Living and Learning

Christmastime 2011!!

2011-12-14T16:20:00.000-06:00

At the Christmas Tree Farm

We found the perfect tree--for us, anyway!

Kiddos posing with our tree

Young one found a wooly bear caterpillar

Hauling our tree toward the building to have it baled & shaken

My Honey, the great Christmas tree hunter

Girls posing in front of the Thanksgiving tree we made as we get the Christmas tree set up

Son setting up train tracks for around the tree--his annual Christmas job!

Dad adding the angel

Kids helping add the ornaments

Working together

Youngest trying to get them to stay on!

I really did help--I did not just lie around!

Our 3 little gifts!

Smiling for the moment

My favorite tree pic of the kiddos this year


The finished product (I think it looks the same every year!)

These pictures show us gearing up for the Christmas season, 2011. I don't know about you, but it seems to come so fast for me, and yet the kids seem to think it takes FOREVER to come! We're trying to be able to take some time to read some good books (including the Bible!) and stories that remind us what Christmas is really about. We also enjoy watching some of our favorite Christmas movies together. (One of our favorites is White Christmas, which we haven't had the chance to watch yet, but we will!) We love the reminders of God's LOVE through the Christmas season, and try to pass on some love ourselves as well. We pray that we will continue to learn to love God more and more each day, and learn to love each other more and more each day of 2012!

Some Pictures of Our Family Together 2011

2011-12-14T15:24:00.000-06:00

Daddy's Birthday Bundle

Snow Angels!

Who needs snowmen when you can have snowchildren?!!

Mommy & youngest before haircuts on the same day--young one's 1st! (Not mommy's 1st!)

The 3 kiddos on youngest's birthday

At the park near us--they love the tire swing!

Easter Sunday 2011

A trip to the zoo--looking at the turtles in the water

My girly girls!

Daddy & his girls

Fun in our little pool

More fun together

Girls, girls, girls

Oldest daughter ready for 1st day of school

The 3 girls of the house--1st day of school

My youngest & I snuggling in for a pic

All 3 kiddos playing soccer

Dad playing soccer--a little out of breath!

At the Pumpkin Patch

Riding out to the field to pick a pumpkin


The kiddos & our pumpkin we picked up out of the field

Here are some pictures of our family. We have a lot of fun experiencing life together! We kept very busy this fall, and are trying to enjoy more down time at home as a family through the wintery days! We're looking forward to Christmas break and some extra sleep (I hope!!!!!)!!

We continue to pray for (and covet your prayers for!) God's continual guidance for our family, especially in parenting our kiddos and trying to raise them to make wise decisions and be good followers of Him! It's a constant challenge, and we're glad we're not on our own to figure it out!

The Adults of the House 2011

2011-12-14T14:52:00.000-06:00

May 2011--on a mini-vacation/family retreat

October--I guess these were our costumes!


Our 5 year Anniversary Picture--Always fun to share!

Hauling in our perfect Christmas tree!

Pausing for a picture while we worked on the Christmas tree

The adults of our house have been keeping pretty busy too! My honey still works at the school, as the network administrator, and still enjoys it. He also is the Cubmaster for our son's Scout troop, works with Youth at church, and is a Shepherd at church. He doesn't complain about sharing his room like the girls do. (I sometimes complain about having to share, though--he's messy!) I love my honey, and this year we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary! We're still building memories and dreaming about the future together. We have also been happy to find a reliable young lady to help us with childcare so we can build some date-nights back into our lives!!

I have recently re-activated my nursing license, and have been finding opportunities to slowly ease my way back into the nursing world after 10 years out. I am serving as a substitute school nurse for the school district my kiddos attend and my honey works for. I also decided to sign up as a substitute teacher, and got a certificate to do that. I've found another group of people to work for as well, offering school health screenings. I have been keeping busy, but not too busy, and have enjoyed re-entering the professional world and discovering that I still have assessment skills and haven't completely forgotten how to be a nurse! Our youngest is still at home, so I'm not ready to go back to work full-time yet, so the subbing works well for us right now. The youngest has enjoyed having some days with friends at the places we've arranged for childcare too, so it has worked out pretty well! It is still an adjustment, and I never know what my week might hold, but it still works, and is teaching me more about being flexible!!

God has blessed us, guided us and renewed us in so many ways during 2011, and we pray His Presence is clear in your lives as well!

Our Son 2011

2011-12-14T14:08:00.000-06:00

Snowball Fight!!

Pinewood Derby--He's a Webelos II this year

First Lego League Robotics Tournament--he was on the Ninja Bots team

he got to participate for the 1st time, with his Delta class from school

Height has advantages in basketball (or so I've been told--his mother doesn't have the height!)

Going in for a shot! Nice looking lay-up bud!

Climbing, climbing

Little pool, still big fun at times

1st day of Middle School!!

Yikes!! Our 1st to hit double digits!!

He is one of the little black specks in the climbing tunnel at City Museum on a St. Louis trip

Having great fun with a cousin on the bumper cars--I can't tell you how many times they rode them, over & over & over & over!!

Upward Soccer--he really improved some skills this year! It's fun to watch the games!

More Upward Soccer--he was one of the 2 most aggressive players on the team--in a good way

Yep, that's him under the Darth mask!

Twinkies!

6th Grade Prelude Choir--he had to audition last year & made it!

Well, you can probably tell from the pictures, our son keeps plenty busy with life! He has had the chance to enjoy many different activities from school, church, Scouts and sports. He continues to do very well in school, and has adjusted to Middle School well! When he's not busy with activities, he likes being a home-body, enjoying all things electronic, and occasionally playing nicely and occasionally terrorizing his little sisters. He enjoys having his own room that he can kick the girls out of. He can be very polite, and is working on being consciously encouraging to others, both at home and at school. We are very glad to have him as our son, and we love him & his ingenuity!

Oldest Daughter 2011

2011-12-14T13:38:00.000-06:00

SNOW DAY!!

Pretty Girl!! It was Fancy Nancy Day at School!

With one of her best 1st Grade friends

Hooo! Hooo! Hooo! My little monkey!

Learning to climb the tree like her brother

Almost done with 1st grade

Celebrating her Birthday at Grandma's

Getting ready for her Gymnastics Spring Fling

Birthday party & friends--a summer baby, so she gets to have pool parties!

Getting her ears pierced for her birthday

Participating in Praise Kids--she loved it!

1st day of School--2nd Grade

Upward Soccer Girlie

Hermoine for Halloween

2nd Grade Concert--All dressed up!

Before her most recent haircut--she donated it to Locks of Love again!

After her haircut--much easier to maintain!!

Here's the oldest daughter! She is now in 2nd grade, and keeps busy with gymnastics year-round and soccer in the fall. She has been improving rapidly in her reading skills in the past year, and doing well in school otherwise as well! She loves experimenting with her hair & clothes (ugh! already?!!), and loves to socialize with friends. She is still pretty out-going, yet shy in a new group. She enjoys singing and dancing around to music, and is usually a joy to be around (except for to her younger sister, who has picked up on her not wanting to share a room with her, and has decided she doesn't like the situation either)! We love our busy, friendly girl!

Our Youngest in 2011

2011-12-14T10:11:00.009-06:00

Our little Snowbunny!

1st Haircut!

Before 1st Haircut

Awwww! Doesn't she look sweet?!

After 1st Haircut

Searching for Easter Eggs

Wow! She looks so grown up in this picture!!

Enjoying a cool, springy breeze!

Cute dress from Grandma for spring!

Posing at the Zoo

Friends at the zoo together

Making a new friend at Chuck E Cheese's

Enjoying a ride on the carousel at the zoo--we like to go there!

Lounging in our backyard

Our Halloween cutie cat

All I can say is , "Awwwwww!"

Smily, Happy Girl!

Here are some pictures of our youngest through the year 2011. She is growing so quickly, and is as tall at age 3 as her sister was at 4. She is usually a great JOY to have in the family (except to our middle child, who has to share a room with her and has less patience with her than the rest of us do!)! She does a pretty good job keeping up with her older siblings, and keeping busy!

My Word for 2011: Renew

2011-03-05T09:01:00.002-06:00

(I wrote this about a month ago; just thought I'd share it. Have you ever thought about a word for the year?)

When I first heard the concept of thinking of a word for the year, it was while listening to K-Love radio station. Immediately, I thought of the word "JOY," because I've been longing and hoping to have my joy restored this year. Last year was a very tough year for me emotionally and spiritually, and I'm ready to get out of the frustration, depression and lack of joy I've been feeling far too long. However, as I repeated the word "joy" to myself over and over, it just didn't seem like it was the complete sense of what I needed. I thought of a simple worship song we used to sing that comes from Psalm 51:10-12. The song says, "Create in me a clean heart, Oh, God, and renew a right spirit within me," and "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and renew a right spirit within me." When I thought about and sang through the words of that simple worship song, it was like God was telling me, "Melissa, I am going to renew your joy, but, more than that, I'm going to renew other things in your life as well. I'm going to renew your spirit, your relationship with Me, your relationships with your family, and other things as well." So, I look forward with great expectation (as the psalmist did in Psalm 5:3) to discover what all God is going to renew in my life this year--2011!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-15T12:58:00.006-06:00

The Kiddos & daddy finding our "perfect" Christmas tree

Our 3 blessings!

(After this picture, Grant told me the only reason he let Aleah
stay that close to him was because "she was warm"!)

Sisters, Sisters, there were never such devoted sisters
(devoted to truly being sisters--fighting and loving each other!)

Awwwww! That's all I can say!

The 3 Girls of the house

Aleah & Mommy
(Aleah is a cuddler, if you can't tell!)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Our Kiddos in front of our Thanksgiving Tree

Harry Potter, black cat & little ladybug

Our little flowers--in the garden of our lives!

Melissa & kiddos at Deanna Rose Farmstead

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!
We hope 2011 holds many blessings for each of you to discover!

Wow! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! It seems to go faster for me each year! As with any year, we have experienced many blessings and some burdens, and have many more memories to cherish! We hope it is the same with you! Here are some pictures of our family to share with you. We hope you enjoy them!

Oldest & Only Son

2010-12-15T12:02:00.003-06:00

All Dressed up in his Paxton Singer uniform

Paxton Singer concert

Setting up the train around our tree--an annual tradition!

With some friends waiting to perform with the District Honor Choir

Playing soccer this Fall

At Deanna Rose Farmstead

Grant is our oldest and our only son. (Poor guy!) He is involved with Boy Scouts, an auditioned singing group called Paxton Singers, First Lego League, and Upward Sports (soccer in Fall, basketball in winter). He enjoys school and learning (especially Math & reading like crazy); playing board/card games; playing games on the Wii, computer or DS; and playing with his sisters (sometimes!). God has blessed him with an incredible capacity to learn, and we continue to be amazed, and are challenged with the responsibility of helping him along the way the best we can without overwhelming him! He is growing into a responsible, polite (usually) young man, and we are very glad God gave him to us!

The Middlest

2010-12-14T22:16:00.008-06:00

Aleah is our oldest girl. She really enjoys school & loves her teacher, she likes gymnastics, soccer, using her imagination, singing, being with friends, etc. She is a very friendly girl, though she has become more shy in public than she used to be. She is very loving and is a wonderful addition to our home! (Sorry, that makes her sound like a cute little puppy or something, doesn't it?) Like I tell her when I ask her "what are we going to do with you?", we're going to love her forever and keep her as long as we can!

Playing Soccer

Our Black Cat

Spread your wings, girly girl!

Cool Whip lip gloss!

Cheese!

Sitting with her Great Grandpa

Our Youngest

2010-12-14T16:09:00.004-06:00

Look at that smile!

The Potty Princess Hero Girl!

Beautiful braided piggies

Uh, Oh! She looks like trouble here--only it needs a capital T!
(Maybe even ALL caps--TROUBLE!!)

Here she is with a friend!

Here are some pictures of Kaylee. She is our youngest, full of life and lots of energy! She keeps us on our toes! She loves to make friends, play with friends, make believe (with & without her older sister around), read books, eat snacks, play during nap time (no more breaks for mommy during nap time!), and make us laugh by acting silly! We love her dearly and are so glad God blessed us with her!

Christmas Morning 2009--Part 2

2010-02-23T10:45:00.002-06:00

Big kids ready to rip into presents!
Mom wants pictures of her 3 beautiful children in front of tree 1st!
Mandatory pictures before proceeding, so 2 oldest are ready to cooperate!

However, youngest child has a problem with the situation!

Older children try many things to appease youngest and keep her in the picture...

Well, she is in the picture, but she is not going to look happy about it!

Perhaps if we give her a little freedom?

Ok, we give up and try for another good one of the older 2!

Maybe youngest would be happier in a picture with mom & dad?
Nope, that didn't work either, but nice try!

Now that our son is older, we can trust him with the camera!
At least for a few minutes, so mom & dad can get a picture together!

Our youngest starts with her first gift

Her largest gift (outside the box)

She had lots of fun with her tunnel!

Dancing to the music!

In the tunnel again!

Oldest daughter with her gifts--ready to be opened!!

She really wanted a cash register!

From the look on her face, she is thrilled to get her Tinkerbell bedding!

Our son loves to play on the Wii!

Something with a million small pieces--Yay!

Sudoku 5X5 for the family

Creating something with his snap circuits kit

The aftermath--it takes days to regain the living room and find places for the new things!

Christmas morning 2009

2010-02-23T10:28:00.005-06:00

Our White Christmas dreams are over!!
It's a reality this year!

This Christmas, we even had drifted snow!

Our tree, Christmas morning

And with the lights on in the room

Big kiddos with their stockings

Going through stocking stuff & helping our youngest realize she can open the presents inside!

Our toddler was a little overwhelmed and not quite as awake & enthusiastic about everything as the older 2 were!

What did you get daddy?!!

Everyone gets stockings in our house!

Grant's Winter Concert

2010-02-21T22:29:00.007-06:00

Our son looked so handsome for his school winter choir concert!

He also looked very silly trying to rock it out!

Civilized again!

Like father, like son!

They haven't worn matching outfits for a while--I thought it was time!

I'm proud of my son!

I love him, and he's growing so fast!

Mom & Dad--our son took this one

Handsome guys & pretty girls

The fam (minus dad)

Our son took this of the fam (minus him)

Making Christmas Cookies

2010-02-21T22:09:00.004-06:00

Another of our annual traditions in December is making Christmas cookies.
The Kiddos are ready!!

Our son cuts some shapes into the dough...that can be much harder than it sounds!!
Notice the area is well-floured.
Actually, by the time we're finished, the entire kitchen is pretty much well-floured!!

Hard at work!

Well-floured toddler!

Getting to the frosting part--yummy!

Our daughter works carefully

Our toddler needs a little help!

Daddy made it yummy!

Daughter #1 posing for me

Daddy's tongue helps him concentrate!

Paying attention to details--he gets that from his mother!

Being silly--he gets that from his father!!!!!!!

Posing with her cookie

She got some on her nose--with a little help from daddy!

All our cookies! We have a lot of fun making them each year, and they taste so yummy!
They are a pain to make, but the memories are worth it!

Christmas Time Around Our House

2010-02-21T17:19:00.005-06:00

Here are our 2 girls under the tree--I never got all 3 of them to cooperate!!

Here are our spindles you see when you walk in our house
On the spindles are our new picture ornaments for the year

Angel #1

Silly elf
(I had to find something different, because I didn't figure our son wanted to be an angel!)

Angel #2

December 2009--Christmas Tree

2010-02-21T16:10:00.007-06:00

This year, we had to try a new Christmas tree farm.
It was ok, but I think we'll be trying another new one next year.
The one we found was pretty expensive, and our tree was significantly shorter than we like!!
I'm still fighting the artificial tree option!!
I love real trees!
However, I am a tightwad, so I actually thought about how much $ a fake tree would save us.
However, I still hope to get a real tree next year--I just like them better!
Also, it's a part of our family tradition to go tree hunting each year.
I would really miss having a real Christmas tree!

Here we are, preparing for our tree hunt

And, they're off!

The kiddos like this one!

We finally settled for this one--there were not many options!!

Our little one trying to figure out what's going on

Our little one escapes up the hill while daddy cuts down the tree

Big Brother and youngest sister

Daddy trims up the lowest branches

David is as tall as the tree! That's pathetic! Our trees are usually very big, so we were disappointed, but we did have a tree, and it still looked good!

Our silly son, and beautiful oldest daughter

David puts the lights on the tree

Our toddler was fascinated by the lights!

Our kiddos help decorate the tree

What can I say? Silly boy!!

Big brother helps little sister have a part in the decorating

Pile on daddy!!

Working on the train tracks--an annual tradition as well! Gotta have a train around the tree!

Daddy and one of his girls!

November 2009

2010-02-21T15:13:00.005-06:00

Here's our pretty big girl

Our beautiful toddler--getting so big!!

Our goofy guy

Brother and Sister

And all of them together

Our toddler loves books, so she fits in just fine here!!

Big brother tried to teach sister to tie her shoes

Trying to ride a bike

Our annual Thanksgiving Tree!

Trick or Treat Time!

2010-02-21T14:25:00.006-06:00

Here are our kiddos on Halloween 2009. We had a costume for our toddler, then created something for our older two. So, we have our baby Bumblebee (who only lasted a few minutes in costume and refused to wear it beyond that!), our Cheer Bear, and our M&M. They had fun, as always, and got plenty of candy along the way!

October 2009

2010-02-21T13:52:00.005-06:00

We have lots of fun with fall leaves!!

Pictures of Our Family

2010-02-21T13:19:00.006-06:00

Ok, so my dad mentioned he still checks here to see if there are updates every once in awhile. So, I guess I better remedy the fact that even I forget about this ole blog of mine! Here are some pictures from October 2009, which is back a ways, but helps bridge the gap since the last time I blogged.

In October, we had 2 kiddos playing soccer, a Boy Scout earning badges, a growing, busy toddler who figured out how to climb out of her crib, fun in leaves, and Halloween. That's just a few things--I'm sure there were more!

More of My Kiddos

2009-10-16T22:53:00.003-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of my kiddos together taken throughout this year.

Baby Pictures

2009-10-16T21:31:00.005-06:00

I just want to share some baby pictures I have of my beautiful children, and of me when I was a baby. I don't have any of David scanned yet, so those will have to come later. See what you think! Which ones of us do you think look the most similar?? Can you tell which of my babies is in each picture? (Not hard to spot mine, they're the old scanned photos!)

Wow! The Long-abandoned Blog!

2009-10-16T21:25:00.003-06:00

Dear Blog,

Just want to let you know I haven't really totally forgotten you, and I will try to do better from here on. I can probably at least blog once a month....I don't think that's too much to ask!! We'll see, ....... I'll try!! Of course, if they're like me, no one probably even comes here anymore! You see, I've just been really busy... so there's lots of stuff to share ... we'll see about actually getting some of it shared! We'll ... see ....

Cake Face!

2009-03-24T15:00:00.008-06:00

Here are the famous cake-face pictures required of any 1st birthday celebration!! The pictures are in order, and do a pretty good job of catching the sequence of events as Kaylee enjoyed her birthday cupcake! (I have no idea why this is underlined--I don't know how to change it right now either, so sorry if it's somewhat annoying!)

1st picture: done with lunch, ready for a cupcake! I cleaned her up in between so we could start the pictures with a clean face!

Her 1st taste of the frosting. Yummy!

More frosting, and a little cake too!

Here, she got a good grip on things!

Then she took the whole handful to her mouth!

Oooooo! This is good stuff!

But it sticks to my hands!

I hereby declare this a yummy cupcake! Cheers to the birthday girl!

A satisfied birthday girl! THE END!

The BIG One!!

2009-03-24T14:28:00.004-06:00

My baby just recently turned ONE!! Here are some pictures from her big day, and from the celebration we had for her the day after her actual birthday. That first year seems to go so extremely fast!! I've had a lot of bittersweet moments as I reflect on how my baby is no longer a baby! She is growing up, doing so many things (she keeps us hopping!), and developing her own little personality! She loves to make messes, climb into my lap to look at books, play with her siblings, welcome daddy home, bark like a dog, and oh, so many more things! She is such a blessing to our family, and we all Love her so very much!

What's in this bag?

Mommy and Kaylee waiting to open gifts

This is her current favorite book!

Making noises at the animal pictures! She does a pretty good "Whooo"!!

Here she is on her actual Birthday! (My pictures didn't quite load the way I wanted them to, but oh, well!) She is generally a pretty happy little girl, and such a busy little toddler!

Kaylee's 1st Christmas!!

2008-12-24T11:08:00.004-06:00

THIS IS KAYLEE's 1st CHRISTMAS!!! Here's how she's enjoying the tree:

Kaylee's 1st tree sighting--it must be strange to find a tree in
your living room when you have no clue why!!

Kaylee promptly figured out how to remove the ornaments!
Now it has become her job--and she's really quite amazing at it!
Except mommy keeps moving them up the tree...
that makes it a little more difficult for a short one to reach!

After Kaylee's 1st successful attempt at removing an ornament,
she looked up at all the others on the tree
as if she were thinking, "Hmmmm.....
how do I get ahold of those?!!"

Mommy is tickling Kaylee to try to get some good grins out of her for
the camera! We needed some pictures of her, looking happy
around her 1st Christmas!!

More tickling, more happy baby moments!

Here's Kaylee, with the 1st ornament she successfully removed from the
tree, and with mommy, showing her some of the rest of the ornaments...
the ones that are hopefully out of reach!

Kaylee is using the ornament she removed from the tree to
beat against the other ornaments.

Here, the guys were working on setting up the train, and Kaylee kept
becoming a roadblock and/or demolition crew. The train lasted
less than a week this year with our demolisher working over-time
and the crew just not able to keep up with the repairs!
You should also notice that Kaylee is actually pulling needles
off the tree. She did not like it when they poked her poor
little mostly bald head, but she didn't mind putting them to
her mouth, from a sideways entrance! After all, a baby
must explore all things, and the best way to explore is
the put it to the mouth test!! As you can see,
for Kaylee, all this Christmas stuff is just
more fun stuff to explore!! I am
enjoying watching her!
Merry 1st Christmas,
Our Kaylee Coo!
We Love You
so so much
forever!

Pictures Around The Christmas Tree

2008-12-23T22:24:00.002-06:00

Here are some of our pictures we took this year around our tree.

Grant didn't like the way the needles poked his hands, so he put on his gloves!

Aleah tried very hard to put on some ornaments this year, but ended up handing them to me most of the time.

Here are the oldest 2 in front of the newly decorated tree. It's just too hard to try to get all 3 at once sometimes, so we settled for the 2!

Here's my beautiful Aleah!

Two of God's greatest gifts to our family, sitting under our Christmas tree!!

Thanksgiving Tree

2008-12-23T21:51:00.004-06:00

Ok, from one tree to another....in a backwards kind of way! Here are some pictures of our 2008 annual Thanksgiving Tree. We trace around each family member's hand and write on them what we're thankful for. We usually put a category on the palm of the hand, and then specific things from the category on each finger. (We even made some for Kaylee, guessing what she might be thankful for!) We started this several years ago, and it's a good way to help us see and think about what we have to be thankful for. We start it at the beginning of November, and this year we still have it up at Christmas time. Usually it comes down when our Christmas tree goes up, but....it's the year of a baby, and in these kind of years, things don't always get done as easily!! At least we're still doing things, for the sake of our family traditions!

Hunting the Perfect Tree--at least for us!!

2008-12-22T16:19:00.005-06:00

Here we were, on our annual hunt for the perfect tree for us! We came home with one, a little less than perfect, but who's ever going to remember! One thing I will remember is when we tried to put the tree in the stand, it was too tall, and hit the ceiling! David had to cut some off the trunk, and take off several of the bottom branches to make it fit in our house. They never look that big out in the field!!

Here are my older two cuties!

This is OUR tree now!

David instructing Grant how to help hold the tree while Daddy cuts it.

Cheese! My handsome honey's grin for the camera! He loves our family times!

Trying to keep the baby warm enough. It was cold. Of course, it was the 1st weekend in December!

Mommy and the kiddos. Man, has that sling come in handy! It sure helps my back!

Kaylee's Walking!!

2008-12-22T15:51:00.005-06:00

Here's our Kaylee-coo, showing off her new walking skills! She has impressed me! She is so daring, often taking off from something she's pulled up on, and just walking in whatever direction she decides! She is walking more and more each day, and she just hit her 10 month birthday this past Saturday! (And, please ignore all the mess in the background, although it's fitting behind her, because she creates the big messes!)

For Grandma & Grandpa Floyd!!

2008-12-22T12:58:00.004-06:00

Dear Gma & Gpa Floyd, WE LOVE and MISS you both!! Hugs and Kisses!!!!!

Grant's 1st Christmas Program/Kaylee's 1st Tooth

2008-12-21T13:21:00.005-06:00

These are pictures from Grant's 1st public school Christmas concert (of course, they actually call it a "Winter Concert", but they did actually sing at least one or two songs that mentioned the birth of baby Jesus). Another interesting note about this day is that it was the day Kaylee's 1st tooth finally broke through her gums! The Fabulous 1sts again! The 1st fabulous 1sts these 2 shared in common were the day of my 1st ultrasound, when I was pregnant with Kaylee was the day Grant lost his 1st tooth! It sure helps this mommy brain remember things a little better when they share 1sts!

Doesn't Grant look handsome, all dressed up and ready for his program?!! Kaylee's outfit matched his pretty well, too! I was glad to get a picture of the 2 of them for their matching 1sts! Then, of course, Aleah looked very nice and had to have her picture taken with Grant too! Most of the concert, I was standing at the back of the auditorium, trying to keep Kaylee from screaming. She liked the music, but wasn't much for sitting still and playing quietly with her toys in our seat!

We had a neat moment when we dropped Grant off in the band room for him to get with his classmates. A boy who is in his regular classroom and gifted classes was really excited to see Grant come in. He hollered out, "There's Grant!!" when Grant walked into the room. Since Grant has talked about this boy a lot since beginning school, it was so neat for us to hear that excitement from him toward Grant! David and I looked at each other and shared a silent smile and choking up feeling, because we have been praying for him to start making some good friendships. We are hoping this friendship can continue to build and be really healthy for him! I think it should help him in so many ways to have some good friendships!

The Latest on Trevor

2008-11-24T16:20:00.003-06:00

I just got another email from my step-mom this morning, and it appears Trevor is doing very well after his surgery!! Praise God! Thanks to all who have prayed for him! Here's my step-mom's note:

Just a quick note this a.m., I talked to Dana earlier before coming to work, and they are going to dismiss Trevor from the hospital already. Apparently he is just doing wonderful. She said he was eating good and had been out walking in the hallway with their help of course. But all the doctors thought he was just doing exceptional. Sooooo what awesome news for the little trooper, and no seizures so far. The miracle of prayer still and I do believe will always astound me, while some believe wholeheartedly and others don't it can still work.

My Nephew Trevor

2008-11-23T09:22:00.004-06:00

These are some pictures of my nephew Trevor, who just had brain surgery on Friday. The surgery will hopefully slow down the multiple severe seizures he's been having in a day, which they have been unable to control with medications. Please continue to pray for his recovery. I would certainly appreciate it! I thought I'd post the email my step-mom, Brenda sent me this morning too, which tells a little more about what's gone on with the poor little guy!

Hi All

Yesterday, Friday, our grandson Trevor who will be 7 on 30th, had to have brain surgery, poor little fella had a rough day. We all went down on Thursday night to St.Louis and got to the hospital at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Before the surgery the Doctors came in and talked to us about what they would be doing. Trevor has epilepsy, and has "drop" seizures, where he just drops where he is at with no warning. With this surgery they go in thru the top of the head down deep to nerve central, to cut the nerves under a microscope. These nerves are what cause the "drops". It won't stop all seizures but should considerably help with what they call these "drops" . Trevor also has severe autism, so he's not able to communicate with anyone, keeping him calm right now is a real chore. They started out by doing an MRI on him, and then after going over all the pictures, they started the surgery at 9:30. He was at St.Louis Childrens Hospital, what a place, they were awesome!!! They were great with his parents, and us, they had a great place for his little sister Anndreya to play in. We had our own little waiting room with a phone that they called us on from the operating room every hour to let us know how he was doing. It was supposed to be an 8-10 hour surgery, but prayer is an awesome thing as we all know, and his only lasted 6, and went just wonderful according to the docs. His daddy called about 7 tonite and said they were still in ICU and probably would be until Sunday sometime just for precautionary reasons, but that he had eaten and was doing really good. Will probably be in the hospital about 6 or 7 days depending on how he does and if there is any brain swelling. The 1st pic is before surgery with his mom and dad, the second is when we first saw him, and the last one was right before they were giving him some morphine, and he happened to open his eyes and look right up. What a little trooper he is. Love to you all

Our Kiddos Together

2008-11-21T23:04:00.004-06:00

It's really hard these days to get good pictures of all three kiddos together, if I'm trying to get them all to smile and cooperate at the same time. But, here are some fairly good pictures of the 3 together that I've taken recently. We also recently had an awesome young woman from our church take some family photos for us, and they turned out wonderful! We had such a great time, and it was a beautiful day! We took them November 8th, and it was in the 70's! We just got them done in good timing, because the next weekend it was cold! Anyway, here are the pictures I've taken.

Aleah

2008-11-21T22:48:00.004-06:00

Aleah has been talking our ears off lately, as usual!! She totally enjoyed being a part of the Young Adult Fellowship we had at our house this month!! She was so funny! Before we had the young adults over, she was starting to learn some of their names, and so she said, "So, I'm going to get to know "So and so"?!!" To say she is a social bug is the understatement of the year! This past Wednesday night, she was still finishing a craft they were doing in Mission Friends, and her teacher told my husband she took so long because she was so busy talking! My husband just told the teacher, "That is 24-7!" The teacher just laughed!! I can't wait to see how she does next year in Kindergarten!! Hopefully she figure out quickly how to get her socializing done out on the playground, and at times when it's appropriate! I'm afraid she's going to be one of those who is going to want to have friends over all the time! I just hope that means we'll be able to have some positive influences on some other children. I guess I better start looking into the cost of a revolving door! It's not all bad; she'll just have to learn how to control her impulsive chattering when she needs to!

Grant

2008-11-21T22:33:00.003-06:00

Grant is now sporting a new look, with glasses! He had a health screening done at school which revealed his need for glasses already. Both David and I got glasses around 6th grade, so we figured he would have to get them some day, but it surprised us a little that day came so soon. He really had not shown many symptoms of having visual troubles, but he has greatly benefited from the glasses since he got them! He continues to do very well in school, and it's been a little less stressful lately, which has been wonderful! His teachers have been great to work with, and we all are feeling he is doing well where he's at. It's nice to feel we made the right choice!

Pictures of Our Baby Kaylee Coo

2008-11-21T22:01:00.003-06:00

Here are some fun pictures of our baby we've taken lately. As you can tell from the pictures, she enjoys munching on leaves and toilet paper now! She discovered the toilet paper one day when I was in the shower. She was uncharacteristically quiet (isn't that always the way it is?!!), and I peeked out to find her playing in a pile of toilet paper (making confetti!), and snacking on it. Fortunately, I found it too humorous to be upset (I can't imagine how freaked out I would have been if it had been Grant, when he was a baby!)! Of course, I was still wet, so I chose to let her just eat the stuff until I could get out and dry off. I didn't want it sticking to me!! So, for now, we do not have toilet paper on the roll, but it has been moved up to the back of the toilet (near the middle so she can't reach it)! She is beginning to get into more than she used to (and I thought she was already getting into everything--turns out she is now getting into EVERYTHING she can reach)!! She is now also able to walk with assistance (ok, maybe I wouldn't quite call it walking just yet, but she does take labored steps, and can keep it up for a good distance). She will "walk" along with mommy or daddy, or behind her pink stroller walker we got her as an early Christmas present. She is growing up so fast!! She had her 9 month birthday yesterday, and I just can't believe she will be a year in about 3 more months!! My days of babyhood are numbered!! I'm trying to enjoy every moment I can!

Trick-or-Treat!!!

2008-10-31T20:41:00.003-06:00

Just thought I'd share some cute photos of the kids today. First of all, my sister had sent the girls matching outfits for the season, so we had to have the matching outfit pictures!! (Thank you, Aunt Tabitha!) Then, they got all dressed up in their costumes (Aunt Tabitha also sent us the bumblebee costume for Kaylee--Thanks again! It was sooo cute!!). Grant chose to wear the dragon costume we made for him last year again (which made his mama who spent a lot of hours on it quite happy!!). Aleah chose to be a "fairy butterfly", although she really just looked like a little butterfly {but she corrected people when they called her a butterfly! :-) She made sure they knew she was a fairy butterfly!}. Anyway, the kids had lots of fun going down the street and across the street, and it was a wonderful night to get out and walk! We handed out cards that had information about our church and a concert our church worship team is going to do in November, and that sparked some good conversations with our neighbors, which was really neat! I just praise God for what He's doing in our lives, and I have to say that, although we really miss our friends from our old home (we love you all still!!), we are really starting to feel at home here. Since we have started getting really plugged in at church, and have met some wonderful people, we are really feeling like this is definitely a great place for us! I can't believe it was 2 years ago Halloween night, when we moved here!! It took a while, but we are feeling this is home now!

Our Darling Little Kaylee Coo

2008-10-27T15:36:00.004-06:00

Here's the baby!! She's getting so big, so fast! She is on the go, getting everywhere now. She is starting to cruise along things, like Aleah's bed, which is a great height for her to feel secure on right now. I'm sure it won't be long until she'll be cruising along the couches and other things she pulls up on as well! I predict she'll be walking before Christmas--maybe even by Thanksgiving (eeeeekks!!). She has been working on her dancing skills, which means any time she hears music, she frantically waves her arms and grins! She is also finding every little thing in the carpet now, so we're having to watch her like hawks, and keep things picked up! It's so hard to believe that in under 4 months we'll be celebrating her 1st birthday!! Of course, we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Daddy's birthday and Valentine's Day (to mention a few scheduled events) between now and then, but it will certainly be here before I realize it!

One thing Miss Kaylee has been up to lately is being incredibly clingy. She doesn't like it when I leave a room she's in, and even when she follows me, she is fussing along the way. She has not been making it through her time in the church nursery either. I usually have to go get her after I think, "Hmmm, is that my baby I hear screaming out there?!" So, we have entered the separation anxiety, which is hard for mommies and babies. At least I know she loves me! It is a good sign, a sign that we are bonded, but a hard time as I can hardly step away from her without her crying. Fortunately, she is OK with her daddy, so I can leave her with him sometimes and get out of the house, or just get something done around the house without her fussing at me the whole time. However, we have discussed an opportunity for a "date night", and I have felt extremely guilty asking anyone to watch a baby who may end up screaming the entire time we're gone! I'm sure it won't last forever! I suppose, with her nearing the year mark, and my sentimentality kicking in, I should just savor these moments, as they always pass by far too quickly!!

Miss Aleah

2008-10-27T14:59:00.006-06:00

Here are some recent pictures I've captured of Miss Aleah. She has recently been helping me more at home, as we have been trying to keep the house clean for different things we've had going on here. She has also been to a birthday party, and had a Parents as Teachers visit, which she was very excited about!

I have to admit, I have felt a little sorry for her lately, as she has definitely landed her role as the middle child. I am often helping Grant with something for school, or meeting Kaylee's frequent demands for my time. She seems to be handling things fairly well, though, and has felt big being able to be the oldest at home while Grant's at school, and being my helper! We are trying to do a school time for her at home, but we have not yet established a routine with that yet. Right now, we do it sometimes but we don't get to it every day. I guess that's alright, she doesn't seem to mind. However, she does often ask for me to read to her or something, and I try to submit to her requests for my time when I feel like I can. She has really been pretty sweet natured lately, which I am enjoying! We do still have issues somedays when it's time to get dressed and she can't choose anything to wear, but we get along fairly well most of the time!

Soccer Season

2008-10-27T13:15:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures from Grant's soccer season this Fall. He just finished last Saturday (actually, the season ended, but he had to miss his last game because he was sick). He had a lot of fun with his daddy being his coach! David had originally said he would be willing to help and be an assistant coach, but with the demand they had for coaches, anyone who put on the application they were willing to help automatically became a coach. Even though he felt he didn't know enough about soccer to do it, he had fun with it, and helped the kids have lots of fun too! Grant really seems to be improving, and he really enjoys soccer! In fact, the other day he was telling me he plays at recess every day too. It was funny, because he told me whichever team he asks if he can play usually lets him play for the other team. I laughed when he told me that, and then I asked him "Why do you think they do that?" He replied, nonchalantly, "I don't know!" I guess what you don't know can sometimes protect you from the truth! He truly acted like he didn't care why, as long as he got to play!

Spiderman Wanna-Be

2008-10-27T12:42:00.004-06:00

(Before you read this, please think about the show the "Beverly Hillbillies", and get that tune in your head. Now, insert these words into the song, and have fun with it!)

Here's a funny little story 'bout a man named Dave,
who's son climbed the walls and then gave him a wave.
So he thought he'd try too, but alas the wall gave,
and in went the foot of old Spiderman Dave!

No kidding, this actually happened a couple of weeks ago! My husband, being the kinda guy he is, forgets that there are certain limitations in life. I guess he now realizes even walls have their limits!! Although they were not clearly labeled with a weight limit, I think we could have assumed that a man of his age and weight and height should probably NOT try to climb the walls of a regular old house. So, if you were thinking about trying your own walls out, let this be a lesson for you!! It doesn't work out very well for the walls! Unless a size 10 foot-shaped hole in your wall becomes popular! Anyway, he immediately set to work repairing it (which consisted of cutting a rectangular shape around it to make it look like a better hole until he could work on it some more). This weekend he got a piece of sheetrock up, so it's no longer a hole. I told him maybe that was the kind of motivation we needed to get us going on some of the painting we've been wanting to get done!

The funniest thing was Grant's reaction to the whole deal. I didn't really know what was going on, and all I hear is a big thud, and Grant screaming hysterically. Scared, I ran to the hall, thinking he has his 1st broken bone or something, and find David on the floor, foot in the wall. I asked Grant why he was screaming so much, and he was just fixated on the hole! He wasn't even concerned about whether his daddy was OK or not, he was just freaked out by the hole in the wall! Fortunately, Spiderman was not hurt in the process, and he has learned a lesson or two in the process. He was also glad I didn't get angry or freak out about the hole in the wall. I think it was just too humorous!

The things we do for fun (and to amuse the children!) around here!

Pulling Up AND Down!!

2008-10-04T14:42:00.003-06:00

As you can see, Kaylee is now pulling up to a standing position, as well as moving everywhere at what seems to me to be a lightening speed (Ok, maybe it's more like a fast tortoise, but it seems fast to me). She is in to EVERYTHING now!! It's such a fun stage, but it's also exhausting chasing her around and pulling cords out of her mouth (she loved it when I was vacuuming the other day--what a long, fun cord to grab!)! We have tried to do some baby-proofing, but we're learning more things we need to do on a daily basis, and I know it's only going to get harder to keep her away from all of the potentially life-threatening things we should be keeping her away from.

These pictures are from the other day, when, as she pulled up on the back of this chair, she was stepping on her pants. As she kept moving around, and got more upright, her pants came down further and further. It was quite amusing for a mom with a camera! The things I do for fun! At least I am easily amused!!

Dirty-Minded Potty Mouth

2008-10-04T12:55:00.003-06:00

Never fear, this post is still G-rated, I just wanted to get your attention! I have to share some more Aleah funnies!

A couple of weeks ago, we visited the St. Louis Zoo while we were on a trip. When we went past the rhinoceros, there were some fairly sizable piles of, well, you know what, lying about. Of course, my children, with their well-working little noses voiced their disgust for the pungent aroma. Then Aleah went on to compare the piles and smells of the elephant to the rhino. (Sometimes having an observant child can get a little crazy!) Since we have been home, she remains obsessed with talking about poop. So, the other day she was talking about it again. As she was asking me about several different animals, and whether they pooped, I told her that every living thing like animals and people created by God poops. Then she asked me a question I had never, ever even thought about, "Does God poop?"! OK, all you Biblical scholars out there, how do you answer that one?!! There's the thought that we were created in His image, but then the thought that God does not require food or water and is mostly a spiritual-type being. My answer? "Well, honey I don't know, but I don't think so because I don't think He needs to eat, so He wouldn't need to." (Can you tell I have a nursing background? What goes in must come out, but if there's no input, there need be no output, right?!!) I'd love to hear how anyone else would answer that! (By the way, for those of you who don't know, there is actually a book entitled Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi you can find at most libraries--I think it's designed to help in the potty training process, in case you need help there some day!)

Alas, I have yet another story that meets the "dirty-minded" part of the title. The other day we were discussing the importance of hand-washing (another nursing trait). I was stressing the need to wash her hands before she touched the baby, after going potty. She first asked me "Is dirt dirty?" An odd question, to which I replied, "Of course! That's probably where they came up with the term DIRTy!" Then, thoughtfully she replied, "Adam had to be dirty, because he was made of dirt!" It made me laugh, and reminded me of those funny emails about what kids say in Sunday School. She sure cracks me up sometimes!

Eating Green Veggies

2008-09-24T19:28:00.004-06:00

Kaylee just had her 1st taste of a green veggie tonight, and as I captured a picture of it so we would always remember the occasion, I was reminded of pictures of my other two babies with similar green oozing down their chins. So, here are Grant, Aleah and Kaylee, all at around the same age. I have to say, each of my babies had about the same response to their 1st taste of green veggies, and it was certainly NOT a favorable impression! Notice how confused Kaylee looks, and what a disgusted look she has! By the way, can you see any resemblances between my babies?? Especially Grant and Kaylee! I'll have to post some more pictures show how much she favors him.

All Together Now

2008-08-31T14:35:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of our 3 little ones I took recently. There's just something about having good pictures of all 3 of them together! Of course, this day Kaylee wasn't very cooperative, but I still like these pictures. They are all growing up so fast!

Kaylee is now weighing in at 20 pounds, which Aleah weighed at 1 year! So, we are in the market for a new carseat, since our infant carrier only holds up to 22 pounds, and it's not going to be long before we need a new one! She is flirting around with crawling, getting up on her knees and rocking a little. She is chewing on things like crazy, so I'm betting there's a tooth in her near future too. She is rolling around, sitting steady, and grabbing everything in sight! Baby-proofing, here we come!

Having Kaylee around is both extremely fun and exhausting! We Love having her so much, and we're all enjoying our baby! As with Aleah, I can't imagine all she will accomplish in the next year. It's going to be a busy, busy year for her! (And for us, as we help her learn and grow, and keep her away from all the cords she loves to grab)!

Our Middle Child

2008-08-31T13:42:00.004-06:00

Since her big brother has been going to school, we have started a school time at home for Aleah. I did some with her last year too, but I'll be able to focus more on meeting her needs this year. She is really starting to pick up on letters forming words, as evidenced by the words she spelled by sounding them out (the magnet letters on the dryer). She's starting to read and spell 3-letter words, so she's off to a great final preschool year. She will begin Kindergarten next Fall, and she is already telling people she's going to school next year. She's a little excited. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before in a previous blog, but she told me once she did not want to be homeschooled because she wants to be with friends!! She is very social, so I'm sure she will love it!

So, we informally started some school times for her at home this week, but because it was a crazy busy week for me we didn't do a lot yet. This coming week, I plan to start a little more structured time for her. We've got some library books about Fall, and some curriculum I used with Grant to start. I think it will be fun, and good for her to have some individualized attention when I can give it to her (maybe when the baby's asleep?!). So far, as you can see from the pictures, she has enjoyed her spelling lessons and painting in art, and she is really practicing her uppercase letters too! I'm enjoying seeing her on somewhat of a learning growth spurt! I can't imagine what all she'll accomplish in this next year as we work together!

My Oldest Baby

2008-08-31T12:29:00.004-06:00

Well, my oldest baby started school for the 1st time this past Monday (we had been homeschooling before this year). It was strange to have him gone all day, but we still did much of his online classes at home, so I was still responsible for overseeing those. I met with his teachers and the school counselor this week, and I can gratefully say I feel like I'm part of a team. We are all working together to find out what will work best for his school year. We are still working on the puzzle! We have some changes to make, so it's all a matter of being flexible, and being willing to try different things. I feel extremely blessed that the school personnel have been so wonderful in helping us find a plan!

When I asked Grant what he liked about school, he said he liked not having to wait very long for lunch [I guess I'm too slow :-)] and listening to stories his teacher reads. After probing further, he mentioned he also liked being around other kids, recess and PE. I also asked what what his favorite lesson he's done so far, to which he replied, "We haven't really done anything yet." I guess this week was mainly all about getting acclimated to the rules and routines of the school and classroom.

So, we seem to be off to a good start, we hope! If you want to, you could pray for Grant as he attempts to make new friendships. One of his teachers mentioned he had a hard time doing an assignment the other day, because he was to write a couple of sentences about what he would do with a friend. When she asked him about it, he replied, "I don't have any friends." It really breaks our hearts to hear him say that! Since we moved here about 2 years ago, he has met a lot of children through sports and such, but those are short-term friends. He has not really made any friends we have kept in touch with consistently. We hope that with him in school, he will begin to make some good, healthy friendships. It is truly hard watching him struggle with this! He appears to be doing well with it for the most part, but we can tell it bothers him! His classroom teacher said he has been doing well with participation in class, so it doesn't hold him back, but she's still watching out for him at recess to see if he's connecting to the other kids outside of the classroom. We have been warned that he may have troubles with finding his niche, as many gifted kids do, but again, we're praying for God to help him find positive friendships that will be back a certain joy he's been missing for awhile.

PRAY FOR CHINA

2008-08-21T20:59:00.005-06:00

Have you seen this yet?? I should have posted this earlier, as the Olympics is well under way, but I just didn't get to it. However, I'm still going to post it now because I still feel it is important, and it would be wonderful for the prayer support and awareness to carry on long after the Olympics is past!

Basically, The Voice of the Martyrs is summoning American Christians to pray specifically for Chinese Christians during the Olympics in Beijing. There are many stories about the persecution of Chinese Christians on the website of The VOM (www.persecution.com). (There's even a story about the man who was the inspiration for the Olympic prayer bands, and his recent persecution.) There was much fear that having the Olympics in Beijing would step up the violence and imprisonments these Christians face. The prayer bands were created to encourage American Christians to pray for Chinese Christians, and have been distributed in China to encourage Chinese Christians to pray for us too! I think that's a pretty cool idea!

The persecuted church is not something I had ever thought about until someone brought it to my attention several years ago. I just had never realized there are people around the world who still faced such terrible consequences for simply being a Christian. Books like "Jesus Freaks" and VOM materials have opened my eyes to what's going on, and my heart to the need to pray for my Christian brothers and sisters in chains. If you visit The VOM website, you can become more aware too! You can sign up for email newsletters, monthly newsletters via mail, prisoner alerts, and currently, you can get a free prayer band to remind you to pray for China. I encourage you to become aware, and to pray and possibly send letters of encouragement to Christians through prisoner alert (www.prisoneralert.com).

(Following is a portion of an email I received last month describing the prayer bands.)

Some well meaning Christian leaders would like you to believe that Christians are no longer persecuted in China. Chinese Christians like Anna would disagree. At the young age of 11, Anna has been persecuted for her faith. She has been run out of a Christian orphanage and refused admission to public school. She currently lives in hiding and attends an illegal underground Christian school. Anna, like many persecuted Christians in China, remains strong in her faith. She recently told The Voice of the Martyrs "I think God must really love me. He has taken such good care of me."

Now The Voice of the Martyrs is offering Olympic Prayer Bands for Christians in the USA and in China to wear during the 2008 Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing. These prayer bands serve as a reminder to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China. Many Chinese Christians will be wearing a similar band and will be praying for you as well.

Kaylee's New Tricks

2008-08-09T17:50:00.003-06:00

As for the youngest member of our family, her new tricks are rolling around, sitting up, looking absolutely adorable in her summer hats, doing crunches as she tries to sit from laying down, being able to actually eat some rice cereal and be happy about it, and making it through Grant's t-ball games with mommy!

Time for some Changes

2008-08-09T17:15:00.005-06:00

Aleah and I recently visited a salon called Changes, and that is just what we did--we made some definitely noticeable hair changes! Aleah's was long enough she wanted to donate it to Locks of Love, so she had a ponytail full of hair cut off. My change was inspired by Kaylee grabbing both sides of my hair in her fists and yanking it harder and harder as she gets stronger each day!

(By the way, this was Aleah's 1st haircut! She was pretty excited about it!)

Toothless Grant

2008-08-09T16:55:00.004-06:00

Here is my big boy, missing his 2 front teeth. Only, with the gap he already had there, he looks more like he's missing about 4 teeth! He's been singing "All I want for my Birthday is my 2 front teeth!" Although, I think he'll have a much longer wait until those next teeth show up! He'll be starting the school year with that big gap, and I'm sure his 1st official school pictures will be memorable!

More Family Reunion Pictures

2008-08-09T15:29:00.004-06:00

As promised, here are a few more pictures from David's family's reunion in June. Here are some things we did: guy's camping trip, a visit to the man-made beach, eat!!, monster badminton, the ever-popular dad & kids water fight, watching a city-girl wrestle a snake with a pop can top stuck around its neck, having a girl's night with jewelry making & nail painting, and doing some canoeing.

Dixflovia Fun 2008

2008-08-01T14:34:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures from something we do every other summer with David's family. We call it the DixFloVia Reunion, and this June was our 3rd formal event. As you can probably see from the pictures, there are 5 separate families represented, with 15 children under the age of 13!! Needless to say, at camp DixFloVia, there is never a dull moment!! David and I took over 1000 pictures for all of us to enjoy.

Here are just a few of our posed pictures. For these, each of the separate families wore different colored shirts to be easily identified (when you have this many children in one spot, being able to identify them quickly is a plus!).

Anyway, I just thought I'd share some of our summer with you, and since I don't often have pictures with David's family to share, I had to take this opportunity. Since we all live spread out across the U.S., we don't get together as often as we like, but when we do, it's pretty special!! I'll include more posts showing different activities we got to take part in. We really had a pretty good time, and we shared lots of memories!!

(The top picture shows the whole DixFloVia clan in colorful splendor; the next two are some good and fun Gma & Gpa with the grandkids pictures; then our family; and finally David's parents. As you can tell, we were blessed to be able to find beautiful scenic spots to take these pictures!)

I Just Have to Share This!!

2008-07-03T21:36:00.003-06:00

We have been very busy as a family through the month of June, and I have a lot of pictures to share, but I haven't had time to sit down and get it done on my blog lately. Maybe I'll get it done eventually. Since it's been awhile though, I just had to do something! I took this picture yesterday, and I absolutely love it! So, I just have to share it! I feel so blessed to have my 3 kiddos! Thank You, God for each of them! {Of course, they're asleep right now, so it's easy for me to say right now! :-)} Pictures like this remind me why I do what I do, even in the frustrating times! I'm so glad to get to be home to witness all my little ones' 1sts, even when it's a 1st tantrum! It all just comes with the mommy territory! Lord, help me keep perspective as I raise my children! I LOVE them all so dearly, and I pray You will always help me raise them in a way that points them toward you!!

Da Bebe!!

2008-06-10T15:33:00.002-06:00

And now, for our final contestant in Those Kids of Ours!

Here's our baby girl--who I am fondly calling our miracle grow baby! She just seems to be growing so fast! She has been slobbering all over the place, rolling all around, and just getting busy in all kinds of ways! She is really concentrating on grasping things with her hands. We have now entered the everything goes to the mouth stage too! She has done a complete roll over from back to tummy once, and hasn't made it again yet. She has also rolled from tummy to back, but she doesn't do it consistently yet. She is really working on vocalizing a lot lately too, varying her pitch and volume! She loves to be tickled, and laughs like crazy when we hit the right spots. Of course, I know where all those spots are now!!

Last night, she slept for 9 hours straight, which was a huge blessing for me (although, there was some pain involved--anyone who has ever been a nursing mommy knows what I'm talking about). So, I got at least 5 hours straight, and had a hard time falling back to sleep because I was in pain. Oh, well, some day my sleep will come! She had been only going for 3-5 hour stretches of sleep at a time, which was not working very well for me! Of course, I'm hoping last night's fluke will become a norm soon!

Oh, what fun it is to have a baby in the house again! Of course, it's a lot of work too, but it's fun most days!! We are truly thankful God blessed us with our baby Kaylee! We look forward to finding out what specific unique traits she will bring to our family! We pray God will help us meet her specific needs as she grows too! Especially her need to know God Loves her, and her need to learn to Love God above all else!!

Our Big Girl

2008-06-09T15:20:00.005-06:00

Here's our big girl, Aleah. She seems to be turning into such a girly girl! Recently, I took her shopping for sandals, and we ended up going to 3 stores. I didn't realize it, but her unspoken requirement was to find some with a tall enough heel on them! She is fascinated with shoes, especially those with heels! She loves to have her fingernails painted. She likes to wear dresses, and have her hair done. Like I said, she's a girly girl!!

She has recently had a taste of what next year will be like with Grant in school. The 1st couple of days, she really missed having Grant at home. I'm sure we'll all go through that again in the fall, as we get used to him being gone for the school day. I think it will be good for her, though, because it will give us time to focus more on her school time for the year. If she goes to public school beginning with Kindergarten, this will be her last year at home, so I want to help her be as prepared for school as she can be. As Grant has us doing research, she also has a need I will have to research too. She happens to be a lefty, so as soon as I get done with all the gifted research, I will be researching left-handedness, so I can best meet her learning needs. Our kids certainly keep us on our toes! They certainly seem to be growing up so fast too!

Another great thing about Aleah is her extroverted personality. She loves to talk to people, and is oh so social!! (That's an understatement!) A couple of weeks ago, someone was mowing the field behind our back gate, and she was chomping at the bit to get out there so she could say "Hi". She kept asking me if she could go outside, because she just wanted to say Hi to the mower! I was not able to go outside at that time, so I couldn't let her go out. Today we had a guy from the gas company come to the house, and she wanted him to meet everyone in the family, and she talked to him pretty much the entire time he was in the house lighting the pilot. It's amazing how many words one little girl can say in about 10 minutes! It can be both a good thing and a bad thing! We certainly meet a lot of new people, but some people aren't always as open to her as others. Of course, she's also oblivious to danger, and just loves people, so I have to be careful. I just pray she can remain open, outgoing and loving, but learn how to keep herself safe as well!

Another prayer I have for Aleah these days is that I can teach her to be as beautiful on the inside as she is becoming on the outside. I guess that's probably every mother's prayer for her daughters. I'm sure it will be repeated for Kaylee too! I love my children, and I want them all to know the most important thing in life is learning to Love God first and foremost!! I pray they will have even deeper relationships with Him than I have had!!

Our Boy Grant

2008-06-08T15:40:00.005-06:00

I thought I might take a chance to share some pictures of each of the kiddos and give an update on what each of them has been up to lately.

We'll start with Grant, since he's my oldest. This bottom picture was taken at the beginning of May, when he had his AWANA awards night. He got an award for finishing his 2nd book. He has really enjoyed AWANA, as he loves to memorize the verses and have the rewards of getting through his book. He has also learned a lot from the verses, which I pray will stick in his heart forever!

The middle pictures are of a new fun thing for him to do--climb our sweet gum tree in the back yard! This, I must say, is more than a little anxiety-producing for a mom (at least this mom)! I keep thinking we're going to have an emergency room visit soon, but I guess that could happen for any reason. He seems to be getting a lot more adventurous and daring lately!

The top picture was taken the morning of his 1st day of summer school. Through much thought, prayer and testing with the school district we live in and David works for, we have decided Grant will enter the world of public school next year. So, to prepare him a little, we signed him up for summer school. He seems to enjoy it so far. Of course, it's mainly just for fun, so he should. We just thought it would help him learn how the classroom environment works, and learn important things such as how to raise your hand to go to the bathroom. As silly as that sounds, he's never had to do that before, so it's all new to him!

This is a whole new journey for all of us, and has taken a tremendous amount of prayer to try to decide what we feel we are supposed to do! We continue to pray it will be a positive experience for him. He will have a very specialized plan for his school year, and the school personnel have been wonderful to help us decide what to do for him. I guess I'll go ahead and share about his plan--I only hesitate because I don't want to sound like I'm bragging! Grant has been given a gift, which we recognize could only come from God. He has been tested, and we found he is highly gifted. We were pretty certain he had some gifted qualities, and the school's testing has confirmed it. In fact, because of where his birthday falls, he would be in 1st grade next year, but the Special Services director and the gifted teachers have decided to put him in 3rd grade, based on his testing. This has also been an anxiety and prayer-producing event (he's drawing it out of us in many ways, this boy)!! We truly want to do what's best for him to help him learn to his potential, and, of course, we want to follow God's will in raising him and each of our children. To be honest, one reason I was homeschooling him is because he was ahead of his grade level, and we were told the district we lived in before would not have allowed him to advance beyond his age-peers (and I knew he could be a big trouble-maker if he was bored in a classroom!). So, we have been extremely blessed with the school here, and with their willingness to present so many options for him. They have been wonderful to work with, and so, now we have a plan for him.

So, here around our house we have been reading much research about giftedness, and did I mention we've been praying?!! We would also appreciate your prayers! It was nice for me to see I wasn't the only one trying to figure out what to do for him! I have had that struggle with homeschooling him too! In fact, one reason we wanted to have him tested was to identify what grade levels he's at in certain subjects. I just feel the public school district, with the way they are willing to work with us, may be able to help meet his educational needs better than I am currently able. Of course, if things do not work out for him in public school, we will tweak our plan. We just continue to pray for guidance. As my mother-in-law has recently reminded me, with all gifts come both blessings and burdens. I'm sure we'll discover many, many truths of that statement! In fact, as parents, we already have--we're just discovering it now in a highly specific area!

Continuing to Praise God!!

2008-05-30T16:50:00.005-06:00

My dad called me yesterday on his way home from his scans and reported they still did not find any cancer, so we just continue to praise God for this miracle! Small cell lung cancer doesn't just go away very easily, so again, PRAISE GOD!! Dad continues to feel the effects of the pneumonia, which they could still see evidence of on the scans. He continues to get short of breath easily, and feels worn out a lot, which is frustrating, as he feels he should be getting over it quicker. However, when compared to the diagnosis of cancer, he knows he is blessed!! He will have more scans in about a month to continue to monitor the healing of his lungs from the pneumonia.

We are so thankful for all the prayers and concerns expressed, and for those who continue to ask how he's doing. We know God hears our prayers, and is Faithful!! As I just recently heard in the movie "Facing the Giants", we will praise Him in the good times and praise Him in the bad times!! It's just so wonderful to have something so amazing to praise Him for!! This has certainly been a lesson in not taking life for granted, and in trusting God knows just what we need in life!

(The pictures are of Dad with the kiddos during a visit a couple of weeks ago.)

Little Cutie

2008-05-19T16:08:00.004-06:00

Wow! I haven't posted in awhile, huh?!! For some reason, I haven't seemed to find the time lately!

I just thought I'd share a couple of pictures. The top picture is from Mother's Day Sunday when Kaylee was dedicated at church. She slept through the entire service and the dedication ceremony in the sling (by the way, I made that sling--my first real sewing project since about 8th grade or so!). Actually, that's what she does just about every Sunday through church! Thankfully, she really sleeps well in the sling, and I get to enjoy the service without having to leave! The bottom picture is the picture we used for the dedication service. Kaylee really has some very cute, big grins! She has really started using her hands lately too! She brings them together, bats at toys, and holds onto some toys now. She also has started taking everything to her mouth. I can't believe how fast she is becoming a busy little baby! The transformation from helpless little newborn to active infant is happening so quickly!

Special Developments

2008-04-27T15:25:00.009-06:00

9 days old

2 1/2 Weeks

8 Weeks

9 Weeks

Here are some pictures of our little Kaylee coo showing some progress in her "tummy time" exercises. Now she can really look around and enjoy the view!! She has enjoyed recent tummy time sessions in front of my mirrored closet doors, where she can look up and watch the baby in the mirror! Notice, too, she has lost her newborn look, and is now sporting some even more well rounded cheeks (and a double chin)!!! At her 2 month check up this week, she topped the scales at 13 lbs 15.5 oz, and we are clearing the 0-3 month clothes out to move in the recently washed up 3-6 month clothes. About 3 weeks ago, she started cooing, and continues to have daily voice lessons with mommy. She also enjoys showing off her big grins, which really melt our hearts, and make us all excited to have her around!!

Our Family's Miracle!!

2008-04-17T12:24:00.003-06:00

Dad called me again this morning, with even better news than yesterday. The Doctors now believe that everything they have seen on recent scans was due to the pneumonia, and not the cancer. They have even gone so far as to declare dad CANCER FREE!!! Praise God!! I almost can't believe the wonderful news!! My children did a Praise dance this morning when they heard the news, and I just can't stop saying Praise God!!! I am ecstatic! Dad said he and Brenda are "On cloud nine!" He's already talking about going back to work (after his retirement party a week and a half ago!)! We have now gone from days to weeks to back to normal life for now. I keep thinking about how drastically things have changed in less than a week. Last Saturday, we wondered if he was even going to make it home from the hospital, and this week he will go home with antibiotics! No more radiation and chemotherapy in the near future! He should get to go home by the weekend, and just continue to recuperate from the pneumonia and lung infection.

Again, we thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers, as this has truly been a time to show me prayer works!! I know many people have been praying! To be honest, I'm still in shock, because I had guarded myself and feared the worst. So, again I say PRAISE GOD, and THANK YOU, LORD!!

Praise God for Some GOOD News!!

2008-04-16T09:34:00.003-06:00

God gave me a wonderful Birthday present this morning!! We have good news regarding dad! The MRI of his back yesterday revealed no new cancer!! Also, I was wrong about the tumor around his airway--that was one of the potential problems. Since they ruled that it was pneumonia and a lung infection, the breathing trouble was explained, and the other potential problems are being dismissed! (I had a little bit of trouble following what that Dr. was trying to tell us--too many rabbit trails and "potentials" to keep track of! And I've got a nursing degree--I can't imagine how anyone could follow all of that!)

Anyway, since there has been no new cancer found since the PET scan last week, I would guess that his prognosis they gave him last week is no longer applicable. Maybe we'll get our months back! Maybe even years, who knows! Dad remains very optimistic, so, why shouldn't I?!! As long as he feels as good as he does, I know he will remain optimistic and will continue to do all he can to fight this. For which I am thankful--I want more time with him, and more time for my children to be with him!

Praise God! Thank You, Lord, for Your great gift! We praise You alone for it, and pray You will continue to allow us to have more wonderful times with dad/Papa!

We certainly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers, and all the notes of encouragement we have received!! Thank you all so much for loving on us this way!

The Latest--That I Know, At Least

2008-04-15T21:00:00.003-06:00

The bronchoscopy they performed yesterday on dad revealed that he did indeed have pneumonia and an infection in his right lung. They did not find any tumors with the scope. The bad news with that is, as I understood the Dr., there is probably a tumor somewhere on the outside of his airway affecting his breathing. Since it is not inside the airway where they can put radiation directly to it, there is nothing they can do for it because he has already had all the radiation he can to that area. He was to have an MRI today of his lower back. They were hoping to be able to do a series of radiation to his back, thinking it would help with the pain. Since his fever broke on Saturday, he has been feeling pretty well, though he did spike a fever through that night as well. He was still feeling well today when I spoke to him after the scope. He continues to be optimistic because he feels so well, and continues to want to try what the Dr's have to offer.

Through our time this weekend, being around the family gathered there, I have had some wonderful experiences. I have had a chance to get to know some of my step-mom, Brenda's family, and that has been a blessing (and comic relief)! I'm thankful for having a special moment with dad and Brenda, seeing her tenderly caring for him and hearing her love expressed. I'm so thankful she's there for him right now! I have also just had a chance to sit and talk with dad's family in a way I don't often get to. It seems so ironic how a situation like this can bring blessings into our lives. I guess, as with most situations, there are blessings with burdens. Thank you, Lord, for revealing Yourself even through our pain! May we grow closer to You and closer to each other through this! Thank You for Your Perfect Peace even amongst the tragedy! Thank You for helping us see this through Your Eternal Eyes, knowing this is not an ending, but simply another step along the journey. Lord, if it be Your Will for a miracle to occur here, we will Praise You for that, but if that is not Your Will, we will still Praise You for Who You are and that dad is Yours!

Here are a couple of pictures of dad and Brenda with Kaylee. Kaylee ended up being a good distraction for us last weekend. She certainly had everyone oogling over her! Even the nurses were saying "So that's the baby I've heard about!" She was a pretty smiley, happy baby (except when she wanted to eat--which was pretty frequently!). She was sure worn out when we got home--she slept very well on Monday!

Another Update On Dad's Condition

2008-04-12T13:02:00.004-06:00

My step-mom called yesterday to let me know that dad, yet again, received bad news from the PET scan they ran on Wednesday. They found the cancer has spread to the bones in his lower back. They said that his prognosis was probably now down to days or weeks. Quite a bit of a shock, after the last prognosis of about 6 months! I had been told lung cancer can really metastasize rather quickly, but I was certainly praying for more time! The Dr's are still not willing to give up yet, and had him scheduled for a bronchioscope and possible radiation into his lungs on Monday, new chemo meds to try, an MRI on Tuesday to assess the bones in his back, and radiation to his back.

This morning, however, dad spiked a fever up to 103.6, and my step-mom had to take him to the hospital. Last I heard, they were beginning the initial assessments. We don't know anything about what's going on with him yet, and are just waiting. Most of the family is there, or planning to get there. I will be going, taking the baby, and planning on spending the night somewhere. Needless to say, we could really use your prayers right now! Fortunately, my dad has been at peace this entire time since his diagnosis, and I am as well. I hoped for more time with him, and it especially hits me hard when I think of the time my kids will miss out on--he's a wonderful Papa!! I think God has given us limited time now, and I just pray that it will be a peaceful time, and it will bring us closer as a family, and bring us closer to the Lord. I pray specifically for a chance for the revelation of Jesus and His salvation to those who don't have it and are involved with him in this time. If his death could mean eternal life for someone else--WOW!

Here are some pictures from last weekend, when dad's work threw him a retirement/birthday party (he turned 55 last Sunday). He was very worn out after a 4 hour party! They did a lot of neat things for him though, and there was a great turn out!

Where Has It Gone??

2008-03-19T13:00:00.005-06:00

Where has it gone? This is a question I ask regarding a couple of different things lately. The first is. . . where has my energy gone? It seems that I was running on adrenaline or something for about the first few weeks after Kaylee was born (and after I quit taking pain meds), and it seems to be completely GONE now!! I guess the lack of consecutive sleep has finally caught up with me, and I am exhausted (and a little grumpy at times!)!!

The other question is. . . where has the past month gone?!! My baby is now 4 weeks old today (or one calendar month old tomorrow), and it just seems to have flown by! Of course, the lack of sleep thing has me living in this somewhat unreal reality, so that could have something to do with it! Seriously, the time just seems to be passing quickly, although we are still in the adjusting phase in so many ways!

I thought I'd share some fun things the older two have said in the past few weeks. One day, Grant told me, "Kaylee's kind of fun to have around when she's not crying!!" (Although, it seems that she is frequently crying, so I guess she is part-time fun!) I guess that was his way of saying he likes to have a baby around, but he doesn't so much like to hear said baby crying! Aleah's comment concerned Kaylee's crying too, but she knows just what to do about it! "Why don't you just feed her, mom, so she'll stop crying?!!" Aleah was also "nursing" her baby dolls and stuffed animals today. I got a little jealous when she was able to finish feeding 2 babies in less than 2 minutes!!

Well, here are some more pictures to share, just to share some more pictures!

How are we doing??

2008-03-03T14:17:00.004-06:00

I've had some people email recently and ask how we're doing, so I thought I'd just make a post of it, instead of trying to email separately. It just makes it a little easier--sorry if it doesn't seem as personal!

Anyway, we're doing pretty well. I started feeling human again last Thursday/Friday, as my body is healing and I no longer have pain. Of course, I am still sleep deprived, but it's much better than feeling like a zombie because of the pain and lack of sleep. This weekend, I even got out of the house to go shopping with Kaylee, and to go to church. Today, the kids and I started our homeschooling again after a 2 week break. It's amazing how doing things like that can just help you feel normal again! (Especially after going through a week and a half that seemed so surreal and seemed stuck on fast forward!!)

Honestly, I have felt a sense of liberation since I no longer have the burden of the terrible back aches I experienced with this pregnancy (although, nursing a newborn does tend to take away a little of that liberation :-) ). Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant, but I'm also glad that pregnancy doesn't last forever! I certainly thank God that I was able to have a healthy pregnancy, and that delivery went smoothly, but I also thank Him that Kaylee is here with us now, my back feels better, and I can sleep comfortably in my bed again! Thank You, God!!

As far as adjusting, well, I'm sure that's a day to day thing, but we seem to be doing OK. I think the hardest thing for the older two is trying to patiently wait their turn to eat when they're hungry. After all, when Kaylee eats every 1 1/2 hours during the day sometimes (which takes at least 1/2 hour, plus a diaper change & burping), it's hard to break away long enough to take care of other's needs!

One thing I have noticed is that I am much more relaxed with this baby, and I am LOVING it! Since we are planning on this being our last baby, I am trying to savor every moment!! I just take time to hold her and love on her, which is something I deprived myself of before as I tried to do things the "right" way (especially with my first one). I realize now this time passes far too quickly, and I'll miss it if I don't stay right here, right now, in each moment with her! So, I'm loving the moments I have with her! I love the warmth of her snuggling on my chest as I rock with her in the quite hours of the night when everyone else is sleeping! I love just looking at her beautiful little face as she's sleeping, or as she's looking around with bright-eyed wonder! I love hearing her satisfied noises as she eats! I love seeing her big sister and big brother show their excitement over being able to help keep her content! I am just in love with this little creature, and I'm so glad God decided to send her to us in a surprise package! She is such a blessing to our family!

More Pictures

2008-03-02T16:08:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures from Day 2.

Pictures, anyone??

2008-03-02T13:00:00.003-06:00

Now, for the moment at least a few of you have been waiting for.......................
Pictures of our new little one!!
Kaylee joined us on Wednesday, February 20th at 2:17 pm.
She was 8 lbs 7 oz, and was 21 inches long.
This first set of pictures is from the day she was born.

Is Kaylee Ever Coming?!!

2008-02-18T22:01:00.003-06:00

Well, we've made it to 40 weeks now, our due date, and still no baby. I think she likes where she's at--all snuggly and warm! Last night, my body played a cruel trick on me by allowing me to have regular contractions, lasting about one minute long, and about 5 minutes apart for around 1/2 an hour (the criteria for going to the hospital are minute long contractions, 5 minutes apart for an hour). Then, all of a sudden, they let up. They began again another 1/2 hour later, but they were not regular, and stopped pretty soon after. I was beginning to feel like my body was actually going to do what it was supposed to, and have this baby soon. But alas, it was not meant to be. I got excited for no reason! Today, I have had a few obscure contractions, but not many.

So, since we have no baby here yet, I got to have my ultrasound, non-stress test, and Dr's appointments today. The ultrasound was 1st, at 9:30 this morning. Everything was within normal limits, and looks great! When the ultrasound tech told me the weight estimate, though, I about fell off the table! Per the ultrasound, they think baby Kaylee could weigh about 8 lbs 13 oz already (give or take a pound!)! With my previous babies weighing in at 7lbs15oz and 7lbs12oz, I think 8lbs13oz sounds pretty big! The radiologist mentioned something about the fact that she wasn't too big, and I wondered what he was comparing her to! He quickly said to my husband something to the effect of, "Of course, we're not the ones who have to do the hard part!"

With the ultrasound over, our next appointment was the non-stress test at the hospital. They basically just put me on a monitor to see if Kaylee's heart rate changed when she moved, to make sure she is handling everything well (to give them an indication of how she would handle delivery). As with the ultrasound, everything looked very good.

Finally, we headed to the Dr's office, to discuss the results of the tests, check my progress, and discuss the possible plan of action. Basically, yet again, I have made no real progress. The Dr began with talking about Kaylee's weight estimate (I knew that would be the issue), and C-sections (yikes!). I know many women have C-sections and many have loved them, but I would not choose that route, given the alternative route as a choice (I don't like the thought of "surgery"!). She mentioned with the estimate of weight from the ultrasound, she could weigh anywhere from around 7lbs13oz to 10lbs13oz! Obviously, the bigger she is, the greater likelihood of having a C-section. So, the final recommendation came down to inducing labor before she gets any bigger. She wanted to go for tomorrow, but the hospital floor has several other procedures already, so we are going for Wednesday morning. I have to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, with an empty tummy (I can't even swallow the water I brush my teeth with that morning!). Looks like we'll be having yet another Pitocin baby (I've had it with each of mine).

So, unless Kaylee surprises us by coming before then, she will be joining us sometime Wednesday the 20th. We are excited! Aleah said tonight, "Daddy, isn't it neat that mommy will have Kaylee in not too far days?!" (or something like that!). The reality of the changes coming is slightly overwhelming, but I'm still glad it's almost time! I hope Grant and Aleah will be as thrilled to have her here as they think they will be! We've already been praying for patience for all of us as we adjust!

Not Good News for Dad

2008-02-14T22:22:00.004-06:00

My step-mom, Brenda, called my husband today to let him know there was not good news for dad from his PET and CT scans yesterday. He relayed the message that I was to call them if I felt like talking; of course I knew if she called him 1st, it wasn't good news. In my current condition, they have done all they can to make sure they are gentle in breaking bad news to me, which I appreciate. But, I have to know what's going on, even if it's not what I want to hear!

Well, the scans yesterday revealed that the cancer has spread. What began originally in the right lung has now spread to the left lung and more around his throat. It seems that the only tumors which have shrunk due to the treatments he's had are the ones which were around his heart. The Dr's have basically said there is not much more they can do. There is one different type of chemo they are going to try next Wednesday that could help give him maybe another month, but it could also make him very sick. Since dad has felt pretty well so far, they will not use the chemo if it does make him sick next week, because of the focus at this point on quality of life. So, the new prognosis for his quantity of life is about 9 months. Certainly NOT what any of us wanted to hear!

I lost it on the phone with him tonight, as I thought again about the fact that David's dad has Parkinson's, and my dad has cancer. It's so hard to think about our children growing up without their Grandpas! My dad said, "I just hope they have good memories of me." I reassured him they certainly have a good collection of pictures and stories in their scrapbooks I've made. I certainly intend on taking many pictures in the next several months as well. God is really teaching me a lesson on the importance of relationships lately--and I'm sure I'm still learning!

Dad and I also talked about this just being one of those cups we're going to have to accept, because we just don't have any control over the situation! He mentioned that he is so glad to have grown up in a Christian family, so he knows he doesn't have to go through this without God. Praise God we know where he's going too!! We just hate to see him go so soon, but we have to trust God's Plan to be the Perfect Plan, even when we don't understand it! I can't imagine trying to go through this without Him!!

So, if you could (again) just lift us up in prayer as we still try to adjust to this news that would be wonderful! My step-mom is having an incredibly hard time!! She said she feels like she just found her "soul mate", and now she faces losing him so soon (they were married in April of 2005). Please pray for God to strengthen her in this time, and to just comfort her in a way only He can!! Pray for many wonderful opportunities for beautiful memories between all of us for as long as God provides another day for dad!!

The Latest (non-progress) Report

2008-02-12T13:52:00.001-06:00

Just a quick little note this time to say I made it to the Dr's today, and everything is still within normal limits, but I haven't made any progress since last Friday (it's only been 4 days, though!). I haven't dilated anymore, so again, I remain in the waiting game. Ahhh....the suspense! It's got to be soon however, as I know each day gets closer! Anyway, since I haven't made progress, they scheduled me for an ultrasound, a non-stress test, and another Dr's appointment next Monday (our "due date") if I don't have a baby by then. As the Dr put it today, if I don't go by my due date, they increase their surveillance (should I be feeling paranoid?). I'm just hanging in there, trying to be patient, and doing laundry every few days so we have clean clothes for awhile. It's all in God's Hands, and I'm just along for the ride! {Although, I'm a little harder to pull these days, as I have packed on some extra pounds for some reason!! :-)}

Belly Bumps

2008-02-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, while my dad was here visiting, it was good to see him looking healthy and feeling pretty good. He is now taking liquid morphine (I think that's the right drug) before he eats, so that it's not so painful. However, he has not lost much hair or weight. In fact, he stood beside me, and I couldn't help but compare our "belly bumps"! Of course, he has this strange ability to be able to pump his belly out a little further than it normally sticks out, so I don't know if it's all real or not. Anyway, I thought these were pretty humorous, so I had to share!! And Dad already thanked me when I told him I was going to post these! Your welcome, dad!!

As far as the pregnancy goes, as of my appointment last Friday, I was dilated to about a 2, so....we could go any time, or it could take more time. I'm still caught in the daily waiting game. Some days I feel like this has to be it, and then the next I wonder where all my previous day's symptoms of readiness went!! It's hard to be patient sometimes, but I know it can't be long! I'm hoping to go by next weekend. I think the 13th would be neat because that's the 14th anniversary of the night David asked me to marry him, or the 14th because I think it would be neat to have a Valentine's Day baby. My next appointment is tomorrow--we'll see what that brings!

Basketball Boy

2008-02-11T18:04:00.000-06:00

Grant's latest new thing to try has been basketball, which he just started in January. He has had several practices, and 3 games now. I'll have to say that watching a bunch of kindergarteners and 1st graders playing basketball is quite amusing! There's a little more to concentrate on than there was with soccer, and sometimes it's hard to remember to pay attention to what's going on around you as well as guarding your "man"! Grant tends to concentrate very intently on one aspect of the game, and lose the fact that there's a game going on around him. Although, in the 3 games he's played, I have already noticed improvement! This past Saturday, he had a larger audience in the crowd, and it seemed to be important to him to do as well as he could! My dad, step-mom (Brenda), Grandma, and Brenda's sister and niece came to see him play, and he really ate up the extra attention! In fact, he brought his water bottle over to us instead of keeping it at his chair, so he had good reason to come over and visit every once in a while! I thought that was pretty cute! I'm just glad he seems to enjoy it, and it gives him some more socialization, which we have needed since we moved here! Actually, it's good for all of us to have reasons to get out there and meet some more people around here! We have met some really neat people through the Upward Sports program! In fact, Grant played against one of the girls that was on his soccer team last Saturday, and he even ended up guarding her for part of the game (he thought that was pretty neat)!

Our "Cups"

2008-02-01T15:40:00.001-06:00

Lately we have learned of some very deep hurts that seem to be plaguing our Christian friends. Cancer, death of a baby, infertility issues, possibility of divorce, these are just a few of the most recent hard-hitters. These are all things that come into our lives with fury, cause us pain we don't know if we can survive, make us ask "why, God?!", and create in us a desire to yell out to God to not let this happen, please!! It reminds me of the pain Jesus endured, and the agony which led Him to cry out, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:40). (In fact, just a couple of verses later, in Matthew 26:42, He repeats His plea!) Of course, our pain can't compare to that which Jesus endured, but nonetheless, the pain is real, and it hurts us deeply.

As Jesus dubbed His situation as His "cup", I have come to call these painful experiences our cups. It seems everyone has their cups. Sadly, some have accumulated quite a collection! Again the question comes to mind--"Why, God?" As I ponder, I remember some of the cups I've had to bear. I can now look back and see clearly how God has used some of those cups to help me learn more about HIM (and myself). In fact, some of the hardest-hitting cups I've endured led me to the lowest low I could ever imagine, and left me feeling the most helpless I've ever felt in my life. Unfortunately for me, that's what it took to remind me Whose I was, and to reveal to me just how badly I needed Him!! In fact, before hitting those lows, I thought I was doing pretty well! Honestly, I had grown somewhat legalistic in my thinking, and I was relying more on my strength than HIS!

Facing the cups God brings my way always reminds me Whose strength I need to live in. They also show me how much He LOVES me! Through my cup experiences, I see Him through very clear vision, because these situations often take me so low, the only way to look is straight up to Him! I feel His loving presence as I know He is also experiencing pain on my behalf. I sense His mercy as I have to ask His forgiveness for daring to question the God of the universe about my pain. I take another step in my journey toward Him, learning that He is indeed faithful! In short, I learn to believe in Him even more, as He has seen me through again!! So now, as I face the cups that come my way, perhaps I will handle the next one with a little more grace. Hopefully, I will cling to Him shamelessly, crying out in desperation though I may, yet feeling a peace through the entire process because I know He is always here with me. Step by step, little by little, continuously learning to have an unswerving faith in God!!

**I thought I'd share something I wrote one early morning when I awoke and couldn't get back to sleep. My heart was broken as I was thinking of my dad's situation and some of our friends experiencing the pains I mentioned above. I started just praying, and then I started to form words into a song the Spirit was laying on my heart. So, basically, this is maybe a chorus to a yet unfinished song I started the morning of Jan 13th at around 4:30 am (in case you wanted specifics!):

It's a cup, if given the choice, we might choose to refuse,
But it's a cup, that in our lives You have chosen to use
You have promised You will always be here
Sometimes the cup reveals to us just how near
It's the cup, that in our lives, helps us see You clearly

As for Me and My House....

2008-01-27T13:58:00.002-06:00

Yes, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)! We are currently in the process of joining another church in order to serve Him in a place where He has shown us opportunities to use the gifts He has equipped us with, and we are thrilled about it!! It feels good to be excited about church again, and so we praise God for bringing us to this church! I guess it just takes some patience sometimes to find the right place, one that "fits" our entire family. We truly feel we have finally found it though, and are ready to be a part of the family there!!

In other news, we are down to the last 3 weeks or so of this pregnancy (who's counting?? ME!!!)! I am excited and overwhelmed all at the same time, and feel locked into a daily waiting game. We hit the 37 week mark tomorrow, meaning now she would be called a "term" birth, and so, any time would be fine. However, I keep my focus on the fact that I want her to make it as close to her due date as possible because I know that's best for her! Plus, I kind of selfishly want to make it well into February because we already have many family birthdays in January, and it would be more unique--sad, the things we think about sometimes, but truthful nonetheless! My sister keeps reminding me that February has a very pretty birthstone for a mother's ring, too! Anyway, I keep on keepin' on, with daily naps during my 3 year old's naptime to help me out (there are advantages to staying home with your children--won't it be great if that can continue after baby Kaylee gets here!)!! I feel like I don't accomplish much besides just basic routines with the children, laundry and meals, but my energy level just doesn't allow for much more. I guess I have a pretty good excuse--although my husband has laughed at me through the entire 9 months about using pregnancy as an excuse for, well, just about everything!!

Well, we had some fun today playing with a new toy I got my husband for his birthday--a tripod for our camera. So, I thought I'd share a few of the shots we took today. As always, I seem to look a little tired for some reason. Maybe that will pass in a few years?!

The Latest on Dad

2008-01-25T19:33:00.000-06:00

My step-mom, Brenda, called me on Wednesday while dad was having his last chemo treatment for now. His last radiation treatment will be next Tuesday, the 29th. She did not have much hope in her voice as she mentioned that the Drs are not very sure that they have been able to "get it all". Dad will have a PET scan and CAT scan on Feb 13th to check the effectiveness of the treatments. Then, he will have a 5 hour session of chemotherapy on Feb 20th, and more chemo 3 weeks later. So far, the worst thing has been the effects of the radiation on his throat--it hurts him to eat, and to talk much. His hair has thinned, but he has not lost much, and he has not lost much weight. Brenda did mention that he was looking a little grayish though.

I'm sure they would appreciate your continued prayers! Especially since the Drs don't have much hope that the treatments have been very effective. We'll just have to wait and see what the scans reveal next month!

Dad's Progress

2008-01-11T16:49:00.000-06:00

It seems that my dad is finally beginning to feel the effects of the harsh radiation and chemotherapy treatments he's been receiving. Again, I'm going to post in the latest email from my step mom (sent to us on Wed 1-09):

Greetings Family & Friends:

We are just getting home from Leonard's 4th chemo treatment and Dr's. appt today. It's amazing the difference a week can make in a person. Last week his blood counts were normal and good, today not so good. Actually, his white blood count is low enough that 1 more point and he wouldn't have had chemo today, his hemoglobin is also running low right now, but the Dr. told us that this is all to be expected right now with the treatments they are doing on him. I am keeping him home and off limits for the duration of the treatments, other than having to go down there daily, (which wears a healthy person out)! He comes home and goes right to sleep. He has a very sore throat, and has difficulty swallowing and talking now as well, but so far has not lost any weight which is great. He forces himself to eat, though it really does hurt him, so tonite we are going to make a milkshake with Boost, YUM!! His Dr told me to be strict with him, and make him mind,,,,,,,hahaha,,, his Dr, just doesn't know what kind of a job that truly is, but I'm sure we'll be fine.

As of right now, he has 3 more weeks of radiation daily, and 3 more Wednesdays of chemo (if his blood counts are OK). Then we are off for 3-4 weeks, will go in for tests to see how all of this worked and then he will have 2 more rounds of chemo.

It has been rather hectic with all the running and trying to keep up with everything, but I'm doing the best I can. With Gods help, and a lot of praying, we are making it thru all this one day at a time. Love Brenda

Dad and Brenda mentioned they have been met by blessings along the way. Brenda had wisely invested in a cancer insurance policy through her job, which has helped some financially. People have brought them food, volunteered to give him rides to his treatments (he can't really drive himself anymore because of how he's feeling), and people my dad works with have donated sick days to him. I know this all is very stressful for them, and I'm sure my dad is having a hard time since he's actually starting to feel badly! Thank you for your continued concerns and prayers!

Isn't That Special?!!

2008-01-11T16:38:00.000-06:00

Today at lunch we had some fruit cocktail that Papa and Brenda had sent home with the kids back around Christmas. Aleah was enjoying hers, and said it was really good! She made the comment that it was special. When I asked her why, she said, "Grandmas and Grandpas are special, and so is their food!" So, since Papa and Brenda had given it to us, we had some very special fruit cocktail today!! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Expanding My Horizons

2008-01-03T13:27:00.000-06:00

(Note: These pictures were taken by my 6 year old resident photographer on a no make-up day. However, I was hoping you could just realize the point was to share how I'm--I mean how Kaylee's growing these days!!)

Well, here is some more proof that I am certainly working on expanding my horizons--or would that be horizontal?!! Anyway, my waistline continues to press out further and further. Some days, when I eat too much at a time or Kaylee is laying in a way that is pushing out on me, I honestly feel that I might burst! But, alas, if we meet our due date, I still have more than a month to go (we're at about 33 1/2 weeks now). I'm sure I will definitely feel like bursting in 6-7 weeks! Overall, I still continue to enjoy pregnancy, though it takes about 5 pillows to prop me up in a comfortable position for sleep now. My lower back can't tolerate my being active for long, or sitting in certain positions. Basically, I just have to remember not to push it too hard, or my back gets very painful!

We are trying to get everything ready for the big day now. In fact, the afternoon of Christmas found me with a bit of the nesting phenomenon kicking in. I laundered all the little clothes, socks, blankets and other assorted washable baby items. I told my husband now that Christmas was basically over, Kaylee's arrival is the next main event to focus on!! That's the only explanation I had for the uncontrollable desire to just get those things cleaned and ready!

On a much different note, yesterday I learned about someone we know losing a baby, and I know some who have struggled to become pregnant or who are currently struggling. Please join me in praying for this young couple who lost their 1st baby at around 7 months in their pregnancy, and for my friends, who are struggling with trying to conceive. I can't imagine their sorrow!! It really makes me feel blessed to have the children I have, and a healthy pregnancy, but it breaks my heart to know my blessings can sometimes be someone else's pain. We'll probably not totally understand on this side of Heaven why God allows such things to happen, but I pray these sufferings we face just cause us to cling to Him more than ever!!

Silly Kiddos

2008-01-03T13:15:00.000-06:00

Well, I have to say that we had a pretty great Christmas season and celebrations! I think the one thing the kids and I enjoyed the most was having daddy home more than usual (he does work some over the school's break, but not as much as normal)!

All Aleah wanted for Christmas was dress up clothes and a baby doll. Well, she got them! Here are some fun pictures of both our kids having fun dressing up. Grant's not allowed to wear the shoes (much to his dismay), but he sure knows how to look, uh...goofy, in a tiara, huh?!!