To Quote a Quote

The last few weeks have been a little crazy around here - my house looks like a disaster zone with a little remodeling in 5 different rooms. And I've been spending a lot of time with Jen & Spencer while the doctors try to decide what needs to be done to fix her back up so she can feel good again.

This quote is a favorite and it seemed appropriate:

"I still find each day too short for the

thoughts I want to think,

all the walks I want to take,

all the books I want to read

and all the friends I want to see."
John Burroughs (1837-1921)

Busch Stadium

I'm suppose to go to a baseball game this weekend at the new stadium - but thought we should have a few memories from the old stadium.

Easters Past

A Few Easter Memories of the Past

1984 Jenny, Becky, & Stevie with Little Ponies


1983 Jenny, Stevie, & Becky

1983 Stevie & Greg

1985 Stevie, Jenny, & Becky

We had a good Easter 2006 - of course Spencer was the life of the party. All but the first picture are pictures of our guests for Easter dinner except somehow GG (Grandma Haupt) managed to keep ducking the camera. You may have noticed that Stevie & Jessie are missing but Charlee was included - we got to dog-sit while the kids had a mini-trip to San Diego to visit Jessie's sister. The guests were GG, Sarah Gentry, Becky & Nate Kelley, Karl, Spencer, & Jenny Reijgers and Charlee.
The top picture is from Easter long ago. It is me, Joe, & Nancy standing out front of our house on Osceola. Don't you love my 'bonnet'? You can see the big tree out front that I loved but it tore up the sidewalk so the city removed it. You may also notice that there is a long city block of sidewalk behind us. Mama says that when I was 2 and suppose to be taking a nap on the living room floor that she heard the front screen door slam. She went to check to see who ran out and forgot to lock the door (so I wouldn't toddle off) and realized that I was gone. She went out to the front walk where we are standing for this picture and saw me in just my diaper rounding the corner at the top of the block. I believe Joe was the one that caught up with me before I came to any harm. I must have been pretty fast!

Happy Birthday Favorite Sister

April 14 is Nancy's (my favorite sister) birthday. We are 12 years apart in age and when I was very young that was probably a big difference but not anymore. She grew up in Ridgely & Tiptonville, Tennessee until they moved to St. Louis when she was about 11? Most of my memories as a child of us was stories I was told. She and her friends would take me for walks around the block - and you already know how she had to skip school for me when I was in kindergarten. What I remember is getting to sleep in her double bed with her for awhile (I guess Jimmy got me kicked out of the crib). I would try to cuddle up to her but she was 17 and wanted her space. I was flower girl in her wedding - (pictures on their anniversary) and when Ed would go out of town I got to spend the night over there with her and the girls. Now we have all kinds of fun - trips to Reelfoot Lake and once to Paducah, Kentucky. We need to do some more trips! We enjoy teaching a 2 & 3 year old Bible class together and we go to a book club together. We (husbands included) go to the Rep and Stages for plays. I could never have asked for a better sister. She's always happy and only has nice things to say. She's not only lots of fun to be with but she's always there for us when we need her. And she always answers all my "silly questions" I call her about. Nancy - I love you and I hope you have a most wonderful birthday!

Watering the Grass

Steve planted some new plants for me around our Sweetgum tree in the backyard - with all the tree roots there we have trouble getting anything to grow. Of course, my job is to keep it watered - which I haven't had to worry about this week since we've had a pretty consistent amount of rain. But as you can see from this picture - watering the grass has always been part of my job. When I was a bit older and really would be asked to water the yard (which was rare because I think Mama enjoyed this job too) I never minded at all. Not only was it easy and fun to walk around the yard and give all those little plants and grass a drink - it was therapeutic. We always did it in the evening - after supper but before the bugs started biting - and it was just nice & peaceful. You could hear a dog bark, kids playing somewhere down the street, or maybe neighbors visiting a few yards over - but the noise wasn't intrusive. It was one of those jobs you could do without thinking about what you're doing - but because you had a water hose nobody came around to pester you - unless they just wanted to get squirted. I did a lot of daydreaming as I watered the yard. This picture with the old garage brings back several memories too - twice I stepped on a rusty nail in that garage (I wasn't suppose to be playing around in there). And those two front windows always looked like eyes to me - mama had a great big peony bush planted right in front under those windows. I don't remember that trellis gate but further over (you can't see it here) we had an ash pit. It was like a concrete square where I think they use to burn trash. I'm not really sure - we just had one - kinda like the well - it was just a leftover from earlier days. Of course, this yard looks nothing like this anymore - the ashpit is gone and the garage was replaced with a much bigger one that took up a big chunk of the yard. Just like the backyard we have now - it has shrunk big time since we've moved here - I'll have to find some old pictures for 'before & after'. Well, if it ever quits raining I can go back to watering those plants and see if we can get something to grow this time - but at least I'll have a little daydreaming time if nothing else.

My Favorite Baseball Player

Those who really know me know that I am not a big sports fan. So I guess it's no big surprise that I didn't watch the first Cardinal game of the season today. My husband and kids are better fans than I am - especially my husband and son. When Stevie turned 3 he started preparing himself to play with the Cardinals - it was his main goal in life back then. Because of him, I know (and probably forgotten) more than I ever thought I would about rules and trivia of baseball.
Stevie is for sure my favorite baseball player. He's the only reason I would sit out in the sun for hours and swat bugs at night while he played ball. When they won it was a great time. But when he felt like he didn't do his best I hated taking him or his father home with me. I finally learned to just shut up cause he didn't want to hear my 'encouraging words'.
He got the nickname Homerun Haupt and Steve likes to tell the story of how I took Stevie to his first practice and he couldn't hit a single ball. Stevie was too young to know and I had no idea that I was suppose to tell his coach he batted lefthanded - once his coach got the message Stevie was a 'homerun hitter'.
I know he probably still thinks being a Cardinal would be neat, but personally I'm glad he opted for a more normal lifestyle - besides - I'm not sure Jessie (a Cubs fan) would agree to marry him if he played for the Cardinals??

One March and all the April Birthdays

The blog wouldn't let me post all 6 pictures at once so this is Part One and check below for Part Two. These pictures are not very current photos because sometimes I just don't have a current one and besides, what fun is that?
These birthdays are:
Rachel (my great-niece) - whose birthday was in March.
Michael (my nephew) - very quiet but has a big smile
and Meredith (my niece) she is with her two older silly cousins - Becky & Jenny
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONE & ALL.

PART TWO of the April Birthdays: The Tritschler clan
Ed (my brother-in-law) & my favorite sister Nancy (there will be more about her later).
Terri (my neice) & her husband Joe
and Karen (my nephew's wife)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU