And One More Makes Four

Seven and Three...

2010-02-12T00:30:00.004-05:00

So, yet another year has passed and this obviously is not truly a blog. I logged on because I posted a comment on someone's blog and realized I still had a picture of one our local squirrels as my profile picture. Life is about the same, only everyone is getting older! I am still teaching at Head Start and loving it. Nate is still at the mine and still loves his job more than any other job he has had. Our kids are typical, sweet as can be one minute and giving us a run for our money the next. Faith has excelled in school. We were a bit concerned at the beginning of the year, because she required extra reading help. We gladly took the help, but were still relieved when she passed her silly old "Dibbles." Brady loves all things boy: trucks, football, baseball, tractors, etc., etc. But, the great thing is, his sister has influenced him some and he is not afraid to dance or carry a baby doll around the house. His vocabulary keeps growing every day and he is no longer a baby. :( Well, I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, but it feels good to get it out there just in case!

Six and Two!

2009-02-20T23:59:00.002-05:00

It is so hard to believe that our kids are already six- and two-years-old! Where has the time gone? I have been trying my best to cherish every moment!

How long has it been

2009-01-26T18:50:00.003-05:00

As I have mentioned several times, I am not very good at this blogging thing. I should really make an effort, but I think my brain is slowly being numbed by Facebook. :)
So, Faith is going to be 6-years-old and Brady will be 2-years-old in a matter of weeks. It is so hard to believe. I am so thankful for the beautiful children that God allows me to call my own. Faith is doing well in school and is a bundle of giggles and make-believe. Brady's vocabulary grows every day. He is still talking in mostly two and three word sentences, but every once in a while, he squeaks a four-word ramble out. He is such a happy boy, which, if you would have told me that about two-years ago, when he cried sooo much more than Faith, I would have said, "No way!"
Nathan's job has been spared (so far) at the mine. I don't think much more than an hour goes by that I don't thank God. We are praying for his mercy every day! I sat down to dinner tonight with the family and thought, "God, thank you that we have enough food and that we have good food. Thank you that we are warm and that we can get to the places we need to go." I cannot remember ever feeling such a feeling of grattitude to Him for the simple things in life.

Some quick pictures....

2008-08-13T11:43:00.003-04:00

Of course...Notre Dame

Ice Cream...Yum!

Loves to pose!

Nate's Work

Blog...Facebook...Blog...Facebook

2008-08-10T00:05:00.005-04:00

Okay, so Facebook usually wins out before my blog. It is so funny, because once school starts back up again, ALL of this is going to be cut to a minimum. I keep thinking of the lunches to pack, the clothes to lay out, the bedtimes to meet. Gosh, I wish I could lay out all the outfits ahead of time for the whole month of September.
I am off to work next week for a couple of days. Not that I haven't been working. I have been working, but from home, contracted, and flexible. Right now, my biggest problem is helping Faith get the art bin down from the closet. Not like during the school year when we are running out the door with a piece of toast hanging out of one child's mouth and the other child crying because she can't find her "must-have-something" that she wanted to bring with for the day.
Anyway...enough about that. Other than the fear of the new school year, things are absolutely summerish around her (yes, I know that's not a word, my teacher friend). I have been enjoying the freedom of no schedule and no school.
I call my car the "beach car" right now, because I am so embarrassed at the state of disaster the hatch is in. I would post a picture, but my dad might never forgive me...He did raise me better than that. :) We have two strollers (yes, only one child needs a stroller in my family), a pack-n-play on some days, a booster seat, a bag full of beach clothes that need to come in to be laundered (didn't want it to clutter the house for any company that may stop by), and a plethora of buckets, cars, and anything else a mother may need when stopping at the beach, park, or grandma's house.
Nate is doing great at work. Training on a new job...Praying for a contract WITHOUT a strike (please pray with us). Faith is getting ready for school and especially loves the shopping part of that. And, Brady...well, he's Brady. Tonight went to bed with a scratch on his head and a scrape on his knee. Nothing new.
To anyone actually taking time to read this, I hope all is well with you! I will post pictures as soon as I can find my camera in the "beach car."
Better go, it is 40-something degrees outside and I think I hear the air conditioner running upstairs. Not very green of us, is it!?
HUGS to all!

Fireworks and a little time at the beach

2008-07-14T22:55:00.004-04:00

We didn't spend a lot of time at the beach today, but we had fun. I needed to grocery shop, so we went to the beach for about an hour before the power shopping began!
As you can see, the kids were very tired on the way home! :) They went down like ANGELS tonight!
Everyone, except for Nate is going for hair cuts tomorrow. Afterwards, the three of us are heading out to camp for the night and to visit with our relatives from Canada. It should be fun! :) I must say, I sure like having summer off!!!!

Sad Day

2008-07-11T23:21:00.004-04:00

We felt so great adopting a dog for our home, but have found out the hard way that it isn't always the best. We had to surrender Jacob this afternoon. His behavior was unpredictable this week and my worst nightmare came true...he bit my friend's little girl. Thank God he didn't break her skin, but it doesn't truly make me feel any better. My love for children far outweighs my love for a dog. I want all children to feel safe and secure when entering our home.
Needless to say, we hope he can find a better home. We loved him while we had him, but we weren't the right home for him.
I'm so grateful to Nathan for being so wonderful about brining him in and not showing regret for the choice. I am also just as grateful to my wonderful friend for being so understanding when her daughter was hurt.

The Holiday

2008-07-06T23:21:00.007-04:00

Small Town Parade :)

Cousins...Friends

Hi! (too bad this is overexposed...)

Enjoying the fireworks!

The Pyromaniac at workRandom photo...backwards photo...
Nate's new tattoo surrounding his old
(and fixed) tattoo

We had a very nice 4th of July weekend. Nate's sister was in town, so we were able to see her whole family. Unfortunately, Nate had to work during the parade, so he missed that. Brady did much better than I expected. He sat fairly well for the parade and the loud noises didn't seem to bother him a bit.
Faith starts VBS at my sister's church this week. It is sports themed and she can't wait. She is doing cheerleading... UGH! :) But, if she enjoys it, that's what matters most!
Brady has begun recognizing a bunch of things. It is so fun. Every time her hears a train, and can he hear them, he says, "Choo!" And, every time we drive by my dad's work he yells, "Papa!"
Faith's newest and cutest story: We went to my friend Janet's house and there were some workers across the street on a roof. I said, "Shhh. Listen, they are speaking Spanish." Then, she stops, listens, and says, "Mom, I think you're right. I think I heard one of them saying 'Backpack, backpack!" (If you've never seen Dora, you won't get it.) I had all I could do to contain myself and not laugh at the adorable, innocent comment. Too cute!!

So, I'm back to my old habits...

2008-06-26T13:52:00.004-04:00

Cute, even when he pouts

Sweet Siblings

Ribbit!

sports kids

Faith and Coach

Thai House...Yummm

Nate's New Tattoo

Maybe blogging just isn't for me. I am now officially a Facebook addict and find myself checking my home page about two times a day. How sad is that! I added a walking link from the American Heart Association and that's how it all started... As for this blog, it is suffering attention as usual. ;)
The kids and I are enjoying summer throughly! We have been to some sort of "body of water" three times in the last week. We went and played in the sand on Saturday, Faith dunked in the water after soccer on Tuesday, and we went out to my parent's last night. I actually swam for the first time this year! Wooo HOOO! Elli and I have a promise to each other that we are going to swim across the lake and back again by the end of summer. I better get working! :)
This weekend should be fun. Tomorrow we have a mom's picnic and on Saturday we have Nate's work picnic. I am hoping the weather holds up for both!

Way too many pictures!

2008-06-04T23:31:00.007-04:00

Some kids like to feed the animals and some
like to feed themselves
(Brady snacking on the giraffe's cracker...new of course!)

Check out my hair!

Fun at Lambeau Field!

Go Packers!

We sure will miss him!

Smile...or not!

First cone at J.D.'s!

Big Bear, Big Bear!

Tuckered out...after the donut hole!

Can we please go home....

Watch out Aaron Rogers!

Obviously we took a trip....There are so many pictures, I'll keep my post short.
The End!

The Crowning

2008-05-28T23:43:00.003-04:00

Brady Boy and Connor

Faith and Elli

Way to go Elli!!

Carrying the crown

Elli asked Faith to carry her crown for her Honor Star Crowning. Faith was so excited she could barely eat her supper. Not that I'm a proud mommy or anything, but I think she did a wonderful job!
If you don't know what Stars are or what a crowning is, it is not some strange ritual... Stars is kind of like Christian Girl Scouts and the crowning is for when the girls earn a ton of badges and also have to pass a test on scripture memorization and other things regarding the Bible and Christian living. We are so proud of Elli for her accomplishment!!
Also, Connor earned all the possible badges for his class with the Royal Rangers. Good job Connor!! They both put a ton of work and effort into earning these honors. I could go on and on about their accomplishments...Not just Elli and Connor, all of our nieces and nephews. I must say, we have been blessed with some very talented nieces and nephews from both of our siblings! I cannot think of a single child that does not have amazing gifts from God!
Speaking of other nieces and nephews...Happy Birthday Brendan and Robbie!!!!! I will have to get pictures of them in their birthday gifts from us. Too funny! And, we are going to see Mercedes, Regan, and Shaelyn over the weekend. So, I will have to bring back pictures from that trip as well.
Have a great weekend if I don't post before then!! :)
HUGS!

School's Out for Summer!!!!

2008-05-24T22:12:00.005-04:00

I can't even believe that the school year is over already!! I am off until our "tentative" return date of September 2nd! :) I'm going to do my best not to get overwhelmed with a "to-do" list and enjoy my children. Also, with the prices of gas, STAY HOME!!
It was my cousin's wedding tonight. We had a great time. The wedding was very nice. Short, but the message from the pastor was great. It was about commitment and that the only way that a marriage can make it and make it well is by keeping God as the focus. I'm going to try posting a video for the first time. Faith was having a great time dancing and I wish I would have got more of Brady's "moves" on video. But, if this works, you will get a small taste of the hilarity of his dancing. He has more rhythm than his dad and me combined!

Not even two more weeks!

2008-05-12T22:44:00.009-04:00

The circus was fun, Grammy, but I think the
cotton candy was a close second!

Our friend Aaron...giggling like crazy!

Mom, are you sure it is spring?

Sissy sure thinks it's spring!

She's so good at those funny faces!

Some for you and some for me!

Swingin' in her jammies!

Happy Mother's Day to those of you I did not call...which is most of you! :(
Only 3 more days of class and 6 more days in the office and I am officially on summer break! It doesn't even seem possible that the school year is already over. I am so excited to be home with the kids!!! :)
Mother's Day was nice. We celebrated with Nathan's mom and Grandma on Saturday night. We had everyone over and Nate's parents were nice enough to furnish the majority of the food (never expected, but always appreciated!). We grilled out and had a salad and corn on the cob and a few other things. Sunday afternoon was with my mom at my sister's house. The food was wonderful! She made a homemade potato soup, salad, and a pasta salad...YUMMY!! I made the homemade rolls...which is funny, because they were my sister's recipe! He,he!
I thought I would be ambitious tonight and I am now paying for it.... My poor dog loves to run, so for about a 1/4 of my walk (including half of my hill - even the steep part), I ran. Well, my knees are already aching... Yes, I am a baby! :) The good news is, it actually felt pretty good to run and the walk was wonderful...no one whining about it being too long or too fast...You know?

Spring...really....

2008-05-03T21:48:00.004-04:00

Brendan's Masterpiece

Ann Coulter...almost as controversial as Miley Cyrus...he,he

Goofy pizza we had for dinner a couple weeks ago

Lots of lovin!

I should be posting pictures of the kids playing outside. We have FINALLY had a break in the weather and the snow is almost completely gone. There are just a few spots that were super deep from the plowing that still remain.

Three more weeks of work for me! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. The only thing I'm worried about is filing for unemployment. Yikes! Just praying that it all works out. Otherwise, I'm going to be donating a lot more than plasma this summer... Just kidding! :)

By the way, CONGRATS HEIDI!!!! She is officially done with her schooling for her LPN. Now on to boards and then a job! Wooo Hooo! I wish I had a picture to post, but I failed to bring my camera to her pinning ceremony. She was the "serious" speaker for the event and did an AMAZING job!

Also, WAY TO GO to my nieces and nephews. Connor and Elli just finished up an amazing season of basketball...Go Team!!! :) And, Brendan, Marijke, and Robbie and had a piano recital. And, even though I missed watching my amazing kids, their parents said they did just as fabulous as any aunt would expect!

It's the end of APRIL!?

2008-04-26T15:53:00.005-04:00

Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary
Grandma and Grandpa!

The "kids"

The "great-grandkids"

The NEW baby!! :) Welcome JACK!!

I'm yelling help and this is what Janet does...
CHEESE!!

So, all of the lovely (ha,ha,ha) snow that dumped on us has set me behind on my work. Not only do I miss out on the day that we don't have school, I miss out on my office time on Fridays to have a make-up day of class. :( So, everything is due in one-week and I am not done... I can't even say that I am doing better than last trimester. Grrrrr.... So, here I am writing on my blog.

Unbelievable!

2008-04-13T01:22:00.005-04:00

Big Boy!

Sweet sissy!

Caught in the act!
Once and addict, always an addict...

My first attempt at California Rolls

Is it really April? I am beginning to think that it is December... We had yet another snow storm that dumped a TON of snow on us. Snowmobile trails are scheduled to be closed after this weekend...which seems laughable after this weekend. But, then again, it is supposed to be in the 60's by the middle of the week! Can anyone say "flash floods"?!
So, other than snow-days, snow-day make-ups, and make-up days for the snow-day make-up days (did you follow that?), life has been pretty good around here. The dog is fitting in well with the family and is sleeping on his bed as I type. Brady is sleeping better, too. :)
So, are all kids sassy this week, or am I having an unusually high number of "sass incidents" with Faith this week? Whew! She is testing me. I love her to pieces and she is so absolutely sweet 99- percent of the time, but that one-percent could send me over the edge.
On the positive side of Faith, here are some cute quotes from this week: We were having a dinner and pretending to be at a restaurant. She said, "I work here, so you can just put it on my account." While we were eating, I said, "After dinner, you and Brady need a bath." She said, "Oh, that's good, because that's where we work here." As she leans a little closer and whispers, "But I am the boss there." How cute!
Brady is officially walking. He has walked here and there for about two-months now, but he is actually at the stage where he is starting to walk more than crawl. It is very adorable...I think he may need new diapers, it looks like he has a load in his pants when he waddles around. He,he!
I hope this makes sense, I am typing this on a caffeine buz at 2am... Need I say more?

Poll

2008-04-01T23:42:00.000-04:00

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

April Fool's Day Storm!

2008-04-01T23:22:00.005-04:00

Good Morning! The deck was bare at 4pm on the 31st!

You want my sissy's toast?

How Jacob spends 90% of his day! :)
Gotta love older dogs...
who would want a puppy! He,he!

So, we were getting spoiled by the warm weather. When I say warm, I am talking a balmy 45-degrees F. We even hit 52-degrees the other day. But, since we were spared the St. Patrick's Day storm, I should have guessed there was something in store!
My husband (and Brian and Ralph) was the hero of the day. The plow truck got stuck, due to the slippery conditions beneath the massive amounts of snow (26" reported by local weather down the road). Well, after much hard work, he dug it out! Then Ralph and Brian came over and helped Nate plow out the whole driveway. Needless to say, due to the heavy weight of the snow, we will be like gerbil's in a maze going up and down the driveway for the next few weeks. But, we CAN get out!!

The Stomach Crud Strikes Again!

2008-03-30T09:54:00.003-04:00

Just when I hoped there was a "mercy call" for how many times your kids can have the stomach flu in one year, it hit us again. :( As I mentioned the other day, Faith got the bug. And now Brady is sick. This is the third time since November for Faith and fourth time for Brady (one time may have just been teething). This is when, as a mother, I wish I could take it from them and go through it instead. Don't get me wrong...I don't want it....especially now that both of them have made it "to the other side" of the virus!
This is the second Sunday in a row I have missed church. We missed Easter Sunday because when I got to the highway, the roads were so bad, it would have taken us over a half-an-hour to even get to church. Nathan was working last week, so he is going this week. Besides, his schedule only allows for him to go twice a month.
Enough of my woes! I am thanking God this morning because I have two beautiful children, a wonderful husband, and now, we even have a dog. :) It is so easy to count your blessings when you are praying for others in much more dire situations. If you think of it, please pray for a baby of an acquaintance of mine. She is in the NICU and it looks like she may be developing pneumonia. Sounds like the stay is going to be quite a bit longer than Brady (2-3 weeks), so I can only imagine the stress they are under (imagine the families that have children in for months on end :( ). Also, Nathan has a co-worker with a 13-year-old son that has an undiagnosed, life-threatening medical condition.
As usual, I hope this message finds your family healthy and well.
God Bless!!

New family memeber...with fur!

2008-03-29T00:36:00.006-04:00

Introducing Jacob Eddie...
our 5-year-old "new" dog.So, I finally gave into Nathan...We adopted a dog from the Humane Society today. He is a 5-year-old, Akita-Lab mix. He is a super sweetie that is pretty calm and gentle with the kids. The funniest (well, maybe not funny) thing is that he doesn't like Nate yet! He is the dog person in the family and the dog loves me! Unbelievable! He follows me everywhere I go and is laying at my feet while I am typing this. Considering, like a lot of breeds, he is a pack-dog, so I am being sure to be affectionate with Nathan in front of him right from the start. :)
Except for poor Faith having another (3rd time) bout with the stomach flu, the kids are doing great. Lately, Faith's favorite thing to do is stand on the coffee table and sing and dance (like mother, like daughter...yes mom, I stood on the coffee table in the living room...). Brady has been cooking up a storm on the kitchen floor as well as adding many words to his vocabulary (today, he said, "Ni" for nice while petting Jacob).
I hope this posting finds your family and friends healthy and well. We are praying that Faith is the only one to get the stomach bug...Please Lord!!!!Yes, she is as sweet as she looks! :)The pantsless chef!

Spring Break!

2008-03-18T00:23:00.004-04:00

Brady's First "Official" Haircut...
Believe me, he wasn't smiling like this when
he got it! :)

I think he looks like Papa Dave in the above
picture...?

So, I obviously won't be spending Spring Break on some wonderful, warm island...But, I get to spend it with my favorite people in the world! :) Starting last Friday, I will have a total of 11-days off!!! So far, I have cleaned out two closets and don't plan on doing a lot more other than the regular day-to-day stuff. I want to spend some quality time with the kids.
It has been a while since I posted. Brady has taken a handful of steps, a handful of different times. So far, the record is six steps at once. At the same time, he has created some very interesting crawls. He cracks us up! Faith is doing great and started back in center child care for two days a week, just to get her some socialization before kindergarten. She loves it and seems to be glad to be back.
I had the opportunity to go out of town for training last week. So, I was gone for three days and two nights. Nate had to "rough it out" for most of it. I put quotes around the rough it out...not that it wasn't tough (it is different for men, even though I'll argue with anyone that says it to my face), but he did get help from both grammies and Auntie Heidi. :) I asked him if he had any newfound appreciation for me. LOL! :)
Have a blessed Easter if I don't post before then.
Only 8 more weeks until my summer break when I go back to school... Wooo Whooo!!

Faith wanted me to take a picture
of her making a goofy face.
She was successful! :)

My Chilren's Bad Habit Weekend

2008-02-25T00:16:00.008-05:00

Brady getting into the Mountain Dew "Amp"
(Can you imagine if the can was open!)

His "post Amp" crash! He,he!

Faith chatting w/ Grammy on her cruise!

The Shack

2008-02-24T22:36:00.003-05:00

So, I am reading The Shack and I know that it is going to become an enlightening experience... But, right now, I am wishing I wouldn't have started reading it. I am wishing someone would have warned me that Nate's long weekend would have been a better time to read it! :) So, I will keep you posted on whether or not it was as life changing for me as it has been for many others who have read it.
And, if you are reading this and you are local and you want to buy it...you can always go to my mom's store. Just a little free advertising for her. :)

Happy Belated Birthday Brady Boy!

2008-02-16T22:44:00.004-05:00

It is so difficult to believe that a year ago today our little guy was laying in an isolet in the NICU...So crazy! So amazing to look back on God's amazing grace and miracles!
The reason this wasn't posted on the 13th is because not only did Faith have a stomach virus on her birthday, Brady had the same on his birthday. Not to mention, I had it the same day and Nate got it on Valentine's Day! All I can say is, thank God it is over!!
So, Happy Birthday little guy!! We love you TONS!

Happy Birthday Faith!

2008-02-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

My poor sweet angel has the stomach flu on her birthday! :( She had "much celebration" before, but the poor thing is sick today. Last Monday we went to the Hannah Montana Concert Movie, Friday night she had her girls' party, and Saturday we had the combined family party. She was sportin' a great Kool Aid 'stache for the party. :) What a sweetie! I couldn't be a prouder mom.

The Progression of the Cake!

2008-02-11T21:48:00.001-05:00

Another not so great attempt at "blogging"

2008-02-04T23:20:00.001-05:00

As you can see, my kids have been having some fun. :) This is my quick, not so hot attempt at posting...Someday, someday.

Brady fell asleep sitting up the other day. It was soooo funny. By the way, Faith gave up the "nuk" years ago, she just likes to tease Brady Boy. Also, as you can see, he gets a bit confused about which bottle is his (check out the background). What a goof ball.

More pics of Faith to come. She got part of her B-day gift today and I got a couple pictures. We went to see the Hannah Montana Concert movie.

Go Packers!!!

2008-01-14T00:15:00.001-05:00

Faith's August Game Face

Okay, so he looks cuter in the jersey. :)

So, this is my really bad effort to make sure that I get people to come back to my blog. I know, I am not good at this.... Nonetheless.... GO PACKERS!!!!! :)

I'll try to get some better pictures up later this week. Hey, if there is a snow day, I will be able to later today! :)

Faith is so cute, she said, "Mom, I prayed in my head to Jesus that you would have a snow day tomorrow." How SWEET!!!

Christmas Pictures

2007-12-26T19:20:00.002-05:00

Mid-Day at Christmas

2007-12-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Why is the paper always more fun!?

"This is the life..."

The kids are playing so well with their new toys, I actually got a few minutes to get some newer pictures onto the computer. Although, I realized that Brady has sweet potato on his face in all but two of them!! Nice mom I am, I let Elli feed him dinner and never checked to make sure his face was clean. The saddest part is that my mom is sending them out in cards and Brady is going to look like he has some skin disorder! LOL!
We have had a very nice Christmas this far and will not be done celebrating until later tonight. We are going over to Nathan's parents for steak dinner (yum!). The kids are going to be so spoiled by the end of these two days I don't know what I am going to do. :} I keep reminding Faith that the whole reason for Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birth... She says, "I know mom, but I still like the gifts." Gotta love her honesty.
Blessings (again!) to all!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2007-12-25T01:33:00.000-05:00

We have two wonderful birthdays to celebrate today! Happy Birthday to Jesus (well, at least this is when we celebrate, right? :) )! And, I can't forget a Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband... Besides, I finally can say we are the same age and he can stop rubbing it in that he is younger than me.

Have a blessed Christmas and may 2008 be your best year ever!!!!

I'm OFF!!!

2007-12-23T02:26:00.000-05:00

Oh happy day! Today is my first day of Christmas break. I know it is going to fly by. Today alone was a blur between a birthday party, last minute shopping, and just keeping up with my two little rascals. :)
I am hoping to remember to get my camera from my dad tomorrow so I can upload some new photos.
Have a great rest of the weekend!

Almost a Merry Christmas

2007-12-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

Well, if you are looking at this, there is a very good chance you got our Christmas card. We decided to share this page so we don't have to worry about sending pictures all the time. We'll see... If I have your email, you will probably still get my Kodak updates.
We are busy getting ready for the holidays. I can't believe it, but I think that all of my shopping is almost done! WOOO HOOO!!!
We are on the road to recovery and everyone is in very good health, except for the normal "this-time-of-the-year" runny nose.
I am on Christmas break from my classroom for 11 days after class tomorrow! I can't wait and neither can Faith. We don't have any special plans. Not that all the family members we will be seeing aren't special. :)
Faith's dance "recital" (I use that term loosely) is tonight, so hopefully I will have some pictures to post.
Brady is currently pounding on the patio door looking outside longingly... I should probably go bundle up the kids and get outside...it is a balmy 32 degrees! :)

Hopefully I will have time to post before Christmas. If not, have a blessed Christmas!!

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Holiday Spirit...ummm, not quite yet

2007-12-09T22:59:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been quite a couple of weeks! We started out with Thanksgiving Day at our house and I had the stomach flu. Whooo hoo...fun. ;) Then just as I was getting better (thank God I was feeling better), Brady got it. Faith was doing great, so I breathed a sigh of relief and then...she got it. YIKES!! Just when we thought Nate had escaped the "grips" of illness (ha, ha...) he was diagnosed with pneumonia today! Whew, when it rains it pours sometimes. :{
But, none of this is life threatening, so we say, "Thank you God for your grace to get us through these minor things."

So, the pictures are of Faith and Brady (Brady's first time playing in the snow), a deer in our front yard, Brady doing his favorite thing this week: mopping, and Brady's first Thanksgiving.

Brady went from army crawling about three weeks ago to being completely on the go and able to pull himself to standing. Exactly as I expected. I bought a pair of boots for him thinking that he will probably be walking before the snow is gone around here...in June. He,he.

Faith is in dance class. I will have to post some pictures later. We had a great weekend of playing outside (not the picture...I'll post those later), baking cookies, and other fun stuff!

Well, hopefully I will be able to post again soon! Blessings to all!!!!!!

Fun before snow...

2007-11-08T23:04:00.000-05:00

It's official...we have teeth! No pictures yet, but hopefully soon.
Faith started dance class tonight at the "Y." She loved it!! I will get some pictures next week.
Need to make this short, I'm typing w/ one hand and holding 20lbs in the other! :)

Yikes, what a couple of weeks

2007-10-24T23:43:00.000-04:00

So, I took on some contracted work with my old job...Thank God they are flexible. I have been working on it for a couple of months now and still am not completely done. If it isn't sick children, it seems like something comes up.
Two weekends ago I was all set to sit down and work on it after the kids went to bed. But, on my way home from a fun swimming trip to the "Y" and a stop to Target, I got a call from my sister. For those of you that have heard this, sorry, but I will tell the story. Kara called and was on her way to the emergency room behind the ambulance that was taking Ron (her husband) there! To make a long story short, I was so glad she got in touch with me and eventually I ended up at the hospital through the night (thanks to my wonderful sil Heidi) with Kara while Ron had emergency, may I say life-saving, surgery.
Well, thanks to much prayer and a fabulous surgeon, Ron is home and recovering. But, it was a long and painful ordeal for him. He tore his esophagus (I can spell it now without spellcheck!) and from the sounds of it, a pretty bad tear at that! He ended up in the hospital for over a week. I am soooo proud of my sister! She held it all together and was the greatest cheerleader I think a husband (not that I've ever been one) could ask for. The kids did great as well!
So, needless to say, I am still behind on my work. And, obviously, I am not working on it at this minute... :{ But, even more grateful for family than ever before!!
Faith is doing great. Brady, too. He has been going to the chiropractor (yes, I know he is only 8-months old). But, it is going great! He had some (mom details here) constipation issues and let me tell you, they are completely better~ it's been over a week and he is doing great!
Well, I better get to bed...I do have to work tomorrow.

Our day trip to the "old mine"

2007-10-12T21:02:00.000-04:00

Future Miners?....Maybe in sports!

It's been a couple of weeks since our trip, but here are a few pictures. I tried to find the old picture from when Faith was a baby, but I couldn't. :( As you can see, Brady we thrilled with the underground tour. Ha,ha!

This week was busy with work and other things. I had a training on conducting vision screenings (very interesting...yawn) and a staff meeting as well as a few home-visits. I am still waiting to hear about an early ed position that would put me into a classroom and allow me to have summers off. There is a hang up in HR (someone else, not me), but I'd rather have them dot all there i's and cross all there t's rather than offer me the job and then change their mind.

Nate's on afternoons, but I have kept busy. Chad and Heidi's kids came over tonight and we had their famous "Pizza Movie Night." And, tomorrow Faith is being rewarded for good behavior and we will be going swimming at the "Y." Fun, fun!

Faith is doing well, but ever since my maternity leave she would much rather I was a stay-at-home mom. Sometimes I wonder myself. Today Brady seemed to be back to himself as compared to the last month and a half. I am still bringing him to the chiropractor to see if a gentle adjustment wouldn't help. His appetite is great, he ate an entire jar of 3rd step lasagna tonight!! And, he loved my Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo the other day.

Hope the weekend is nice! It has been in the 40's and 30's here (way different than the upper 80's last week).

Go Packers!

2007-09-30T00:44:00.001-04:00

Giant Boy?

2007-09-30T00:37:00.001-04:00

No, we don't have a giant child...his cousin thought it would be cute to put him in the doll stroller. Needless to say, we all got a chuckle out of this. It was the most content Brady had been in about 2 1/2-weeks...Poor baby was sick with a double ear infection and sinus trouble. But, he is on the road to recovery now and back to his smiley self. "Only" 3 1/2-weeks later!
Faith keeps saying that she loves having a brother and takes every opportunity, with our without permission, to hold/carry Brady Boy (her nickname). Thank God she has stayed very healthy through all of this. One cranky child was enough for me. :)

Bad time to start a blog...HA, HA!!!

2007-09-26T23:00:00.000-04:00

So, who wouldn't think that finding out the news that you are expecting wouldn't be an ideal time to start a blog? That is too funny!! So, it is seven-months since the expected child was born and I am finally getting back to trying this again!

In my last entry, I said that we were having a girl, which was confirmed by SEVERAL ultra-sounds. Well, most anyone that is reading this will know...she was a he. God has such a great sense of humor, doesn't He?

So, we have a boy, I have a new job, and I don't know if there is much else to share right now. I will try to get to this more often.

Nice blog...

2006-12-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

I thought that I would be better at keeping up with this... Obviously not. After several months of morming (noon and night) sickness, it seemed as though the holidays were upon us! So, here I am, less than 9-weeks away from a C-section!

Two more days until Christmas, though the festivities have already begun! I have five days off of work this week and five next...In other words, I will only have to work four days out of the next 14! Yay!!!

We know that we are having a girl. Grace Winter. We are thrilled to have a sister for Faith!

Hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and New Year. I will do my best to keep up on this thing now. :)

4th of July Fun

2006-07-04T22:15:00.000-04:00

We had a very busy, but nice 4th of July. Faith was able to be in the first parade of the day and threw candy from a vehicle from my dad's work. She had quite an arm. We went with Nate's parents to the second parade. Faith got a ton of candy! And last but not least, we headed out to "camp" for an evening with my mom's side of the family. Everyone had a nice time and the guys even got to play some "bean-bag." :)

2006-07-02T22:12:00.000-04:00

Proud Sissy!

2006-07-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

I could not think of a better time to start a blog...when we are expecting an addition to our family! We will be having an addition to our "party of three" sometime in late February/early March. Hopefully this journey will have fewer bumps in the road than our first addition. ;) Although, it goes without saying, she was worth every single bump!