The Bachelorette

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Last weekend we threw Kat's Bachelorette Party in North Lake Tahoe with her friends and fam. We stayed at the Hyatt and got in plenty of beach time, cocktails, pool time, good food, and gambling. I came home a winner on the penny slots and blackjack tables and Maisie felt like she won big too, she got lots of time to snuggle with Jannie since big sister was with Dad and couldn't put up a fight if Jannie held Maisie! Kat had a lot of fun and the countdown is on to the wedding day!!

BRIDE (to-be!) I added a Be-Dazzler to my embroidery machine-ing ;)

Friday night on the dock bar at sunset

Em and The Cupcake

Kat with the "Simonson" girls

Good friends

Maureen and Patrick

Andrea was such a good sport! She is feeling really pregnant but stayed up in Red Bluff for two weeks between the funeral/bachelorette party/wedding.

4 of the 5 Heffernan Sister-in-laws (all had a baby or will within one year and the 5th SIL Kat is getting married in the same year!)

Saturday we spent most of the day on the beach! Drink service and perfect weather... couldn't ask for more...

(oh, except my good little Maisie girl hanging out happy on the beach all day too- even longer than I did, she stayed w Jannie and Em while I went up to gamble at the end of the day!)

beach bums

The soon-to-be wife of a cattle rancher sporting her bull sale hat and cooling off with Coors Lights!

Yes, Lake Tahoe is this cold

My Little Maisie Moo

Saturday night before dinner we had a little "Lingerie Shower" for Kat in our room... nothing like three babies crashing a bachelorette party!

Jane couldn't come but sent her gifts- even the Mother-of-the-Bride got some sparkly lingerie!

I forgot to bring a carrier for Maisie. Luckily she fit in my purse.

Jennifer, Claudia and Kat

The whole crowd before dinner

Table for 12 at dinner. Our reservations were for 8pm and the bachelor party at our table wouldn't leave so we didn't sit down until 10! We didn't mind the free round of cocktails and appetizers though :) We all went around the table and told stories about the first time we met Kat- it was a fun night to toast the bride-to-be.

Remembering Rosslynne

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We celebrated the life of Rosslynne Wichmann
December 2, 1913
July 2, 2009
in 95 years she led a great life and has a great lineage of
descendants to remember her and carry on the things she taught us!

After a very nice Rosary Wednesday night at the funeral home we had a funeral mass Thursday at 11:30 at Sacred Heart in Red Bluff. Claire and Cathleen did a beautiful job arranging everything.

Heff and his brothers and cousins were pallbearers, Francie helped too

Rosslynne's three daughters, Nikki, Claire and Cathleen with her great granddaughters on their laps for the burial

It was a beutiful place to be buried, the St Mary's Cemetery in Red Bluff...

so peaceful that Francie fell asleep on Uncle Donald

Rosslynne was buried right next to her husband Carl

and unbelievably a huge rainbow appeared in the sky above the cemetery during the burial :)

then back to Oma and Opa's house for a reception to celebrate her life (with the Slurpee Francie was promised if she behaved in mass)

We'll miss you Grandma Wichmann!

A Full House

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All five Heffernan kids and spouses are here with all seven grandkids and almost all the Cahill's next door. It's been so much fun just hanging out and relaxing with everybody around the house and around the barn. We all stay at Oma and Opa's house (16 people plus Kat and Donald!) and the Cahill cousins stay right next door at Nana and Pop's house. It is a full house but we are so lucky to get to spend so much time with our family. There were nine kids under six years old and they spent the days playing, eating, riding pony's, running around, chasing chickens, doing art projects, reading books, and tearing up the playroom I compulsively organized twelve times :) We were all there this week unexpectedly when we heard Grandma Wichmann had passed away through the funeral Thursday (we'll all be back again next weekend for the wedding festivities) but we celebrated her life through the fun that comes bringing everyone under the same roof!

Kat and Donald busy putting together all the last minute wedding details!

Kids in the Coop

Ellie and Francie with the chicks

Francie with her favorite accessory

"Here chickie-chickie" (as they run for their lives! The little guy on the left has never grown out of the chick stage, it's a "failure to thrive" little peeper!)

Andrea in the kitchen making homemade onion rings....

for a round of burgers with Donald's beef!

Daddy and Francie on the grill

Uncle Mark holdind the closest baby (Maisie here, his baby Clara was on her way up :)

Uncle Cake (Craig) and Izza-bizza in her safety first helmet she rarely took off

Oma and Baby Patrick (aka "Pack-et")

Daddy and the Doo at Dinner

Chalk and Chocolate face

an after-dinner jaunt back down to the barn

Heff supervising with Maisie

Silly dad

Francie restraining full-of-love Isabel from being aggressively affectionate on her "witta sista" Francie and Isabel screamed when they first saw each other they were so excited... they love each other but sometimes Francie has to say "too much hugging Iz-zo-bel please" ;)

Francie feeding the goats too much grain and hanging out in her favorite place

Kat and Andrea painting signs for the wedding weekend... Craig working hard watching

Maggie and Ellie being big helpers and helping Kat put together favor boxes

and changing Patrick's clothes and diaper too!

Kate and Francie lend a helping hand too.. washing the windows

A Gaggle of Kids in the sunporch with cousin Margaret

Little Stinker

Old Pink Crocs get a makeover... be-dazzled!

Lunchtime pizza party

Kate was too tired to finish lunch

and Francie couldn't make it upstairs for her nap. It's tiring running around in Red Bluff all day

Maisie needed a bath... in the sink! With all her big girl cousins to help

and Ellie taught Francie how to change a diaper. She is a pro.

The girls and their dolls

Maisie is opposed to having her picture taken without her dress on too apparently

Oma's famous waffle fixings for breakfast, perfect for this crowd who wake up in the 5am to 10am range. Always a hot waffle waiting!

Bedheads Ellie and Patrick

More kiddie chaos in the sunporch. We'll be one shy of "cheaper by the dozen"!

Isabel already gunning for a nap. She has to fall asleep holding on to your ear. Makes it hard for her 6 foot 7 dad to lean in

and pretty Clara Marie checking out her crazy cousins

Uncle Bill and Mark making faces at Clara

Lots of dirty kids called for lots of baths (snapped this picture right before Isabel poured water on Kate's unsuspecting head. Kate was not happy.)

Ellie making crafts, Francie teaching Violet how to hang in Red Bluff

Kids in the playhouse

Daddy and his littlest girl

Silly Izza-bizza says "fab-u-lous!" in Aunt Kat's high heels

and adds to the outfit with her Dad's tie and Aunt Francy's sunglasses... she is hysterical!

A serious game of Agricola they played until 2:30 in the morning one night

and not so serious videos on the laptop as the kids crowd around Nana

Maisie ready and "Falling to Sheep"

Heff, per usual, fell asleep before Francie while she has her milk-sauce

Maggie waiting for her Dad to finish the game so she could go to bed! (Maggie is a second cousin, her Dad and Brian are first cousins... their grandmas/moms are the twins Claire and Cathleen so Maggie sleeps next door at the Cahills Casa)

Projects in Red Bluff

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We've been in Red Bluff since Sunday with all of the Heffernan's and Cahill's to celebrate Grandma Wichmann's life and prepare for the rosary tonight (wednesday) and funeral tomorrow (thursday). We went into town Monday for some project supplies at "Sew What" and have been crafting ever since. Francie is beside herself excited between the horses and her cousins. We set up Doug's big picnic table in the screened porch. I brought up my embroidery machine and got some fun bright colored fabrics for two projects...

My first project was a "celebration banner" with embroidered flags (I made 74 of them!) to tag different messages on a ribbon for birthdays and holidays

A relaxing workspace and got to watch the kids play in the spa at the same time

Andrea finished the project she had started on her trip to Hungary, a knit little vest for Isabel! It is soo cute and perfectly done of course, her seams are seamless ;)

The girls "sewing" too (Isabel looking on and wondering when Francie is going to get in trouble for touching moms sewing machine)

and in their crazy outfits snacking on booty and taking turns pushing Maisie. Isabel is wearing her little ruffle skirt I made for her on my last project day at Jannie's ;)

OH MY. Isabel the little Hungarian on a chocolate high in her ruffle skirt

Hummm. Didn't think it would be worn that way or I would have made it a tad bit longer (Alexis- I had to post this photo just for you! Thanks for the pattern!)

My Tuesday project was a travel-roll I tried to make come to life from an idea in my OCD-packing head....

It unrolls to hang on a door or hangers with clear pockets across seven rows, each day has space for a onesie, outfit, back up outfit and pj's...

in progress, trying to figure out how big to make the pockets for baby sized outfits

and of course a place for matching bows

and when the naps were longer than I thought (the best part of running around the barn all day) I made a matching lined laundry bag and a little travel bag for baby first aid stuff.

I went a little crazy with my embroidery settings and improvised with what I had (bias tape for a drawstring?! it worked :)

Ahhh so nice to have time for projects!

Grandma Wichmann

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Brian's Grandma Wichmann died on Thursday July 2 :( She was 95 years old and lived a great life. She has been living at the Heffernan's in Red Bluff in her own little house for the past year or so (after moving up from Southern California) and comes over for all the holidays, meals and festivities. She still got herself around even at 95 (even sometimes walking home in the dark, without a flashlight! I don't even think I could do that!) Grandma Wichmann loved her family and she LOVED babies and all the little cousins, she knew all the kids names and who they belonged to (again, sometimes even I have trouble remembering that!:) I loved hearing her stories about her life and especially all the stories she told me about Brian as a little boy- how polite and well mannered he was and how he took very good care of his younger siblings. I hope my kids grow up to be just like that an I'm so glad both Francie and Maisie got to spend a little time with a Great-Grandmother in their lifetime, she was the last grandparent Heff or I had living on either side. We'll miss you Grandma Wichmann!

Grandma and I at my Red Bluff baby shower when I was pregnant with Francie! She told me about how she was so exhuasted when she had her twins (Claire & Cathleen) that she never got to sleep one night since one or the other was always up. She said when she finally got in bed at 6 am and pulled the covers up and told her husband, he rolled over and said "but this is just what you always wanted isn't it? " and she said "yes and I am not complaining, just announcing". She loved having twins and was so proud of her children.

This is one of my favorite photos of Grandma Wichmann from our wedding. Somehow she had six foot tall twin girls and grandsons over 6 foot 7!

Grandma with Francie at Christmas 2007

Grandma Wichmann with Maisie and Clara in her arms, Ronan and Isabel next to her

More 4th of July at Em's

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We had a busy 4th this year! After the 5K run and parade we went home for some Hacienda Burritos and naps and hanging around the house before going to Isaac's and then we all went over to Emily's family's house for more 4th of July fun. It was Emily's Dad, Joe's, birthday and my brother James came through with some do-it-yourself Fireworks (some safe-n-sane, some not so much) Joe had cigars for the guys and the girls all played with the babies since Emily and James were taking care of Baby Jackson for the weekend (they were worn out! :) Thanks for having us over Marla, Joe, Em and James!

Jackson just hanging out on the lawn

Francie making sure no one is going to tell her she can't play with this cute little guy

Jerry and Georgia Carter came over too! Getting some smiles from Maisie

I swear this WAS an accident... Auntie Em was wearing the same red Saltwaters as Francie and Maisie! (Maisie's don-t exactly fit yet but Aunt Kaky gave the little size 3 red Saltwater's to me for my first baby shower and she always loved the 4th of July so much- I had to put them on Maisie for a little while!)

Jannie and the girls in their Saltwaters (nice face Francie)

Auntie Em tap-dancing with Francie and Lily

Marla and Jackson cuddle up

The guys smoking cigars

The Johnets festive on the 4th!

James and Em start the sparklers early

My brother. Once a pyro, always a pyro.

I wonder where he gets it? :) (John blowing up beer cans)

James proud of his work

Sparkler finale

Isaac's Birthday

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Francie's friend Isaac turned TWO! Isaac is the first of her little friends to hit two years old :) He was born on 7-7-7 (what a birthday huh!?) so we went over to their house on Saturday for a little BBQ celebration with their family.

The Heff's on the 4th of July (take one)

The birthday boy

When Francie heard they were bringing Isaac his cupcake she went and got a chair and saddled up right next to him- the little spotlight stealer!

Mom lighting the candles, Dad making funny faces to get a good picture. (and their little niece in the backgroud- only 5 weeks old and already bigger than Maisie- she was born at 10 lbs 7 oz!!)

Happy Birthday Isaac!

what a cute family (just missing Baby Wyatt who was sleeping- Isaac is 2 months older than Francie and Wyatt is 2 months older than Maisie- Heff doesn't like to hear us joke they will be great dates!)

Heff and his girls (Francie looking not so happy to share dad's lap)

Francie's first whack at a pinata

Francie (the only girl!) jumped in for the candy. Isaac had to be consoled as to why everone was cheering when his favorite football was crushed and destroyed

Looking for a place to hide the candy away from those boys

Francie found a solo cup to collect her candy and soon had the boys trained to help fill up "her cup" (bossy big sis trait!?:)

Not only did the southern gentleman Isaac bring her toys and candy...

he gave her a kiss everytime too!

Someone is quite content

Isaac thinking he should rethink this giving-candy-away-to-girls thing

4th of July Parade

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We didn't think we'd be home this year for the 4th, Heff and I each had a trip planned but things changed Thursday night when we got the sad news that Brian's Grandma Wichmann (Claire's Mom) passed away. So we switched gears and decided to head up to Red Bluff to be with the family until the services. We knew traffic would be brutal on the 4th so we stayed home to enjoy the summer holiday together as a family at home- it was a treat! I love the 4th of July!

We got up bright and early for the Redwood City Parade festivities... Heff entered the very popular and very competitive "Double Stroller Division"

in the RWC 4th of July Fun Run

Heff getting the girls psyched up before the race

Francie is so nervous she's gnawing Violet's ear... Maisie isn't so stressed

Like I said, we got there "earley"

Faster than a speeding Cal-train!

Go Daddy, Go!

The final lap. And they finish....

In THIRD place for the Double Strollers!!!

the girls fell asleep from all the excitement

But woke up after a little nap when Jannie & Grampa joined us for the parade

I remember going to the RWC parade when I was little and staking the seats out with my dad :)

Francie waved back to Miss California with her best beauty pageant wave

she was glued to the floats, bands and dancing ladies

the wedding brigade float was a new entry this year... Heff said he could see the blisters from the cheap seats

and what's a parade without a creepy clown passing out candy

Maisie's first parade

dancin' in the street

all done! one of my favorite summer traditions :)

Lovejoy's Tea with Two

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Wednesday we went up to SF to my favorite spot for tea and met some of our favorite people to share tea with, the Coogan Clan. This was Maisie's first trip to Lovejoy's Tea Room and my first trip with TWO little girls to keep happy at a table full of hot water and breakables :) Francie and Maisie were great, it helped to have Hannah and Memoh to hold and entertain them. We brought Francie's favorite little tea set Aunt Barbara sent her and she made us all lots of "hot tea" (her favorite thing to "cook" at home too :) Always a nice time to catch up with the girls at Lovejoy's!

Mom and Francie

Maisie smiling for Sarah

Wee-Tea's for the girls

Sisters playing nice

Sisters playing not so nice

Picking a petit four... their favorite part

Little tiny cakes make for happy little girls

and speaking of little! Peaking out over the big girl's books (I think she is looking less and less like Francie as a baby... more like a Sheehy and she has the Sheehy pointy-chin!)

Sweet Memoh holding Maisie (she is a very good big sister and took good care of Maisie :)

and Hannah had lots of great stories and songs to keep Francie entertained

The big girls helped swaddle Maisie and rock her to sleep

Hannah making us all laugh outside Lovejoy's after tea

watching her song and dance routine

we were all laughing so hard our sides hurt!

Meeting Cousins

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Monday we had a mellow day around the house playing it the yard and breaking out the sprinklers...it's still nice hot summer weather

Maisie on her favorite quilt Aunt Andrea made for her

Francie's favorite game of the afternoon was dropping her lollipop in the watering can full of water and fishing it out... then licking it and doing it again. Pretty gross but I let her do it!

Monday night my first cousin Theresa and her girls Annette and Jane came down to meet Francie and Maisie for the first time! They were down for the day and Jannie took the girls shopping (she is Jane's godmother) at Nordstrom Rack where they picked out their groovy new t-shirts. We went over to the Johnets for dinner and Francie ran around showing her cousins the doll-doll room she calls Francie's room (Maisie better start setting her straight!) and playing outside. They all had fun together and Annette even read Francie her favorite Olivia book before we went home for bedtime.