bedrooms, 1/2 bath and a play area.

2003

Lexi goes to Kindergarten.

It seems like yesterday, that little Lexi got all dressed up in her uniform and got on the bus to go to her first day of school. We followed the bus to make sure she got there alright.
This year when we went to Disney, Chandra's family came along. We rented a 2 bedroom suite that looked right out onto a golf course. We kept a leash on Jag the entire trip. :) He found this Tigger and just loved it. I also became an uncle for the 3rd time. My sister had another little girl. She can hold her own with her brother and sister.

2002

Our sweet little momma's boy was born this year. Lexi was a sweet older sister. She helped out as much as she could. The stuffed horse he is laying on was mine as a kid. I used it as a pillow for many years.

My sister and her husband decided to move out to Indiana, due to his work. We decided to try to sell the barn and buy the house they had just added the addition on for my grandmother. We put the barn on the market and within 1 month we had it sold and was moved out. It was hard to sell the barn because of all the work we had put into it, but the new house was next to my parents and my aunt and uncle's place. It was also off the road more and we didn't have to worry about the kids playing.

2001

This was a busy year. My sister and her husband had decided to buy my grandmother's house. The Weaver family put this addition on the house. It is a nice mother-in-law suite where my grandmother can live. They had their 2nd child a boy that is not as rambunctious as the first but still keeps them hopping.

We flew down the Florida again at the beginning of September. We were at Disney World when 911 happened. They closed down the parks and sent everyone back to their rooms. We ended up having to rent a car and drive back home because the planes still were not flying by the time we had to leave.

2000

Griswold Family Christmas Tree

This was the year my father-in-law, Dave, nearly died getting his family Christmas Tree. It is a unique experience getting a Christmas tree with my in-laws. First you have to find a Christmas tree lot that is selling trees that are at least 12 foot tall. You would be surprised there is not much call for trees that big. Once we find a lot that sells them, we all head off in different directions to find the perfect tree. As we are wandering around you will hear phrases from the "Christmas Vacation" movie being uttered. "It's not going in our yard Russ" is often heard. Occasionally some stops to help Granny up from where she has fallen once again. Don't think you can pick a 10 foot tree or you will her Kris say "That is on the piddlin' side of puny" or "that's a shrub pretending to be a tree"

On this day we picked the biggest tree you could find, at least 20 foot tall. We had parked on top of a hill a mile away. After Dave cut down the beast we tried to drag it up the hill through the deep snow. Granny tried to help pull and she fell getting in the way. Dave, Kris and I started the long journey up the hill about 1/2 way up Dave fell to the ground. The tree had won. After a rest period we did finally get the tree up to the truck. You could not see the truck at all as we were following them home. That was the easy part they still had to get it in the house.

The next year Dave asked the guy if he could drive the truck back to where the tree was and he said "Yes".

1999

Let the spoiling begin.

This was Lexi's first trip to Walt Disney World. (Besides when Chandra was pregnant with her.) This was the first time we had ever flew to Florida. It was great!! In a little more than 2 hours we were in Florida. We were really excited about her getting to ride It's a Small World. We just knew she would love it. The first time we rode it she did not do anything she just sat there. We were kind of bummed that we didn't get a better response. Don't she know how much it cost? I at least wanted to see a smile.:) I think it was just over stimulating at first. The more we rode it the more she loved it. The was also the first time we had went down the week after Labor Day. It was great, this is one of their slower weeks. Nobody was there. We could ride anything with out waiting.

This was one of her favorite things to do at this age. There are little water areas at all the parks to let the kids cool off in. We would leave her with my mom to play in the water while me, Chandra, and my dad would ride the scarier rides.