Category: General News

Jan. 1: I sit here on New Year’s Day eve, going through the files on my laptop.  I ran across a couple old websites that I thought I might post here for general entertainment.  The first is a website I made in 1999 just as I was about to graduate from college.  I put together a site documenting all my favorite toys from the ’80s.  You can find it at bryanandalthea.dotzour.com/toys.
(note that for complete authenticity, I left all spelling errors for your reading pleasure.)

The other site that I’ve uploaded is a website (zour.com) that Bryan and I used when we first moved to Ann Arbor.  It covers 2000 and 2001.  Some of the links may not work, but there are some pretty cute pictures of the kitties when they were small.  Enjoy!

Dec. 25: It is with a grateful sigh that Bryan and I are now resting in a mostly darkened living room after a multitude of holiday festivities.  The treelight glows, the kitty purrs, and all is quiet.  A nice way to end a couple fun, festive, and somewhat frantic days of holiday celebration.

New photos are in the gallery from last week and the last couple days. 

We spoke to Bryan’s parents this morning.  They are in Wichita, spending Christmas with their parents and LuAnn’s brothers’ families.  Ben and Melanie are also in Wichita with his family.  We miss them all, but Andrew enjoyed looking over photos of our last Christmas together as a reminder of the fun times we have had in the past.  Andrew’s attention span for looking at pictures is somewhat remarkable.  I think he must have gotten that from me:)

On Christmas Eve, we had my family over for dinner.  It was a lot of fun to invite others to our home for a major holiday meal.  We ate our traditional beef stew on mashed potatoes alongside way too many other dishes.  After dinner, we sang a bit, opened presents, and then tried out Bryan’s new poker chips with a few rounds of family poker.

This morning we work bright and early to find some presents from Santa under our tree.  Andrew wasn’t so sure about the sit-and-ride horse we got him, but he was pretty interested in the wooden dinosaur magnets, a xylophone, and a Fischer-Price farm.  At 8:30, we headed over to my parents and saw what Santa brought there.
Andrew was particularly excited about a new wooden puzzle.  I liked my new mistletoe, and Bryan got some golf ball finding glasses.

By 10:30, we headed down to Monroe to see Grandma, Grandpa, Julie, Kevin, and Gary.  Julie and Kevin provided a massive feast for us all, which we ate with gusto.  Andrew even liked the gingered cranberries.  Grandpa has been in and out of the hospital and nursing home the past few weeks, so we all took turns visiting him at the nursing home.

We got back from Grandma’s in time for Andrew’s bath and bedtime. And as I said when I started, now Bryan and I are in some form of collapse in the living room.  What fun Christmas celebrations we had!

I hope your Christmas was tinted with the makings of delightful memories.

For the second year, I sent out a letter with my Christmas cards.  Thought I would post it here as well.

Dear Family and Friends,

As I write this note, I am reminded how worried we were about my mom’s health in early December 2005.  Then on January 11, we kicked off the new year with my mom’s surgery at Mayo.  Since that day, pancreatic cancer has been something we are moving past rather than wading through.  What a difference!  I know we all offer mom’s surgeon, Dr. Michael Farnell our unending gratitude for making our mommy well.  Since January, Mom underwent another round of chemo, participated in an immunization clinical trial, and has had really positive test results.  What a happy Christmas we are having!

My siblings have all had an exciting year too.  Michael took on a new job as an IT manager for Excel Inns.  He also bought a nice house in Madison with three of his friends—he’s now a home-owner!  Maretta is a junior at St. Kate’s in St. Paul.  Last March, she and her sweetie, Kyle Zilic, got engaged with a wedding planned for May 2008.  We’re so excited!  Joe graduated from high school this year, leaving the De Forest school district bereft of Bablers for the first time since 1983.  In August, Joe moved to Maine where he is now a student at Bowdoin College.  We’re looking forward to having him back home over his winter break.

We were lucky enough this past year to have lots of visits with Bryan’s parents.  It has been so much fun to watch Andrew develop a joyous relationship with his Granny Lu and Grandad.  Bryan and I always appreciate having extra hands on deck during our times together.  Melanie and Ben are doing really well in Dallas.  Ben’s job continues to evolve and grow, and they adopted a new kitten named Smudge to join kitty Chulo and puppy Toby.  In November, they purchased a Curves franchise in Frisco, which Melanie will run.  We are excited to have business owners in the family!

Andrew, of course, is the bright star amidst our days.  He has grown so much in the last year!  It is hard to believe that this talking, walking kid was trying to sit up 12 months ago!  He has been thrilled with all the Christmas decorations and traditions that we are sharing with him.

Bryan and I have had a nice year.  We’re enjoying our ever-evolving jobs at Widen and at Gathering Waters Conservancy.  The high points of our days are a) playing with, reading to, and chasing after Andrew and b) flopping down in exhaustion after he’s gone to bed.

If we haven’t gotten to see you recently, I hope our paths cross soon.  In the meantime, I keep our website stocked with pictures and updates that feature the activities of little Andrew and family.  Check it out at bryanandalthea.dotzour.com.

On behalf of our Dotzour clan, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

 

Dec. 10:  Ahhh, it’s Sunday and the end of a lovely weekend with my little and my big family.  On Friday (my day off), Mom, Dad, Andrew, and I went to Olbrich Gardens to see their model train exhibit.  It was really beautiful, and Andrew had a wonderful time. He couldn’t get enough of watching the trains buzz around the tracks.  I think we’ll go back with Dada soon.  Photos are in the gallery.

This afternoon, Michael, Bryan, Andrew, and I helped Mom and Dad pick out a Christmas tree.  Michael got one too for his house.  While shopping, we ran into Herr Huxmann,  our old German/history high school teacher.  Then we went to Rocky’s for lunch, and Michael and I helped Mom and Dad set up the tree while we watched A Muppet’s Christmas.  It struck me as pretty funny that Michael and I are the two ones home these days.  A flashback to 1984.

Andrew spent the weekend reading books, playing with ornaments, and having a jolly time.  He loves looking at the tree, and it’s so fun to share the celebrations of the season with him.   Our outdoor lights are up now (it’s warm this weekend!), and we’re about ready for our neighborhood holiday party here on Wednesday.  Happy Holidays!

Dec. 6: I am delighted to report that Ben has helped me retrieve our website from the now defunct server on which it previously lived.  All of my old posts including all Andrew’s early reports and all Mom’s health updates are now back.

Our photo gallery is not yet functional, and I think it will take a few steps to get it running.  Thanks to Ben for rescuing our website and for helping me to get it up again.

Nov. 25: We’ve been having a fabulous time relaxing at Granny Lu and Grandad’s house.  Andrew is having loads of fun playing with his loving relatives, and Bryan and I are basking in the ability to play on the computer or play cards or generally be lazy.

Bryan’s cousin Darren, his wife Erin, and their kids, Kevin and Ryan, came over yesterday, and we spent a really nice afternoon together.   Kevin is four, and Ryan is 20 months old, so with three kids in the house, we had a lot of energy flowing!

We’ve been taking loads of pictures all weekend, and I posted ones from the last couple days on our website.  Enjoy!

Nov. 24: Greetings from warm and sunny Texas!

We are basking in the weather and in the company of Bryan’s mom and dad and Melanie and Ben.  Our flight down here went really well, and Andrew has really been enjoying playing outdoors and hanging out with family.  Oh, and eating!

Yesterday we played Bocce ball, Andrew kicked a ball around the yard, he and Grandad dug in the dirt, and we made and ate loads of yummy food.  Andrew enjoyed his first Thanksgiving meal.  He even had three spoonfuls of cranberry sauce (by the third bite, he determined that he was done with cranberries for about a year).  Photos in the gallery show our day.

We have so many things to be thankful for this year.  First in my mind are that my mommy is well, followed closely by my continued overwhelming gratitude for Andrew.  I’m glad we are encouraged to pause this time of year to think about our dear family and friends.

Our lives are made so rich because of you.  Thanks to all of you!

Nov. 12: I usually post to this website from my living room after having uploaded scores of recent pictures of Andrew.  This time, I’m writing from Heather and Michael’s comfy couch in Ann Arbor.  I came out to spend the weekend with them…they have such a hard road to travel since they lost Allan at 40 weeks of pregnancy.  He was born on Sept. 2, but it feels to me like it was just last week.  I just don’t know how a person goes about trying to overcome that kind of a loss.  Their love for Allan is a reflection of their grief.  And there is so much love.  They are both exhibiting amazing strength and fortitude and bravery.  Amidst the grief, it feels good to be with them.

While I am here, I am missing my own little guy.  I fall asleep trying to decide which way he is lying in his crib, whether he has his pacifier in, or if his legs are akimbo through the crib bars.  I imagine his sweet smell, and I see him in my mind toddling down the hall, a mission in his mind.  Before going to bed tonight, I had to come look at some pictures of my little guy.  This is my third night away, and I miss him.  It makes me smile though, to know what a good dad Bryan is and what fun they are having together.  I like thinking of my two favorite boys spending the day together.  I love them both so much.  And now, good night:)

Oct. 18: Uncle Joe made Andrew a video.  We had a lot of fun watching it, and I thought you might enjoy it too.  Bryan took some great video last night of Andrew watching Joe’s show on the laptop and bopping up and down to the movie.  He also responded to the pictures…sticking his tongue in and out when he saw the frog, saying duck and quack quack, and he was entranced by the speedy video of Joe running around.  Enjoy!

Sept. 13: I haven’t posted in a couple weeks because I’ve been really sad.  Our friends Heather and Michael were expecting a baby boy in late August.  To our extraordinary sadness, they found during a routine check-up on September 1 that their baby had no heartbeat.  Heather delivered baby Allan Fredrick’s body on Saturday, September 2.  He was seven pounds, 1/2 ounce and was 20 and 1/2 inches long.

Heather and Michael’s family gathered close to them and helped them through their life-altering first week.  On Friday, September 8, my brother Michael, our friend Anne, and I drove out to share Heather and Michael’s grief.  I ended up staying through Tuesday.  My mom headed out to Ann Arbor today.

Allan was a beautiful baby.  He had a perfect little face with a half-moon chin, big hands and feet, and soft brown hair.  I only wish we could have known him more.  I feel so lucky that he touched my life, and he will always hold a place in my heart.  I hope that by reading this, you may feel closer to Allan and remember him.

And think of Heather and Michael.  They have far too much grief to bear.