Videos n Pictures :0)

Hi all!

I hope you enjoy the pics.. Hopefully it will work! :O)

Much Love!

Ber

Adventures in Gatlinburg!!

Hello everyone!
I just wanted to post and tell you all how our JR/SR trip went! Oh my goodness, It was so much fun! We left for Bro. Josh's parents house in Toledo on Friday right after school.. We got there around six I think. We went there, and settled in, and then we went out to eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was pretty good. After we ate we all piled back in the van, and went over to Nicki's house (Bro. Josh's sister) we played the Wii for a little while.. It was fun!
Us three girls, Samantha, Lakisha and I, stayed at the Newbolds house while the guys stayed at Nicki's and Rays. We left Toledo on Saturday morning around eight or so, and we traveled all day to Gatlinburg. On the way down Sam, Lakisha, Francisco and I played the card game ROOK almost all of the way down.. We played UNO for about an hour or so, but the rest of the time it was Rook.. (We're pretty much addicted to that game, lol) We finally arrived in Gatlinburg at six or so.. We got stuck in alot of traffic in Pigeon Forge due to a car show.. There were people sitting on the side of the road all day long watching old cars go by.. How crazy is that?!?!?! When we got to the condo we finished making dinner, and we played games the rest of the night. It was fun! A great way to start our week!
On Sunday we got up and went to church at Liberty Baptist Church where Pastor Settles is. We were able to hear Bro. Mark Bujey (sp?) preach.. It was great! After church we went out to eat and then back to the condo to change into something more casual for the rest of the afternoon. We went up to Ober Gatlinburg and went on the Alpine Sleds.. It was awesome.. Very scary at first though. In order to go out on the sled you had to go up the mountain even farther on ski lifts. I was scared to death at first because of the whole heigths issue, lol.. I wasn't the only one that was nervous, I think we all were.. Any way we got up there safely and it was a blast! Not as scary as we thought. :0) After that we went "home" and got changed, and went to church.. After church we went Putt-putting. It was cool..
On Monday we went to all of the Ripleys Believe it or Not things. First we went to the Museum.. There was a bunch of crazy stuff in there! It was very interesting. lol.. After the museum we went to the van and ate lunch, and then off to the 4-D moving theatre. After the theatre we walked the streets of Gatlinburg on the way to the Ripleys Aquarium! That was awesome!! the aquarium is one of my favorite parts of the trip! We saw so many different animals! We were able to touch some kind of thing related to the spider, and then also a Sting Ray! The Sting Rays are soft and squishy! lol it was so cool! You were able to go through tunnels underneath the water, and look at all of the sharks, and fish.. The Saw fish would lay across the tops of the tunnels, they are so big! lol It's crazy! You could look up and see there mouths. lol it was funny! After the aquarium we walked back up the streets of Gatlinburg and back to our car so we could meet Pastor and Mrs. Jurva out to eat. We went to the Apple Creek Orchard.. it was very good! Monday night was of course another night of Rook and Buzz Word.
On Tuesday we all got up and us girls made Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast, and then we left for Caves Cove! Wow! Was it gorgeous or what!! We were able to stand five feet away from three deer that were off to the side of the road.. It was pretty neat. We walked through a creek and took some great pics of the mountains. Once we were on our way home we saw a bear crossing the street.. It was awesome! lol I have never seen a bear alive before! lol
That night we went out to eat at the Dixie Stampede! Boy, was that ever awesome! lol I Loved it! They serve you dinner and then put on a show while you are eating! You have to eat with your hands. You don't have any silverware or anything.. Kinda disgusting, but cool all that the same time! :D They do a bunch of different races and stuff.. It is alot of fun! Oh, and if your side wins, the soldier men ride up and give a girl of there choice a flower! Mrs. Carrie got one! It was cool. lol :0) After Dixie Stampede we met up with Pastor and Mrs. Jurva in Gatlinburg and went putt-putting again.. It was cool! That game was also the game I won! :0) lol I was surprised because I am horrible at putt-putt! lol Once back at the condo we played Rook again.. lol It was crazy because we were all so tired, yet wired! None of us could stop laughing and we got to laughing so hard we were crying! lol It was great!! We didnt get to sleep past one that night, and we had to get up even earlier than any other day the next day, lol.
On Wednesday, we got up and went to the stables for horseback riding! :0) This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip! It was so much fun! We had a guide lead us, and we were in one straight line. Eric's horse Smiley gave him a hard time.. lol He kept wanting to eat the grass.. lol it was funny.. I felt bad for him.. After horseback riding we went to the Wonder Works Museum that was cool.. I really enjoyed it! If you ever go to Gatlinburg you have to go there! You will enjoy it! They have so many different things! I layed on a bed of nails.. That was pretty cool.. It didn't really hurt, it poked a little but thats it.. We went to church after dinner that night and then after church we went putt-putting again. It was fun.
On Thursday we went to Dollywood! :D That was great! I went on all of the water rides, and then one little roller coaster! They tried to get me to go on more, but I chickened out, lol... Oh well. Thursday night we went out to eat for the last time and then shopping in some outlets.. All in all it was a great week! I would do it again in a heartbeat! We got home on late Friday night. It is always great to be home! I missed everyone here.. I think I called Mom three or four times a day.. lol
I hope you all have a great week! I will post pictures of the trip soon!
Love ya! Ber

Our big day off post #2

Well, little miss thinks she knows everything is now soaking in the tub due to writing all over her arms and legs! So much for the rest part I'm supposed to be getting! Atleast she didn't cut her hair again!

Oh, and the turkey and 2 chicks I told you we were nursing the other day? Thunder got them! Erin let him in the garage 2 times in a row and he took care of business. The turkey chick passed on his own, though thank goodness!

Amber made it home safe and sound Friday night 10:30PM or so. She did go horsebackriding!

Ok, just thought I'd update again!

Our big day off!

Well, here it is Sunday, my only day off and I feel like crud! I have been fighting this chest cold thing for two weeks now and I feel worse today. My husband told me to stay home and take care of myself and get better. So, here I am about to lay on the couch and nap while baby naps! Work is work, nothing too exciting - long drive, long day, long drive home! I am looking forward to having this next weekend off.

Amber's grandma called yesterday and has been graciously checking into food and things for Amber's open house in July. So, the ball is rolling on that and looks good so far! It's hard to believe her graduation ceremony is at the end of May!

Brooke is a driving fool now! No, she does a good job and gets to drive quite a bit when we go places. She took care of things at home in the morning and after school while Amber was gone and did a great job!

Curt and Isaac and Erin have been spending lots of time outside this last week with the warm weather! Jeremy mowed the lawn and did stuff outside as well with the kids.

Friday night, while me and Lyndsay ran to TSC for sawdust and Meijer's for groceries, Jeremy and Erin and Isaac moved the chicks out to the shed - the smell was getting real bad in the garage! The kids were so excited to be able to hold the chicks. There were chicks on the trampoline (or jumpoline as Isaac and Erin call it), the playscape fort, the swing, etc. So, they were probably grateful to be put away for the night - especially since there were turkey hawks flying overhead! So, Saturday night, we cleaned out the pen in the garage and moved it out next to the shed for the chicks to have outside time in when the weather permits...

Thursday night I was sitting in the rocker with the baby and Erin was outside mowing the lawn with daddy. She came in to go potty and then came into the kitchen and said she needed to use my potty. No, you just went. So, she kind of just dissappeared and I assumed she'd gone back outside with daddy. I told Brooke to go and check on her. She wasn't outside so I told her to check my bathroom because I had just bought new makeup (to hide black circles:) and thought she might be into that. Brooke came running out saying "Mom, you're going to be so mad!" I thought, yes I will be $30.00 in makeup! So, I put baby in her swing and ran into my room to find strands of blond hair all over the floor! YES - HAIR! My first child ever to cut their own hair! Dummy me for leaving the scissors in her reach! So, she pulled her hair away from her face (on both sides) and cut about ear length straight back! Oh my, what to do? I called a lady down the road who cuts our hair at times, she wasn't home (8PM). So, I grabbed the scissors myself, put the little girl who thinks she knows everything into the tub and started layering... I would close my eyes and breathe in deep and pray once in a while as well. All in all, it doesn't look too bad - better than chopping it off ear length, I suppose. I go this week for a hair appointment myself (to hide the gray) so maybe Kim can do some more wonders with it. I should've taken before and after pictures, but was too busy having a heartattack to think about pictures. But, I will take a picture of the after mom's haircut and post it tonight maybe. So that was our big happening of the week.

Lyndsay's doing great - smiling and chuckling. Growing, eating and sleeping. We went into town to eat dinner last night and she was good, sat in her car seat smiling at me the whole time until the very end!

Okay, naptime for me and hopefully I won't end up going to MedExpress today! Also, keep praying for my legs (veins). My right leg has really been bothering me this week, but I'm giving it one more week to see if using muscles I haven't used for awhile is part of the pain or not. It is really hard getting the the doctor from our work. They are really strict on their attendance procedures and it is really hard getting time off. So, I tend to worry more about getting the time off to take my kids in when needed then myself. I only have 5 personal call in days a year and need to use them wisely. Jeremy went to Millington to pick up more chick feed and get a part off of the plow he needs to replace so he can start plowing up hay fields again.

Have a great Lord's day. Chris

Just sitting here, hugging a baby!

Well, had yesteday off for Aunt Judi's funeral and today off for a few doctor appointments - so the extra rest has been great! Yesterday was a rough day emotionally! Aunt Judi died the day before Danielle died and was buried 5 years to the day before Danielle was buried. Her funeral was a beautiful tribute to her life and a lot of the songs were reminders of songs that we had sung (It is well with my soul, etc)... So, a day of remembering for us as well! More emotional also because after losing Danielle, I can relate to how people feel more now than I ever have before... I can relate to how her kids feel about losing their mother and her husband losing his wife. She had a police escort (her husband is a detective with the Davison police dept. and retired from the Flint police dept. a few years ago) to the cemetery. She really touched a lot of people's lives as well as her family. Anyway, a tough day for sure but good to know she's in heaven with other loved ones as well as my Danielle!

Last night, Jeremy cleaned out the chicken pen (only about one more week and they will go outside, thank goodness - smell-wise!), and I finished painting Erin's bedroom door. Today, Curt and Lyndsay had a doctor appointment so I got to stay home again!!! Lyndsay weighs 10lb 9oz now and is doing great! Curt went from 74 to 80 pounds and is doing fine, also. He hates going to the doctor! He's excited that I created an email address for him so he can email Grandpa Bohn now himself! He can really get Lyndsay to smile and chuckle at him. She smiles so big, she throws her head back! Erin was trying to cuddle with him at the doctor's office this morning and he finally gave in, giving her some hugs and kisses much to my surprise and encouragement! It was cute!

So, back to work for me tomorrow and Friday and Saturday! So, that means I need to get off my blog and get some things done around the house that have been seriously neglected all week! I just had to cuddle with Lyndsay for a few minutes - the last few days, being at the funeral home Monday night and the funeral and dinner yesterday, she was passed around a bit due to being the new baby! She was a very good girl, too!

Okay, have a great weekend and I will post some more pictures Sunday hopefully!

Chris

Finally, the weekend, or day off...

Well, I made it! I feel like a mac truck hit me/ran over me, you name the spot/body part and it's sore! Good news is I lost 5 more pounds this week! We all survived (the house is questionable, but we survived!). Now, I get tomorrow off and then another 6 days of soreness! All is fine except the doggone colds - I think Lyndsay has one now, too!

Here are some more pictures - we had the first campfire of the year tonight out back here and it was fun watching the kids play outside together! Amber made it to Tennessee around 5:30pm tonight. I will post more later if I don't get it all on here tonight. The chicks are getting big as well - I think we've had around 9 die so far which is normal, I guess. Tonight we are nursing a small turkey and 2 more chicks to see if they make it through the night. We got the turkeys out a few nights ago and had them in the backyard with the kids - so cute! Erin sang to them and they clustered around her, climbing on her lap.

Please pray for Aunt Judi's family - she passed away Thursday night, almost exactly 5 years from the date Danielle died and about 11 months after being diagnosed. God healed her from her cancer, just not as we'd hoped, he wanted her in heaven! Praise God she's no longer in any pain. Her funeral is Tuesday and we will be attending.

Ok, I gotta go to bed - have a great Lord's day, I know I will! More than 5 hours of sleep tonight, here I come!

Chris

Oh Boy, am I ever tired!

Well, day 2 over. Not too bad, just a lot to remember and worry about forgetting (bottles, clothes, lunches, etc.). I can't let anything go undone! Yesterday, I was put on an easy job (spotting a machine that hadn't been working properly), but was told I would get my old job back by the committee man at the end of the shift, but the replacement was fighting it through the union, etc. So, this morning, the new boss put me on another job but finally moved me to my original job that I left to retrain (a few things about it had changed as well, content-wise). She wanted to see if I even wanted the job still before fighting for it. I decided after doing it for a half hour or so that I would like to keep my job. Finally by the end of the day, I pretty much figured out that I was going to be able to keep my old job (yay). I was glad to be on a no-brainer job yesterday cuz that broke me in easy. I am sore today! Sore is good, though - maybe I'll lose more weight! I have 47-50 seconds per car to do my job. The line doesn't stop and better not stop unless it's something very important! I now have Amber's bad chest cold/sore throat and hope it doesn't last too long!

Lyndsay and Erin are doing okay with the new way! Amber went to the doctor today to have her stitches removed and was told the mole checked out cancer-free PRAISE THE LORD! So, I don't have to worry about that! Brooke came home after school today to watch the others for me instead of going soulwinning. I'm staying home tonight from church due to my cold and feeling very run down - need to get into the swing of things slowly! Curt and Brooke just left for church and we're getting ready to eat!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and I will post again later this week when I have more time and hopefully more pictures to post! Lyndsay and dinner is calling me! Have a great rest of the week.

Chris

Well, RTW day is here:(

Yes, return to work day is here:( Today was a trial run for me because I had to go down to Orion to get my big return to work slip from medical (what a waste of a 2 hour drive, and precious time with kiddos). Last night, we took the truck in for some repairs, so this morning I woke up at 4:15am to feed the baby so I could take Jeremy into town to catch the car pool van. I came home, laid in bed for 20 minutes and decided to get up and get some things done. I organized and paid bills, checked email, exercised and showered by 7am. I made the kids one last pancake/french toast (for Curt) breakfast, got Erin and Lyndsay's bag packed for the morning with the babysitter and got out the door at 8:15am. Erin was so excited to be going to "Mr. Munson's" house! She was excited she had a lunch packed and a bag to carry. We got to the Munson's and she told Mrs. Munson she had to make her breakfast and got it out of the bag then proceeded to tell me to leave, she was going to shut the door and shut the door she did (try not to hit mom in the rear on her way out:)). It was cute and better than having her scream and cry about me leaving like she does when I leave her at home and go somewhere! I got to Orion at 9:30am, did my thing in medical and went to see Jeremy and talked to a few others on the way that were happy to see me (I guess) after my 7 month leave. I got home at 11:45am, and picked the girls up. Erin was ready to come home, atleast!

We've had 4 chicks die so far:( Hopefully the loss won't be too great but we ordered with that in mind. I went to TSC for a few things, picked the kids up from school and went to Walmart for groceries/milk and picked up Jeremy at the Clio car pool lot at 4:15pm. It is really nice outside, so Jeremy cleaned out the chick cage, put down new wood chips, and is working on the tractor. The boys are picking up sticks and putting them in the campfire out back. Curt informed me that Erin is doing more work than Isaac! The last 3 mornings, we've had deer out in the back field here. Saturday morning, they were running and "playing" - that was fun to watch! We planted clover out there where we had a garden one year and they like to come and munch along with the woodchucks!

We ate dinner and I've been working on getting everything ready for tomorrow morning. Lunches are pretty much done and bottles are made - just have to throw everything in their prospective coolers/lunch bags in the morning. The girls' bag is packed with their clothes and I dropped off a pack of diapers and wipes on my way home - that's better than having to pack enough everyday! So, we'll see how it goes in the morning. I'll wake up at 4am, feed the baby, put her back to bed and get dressed to go and put everything by the door so all the girls have to do is grab it all and go! Next week is going to be tricky with Amber gone, but hopefully we'll figure it out ride-wise in the morning! Thank goodness at times like these that we live close to the church/school! Just getting someone who has enough room for atleast 4 in their vehicle can be tricky, though!

We got a call on the truck today - everything seems to be loose or leaking to the tune of $1,900.00! OUCH! Axle seals, piston arms, transmission/cooling hoses, you name it, it's loose and getting fixed and tuned up as well! Hopefully it'll be another 90,000 miles before we have to do this again!

Okay, gotta go and finish getting things ready before baby wakes up! I'll hopefully take some more pictures and post them later this week. I have to work this Saturday and next, so it'll be a long 2-3 weeks! Remember to pray for me this week! God Bless!

Chris

Keeping busy...

110+ chicks/turkeys from the post office
Isaac and a rhode Island Red
The chicks in their cage
Loving her swing!
Isaac, Brooke and Lyndsay snuggling

Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted - it's been a busy week and we've had a few computer problems. The chicks were supposed to come Wednesday, but I got a phone call on Tuesday morning that they were at the post office. But, back to Saturday - the kids were all home for a change so I decided since I had extra help I would tackle painting the boys' room since I'd had the paint for 1 year and hadn't had the time to do it (or made the time). So, it took longer than just Saturday, but their room is painted and looks nice, too if I do say so myself! Next is the hallway, then living room, then kitchen... Sunday was another beautiful day so we worked outside. Curt, Brooke and Jeremy worked on cleaning out the fish pond while I raked out some flower beds and cleaned up the yard a bit in between coming in to take care of baby. I even took her outside for a bit. Sunday night we went out to the property to check everything out and went for a nice walk. Lyndsay enjoyed the view from her snugglie. The fresh air tired everyone out. We got the baby swing up and running and does she ever love it! I think she is the only baby out of the last 4 that enjoyed the swing - all the other babies cried when I put them in it! That is a big help if I need to do something (like cook dinner, etc.). Monday was my doctor appointment which went fine as far as I know - I had to have blood drawn because the finger poke in the office showed my hemoglobin was low. No phone call back on the bloodwork yet. Monday night, Jeremy worked on building the chick cage while I went through things in the attic (clothes, etc.). I gave away some things that I knew I wouldn't be using anytime in the near future.

Tuesday morning, I got the phone call at 6:45am that the chicks were at the post office, please come and get them. So, I went and got them (took Isaac with me as he was pretty excited). 122 chicks came in a pretty small box! Got them home and put them in the cage (good thing Jeremy got it done last night) and turned the lights on! Very cute! The kids were all excited. I let Isaac stay home from school even though we spent a lot of the day running around - had to go to Millington to get the chick feed from the grainery and to TSC for a few more waterers then in the afternoon to get some things done to the truck. So, he didn't get to be home as much as he'd hoped. Erin goes out there and sings to them through the fence. The turkeys (6 of them) will all congregate around her and poke their heads through the fence) and listen to her singing, I guess. We got 6 turkeys, 10 rhode island reds, 1 rooster and 100 broiler chicks. We will send those to butcher in about 7 weeks or so. I spent a little more time on Wednesday getting a few more things we needed. So, I feel as if I've been running all over. Thank goodness Amber drives because she's been taking Brooke to and picking Brooke up from driver's training. As of today she has driven 3 times and has a "pink slip" which allows her to drive with a parent even though she hasn't finished the actual class yet.

Amber's been busy. She is going to TN for her senior trip and even mentioned that they are taking a helicopter ride as well as white water rafting! I can't wait to see the pictures! She went for her physical for college and ended up having a mole removed from her shoulder and 2 stitches. We get the word on that next week when she gets the stitches removed.

Again, please pray for me as I return to work on Tuesday and don't look forward to the extra stress of life in general when I'm working... It'll be back to worrying about everyone and everything getting done.

Baby is doing great! Enjoy the pictures - she's getting excited and starting to chuckle a little bit here and there. She sleeps at night from 10pm - 4:30am which has been great! She's just a great baby!

Okay, enjoy the pictures - I'm working on posting those next!

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you all are doing well! I am sure that God has blessed you some way or another. :0) As you can see from all of mom's postings that March was a busy month for us! I absolutely loved it though!

Our first "trip" Brooke and I with our school went to a Fine Arts competion in Temperance, Michigan. You can compete in almost anything while there! Brooke sang in a mixed quartet, and they sang "Beyond The Cross" and also in the large ensemble who sang two songs.. " He's Been Faithful" and "I Bowed on My Knees and Cried Holy" It was awsome! I sang a solo, "O Rejoice in the Lord" , in a duet with Francisco, we sang "Only by His Grace" and then I also sang in the large ensemble. As we sang there could be as little as just our group in the room, or as many as thirty or forty people in the room watching you sing.. I have to admit I was very nervous.. Brooke was so proud because she wasn't nervous at all.. lol. It was so funny. The rating scale that they judge you with goes from 1-5 with one being the best. Our groups did very well this year. Brookes quartet received a 3, our large ensamble recieved a 1 and a 2, for my solo I received a 2 and Francisco and I received a 1. :0) It was lot of fun!

We got home Friday evening, we washed clothes, and relaxed.. :D On Saturday I went out to eat with Francisco and his family for his birthday, and then came home and started to pack to leave again on Monday.. On Monday afternoon Mom took Brooke and I to the church, where we met everyone else to leave for Hammond. I love Pastors School! It is one of the best conferences ever! I get so many things out of it every year! This year was definitely one of the best years ever! In the teen sessions we were able to hear some great preachers such as: Charlie Clark, Stuart Mason, Scott Gray, Brian Hasse, Ray Martin, and many more! I made many decisions this year! One of my main decision was to take a better stand for Christ, like someone starts talking about something that they shouldn't be talking about, I will tell them to stop, or if someone asks me to do something that isn't right, I will say no. I also promised God that I would be a better soulwinner, and a better example. I want people to see Christ through me, and I want them to know that I am different from the world.

We came home on Friday from Pastors School, and the next week was pretty busy getting ready for our Youth Conference at our church.. Our speakers were Steve Hobbins, Reno Likins, and Derek Hagland. Our theme was "In the Service of the King" I think this was one of the best conferences that we have had.. Mom already told you about the dresses we had to wear, and she even posted the pictures of it. Well, I personally didn't mind the dresses to much, so I didn't bother to take any clothes that I could change into.. I had only taken a jean skirt to wear skating, and we weren't allowed to wear jean until we skated. Well, of course as soon as we had a break every girl except for me changed into regular clothes.. lol, I was the only one wearing that crazy dress! After the break, Bro. Steve got up to preach and said something about "Fair Maidens" and he looked directly at me and was like "You don't wear those to the mall do you?" I replied "No".. lol.. A couple of minutes later he was telling us about his wife and his daughters.. His youngest daughter is in kindergarten, and she is into the princess things.. He again looked at me and said... "My daughter would absolutely LOVE your dress!!" I was like oh ok! lol I sank down into my seat a little farther.. thinking to myself.. his daughter is in K-5. It was great though! So much fun!

Now that April is here, things are starting to slow down a little bit.. Brooke, Curt and I just got done with Exam week, and report cards came home. On the 18th the Juniors and Seniors are going on our JR/SR trip to Gatlinburg, Tennesse.. I can't wait! I have never been to Tennesse before! I am definitely looking forward to the nice weather! In about two months I will be graduating.. May 28th is the day.. :0) I am excited, but not yet counting the days.. In less than six months I will be heading to college.. It is pretty exciting, yet scary at the same time! I am really pumped up about going though.. Being at Pastors School , and just seeing all that I will be apart of when I get there.. it's just awsome!

Thankyou for all of your prayers! They are greatly appreciated!

Love ya's! Amber

Friday

Good Morning! After school yesterday the day got busy. I didn't get a whole lot accomplished yesterday because Lyndsay was awake quite a bit and while she does sit and entertain herself for little bits of time, it keeps me busy! I need to get her swing down from the attic and pray that it still works! After school - Amber had her physical for college. Amber has been a pretty healthy kid and I've hardly ever taken her to the doctor in all her teenage years. Anyway, this winter in January we were at the Holidome, she sat in front of me and I noticed a black mole on her shoulder. So, I asked the doctor about it yesterday and he said we should remove it. So, she goes back on next Wednesday (the 9th) at 10am to have that removed and a TB test done (school requires that), so keep her in your prayers as she gets very nervous at the littlest things! We came back home after getting pizza for dinner (4:45pm), Jeremy got home from work at 5:20pm, took a shower and we left for haircuts while Amber took Brooke to drivers training. She got to shop for shoes at the Birch Run Outlet while waiting for Brooke so she was in 7th heaven for sure! Came home to get everyone ready for bed. Erin again didn't fall asleep at naptime so by the time we left the salon she was meltdown mama! Needless to say, she was in bed at 8:30pm with quite a bit of struggle! But, I won! She is a stubborn one!

Tonight, I don't know what is in store. It's supposed to be nice this weekend - Jeremy has to work tomorrow:( Maybe we'll make it to the property for a nice walk this weekend! I can't wait! Other than that, nothing else is new which is good! I imagine we'll spend the weekend getting ready for the chicks to come - heatlights, bedding, etc.

Have a great weekend!

A quick post

Her eyes opened just as the flash went off! But she had been sleeping soundly as well as the cat!

Hi there! Well, we've survived 2 days of drivers training! Monday was a little crazy - I did pick up Jeremy from work and we stopped at Genesys to visit his Aunt Judy. I took Lyndsay with me so she could see her and Lyndsay was really good - she slept the whole car trip and woke up at the hospital. I put Lyndsay in Aunt Judy's arms and she smiled and smiled at Aunt Judy and then she messed her pants!:) Grandma Reid was there as well. We didn't get to visit nearly as long as we would've liked - we missed Uncle Al, because we were trying to get back to Birch Run in time for Brooke to go to DT but I had left the van home for Amber just in case. Amber ended up meeting us in Birch Run after dropping Brooke off at 6:30pm. I had to be back at 7:30pm for the parent part and to pay so we decided to eat at the Exit. Erin, of course was her usual loud self! By 7:20pm our dinners still weren't out, so I left hoping it wouldn't take long and I could come back and eat. I took Erin with me. It did take long, didn't get done until 8:10 or so and everyone else was back at home with my cold hot turkey sandwich (YUM). Oh well, that's a Monday for you!

Yesterday was pretty relaxing - I was supposed to go for my 6 week check up but had to reschedule for next week instead. I dropped the kids off at school and went to Clio to get some groceries. Got home, relaxed and cleaned and got dinner ready after school, then took Brooke to Birch Run. Jeremy went to Home Depot to get some materials for the electrical box he's putting in the garage. Yes, the garage is still clean - I even ran a mop with bleach water over the garage floor yesterday! It is supposed to be near 50 today and I can't wait. I just finished exercising and cleaning up and now am going to enjoy my girls before naptime!

Yesterday, at naptime, I peeked in at Erin and I got this picture. The flash made her eyes open for a second but she really was sound asleep! This is a veggietales pillow book she got for Christmas from Grandpa Steve. She had everything just so and usually she hates the cats in there with her, but she didn't notice Shadow was there. She snuck in after she was sleeping!

Have a great day!

Here's the smile!

Erin and cousin Maggie
Three pretty girls!
Isaac and Curtis sitting still for a change!
Two of my girls again!

Yes, I am human again! Yesterday I felt 95% better!

Again, things to be thankful for:

1. Feeling better

2. My dad is feeling better - he has an appointment with a pulmonologist tomorrow in Florida. Pray for him to regain his strength before deciding to return to Michigan - they tend to get "cabin fever" and come home faster than planned.

3. My husband is such a terrific cleaner! Yesterday he (and Erin) tackled the garage and boy, is it ever clean. I do not know where he put everything, nor do I want to know:) I'm just glad it's clean! We are going to be brooding the chicks in there because it's heated and he definitely created the space for that and then some. Last night was the first night we've had 2 cars in the garage in probably 2 years! All I can say when I walk out there is WOW! I never thought a clean garage would be enough to put a smile on my face!

4. No school today - sleeping in was nice!

5. The rain today - hopefully that will get rid of the rest of the snow and we'll not see anymore until next winter!

6. Driver's training - starts tonight and my girlfriend called and enrolled her daughter as well, so Brooke won't be going alone anymore!

7. My niece changing my furniture around when she was here Friday night. It looks nice -thank you our designer wanna-be!

8. I am so thankful that God is in Control - no matter what! Nothing more needs to be said!

9. I am thankful I started this blog - it is my only hobby (sad, I know) not that I don't like doing other things on a regular basis (just no time), but it's been fun and I'm enjoying it! Keeping in contact with others I don't get to see regularly has been great!

10. I am thankful I carried all my 7 children to term although I've also had 4 miscarriages, they were early ones... Pray for my cousing Kim who is in the hospital with contractions at 25 1/2 weeks along... Preston, her first was born at 34 weeks. They will probably keep her off work and off her feet if they let her go home providing the meds take care of the contractions. Wanna read a neat blog about a christian family with a premie and a wife with CF, to boot check out cfhusband.blogspot.com and see this little miracle!

11. I am thankful for our relatives - I especially think of Aunt Judy and Uncle Al right now. Aunt Judy has been battling cancer since knowing about it last June. She's undergone chemo, radiation, etc. and has been so sick but is fighting with all of her might! Our Uncle Al is such a great guy and wonderful husband. He was before, but he really loves his wife and it shows through the wonderful way he takes care of her! Her third born son and third to get married, is getting married this July 6th and she wants to be well enough to attend so please pray for that. She's had fluid building up around the liver and had it (the fluid) removed once this weekend so please pray that this would resolve. I'm thankful I'm better and I will be picking up Jeremy from work today so that we can go and see her in the hospital on the way home...

There are many other things I'm sure, but I must go and get ready to leave for Pontiac to pick up my wonderful husband! It is neat to think of the things to be thankful for - sometimes they get overlooked as we stress out and think of all of the things not to be thankful for!

God Bless and have a great night!

Sunday is here

My girls!
Smiling at Nana
Happy Birthday Daddy
Happy birthday Amber

Praise the Lord! Friday night, my mom stopped in for a visit. I made a dish for supper that was new and we ate together. Carly was also over for a little while after getting a cute haircut. After supper, I started feeling a little ill, sick to my stomach, light headed, etc. We dropped the van off at the church for the girls (who were at our church's youth conference). When I got back, I had the chills and laid on the couch with Lyndsay, wrapped in a blanket. Kind of felt like mastitis only I knew it wasn't mastitis this time! After heating a rice sock and taking it to bed with me to try and get warm, I woke up alternating between the sweats, chills and throwing up (YUCK!). It has been so long since I had the flu and/or thrown up, I am glad I don't get sick very often! Saturday morning I still felt ill. All I ate yesterday was 2 popsicles and some swallows of Pepsi (which is my favorite). The good thing about being sick is I lost 4 pounds! See, I always try and think of the positive!! Needless to say, I spent most of the day on the couch, I slept when Lyndsay slept and went to bed at 10pm. Jeremy, Erin and Isaac pretty much had to fend for themselves all day. Erin spent much of the day in our whirlpool tub in our room, swimming while daddy was on the computer, playing a game. Then Isaac got in and Erin had just gotten out, but she went and got her swimming suit on and got back in! I told my husband that he was on his own for dinner (no one had eaten lunch) and he said to order a pizza! I even had the girls call our Pastor's wife and tell her I wouldn't be able to make the lasagna I had promised for the lunch for the adults during the youth conference on Saturday afternoon. I felt bad about that. But, praise the Lord I woke up this morning feeling fine and even ate 1 pancake! I still didn't go to church, but hope to maybe go tonight... Isaac is complaining that his back hurts when he goes to the bathroom so I'm wondering if he has a UTI or kidney infection... I'm making him drink lots of water today to see if that helps flush things out. If not, I will be taking a trip to Dr. Thill's with him tomorrow much to his dismay. Isaac and Erin are outside helping Daddy work on the barns, getting more ready for the 110 chickens and 2 turkeys that will be arriving on April 9th! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!). She wanted a horse, but oh well... (HAHA)

Brooke starts drivers training tomorrow night for 3 weeks, 4 nights a week. I figured it would be easier to do while I'm still off work so here we go! She's nervous now - mostly nervous about going to the class by herself?! No, I can't stay there with you!

Oh the story behind the 2 new pictures. The girls have been telling me about the dresses they had to wear while singing at the youth conference. I didn't really think anything of it, because my girls are so picky... Well, Friday, Brooke came upstairs in the "dress". I'd say costume is more appropriate! I told her she looked like Fiona on SHREK. She said, no mom, her dress was prettier. Well, I think it's pretty, but not a dress. So, I took the picture and told her -good blog picture, Brooke! There you go!

Amber is going on her senior trip April 26th and yes, I did find out they are going to Tennessee for the week. It sounds as if they are going to pack in a lot of activites, including white water rafting - they better get pictures cuz I can't imagine Amber doing that!

Ok, gotta go and get cleaned up while baby is sleeping - she's doing great, been smiling and cooing. She was smiling real big at me at 4am this morning and I couldn't help but smile back and tell her how cute she was and how much I love her! I wish they could all stay tiny like this forever! She just adores me right now! But, when they grow into teenagers... that's a different story!! No, I'm sure my teenage daughters still adore me, right?

Have a great day!

Good Morning!

Pretty baby
A pretty ponytail that only lasted 10 minutes
Brookie and baby Lyndsay
Isaac and Lyndsay
Grandpa Steve and Lyndsay

Friday already, hard to believe - only 2 1/2 weeks to go til RTW (return to work) day:( I am sitting here with Lyndsay on my lap, Erin trying to hold her hand and making her mad. Erin just told me she's thirsty and wants her "fish" cup! I didn't know we had a fish cup, that's how close she pays attention to detail! She told me Brooke had it, who knows? We'll go and look. This week has been busy. I did get to stay home all day Wednesday, my niece, Chelsea came over at 3pm for a few hours to see everyone and the baby. Then off to church. Erin didn't take a nap and was very crabby.

Yesterday, I had to take the truck back in to the car dealer because they were supposed to put in a new fog light that had fallen out of the truck. It took them 1/2 hour and cost me $150.00! Wow! They think I get paid a lot for putting cars together (WRONG!), not compared to body shop workers/businesses! The 2 little girls and I waited in the waiting room for that, then went to a detail shop to order new rubber pads for the running boards on the truck and rain guard shields for 2 of the windows (all have fallen off). TSC was the next stop to look for something on sale and had no luck. On the way home, we stopped in Bridgeport and bought a cake at the bakery and stopped to visit my Uncle Gene at his office around the corner. He has an adorable boston terrier and he and Erin had a good time! He would run into the back room and bring out all of his toys to show her. I wish I had a dog like that... Once we got home, the baby slept pretty much all afternoon allowing me to clean, clean, clean. The 3 older kids were at their dad's after school and got home at 7pm so we could celebrate Amber and Jeremy's birthdays together with cake and ice cream. Nana & Grandpa Len came over and so did my sister (Heather), Brian, Carly and Maggie. Erin and Maggie had fun together - see pictures. After everyone left, we went straight to bed!

Today is a relaxing day so far. I was worried about Lyndsay's eye - she has a blocked tear duct on the right side, but it was looking pretty good until Erin accidentally brushed a book against her eye 2 nights ago (we've been reading a few books in Erin's bed at night before turning out the lights). Curt, Isaac, Erin and I (with baby), sit on her bed and read stories, then pray before sending everyone to bed. It seems to cut down on the giggling and goofing around otherwise.
Anyway, the next day her eye was all goopy and runny again. But, it looks better today so I don't think I'll have to make a run to the doctor. I am thinking about going to visit Aunt Judy in the hospital later but we'll see how the day goes.

Ok, I did get a smiling picture - Lyndsay was just smiling and cooing at Nana last night - so adorable! So, I'm going to post them right now. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday - many things to be thankful for!

I am thankful that I already got to eat my breakfast and it's only 9am!

I am thankful my dad is out of the hospital and back at their trailer as of 5pm or so last night. He is feeling better, but needs to rest (which is hard for him - I know, I take after him in that aspect!). So, please pray that he does indeed rest and continue to recover without having to go back in to the hospital. He does need to see a pulmonologist upon his return to Michigan.

I am thankful for a good friend (even though we rarely get to see each other anymore!) who called last night offering to help by taking some senior pictures of Amber for me! I am game for that! So, I am just excited about being able to spend some time with her while we tackle this project!

I am thankful my kids came home from school yesterday and all chipped in to get the house in order after a week off school, etc.!

I am thankful to have the suburban back - although that little errand took me almost all of yesterday to accomplish! I took off at 8:30am and went to return some chainsaw things for my husband, then had to go to the bank and return to the same store to get some things that I forgot to ask for (nuts for the bolts:), then back to the car rental place where I had to wait for 15 minutes for a driver to take me to the car dealer so Erin and I gave Lyndsay a bottle while waiting. In the morning when I left the house, I grabbed my wallet and check book from my purse and put them in the diaper bag, thinking that would make my life easier, having to only carry one bag (WRONG!). When I arrived at Draper, I discovered that I had left the insurance check for the repair work at home, yes - in my purse! So, I paid for the whole thing and told them I'd be back with the check. So, I ran back home, changed a stinky baby and got the check and headed back into town (so much for making my life easy). Now, mind you, the weather was terrible - snow blowing and very windy, 32 degrees. So, got to Draper and she just signed off on the check, so back to the bank I went... Then, I decided to go to the grocery store since I was already out there and didn't care to go out on WED (today) if I could help it! We are celebrating Amber and Jeremy's birthdays tomorrow night so I got all the stuff I needed for that and I also got mother's day covered as well to save myself from last minute rushing as I am famous for thanks to my scatter-brain! Once in a great while I can seem like I have it all together, but other times...! I am also thankful that the girls were so good at Walmart! Lyndsay slept the whole time, would wake up, look around, then drift back off. Erin walked through the whole store and was great - no meltdowns or anything! She picked out plates for our party tomorrow - guess what they were? (DORA - hee hee - I'm sure Daddy will love them!) What fun! She's more into a show on PBS called Word World which I kind of enjoy as well - educational - she knows more letters than any of my other kids ever had at 2 1/2! She also knows all of her sippy cups - there's the octopus cup, the ABC cup, the cat cup, etc. Very sure of which one she wants when - wierd child, I know.

I am thankful for our health even though Isaac was sick - it wasn't throw up sick or anything that others have had. My sister's household has been sick off and on the last month or so, etc.

I am thankful for warmer weather - finally! Kicking the boys and Erin outside to play is so rewarding! The house is quiet for a few moments and they burn off energy which they have a lot of!

We are preparing to order chickens - about 25 layers and 50 broilers. The chicken coop is ready and all we need to do is order!

That's all that's new for now, I have a few new pictures - I did get some good ones of Lyndsay smiling, but the CF card was in the computer - not in the camera:( So, I will keep trying...
Have a great day!

Sunday night...

Hi there - yes, it's late, but my house is quiet - everyone sleeping but hubby and me. So, I thought I'd post before going to bed. This weekend was great- sleeping in, having Jeremy home, Isaac has been feeling better as well. Saturday morning, I gave him some benadryl (which always seemed to make Curt hyper), and about 45 minutes later, he was passed out on the couch for a good 2 hours! Another note to self: only give Isaac Benadryl at bedtime! But, he's feeling better - praise the Lord. So, Jeremy has been working on our "chicken coop" out back all weekend. He cleaned it out real good (didn't do it last year so it was bad). We had 5 chickens left which were all very old and didn't lay eggs anymore. Well, a few weeks ago, the dogs radio fence collar went dead battery-wise so I told the kids to put him in the chicken pen with his doghouse blocking the door to the shed to keep him separated from the chickens until I could get to the store for more batteries. Needless to say, we have no chickens left! But, he really did us a favor. We are getting ready to order more chickens - about 25 layers and 25-50 broilers for butchering. That will be a first for us so we'll see how this goes. The coop has a cement/tiled floor now and has always had running water and electricity. Now we just need to build more nesting boxes and it'll be all set. The chicks are always fun to have and watch grow. I'm not too crazy about roosters, but the broilers are better if they are roosters, I guess. I've been knocked down from behind by a few roosters and really have to watch the little ones around them. It's all kind of educational for the kids as well.



Friday night, my husband took us out to eat at Gracie's for their delicious seafood buffet and afterward we went to the cemetery and straightened everything out there - the grave blanket and my shepherd's hook with the star hanging from it were both on the ground. So, everything is back in order there. I usually take flowers as well, but it is still March and they would have frozen in one night so we'll wait until April 18th to do that.



Sunday morning, I was exercising and I got a phone call from my dad in Florida. He's in the hospital with pneumonia so please pray for him. He'll be in there for 2-3 days at most, hopefully, if he responds to antibiotics/steroids/breathing treatments. Then, Jeremy's mom beeped in and she told me our Aunt Judy was going to the hospital as well. She has cancer and hasn't been feeling well (she hasn't felt well in a year, but she is really not feeling well) especially this last week. So please keep her in prayer as well. Good thing God always uses Easter to put things in perspective for me. I don't ask why as much, I ask what am I supposed to get or learn from this instead? Not to say the why part isn't there, but... some things we just can't understand I guess...



So, after praying for my dad and Aunt Judy, we went to Cracker Barrel for an Easter breakfast (Jeremy, Isaac, Erin, Lyndsay and myself) and then to church. Then, did some running around and back home to steaks for dinner. Back to church tonight after Amber, Brooke and Curt came home. Today, I also got to see the other 2 new babies in church - very adorable - the nursery is filling up again! It feels good to get back into the "normal" routine. I only have 3 weeks left at home before having to go back to work:( Pray for me on that one as well - it will be very hard for me after having the last 7 months off. So, the next 3 weeks I will be busy getting the house in order, baby on a schedule I can explain to babysitter, and getting some other things scheduled. Brooke needs to take driver's training, Amber needs a physical for college admission, senior pictures need to be scheduled and Brooke's braces need to be started! WOW! I have some phone calls to make!



Baby is doing great - she's been smiling and starting to coo a bit - I even got the "gummy" smile out of her this weekend! Isaac was sitting on one side of me (I was holding Lyndsay) and Erin was on the right of me. Isaac was rubbing her head and Erin was holding her hand while she fell asleep. The minute Isaac stopped rubbing her head, her eyes would pop back open and when he'd start rubbing again, her eyes would start rolling into the back of her head! So cute!

Jeremy is off tomorrow, too, so it will be exciting to see what we have in store for us - the kids will be in school (bummer). For now I will be signing off to head to bed and I will try and post some new pictures in the next few days! Have a great Monday.

She smiled!!!

Erin and Chewy
Jeremy, Amber, Brooke and Grandpa Len March/April birthdays
The thinker already!

Guess what - just had to post this - Lyndsay smiled at me today on purpose - no gas, wide awake, smiled at me 3 times total (so far). I don't think I'll get any more smiles today- she is sleeping for the night now other than waking up to eat unless Erin and Isaac (who are in their swimming suits in our whirpool tub in our room) wake her up with all the noise they are making!
Which reminds me, it is time for them to get out before they do wake her up! Jeremy has the next 4 days off for Easter (YIPPEE) - that means I don't have to set the alarm for 4:15am!!!

Have a great Easter weekend and speaking of Easter...

Easter is bittersweet for me - 5 years ago on Good Friday (April 18th), our then 2 1/2 year old daughter died in a drowning accident while we were visiting some very dear relatives. It is also bittersweet because it celebrates the death and resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ. God made a huge sacrifice by bringing His Son to the earth and then letting Him die on the cross for our sins so that we can trust in him and be saved and know we will go to Heaven when we die. While God gave his son willingly, I cannot say that I gave my daughter willingly - I would much rather that Danielle were still here with us... But, it makes me appreciate the sacrifice that God (and Jesus) made even more! I am so thankful that I do know the Lord as my Savior and I will be reunited with my daughter some day. God has allowed me to use Danielle's birth and death as a way to reach people and give our testimony. I am able to reach out to those who have lost someone (especially a child) and let them know I understand and possibly be able to witness to them. I am also extremely thankful that the Lord has allowed me to have 2 more children since Danielle's death. Those 2 children, being girls - I am so reminded of Danielle at times which is an extra blessing from the Lord. Even in times of trials and tribulations, God is Good, All the Time! So, again - give your kids an extra tight hug/squeeze and enjoy them even more this weekend, if possible - I know I will.

Well, I was right - I knew once the baby was born, time would fly by! I was hoping that wouldn't happen! Actually, my whole pregnancy went by really fast! This week has gone by fast, with the boys being home from school! Oh, to be a stay at home, homeschooling mom - that would be my dream job! They boys have gone through "computer withdrawal" a little this week. Mom has been limiting them in the amount of time they are allowed to be on the computer/playing electronic games, etc. They had to play checkers with me a few days ago and both lost! Sore losers, I might add! But, it was fun and I had to play a game with Erin as well which consisted of putting the checker pieces on the board and just moving them around with no goal in mind... Yesterday, the 5 of us ventured out to Walmart for groceries and Curt was a big help, pushing the grocery cart while I pushed the other with Erin and Lyndsay in it. Today, we are going to tackle cleaning the boys' bedroom in bit. First, I am going to change a stinky baby and put her in her new bouncy seat we bought yesterday so I can finish exercising. I've been walking on my Norditrac every day now for atleast 15-20 minutes (nothing too strenuous yet), but it's amazing how much better I feel. My tummy has gone down more as well. I will stay off the scale another week before seeing if I've made any progress there:)

Yesterday was Amber's 18th birthday - can you believe it? Brooke called in the morning on their way to the church and I told Amber Happy Birthday. Then, she called last night on their way to church and we sang Happy Birthday to her as well. Erin was a chatterbox on the phone with her as well and didn't want to get off. I was planning on going to church last night myself, but Wednesday - early in the morning (Tuesday night), Isaac woke up with a horrific nightmare, claiming someone or thing was coming to get him. I was on the couch, feeding the baby and he was running through the house, frantically trying to get away - kind of funny. I had a time getting him to calm down and the only way was to get Curt to climb into bed with him to "keep him safe". Wow, what a night! Well, he was also coughing and had a fever, so I medicated him for that and in the morning his temp was still 101. It did go down after giving him motrin and that is why we went to get groceries. I got them a hamburger from McD's on the way and he didn't finish his which is highly unusual! On the way home, he fell asleep and came home and continued to sleep on the couch with another fever. So, I stayed home from church. He is still ill this morning with the bathroom blues starting, so we'll see how this goes. Just keeping him away from the baby as much as possible! Atleast it's during the week while he has no school and I'm off work!

Lyndsay is in her crib, looking at a toy (red, black and white) that Aunt Heather had bought for Danielle when she was in the hospital in Ann Arbor. She really likes it but is now starting to cry for me - she only lasts for about 10 minutes, but gets better at entertaining herself every day! But, I'm off to get some things done, so have a great day and pray that no one else gets sick in our household this week!

Monday

Hello there - not too busy of a weekend - Jeremy had to work Saturday so we just vegged out most of the day... Earlier in the day, the rest of us left the house at 1pm and went to get haircuts for us girls. I didn't realize they were going to do all of us at once and of course Lyndsay couldn't be content in her carseat! So, I had to get her out and have Curt hold her while we were getting done. All in all, Curt, Isaac and Erin were very good for not having direct supervision! So, we got done at 3pm, took a quick walk down to Sears to size a few little ones for shoe buying in the near future (remember, rubber boots inventory?), and then had to run Amber to Clio to go to her friends birthday dinner with the family. She had to be there at 4pm. I ended up going in with her to change a stinky Lyndsay so she'd be happy for the ride home. We got a pizza on the way home and had that for dinner.

Sunday we went to church, then off to Jeremy's moms for birthday dinners for some of the birthdays in the family that fall in March and April (my brother in law and his wife couldn't come because the infamous flu bug has hit their household with five boys - I hope they all don't have it!). A delicious ham dinner was eaten and we were entertained by the baby, Erin and some singing from the girls and a niece. It was nice seeing Grandma Reid - haven't seen her since her birthday in January! The baby enjoyed snuggling with her and napping. Erin and Nana's dog, Chewy tired each other out. After we left there, we went to Millington to pick up an already full trailer load of wood:), and stopped by our neighbor's house (the Hebner's) out there to show off Lyndsay and visit for a bit while Jeremy walked out back to make sure he put the gas cap back on the backhoe from our trip last week (he did)! So, that was nice - haven't talked with them all winter and some of my favorite times out there have been sitting on their great front porch, visiting while the kids eat popsicles and color... Their porch has a great view of their property and ours and is nice and cool and relaxing with a swing and everything!

Ok, I posted some new pictures so enjoy and off I go to make it look as if I did something today besides take our Suburban in to the dealers for repairs (after vacuuming it out), get the rental car, bring home donuts, exercise on my Norditrac (to work off the donuts I ate), clean the stove top and microwave oven (YUCK), and now I'm off to atleast clean one bathroom before getting supper started! Have a great day!

Good Morning

Hello there - just keeping busy on this end! Well, after a few days of feeling miserable thanks to mastitis, I am finally feeling better after being on an antibiotic for 24 hours now... Thank you to the midwife, Kelly who called in an RX for me yesterday instead of making me come in to the office with the 2 little ones...! Last night, though, Lyndsay started having diarreah (SP?) and has thrown up a few times as well, so I will be going to the store this morning to get some pedialyte per the doctor's suggestion. We will keep an eye on her today and I need to call the doctor again later to let him know how she's doing. Hopefully, it's not the flu or anything. Erin has been having some "lovely" moments the last few days. But, we're getting through them! The girls have been gone since yesterday morning for Fine Arts Competition at another christian school down near the Ohio border. They will be competing in their singing, piano and photography areas today. The boys preached yesterday, I guess. Then, next week is spring break - yippee we get to sleep in without worrying about an alarm clock! Curt and Isaac are excited. This morning, they both said - only one more day mom! I wish the weather would warm up more, now! Erin and Isaac went outside after Daddy got home from work while he was loading the woodstove. I imagine we'll be going to Millington this weekend for another trailer load of wood! I know my husband will be glad when we don't need the furnace anymore this year and I can guarantee you we will probably be bringing trailer loads of wood home this summer to prepare for next winter!

That's all the exciting news here for now - have a great day and I'm off to get the pedialyte and some other things while I'm there...

What an exciting morning!

Well, this has been quite the day already! At 6am this morning, the phone rang and I had just gotten back to sleep at about 5:30am after being awake since 4am... So, I noticed it was my neighbor and answered it. She said that there was someone walking around in the backyard with a flashlight - I jumped out of bed, turned off the microwave light so I could see out the back window and watched, but didn't see anything. I called 911 right away and they didn't have a unit to send out right that second but were working on getting the police out. I was thinking, wow - I was sleeping on the couch with the baby until 4am! What if someone was looking through the french doors at me? I kept looking out the windows, not seeing anything. The girls were up starting to get ready for school and were looking as well. Now, mind you we have had trouble with this kind of thing in the past. There is a certain person who lives around the corner that has served jail time for stealing/breaking and entering. He is famous for walking around and rifling through unlocked (and sometimes locked) garages, vehicles, etc. So, I was a little concerned. The police arrived 6:35am and walked around, seeing nothing. After going to my neighbors, they deducted that she might have been seeing headlights from cars through the woods towards the road on the side of us, reflecting off the snow or something. Hopefully that's all it was!

So, now I'm tired and have things to do, but we'll see how the day goes. So far Erin has eaten a bit of a pancake and a bit of an apple. She just asked my where my baby went (I just laid her down so I can get cleaned up a bit). I also had to mess with our woodstove - it was pretty much out this morning, so thanks to bits of bark on the ground and a propane torch, I got it going again but will go out and check the temperature again in a bit to make sure! That's enough excitement for one day/week/month - you name it!

This Sunday we are going to my mom-in-law's to celebrate the March/April birthdays for Len, Jeremy, Amber and Brooke. Ham dinner to look forward to as well as seeing everyone. Hopefully Grandma Reid will be there as she hasn't been able to see Lyndsay in person yet! It will be nice to get out. Yesterday it was so nice outside - sunny, too. When daddy got home from work, I had Erin ready to go out and I even went out for a little bit.

Sunday, we went to church in the morning. When I came home, Jeremy had one eye pretty much closed it was bothering him so bad. He has an abrasion on the cornea that acts up every so often if something gets in his eye, etc. So, off we went to Medexpress. Before we left, he hooked up the trailer and said we would go to the property to pick up a load of wood. I said, how long because if we're going to be gone long I will bring the baby atleast (Erin was sleeping, too and we left all the kids home). He said it wouldn't take long, the wood was cut, just had to dump into the trailer. Ok... So, Medexpress took an hour. The kids were doing fine, baby was still sleeping. We got to the property at 5:30 or so. I told Amber to go to church without everyone else and me, so she did, leaving Brooke with everyone. Baby woke up, so I told Brooke to give her a bottle. Jeremy and I drove the Suburban out into the middle field and found it to be too muddy so we went back to the barn to get the International tractor. He also got the backhoe out. Now, mind you I was dressed in my church outfit still with my nice long leather coat and dress shoes. I can only button 1 -2 buttons after having the baby. I thought I would be in the warm truck during this whole ordeal - wrong! I ended up driving the International (thank goodness it has a cab - with no doors, but I praised God for the cab!) out to the back field ever so slowly to avoid bumps, etc for the sake of my stomach still and did fine - it was actually fun driving the tractor again - I enjoy it so much during the summer! Jeremy had one huge piece of the tree trunk in the backhoe and ready to put in the trailer by the time I made it out back. No problem - until he tried to get the other piece, which was huge! He messed with it for 45 minutes and then discovered diesel gas was low in the backhoe. So, I drove back up to the truck, ran to Otter Lake for more diesel and then ran it back out in the tractor to the backhoe. While I was gone, Jeremy had taken the chain saw and hacked the big huge trunk piece up a bit. Then, after he put gas in the backhoe, guess what? It wouldn't start! The whole time, I made myself stay on the tractor in the cab with my legs drawn up under me for warmth! I knew if I got down, I would try and help and end up doing too much, plus I was freezing my fanny off! So, my husband, who was exhausted by this time from swinging an ax and chain saw and knew it had taken way longer than he told me it would:) climbed aboard with me and we went up and closed up the barn and brought our one piece of wood home at 8:30pm! The baby had had another bottle right before we got home and when I said hello to her, she cranked her head around looking for me as if to say - where've you been? Now, I did enjoy being out there as hard as it is for me to leave everyone (especially baby right now) behind. The feeling did come back in my toes on the way home with the heat cranked up and NOTE TO SELF: when husband mentions getting wood real quick, make sure you change your clothes and wear boots/snow pants, etc!:) I really can't wait til spring and am ready to do a rubber boot inventory to make sure everyone has a pair that fits, etc. so that when it is warm enough, we can go to the property for some nice walks and get out of the house! Being out there wet my appetite for the great outdoors again!

So, that was our big weekend! Now, I must get some things done so I will wish you a great day and maybe post more pictures later this week!

God Bless and remember to hug your spouse as well - the kids aren't the only ones who enjoy it!

Monday morning

Good Morning! Although, it's already 11am and I don't know where the morning went - it's going by way too fast! Just a quick minute as Lyndsay is waking up for a bottle again. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Everything is going great and baby's doing good and so is everyone else! I will post again later as she is now hollering pretty loud for me to feed her!

Good Morning!

Yes, I am still here - just trying to get on somewhat of a schedule. I must say I blew it today, though because Lyndsay has been awake this morning, so I kind of sat around a little... Oh well, I'm entitled, right? She's sleeping now, so this is my opportunity to take my shower and get a few things done before she's ready to eat and snuggle again. I am sooooo lucky! I have Erin in our tub right now and plan on getting in the shower so this will be quick. I have to say that Lyndsay is an incredibly good baby - just very content. Even during her awake times (up to two hours at a time!), she just loves to look around and take everything in. She's usually only fussy when her diaper is wet/dirty or she's getting really hungry and I'm taking too long to get her the bottle! (Yes, I did give up on the nursing - unfortunately, but it is much less stressful for both of us and since momma's happier, the whole household is better off!). It's hard to believe she's 2 1/2 weeks old already! I am still having a bit of trouble with my legs and I've had a mild headache since I had her, but I think the headache is due to the spinal I had. It seems to get better every day as well. Hopefully it will go away completely sooner than later! As far as my legs go, atleast my hose are much easier to put on now that I don't have an 7+ pound baby in the way:)

The kids are glad it's Friday (so am I). This month is busy for them. Next week the girls go to stateline for Fine Arts Competition on Thursday and Friday, I believe. Then the following week is Spring Break but they will be gone to Pastor's School at Hyles Anderson College/Church in Indiana. So, just Curt will be home with Isaac, Erin and Lyndsay. It will be nice not having to wake up at a certain time. I was up twice with Lyndsay last night. She is pretty good about going back to sleep normally. This morning (4:30am), she got the hiccups, though and it took a little longer... Next month (April), Amber will be gone for I believe the third week on her Senior Trip with the Junior class at school as well. I can't remember where they are going and I better remember to ask before she goes:) I think she's been to more places than I have in all of her travels with the church/school! She is still busy getting ready for college as well.

I think Brooke is going with my sister and mom to the horse expo in Lansing tonight and tomorrow. She still hasn't completely made up her mind as of this morning. Tomorrow night, Curt's grandpa Sam is taking him to some monster truck show at the Dow Center. So, they are busy as usual! Jeremy has to work tomorrow - the first Saturday since June last year! To think that at this time last year, we had been laid off for 7 weeks off and on and this year, no layoffs, but overtime! Things sure can change fast!

Ok, gotta go before the baby wakes up to eat. Take care and have a great weekend - I will try and post some more pictures over the weekend.

by myself...

Hi there - well, my husband had to go back to work today:( I know he didn't enjoy getting up at 4:15am again!! So, I was on my own. Lyndsay slept soundly from 4:30am - 10:00am so I got some sleep and a few things accomplished - yes, I did clean my kitchen and living room floors, cleaned the main bathroom and vacuumed the dining room. I couldn't take it any longer. I did wait and have Amber do the hall and entryway floor when she came home from school. I was tuckered out. Then at 10:45am or so my mom-in-law and brother and sister in laws came over for a visit and my mom showed up as well. Then, my aunt and cousin and her daughter (Chae) came over and my cousin Trisha made us a delicious chili dinner with a few fixin's as well. I can't wait to eat when Jeremy comes home! Very very nice of them - we were given some very nice gifts from Nana and Aunt Judi/Uncle Al and Aunt Tara, Trisha and Kim (I keep wanting to call her Kimmie:)). Erin loves to open the presents - she thinks it's birthday time every day! She takes the outfits right in her room to hang up! It's always good to see everyone and I wish we could visit more often! When I was a kid, we always enjoyed getting together with our cousins. I remember babysitting Trisha and Kim! Wow, am I getting old, or what?! Erin is still passed out, napping, the baby is sleeping in Amber's lap and I am waiting for a few (frozen) loaves of bread to finish raising so I can pop them in the oven. Brooke is on the computer, playing a game and Curt is patiently waiting for her to finish so he can get on. Isaac is playing as well. We are just waiting for Daddy to get home which should be any minute now! I will try and post some new pics tomorrow - baby Lyndsay is so good! I did give up on the nursing and she is so much more content and never fusses except when she's wet or hungry and otherwise, she is very content!

Amber needs to get up, so I am going to go and snuggle with Lyndsay now!

Saturday

Hello there! We are still hanging in there - I feel better and better each day and finally had a falling out with Erin today. She's been getting away with lots, just knowing mom isn't as quick on her feet! So, we had a few "training" sessions this morning and she's been better. I'm sure it's not over yet, but I hope to stay consistent. I've been bad at just holding Lyndsay - in a way, I want to just enjoy her and it also makes me stay put and rest, but reality is I have to be able to control the other children as well. So, as we speak, Erin is napping and so is Lyndsay. Lyndsay is laying on our bed by Daddy who is on the computer and keeping an eye on her so that I can get some things done. We are going to have to make a store run tonight or tomorrow so I've gone through coupons and organized a few things, did laundry, paid bills, got the mail, etc. I can't believe how fast the day goes by!

I've posted some new pictures and hope to get more recent ones in the next few days... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Amber, Brooke and Curt are gone this weekend so Isaac has been enjoying his time on the computer (being the youngest, he gives in to big brother most of the time and ends up watching more than he likes). Star Wars is his favorite computer game. Erin found her "laptop" that Grandma & pa Coe got her for Christmas and has been typing on it alongside Isaac - how cute! She had just gotten out of the tub this morning when I took that. As you can see - they all love Lyndsay, even when she's crying! I am about to give up on nursing as she can nurse and nurse and will still down 3-4 oz of formula after nursing for an hour! This has always been a struggle for me so it's really no surprise, but it doesn't get easier with each one to give up, unfortunately! I just love that mommy and me time only I can give to the baby! Oh well, atleast I give it the old college try, as they say. I just figure I'll try as long as I can...

I am so ready for spring to arrive - 3 more inches yesterday! My husband was hoping the worst of the weather would be over when he returns to work Monday, but no luck! Leaving 20 minutes earlier in the morning due to bad weather is not fun -sleep is so important! Now, he'll be working 2 Saturdays with one off, then work 2... until they say no more. Supposedly it will be that way until the end of the year! We can't wait to get our camper back from the repair shop (getting a new awning, some siding, etc.) and get it out to the property and set in place before it thaws too much! I don't know how much I'll be camping out there with the new one, but we'll see how it goes! I can't wait to go out there for walks and such now that Erin is bigger and Lyndsay will be in the backpack as well by the time we are able to do anything. Jeremy is already talking about plans for the fields out there. We have to plant earlier to take advantage of the rains in growing a good crop of hay this year! So, plans are in the works.

Well, I'm off to do other things I've been neglecting. I'm itching to do my floors, but will wait and have Amber and Brooke do them one more time before I tackle them myself! I don't want to end up in bed the rest of the day!

Have a great night!