The past five months....

First let me apologize for the long delay since our last blog. I am still trying to figure how to get it all done...thank you all for your patience.

These past five months have been wonderful and full of much fun!!! Aleks experienced a lot of firsts: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year! He flew for the first time this past November to Wichita Falls, TX for Thanksgiving and to meet his TX family for the first time. He did very well on the flights, so much so we are looking forward to the next time we fly together. While in TX, Violet and Sally (Victor's sister and sister-in-law, respectively) gave a baby shower in Aleks' honor. They did a fantastic job, and it was special to have Aleks there for his own baby shower. We enjoyed being able to introduce Aleks to friends and family. He also "ran" in his first race this past December. Victor, Aleks and I ran in the Charleston Reindeer Run this past December. It was a 5K run in downtown Charleston and was a lot of fun despite the rain. The race is family oriented, so we were able to push Aleks in his stroller. We spent Christmas and New Years here in Charleston. Victor unfortunately had the flu, but we still managed to have a great time extending Victor's birthday and Christmas for when he felt better. Luckily Victor had some time off to recuperate before having to return to work. On Christmas morning, Aleks learned to roll over from back to front for the first time and front to back a couple of weeks later. On January 17th Aleks was Christened at Christ Our King in Mt. Pleasant, SC. He did great and did not even mind the water. We had a lot of family and extended Boeing family attend, helping to make it a very special day. Aleks is getting into life here in the lowcountry. Just this past weekend, he attended his first oyster festival at Boone Hall plantation. He loved the crowds, music and seemed interested in the oysters themselves. Maybe next year he will get to try one!

He is growing like a weed...still in the 95% for weight and 97% for height for his age. We are so proud :) At his four month old visit, he weighed 18 lbs. 4oz. and was 27.5 inches long. This week he and I are going to go find some 12 month old clothing for him. He is sleeping longer through the night, only waking up once or twice. YEAH!! Just this past week he has begun trying to crawl. We will keep everyone posted. Our cats have no idea their days of leisure are greatly numbered :) They have already put in a request to have high places to hide on in our new house...smart cats!

Those are the highlights for now. I promise to try and post more often. Until the next time, we miss you guys and keep us posted on how you all are doing.

Love, Danielle, Victor and Aleks

Mom's Eulogy

Sophie Mrochkowski

3 November 2009

Thank you, Father John, for an inspiring sermon, to all who contributed to our beautiful liturgy this morning, and to all of you—our family and friends—for coming here today to commemorate my mother Sophie Mrochkowski’s life.

Sophie Mrochkowski was a warm and loving, yet strong Polish-American woman. She was a devoted wife to Casimir, her late husband of 45 years; a caring and selfless mother to my older brothers KC and Conrad, sister Violet and me; and a loving grandmother to her 11 grandchildren. Mom loved her family with all her heart, worked hard, enjoyed life, and always remained true to her core values and Catholic faith. Endings such as this are never ever happy. But it’s the happy moments along the way that, in the end, make it okay. And there were many happy moments…

First, Mom loved and cared for her family. Every afternoon when Dad came home from a long day of work, Mom was there to greet him with three kisses and a delicious supper. I will always remember Mom’s hugs—frequent and always good and strong—the kind that let you know you’re really loved. Mom truly cared for her children. In wintertime, knit hats were non-negotiable, and even with high school-aged children, Mom would get up in the middle of a cold night to pull up our blankets. Our parents Sophie and Casimir were selfless--always putting their children’s interest ahead of their own. Mom was also devout in her Catholic faith, and loved spending time with the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth here in Wichita Falls. She truly believed in their tradition of serving God through service to families, and really enjoyed the friendships she gained.

Mom really valued hard work. As a schoolgirl in Poland during the Second World War, Mom developed a strong work ethic and learned to do without a lot. Her example encouraged us children to always do our best. Over the years, Mom worked various jobs outside the home—as a literary reviewer in Poland, a pharmaceuticals manufacturing associate in New Jersey, and a Certified Nursing Assistant here in Wichita Falls. But, her family always came first. She was a devoted homemaker, who returned home each morning tired from working all night, but still made breakfast and lunch for us children before taking us to school. She took great care of the household, and the family that she loved.

Mom enjoyed life. She cherished nature, loved beautiful flowers, and absolutely treasured life on Lake Wichita. She and our father Casimir built their dream home on the lake, and filled it with love and joy. Mom loved to laugh, had a great sense of humor. Sometimes when a person here in Texas would hear her thick Polish accent and ask where she was from, Mom would say, “New Jersey.” Always in search of good fortune, Mom enjoyed playing cards, and especially loved going to the casinos in Elko, Nevada to play the slots. You may not have known that Sophie was a lover of the arts, but she loved classical music and cinema. Believe me, sometimes growing up we didn’t appreciate those piano lessons, and KC and Conrad dreaded even more learning Polish folk dance in traditional costumes. But years later, we all came to appreciate the fact that Mom was trying to instill some culture in us.

Our mother Sophie was a woman of substance and confidence, not overly concerned with superficial image or what others thought. Now, I am here to tell you that Mom was a woman who loved finding a bargain. Not just where to find the best value milk or bread in town, but also many a Saturday saw her exploring yard sales in search of some hidden gem. It brings to mind the image of how happy we children always were to have to stop at “just one more” yard sale. Not interested in expensive cars or clothes, she would rather devote her resources to other priorities, Catholic elementary and high school, and paying for as much college and graduate school as matched our ambition—though sometimes it was hard for her and Dad to rub two nickels together.

Finally, Mom lived a life filled with hope. On her last morning, Mom asked for the curtains to be opened to watch the sun rise. Lying in bed, she looked into my eyes and quietly said, “It’s my time now. I love you all, all of my children, so much. I will be with you forever.” She then said, “Jesus is with me.” A short time later, Mom quietly stopped breathing and fell asleep peacefully, holding my hand.

Right now, I feel a tremendous emptiness and sense of loss. I can’t imagine our family going on without our dear Mom. She was truly the glue that bound us together. But I have faith God will grant us strength to go on, and we will keep Mom’s memory and spirit alive as we raise our children in the ways she and Dad taught us.

You know, since Dad died five years ago, Mom would often say how much she missed him. Even though we miss her today, we’re glad they're together again. I don’t know about Jesus, but I think Dad was getting impatient, as Mom was sometimes running a little bit late.

Rest in peace, Mom, until we meet again...

Aleksander Kyle Mroczkowski

Dear Friends and Family,

We're thrilled to announce that Aleksander Kyle Mroczkowski was born on August 22, 2009 at 11:20am at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Born one day early, the strapping lad came in at 9lbs 2oz, and I must say Danielle did an amazing job. Aleks is a true bundle of joy with a quiet disposition (except when hungry, which he's not bashful about). We just returned home from the hospital a little while ago, and Mom and baby are both doing great. In the coming days, we'll get more pictures up online which you can see by double-clicking below.

All the best,

Victor and Danielle

Our new apartment on Daniel Island

Our new place seems to be just what we're needing. It's quiet, has a gorgeous pool area, and allows us to not have to worry about lawn or house maintenance as we focus on the birth of our little one.

Our new address is:

Danielle and Victor Mroczkowski

485 Seven Farms Drive Apt 315

Charleston, SC 29492

Danielle's Cell: (256) 503-7965

Victor's Cell: (256) 617-3835

Everyone who can find the time is more than welcome to come visit us. Isle of Palms is only 15 minutes away from us, there is wonderfully warm and sunny weather, great restaurants (fresh seafood is bought right off the boat), rich Civil War history (Ft. Sumpter), beautiful antebellum plantations (the only America tea plantation), a winery and vodka (Firefly) distillery nearby...a little something for everybody! We have two bedrooms, and there are additional guest suites here that we can reserve as well...so don't be a stranger!

Danielle and Victor

Movin' on down to Charleston

On the road again.... After movers came to pick our household goods, Danielle spent the last nine days at the Candlewood Suites in Huntsville. Once I returned Wednesday from Charleston, we packed up a few things things we didn't want to take and put it in local storage...then packed up our kitty cats and drove today from Huntsville to another Candlewood Suites here in North Charleston. (They don't mind the kitty cats.) Danielle is now entering her third trimester, and she has been fabulous getting so much done to help us move.

We made it safely to Charleston, and tomorrow I will begin work at Global Aeronautica on the 787 Program. Danielle will spend the day tying up loose ends in Huntsville and getting us ready to move into the new apartment on Wednesday. We found a great place on Daniel Island--a very quaint island community only about 15 minutes from Global Aeronautica.

All the best,

Victor

Austin New Year's 2009

 

This is a picture of Danielle and I in front of the Texas State Capital building.  It was a nice night, and 6th Street was hopping.  One image I wish I could forget is of a homeless man wearing a trenchcoat who was spinning a teacup on the end of a pole balanced on his chin.  He stopped spinning it, looked at us, and flashed his black lacey bra at us.  Disturbing...

Welcome!

We have created this blog to keep our friends and family updated with what we're doing. We hope it's something that helps us all stay better connected, and we look forward to you sending us your blog links!

-Danielle and Victor