Day 3...coming to terms

I have never been taught to walk away from anything throughout my life.  In fact,  when I was 16, I totaled my parents van. It was the van I had prayed for us to get, even, right down to the color. I was on my way to DC and hit black ice and totaled it soon after I got back, my parents had a new /used van for us and guess who had to drive? Me of course because they couldn't have me afraid of driving or afraid of life.
Yesterday I didn't do the greatest at facing the situation head on. I tried and well, let me explain.
I was supposed to have a nurse come to the house to help with the drains and the bandages.  It had been 48 hours and I was allowed to remove bandages for showering. I was looking forward to it.  Showers always make me feel better and with all the iodine on me,  I was a little itchy so I wanted to clean up.  The nurse didn't call so Adam took the bandages off. Seeing not much left of where my chest was but an incision made me feel light headed so I had to sit on the toilet so Adam could still take care of me. He put a fan in the door to cool the air and gave me a cold washcloth to hold on my forehead.  Then he used a warm washcloth to take as much of the iodine off my shoulder and arm while being super gentle and understanding. He joked with me as he checked to make sure everything looked good and then re-bandaged me carefully.
It wasn't even that my belly looked like it stuck out farther and made it look larger.  It was simply grieving the loss of part of me that I see every day. It is also grieving the loss of intamacy to some extent. Yes, reconstruction is an option but that will be another surgery,  more pain, new things to learn, etc.  I am thankful that God is my fortress.  He never changes. I can always count on Him!
I am blessed with a patient, knowledgeable, gentle,  & kind husband and so many others around me, too many to name. Continue the prayers please.  I followed directions and took pain meds every 4 hours for 48 hours and now it's time to see how it goes backing off of them.  My skin is still dry and itchy in spots, I'll see if I can fix that today. Hoping to be a little braver & stronger today than yesterday so I can get that shower I long for.

Sorry no cool graphics for verses today. This is the first blog post I've done from my phone I think & I'm not pushing it. Have a great and blessed day.  I know I will because it is Sunday and I'm expecting God to meet me where I'm at.

Life is Changing

Well, today is my last free Thursday not actually on some sort of time constraint.  On Monday, I start a part time job at our church as the youth pastor's assistant.  It will be for 4 hours on Monday & 4 hours on Thursday. Nothing too much but it is definitely going to change how things have to work at the Pierce house.  I have been trying to finish patching the living room walls & ceiling so that we can have it texturized soon.  I would have liked to have the living room completely finished before I start this new position but I start sooner than expected & I will have to just work it in throughout the week & weekend.

I can't believe that tomorrow is already Good Friday.  It is crazy how it has come so quickly & yet it is at the end of April (not that silly March stuff).  We have been keeping quite busy with things.  The first weekend of April was the tail end of spring break & we spent the morning at the Pinewood Derby for Braly.  It was fun!  Then we headed to the Bonifas Arts Center for a circus open house.  We ate lunch (for free) had cotton candy, popcorn, pop, & corn dogs.  The kids enjoyed painting some pictures, getting balloon animals (Gabby had a HUGE flower & Braly had a sword, Morgan  missed out).  They played a beanbag toss game & won bead necklaces & walked around learning about the Skerbeck family & their history of the circus.

The following week Rachel & her kids came to stay a few days with us & we were able to celebrate Mom & Aunt Carol's birthday.  We had yummy Chicken, bacon, Quesadillas for dinner & cake & ice cream for dessert.

Last weekend I drove to Natalie's house to help her clean & get it ready to sell.  I stopped at Menard's to buy the sticky tile she asked for & we ended up spending the day doing a little cleaning but mostly installing the tile floor in the back bedroom & bathroom.  I must say that I was impressed with how nicely it looked when we were done.  It wasn't perfect but Nat was satisfied.  I didn't leave until late & had to drive home in a blizzard at 30 mph.  It was worth it though to help my sister out.  She has such an amazing heart for others & it is  nice when I see her getting blessed.

Today is the last day of the week for the kids. I'd like to do some egg coloring with the kids tomorrow if we have time.  We have to order Braly's new glasses & we want to attend Good Friday service at 1pm so we'll have to work it all in.  We have the option on Sat to attend an Easter Egg hunt in Felch but I think it might have to be missed since we will be heading that way on Sunday after church.  We'll see how it goes.

For now, I did my exercising & have checked my email.  Morgan is playing with her best friend Briar & I need to get a shower & a few other things done around here before it is lunch time.  Have to get the oil changed in my car.  And think about what I might wear to the girls  night out (Come As Your Not). That's gonna take some thought.  Plus I'd like to come up with an idea for a contest to win a Photography package as well as a few other wonderful prizes.  More to come.  Oh creative juices....start flowing!

So Quiet

Today is our last week day of our Spring Break & there is an almost deafening quiet in our house at this moment, except for the clicking of the keyboard as I type.  Yesterday we found out that our neighbor's cousins would be coming in yesterday or today.  They are 2 little boys that my 3 love to play with.  So at 10am the doorbell rang.  I was still in my sweaty exercise clothes so I let the kids answer the door in their jammies.  I did say it was Spring Break didn't I?  Hence the jammies so late. :)  When they opened the door to see the boys & neighbor girl outside they got so excited & started talking fast & loud.  They immediately ran upstairs to get dressed for the day & went outside to play in the cold.  I think its about 40 F but with the wind, it feels quite cold.  They played for about an hour & then were invited inside next door to play in the house.  I said  yes, and that's why my house is so quiet.

It makes me filled with joy each time my kids are so excited & happy that they have neighborhood friends to play with.  Siblings are almost always around to play with, so its nice when a few other friends are added to the mix.

Time for me to mix up some more plaster patching stuff so I can get 2 layers on the trench in the wall today.  I'm hoping to have the wall level again by Sunday or Monday.  I am looking forward to having the living room finished with beautiful color on the walls & ceiling.  Our new painting on the wall as well as other decorations to make it inviting & cozy.  And hardwood floor with a big fuzzy area rug to sit on.  It's gonna be beautiful!!!

Wanna see a pic of my gems?

That's right, you guessed it.  My gems are my 3 children.  I think this turned out great, especially considering it was taken at school.  I only bought the disc with the proof on it so I can do what I want with it.  So excited. Wished it was here a little sooner since I had a coupon for 50% off of a canvas print earlier this month.

Funny story about Gabby's hair.  She wanted it curly like she wore it for her Christmas program so we put the curlers in it after she showered the night before.  Then in the morning, we took them out. I heated the curling iron up so that I could curl the pieces that didn't curl & she looked great!  I should have taken a pic of her.  We decided that the kids would just ride to school with  me since Gabby said she didn't want to wear a hat & wreck her hair.  And since I had to bring Morgan to get her pic taken with them right when school started it was no big deal.  I sent Braly outside to shovel the snow since we got a few inches & it was snowing at the time.  Gabby was still eating so I didn't think to tell her to stay in the house when I went upstairs to give Morgan a quick bath & blowdry her hair.  Needless to say, we came down ready to head to school & I found Gabby outside helping with the shoveling.  Ugh!  Her hair was went & limp with the beautiful snow.  I called her in, had her look in the mirror & she was like agh! Now what Mom?  We ran upstairs, turned the curling iron back on, & got the blow dryer out.  I did as fast a touch up as I could but it wasn't quite the same but she looked beautiful all the same.  We were late getting to school & then I had to pull them out of class to get their pic taken together and it's fabulous!  So glad we had it done!

Big Picture Classes Blog Tip

This is mostly for me to remember my contribution to BPC.  So this is what the Tuesday Tip that was shared on the Big Picture Classes Blog looked like.  Thought I would share it on here so that I have a copy of it to share with my children once they get older & start reading my blog.

February 08, 2011

Tuesday Tip!

 

Don't you hate it when things explode & make a crazy mess in your microwave?  Do you forget to clean it up right away or not have time so it crusts on?  Or maybe someone else in your house made the mess & you discover it after its been there for awhile.  Besides getting a cover to use over the food to help decrease the messes, I learned a simple trick.  Fill a coffee cup half full with some vinegar & a little bit of water.  Microwave it for about 30 seconds and then watch the splatters of food wipe off the inside of your microwave with little to no scrubbing.  

Jeannette Pierce

Growing up

Yes, this is another post about the kids growing up...well mainly Morgan.  I just have to reflect on how much she is changing lately & so quickly.  She went from wearing diapers & waking up absolutely SOAKED, to cold turkey wearing just undies.  As I sat here this afternoon researching washing machines so that we can purchase a new one since our 5 year old one died, I let Morgan play Daddy's computer.  She has been a SUPER challenge to get her potty trained...nothing like the other two.  She would fight me when I'd ask if she had to go potty & a few minutes later she was in tears & yelling for my help because she had peed her pants.  She would REFUSE to go when I asked her to try & then have an accident.  She'd do the same when I tried to just tell her to go potty & I'd practically have to drag her there & sit her on the potty & force her to go.  I tried timeouts, privileges taken away, spanking, etc and NOTHING seemed to work with this girl until she accidentally went to bed on Super Bowl Sunday night without a diaper on.  That was a HUGE turning point for this little girl.  She not only hasn't worn a wet diaper since but she's had much fewer accidents AND the one thing I wanted to really write about today, she is going to bed much nicer.  More like a 4 year old should.  And she spent the night with her friend while we were out of town & not only went to bed nicely with her friend, but she also behaved like an angel I'm told.  This girl is also reading some words.  She has been sounding words out & though she needs a lot of practice still, she is doing fantastic with it.  I am one thankful and proud momma.  So happy God blessed us with three wonderful children.  Parenting isn't always easy or fun but it really can be rewarding.

Check this out! :)

Many of you that know me, also know that I LOVE to scrapbook.  I often visit & take classes from the Big Picture Classes website.  A few months ago they decided to do Tuesday Tips.  They are tips that can be for scrapbooking but aren't limited to scrapbooking because let's face it, we don't just scrapbook each & every minute of our day, right?  I decided to share a tip that my mom shared with me....check it out

http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/blog/tuesday-tip-2-11.html

And do you know what I got for my contribution?  A $10 gift certificate to apply toward classes at BPC!  Sweet eh?

On Our Way

Well, it looks like we are on our way to being a diaper free house & I am thrilled about it.  It has been many years since we were diaper free so I am looking forward to this next step in our lives.  What a bittersweet milestone.  Wonderful since the expense will not be there for diapers but a little sad since it means our children are growing up & don't need quite as much help from us anymore.  And yet, wonderful that they are growing up & don't need as much help as before.  It is as God intended & I pray we direct their paths according to God's will.  We won't always be around to hold their hands or to help them make some of life's big decisions but the wisdom we've shared & God's word in their hearts can help them make the best & right decision.  I have faith that this is how it will work for them.  I love to see them growing physically as well as spiritually.  I'm enjoying motherhood.

The other night I was tucking Morgan into bed.  Now this little girl just doesn't want to go to sleep at night for whatever reason.  She wants to be a part of every waking hour but we draw the line at 8pm (most nights) & that becomes adult time.  So as I was tucking her in, she said, "Mom?" In a slightly annoyed voice I asked, "What Morgan?" She went on to tell me, "Mom, I think I know what truth is."  I was intrigued by what she was about to tell me. I have been working on helping her understand what truth is because she's at that age where she doesn't quite understand the difference between a lie & the truth.  When I ask her whether she's cleared her dishes she will tell me yes.  And I know she hasn't done it yet, they are still cluttering the table.  Or I'll ask if she's gotten dressed yet & she will say yes, even though she's standing in front of me with her jammies still on.  I'm not sure if she wishes she were dressed or if she's trying the power of positive thinking by answering yes, thinking then maybe it will happen.  Whatever the case may be, this girl clearly does NOT understand a lie from the truth but she's only 4.  So back to our conversation.  Morgan says she knows what truth is.  And this next statement coming from a 4 year old blew me away.  She said, "Mom, I know what truth is.  Truth is God. God is truth, mom."  My response was, "Yes, Morgan, God IS TRUTH!"  Wow!! Such a phenomenal thing for a 4 year old to say.

Maybe, well more than likely, that statement was for me, since God has been teaching me to remember that He is truth & that the lies I sometimes listen to, that often alter my mood to one that is negative & crabby, have nothing to do with God but rather the father of lies.  I have been working to recognize these lies for what they are & trying to concentrate on God's truth.  The truth that His word says that all things will work together for good because I am in Christ Jesus.  Or one of the verses I've been trying to concentrate on right now is

Psalm 119:68  "Thou are good, and doeth good; teach me thy statues."

How awesome is that?  God IS good AND wants good for me?  That tells me that when negative thoughts come into my mind that they are NOT from God & I need to get rid of them. I still need a TON of work but I am learning & trying to allow God to teach me to change my ways & change my thoughts.  I am grateful that God never gives up on us. He continues working on us, even when He's been trying to tell us something & we aren't listening & acting on what He's been saying, he can use even the smallest to make a HUGE impact.

Okay, so lesson learned & hopefully remembered. I may have another plastic container to add to my organizing tools pile soon (the one that had the diapers in it). Now its time to get some housework done & maybe do some basement organizing.  I love having things put in their place.  It makes me HAPPY! And I do enjoy taking things that look like a tornado hit them & making them tidy. :)

Updating the blog

Thought it was time to update the look of the blog.  I may have made some things a little harder to read. Sorry if that is the case.  Let me know what you think.  I'm still working on it.  I would love to put a HUGE comments button on the bottom of each post so that it is much easier for leaving comments since I love them...well most of them. haha  Actually I don't think I've ever had trouble with any comments that have been left, just that leaving comments seldom happens. ;)  So do be shy. Leave a comment & say hi!

LeapFrog Parent Panel

As a parent who is concerned with what my kids learn & play with I decided to join the Leapfrog Parent Panel awhile back & answer questions regarding the Didj game systems that we purchased for Gabby & Braly 2 years ago (was it really that long or just last year? hmmm).  Anyway, each time I answered their questionaire my name was put into a drawing of all the parents answering questionaires for $100 gift cards from places like Walmart, Target, etc.  They just wrapped up the last questionaires about a month or 2 ago & I reveived an email saying that I had won the drawing.  It was actually the 'grand prize' drawing since they were finished with our panel.

I won a gift card for Target in the amount of $1,000!  That's right, not just $100 but rather $1,000.  The email came right before Christmas & they actually next day aired the gift card via UPS so I got it on Christmas Eve when Adam came home from work.  We started making our list of things we could buy right away.  And amazingly enough since our shopping was already done for Christmas & we had purchased most of the toys that we really wanted, we decided to use the money toward home essentials instead of blowing the whole thing on 'fun' stuff.

Now living in the enormous town of Escanaba we have 2 Targets to choose from.  LOL  We either drive 1 1/2 hours to Marquette to shop or 2+ hours to Green Bay to shop.  We decided to head to Marquette after church last week (well now it has been a few weeks ago).  We ate lunch on the way up with the kids.  When we arrived we headed for a quick stop in the bathrooms & then grabbed 2 carts & started looking at things on our list.

Warning: this is going to be a play by play of just what we spent our money on.  Details may bore you so read on if you are brave enough or maybe you haven't heard me gush about our purchases yet & your curiosity has gotten the better of you.  By the way, I'd love to hear what you would spend $1,000 on at Target if you won a gift card.

If you've been in a Target you know they have their own 'Dollar Store' section with all sorts of fun stuff in the bins.  Since it was just after Christmas, the bins had mostly been picked clean.  Some of the ones that were left actually were on sale.  We found a few pairs of Hello Kitty socks for Morgan & continued on right past the womens clothing section, past the mens clothing & right to buying a box of diapers.  We sure do hope that this is the last box we ever have to buy for our family.  Morgan is working on night potty training but hasn't quite been ready to stay dry just yet.

Next came the cleaning supplies which sucked up quite a chunk of our money.  We purchased laundry soap, softner, dryer sheets, dishsoap, sponges, swiffer wet jet refill pads & liquid.  A new half size broom & dustpan.

Then came the toy section.  Like I mentioned before, we had purchased just what we thought the kids wanted & would play with for Christmas so it wasn't hard to just look at everything.  We did however purchase 2 of the same set of Galactic Heroes for Gabby & Braly.  Braly collects them & has several shelves on his walls to display the coolness of his collection.  Gabby enjoys playing with them too but doesn't usually get her own sets.  However, this was a special set.  It had Padme Amidala in a snow coat & was super cute.  So 2 sets were purchased.  Christmas decorations were next & I opted to buy 2 wreathes for our doors next year.  One did not have much in the way of decorations on it so I also purchased some ornaments to glue on at a later time (with the help of my friend).  I didn't think we needed much more in decorations as Adam keeps stating that there really isn't any more real estate in our house to decorate so would I please keep walking.  Well, maybe not exactly that but you get the idea, right?  We did get a few Christmas candy sales.  Like Wonka specialty bars.  YUM!!!

Next was the car section,. We purchased a much needed trash can to hang on the back of the seat in the car which will hopefully deter our padawans to keep the backseat cleaner.  We also found a special document holder for Adam's car so he can use it for work.  And my car was in need of an air freshener as sometimes the kids & I think it smells like some pigs rolled around in the back. lol

As we continued walking we came upon one of the most fun sections of the entire store. Yup, we're electronic geeks!  We ended up purchasing 2 PS3 controllers so that we can finish all the parts of Little Big Planet & look forward to possibly purchasing Little Big Planet 2 (which happens to come out tomorrow since it has taken me quite a long time to actually finish this post.)  We also found a box to hold computer CDs that fits nicely on the shelf of my desk and batteries were not only on sale but if one purchased 3 boxes with special codes one could get a $10 itunes gift card.  So worth it since we use batteries like they are going out of style sometimes.

On to the health & beauty section of the store where we managed to find toothpaste, deodorant, barrettes (the only kind that actually stay in Morgan's baby-fine hair), 2 electric toothbrushes to replace mine that died on me last year, some toothbrush heads for the new electric toothbrushes, lipstick, nail clippers, shaving cream, hand soap, body wash, etc  The list just seems to go on and on and on in this section as there were many needs.

We grabbed a few arm fulls of food such as Nutella (the new natural chocolate peanut butter, actually made from Hazelnuts & super delish!), some ice tea, canned goods, etc.  And how could we forget the kids clothing right?  They managed to get some new undies, leggings for Gabby to use as long johns since the girl is usually cold, & a nice sweater for Gabby.  I decided to take a look at the purses & found one that is a nice dark purple AND has just the right amount of divided spaces in it to make it super functional.  PERFECT!!! I grabbed some jewelry cleaner as I walked past the jewelry counter & then ran back to get a SIGG water bottle for Gabby but found out they must be discontinuing them since they were on clearance & didn't have much to choose from.  We got a water bottle cleaner though & I picked up a grey sweatshirt as I headed back to the checkout counter.

We didn't do too badly in the movie section either.  We picked out a $3.99 VeggieTales movie & How to Train Your Dragon since we all loved it when we watched it in the theater.  We purchased Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing & a checkbook software program as well.

So as you can see, we had a TON of fun spending our $1000 + a little of our own money & we were as practical as we could get with it.  God blessed us immensely and filled the whole back of our car with products that we can use for awhile.

It took us about 3 1/2-4 hours to fill those 2 carts & spend all that money & near the end Braly said to me, "Mom, you have about 10 minutes before I become a dragon."  I've been working with him to tell me when he needs to eat since he gets a headache & becomes very impatient as well as mean & nasty when his blood sugar drops.  I hate to admit it but he actually gets this from me & he is starting to recognize when it is happening so I sent him & Gabby up to the food court to get a bag of popcorn since we weren't quite finished shopping..  And another question we kept getting from both Gabby & Braly was, "Don't you think that 2 full carts is enough? Can't we be finished already?"

If you made it this far you are either my mom, you have lots of time on your hands, were very curious or well...I don't know what. lol Thanks for letting me share the story of our blessing.  It was a lot of  fun for me. Now leave a comment & tell me what you would have purchased with your $1,000 gift card to Target.  Perhaps a new bedding set, video games, books & movies,a complete new wardrobe....

Actually posted on January 17, 2011  And a pic or 2 to come.

Nov Update

Sheesh, has it really been so long since I've blogged?  Yikes, I'm not sure where all the time has gone.  I'd love to say I've done a million things but that wouldn't be true....I've done a million and one.  LOL

Last week the kids didn't have school on Friday due to Parent/Teacher conferences.  It also happened to be the same week that 2 of Gabby's best friends in her grade & class moved away & they were not related to each other.  One of her friends moved to Gladstone so they will still be able to play together & see each other once in awhile & the other one moved further away in WI.  I am beyond bummed that she lost both of her best friends in the same week, just a day apart.  So sad for her, especially since she is so shy in the first place & has had these friends since Kindergarten.  She even asked me if I thought that she'd make some new friends quickly.  I told her it depends on how open she is & how open a new friend is.  Friendships take time to grow.  She's actually been praying that she'll find a new friend who is a Christian.

Back to the conferences & how they went...I showed up & dropped Gabby & Braly off in the gym.  (The school thought it would be a good idea to allow the parents to see how AR (accelerated reading) tests work so they had crates of books set up in the gym/cafeteria so that the kids could read while parents were in conferences, then parents could read & watch the kids take the tests on the computers.  My kids got extra time to read since theirs were back to back.  They had each read a few books by the time I joined them.)

First I had Gabby's meeting.  She is such a bright girl, she's kind, helpful, sweet, caring, respectful, etc the teacher told me.  And she takes school very seriously.  She had an A- in math (she always tells me she's not good at math) & the rest were As.  How could I be anything but pleased & impressed right?   She's currently at 51.4% if her AR goal & they just finished their 1st marking period so she's doing awesome.  She loves to read & is quite good at it.  She says her favorite thing is recess because she likes to do tricks on the spider.  It's a large dome that is made of many bars in triangles & she loves to hang like a monkey & do tricks.  She also enjoys History, mostly American & Michigan History.  She grasps the information quickly & remembers it so studying for her tests is fairly easy.  She excels at spelling too since she has a great handle on Phonics.  Her current fascination is The American Girl books & the American History they help her to 'live' through.  She's even asking for American Girl doll stuff for Christmas.

Braly's meeting was next & what can I say...his teacher enjoys him too.  She said that the one thing she doesn't have to worry about is Braly repeating something she's told him not to do.  He's so very eager to fix his mistakes quickly.  He may make many small mistakes since he's learning so much right now but she's right, he seldom makes the same mistake twice.  He's one of the top students in his 1st grade class & he's respectful, kind, a good friend, and improving each & every day on all his skills.  He's one of the top readers in his class & he's doing fantastic with his spelling.  I'm thankful that his teacher teaches in great detail about phonics.  He's always coming home with a new rhyme or song about how to remember something.  I was afraid he would have trouble with spelling tests since he is a sight reader but he sure does a great job.  I would say that one of his best skills is his ability to memorize things.  Sometimes Gabby gets frustrated with him since he is so good at memorizing that she thinks its unfair that he can hear a verse from the Bible & have it memorized in 30 seconds & it takes her longer than that to memorize it.  She does just fine with it but Braly excels with memorization.  It's actually how he learned to read, by just recognizing words & memorizing what they say.  If I had to state something that Braly isn't as good at, I'd have to say coloring. Mostly because he lacks the desire to do it.  But let me tell you that bribing with tootsie rolls has made quite an improvement.  Beyond the Tootsies though, he really strives to have his teacher make nice comments on his pages that he colors neatly.  We still have one hanging on the fridge of some pumpkins he colored that she wrote nice job! on.  He beams with great satisfaction when he sees notes like that.

After I left the elementary school, I picked my MIL up so we could go to Martha's conferences to hear what a wonderful student she is.  Everyone is so pleased to have her in their class.  She starts great discussions, has excellent class participation, confidence, knowledge & is just so intelligent that they all enjoy her.  But just like all of us she has one thing to work on, handing her homework in completed & on time.  Oh to be a teenager again...hahaha

I decided since they kids had worked so hard for school that we could go to McDonalds to eat lunch & then they could play in the playland.  They were thrilled.  After lunch the girls & I headed to Joann Fabrics so we could purchase some patterns that were on sale & choose some fabric to make some jammie pants for Gabby & her friend that just moved to Gladstone (they'll have matching pants) & some adorable Monster pants for Braly.  I have to wash the fabric & then we can start learning how to prepare a pattern & make the pants.  Gabby is excited & scared to learn.  I think it is going to be fun & she'll be impressed with what she's made when she completes it.

We got their school pictures back too so come back to see how grown up they are becoming.

It's a Small World after all

Tonight when I was helping the kids put their stuff away the new neighbor boy's mom came to bring him home and we started talking.  I found out that her son, Ethan goes to Preschool at the YMCA.  Last week I found out that one of our favorite Headstart teachers is in charge of the Preschool program at the Y now so we chatted about how awesome she is.  While chatting, we got onto the subject of Todd & how it has affected Morgan.  A few minutes later Holly asked me how old Todd was & what happened.  I started out by saying something like "I'm not sure if you know where Felch is, but....."  She said, "I grew up around there."  We asked maiden names & found out that she's Holly Statum & graduated the year after Natalie & she remembered when she had a class at Bay with Nat & a conversation she had just after Natalie & Todd were married.  It was strange & yet so neat to find out that our new neighbor graduated from the same high school I went to and that our sons enjoy playing together.  I told the kids that Ethan's mom went to the same school as I did & even dug out an old yearbook to show them her pic when she was in 5th grade.  The old pics were just TOO FUNNY!!!   They enjoyed seeing Uncle Todd with lots of hair too.  Makes me really thankful that we have pics of him to share with them. It really helps them to remember him & fun things they've done with him.  Oh, and Holly works at the newspaper & is going to look & see if they wrote an article about Todd & try to see if she can get them to include the part that he saved a life.  So there is another life that Todd has touched. :)

Tomorrow School Starts

Sheesh, I can't even believe that the summer is over & school starts tomorrow.  Today was fun but busy with family over to visit for the holiday.  Felt very rushed getting the kids to bed tonight so they weren't up too late.  Gabby had a hard time falling asleep.  She's just nervous & excited so I completely understand.  I remember how each year I would ahve a hard time falling asleep thinking about the very next day, the 1st day of school for the new year.

I'm so happy that we had an open house at school on Wed last week so the kids could meet their teachers & see their classroom & their desk.  I had to ask the teacher if she would move Gabby to the front of the room so she didn't have to try to see over the heads of all the normal but tall kids compared to her.  Made lunches for the kids & we've got everything set out for them. I still need to take pics of all their supplies laid out.  It is a HUGE pile for each of them this year.  Oh well.  I'm so tired & need to have enough rest to wake them up on time.

I'm thankful that I have Morgan so she can help me not be quite so sad that Gabby & Braly will be gone from me for 8 hours 5 days a week now.

Summer with neighbors

When we first moved to our house 3 years ago there weren't many kids around for our kids to play with.  There was one that had just been born next door to us & there was another one across the street from us around Gabby's age.  This summer has been FANTASTIC so far because the kids have been able to play with the neighbor kids like crazy.  Think Dennis the Menace where all the neighborhood kids were playing together in each others yards.  That is kinda like what my kids get to do and I am thrilled that they are making friends & we are starting to get to know the neighbors a little better.  Last weekend the kids were playing with Allie next door & her 2 boy cousins were visiting.  They were even asked to go to the park with them.  And they've been playing with Allie every chance they can get.  Then yesterday while they were playing with Allie, Isabella from across the street came to play (she just celebrated her 2nd birthday & so did Evelyn who lives 2 houses away).  Then there is Gabbi on the next block over came over for a little bit.  Today was another story.  While they were playing with Allie, they were invited over to Evelyn's house to play.  And they were told that they could come back anytime. Makes me happy to see them have friends like that & that they behave nicely enough to get invited back.  While we were eating dinner Mackenzie came over to see if the kids could go play.  They played for about 45 mins & now its time to get them scrubbed from their adventures in the neighborhood.  This summer is turning out to be quite fun!

Invaluable Time

This morning Gabby & Braly had a really hard time getting up for school.  It seems that instead of enjoying these last days of school they are wishing they were already gone & that summer was already here.  I am biding my time trying to finish getting things taken care of since Bonnie & Martha's grease fire in the kitchen on the evening of May 14th.  So much running around to do, cleaning, sorting, & hauling.  I've been completely exhausted the last several days & trying to catch up on some rest when possible but that seems nearly impossible.  Anyway, back to the story I was about to share.

Morgan was outside waiting with the kids for the bus & talking to the neighbor girl for a little while.  When she left for daycare I told Morgan to take her bike to the backyard & then come inside.  She did it ever so slowly enjoying the beautiful morning.  The sun is shining, the sky is a bit hazy but so beautiful, the birds are singing their brilliant songs & the temperature is just right.  She decided to enjoy God's beauty a little longer & hopped onto the swing.  Did I mention before that my 3 year old can pump her legs to get the swing going pretty high.  Yeah, that's right!  She learned earlier than the other two most likely because she has had access daily to try it out & watch her brother & sister so she got the hang of it.  Woohoo!!! No more having to push her all the time & I think she loves the Independence.  So I heard her talking a bit & then didn't hear anything & went to check on her.  I have almost ALL the windows open in the house so I can hear her no matter what side of the house she's on & still let her play outside.  No sounds makes a momma a little concerned so I went looking to see where she was & what she as doing.  She was swinging on the swing.  Then she hopped down & walked over to the neighbors fence, the vacant one.  I thought she was looking at the super long grass & all the dandelion puffs & thought she wanted some puffs to blow but instead she was starring a the tree.  I had opened the window & was standing behind the lace curtain so I could see her through it but she couldn't see me.  She started talking & shook the fence a little and then I saw it just as she had....it had a fluffy tail & came scampering down the tree...it was a squirrel.  It froze with her rattling the chain link fence & then she talked to him & he started moving again.  She got up & walked toward our shed following the path of the squirrel & watching him intently.  I ran to grab my camera & before I got it ready with muting the sound, she was done with the squirrel gazing & had opened the door to come inside.  Photo-op lost but not the memories of what I saw.  Standing there watching her for several minutes could have been considered time wasted but that time is fleeting from me too quickly already with how fast these kids are growing up so just as she sees things in a different light, I am too.  I don't think that I could put a price on those moments of time...they are invaluable.  And my goal this summer is to live in the moments & enjoy them.

15 days left

In a few short weeks my little Braly, who is not really so little anymore, will be graduating from Kindergarten. I can't believe that its happening already.  These guys grow up so quickly.  It seems that it was only yesterday that I was holding him so he'd get more than a 15 minute nap.  I love hearing Braly's dreams of what he wants to do.  He's a smart little boy & truly enjoys school & learning.  He can memorize things quickly & word for word just like his Daddy.  Such a cool thing to be able to do.  Gabby has been teaching him lots of math.  I'll be interested to see how he does next year.  He'll be advanced in his reading & math but he's definitely a boy when it comes to writing & coloring.  I think he kinda wishes he didn't have to write or color so much.  He has definitely improved through the year though.  He has also learned many things in French already since his teacher decided to teach the kids French that could already read in English. Great idea Mrs. B!

So next year my Braly will be going to school all day long and I'll have 2 lunches to pack instead of just 1.  Although according to him, he's going to eat every hot lunch that they have. LOL So cute!  I love that he's excited to try something new. And really, I don't think the lunches are too bad but I'm sure he'll tire of the same things & ask for cold lunch more often before the end of next year.

It really is a privilege that I get to be his mom & see how he grows & develops into a nice young man.  I'm so very proud of him for his accomplishments and often receive compliments on how well he is behaved from both school teachers as well as his church teachers.  He is a delightful boy who happens to also be struggling with how to deal with his little sister.  As Morgan grows & matures as well, I'm sure their friendship will develop nicely just like Braly has with Gabby.  I pray for them to be strongly connected to each other & be very loving.  Siblings are very important in one's life.  I can say that I truly enjoy all 3 of my sisters.

So here's to you Braly!  You are a fantastic boy.  Mommy & Daddy love you so dearly & enjoy watching you grow up.

Welcome Spring...I think

Yesterday was such a beautiful day in the morning that Morgan & I went outside & started setting up the backyard for spring/summer.  We put together the offset umbrella with minor issues. (Morgan thought it was a fun idea to take the allen wrench that came with the umbrella kit & put it inside the hole of one of the bases so I couldn't find it & had to go get another one in the house.) She later told me what she had done.  When Braly got home from school he helped haul the tiles for the table out of the garage & put them in place.  We picked up trash that had blown into our yard (this happens ALL the time & I dislike it a lot) & we weeded a little bit. Just as we finished setting most of the stuff up the weather turned on us & had a cold wind. I thought we might actually get some rain but not yet. Guess we'll have to wait to enjoy the outdoors with nice weather sometime down the road.

Today Morgan & I plan to head to Menards & pick up a few things to help make the yard a little nicer looking.  We've discovered that the flowers on the side of the house don't survive the rain falling off the side of the house very well so I'm moving everything out of that flower bed & trying something different.  Something I hope to be easier to keep nice.  Since the soil doesn't seem to be very good for growing things either we're going to put rocks in that bed & just place some flower pots on the rocks for color.  really wish we could tear out the sidewalk along the side of the house & redo it.  It's broken up, sunken into the ground, & just horrible to walk on as well as shovel in the winter.  And then after we work outside for a bit I need to wash more of the walls in the living room.  It's coming along nice enough so far but it sure isn't very pleasing to the eyes.

Must head out soon. Morgan needs help getting dressed & then we can get some of the errands done.

April things...

Yesterday was my Grandpa Kenny's birthday & I didn't get the chance to call him & wish him a Happy Birthday. Good thing I'm planning to attend his birthday party on Sunday. I look forward to hugging him & getting another picture with him. He's such a fantastic and special man. Being with him warms my heart.

For the last few days the kids have been really missing their daddy. He's on a business trip to Traverse City and will finally be home this evening. We're all looking forward to his return as I know he is too. In his absence I have taken the opportunity to disassemble the living room ceiling so that we gained another foot and I've managed to tear almost all the wallpaper off the walls already. Next comes my least favorite part of the whole remodeling project and that happens to be washing the wallpaper goo off the walls. So time consuming & unfun. BUT it needs to be done and I am pleased that I am almost to that part in the process. I started this project just Sunday evening and in just a few days it is nearly ready to be patched & taped in preparation for texturizing and then painting. I look forward to having my new painting on display in the living room with warm colors all around rather than white/cream against the dark woodwork we have. And goodbye gross carpet full of 30 years of dirt that a good Dyson wasn't around to help keep it clean until we moved in a few years ago. Perhaps our allergies will improve again. I know I could use less allergy problems on a day to day level. AND Adam will have missed most of the mess that he hates, I had something to keep me busy while he was away, and the kids had fun coloring on the wallpaper & helping me tear it off after. I'd say this little venture worked out for all of us. Glad I had the idea to get working on it. :)

Morgie's New Milestone

This one has taken a long time to achieve BUT is well worth it. Morgan can finally lay in her bed and go to sleep on her own. I've probably explained before why she has never learned to fall asleep on her own until now when she's 3 1/2 but I'll explain again. Since she had so much trouble with breathing we never ever let her cry for long. It would just work her up & cause her more trouble breathing right from the day we got to bring her home. As she grew older she didn't have quite the same breathing trouble but developed Reactive Airway Disease. It's pretty much just shy of being bad enough to call it Asthma. Morgan seems to catch colds quite easily & then has to have breathing treatments twice a day for the duration of the cold to make sure it doesn't develop into something more like bronchitis or pneumonia. It seemed to me that just when she'd get better I'd start working with her to get her to try to stay in her bed & go to sleep & then she'd catch another cold & I'd have to hold her to do a breathing treatment at night & she'd fall asleep in my arms. Not helpful when trying to develop a new habit. She got quite used to falling asleep in my arms or next to me so she didn't know how to do it on her own. After some discussion with Adam, I decided that if Morgie got sick again I'd give breathing treatments earlier in the day & downstairs so that she would stop associating it with sleep and then maybe I could teach her a way to fall asleep on her own. At first the most difficult thing was to get her to stay in bed without me laying right next to her the whole time. I'd sing to her a little & that usually helped but as soon as I would leave the room she'd get out of bed to find me or go harass her brother who was usually already sleeping. (He's like his Papa Blaine & can fall asleep in literally 30 seconds after he decides he's going to sleep.) I had an idea...what always helps me to fall asleep at night besides praying? The answer is rubbing my feet together. I told Morgie to try it & she said she didn't know how. I showed her & I can't believe how well it works. She starts rubbing her feet, I often have to remind her, and after about a minute she starts yawning. Soon after that she's out for the night. I can't believe how well it works. It's almost like magic & I am so happy I thought of telling her to try it. Her future husband might not be as thrilled as I hear many people in my family rub their feet together & some of the spouses get annoyed with the sound of the rubbing feet. I find it humorous as both Gabby & Braly used to rub their feet together when they were babies. Makes me think it really could be a genetic trait. Hahaha LOL

I need your votes!

Good Morning Family & Friends,

I entered a contest to win some prints for pictures, photobooks, or 12x12 pages from a new place that I have quickly fallen in love with...Persnickety Prints. I had them print some of my 12x12 layouts as well as some 8 1/2 x 11 layouts & they did such a nice job with them. Now they have a contest to win $75 worth of prints from them & I'm in it! I am entry #28 and you can go over to their website & vote for my layout to help me win. You have to register in order to vote though. http://www.persnicketyprints.com/layout-contest Once you've registered, just sign in, find my layout of Morgan and click the 5 stars to vote. Not sure if it is only 1 vote or maybe its 1 vote per day. Thanks in advance for your time and your vote.