Family

Wassmer Family Vacation

Wassmer Family Vacation

Marty

A few weekends ago we did a Wassmer family vacation to Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, WI to help Grandpa and Grandma celebrate their 50th Anniversary! We mostly hung by the pool and enjoyed the indoor waterpark. The kids mostly stuck to the slides but also had a healthy dose of the lazy river. I almost killed myself on the surf simulator but it was still super fun.

Aside from the pools, the resort also had a bunch of other things to do. We did smores on the beach, minigolf, and ice cream. One day the whole crew did a photoshoot and played dress up with Grandpa’s old army uniform and Grandma’s wedding dress. Then on the final day all 15 of us crammed onto a huge Shebikin Pedal Tours bike and cruised the streets of Sheboygan.

Family Fun Day

Marty

Julie, Carter, and I played hooky and went downtown Chicago Monday. We started off at the Museum of Science and Industry and then went to the brand new Maggie Daley Park. The museum had some great exhibits and plenty to look at and interact with. Carter didn’t last very long at the museum but had a blast at the park. The park was amazing! The structures were fantastic, with plenty of climbing spots and obstacles to navigate through. Most of the ground was covered in a soft rubber which made falling down or climbing the steep hills quite fun. I know it was great day because Carter was out cold by the time we made it back to the interstate.

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Merry Christmas!

Marty

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a crazy week of fun, presents, and family. There were a few surprises and a whole lot of good times.

It started Friday night (21st) with a trolley ride through Naperville looking at all the crazy Grizwald-like lighted houses. A lot of the larger displays were timed with music that played over the trolley radio. Carter and his buddy Blake stared out the trolley windows in amazement at each house. I think they were just both happy not to be strapped into a car seat like a NASCAR driver. Those 5 point harnesses can be binding at times.

Saturday was the always long and loved trip to Davenport. The grandparents and one sister were the only ones on the guest list but my other sister Shelly surprised everyone by showing up. Shelly and Stephan were visiting family in St. Louis and drove up to celebrate Christmas with the Wassmer family. The other surprise was that my dad was sick as a dog and had to be quarantined upstairs for most of our visit. It really seems like the flu is going around bad right now. Sickness aside, the rest of joyful holiday night was full of hyped up kids and ripped wrapping paper.

Unfortunately Julie had to work on Monday so it was back to Naperville Sunday afternoon. This is the first year in a long time that we have been at our house for Christmas eve and Christmas morning. It is nice to be at home for a holiday as we were able to start some of our own family traditions. Now that Carter is older he was really into Christmas, and especially Santa this year. All with help from our friend Sam the elf, who was around the house the entire month of December. The standard child holiday emotions seemed way more prevalent. He was excited to leave Santa cookies and anxious to see what was going to appear the next day. On Christmas morning I thought Carter’s belly was going to catch on fire. He slid down the stairs so fast I had to run to keep up with him. As expected Santa dropped off a bunch of goodies to enjoy, including a big train table and Spencer the train, big boy underwear, a few others presents and a stocking full of goodies.

After all of Santa’s gifts were open we headed to LaSalle-Peru to hang out with the Stubler family. We went early so we could stop by the bowling alley to let Carter sling a couple balls with Grandpa. He enjoyed pushing the ball down the lane, but lost interest after 4 frames. The racing car video game turned out to be the most interesting thing to do. It was then back to the Stubler cottage for more presents and food. It was hard for Carter to sit through the meal with a tree supported mostly by presents. More wrapping ripping ensued and on the other side was a bunch of smiles by all.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Marty

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There sure is a lot to be thankful for this year.

I’m thankful that Mythbusters busted the myth that trypophan makes you tired. Now I have a good rebuttal when people get done stuffing their faces and start complaining about how the trypophan is making them tired. It is just the massive amount of calories that is making you tired, not a chemical in the food.

I’m thankful I didn’t wake up at 3 AM to save 2 dollars. Instead my sister and I went out at 9 pm Thanksgiving night to try and get a few deals. The store we were at didn’t have the mad rush like some other places. Why do people go so nuts?

I’m thankful that I have a wife that runs with me. Julie and I didn’t do as well as we were hoping but still had fun running with the other 7000 Turkey Trotters. One of these days we will break that 25:00 mark.

Of course, I am also thankful for family. The entire crew came up again this year to our house. The Stubler and Wassmer clans were both present to eat the massive amount of excellent food and treats Julie cooked up.

Here are some pictures

A loss in the family

Marty

Bernice was a wonderful Grandma that I got to know over the years. She passed away a few weeks ago, here is her obituary:
Name:
Bernice Pyszka

Dates:
Birth date: May 22, 1925
Death date: April 30, 2012

Obituary:
Mrs. Bernice Pyszka, 86, of Peru. , passed away at 7:10 PM, Monday, April 30th, 2012 at IL. VALLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL,

Funeral Mass will be held at ST. HYACINTH’S CHURCH, at 10: 30 AM on Thursday, May 3rd, .

Burial at ST. HYACINTH’S CEMETERY LASALLE, IL..

Visitation on Thursday 9:00 – 10:30 AM in ST. HYACINTH’S CHURCH.

Born in LaSalle, IL. on May 22, 1925, to Larry and Julia (Kustra) Spayer.

Member of St. Hyacinth Church and Altar & Rosary Society

Married Walter Pyszka on May 22, 1943 in St. Hyacinth Church

Worked at Quik-Chik for many years and retired from Starved Rock Realty in December of 2011

Survivors
2 Daughters,
Susan (James) Stubler of Peru.
Mary Lou (Peter) Gerace of Mackinaw IL.

1 Sister,
Imogene (Robert) Waters of LaSalle.

3 Grandchildren: Jason Stubler of Plainfield, Julie Wassmer of Naperville, and Lindsey Gerace of Bloomington

1 Great Grandson Carter Wassmer

Preceeded in death by Parents, Husband in 2009 and 1 Brother

Labor Day Weekend Pictures

Marty

What did you do for your Labor Day Weekend?

Julie and I went back to Davenport to have a full weekend of Wassmer family fun. The significance of this trip is that this was the first long drive that we’ve taken Carter on. Trying to figure out all the logistics for this trip was definitely a challenge. We had to fit a whole house of toys into a small SUV and still be able to fit into the front seats and fit two dogs along with Carter in the back seat. I felt like I had 12 clowns to pack into a Volkswagen Bug. It became apparent why people need small school buses (minivans) when you have multiple kids. I’m sure the logistics of packing multiple kids for a trip rivals moving a small army to Afghanistan.

The trip and weekend went surprisingly well. Carter pretty much slept the entire trip there and back. The Welsh family reunion and Wassmer family photoshoots went really well too. I took most of the family pictures and the massive amount of reunion pictures are courtesy of my sister Shelly.