The Rau-D Bunch: 2011

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dane, Cody Stelter, and Grant Lischka entered the Washington County Fair Cook-off again this year. Last year was a bust coming home with no wins, but the guys changed their status this year. They ended up winning 2nd place with their ribs. Whether they win anything or not, we all just have a great time hanging out in great company.

Opening Day of Dove Season 2011!

Kade and Brady were on pins and needles waiting for the opening day of dove season this year. Kade was especially excited because he was going to get the opportunity to shoot his first dove with his 410. Papa Rau and Wesley Maurer, along with Austin, Avery, and Caleb came over to the house for the first hunt of the season. Kade hunted with Dane and as expected he shot his first dove. Brady hunted with Papa Rau and talked his ear off the whole time, but Papa says he makes a pretty good bird dog anyway. I don't think everyone got their limit, but they did end up with plenty of doves that day. The kids had a blast and can't wait until the next hunt.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

First Day of School 2011!

We're off and running into a new school year. Kade is a first grader at Krause Elementary this year. His teacher is Shelby Parker. He is very excited and looking forward to a new year.

Brady is still at St. Paul's Christian Day School. He is an Ocean Treasure this year. His teacher is Dana Winkelmann. Brady is having some anxiety issues about starting a new year with a new teacher. Hopefully this will get better as he gets used to the daily routine.

Nate is a newcomer to St. Paul's Christian Day School. He is going to be a Tumbling Turtle. His teacher is Melanie Burgess. I know he will do great. He is pretty social and loves playing with other kids.

MeMe Wiesepape!

The end of the summer brought an end of an era for the Rau's and the Wiesepape's. Miss Betty (aka MeMe) took care of all three of our boys while we worked. She was our "babysitter." She took care of and loved our boys as if they were her own grandkids. I can't say enough about her. I couldn't have chosen a better person to leave in charge of my kids while I couldn't be. Thank you MeMe for all the years of love, care and affection you gave to our boys. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Alabama Family Vacation!

This past summer we decided to vacation with Nana Rau, Uncle Trey, Aunt Stacy, Jenna, Leah and Luke. We knew we wanted a beach vacation, but didn't really know where we wanted to go. Our first thought was to visit the Florida beaches, but after hearing such great things about the Alabama beaches, we decided to check it out. We made reservations at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The resort was beautiful and the beaches were awesome. We stayed in a cottage; only a very short walk from the white sandy beaches. Besides a little bit of a stomach bug that tried to invade part of our vacation (thank god it only lasted a few hours for everyone) we all had a great time. Our cottage was equipped with a private pool, so when we came back from the beach, we could take a dip in the pool to clean off a little. The older kids lived in that pool when we weren't at the beach. We literally had to drag them out to get them to eat or go to bed. Kade loved riding his tube on the waves in the ocean. He had no fear of the water. Brady wasn't crazy about going in the ocean. He didn't like the waves slamming against him. He spent the majority of his time making sand castles and looking for shells. Nate liked playing in the sand more than he did getting in the water. He was still a little young for it all. Over all we had a fantastic time and will definitely go back in the future. Thank you Nana Rau and Hardy family for an awesome vacation.

Let's Play Ball!

The Aschenbeck family had some Astros tickets that they were unable to use and asked us if we would like to go. Dane and I had been talking about taking the boys to a game, so when the opportunity presented itself, we didn't hesitate to take the tickets off their hands. Now I know that the Astros weren't having what you would call a "winning season" but we knew the boys would like it no matter what. Even though the Astros managed yet another loss, the firework show after the game was quite a treat.

4th of July 2011!

This past 4th of July we were invited by the Aschenbeck family to go to the Round Top parade with them along with the Mueller and Schroeder families. After the parade we headed to Gun and Rod for a swim and a fajita lunch. It was a nice relaxed day to hang out with great friends and eat some delicious food. Thanks for the invite Aschenbeck Family!