In Memory of Mae Hattaway

Ms. Mae was a wonderful woman that I had the pleasure of knowing growing up as a teenager into adulthood. Ms. Mae was a dear friend of my Grandma Lund. While growing up she and my grandma would take Michelle, Jenny (Ms. Mae's grand daughters) and I out for lunch and shopping. One of the first times I can remember doing this, they took us to the Upper Crust restaurant. While we lived in Florida our family would Christmas Carol to the Hattaway's home every Christmas Eve. We would then join their family for dessert. May she be at peace and enjoy reuniting with her family and friends.

Mae Ann Hattaway, age 73, of Niceville, Fla., went to join God on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009,

after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was born to Albertis Campbell and Agnes Kemp on May 29, 1936, in Schenectady, N.Y. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Al; her first husband, Earl B. Laird; son,

Jeffrey Laird; and daughter, Ellen Laird.
Survivors include her husband of 32 years, William Hattaway of Niceville; two sons, Earl A. Laird and wife Debbie of Crestview, Fla., and Clifton Laird of Niceville; two daughters, Linda Cooper and husband David of Pensacola, Fla., and Brenda Swanzy of Troy, Ala.; mother-in-law, Julia Hattaway of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law, Peggy Hattaway of Niceville; brother-in-law, Jerry Hattaway and wife Karen of Montgomery, Ala.; 13 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews.
Her faith in God was strenuously challenged numerous times throughout her life, yet it remained unwavering. She was a devoted wife and mother; gentle, warm hearted, caring; never met a stranger, and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Her smiles, hugs, and all the wonderful things she did for family, friends and those in need will forever be remembered. Special thanks to her very dear friends, Jan Lund, Kay Hammock and Peggy Hattaway, for their support and friendship to the very end; and to Debbie Laird, who Mae considered as a daughter and a friend. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Twin Cities Funeral Home.

Adam's Open House 09

Adam's Desk has his name, his own basket with crayons, dry erase marker, pencil and felt to erase the dry erase board!

Adam filled out a packet to introduce himself to his teacher. He said his favorite food was a sweet potato, his favorite toy was Thomas the Train, his favorite show is Special Agent Oso and of course his favorite color is red. He also told his teacher in the packet that he wants to be a train engineer when he grows up!

Mrs. Stafford was a pleasure to meet. Adam did his testing for reading on Thursday and he is above average in all three areas of testing. I ate lunch with Adam yesterday at school and was told once again by Mrs. Stafford how well Adam is doing not only in his reading, but other subjects as well :)

Way To Go Adam!

Only two weeks into school and our Adam is a Soaring Eagle!! Adam was acting responsibly in class while working at his centers. He is enjoying his class this year with Ms. Stafford. He also has a student teacher this year. We are going to his Open House on Thursday and will update ya with a few classroom pictures :) Keep up the great work Adam!

"R" is for Remission!

Addison is in Remission!!!!!!!!!!
I spoke with Dr. Hecht's nurse today and Addison's blood work is great! As of today her Crohn's Disease is dormant. She will have flare ups, but she is growing and doing very well. Addison still takes medications and she will never be truly cured until they find one, but remission is the next best thing :)
Our family is so grateful for all of the prayers and well wishes. Way to go Addison!!

Adam's First Day of 1st Grade

Breakfast of Champion's!!!

Addison helped make the blue whipped cream for the smiley face pancakes!

Adam and his guys before school. Adam collected his guys at McDonald's while traveling this summer.

Strike a Pose :) Adam had a great first day! He has Mrs. Stafford as a teacher and they have a student teacher as well this year. Adam has a homework folder and he will be working hard after school each day.

Uncle Jared and Alex enjoyed licking the bowl and spoon after making brownies the night before school :)

Monuments & Museums

Adam and I had the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum. The photo above was taken in the Remembrance Room. I was truly moved in this room. This eternal flame sits on the soil of graves and concentration camps of those persecuted for their beliefs.

We took the kids to the Lincoln Monument for the first time. They enjoyed the stairs and view that he enjoys each day!

Who wouldn't enjoy this great view!!

Great Falls of the Patomac

This boat was used by the Patowmack Canal Company to move items up the river. The canal is built with gates that are moved by donkeys. The canals work like the Panama Canal, they put the boat in the gates and fill them up with water to allow them to move into the next area of the canal.

The falls were very beautiful.

The kids found that playing in and on the rocks was a little more interesting to them though.

Alex LOVED climbing on the rocks! Mom and Dad had to trap him to get him down from the rocks. We chased him to the very end of the trail where he once again found a rock to climb :)

The Berniger Family Summer 2009

Hershey's Park

Grandma and Grandpa took all the grand kids to Hershey's Park for a day! Thanks for such a fun day Grandma and Grandpa :)

They had a great time on the rides.

Smile Addison :)

They played in the water park for a few hours and then dried off on a few rides!

The last ride they had was with Grandma at Chocolate World. They learned how Hershey's makes their milk chocolate. They even received a piece of candy to taste at the end of their ride!

The Reception

Jared & Ashley's First Dance!

Jared's & Mom's dance became a group dance with the grand kids :)

I love the gaze that Lil Adam is giving his Aunt Ashley while sharing a dance with her!

Addison and Emily loved playing with their cousins from Ohio. The older girls taught Addison and Emily a cute dance. Emily got so into the dance that she even asked me to hold her purse!!

Thanks to everyone that helped blow up balloons and decorate the truck!! I think it turned out really well :)

Nieces & Nephews All Dressed Up!

The flower gardens were quiet a hit for the little ones! Emily loved smelling the flowers. I think Alex's favorite part was just picking them!!

Cheese!!

Each of the little ones wanted some time with Aunt Ashley. Addison and Jacob enjoyed their special moment.

Aunt Ashley with Sophie

This was one of my favorite moments at the Temple. The nieces loved their quality time with Aunt Ashley.

Congrats Jared & Ashley

Jared and Ashley had quiet the wedding day! Jared started his day at 5:00 am driving to Cincinnati, Ohio with his brother Jon to meet up with Ashley and get their wedding license. On the way back to Columbus a semi turned over on the interstate and caused quiet a back up. The truck was full of toilet paper!! Jared wasn't able to make it back to the hotel, so he and Jon changed in the parking lot and shaved on the go!

The wedding started an hour late, but it was worth the wait! Jared and Ashley looked amazing :)

Kissing photos weren't hard to come by :)

Ashley's dress was breathtaking.

Congratulations Jared and Ashley! Enjoy your adventure together.

Train Ride in Walkersville Maryland

Grandma Lund took the grand kids on a train ride in Walkersville, Maryland while we were visiting. The kids picked the outdoor train car so that they could see everything!

Each train ride has a theme and we participated in the Clown Day. Each little one received a balloon of their choice.

Addison had a funny character made that reminded me of Veggie Tales.

The kids sat in the enclosed car so that I could take a picture! Adam has an airplane balloon, Jacob and Emily both had little dogs!!

The kids had a great time on the train ride! Fun memories were had by all :)