Gram's Surgery

Gram went in to the hospital today for a surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. Surgery started at 8:45 am and didn't get done until 3:00 pm. They ended up removing her spleen and giving her one blood transfusion, but otherwise the surgery went well. She will be in the hospital for at least 10 days. The second part of the surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, and that is when they will go in through an artery in her neck to place the stent. Please be praying for her. I thought I would share a few photos of her today.

August - at her house with the kids and her tomato plants

October - with Mom and Gretchen at Siemers Farm
September - with kids at the Adoption Party
Summer '08 - with Alice, Mayvis & Mom at Mom's house
January '09 - with Mom at Gretchen's b-day party

March '08 at Austin & Gretchen's b-day party with Mom & Austin

May '08 - Mother's Day with grandkids & Mom

Dec. '08 with kids before Christmas

Gretchen's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe that Gretchen is 2! Wow! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were bringing her home? A little tiny 5 pound peanut? It's amazing how fast time flies! Here are some photos from her birthday party.

Getting ready to blow out the candle!

Playing with her new phone with Gramma & Grampa

See my pretty birthday cake?

Opening presents with Mommy and Daddy

Such a pretty girl with her new hairband!

A Weekend Away

We spent this last weekend on a little get-away for our 15th anniversary - sans kids. We had a really great time, but I kept thinking I was forgetting something - or three little someones! It was strange not to have the kids with us, especially for the whole weekend. But we had a relaxing time at a B and B up near Silverwood in Athol, ID. It is called Cedar Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast. Their off season rates are really good - only $99 a night in the room we stayed in (Granny's Woods). The couple that own it and run it are so sweet - really some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Of course, we felt a kinship with them because all of their children are adopted, too. So it was fun to share adoption stories. If you need a get-away, I suggest this place highly. And it is also a perfect family vacation, too - they have lots of families with kids that come up and stay and go to Silverwood during the day. Take a look at their website - they've got lots of great info there. And we really aren't affiliated with them - we just really had a great time there! But now, it's late, and I'm done checking e-mails and facebook, and it's time to head to bed. Good night!

And the weather outside is....

...dreary! It's been raining since yesterday, and warmer, so the huge accumulation of snow we got during the last two weeks of December is quickly diminishing. It's amazing to see such huge amounts of snow gone in a mere few hours. All the kids' outdoor toys are becoming visible again - we didn't get the chance to put them away properly before they were quickly buried deep in the snow. Our school district is once again closed, and since Austin's preschool goes on the school district schedule, he has no preschool either. The kids are really starting to get stir crazy, and so is mommy. We did Jump 'n' Party on Tuesday, and the mall playcenter yesterday, so now I have to think of something creative to burn off their endless energy. Right now the boys are putting puzzles together while Gretchen is still sleeping, so it's not too bad. But that may all change in another hour or so! Maybe today we'll go to Costco around lunch time and sample our way through the store!

One Airborne, straight up!

I so love getting colds - NOT! I think the hint of a cold has finally settled in, but I'm still drinking airborne to keep it from not getting super bad. Hopefully it works. If it doesn't, I'll be one miserable mommy this week! Austin is sick, too, and I tell you, he's not a happy camper when he's sick. The whine factor really kicks in, and I wish I meant wine in my glass! Boy howdy, nothing worse than a sick mommy than a sick kiddo. I'll be glad when this season is over! We took the kids outside today before lunch time to get them some fresh cold air. Hopefully it helps to knock out those cold bugs. Gretchen and Daniel had fun sledding down the driveway, and Austin was happy as a clam finding giant snowballs in the snow. His favorite thing to do is kick the snow. At least they were all happy and had fun - that is, until Austin decided to throw snow in Daniel's face. That was a mess!

We had Home Bible Fellowship at our house this afternoon from 3-5:30. Lots of fun with our small group - finally got to all get together and catch up from the holidays. It's been about a month since we last met. Good friends and good food - nothing better on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Gretchen is now in the church nursery without her big brothers - Austin moved into the preschool room last March, and Daniel moved in officially this Sunday. James and I had nursery duty today, so I had fun taking some photos of Gretchen playing. It's fun to watch her hang out without her brothers - she doesn't quite know what to do, so she bounced from one toy to another quickly. I'm sure she'll get the hang of just playing with her friends soon, though.

I found my resolution!!

I've been mulling over what I should make as my New Year's Resolution this year. It was hard to figure something out - there is so much I want, and need, to accomplish. But I think I have finally found something that truly expresses what my heart feels. I have to admit, I didn't come up with it on my own, but when I read about it, I knew right away "this is it!"
I am going to make the focus of my home, my daily routine, my whole life, be the words of this verse. I want God to be in my hands, to be beside me in everything I do. I want to be a reflection of what Jesus would have me do for my family, my home, my entire life. I am a Christian, and have been for quite a while, but I think in this last year I got so wrapped up in my circumstances and the craziness of life that I forgot to be quiet before the Lord, to meditate on how He would have me go about my day. I got so wrapped up in the tasks I needed to accomplish that I forgot to have joy in all things. I let myself get stressed out about things I shouldn't have. Honestly, I forgot to smile and have fun. And I need more of that. Lots more of that. 2009 will be a year of happiness and joy for me and my family - no matter what life circumstances end up being. This is my resolution!

To find out a more in-depth look at this verse, go to Home Sanctuary and see what Rachel Anne has to say about it.

A favorite Holiday photo

I took a bazillion photos this holiday season, so to pick just one that was my favorite is very hard to do. But I really am liking the following photo that I took on New Year's Eve of my kiddos. We were getting ready to head out for a family dinner, and I wanted to capture them in the cute red outfits. I just love these munchkins. On days when it is rough, and there is more fighting and whining than loving, I need to just look at photos like this to remind me that we are all so happy!

Happy New Year 2009!

I'm thinking that a lot of bloggers are posting a title very similar to this today. Let's start out the new year fresh, right? Well, I've been in a funk the last three days, and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to start fresh. So, I'm just going to start, and see when the fresh decides to hit my brain!

I had to start a blood pressure medicine just a few days ago - blame it on my lovely aneurysms! Plus I had a steroid injection in my back. Funny, both items have a warning of mood swings on them. I can attest to that happening! I started the blood pressure medicine and had the injection on the same day. And it was the following day that my mood started to shift. So I'm praying that this is just a temporary shift. Maybe it has a little something to do with the two feet of snow surrounding me, and the fact that we haven't been able to get out to do our normal playgroups and friend time. As much as I enjoy the holidays, I'm finding that I am a very routine driven person, and since my routine has been drastically different since right before Christmas, it is driving me nutso! I will be so glad when Monday gets here and I can get back to my normal every day life. Is this a sign of getting old?

I didn't do a very good job of finishing up my 21 days of thankfulness. I'm going to probably do some back-posting to finish it up. I have lots of photos that I took during the month, and I know it will remind me of the little things I like to be thankful for. I've been thankful the entire month of December, just not real good at posting about it! I'll be sure to try and fix it.

As for New Year's Resolutions? I think I'll wait another week to decide what, or if, I'll make. I need to do some brain scratching on this subject!

Hope you are all having a good New Year so far!