Friday, December 18, 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009

Lemonade

I am thankful for all of the prayers we recieved. Grandma was able to leave her earthly body last night and arrived in His loving arms where she is celebrating her new life with Jesus. The prayers were felt today as we had no power from the storm last night, our shower broke when I went to take a shower this morning (tub broke last week), & I swiped the corner end of another car with my trailer on the way to get it repaired for something else. I'm going to follow one my Grandma's many sayings and take those lemons we’ve gotten over the last week and make some awesome lemonade. God is only giving me as many lemons as I can handle!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Our Family

We just need tons of prayers right now. Joel's Grandmother passed away on Friday afternoon. We left for Pittsburgh on Sat early am and while we were their asking for prayers for Joel and his family on Monday my sister and 1 1/2 month old nephew were in a car accident. Everyone was ok and just shook up but my mom was at the hospital with my sister when she got a call that my Grandmother had a mini heart attack and was not doing well at all. We just got home last night at 10pm and we were packed and back on the road again this morning. We stopped to see my Grandma on our way out of town for Joel's Grandma's visitation tonight and funeral tomorrow. Unfortunetaly my Grandma only seems to have a few days left max according to her hospice care. So we will be doing this all over again in a few days I know that Heaven is where our Grandma's want to be but it's a bit much all at the same times especially since my Dad's dad is in a rehad center from a broken hip while we were gone 3 1/2 weeks ago and his Parkinsons is getting really bad and my Dad is worried he may not be around long either....

Just send them up please for all of us as we celebrate the lives of these great women and that my Grandma is able to go peacefully and pain free.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Home

It feels so good to say that... a week long trip with the kids is truly my limits especially when 4 of the days were 6+ hours in the car. We had a great time and did lots of fun stuff but now it is time to get settled back into home life!!!

Tuesday morning we got out of the house and on the road to Pittsburgh by about 8 am. We arrived just before dinner and found that after an 8 hour drive Logan should never be taken in public. We had half eaten food and had to head back to the hotel for a very short swim and bed time. We enjoyed a nice day at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Wed in celebration of Joel's birthday. We then headed into Baltimore for an night at a hotel before we took a day trip to DC. We saw the Smithsonium National Museum of Natural History and got a tour of downtown DC from my friend April who I have known since highschool. The metro rides were very exciting for the kids and nice not to be in the car. That night we had to spend an extra night in a hotel as the railings for my cousins house were not in and made the house not pass inspection till they were.

Friday we spent just walking around downtown Baltimore and enjoying some time outside. Saturday and Sunday we laid low with Sara, Ryan, and Claire in and around their house. Lastly on Monday we hit the National Aquarium with the kids and had an absolute blast.

We took off for home on Monday night hoping to drive through the night and just have the kids sleep all of the way with Joel and I taking turns. Logan was not a fan of night driving so we had to stop for the night at 1:30 am in Ohio. He was asleep by the time we hit the highway leaving Baltimore and Allie mins later but then we stopped to get gas, drinks, and fixed his seat about 45 mins later and he woke up and was up till we turn off a second movie we put in for them at 11:30ish. So then he feel asleep for an hour but then kept waking up every 15 mins insisting on being touched till he fell asleep again. Eventually found a lullabuy movie to calm him down but Maddie was wide awake. Allie slept for a good portion of it all LOL! We stopped in Independence and slept for 6 beautiful hours!

We pulled into Spring Lake today at 2:15 pm and we all did a little happy to not be in the car dance. Thanks again April, Sara, Ryan, and Claire for a great time. It feels so good to be home though!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Vacation

We are taking off for a week to go visit my cousin in Baltimore. The computers are being left at home and we looking forward to some catch up time with my cousin and her family and visit a high school friend of mine.

We are leaving first thing tomorrow morning and I am so ready to go and just enjoy some time with my family. Granted when we get home next Tuesday evening I'll probably need a vacation from them. On Tuesday we will be driving to Pittsburgh and spend the night there. The next morning we plan on getting up and heading to the Pittsburgh Zoo to celebrate Joel's birthday there. Then we will head to Baltimore for the rest of the trip.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Happy Birthday Maddie

Can my first baby really be 7 already? Where has the time gone since I swear 7 years went by while I blinked or something. Maddie has turned into a very special and wonderful young lady. There were times when I wondered if she would make it to 5 and now here we are at 7 and those days are only foggy memories of leaving toddler times. I can not see what God has in store for her and all of us as more years come upon us.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

New haircuts

Well in the last 4 days all 3 of my kids have gotten haircuts :( The girls needed nice and short summer cuts and the boy....well quiet frankly he needed to look more like a little boy.  I can not believe how much older they all look.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

9th Anniversary

Wow I can not believe it has been 9 years since I married my first true love and best friend in life.  It has been the best 9 years I have ever spent.  We have grown so much and I love him more still every day.  The children and life we have created and nurtured together is truly a blessing from God and I could not be any happier!!!  Thank you babe for being everything I ever needed and so much more... God truly created us to be one!!!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Running

Well I ran another mile again last night... my legs were a bit sore at first but they actually got better the longer I had been running. When I am done running I come home and drag the dog for a mile walk down and hopefully as we do this more she will get more peppy through the walk :).   Tonight I will run another mile and then tomorrow I will up it about to 1.5 if possible.   I'm actually having fun doing this. 

On other fronts musical bedrooms is going well and even the basement is in a state where people can come over and enjoy it.  We are also having Maddie's friend and family parties this Sat so we have been keeping super busy with that.  I love busy times because I feel better all around when I feel accomplished.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Musical Bedrooms

Well musical rooms is well underway here now and to a functional completion point. Maddie is resting peacefully in her new room that was once the playroom. We were able to get a large amout of the basement organized and cleaned out this past weekend. Carpet has also been laid and the kids are enjoying the play area.

Monday, May 11, 2009

House projects

Over the last week we have been cleaning out our back yard and making it better and larger to spend time in. We moved a fence that was in our side yard from the back corner of the hosue to the front coner. This alone made the yard look huge. We also took down 5 pines that were killing the grass and not letting enough light in. Now the backyard feels like it doubled in size. This was all done in prep of the idea of putting the house on the market next spring. On Sunday morning when Joel and I were finish a few small things we started talking and both agreed we didn't want to move now that we had done so much work.

So the next step was to figure out how we can make our house work longer. We have a 3 bedroom house that doesn't have a lot of indoor entertaining space. We really want another bedroom for Maddie and want a family room. We both agreed we could take and turn the playroom/den area into a bedroom for Maddie. Down the road we'll try and sell it as a office/study or bedroom. We are going to put up some french doors that will lead into her room and she will share the huge walk in closet in Allie's new room. We are also going to move the playroom into the basement and turn the space into a family room with a play area.

We are so excited because we had all of the details figured out in how it would work in less than an hour. We have even gotten paint picked out, new bedding for Maddie, and placement of toys and other bedroom stuff planned out as well. Maddie will go into the playroom, Allie will go into what is Logan's room now, and Logan will go up to what is the girls room. This will make nap time better for Logan this summer as well.

So what's next? Well this week I will be moving things around and maybe even doing some painting. It's just crazy because we hope to have Maddie at least sleeping in her new room by this time next week. Hopefully by the end of Memorial day weekend we will either be ready to make up the space in the basement or really close. We are so excited because this will allow us to stay in this house much longer and over the next few years do some other great improvements. We want to redo the main floor bathroom and we also hope to eventually redo the kitchen. With not selling and going up to a bigger more expensive house we can afford to do these things but also make it worth more to sell!!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Healing

The sun is out and shinning today after a couple of days of rain.  It seems as though God mourned with us and is now giving us hope and comfort.  After a goodnights sleep I woke up feeling just a bit more at peace.  I know that I miss him like crazy but I also know that we will heal.  I am someone who needs to totally talk these things out so I have decided to start really sharing my feelings in my posts to help me heal and continue to stay present.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Sad Day

Yesterday was such a roller coaster of emotions. That morning we started to feel tons better about Ozzie because his kidney levels had returned to normal. So we thought that this was great news and that he just needed to recover from a possible infection. The doc on thought thought that there was a possible obstruction that may have cause his decline in health and that maybe it passed. If it hadn't passed though he would probably need surgery.

After much talking Joel and I both agreed that if he did have an obstruction that surgery was not the best option for quality of life for Ozzie. They talked about alot of different things through out the day with our local vet. Many hard conversations were had.

We decide that they should recheck an x-ray and see what was up. If he was still obstructed it would be time to let him go. If it was not obstructed and things looked well we would formulate a plan to try one or two more things. If those didn't work it was also his way of saying no more.

We got a call from the Emergency clinic around 6ish. It was a new vet who had not seen him but studied his charts, x-rays, and talked with many people who had dealt with Ozzie over the previous 48 hours. She told us that the orginal spot that they thought that there was an obstruction was clear now. However they did see some bunching of the intestines that were not right. It wasn't definitive but he was not doing well and he had not gotten better at all with anything they were trying. He was still vomiting and had Diarrhea both with blood in it. Also his temp would not come down at all. She also said he did not look good and felt that we really needed to come and see him for our own eyes. In her opinion there was a very high chance that he had Intestinal Lymphoma, or some other big issue. I knew she was saying what I was thinking. Ozzie was telling us it was time.

We rushed to Grand Rapids and we all spent some time with him and said our goodbyes. He was happy to see us and purred the entire time but he was not our Ozzie at all. His eyes said it all... it was time and he was ok with it. I could tell he was in pain and he was still having the bloody diarrhea as we were there. He also felt very warm after he crawled into my arms after my parents took the kids to Wendys. The doctor and the tech both confirmed that he was very sick and there wasn't much to do and we were making the right choice. I gave him once last hug and kiss and left the room. Joel stayed with him and he purred right till the end, was not scared, and went very peacefully.

He will be so missed and as I sit here and type this from the love seat I miss his warm body next to mine. I know it's gonna take time before I stop looking for him to walk around the corner, curl up in my lap, or even to be busy cleaning Louie. However I do know that he truly changed my life. He was my first ever cat and now I can not ever imagine a time in my life without a cat in our house. He loved us so much and always showed us. He knew our emotions and was often a comforter in times of sadness.

Sir Oswald may you be pain free and floating on clouds of catnip!!!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Ozzie Update

Well we are still not sure 100% what is wrong as he is still not well enough to come home.  They are hoping that once the high protein levels leave his body he will start to feel better.  Otherwise he might need to transfer to our local vet for a bit more care.  I really miss having him here that is for sure.  He is such a huge part of our life.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Long Day

My morning started off super early. My dog was running around the room followed by hissing because one of our cats got into our room at 4:30am. My hubby thought he chased the cat out because our cat Ozzie was in the hallway and he is never there. So I am almost asleep and I hear something in the room again. Well apparently the cat that was in our room was a different one. So I got him out of the room and used the bathroom. Well by this time my mind was on and running a mile a min because I had a busy day ahead. I was going to help run a Consigment Sale for my MOPS group, fit in Maddie first ever soccer game, and have the girls go to Lansing for their first overnight with my MIL. So I got up instead of turning in bed and getting antsy.

I thought I'll just lay on the couch and veg for an hour before I needed to shower and get on the road. Well my cat Ozzie was still in our hallway and I knew something seemed off he only ever hangs out there if a mess from another cat needs to be cleaned up or something else is wrong. It's his way of getting our attention. So I tried to pet him and love on him and he was not having it. Normally all I have to do is say his name and he'll purr and run to you. Not this time...I let Joel know to keep an eye on him and then also found a slimy puke with a blood tinge downstairs so I knew he wasn't doing well.

I left at 6:30am to go work the sale and came home around 11:30am to take Maddie to her game. We went to her game and then came home. I went to change and found him upstairs looking horrible and puking more and not even cleaning himself up. So off I ran him to the emergency vet in GR while Joel took the girls to Ionia to meet my MIL.

$918 later he is in early kidney failure of one kidney and also has some ulcers from the kidney issue. He is there till sometime tomorrow with IV fluids and antibiotics with hopes that he'll be able to come home and do well for a while on a special food diet. We will know more tomorrow though. There is only so much we want to do for quality of life. Alot of times these cats end up needing weekly-daily IV fluids to keep them healthy and that is not for us or our Ozzie.

On a good note I made well over $200 at the Consignment sale so that should help with the bill for sure!!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming…



The best message of all time for Good Friday is by Author and Speaker Dr. Tony Campolo. Here is a link to the famous MP3 and you can also download it here .

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The whole tape is great but the best part is at the end when Tony Campolo recalls one Sunday when he had a little preaching competition with the head pastor at the church where he attends.

Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon in every way and had taken the congregation to ‘the heights of glory’. As he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Tony patted him on the knee and simply said, “Top that.” The older black pastor looked at him and said, “Boy, watch the master.” Then Dr. Campolo recalls for us the very brilliant message which followed.

The following is a short printed version of the 45 minute sermon–the printed version doesn’t really do justice to the original, but you can at least get an idea what the last part is like:

It’s Friday. But Sunday’s coming—

It was a simple sermon, starting softly, building in volume and intensity until the entire congregation was completely involved, repeating the phrases in unison. The sermon went something like this.

It’s Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter’s denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It’s Friday; but Sunday’s a coming.

It’s Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, “Father, forgive them.” It’s Friday; but Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, “My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?” What a horrible cry. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. And at the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that’s because it’s Friday, and they don’t know it, but Sunday’s a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it’s Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn’t the only thing that was shaking because now it’s Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it’s Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it’s Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It’s Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It’s Sunday. And now everything has changed. It’s the age of grace, God’s grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it’s Sunday.

At the end of the message the pastor shouts out:

It’s Friiidaaaay!

And the whole congregation responds:

But Sunday’s Coming!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Happy Birthday Allie

My little Bear Bear is 4 years old today!!!  No way I can hardly believe my little April Fools Joke turned 4 today. I can not believe how big she has gotten and how much she has changed. Allie was our quiet little sweet girl and now she is the little Doddle Bear marker Makeup artist. (See posts a few back understand better ) She even asked if she could start getting homework now that she is 4! She is such a joy and handful all at the same time.  I love you my sweet little Bear Bear!!!!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Partners in Crime

Well Allie is going have a very interesting year this year being 4 and all.... granted she is still 6 days away from her actual Birthday. She has apparently decided to take up a new hobby. It's called Make-up artist... except with a unique make-up tool. She used a Doodle Bear Pen, a pen for those bears you can write on and then throw in the washer to clean them off to start over again. She did this about 15 mins before we suppose to leave for her preschool. I was not able to look at her with a straight face. She also applied her new skill to her brother as well. My biggest fear was that she was going to have to go to preschool like that. So please enjoy!!!

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Friday, February 27, 2009

Yukon it is!

Well we love the Yukon and it looks great.  So we will be buying it tomorrow!!!  We are so excited because with having to put the money down on it we had plans for, we wanted to be sure we loved it and didn't feel that it will do but not love it.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Yukon anyone?

Well the Tahoe seems to be sold at this point because it has not been brought back and financing is being looked into.  Which at first really drove me nuts... but then after talking to my salesman it got better.  They have a sister company in Muskegon and he found a 2005 Yukon that had some more miles but with all of the same bells and whistles but it also has GPS as well.  Since a Yukon is the step up brand in niceness from the Tahoe I can't complain much. So he is going to get it to his dealership and let us check it out this afternoon.  Heather is going to go with me because she has had a Suburban before and is looking to go back to one or the Yukon XL. 

If it all works out and Joel likes it then I have a felling we will buy it.  We would also be able to have it this weekend!!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Well

The Tahoe I went to look at and test drive today was picked up for a test drive about an hour before I got there.  I was so bummed but found a really great salesman to work with.  He said that if we would like to be second in line for considering that vehicle there was something we could try.  What we did was write up an offer with a $50 deposit.  The offer was fully based on our approval and liking of the vehicle.  The only thing it did was gaurantee that if it came back and was not bought for full price by the other person we were next in line to consider it.  Apparently if you have it out for a test drive you are pretty much putting a hold on it and it can't be sold out from under you.

They also did a test drive on our van and are giving us $11,500 for it.  So that was great news because from what we can tell the other place was only offering $9500.  So we shall see tomorrow if the Tahoe comes back and if it get sold or not.

Change of plans

Well we could not get the dealership to come down to where we wanted to see the pricing.  That Tahoe has been on the lot for a while now and just isn't moving, so I am surprised they are being so stiff with the price.  I did some looking around at other places and found that for another $3000 we could get a Tahoe with similar miles but with all of the bells and whistles.    We really would prefer one that has captain seats in the second row.  This afternoon I am going to pick Maddie up from school and head to Coopersville to check out a 2005 Tahoe that is burgundy with Second row captain seats, DVD player, leather seats, sun roof, and other little cool things.  From what I am finding though from calling around these suckers are flying off the lot almost as soon as they are taking them.  It tells us that there is more wrong with that Tahoe then we know.  So we shall see looks like we might be happier long term now though.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day

I hope you have all had a great Valentines Day. Joel and I had our first date 11 years ago today. So hard to believe it’s been that long. I love him even more every year!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Test Drive

Well we have had the Tahoe for the entire weekend and we really liked driving it.  We did have our neighbors take a look at it and it needs new tires and an alternator.  We are also hoping to get a DVD player put into it as well because the kids are much better riders in the car when we need to go more than 45 mins with it.  We shall see I don;t see it as a deal breaker but it would be really nice to have.  The insurance was a concern as well but it would actually lower our payments $5 a month there so that would totally work.  We shall see what the next few days bring.

Allie thinks we are getting an SUB.  It’s so cute to hear her call the SUV that and we laugh almost everytime.  I know we will miss our van because it’s been such a great vehicle for us but I think this is going to be better for our needs.  Hopefully by tomorrow we will have more info.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Tahoe maybe...

Well the numbers came back good and we would only be paying a little more a month for the Tahoe and it wouldn’t be a lease this time!  We are going to have it for the weekend to drive around and check out throughly.  I am excited to give it a try driving since I’ll probably drive it the most.    Should be interesting…. we are hoping to have our neighbor look it over as well.  He knows lots about cars and we totally trust his advice.  A few already awesome points is that it has the full towing package on it so we wouldn’t need to do anything there at all.  We do hope that they can put one more teether latch in the back seat though so that the girls can use thier Husky’s back there.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

New Car

Well we finally decided to go to the dealership and see what they could possibly do for us regarding getting into a vehicle that could tow the trailer but also give us the space we are use to having. We know that we are still a little upside down in our lease because it’s a 5 year and we are only two years into it right now. We figure it’s about $7,000 right now with what we owe over it’s worth if we were to buy it per say. We looked at a 2005 Chevy Tahoe and really liked it. Our sales guy is going to work the numbers in the morning and let us know. I am not sure though how I feel about giving up my Van I so love it and wish it could tow our camper. But then again I have always wanted a truck and the Tahoe is pretty darn close with it’s V8 and all!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Logan update

Ok so they believe that Logan has a asymmetric rib cage. It’s not a huge health danger but down the road could cause issues if it continues to worsen. We were asked to take pictures of him from different angles to document what it looks like and use it as a reference to watch for changes. If we continue to notice changes we will need to go in for more scans as well. But at this point it doesn’t see to be affecting his heart, lungs, or spine. These will be things that we’ll just keep an eye on as he grows. They will do a throughall check of it again at his 18 month appointment in about 3 months.

So right now we have nothing to worry about but we need to be aware of it and how it changes as he goes through growth spurts.

Little Scared...

Last night I noticed a bump on Logan's chest.  It's right about where his heart is and where his left and right ribcage meet on the left hand side.  It felt alot like his ribs sticking out in that area but I wasn't 100% sure.  We put a call into the after hours nurse at his office and we conculded it was not life threating in anyway but it should get check out today.  This morning I took him into the Docs and he thinks it is what is called asymmetric rib cage.  He did send us on for chest x-rays to take a look at his lungs, heart, and ribcage.  We should know more later.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Update on Sickies

Well Logan still has the ear infection and has to go on a new drug. However Allie's lungs are clear and the meds are still working in her system so she was all set. I hate when the kids are sick, especially around the same time and near the Holidays. It seems to be the trend over the last 5 1/2 years. Maddie was sick on so many holidays when she was little and her ear infections really knocked her down and out.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Sickies

It's official the sickies can go away now!!! Allie was diagnosed with bronchitus on Dec 29th and Logan with a double ear infection. Well this morning Allie woke up with her left ear draining like crazy and Logan seems to not be better yet. He's stumbling all over the place. Major drainage of the nose and just still not right. So off we go back tomorrow to the docs. Oh the joys of winter!!! On a good note Maddie has been really healthy since she started school so maybe they are just getting it out of their systems.