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!

Daniel's 3rd birthday

Today is Daniel's 3rd birthday. Wow. No exclamation mark, just Wow. It's so hard to believe that less than three short years ago we started the journey of parenting. Wow. Amazing.

Here are some photos of the happy party. Daniel got some fun new toys, we had some great friends and family over to help celebrate, and everyone had a good time.
The family

I'm three!

One of his new toys

The jungle birthday cake

Cute shoes you can win!

Head on over to Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy to see a great chance to win some darling shoes for your little one. You are supposed to pick two pair that you would like to win, in case one is sold out. I had the hardest time just picking two pair - they are all so cute. So head over and try to win a pair yourself - or just do some shopping!

Thankfulness Day 13

I am very thankful for my dear friend Brenda - what a blessing to my life she is! Brenda and I met in college, and have been great friends ever since. During my time in the hospital, she came over and spent numerous nights at our house so she could be there for the kids when James needed to be at the hospital. The kids just love Auntie Brenda! She was a lifesaver for our family! I couldn't ask for a better friend - and not just because of what she did recently. She has always been there for me, in good times and bad - laughing with me, crying with me, praying with me and for me, getting into mischief with me! I love you Brenda! Thank you for everything!

Thankfulness Day 12

My Great Grandma - Gram as she is known around here - is a huge blessing to our whole family! Ever since we have brought the kids home, she has been right there, eager and willing to babysit any time, for any length of time, that I need her. The kids absolutely love her, and get so excited when she comes over. She always has little treats and presents for them - isn't that what grandmas do? - and isn't afraid to get down on the floor and play with them. And she does all this at the ripe age of 80 - can you even believe it? I can only pray that at her age I have as much energy as she does! Please add her to your prayer list, though, as she goes in for surgery in January to deal with an aortic aneurysm that she has had for a few years now. The doctors finally feel that surgery is necessary, so she goes in sometime in January to have a stent placed in her heart. Please pray that everything goes well. I am so thankful to have her in our lives!

Thankfulness Day 11

You know, I realized after reading over my entries, that I have neglected to post my thankfulness for three little people that mean the world to me - my children! Oh, how I am thankful for them! They bring a whole new dimension to my life - full of laughter and joy. Now mind you, my children are far from perfect little angel children - they have their moments of whining, crying and temper tantrums! Our days are not filled with butterflies and lollipops! But they are normal everyday children, doing normal everyday things, and sometimes causing me to just stop and wonder how I got so darn lucky! I love my children, and I so enjoy watching them grow and learn and explore. They make me laugh constantly, and scream occassionally! But I wouldn't trade them for anything. Oh Lord - I'm so glad you knew what you were doing when you gifted us with these children! And sometimes I wish You had provided a how-to manual to go with them!

Thankfulness Day 10

OK - I am thankful for something kind of silly today. I am thankful for warm, sunny, 70 degree weather! I know, I know - it's been more of 32 degree weather lately - which is EXACTLY why I am thankful for WARM weather!! Trying to get three children bundled up to head out of the house in the morning for preschool drop-off is a nightmare lately! First, the bundling, then the inevitable diaper change after bundling, then the re-bundling, then the complaints that the car is cold, then trying to get car seats buckled around winter coats, then scraping the windows.....do you see where I am going here? I am SO SO SO thankful for our summertime warm weather, when I can, for the most part, just throw the kids in the car and go!

Great Christmas Idea

I just found a fantastic idea for Christmas - actually, the whole month of December - that I am going to start. It is the 25 books of Christmas. This family collects Christmas books for their kids, and now have almost 25. The will read a different one each night of December up to Christmas. Then the books get put away and saved for the next year. What a great way to celebrate each night before bed!Here is a link to the blog post so you can see for yourself - she's got some great photos to illusrate it! The Christmas Books. And when you are done reading her post about books, click on her banner, and you'll go back to her blog homepage. And then settle in with a cup of coffee and a notebook to write ideas - she has tons of them! Have fun!

Thankfulness Day 9

I am so thankful for my husband! He works hard every day to provide for our family so I can stay home with the kids. He is completely involved with the kids, participating in every aspect of their lives. We've been married for almost 15 years, and I've always known what a rock he was, but it was very evident this month when I was in the hospital. He juggled the kids, the house, and spending time with me in the hospital. He makes me laugh, and knows how to be goofy (something I need to learn how to do!). Helps with household chores, and doesn't consider staying home with the kids as babysitting! He is definitely the love of my life, and I so appreciate him!

Thankfulness Day 8

When I started this project, I thought - 21 days of Thankfulness - that should be easy. And yet, although I am thankful for so much, it is hard to put into words something different every day. It really makes you examine the day, and think more about the little things than the big things sometimes.

Today, I gathered the kids and we went to a friends house to make a Christmas Project - canvas bags with iron-on transfers of the kids' photos. They turned out really cute, and I'm sure the grandma's will all love them!!

But what I found to be thankful for is the camraderie of friends. It was so nice to just hang out for a couple of hours with good friends, good conversation, and some healthy laughter! Our kids, for the most part, all played well together, and we had a good time. And then, to top off the day, I received a beautiful floral arrangement and candy from my secret sister, and another good friend brought a meal to us for dinner.

Life really is good, and it is the friends around me that help make it so beautiful!

Thankfulness Day 7

How appropriate that my 7th day of Thankfulness lands on the 7th day of the week, the day of rest. This is what I am thankful for today! It was great being in church this morning, worshipping and being filled. And the rest of the day was spenting doing just that - resting! I took a bit of a nap, and we played Chutes and Ladders with the kids, and just had some good family time. Especially now, I am very thankful to even have the opportunity for this - God is so good!

Thankfulness Day 6

It's Saturday, and it snowed yesterday - enough to leave a coat of white on the ground. We got just a little tiny bit of snow on Thanksgiving Day, but yesterday around lunch time it really started to snow good, and actually stayed. It's kind of pretty! I still need to get Austin snow boots, though - I got Daniel's and Gretchen's, but need to get some for Austin.

We found out yesterday at the doctor's visit why there was an overnight delay in reading the MRI and why I had to call to find out results. Apparently, the imaging office were under instructions to do the MRI stat and call immediately with results, but they didn't. And the doctor that ordered them didn't follow up either. Thanksfully, God had His hand of protection on me, and there was nothing bad that happened due to the late read, but steps are being taken that it shouldn't happen again.

Today, I'm thankful for a warm house and lots of toys for the kids to play with! It's too cold (in my opinion!) to go outside, but the kids are having fun running around the house, playing in their pretend kitchen and playing hide-and-seek. It's laundry day for me, so hopefully by the end of the day we can have the laundry all caught up and have fun playing in between loads!

Thankfulness Day 5

It's Black Friday - anyone going shopping today? I have to go to the doctor for a check-up after my surgery. I'm hoping to find out today why there was a delay in getting the MRI read. We'll see what happened. Then we are going to hit a couple of stores just to look at some stuff, probably not buy a whole lot.

Today, I am thankful for my Gram. She is babysitting the kids today while James and I go do our errands. She has been a blessing in our life. She loves to watch the kids, and they love her, and she is always eager to help out. She also cleans my kitchen every time she comes over! Without Gram, I think I would go nuts! She gives me the breaks I need every once in a while, when I just want to listen to nothing!