Marie's Musings

Days like this

2010-09-12T15:01:00.002-06:00

Days like this is where I really miss my Mom. She died when I was 11, so I never knew her as an adult. Given that, I have no real idea of what my mom would be like. When the kids are giving me attitude or Im struggling keepign things together, its easy to fall into thinking Mom would have known how to help.

In reality, that might not have been the case. The fact remains, though, she isnt here to prove me right or wrong. Its just that hole that never seems to be filled. Im at a loss. Most days, I can make it thru with Gods help. Every once in awhile though, it just all feels like too much to handle.

Perhaps its the culmination of the first week of school. I was determined to keep on top of things this week. Im really trying to sign things right away, make sure the little kids get their homework done, house stays picked up and laundry. Self disclipline is not my strong suit. So I have to work harder at keeping things in a scheduled routine manner. I did 24 loads of laundry, everyone got to their practices/meets, supper got made and the house was clean. As well as one of my sons had a birthday party on friday evening as well. It just might be the downside of all that busyness. The school year has a much different rhythm than the summer routine. Its not really bad, just different.

MJ

Noticing

2010-08-21T14:01:00.002-06:00

Its been a long time since I posted here but I guess today I just felt like blogging.

Most days go by in our household without a real sense of noticing Gideons disablity. Things have been incorapated into our life like his compression stocking or his braces but he can walk fine without them as well. So apart from putting them on in the morning -- it doesnt make much of a difference in our day.

His vocabulary is expanding rapidly - at least 250 or 300 words. He says most in single word shots like car, road, bad. That means that going out in the road with the cars is bad. He gets the concept of having to stay in the yard and not going into the road. He can say some 2 or 3 word phrases like jump down or more milk. He often comes in and says sorry before hes even caught for doing something naughty. Still he can communicate fairly easily his wants and desires. Its not often anymore that I dont know what he wants or needs from me.

At home, the structure is loosely defined. We generally keep to the same type of schedule. Gideon generally knows what to expect and when. Its not until we go somewhere, out of our norm, that his disablities are more glaring. Its not that they arent there at home, they are, but its just far more pronounced when we are elsewhere.

We went to the Forest City Stockade event today and enjoyed ourselves. Though just after we got there, Gideon was already asking to go home. Thats pretty standard for him away from home, when the schedule is disrupted. He did okay for the first hour or so. There was a barn that had some old tools, a cannon, a carriage and some wooden horses in the stall area. He was fascinated with the wooden horses. He wanted to pet them and touch them and go back into the barn over and over again. It was cooler in there as well, since it was more shaded. So that may have been part of the allure as well.

There were far more fit throwings, behavior challenges and redirections. At one point, he started touching everyone he passed or hitting at them. Yep, time to get out of there!

As a family,we used to be able to plan a days worth of things to do without much trouble. Yes, finding time and places for littles to nap was challenging but in general, the kids were flexible. Gideon , just cant do the same, as the other little ones could. This is where I remember his special needs and remember that he has a disablity. Just a little challenge to work around, I guess. We just have to plan more breaks or find sitters so he can stay home. I dont want to stop taking him out though, he needs that as well.

And he does like to go, its just the amount of time that he enjoys staying away from home is shorter.

MJ

BWCA - Day 2

2010-05-21T06:58:00.002-06:00

Andrew was up with the birds but since the temperature was a balmy 28 degrees, I had no desire to crawl out of my sleeping bag. I enjoyed sleeping in that morning til around 8 o clock when the hubster called out to say the oatmeal was ready.

The lure of a hot breakfast pulled me out of my sleeping bag to get dressed and start the day. It was beautiful with the sun shining and a new start to the day. I was looking forward to a relaxing day in camp with my hubby. He had been productive that morning, getting his hammock up and the laundry line strung and had the fire going. While it was chilly, it wasnt nearly as cold as the day before with the rain bearing down. Eventually the temps soared into the 70s with a nice breeze all day.

We ate breakfast, yummy blueberries and cream oatmeal and bacon! We took care of clean up and then hubby took a nap in his hammock while I pulled out a book. I found a tree to lean on, got some dried fruit and my cup of java and began reading. It wasnt completely quiet, of course, the birds and loons making sound, as well as water lapping at the shore. It was very peaceful and relaxing. I told Andrew that I might go off hiking and he reminded me to take my safety whistle and have fun.

So I set off exploring, I took the camera to see what shots I could capture. The landscape is a bit unique in the BWCA, in that the forest is really allowed to decompose naturally. Lots of downed trees and unique brush. I had a blast climbing over and on trees and seeing how far back into the woods I could make it! One of my favorite parts of this trip was the hiking and finding spots that I could use the self timer on the camera to take goofy shots. Some worked out great, others a bit dorky and some, well not at all. I really had a lot of fun doing that. I made Andrew come with me later to some of the same spots(not nearly as far back into the woods though) to take some nicer posed pics!

By the time I got back from hiking around, it time to start lunch. I was glad we had decided to wait til today to eat our fresher packed in meal - fajitas! I love fajitas anyway, but after all the hard work to get to our campsite and being out in the beautiful BWCA , they tasted even better!!! Andrew did some fishing, I did some more reading and even napped on a rock. I tried the hammock and it was nice but the breeze was just enough to make me feel chilled. So I elected to nap with my head on a boat cushion on a warm sunny rock. It was fabulous!

Then it was off for more hiking together and fun with pictures :) We gathered firewood on the way back. That of course was an almost constant chore. I didnt mind, generally if I hiked up to the latrine, I brought back firewood. I figure, there are no wasted trips. I was looking forward to a hot supper. We had cheesy tuna helper -- not andrews favorite -- but I thought it was very tasty! Hubby did the dishes this time and then we finished out the evening playing cribbage. We used to play that game all the time, it took a bit for us to get refreshed on the rules and the game was on. Andrew won! I really enjoyed just hanging out together and having the day to relax.

I knew that we would be up early for our day trip the next day to the pictographs, so I hit the sack relatively early. I think it was between 9 -930. Again, I totally heart my sleeping bag. It kept me really warm on those really cold nights!

Day 3 to come tommorrow!
MJ

Boundary Water Canoe Trip May 2010, Day 1

2010-05-20T12:20:00.003-06:00

Wow its been a long time since I blogged~! This past weekend my husband and I were blessed to take a trip into the BWCA, just the two of us. My BIL and SIL watched the crew and they did a fabulous job with the kids. I wanted to capture the experience of my first trip. I plan to blog each day separately.

Day 1 -- The plan was to leave at midnight of Friday morning in order to be at the ranger station promptly at 7 am. That really left little time for sleep. I dozed a bit on the way while my husband drove but not well. I think that made the first day much more challenging, not having full capacity since I was really really tired!

We got off pretty timely, just a stop back for a map and a brief stop at a 24 hr walmart. We pulled into the ranger station at 630 am. Woot -- that left time for a half hour nap~! I didnt quite know what to expect. I had been warned by my husband that I would need to watch a 15 minute video but beyond that, this was all new. The ranger that gave us our permit was a lot of fun. He was lively, funny and engaging. He went over the rules and even gave me an orange smoky friend bracelet. I proudly wore it the entire trip~! I watched the video, most of it being common sense stuff.

I really was excited for this adventure. The only damper on the enthusiam was the cold and the rainy weather. I started out the morning with 5 layers - tank top tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt, fleece button down, fleece vest and a rain jacket. And then sometimes the life vest as well! My hand gear consisted of fleece gloves and fingerless canoeing gloves. I did not realize what I was in for at this point. Im thinking we will canoe until afternoon, make camp and have a grand ole time. It was slightly longer than that lol.

The rain would come and go. Sometimes it felt slightly warmer, somtimes not. The first lake was hard. Maybe not so much hard as big. I really underestimated distance when thinking of this adventure. We went too far and missed an area -- at this point -- Im still thinking thats okay, we are on an adventure. Remember its still like 9 am :) Im asking Andrew all kinds of length questions, I found it really helpful to know how many miles I had to go. That first lake, I canoed I believe was close to 4 miles. Now that doesnt seem so bad but for a newbie in cold and rain, it was tough!

In the beginning, I was looking forward to the break of a portage. All of you, who have done this before, are laughing right now. It didnt turn out to be the break I envisioned it to be. It was just a different kind of hard work! I began learning the fine art of portaging. This first portage is the only one we didnt double portage. After that, we both double portaged our way there. I did my fair share of carrying thebackpack, the bear barrel or the dry pack. The first one was short. Im thinking , okay that was hard but I can do this.

So I say, we are in lake 2, how many more lakes to go? Wrong question! At that point, we needed to make it thru lake 2, 3 and 4, at least 3 more portages and then lake insula. The adventure is seeming a little tougher! Hubby is encouraging me to drink more water and Im thinking of digging that hole in the woods. I managed to avoid that fun, the entire trip.

It really was beautiful despite the rain and cold. Mostly at this point, Im thinking how far til that campsite and fire!

I really was very tired and probably dehydrated as well. I was hallicinating , I kept seeing pieces of driftwood or rocks as animals or lawnchairs or all kinds of things. I would finally come closer to something and think oh, thats just a stump. Maybe I just was looking too hard for animals and things. It really was kind of amusing. I was disapointed that no black bears were spotted though!

We made it thru the next couple of lakes fairly quickly. I think each of our crossings in those lakes was less than 2 miles or so. Im gaining hope at this point but its taken us a loong time to get to this point. Im rethinking the plan of going in all the way to insula!!! I knew that hubby was wanting to try that insula portage he broke his leg on, so we carried on. Im asking more milage questions -- hoping that we have made it at least halfway point. Most of the portages along this stretch werent long but hard work nonetheless.

Finally, we get to the insula portage, the longest one of our journey. I believe it to be 110 rods or somthing of that nature. I know my husband told me that we might find a campsite after this portage right away or we might have to go all the way across the lake. My hope springs eternal, so IM thinking of course we will find one of the 40 campsites on this lake, right away thats perfect. So we begin the portage, pause midway for some pictures. Make our way back and double portage again. It was long but it wasnt as daunting as I thought it might be. Dont get me wrong, it was a long hard walk but worth the effort. We are back in the canoe and we find the first campsite and hubby declares it too open to the wind.

Okay folks, remember this is late, probably at least 5 pm by this point. Im tired(so tired Im seeing things), Im cold and wet and my feet and hands are frozen. So I think okay ... keep on paddling, envisioning dory from Finding Nemo, just keep on paddling. So off we go. Its harder and harder to gather the strength to make the paddle dip into the water one more time. Visions of my warm sleeping bag filled my head. We repeat this scenario at least 3 more times. Each time, my hope waning. About the time we make it to the fifth campsite, I must have had the look on my face that stated, "This one better work or you are going overboard buddy" Hubster decides this one is sheltered enough from the wind and will work fine. Thank God! Im not sure I could have made it any farther. Im not sure on the exact time but it was after 6 pm for sure.

Andrew got the fire going, we started putting up the tent and finding dry socks. The relief was palatable! Andrew sent me off to gather firewood, most of which was wet at this point. I found what I could quickly and brought it back to camp. I hiked up into the woods( the latrine was 150 yards from the campsite) and went to the bathroom. I was pretty glad I managed to make it til then. It was a unique experience using a latrine without a shelter in the middle of the woods, especially after we discovered a giant spider made his home there. Literally had to clear a web out every morning.

Its still really cold at this point, but thankfully the rain had stopped, we were at our campsite and there was no more canoeing at that moment!!! We had some discussions about dinner, elected for finger foods -- neither of us had any energy at the point for anything but necesity. I know it wasnt long after we ate, that I crawled into the tent, happy to put on my pajamas and warm fuzzy socks. I totally heart my sleeping bag, it kept me warm thruout freezing winter temps. We discussed whether Sat was our in camp day or our day trip day. I was very relieved to agree on our in camp day. I was so looking forward to sleep!

Day 2 to come tommorrow!~
MJ

Bittersweet

2010-01-15T07:40:00.002-06:00

Elaura has been starting to talk and gaining words like crazy. She is absolute mimic and increases her vocabulary daily! Its fun to watch and sad at the same time. Its clear that it wont be long before she passes by Gideon in vocabulary and ability to speak. She has already picked up on his use of the word "mine" and uses it in context!

Gideon is gaining in his own right, hes up to probably 35-40 words. For his disablities, this is an awesome total. Compared to a normal child, who should have 200 words by now and be using phrases, it doesnt look so impressive. It just reminds me that we have different victories to celebrate and that we cant look at the "normal" ones.

I guess Im learning that there are seasons of mourning for parents that have children with disabilities. I thought, mistakenly so, that it would all happen in the beginning, as you discovered that your child isnt as you thought they would be. Im learning though, you mourn as you go along. Its not as if Im sitting around crying all day but I get a distinct sense of sadness as I witness different things. There are moments of joy in the sadness but its somtimes hard to watch.

We went to the mall last weekend. They had a play area in which you could climb over vechiles and had slides and the like. You had to be under 42 inches to go in, although it was supposedly for ages 2-10. He hits the hand that measures the height, which means hes 42 inches. Hes only 2.5 yrs old. It just made me sad to realize that hes going to outgrow things like this far before his age says he should.

We got him shoes a month or so ago and hes now bypassed his 6 yr old brother in shoe size. That just is wrong to me on so many levals.

On an upnote, though hes a delight and brings a smile to my face throughout the day. His long giant arms open wide for wonderful awesome hugs. And he so loves his choo choo. We have to wash his thomas the tank engine jammies daily, so he can wear them again the next night!

Im listing his words here for my own reference. I find myself often drawing a blank when the docs ask me how many words he has. It surprised me when I actually counted, he had far more than I thought. So I will periodically list them, so I can see the progress! I cant even think of all of them today, I know he has a few more that I havent listed.

Gideons words 1/15/2010 - Mommy ,ow, mik, tea,no,mine, me, neigh, moo, meow, elmo, choo choo, baa, ho ho, backpack, blues clues, blue, pink, purple, green, go, boat, bowl, engine, banana, please, baby, zombie(guess which brother taught him that one!), elijah, jo jo,

Total - 30

Thats all for now folks, God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Grace

2009-12-08T07:36:00.002-06:00

Im really struggling right now. I cant keep up on laundry or dishes and I cant tell you how many appointments Ive forgotten over the last few weeks. Im just not holding things together very well.

Its clear to me that something needs to change in how I operate, in what I do , in who I am. By nature, my first inclination is to do it later. I do get it much later, but its harder. The mess is bigger and the time to take care of it has magnified. Ive been doing a lot of thinking. I dont really know how to go about changing oneself so drastically. How does one change from the messy monster to the cleaning guru?

Something has to give and fast. Its really hard right now and Im very overwhelmed.

That being said, Im very thankful for some grace extended to me yesterday. I didnt connect the dots and didnt realize until yesterday, that one of the kids concerts conflicted with a girl scout meeting. I really didnt want to cancel it, since thats one of the things I messed up last month. I forgot bout the meeting and had a banquet for my son, so I wasnt home when everyone showed up. Anyway -- I called my coleader and talked with her. Shes just as busy as I am and didnt get around to securing our meeting location (the libary) so she took the charge and took care of canceling the meeting. I appreciated the grace and understanding she gave me very much. She could have been angry and frustrated with me. And maybe she still is, but she extended me grace instead.

Another stressor is I need to pick up something from my brother, who lives 2.5 hrs away. The details dont matter so much but my brother and sil were frustrated that I wasnt going to be able to pick it up on their deadline. I called a friend to see if she could help, since she lives closer to where he works. She, too, extended me the grace I needed yesterday. She not only is going to help, she is going to deal directly with my brother about the arrangments, taking me out of the middle. I so needed that taken off my plate. God is good, indeed.

I still have much to do and figure out but for now, Im trusting that God will give me the strength and endurance to work through it.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

This years goals

2009-09-28T13:05:00.002-06:00

Its taken me a few weeks to find my spot and figure out how things would shake out. The kids are settling into a routine and Im finding one of my own.

I have a few goals for each day and they are in the order that I accomplish them.

Clean the kitchen and load dishwasher -- this includes picking up, sweeping, and mopping. After that as time allows(up til 1030) declutter island, counters and clean the stove.
Laundry -- wash, dry and fold at least 4 loads a day
Clean the upstrs -- this includes picking up the living rm, hallway and bathroom. Vaccuming and sweeping. If time allows, then tackling the little kids bedrooms with their help as well. (up til 1130)
Read my section in my daily Bible
Clean the downstrs - this includes the stairs, family room and bathroom. This time goal is to be done by 3 pm.

Thus far Ive been able to accomplish most of the first 4 goals. I havent gotten fast enough to get to goal number 5!! Im trying also to start lunch by 1130 and supper by 4 pm. That way it becomes more of a scheduled habit. I find if I can at least pick up once a day in each of the rooms, afternoon and evening chores go soo much smoother.

Once I master this routine and get it going well, then I will begin adding in more goals. Such as dusting,washing walls, cleaning out fridges and microwave. Stuff like that! Im trying to figure out how to do big projects too such as cleaning the storage room or my bedroom. Things that take more than an hour and really need a significant chunk or all of the day.

God is good ... all the time!

Its harder than I thought.

2009-09-10T12:00:00.002-06:00

I mistakenly thought it would be easier with just 3 kids home during the morning. (Ezekiel has half day morning kidnergarten). Its just not, at least this week anyway.

I'm sure its a combination of factors -- I just dont remember it being this hard last year. Most of it probably has to do with the fact that Gideon is 2 and a half. Add to that the fact hes developmentally delayed, non verbal and super tall and well its a bit of a disaster. I also think it hit me harder since the summer was pretty easy. Gideon has lots of brothers and sisters around to play with and entertain him. Now its just Zemirah and Elaura at home. He finds great delight in taunting Zemirah, stealing her toys or pulling her hair. She adds to the fun by reacting strongly and thus fuels Gideons desire to do it more. He loves Elaura and is a bit nicer to her but can just about squeeze her to death. He will take toys from her too! It fast becomes a looong day when he is "feisty"~!

Ive always encouraged the kids to learn to play by themselves rather than me being the sole entertainer. They learned great imagination and to play with each other. Yes, it did mean sometimes more messes or crazy schemes gone wrong but it worked okay. They often would play in an adjoining room while I did the dishes or got laundry done. We'd stop and read a book here and there and snuggle during some quiet times but all in all they were on the go.

Gideon just doesnt work well with this style. He needs far more direction and encouragment to not be naughty. Im slowly working my way up to figuring out how to keep him with me at all times AND get the dishes and laundry and housework and paperwork done. He does help me do the dishes(read he tries to get into everything he can reach on the stool) and he likes to help me bake. Im trying to figure out how to do this and still keep my sanity (whats left of it anyway).

Hes far more challenging this year than last. I realized last year he had only started to walk 2 months before school started. So he was far less mobile, 3 inches shorter and a little bit more managable. Hes a big guy, well over 3 ft tall and 42 lbs!!!

I think a bigger part of this is my mental battle. I tend to want "my" space and a little bit of freedom from the kiddos. And Im mourning the loss of that with Gideon. He is only taking up to an hour(usually 45 min) nap maybe 3 days a week if Im lucky. So there really isnt much downtime from the gigantor!

Its just a hard stage right now.

MJ

Sometimes I wonder

2009-09-05T07:15:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I wonder why I fight so hard against routine and schedules. It almost always helps keep things on track and in the right direction. I guess its the implementing that is really difficult and the staying on schedule that I dont enjoy so much.

My nature is a bit laid back and Id much rather do things later. Can anyone say procrastinator? So it doesnt come naturally to schedule and stick to routine.

The family is still adjusting to the school year schedule and I "know" it will be harder next week when school actually starts. But so far so good. Getting up earlier to exercsie (yeah I know, i still dont like it) has been really good in terms of getting more accomplished.

One of the big changes is making sure the house is at least tidy in the evening. So at 7 pm, the kids get into jammies and do their chore room. That way the house is in decent shape when they leave for school in the morning. I found last year, it never worked well trying to squeeze chores in before school started. Another implementation is going to be making sure shoes, socks and outfits are laid out the night before. We always start this the first week but Im trying to keep this going year round. Finding matching socks and both shoes was a big challenge last year! This in theory is to switch the hunt to the night before where there is more time to look. Ive been keeping various boxes and things, to decorate this weekend for their "spot". That way each child has a place to locate the stuff.

I plan on keeping the menu plan as well. We did two weeks at a time and it seemed to work out well. Hopefully a little easier on the next run as 6 of the kids will be eating lunch at school!!

We have a shower schedule going and planned out. Zechariah is in charge of those reminders and helping the little kids with their bath. He gets an hour of computer on saturday for taking on that task. Nathaniel is in charge of the teeth brushing schedule and reminding big people and helping little people. He , too, earns an hour of computer a week for this. So I found a bit more delegation is helping too!

Still working on my daytime schedule for when the kids are at school. Hopefully that will fall into place. One of my goals this year is to make it to storytime at the library. Its easy to stay sequestered at home and not load everyone up and out.

well thats all for now folks, God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Busy week

2009-09-03T06:43:00.004-06:00

I declared this last week before school starts to be family zone week. That basically means no friends over for supper or sleepover. I even canceled my moms group for this week, so I didnt get to see my friends either. I wanted to spend this week with the kids doing some activities and things together.

Some cleaning has occurred, some movies and computer time has occurred and we even took a family hike. We didnt make it far but the kids enjoyed either biking or hiking. Gideon had a blast exploring the trail. We finished off the hike by meeting hubby for lunch at hte park. That was a lot of fun!

Today we will all go to Josiah's cross country meet. His first meet of the season. Im very excited for him. He really has grown a lot and his body is now cooperating with his desire to run far and fast!!! One of the time trials in practice was a 21:25 for 3.125 miles. I most certainely cant even walk that fast. Im really looking forward to seeing what this years season will bring.

This week has also brought on more scheduling fun. We are readjusting to school time wake up and bedtimes. I switched around some chores and delegated out some others. So all in all , we are getting more on top on some of our routines. Andrew and I also started exercising 3 days a week. That, so far(only on day2 lol) is going well but Im not liking the early wake up time to do so!!!! The menu planning worked out well for these two weeks, so I plan on doing that again as well.

The harder part is keeping all of these schedules juggling when events or appts happen. Its much harder to keep on top of the scheduled activities/chores/routines when you are gone 3-4 hrs for doctor appts in the cities or have to be somewhere. Thats where it falls apart for me, so Im going to try a little harder to keep things juggling.

Well thats all for now folks,

MJ

What about personal responsiblity?

2009-08-28T07:14:00.002-06:00

I was listening to the radio this morning as they were discussing making potential changes in regulations and laws for mortgages. It got me thinking, do we really need more regulation or is it that we need more responsiblity?

I have no doubt there were indeed predatory lenders that operated and helped feed this mortgage crisis. But does the buck stop there? What of our own personal responsiblity to read what we sign and ask questions if we dont understand?

Should we have stopped companies from offering adjustable rates? I really dont think so. Our country is based on principals of capitalism and the free market model.

I honestly think a lot of the crisis was based on our society's culture of wanting more and more and more. Im guilty of that myself at times. Wanting somthing right now and reaching to put it on credit when I really should want for cash in hand.

Hmm some pondering thoughts this morning, i guess.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Long time no blogging lol

2009-08-21T12:23:00.003-06:00

Its not always easy to find the time to blog... I can think of lots of things to blog about or want to write about. Its the time factor that sucks me away to other things and pursuits.

I have been trying to find ways to get more organized and more scheduled. Yeah dont fall over, I know, not my strong suit. Its a necessary evil with such a large family especially. Im working menu planning and various charts and schedules for things like tooth brushing and showers and baths. Other simple things like, we change all the bedsheets on fridays. Adding in an late night chore time, so that we start with a clean house in the morning.

Ive also been madly working on catching up on laundry. Lets just say I was very very very far behind and its taken some effort to even get to this point. Im at least 35 loads in and still not finished. Im beginning to think I have special magic hampers -- you know the kind that multiples continuously without end. Once the laundry is all caught up, I will take count of how many pants and shirts each child has. Im trying to determine if we have too many clothes or just the right amount or whatever.

Im also trying to be more diligent bout making sure the kids get into pajamas at night. This in turn(in theory anyway), helps with less fights bout changing clothes in the morning.

I havent worked on my schedule for the school year, Id like to get a loose structured schedule for our day. I will only have 3 home for half days this summer. Ezekiel will start morning kidnergarten this fall. For some reason this makes me more sad than excited. My strong superhero man is going to school ... waahhhh! Part of it is, that Zemirah and Ezekiel have been best buds and do everything together. So its hard to imagine them apart. Part of it, I think is its the last half of my kids and that just seems sad to be starting. Zemirah goes next year too.

I will have two high schoolers(I already forbad them to get any older), 2 middle schoolers and 3 elementary kids this year.

Well thats all for now folks!
MJ

2009-07-07T08:59:00.002-06:00

My husband rocks -- let me just say that!

I made a costly mistake with our life insurance recently, one not easily remedied ,if at all. I admitted my mistake to my husband yesterday, knowing that this would likely made him rather frustrated and angry. He had every right to be angry, as the responsibility was mine for paying the bill and keeping track of things. I really didnt have a reason why it lapsed other than Im just not keeping the balls in the air very well lately and frankly that one dropped and shattered.

Anyway he instead of responding in anger or frustration, he responded in love. He let me know, he loved me and that it was a mistake and he didnt hold it against me. Its the same way God responds to us. So many times we do something and we think oh God could never forgive that. He must hate me for the way I am or the what I did. Instead God loves us and cares for us. Yes, the consquences of actions still exist and we must bear those but he gives us grace to deal with it. This was a reminder of Gods love and the love my husband has for me.

So the life insurance I let lapse, isnt going to magically be reinstated but God will give me the grace to handle the fallout of it.

God is good ... all the time

MJ

The story of the little lost brown hamster

2009-06-11T05:48:00.002-06:00

Sometime Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, our little brown hamster(who has yet to be named) went missing. It was discovered Wednesday morning -- so the kids began the hunt for the hamster with no luck.

Throughout the day, periodically one or more of the kids would look under things or in the closet or do a hunt for any clues that the hamster had been there. Still no signs of her.

By bedtime on Wednesday evening, the hamster was still not found. Knowing that it was the hamsters active time, we stayed up and tried to listen for it. Still nothing. It was a bit disconcerting to think of the hamster running around while we were sleeping. Not to mention the 4 stalking cats that live in this house.

So as we went to bed, I prayed outloud that we find the hamster. Andrew reminded that being specific was important. Stories of a friend praying for a deer and finding a dead one and the "mini" van that God provided us came to mind. So I literally prayed that God would help us to find the little brown hamster that we purchased alive. And within minutes there was a ruckus in the boys room. So I went to investigate and my cat Murky had found it. It was in a toy firemans helmet and making some serious screeching as Murky was trying to figure out how to get it out from under the straps.

Talk about answered prayer! God doesnt always answer immediately but the times he does its a powerful reminder that he cares for us even in the little things of our lives! Im reminded once again to let him handle the details and leave the worrying up to him!

God is good alll the time!

MJ

portion control, prayer and ponderings

2009-06-07T09:26:00.004-06:00

I often think about blogging but somehow the desire doesnt actually turn into reality. Sometimes the baby needs to eat or Gideon is getting into something or Zemirah needs a drink of water -- other times it just is difficult to form the words into a post.

I have finally gotten to the point where Im ready to work on losing some weight. I havent liked my size for quite some time but the mental willpower just wasnt there. Andrews 20 yr class renunion is coming up this fall, and I would like to be looking thinner by then! That was the catalyst i think, but I mostly want to do it for me, so I feel better bout myself.

So I'm primarily starting with portion control. Not measuring things out exactly most of the time but being aware of how many calories are in things, having one smaller portion, watching how much "extra" I'm taking in. I do plan to get more active as well but moreso in trips to the park or hiking with the family rather than a daily workout. Im not cutting out one food or another, just trying to make more reasonable choices with what and how much Im eating.

Im coupling this with prayer and honestly I think that is how Ive managed to make such a good start this week. Ive been asking God to help me recognize when Im full and help me to make reasonable healthy choices.

As for the ponderings, Im considering going back to college. I'm pretty sure I want to go back to school at some point. The question is more in the timing. I already have an associates degree, which is basically a transfer degree. The college nearby that Im considering has a returning adult program one night a week. So that part is already in place. Im just trying to determine when the best timing is -- should I wait for all the little kids to be in school or do i want my degree by then? Im probably not looking for full time work in either case, since I feel its just as important to be here for the big kids as it is for the little kids. Im considering getting my elementary teaching degree and then subbing. That would give me the freedom to pick and choose timing of working to some degree.

Ezekiel starts kidnergarten this fall, Zemirah the next fall and Gideon 3 yrs from now(unless we enroll him in preschool for his special needs, not sure on that). Thinking it will likely take me 3 yrs to finish anyway, would now be a good time to start. Im trying to weigh all the considerations, the extra stress on the family, missing out on events such as concerts and sporting events, the opportunity to talk with other adults :), keeping my brain from turing to mush, etc.

Well thats all for now folks, God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Gideons disablity

2009-04-15T09:11:00.002-06:00

At home, Gideon gets around well, manages to climb on most things and generally has found ways to communicate either with sign or pointing. I dont notice his disability most days. He is charming, fun and well frankly hes 2. With that age, comes the tantrums, fighting, hair pulling and hitting. It maybe intensified with his inability to communicate with words. But overall hes is well loved by his many siblings and they seek him out to play with him.

Its not until we are out in public, at a doctors office or at the park that I really notice the difference. He is harder to manage in public if he is throwing a fit. This is the first time that I really have had a throw yourself to the ground fit thrower in public. Challenging for sure! At home, I can just let him throw his fit, or pick him up screaming and hitting and take him to his bed or just hold him. That doesnt work so well when you are trying to get him to walk down the hall to the doctors office or sit still for an ear check.

Yesterday we went to the park. I was a bit nervous as its always challenging having a 2 yr old and a nursing baby. Add in Gideons special needs and well its not even a challenge that Im willing to take on often, not without a helper anyway! It did go well, mainly cause Elaura was content to sit in the stroller and did not need to nurse. So i could primarily focus on Gideon. Our kids have always been climbers and on the go. So even at age 2 they would be able to get to the big kid slide and up the jungle gym with little or no assistence. It was hard watching Gideon. He could get to the baby slide and one other tube slide but the bigger ones were far out of his ablity to get to. He couldnt climb up the panel of steps, not without handles or anything to grasp. He didnt even go near the chain bridge or the climbing steps.

I suddenly viewed this playground I have been to several times before with a new vision. Im looking as a parent of a special needs child. And my special needs child can do far more than some but still it was a different experience. Thinking how simple things like handles for help climbing or steps to a slide make a difference. Or even having a swing for a handicapped child.

Its days like yesterday that I remember that Gideon has sotos and has many challenges ahead of him. Maybe its to his benefit that I sometimes forget his disablities and treat him as if he can do everything.

God is good ... all the time

MJ

2009-03-17T20:48:00.002-06:00

The mere mention of the word suicide evokes a strong response in me. I try really hard not to overreact when the kids make a "suicide" at the soda fountain or when they jokingly mention killing oneself(they dont do this so much anymore, i react too strongly). Its hard for me to fathom losing anyone else to this horrible tragedy.

Its the club that no one wants to join and those of us in the club wouldnt wish the pain on anyone. When i hear though of someone losing their mother, I react and I feel their pain in a way. Losing my own mother etched that compassion response in me. When I hear of another child losing their mother to suicide as I did 23 yrs ago-- its almost too much to bear. I know that pain so intimately.

Tonite that pain resurfaced as I learned that one of my sons friends is struggling with this very thing. It makes my heart ache for the little boy, that he must struggle thru this. Im storming the gates of heaven for this kid ...

God is still good even amidst trials and tribulations
MJ

Gideon

2009-03-05T21:58:00.002-06:00

Gideon is nearly 2 yrs old now(23 months :). Developmentally, some of the behaviors I am seeing (always wanting whatever toy his siblings have, pretending to be the baby by getting in the cradle, etc) are more around the 18 month mark. Thats okay though, so far hes staying roughly around 6 months behind in some areas, caught up in others and still way behind in speech. Thats to be expected though with sotos.

I am seeing some neat things. Its fun to watch him really play with little people or superheroes. He loves putting them into a bus or van and driving them around. One of his most favorite things to do is watch his brothers and dad play an online video game called Guild wars. He really enjoys watching them battle the monsters. His brothers showed him how to shoot bears and lions, so now he comes up to you and says boom. Its rather cute though! Another thing he enjoys is sitting and looking at books. They are a great distractor for when Im getting his braces and stocking on or diaper changes.

Gideon regularly signs please when he wants somthing. It can be a challenge to figure out exactly what he wants. He finds ways to get his point across though even without words. For example, he will bring me a cup and then sign please, meaning he wants a drink please. He also does finished with great regularity. Thats extremely helpful when hes done eating, to know that hes finished and wants to get down. He occasionally has done the signs for more, and hurt. And on the word front, he started saying the actual word,momma this week! He has said very infrequently before, but now is using it on a regular basis. Especially when he wants me to do somthing like open a box of toys or get him a drink. Gideon also will wave bye bye and usually will do that as well for goodnight.

One thing Ive noticed is that if he gets too tired, his behavior is out of whack. He really starts hitting and fighting you. If he gets overtired, we basically have to put him to bed, cause there usually is no getting him to eat or do anything cooperative.

Hes less sensitive to pain it seems. Last week, he bumped his head and didnt even cry. I didnt discover that he had a cut on his head until 20 minutes later! He does tend to hit more frequently and get frustrated easier than the other kids but we are learning to manage that behavior as well.

When he runs, he tilts his head down and leans forward and takes off. Its really cute to watch. I love watching when Josiah gets down on his leval and opens his arms, Gideon will go running right in for a hug.

Hes beginning to learn some detective skills too. He knows when Ezekiel and Zemirah are downstairs or in a room with a door shut. He searches until he finds them and bangs on the door.

All in all hes doing fabulous!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Goals

2009-03-03T14:40:00.003-06:00

Ive made my first goal of cleaning the kitchen every day, pretty much for 3 weeks. Missed a day or two but for the most part, Im calling it a success. I also managed to meet half of my 2nd goal. -- doing 4 or more loads of laundry a day. And on some days, maybe bout 65 percent of the time, Ive met the 2nd half -- actually folding it and getting it put away.

My 3rd goal -- now that Ive started making my 1st goal into more of a habit is to tidy up the whole upstairs(minus my room - the pit of despair -- thats another goal in itself). So now for two days ( a virtual record) Ive managed to have it picked up by lunchtime. This involves the kitchen, living room, upstairs bathroom and the two kids bedrooms. I have the little kids help me pick up and put away the toys and then vacuum the hallway/living room. Then i head to the bathroom. At this point, its only getting a quick wipedown but eventually I want to deep clean that better too.

Then the afternoons are slated for folding the laundry that Ive washed in the morning. By the time the kids get home from school, its usually sitting on the table waiting for them to put it away. Even Gideon is helping put away laundry now. He loves taking his pile of clothes to his room and I help him find the right drawers.

My next set of goals involves cleaning up the downstairs in the afternoons as well. And trying to allot a time to do paperwork/phone calls/planning and the like. Hmm always working on something.

Praising God today!
MJ

Lots of stuff

2009-03-01T21:28:00.002-06:00

I often think of blog posts thruout the day as I go about being a wife and a mother. Most of them never seem to make it to the blogosphere -- time, brainpower, energy -- all play a factor in that.

Lately I have been really reflecting on ways to reduce the amount of mess and clutter in the house. As I have said before, cleaning is definitely not my strong suit. In fact, 9 times out of 10, left to my own devices, Ill put cleaning up off to another time. I find once i get going, a momentum propels me forward and I want to do more. Its that initial jump start that is the hardest for me and of course the interuptions that having kids brings(especially a nursing baby)

So with lots of prayer(I mean lots!), I have been embarking on trying to make some better habits that thwart my laid back, proscrastinating nature. Since this has been a lifelong struggle for me, Im starting simple. Simply committing to wiping up after breakfast, sweeping the floor and loading the dishwasher every morning. For those of you cleaners out there, I realize this sounds unbearably simple and easy. For me, though, Im forcing myself to think what would a person born with a "clean gene" do here.

Right now the season of life(having a nursing baby, special needs toddler and two preschoolers home daytime) means Im not putting time limits on my quests right now. I am trying to get the kitchen clean every morning. That gives me 4 hrs between when everyone is gone to school/work and when Andrew comes home for lunch. Im happy to report that I have been sucessful about 90 percent of the time over the last three weeks. It definitely has helped start my momentum.

The next goal that loosely have been working on is washing/sorting/putting away 4 loads of laundry a day. In the past I generally would do several loads of laundry a day but not always getting to the folding or putting away. Side note here, all the kids (even Gideon helps now) put away their own clothes. I just wash it and sort it into baskets or piles. That quite often would lead to a giant pile of clean laundry 6 , 8 or even 10 loads to fold at a time. Ive taken to folding upstairs at the kitchen table. This has done two things to help. The first being that Im on the same leval as the main bathroom, the kitchen and my bedroom -- then as Im folding -- I hang up work clothes or put away towels right away. The 2nd being is Im folding standing up which takes away the option of getting too comfortable and falling asleep. I tend to fold during quiet time/naptime, thus the tendency to be sleepy!

I plan to add in more goals and spruce up current ones(doing them better or faster) as I go along and master the current ones i have.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

People I am indeed losing my mind!

2009-02-13T21:06:00.002-06:00

Seriously this mommy brain stuff is for real. I have went thru the last week and a half thinking Elaura was 4 months old , on Feb 7th. Just tonite, I realized that her birthday isnt til the 28th of the month, thus shes only 3.5 months.

So I took her in for her 4 month checkup today, thinking I was a week late. In reality, though, I was 2 full weeks early! Total mommy brain.

Overall a good visit, shes up to 12 lbs 3 oz and over 23 inches long. 32 and 37 percentile respectively. So she is well porportioned. Im a little concerned that she isnt babbling much. So we will be taking her in to have her hearing checked. She doesnt seem to respond to noise so much but it is really hard to tell if an infant is hearing. Id rather check it now . She did pass her newborn hearing screening .

Poor thing though, she got 3 shots. Elaura was angrier than I have ever seen her. She has a pretty shrill cry already and her face was beet red. I hate watching that. Seems to be sore tonite but overall dealing pretty well.

Thats all for now folks
MJ

Thinking ahead

2009-02-10T13:02:00.003-06:00

I usually dont allow myself to comtemplate this too much, as it usually is many years ahead. I have been thinking of this fall and next fall. This fall Ezekiel goes to kidnergarten! Im really excited for him, he loves learning and I think he will do awesome if he can keep his superhero identity secret.

Next fall Zemirah will start kidnergarten. That seems unreal to me. My little princess ZZ will be in kidnergarten??!!! Where did I lose several years. Shes a very petite little girl, so its easy to forget that she will be 4 this august and thus turn 5 next fall!

That will leave me with a mere two muchkins at home. If I go with the school therapists plan, I could even put Gideon in preschool next fall as well and gasp for two half days a week, I'd have 1 kid, thats not even possible. I must say though Im leaning very strongly against preschool for Gideon but will revisit the topic next spring. One reason is that I feel the kids benefit more from being home with mom that last year and I can teach the same stuff they do in preschool at home. And trust me with this large of a family, socialization isnt an issue! For Gideon,who is special needs, I am anticipating that school will be a struggle as well, I cant fathom making him go a full two years more than he has to. Yes, I understand there are benefits and he can learn from other kids but he can also do that with his family and in sunday school and various other things. And although very tempting, I wont put him in preschool early just so I can have a break at home. My thought processes might change in the future. If I send him to preschool, I think the earliest Id want to do it is age 4. If we dont do any preschool, he will start kidnergarten in 3 yrs.

At that point, Ill just have Elaura at home. I cannot fathom the idea of one child at home. She will be so spoiled lol! I guess thats the baby of the familys role.

Its days like today when progress on getting the house in shape and organized is really slow, when the laundry pile is taller than my washer, when the dishes overflow the sink, that I like to remember this too shall pass. They wont be little forever and I wont always be watching them undo all the work i just did.

God is good ...a ll the time
MJ

Baby Squirrel

2009-02-07T11:58:00.002-06:00

I lovingly call Elaura my baby squirrel, mainly cause it rhymes with girl lol. It works out pretty well when singing a rhyming type song to her. Anyway baby squirrel is officially 4 months old today.

I know its clinche to say where did the time go. But seriously how did I manage to lose 4 months of time. I even found myself thinking she had just turned 3 months old, when in like days she was due to turn 4 months.

Elaura is the sweestest little thing, she is very petite, so she looks all that much smaller. Everywhere I go, almost everyone I encounter makes a comment about how cute she is. Im suprised she doesnt have a complex yet. She really is getting into the laughing and talking sounds, totally love hearing tiny little baby cooing. Im starting to notice she has a preference for her mother lol! She will watch where I go, if I pass her off to someone else.

Her sleep patterns are beginning to emerge. Generally speaking she takes a pretty good 2 hr morning nap, which is helpful, since Im most motivated cleaning wise in the morning. The nicest part of the sleep equation is that she has been routinely falling asleep between 8-830. I nurse her and lay her down in her cradle awake and quite often shes out for at least 4-6 hrs. Several times she has slept til 4 or 5 in the morning. Very nice!

Gideon just adores her. I love watching the interactions between them. Elaura seems to be developing affection for Giddy as well. She just smiles and stares at him. He in turn loves to poke at her and pat and rub her head. I just have to encourage him to be soft. He even loves holding her, very sweet!

She hasnt started rolling over yet but she certainely loves kicking and scooting herself a little bit. She is also beginning to really enjoy grasping blankets, the side of cradle, my shirt. Her very favorite thing to do is to suck her fingers. When she was just born, she managed to find her thumb several times. She has given that up for two or three finger sucking!

I am very blessed to have sweet little elaura in my life, God is good all the time!

MJ

Its Official

2009-01-30T22:15:00.003-06:00

I received the call this week from the genetic counselor with Gideons test results. He indeed does have sotos syndrome with a mutation in his dna. Using the non technical way of understanding it -- his dna is like a sentence. During his development the letters of a word got jumbled up, so there is a misspelling in his dna which causes the sotos syndrome.

What is it exactly, well its an overgrowth syndrome characterized by overgrowth, developmental delays(especially in the speech area) and low muscle tone. Thats the short and sweet version of it. More information can be found at www.sotossyndrome.org .

Speech should come eventually with therapy and time, but it may be into the elementary school years. We are in the process of teaching Gideon sign language so he has some means of communication. There are behavioral and sleep issues associated with this disorder as well. its not clear what that exactly entails. I can already see a much higher tendency for temper tantrums and an inability to shift gears once upset. The overgrowth part tends to normalize out at some point, roughly around 4 or 5. So it already is a challenge having him much taller and having much longer arms to reach a lot of stuff he shouldnt. There is hope that his muscle tone will improve and that as well should help with speech. And the developmental delays should even out as well. He will always have the facial characteristics of the syndrome, narrow face, pointy chin, and wide spaced eyes.

Long term the prognosis is good but what extent of issues Gideon may or may not have remains to be seen. Most adults with sotos grow up with normal height and normal intellect The challenge will be getting him there! Some have mild learning disabilities or mild mental retardation. Some end up with seizures or scoliosis.

The geneticist has indicated that she thinks he doesnt then have Klippel trenaunay syndrome, rather that the sotos syndrome caused the issues in his leg. That wont ever go away, unless some surgery or something is developed to fix the malformation iwth his vein and transplant lymph nodes. So he will have to continue to wear the compression stocking for the rest of his life. I asked the counselor whether this undiagnosis's the klippel trenaunay and the cerebal palsy. She really didnt give a straight answer only that the sotos syndrome is his primary overlying condition . So we will ask more when we see the geneticist in June.

This didnt surprise me;it really only confirmed what I already suspected pretty highly. It made much sadder than I thought. I expected this to be the case, that he would have sotos -- in fact I was the one who found it and brought it up to his doc in the first place -- but I found some grief in the diagnosis that I didnt expect. I really thought I was prepared for them to say he had it and I guess I wasnt totally there yet. Maybe Im grieving the loss of normal, although I must say nothing of Gideons life thus far has been normal, so Im not sure exactly. I do know this is how i felt after they diagnosed me with lupus. That diagnosis was bantered bout and suspected for 3 yrs, so that wasnt something new either. Yet I felt a distinct sense of sadness then too ...

This is one time I really wish I wasnt right. I searched,googled, talked to docs, and made appt after appt for Gideon trying to find that elusive answer. We got some answers along the way -- none though that seemed to satisfy the question of Gideon. I found those orginal answers , the klippel trenaunay syndrome(KT) and cerebral palsy(CP) only left me with more questions. When I read bout sotos at this point in his life , the lightbulb clicked on and started shouting at me. It was like when doing a puzzle, you search and search for one specific piece only to find it very elusive. And when you find that elusive piece, it just clicks into place -- thats what the diagnosis of sotos syndrome has been like. Suddenly when reading bout this, all his struggles, his birth experience, his medical issues, his delays, everything made sense. I thought why didnt anyone tell me this before, it would have made everything much clearer. It typically isnt diagnosed at birth, usually is at age 2 yrs old or older.

What now? Well not much different really. Already he is recieving services(occupation therapy, speech therapy,and physical therapy) for this developmental delay. We will likely investigate the possiblity of getting him into private speech therapy as well. He will continue to be monitored by his team of docs. His geneticist is already in place from before. God certainely knew what he was doing when he led us to Dr Berry. She is familar with this syndrome and has written papers on the subject as well. Our main thing we will work on will likely be the sign language and the training(teaching him to listen and obey) as we would with any other toddler. It just will be a much longer haul before he gets it.

Already he has developed his own way of comunicating. He gets his point across by bringing you a cup for water and trying to pull you towards the kitchen. Or by trying to show his displeasure by hitting you. He knows how to get his sibling attention too!

We are very blessed to have Gideon, his smile warms up a room!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Semi Quiet

2009-01-28T07:03:00.002-06:00

Its semi quiet here this morning thanks to a scheduled late start day. I wont need to wake up the kids til 830 should they sleep that long. It appears though that Gideon missed the memo on sleeping in on late start day. Oh well. He was already awake at 430 in the morning and Andrew managed(with lots of kicking and screaming on Gideons part) to get him to go back to sleep til 630. After that we were just out of luck on that front. So i got up and got him some breakfast.

Since Elaura is sleeping, and Gideon is mostly content toddling around, I have some time to blog.

As far as the kids and chores, its always a work in progress. Currently the 6 oldest have assigned room chores(kitchen,living room, family room, the two bathrooms and small areas) plus their bedroom. That involves picking it up, sweeping or vacuuming, changing garbage etc.Bedrooms have to be at least picked up. I dont always check to make sure the bedrooms are clean, so they get a bit of slack there.

I changed up the schedule recently. Previously they ate snack and did homework first, then chores. I found that really wasnt working well for our family especially with the older ones who had a lot more homework. So if their homework took them until supper, the room chores really didnt seem to get done. Im not so diligent in making sure they are finishing up that after supper. By that time in the evening, Im not exactly on top of my game :) And usually then the focus was on them finishing up dinner chores(loading dishwasher, sweeping floor, clearing and washing table, recycling).

So now i have them doing the chores before homework. Its been a bit of a learning curve. Katarina is so fond of doing it this way but it does force her to manage her time better and she doesnt slip under the radar either. Elijah has struggled a bit too in that he doesnt always remember to then do his homework after his chores. Overall i like it better, the house feels less disasterous and I can say yes to free time activities more readily in the evening.

My eldest two know how to do laundry and all of them can help sort and fold. Generally I find it works better if i handle the laundry for the most part and they just have to put away their own clothes. Which on days i do folding(working on trying to make that into an everyday habit) they have a basket of clothes to put away right away when they return from school, even before snack. Again one of those things I learned that it needs to be done right away or they forget about it.

The pet chores are assigned to specific rooms -- the downstrs bathroom has the dog food and water and has dog walking associated with it. The upstairs bathroom has cat litter, so that person is responsible for scooping it.

I have asked Katarina to be responsible for switching whatever load left in the washer at the end of the night(her bedroom is right off the laundry area) and to start a load when she gets up in the morning. If she forgets the morning one, thats not a huge deal, if the washer though is empty when i start, it just seems to help move things along faster. I recently added to Josiahs list, just picking up the bathroom and a quick sweep right before bed to Josiahs list. These two things are secondary and im trying them out to see if it will help make the household run smoother.

I really dont want to add more to the kids list, i think they do a fair share here now. Cleaning has always been a struggle for me and IM constantly trying to work on habits and ways of doing things to make it better. i have learned a little over the years. My stepmom never showed me how to clean or what to do, just usually sent me off to watch the little kids. So i came into the marriage not even really knowing how to mop a floor.

I find if i can keep things more picked up during the day(this is extremely challenging right now with Mr. Gideon pulling everything down right now) then chores in the evening go much smoother. Right now I have a friend who is helping me work on making simple things like loading the dishwasher every morning faithfully into a lifelong habit :) I realize this comes naturally to most people but Im pretty sure I missed getting the cleaning gene.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Monday Madness

2009-01-26T08:05:00.002-06:00

Im so far behind on laundry again it isnt funny. I will have to dig my way just to get to the machines. Guess I have todays project already decided for me then.

I really need to clean out and organize my bedroom and the storage room. They are so crammed full of stuff that you cant find anything or get thru very easily. Its definitely an all day project and difficult to complete with a 3 month old infant and 3 busy toddlers/preschoolers! It will most certainely be challenging!

I need to do some scheduling of appts, cancel one, reschedule, schedule another etc. Ive made progress on teh paperwork that needed to be filled out --woohoo -- now onto the next part!\

I did pretty well last weekn on my cleaning goal, i did it monday thru friday --- but failed on teh weekend. Much tougher to make sure it gets done when I have things going on like meetings and church.

God is good all the time

MJ

A post for my fans

2009-01-23T22:21:00.002-06:00

Since my audience is demanding a new post -- write I shall. I will write bout the littles that i spend my day with. They are such awesome kids :) So are the middles and the bigs :)

Elaura really is at the fun stage -- she is very engaging, loves to smile and coo and is just adorable plus still takes two good long naps. She has just started to get her head up when on her tummy -- still fun to watch her hit her milestones even though shes number 10. Everyone comments on how alert she is. My tag along princess -- she pretty much goes everywhere with me these days.

Gideon is just delightful and terrorful at the same time. His smile just melts my heart. Im not sure if its that I waited 3 really really long months for him to smile or what but i cant help but be cheered up by it. My gigantor(affectionately called of course) though can reach everything. Not only is he super tall, he has extra long arms and big hands which makes him reach even further back on the countertop. Thus the terror -- he pulls so much stuff down its not even funny. Its a really good thing his siblings learned to love him first -- cause he gets into their stuff a lot! He regularly signs please and is in the process of learning more signs. One of the favorite games we play is to growl and he growls back pretending to be a monster. Its pretty hilarious too if he find one of the big boys nerf guns and comes up and says "boom" I think Zechariah taught him that one!

Zemirah is a bit of a drama queen. One of her favorite things to do is to line up her stuff which includes lots of things. Some days she makes a toothbrush into a character, or snags Gideons ironman or just her dollhouse furniture. She is forever worried bout Gideon getting into her stuff so spends a great deal of time protecting it. Unfortunely for her, he has learned a pretty nasty trick -- he figured out if he pulls her hair, he can grab the toy and run. Zemriah has beautiful long blond hair that she doesnt like tied back very often, thus its very accesible! She will follow ezekiel to the ends of the earth it seems. I cant imagine what next year will bring when Ezekiel goes to kidnergarten. They are such best buds. I havent seen this leval of connection since K and J were buddies. The two of them have a very big imagation. They love to play indiana jones or stargate or anything they can make up on the spot. Lots of lava and trouble ensues in these parts.

Ezekiel is very much a typical 5 yr old boy. He is constantly on the go - climbing, hiding, imagining and playing. I often find him in a secret hideout. One day he told me about his secret lab ... yes I made sure the chemicals were put up! He recognizes all his letters and has been trying to figure out sounds. We try to sneak in time when we work on preschool workbook and he loves doing his "homework" I have been trying to do it when the therapists are here for Gideon. That keeps Ezekiel from wanting to play with all their cool toys. He wants to be just like teh big boys cause he will certainely tell you hes not little! His favorite shirt says "my parents are exhausted" :)

This weekend will be finishing up the two pinewood derby cars, possibly going to an ordination ceremony and then the big race on Sunday night! Josiah has to help out at the tournament even though hes not wrestling tommorrow. He was not exactly impressed with this but I encouraged him to have a good attitude. Katarina is off gallivanting with friends tommorrow and at some point I need to go get diapers at walmart.

Thats all for now folks!
MJ

the aftermath

2009-01-17T09:54:00.002-06:00

We came back from vacation and started the process of unpacking and putting things away. It was kinda funny, we asked the kids about going to a budget movie that day -- they all indicated wanting to stay home!

Andrew had carpel tunnel surgery the next day. It was a much bigger surgery than either he or I thought. He was recovering most of the week. It went well and Im happy to report he has use of his hand back. It was so great this last weekend to see and hear his joy when he was able to play his guitar without the numbness in his hand. Praise God!

Wednesday was spend cleaning for our new yrs eve party. Several of the kids had a friend over as well as some friends from church and the like. We had a rousing game of apples to apples in which the blue plate of death was passed around. With two tech guys at the table, it was appropriately named . Plus Amy brought some yummy food too to add to our spread. Very enjoyable night!

Then the next day was slated to be our nerf gun war, as tradition states. But Mom had the gall to get sick and I was sick. A nice case of the stomach flu kept me down the majority of the day, I didnt start feeling even slightly better til the evening.

Add the vacation laundry to a week of not getting enough laundry done and well I had a mountain of laundry that takes weeks to recover from. With our large family, minimally i have to do 3 loads of laundry a day IF im caught up, otherwise i need to do 6 to even begin the process of digging out a mountain. Im just at the point now, 2 weeks later that Im beginning to find the hampers and hope that the mountain will stay tamed.

We are now back into the swing of therapy appts, medical appts, girl scouts(cookie time! Anyone want cookies lol), cub scouts and school things.

Josiah got his 4th pin this week -- way to go Josiah! He was very happy to have a break this week. Thursdays meet was canceled since school was canceled due to the cold temps(brrr -50 with windchill). And no practice on friday and no meet on saturday(the varsity team was traveling out of state but not the JV). Wrestling has kept Josiah super busy and he really was relishing a "free" saturday. Perhaps i need to dust off a chore list for him --- lol! The other night he did a quad meet and did not get home until after midnight on a tuesday night. He was really exhausted.

Still waiting to hear on Gideons genetic testing. The first test should be coming back shortly, the 2nd test (done with the same bloodwork) will take 2 more months to complete. Even if both of those tests come back negative, there is a 3rd genetic test that we will do then at that point. We are pretty convinced even without the test that he has sotos though, its just the confirming factor.

Tonite we are looking forward to getting together with some good friends for games! Katarina is going over to babysit their kids, and our littles will be in bed woohoo! Adult fellowship -- yay -- maybe ill even remember to use real words instead of things like potty :)

God is good ... all the time

MJ

Catching up

2009-01-05T07:38:00.002-06:00

Its been a busy few weeks here, blogging took a back seat.

Since we couldnt vacation this summer(due to andrews job change) we took this years vacation over christmas. This is actually only our 2nd formal vacation in nearly 16 years of marriage. We spent our time in southwestern wisconsin, visiting family over christmas and doing some vacation stuff too. We traveled down a day ahead of any christmas family events, so we had some time to relax too.

Our first hotel was fabulous, not only in price( only 79 a night for winter season) and space but in great staff as well. We rented a 2 leval loft suite with a full kitchen. So it had a kitchen area, eating area, living room area as well as a two bedrooms. With two fold out couches and one roll away cot, we had plenty of room for everyone to sleep and even spread out a bit! We will definitely stay there again. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we were well cared for especially since they did not have staff in the hotel over the actual christmas day. One of the neatest things we did was play hide and seek in the hallways on christmas morning. We were the only guests and there were no staff that day, so we didnt disturb anyone. Not everyone can say that they played hide and seek in a hotel! The kids throughly enjoyed burning off some energy.

We spent some time with family over teh holidays. The only sad note of that was my papa didnt get to come home for christmas , since they are still regulating his meds. I did get to visit with him for a very short time at the nursing home though.

Next we saw bedtime stories on Christmas night. We rarely go to a first run movie, let alone go on opening night, so a neat treat. We even took the kids in their pajamas to the late night show! Excellent flick!~

Packing up from the first hotel to the 2nd was a significant challenge, as many relatives showered the kids with gifts. Good thing my husband is good at playing tetris and packing things well. And Im very thankful to our friends who loaned us their trailer, that definitely was needed! It was very full by the end of the trip!

Although i lived 30 minutes from the attraction most of my life, I had never been(to my recollection anyway) to House on the Rock in spring green wisconsin. It was rather neat to get to see the christmas display, over 6000 santas in the whole viewing areas. One of the neat things was the infinity room which is a really long windowed room that juts out over a rock area with no supports below it. Some of the kids were freaked out but all made the journey to the end and back! I also enjoyed the giant carousel without a horse on it, it was all mythical creatures and the like. What I find most amusing bout this, is they make a big deal with signs and the like stating there are no horses on the carousel at all, yet their logo incoporates a carousel horse in the picture lol.

We then traveled up to wisconsin dells. Im not sure if it was partly that we had such a fabulous hotel the first time or if it was the way we had to have two rooms that were not adjoining but netiher Andrew or I really enjoyed the 2nd hotel. The rooms were directly across the hall from each other but I did not enjoy having the older kids in another room. They on the other hand really enjoyed having much more space and being "away" from mom and dad lol. We had two 2 room suites, so everyone had lots of room. Katarina even enjoyed an entire king sized bed to herself! It was a much bigger hotel and after the smaller hotel we were at before, it just felt really impersonal. It wasnt necessarily bad but we really didnt enjoy the experience there, so I dont think we will go back to that one. The water park there was okay, but really suited for rather younger kids, so the big kids didnt like it much at all.

The next day though, we did a daypass to mount olympus which we enjoyed. The indoor theme park was fun and I enjoyed some rollar coaster rides with the kids, Andrew had fun go karting and bumper carting with the munchkins. There were even teacups for the little ones to ride. We then ventured over to the waterpark part of it and the kids had fun there! It certainely was challenging though making sure we kept track of our multiple age groups. I even got to waterslide on teh tube slides with almost all of the big kids(Katarina had had enough, so she went back to the hotel with the littles) The only bad part to that evening was I thought my wallet was stolen. My memory was faulty thankfully, but I was convinced I had brought it back with me the 2nd time back, and zipped it into my pocket. It turns out though i had left it at the hotel, but we didnt figure that out until we had canceled 2 of the cards and started to make a police report. Whew ... Thank God for bad memory, I really was glad it wasnt stolen. Kinda felt silly though after making a big deal and it turned out I had just forgotten it in the room ...

Packing up and getting on the road took up most of the morning on sunday and we started heading back. A few stops at relatives along the way. We got to see my aunt and uncles brand new house which is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful views of teh countryside! That was an enjoyable visit. I think the kids were glad to be home. In fact the next day when offered teh option of going to a budget movie , most of them declined , saying they just wanted to be home for awhile lol!~

Well thats all for now folks, next up on the blogosphere, the week after vacation :)

MJ

Santa came early

2008-12-20T11:49:00.002-06:00

Since we are traveling over the Christmas holiday to visit family and vacation, Santa came early to our house last nite. It was a late night sending out presents and filling stockings, since we had Andrews holiday work party that evening.

This year, with our travel plans, we elected to not set up our artifical tree or buy one. Instead we bought a very small pine tree plant and placed it on our fireplace mantal. It was sorta fun having an itty bitty tree! Then we placed the presnts all around the fireplace under the mantel. With 10 kids, even buying them only a few presents each, it still looks like we bought out a toy store!

Since the kids were not expecting christmas today, no one was up bright and early. I was thankful for that, considering I hit the bed at 2 am! A few boys were up at 7 and eventually started waking the others up. The excitement was certainly up then! The little kids could barely wait.

Overall everyone seemed happy with their presents. A bit of disapointment for one of the boys as his got somthing he really had wanted. After awhile though, he warmed up to checking out the stuff he did get and really want as well.

I got a favorite christmas cartoon, the grinch who stole Christmas. So we watched that after opening presnts. Also an old fashioned can opener. Cant wait to try out that on our big institutional size cans. The regular ones just dont cut it and stop working right after a short while. Nathaniel spent his hard earned money and bought me a sweet card and a bag of my very favorite mint truffles. It was really really sweet especially since I know hes saving his money to buy a video game system. Katarina also found me a christmas village piece too, very nice.

Its snowing pretty heavy today, supposedly an inch an hour. So we are now enjoying watching the kids play(after all the unpackaging and putting together was done). Its nice day to be snowed in and not have anywhere to go!

I plan on doing some laundry in prep for our trip.

Have a Merry Christmas, May you find the love of Jesus this holiday season
MJ

A discussion

2008-12-16T13:32:00.002-06:00

Ive had a discussion with my body and Ive told it that I really dont have the time or energy for chronic pain. Thus far it really hasnt listened. Its days like this I really am reminded that I have a chronic disease that affects my body and how it works.

Its the times when the over the counter medicines are wearing off hours before I can take anymore. When just opening a can with the can opener is making me cringe. Not to mention trying to lift 33 lb Gideon.

Im trying to figure out how really not to complain and give it to God. Its hard cause it hurts and while in the past, it was primarily the wrists, this time its the wrists, finger joints, elbows and knees. So its progessively gotten more involved. Im trying to hang in til friday when I see the rhemotologist. This disease is primarily diagnosed on symptoms and its good for the doctor to see an active flare up. Then Im assuming she will give me a short term course of prednisone. With the past 3 flare ups, thats what it took to stop the joint pain. After IM done nursing, i can go on a preventive med that is supposed to prevent flareups, but we shall see.

I do know though that lack of sleep definitively makes my flare ups worse and increases my risk of seizures too. So I really need to work on making sure Im getting to bed at a decent hour, especially since Elaura wakes me up a couple times a night.

Im praying that I can learn to manage the disease and not be constantly complaining!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Papa

2008-12-07T21:34:00.002-06:00

Papa is my mothers father and my favorite grandfather. Im extremely close to him. I lived with him for the first two or three years of my life, since my mother had me at age 16. Somewhere along the line, I think I wrapped papa around my little finger.

So the story goes that I was the one to nickname him"papa" and my cousin brian nicknamed "granny" and thus they have been granny and papa ever since.

I mostly remember, the times after my mother died, but there may have been weekends spend with them before then too. After my mom died, my grandparents would take my brother and I for a weekend. I really dont remember how often it exactly was, but a lot. I so looked forward to those weekends in which my grandparents infused love into us. I often wonder, as I look back, if they were trying to make up for mom being gone, either way they plain just loved us. They would give us little gifts or somtimes a bigger one even and tell us not to tell the other grandkids. We would take many trips to places around -- a cave in iowa, wisconsin dells, dairy queen and even jelly stone park. Those stick in my mind. They would take us out fishing, pack a lunch and we would stay out til early afternoon. I often would pack a book, that I read while the fish werent biting lol.

I got my love of western french dressing from their house. They would often serve a salad with supper and that was the kind of dressing I put on it. Morel mushrooms and fish fry's bring more sweet memories.

It was my papa though that I learned how to play Euchre from, that I got my love of tomatoes from and the joy of fresh picked veggies from the garden.

My poppy seed(another nickname i created) had open heart surgery this week, quintuple bypass surgery. Hes been having heart trouble for over 5 yrs now and refused the surgery 4 yrs ago. He had two heart attacks this week and it scared him into having the surgery done. Papa came thru okay and is starting on the long road to recovery. I did have the blessing of getting to go and see him for a short while(not nearly long enough) This is the only negative to living where I live (6 hrs away from my papa). And Lord willing, i hope to see him at christmas again.

They have lived in the same house ever since I can remember. So i know its been at least 35 yrs, but they were there long before i was born too, so likely close to 50 yrs. Its a beautiful house with a big yard and I have fond memories of playing in the play house making sand cakes, hiding in the trees and playing iwth my cat fuzzy there. My aunts and uncles are going to try to talk them into selling the house to get a one leval home. I completely understand, with my head at least, the need to do this. Granny is 75 and papa is 78, so with his surgery especially now they need the ease of one leval living. But my heart cannot fathom the change. I know someday I wont have either of them around but somehow I envisioned them in this house til they died. Its hard to picture them anywhere else.

I think how hard it is for me to even think of them moving, I then imagine how incredibly it will be for them. I love them both so much. I hope to talk to them more bout a personal relationship with God rather than just simply attending church.

When I got to see my papa in the hospital, it was only about 24 hrs post surgery, so he was very sleepy. I was content though, to stand there and hold his hand, caressing it and praying as well. It simply was good to be there with him. Hed wake up so often and nod an answer to a question or smile up to me. I even got a few words, he told me "long ways to come". I smiled and said anything for my papa. Even now my heart longs to be near him. I simply cant just abandon my immediate family to stand at his bedside as much as i long to. So I do what i can do from long distance, pray a lot, and make phone calls. Im waiting for the time when he feels up to talking a little on the phone too. For now, I enjoy my talks with granny, whom I love as much as papa.

I try to quiet the cry of my heart with the thought that we are traveling in two and a half weeks to visit for christmas. Even if that side of the family decides not to host christmas, I will get to see papa, either in the hospital or his home or at his short care facility. Its already been decided that granny will not be hosting christmas for obvious reasons. Now its trying to find another suitable location, all with the understanding that no one really knows yet when papa will get out, how long the recovery will be etc.

I miss my papa!

MJ

Tired but thankful

2008-12-03T07:52:00.002-06:00

Long day yesterday, the specialist is over an hour from here, so its a loong drive. The appt was good, praising God that the doc took me seriously and that I was able to communicate anything at all while chasing Gideon.

When I brought up sotos syndrome, she indicated had I not, she would have brought it up herself just from looking at him. He has the facial charateristics as well as the overgrowth, so those are two of the big things as well as the severe speech delay and low muscle tone. So we had blood drawn yesterday to start the genetic testing. They will do two tests, one to look at the sequencing to see if anything is out of order and then the second will look to see if any part of it is missing. Then if those two dont find anything, they will do gene testing for the specific gene that can cause sotos syndrome. The first set of tests will take 1 to 3 months to get back, so definitely not a quick result test. I was surprised to find out they only had to draw blood to do the test, I thought it would be more involved somehow.

What is sotos syndrome -- it is a genetic condition that causes overgrowth in the younger years(that normalizes off ) and distintive facial features(large head, widespace eyes, long narrow face with pointed chin), developmental delays(especially in the speech area) and other physical issues such as trouble with coordination. IQ tends to be normal but can range from mild to more severe mental retardation. It can just be some learning disablities in school to not being able to live on your own. From what we see now with Gideon though, he understands far more than he can say, but time will tell on that front. Typically the muscle tone improves, so if he does have this and it improves, he may get to ditch his braces. The developmental delays tend to catch up somewhat.

The doctor was also pleased with how his leg is doing. She really thought it was great and was raving to the students(its a teaching hospital) about how this is what aggressive treatment looks like. It was kinda nice, since Ive only been doing half of his treatment(wearing his compression stocking) and havent really done the massage at all (need to get back to that). I tried to tell her that we havent been doing the massage but she was so pleased with the results regardless that she wasnt listening well.

If this proves to be a correct diagnosis, it lets me off the hook. I have long wondered if inducing him early at 37 weeks caused some of his issues, his developmental delays, etc. If there is a genetic finding, that becomes a non issue.

Well have to get moving, God is good ... all the time

MJ

Lots of things

2008-12-01T08:30:00.002-06:00

It seems that I have far more blog topics than I do time. I often think I really should blog bout that and yet it really never occurs. Part of it is time, and part of it is energy.

I have been thinking more about my lupus lately. Mostly I think because of the joint pain and the amount of medicine Im taking. Taking a handful of ibuprofen makes you wonder -- what is this really doing to my body. Yet the ability to function far outweighs my worry of what the pain meds are doing. Somedays its not bad at all and i take nothing and other days I find myself asking the kids to help much more.

Then I start thinking bout fatigue and wonder how exactly are you supposed to tell the difference between being tired from lupus and being tired from being a mom of a newborn and 9 other munchkins, is there a difference? Most of the times when im extremely tired, it corresponds to a direct lack of sleep or other factors, so I tend to put the blame there rather than on the disease. There are days when i feel fabulous and those tend to outweigh the rough stuff and I wonder was the doctor really right and how much of this is all in my head. Then I remember, that the results from the bloodwork cant be all in my head. See I think too much these days.

Tommorrow we see the genecist for Gideon and Im really looking forward to asking her some question about a potential diagnosis for Gideon. So my thoughts are often on that topic and then I have to redirect them to remembering that God is in control. We also have started the process of testing a couple of kids for adhd and other things, so thats on my mind as well. Then everyone seems to commment on how tiny Elaura is, and I start wondering is she really gaining weight. I think im going to take her in for a weight check today since she hasnt gotten up to birth weight yet. So definitely a lot of praying as I think thru this stuff.

On a lighter note, I really want to decorate for christmas but my laundry pile is threatening to not only take over the storage room but the entire house. Soo I really should leave the christmas boxes in the garage and work on the laundry instead.

Also trying to sneak in the last of the medical appts since our deductible is met, so lots of calling and arranging schedules. As well as planning our christmas vacation. Thankfully almost all of our christmas shopping is done. We have one gift yet to pick up for one child(Thank God for online shopping, it was so nice to get most of it done that way) and a few misc relative gifts to finalize but thats it.

Well enough ramblings, God is good ... all the time, even when my mind wanders all over the place!

MJ

Gearing up

2008-11-24T08:36:00.002-06:00

For whatever reason, I seem to do better with a deadline in regards to cleaning. Cleaning has never been my strong suit, so I have to look for any help i can get. A lot of times I invite someone over, so i have that deadline to get things done.

Andrews brother and wife are coming for thanksgiving as well as his dad(as long as it doesnt snow lol). Im looking forward to spending some time getting to know my new sil and have some family join us for our traditional feast.

So IM gearing up to do some things that I tend to put off like dusting and organizing bookshelves, steamcleaning carpets, decluttering all the places that pile up and reorganizing closets. I have hired a friend (Thanking God that we have the funds to do this now!) to come and help me clean some this week as well. I dont seem to have as much time to do the deep cleaning (hmm wonder why ... maybe cause of a sweet little baby girl).

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

2008-11-21T20:31:00.002-06:00

Generally speaking, if your doctor takes one look at you and asks if you are okay, its not good.

I took Elaura in for her weight check today, as well as Josiah, since hes not feeling well. I have had a cold/cough/congestion since before Elaura was born but never bad enough to warrent a doc visit. Plus I have been dealing with pink eye this week as well. So add that to sinus/cold issues and I dont look great lol. So she wrote me a prescription for a sinus infection, probably time. It wasnt that I was playing a martyr or the like but I just never felt sick enough to warrent a doc visit. I really despise going in for them to tell me its just a virus, so I usually play dr mom at home before going in.

Josiah has a sinus infection and his strep test was negative, but he got a prescription as well. Elaura actually lost an ounce, I hoping its just cause she finally started pooping on her own now so maybe it will even out next week. Doc said too it could be cause im sick as well, so shes not getting as great of milk , but im not sure on that front.

It was nice to find out though that we are building up a bit of a reputation with our doc. I thanked her for squeezing us in (they didnt have appt slot for us, but told us to come in anyway) and she said no problem, that she knows we wouldnt call if it wasnt a crisis. So that was sort of neat. I also asked her bout some research I did bout a condition that I suspect Gideon might have. It was reassuring as wellwhen she said that it was good to be informed and that somtimes the patient has more time to do the research. So she was going to do her own research on it this weekend.
I had decided to look up some information last night and ran across a syndrome that Im thinking that Gideon may have. He may or may not but he has the majority of the symptoms and it would explain a lot of his delays as well. The good part of finding this now, is that his appt with his geneticist is only a couple weeks away! So I definitely plan on asking her about it, and given her field, she should be much more familiar with it. I think that God prompted me to find this now and IM thankful for that. Had i discovered this earlier, I would have to wait much longer to have my questions answered.

God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Hooray!

2008-11-18T19:55:00.002-06:00

Elaura is pooping on her own! Exciting times :) I was just bracing to have to help her poop on Monday when she came thru on Sunday already. She has pooped 3 times already today, so Im thinking her system might finally have kicked in.

Its kind of funny the things we get excited about.

I really have been enjoying this month, adjusting in with the baby. One of the nicest things is we took the whole month off of therapy for Gideon. Hes in speech, occupation and physical therapy, each 2 times a month. And they do come to the house(so thats a blessing right there) but it does still disrupt the day. For the most part I really am enjoying not having the therapist come, or a medical appt to run to, or stuff like that. December will start it all up again, and we will continue the things that must be done. For now though, Im determined to enjoy my less scheduled days!

Ive also been on a kick to try and figure out better ways to store and organize our stuff as well as the purging that comes with times like this. Determining what we are keeping and how to store it better and make the best use of our space. Im happy to report our 2nd fridge is out of the kitchen and the new one down in the storage room, makes the kitchen seem much bigger!

Enough typing for now, my joints in my hands are acting up again but God is still Good all the time!

MJ

It broke my heart

2008-11-10T11:19:00.002-06:00

Note ... not for the sqeamish, if thats you, you might want to skip this one lol.

Overall Elaura is doing well, adjusting into the family. She seems to have captured everyones heart. She loves to fall asleep with daddy, or snuggle with Josiah and Gideon is fascinated with his new baby sister. He loves to poke at her, give her pacifier or hat to her when she doesnt need it or reach to grab her at every opportunity! Shes slowly gaining back her weight, last friday she was up to 8 lbs 1 oz. She is so easily comforted that she falls asleep while eating ... so lots of poking and waking her back up to eat.

But she hadnt pooped in nearly a week. Thats not so good, so I put in a call to the doc this morning. He suggested stimulating the rectum ... yeah its as gross as it sounds. We will never use that thermometer again. Let me tell you, i really hope I dont have to do that one again. It nearly broke my heart to have to do it this time. I know Im helping her but it feels like you are hurting them. Lets just say it worked enough for now, that we have officially achieved operation poop for the day.

I hope her little tummy feels a bit better now and that she manages to poop on her own in the future. If not I will steel myself to do this again (I realy really hope not!!)

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Trying to remember

2008-11-01T12:34:00.002-06:00

I was laying in bed the other night and tried to remember all of the kids birth weights. I had the first 6 down pat, then the last 3 for whatever reason seemed to escape me. I dont think I ever had the birth lengths memorized though.

Im pretty sure though all of them except Elaura were over 20 inches. or at least 19. Elaura definitely seems to be the shortest at 18.5 inches. Anyway, I just looked up two of the weights on andrews blog -- Thank god for history -- so IM only unsure of one. I think i have an idea anyway on his but ill have to double check his birth cert to be sure.

I had 4 7 lb babies, 4 8 lb babies and two 9 lb babies. And no the 9 lbers werent at the end either, they were the 4th and 5th babies.

Katarina was 8 lbs 6 oz, Josiah was 7 lbs 13 oz, Nathaniel was a repeat weight at 8 lbs 6 oz, Zechariah was 9 lbs 1 oz, Elijah was the biggest at 9 lbs 4 oz, Ariana was 7 lbs 11 oz, Ezekiel was i think a 3rd 8 lbs 6 oz, or somewhere in that range, Zemirah was the smallest at 7 lbs 7 oz, Gideon was 7 lbs 9 0z and Elaura was 8 lbs 12 oz.

I was a 10 lb baby myself. I was positive that meant I would have big babies too but overall I think they were all fairly average.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

We have a sweet baby girl!

2008-10-30T11:50:00.002-06:00

Elaura Audrey was born Oct 28 at 826 pm, 8 lbs 12 oz and 18 and half inches long. So shes pretty darn cute with her little pudgy cheeks! Elaura was healthy and whole, apgars were 8 and 9. A far cry from her brother Gidoens were(his were 2 and 3).

They started the pitocin around 430 pm, broke the water at 630 pm and she was born by 830 pm. Good thing, since I was starting to really lose it by the time she was born. I did make it though without any drugs -- woohoo!

She is a great nurser, nurses anywhere from 15 minutes to 40 minutes at a shot, she likes to eat! Elaura has a full head of dark hair, just like all of the other kids did.

Well she must know Im writing bout her, shes starting to fuss, more later.

God is good ... all the time!

Just a quick post

2008-10-28T13:28:00.000-06:00

I was between 4 and 5 cm, so she said we should do the induction yet this afternoon!~ I was so conviced that nothing was happening, that im a bit frazzled now. But realy really excited!

They want us at the hosp between 3 and 330, they will do a controlled induction cause baby girl is still high. So pitocin first, then breaking the water like an hour in.

operation baby day!

MJ

Whew ... feel a bit better

2008-10-27T12:48:00.002-06:00

This morning was full of stress and nerves.

We have a banking issue where somebody fraudently used my husbands paypal to charge like 1300 dollars of charge to our account. Thankfully it looks like we wont be responsible for it all, but it is a headache for sure. As of now, we wont have to freeze the whole account but we are ready if anything else goes wonky.

Then I found out the hotel we were going to stay at, all of a sudden said we couldnt stay there over xmas since they wont have staff. They previously had said twice before it was okay and just fine. That really stressed me out. Finally found out at lunchtime that yes we can stay, but have to be aware there wont be services those two days. Fine we understand that. The bummer is the night we were going to extend, is now booked ... sigh... Oh well, we will continue with our plans and either stay that night in somplace like lacrosse or madison or somthing. Maybe we will even sneak in a night at cranberry lodge. Hmm thats a thought.

I did decide to move up my prenatal appt to tommorrow. That in itself was a huge relief, it just gives me an earlier date to get a timeline on this induction. Even if the doc wont let me induce earlier in the week, it will still give me a better idea of when and how and all that jazz. This not having things figured out as far as childcare for the little kids, and andrews work schedule and the whole nine yards is really frazzling my brain. Plus I talked wiht my favorite nurse, double checked that she thought moving up the appt was fine and talked bout maybe inducing wednesday. She thought it was perfectly reasonable to move the appt up and that she thought the doc would be likely to induce on wednesday. Whew thats a huge relief! I just feel better all around, having the appt tommorrow to get things figured out.

Now i will make some preemptive phone calls and figure out who would be available even for just a day or two to help with childcare. Its a little easier to find people for a scheduled time, rather than just a time in the future.

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

No baby yet

2008-10-27T07:59:00.002-06:00

Not that I really expected her to come this weekend but Ive been surprised before. Now it will be trying to figure how to schedule the induction on a very busy week for everyone. Im thinking of moving my prenatal appt up a day or two, to maybe then schedule the induction a day or two earlier if the doc will let me.

Its crazy week at work for andrew, they are deploying the new phone system and next monday is move in date for their new building. So there really isnt any good days for this to happen. Plus Katarina, my eldest and one of my biggest helpers is super busy this weekend too, so she will be gone. Some of the people I lined up to do childcare are out of town this week and weekend, so its just challenging all around.

If we put it off til next week, Andrew is just as busy at work with the new building move and Katarinas birthday is wednesday. For her sake, Id like to keep the babies birthday a couple of days away from that. And childcare is still challenging, as one person will be back, but another one unavailable then, so its not much better on that front either. Plus the kids are off school monday as well, which is more challenging as well. Never mind the fact that Im already miserable and uncomfortable and more than ready for this baby to be born. Sigh ... no good options really.

I was really hoping she would be born last week. I had told Katarina that she could go on this trip this weekend, really expecting that the babe would have been born by now. I wont back out on her now but it doesnt work in my favor for sure.

Well ... I know this regardless God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Resigned

2008-10-24T17:04:00.002-06:00

My last 4 babies have been induced in some fashion. Ariana was a week overdue, so they used the prostagladin gel. Ezekiel was 2 days overdue(I was very thankful for a doc that didnt make me wait long) and they broke the water. Zemirah had the membranes stripped and Gideon was a full induction with pitocin. So the chances of this babe coming on her own probably are slimmer. Still can happen, God can do anything, but at this point Im just not expecting it anymore. Im resigning myself to the liklihood that we will likely schedule an induction for next friday or monday. So im going about the week, just trying to ignore most of the contractions, as much as i can. It has helped somewhat, otherwise I find myself getting really down and disapointed that nothing seems to be taking.

I really should have been thinking with this mindset in the first place. I allowed myself though to get caught up in the excitement 0f preparing for the baby.

So today I just continued on with operation reduce laundry pile and finished a book. So it was much more relaxed. The dishes were caught up, I have a good handle on laundry, most of hte house was at least somewhat picked up.

Now Im on to operation distract me :) Thinking bout hitting the budget theatre tonite or this weekend.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Bummed

2008-10-23T14:40:00.002-06:00

Prenatal appt was okay, although my blood pressure was a bit low. The depressing part was no progress -- pretty much still dilated and effaced the same as I was last week.

I am so ready to have this baby its not funny! I packed the little kid bags today, finished up the phone and child care lists, finished packing my hosp bag as well. Now I just wait.

Unfortunely IM thinking I will be stuck until the doc will induce me as it has been with the last 3 or 4 kids. Its a side effect of having so many kids, your body just doesnt kick into labor like its supposed to. Sigh...

At least she isnt making me wait until the calandar due date, she has nov 1, which is hte ultrasound date as the official. So if I make it to the appt next thurs, then we will talk bout inductions. So probably only two more weeks at the most.

I was really hoping to have made some progress today, enough that she would have sent me to the hospital to get started on labor lol. Alas no such luck, so I have been pretty down today. I tried to stay busy,w hich induces more contractions but soon enough I just gave up and took a nap instead.

Tonite, Andrew teaches, so I think ill just curl up with my kiddos and watch the pirates who dont do anything.

God is still good ... all the time
MJ

Is it time yet?

2008-10-21T09:51:00.004-06:00

These last weeks of waiting are just plain draining. Pretty much no matter what I do, Im sore and uncomfortable. The trick is trying not to complain all the time as you are inclined to do.

It really doesnt matter much if I do cleaning or rest, my body is just sore lol! So I try to do a bit of both in anticipation of the babe arriving.

Todays tasks include digging out our storage room. We moved in a utility shelf this weekend to hold our larder from our trip to Sams Club. In reality that meant a whole lot of stuff got displaced and well, it really wasnt all that well organized anyway. Add to the fact we had frigid 35 degree temps this morning and we have a mess from digging for warmer coats. So I have been working on that on and off this morning. Unfortunely my motivation doesnt equal the energy and what my body is capable at this late stage. So it means frequent breaks to rest.

Also trying to find a bottom in the laundry pile, i fear it doesnt exist.

I find Im a bit more motivated since hubby thinks baby girl will arrive this week. I would be really happy if she does. Anything has to be easier than this! The hardest part I think is carrying all 32 lbs of Gideon. Hes only 18 months old and still wants to be held at times or carried and well with his size(height and weight both) hes heavy!

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Its a pop tarts kind of morning

2008-10-17T07:13:00.002-06:00

Since I got most of what I wanted done yesterday, i got pop tarts as a treat for the kids this morning. They were happy with that!

I managed to get quite a bit done yesterday.

The boys and I dug out the downstairs bedroom and got Zechariah's new dresser in. Josiah disassembled and reassembled the crib in the other bedroom we moved it to. Nathaniel got his room cleaned up and is waiting for his bed to get moved in today. Then we will switch out dressers, as he has a captains bed with drawers now.

Managed to get a bunch of laundry folded -- woohoo -- doing more laundry and folding is on the adgenda for today as well.

Mainly I want to get my room in order, set up the cradle, fill the babys dresser with the clean washed clothes. Side note on the clothes, Zemirah was fascinated with the little pink clothes. She kept picking them up and saying "Is this the babys?" Id say yes and shed respond with " But the baby wont come out" in this distressed voice. Its so hard to wait when you are 3!

Should be a more relaxing day for the kids, since they got most of the work done yesterday. So all they need to do is tidy their chore rooms this morning and then they are free lol! So i anticipate some WII play and movie watching to be going on.

Hopefully Andrew will be able to take some time off today and we can enjoy some time as a family.

God is good ... all the time, he put this song of praise in this heart of mine!

MJ

Might be an October baby after all

2008-10-16T13:30:00.002-06:00

Who knows -- only God :) Had my prenatal today and made further progress on the dilation front. Im now 3+ cm, so its at least encouraging that all of these lovely fun contractions are doing something! No more effacement but the baby has dropped down. Its now at -2 station and I went from measuring 40 cm to 37 cm, so her head is much further down now.

Doc pretty much doesnt think it will take much or that we will make it to November. I know enough about this, to know that nothing is really predictable with labor and delivery though. I had one baby that I was dilated to a 3 for like 3 weeks straight with no futher progress, that was depressing!

Im rather ready, things are uncomfy most of the time, sitting or standing. We are definitely on the home stretch.

Working on getting things ready like rearranging rooms with beds, moving the crib, washing up baby clothes, etc. Andrew finished the baby dresser, so its waiting for me to fill it! I still need to type of the list of which kid is going where etc, and child care details but we are getting close. I also need to pack a hospital bag.

Well thats all for now, off to switch over loads of laundry!
God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Feeling a tad more energetic this morning

2008-10-14T07:05:00.002-06:00

Maybe its cause I dont have anywhere to go til this evening. That always helps!

We made a late run into the cities last night to pick up Nathaniels bed. It was in great shape, came with a nice mattress and since its a captains bed, means one less dresser to purchase. Woohoo! Almost done, the last thing we need to get is another crib mattress, since its starting to crack. So hopefully this weekend or maybe before, we can get the crib moved and boys room put together.

It will be nice to have everything done. Im just relieved to have the purchases made, the rest will come in time.

So i need to start doing some of the organizing areas that I want done plus I want to tackle some of the boys room downstairs so we can move the new dresser in for Zechariah.

Tonites schedule should be a little lighter as we wont need to go to the CC meet since Josiah isnt running. Hes rather bummed by the deal but at least its at the end of the season and not the beginning. So conferences for the two elementary kids(its weird only having two there instead of 4) and then a cub scout meeting here at the house for Elijah.

Well off to dig out my storage room!

MJ

Drained

2008-10-13T15:17:00.002-06:00

I feel like a limp spaghetti noodle, completely drained and limp. Its like someone came along and sucked the little bit of energy i had right out of me.

I had some running to do this morning with a doc appt with Josiah and therapy for Gideon but other than that, I have accomplished very little. Im not sure if its the weekends activities now catching up or what. I just am just overwhelmed at the thought of even attempting supper.

We went shopping this weekend and got most of the furniture purchases we needed. Got some good deals as well. The wicker dresser thing I wanted for the baby was even further discounted by 30 bucks --- Awesome! We found both set of bunk beds either on clearance or on sale - double bonus and Katarinas mattress set on clearance as well. God is good .. all the time. But it was a lot of walking, comparison shopping, back and forth and the like. Plus getting new mattress covers for those mattresses we purchased etc. So both days were filled with either shopping or picking up purchases, plus I didnt get a lot of sleep last night either.

Im currently trying to gather up enough energy to figure out what to cook for supper... anyone wanna come help lol!~

Oh well, i guess the work will be there tommorrow!

Josiahs cross country season is officially over due to injury. The doc viewed the xrays this afternoon and he has a stress fracture. So that means he has to miss the last two weeks and two meets of the season. Rather a bummer for him! I feel kinda bad, he has been running on an injured foot for at least two weeks. I thought it was just needing some insoles or whatnot, but when that didnt clear it up, to the doc we went.

Okay enough babbling, need to figure out something for supper
MJ

Hoping for a productive day

2008-10-10T06:45:00.002-06:00

Gideons therapist canceled for today and IM pretty happy bout that. While its only an hour appt, it really seems to break up the day and motivation loop. So that pretty much leaves me a day at home ... I so need one!

I will still have to pick up the big kids from various practices but thats not til after school. I really need to tackle laundry and IM hoping to start organizing my room so i can move the cradle in there.

Had my prenatal yesterday, no more dilation, but more effacing. So the contractions are actually accomplshing somthing lol. And my childcare arrangements for delivery are starting to come together, just need a few more back up people and we will be good to go. So i need to type that all up, and type up the call list for after baby girl is born.

Well enough for now, im on a spider hunt, Zemirah is freaked out by one in her room!

MJ

we're back and the car that never dies

2008-10-07T06:36:00.004-06:00

It was a good weekend. The getting ready was a bit crazy but I managed to accomplish most of what I wanted done before we left.

Only forget one thing for the trip, Zemirah's dress for the wedding. Good thing I had her backup dress packed, same colors choc brown and pink, but just a different pattern. That was pretty good. Although we did forget all the swimming suits in the dryer at the hotel on sunday morning. Thankfully, his brother rescued them for us before he left on his honeymoon.

It was nice seeing some of Andrews family that we hadnt seen for awhile. And since the majority of the family stayed the same hotel, we had some nice conversations over continental breakfast. And absolutely lovely seeing aunt ruth again. Shes just as spunky in spirit as she ever was, although age on taken a toll on her body. The wedding was nice, and the bonus was it was short(I was a little concerned over Gideon staying quiet, I bribed him with food) We even managed to get a family picture taken, so that was awesome!

Its nice being back home. My datebook never showed up, so i purchased another and began recreating my calandar. Today is double appts at a clinic in the cities. It is nice they booked them back to back for me, so I only have to make one trip in but it does make for a longer day for sure. Im looking forward to talking with his developmental doctor and seeing where he is on the progress chart.

The busyness continues with practices and the like. Josiah will be running varsity for the rest of the season, thus a few more practices and one more meet than I orginally thought. This week he will run conference in Kimball and then next week is our home invitational and sectionals either next week or the week after. Hes still contemplating whether he signs up for running. Katarina got into the fall musical, bye bye birdie, so her practices is starting for that as well. Football is almost over, two more games and 1 more practice -woohoo! And scouting is starting up as well.

Our car has been acting up for several months now, dying at stop signs and the like. It would always restart but it was challenging to drive at times. Well we delayed getting it into the shop, expecting the repair to be 200 dollars or more, and we just didnt have that with all the school supplies, clothes and stuff like that. So we finally had the funds, take it in last friday. Mechanic calls yesterday and says " It was a $1.39 part". Im like no way! With labor and the part, it the whopping total came to 37 dollars. God is good ... all the time. We really should have known better, this is like the 3rd time, we expected a big repair and its been a much simpler fix. It will now be known as the car that never dies lol.

We were at the point with the car that we had to decide if it was worth fixing or not. It has 194,000 miles on it, its over 10 yrs old and the body is in really rough shape. It has been a really good little car. So its good it still has some life in it!

Well enough babblings,
MJ

Really lost

2008-09-29T07:57:00.003-06:00

My datebook still hasnt appeared. Its now worth 2 bucks to whoever manages to find it. Though I expect, with most things that are lost around here, Ill be the one to find it. Im feeling rather lost without knowing quite what to expect for the week. I have a broad idea of what was on the calandar and a few things listed on the big calandar.

I need to figure out Gideons therapy schedule most of all. So i made some calls about that, so i can recreate it. And I guess I need to look into getting another datebook if it doesnt show up by midweek. This just reinforces that I need to have things written in both places , the datebook and the wall calandar.

Lots to get done this week. Need to get the house back in order after a crazy weekend, need to get the lawn mowed, laundry done and caught up, make sure everything is packed and ready for our trip out of town, need to get Zemirah and I's haircut and the list goes on and on. Just details, mostly related to us going out of town for the weekend. Still need to purchase a wedding gift and the like.

Ill have my prenatal appt thurs afternoon and find out if i get the final okay for travel. Doc tentively approved me going last week but wanted a final check this week first. I really hope I can go, we were all looking forward to this trip as a family and it wont be quite the same to split up and only half go.

well thats all for now, need to get cleaning!

MJ

Slightly lost

2008-09-26T07:19:00.002-06:00

My datebook has gone awol for the past two days, so Im feeling slightly adrift and wondering am I missing something. I used to rely solely on a big wall calandar and I do write stuff on that still but the majority of everything is written in my datebook.

I switched to that, when I had to schedule many doctor appts for Gideon and Id come home only to look at the wall calandar and realized I double booked again. This way, generally speaking anyway, I keep it in my purse and with me the majority of the time. Its much more helpful then, i can look oh do i have a CC meet or therapy that day or whatever.

Im bout to offer a reward of 50 cents or a dollar for the first kid who finds it :) Gideon likes the picture of our family on the front, so he takes it quite often and leaves it places. It really could be anywhere in the house, but most likely buried under something.

Today I need to hit the laundry and dishes and get the general picking up done for the weekend. We need to get some shopping in so we can find some nice wedding outfits for the kiddos and plan to attend a showing of the new movie fireproof. Still working out details on all of that. Another jam packed weekend it looks like!

If the doc gives the final okay on thurs afternoon, we leave for Andrews brothers wedding on Friday morning. The kids are excited to swim and get to stay in a hotel again. Should be a nice little getaway thats not too far away!

Well thats all for now folks
MJ

Stark contrast

2008-09-25T14:31:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I was full of energy, til my body got too sore anyway. Today I am dragging big time. I have no energy, extremely tired and cant quite gather up much momentum.

Perhaps my mind realizes I have places to go tonite, so its reserving itself. Zechariah has his 2nd football game, Josiah has a CC meet(his is too far away to attend though) and Katarina has pep band. I had hoped maybe K would be wiling to babysit so i didnt have to take everyone along tonite but no such luck.

Andrew is teaching tonite, so Im on my own with the kids. Definitely going to be a sandwich fixings kind of night!

Its days like this, when its hard to envision surviving 5 more weeks of this! This too shall pass though and hopefully a good nights rest will pump up my energy leval a bit.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Nesting?

2008-09-24T13:28:00.002-06:00

Maybe a little bit lol.
I started this morning with deciding to reorganize the toys, which meant I decided to move a toy shelf to the living room. That led to moving the couch and chair. Well then the room was off balance, so i had to move a bookshelf and table and well you get hte point. I did manage to get some of my fall/halloween decorations out as well.

Now I am definitely paying for it, my hips and back are protesting rather loudly, even still after laying down for an hour this afternoon.

I think its more of a sense of trying to regain control of the clutter and chaos of the house. I couldnt really work much on the kitchen, with our new dishwasher still sitting in the middle, so I decided to start with the living room.

Maybe ill get control yet lol

MJ

In a hurry

2008-09-23T13:48:00.002-06:00

Im starting to think number 10 happens to be in a bit more of a hurry than the others. Then again, who really can predict labor patterns?

I had my 35 week appt today and discovered Im already 2 cm dilated and 20 percent effaced. Which doesnt mean a lot in terms of predicting labor. Although it does give me a bit more caution as I think bout traveling for my BIL's wedding next weekend. I already looked up what hospitals in the area are in network, just in case. Ill be 36 weeks when we travel and we are going bout 3 hrs away. So I think it will be okay, my doc is planning on giving me copies of all my paperwork just in case anyway. If she says next week, that I cannot go, I will just send andrew and the big kids.

I really didnt expect I would have been dilated at all, based on the number and frequency of the braxton hicks ive been having. So maybe Katarina will get her wish and we will have an October baby after all.

I know better though to pin my hopes on it, with one of the babies, i was 3 cm for like 3 weeks straight! So she might hold out til November after all. I just pray she stays til after we return from the wedding.

No wonder I have been somewhat nesting lately ... brain chemistry is starting to get there, although it could be over a month yet!

Well thats all for now folks
MJ

2008-09-21T17:42:00.002-06:00

Somehow you always think that the weekend will bring the rest you desire. It never seems to work quite that way.

Friday was a trip to walmart, picking up Josiah from practice and then running kiddos to a bonfire. Saturday brought a citywide garage sale that most people from towns around here look forward to. It was fun but exhausting too! My favorite deal was some promotional glass garfield mugs. I got 8 of the mugs for 3 bucks, pretty good deal.

Then two of the boys had friends sleep over saturday night and they attended church with us this morning. One of my own was off at a friends birthday sleepover as well.

Sunday , other than church hasnt been as busy. My exhaustion though has magnified. Andrew took Elijah off to spend his birthday money, so he enjoyed that.

I discovered after Gideons nap that he had developed a fever. When I got him out of bed, i thought he felt warm. I, at first, chalked it up to the warm day outside and the fact he slept in pants. After I took his temperature though, I quickly figured out something is up. I felt bad though, that the other kids in nursery got exposed to whatever he has going down but he really was just fine this morning. And at this point, he doesnt have any other symptoms.

This weeks brings two CC meets, a football game, two days of therapy for Gideon, a prenatal appt, plus various practices and the like.

Well bout to start family night, gotta run
MJ

I've tried to write

2008-09-15T07:12:00.002-06:00

The words arent flowing as easily as I want them to, so I delay blogging. Part of it is a friend and member of our church died two weeks ago and things just havent felt the same since. I want to write bout him and how this has changed my perspective but I cant seem to find the words right now. So I will put that aside for the moment but I do plan on trying to blog bout it all.

We have celebrated two birthdays in the time span since I blogged last. Zemirah turned 3, which we celebrated with a party at the lake. And Elijah turned 9, yes I said 9. Since hes the last of the pattern of 4 boys in a row, I tend to think of him as little or young. 9 just seems old. He had a sleepover party this weekend and stayed up "all" night.

We have had hand/foot/mouth disease going thru the house. Most of the kids seem to either have had it or developed immunities. I suspect Zemirah had a mild case, as she only got a fever but Gideon had a good case and now Elijah. He is rather disapointed to ruining his perfect attendence, missing gym class(his favorite) and of course breakfast pizza at school.

A bunch of the rest of us has gotten a cold and the resulting cough/running nose/dragging energy. So we are plugging away as best as we can.

Busy week ahead, as usual. Cross country practices and two races, a football practice and game, fall musical tryouts, bible quiz practice, therapies for Gideon, and of course the lester prairie garage sales at the end of the week. Im most looking forward to the fact I have nothing scheduled today other than picking up J from CC practice later.

Well gotta run, diaper changes, laundry and dishes await me.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Scheduled

2008-08-25T19:36:00.002-06:00

I distinctly do not like schedules and routines, well strict ones anyway. Unfortunely, especially with a large family, its a necessity of life. So I have adapted it to make it flexible but firm enough to work for me.

Today was the first day of getting back to the school routine. This week is sort of a practice run as there is no "real" bus to catch. Lets just say this morning was a work in progress. The majority of the children did not respond politely to being asked to get up at 615 am. I also created a shower schedule too , making sure that no one sneaks under the radar on that front. Add in earlier bedtimes and the children are a tad grumpy.

Its a little different this year. Previous years Andrew pretty much was out the door to work before the majority of the kids arose. This year hes still at home, leaving after the last ones go to school unless he starts earlier. Ooo tag team parenting, Im not sure the kids are liking it lol.

But the earlier wake up times, allowed most of the chores(cept for Josiahs as he had practice) were done early enough to have some fun. They played wii this morning. We had our typical quiettime and nap for Gideon. Then off we went to get slushies and took them to a park to play. This was something I have wanted to do all summer and finally got around to accomplishing it.

A late supper(although very yummy) led to a more crammed in evening then, trying to ready all the troops for the earlier bedtimes. Everyone but the two eldest are in bed, settled down for the evening. I suspect I will enjoy this aspect once again. Having the majority of the munckins up til 9 in the summer was tiring at times.

Tommorrow, Gideon has therapy again and I have a prenatal. Josiah has afternoon practice and katarina is off babysitting. So whatever we do will have to be in between other stuff. Im thinking maybe some uno games or drawing outside with chalk. Its always more fun if mom comes out and draws too!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Deadline equals productive evening

2008-08-21T21:32:00.002-06:00

For some reason, I tend to get more cleaning done when Im faced with a deadline of someone coming over. It kicks me into a higher gear I guess.

Anyway tonite, with some of the kids help, we got the downstairs really cleaned. Nathaniel cleaned the downstrs bathroom while Zechariah and Elijah finished cleaning their bedroom. Andrews Dad is visiting tommorrow and he will sleep in Josiahs bed. The boys, will either sleep outside (they have been begging to,lately) or upstrs in the living room. Katarina helped declutter the bookshelves and wash walls. I steam cleaned the family room carpet and touched up paint along the stairwell.

Feels good to have made some progress. Going to ban any children from the downstairs area lol. Tommorrow we tackle the upstairs:Kitchen, living room, bathroom and two of the bedrooms. His dad wont arrive til 5, so I think we are in good shape, even if he shows up a bit early.

Less than 2 weeks til school starts. We still need to get shoes and a few backpacks. Thankfully I have purchased most of the supplies over the last 6 weeks or so, so its not all coming due at once. We likely will do some shoe shopping this weekend too.

Next week starts getting back to the school routine and schedule. Middle and high schoolers will be getting up at 6 am. They are not thrilled. I havent recieved bus times yet but based on last year , they likely will be getting on the bus 7 to 720 or so. The elementary kids can still get up at 7(well maybe not ariana, shes my resident slowpoke) and get off to school by 745. Currently Andrew starts at 8, so technically everyone leaves before him.

It certainely will be quieter around here. A lot different for the littles though. Gideon is used to having a big kid around to take him outside or play with him.

Well thats all for now folks
MJ

Weekend wrapup

2008-08-17T18:42:00.002-06:00

Its been somewhat of a busy week.

Josiah started cross country practice this week and thus begins the loss of summer freetime and the beginning of school routine and schedule. He was none too thrilled to find out practice was bright and early at 8 am. His new coach seems to be pretty good thus far. Most of the days he was able to keep up with the high school runners and run 4 miles or more. His first meet is next week before school even starts!

Katarina got her high school schedule and is beyond excited. This year she will have the high school all to herself (read no brothers at the same school to bug her in the hallway) I still cant believe I have a freshman in high school already.

I also had a prenatal appt this week. Really good news on that front, my measurements are back in the normal range. Praising God! I was almost 30 weeks at the appt and measuring 31 cm. That was a huge sigh of relief after hearing that news. For reference point, I was measuring 38 cm with Gideon at 30 weeks gestation. So quite a bit of difference. Everything else was good, blood pressure fantastic, weight gain very reasonable(only up to 7 total), and heard a very lovely heartbeat.

Friday brought a very welcome day off for Andrew. He has worked a lot of extra hours lately plus his conference to Texas. So he attempted to take friday off. He fielded at least 3 blackberry calls plus had to run into the office for a halfhour as well. Sigh ... thus are the drawbacks of the type of job it is. When the network is down, he has to go in to fix it And since he doesnt have any underlings yet it all falls to him. Sometimes its as simple as rebooting the network, somtimes its hours of troubleshooting. Even with all that, IM glad he is working closer to home!

We were very blessed this weekend with some tickets to higher ground, a christian music festival in our town. With the tickets we were given , and the ones that get in free(10 and under are free) we were able to take our entire family for a couple of hours on friday. The younger ones were quickly bored but thats okay. The middle ones werent too thrilled either to go. I enjoyed though walking around with all of us. The bands we heard on friday during the day werent big names. Our older ones went back that evening and listened to Casting Crowns and really loved that. Saturday night , Andrew, Josiah, Elijah , Ariana and I went back and got to hear sara groves and mercy me. Thank goodness a friend of ours gave us earplugs cause man, Mercy Me was loud! Its really interesting now that when i hear a song on the radio that I can attribute to one of the bands I heard, that I have a face to go with the song.

Today we had our baptism service out at the lake near town. It wasnt so much prepping to go: figuring out what to make for the potluck, finding all the swimsuits and towels, packing up the gear and sunscreen, and loading the drinks. Once we were there though it really was nice. Beautiful sunny day with a good breeze, perfect day to hang out at the lake. Only one moment of panic when Ezekiel had taken off for the bathroom without telling me and I couldnt find him immediately. Other than that we were good. I got sunscreen on pretty well so i escaped the burn but almost all of the kids didnt get there cheek/nose bridge area and are burned there. And a couple didnt get their backs as well, so I know Josiah and Andrew are pretty badly burned.

Andrew had to go into work twice tonite already and pretty much expects to be there for awhile. The entire network is down, not even the blackberries are pulling email. So in order for everybody to work tommorrow he needs to figure out the problem. He did come home in between times to watch little house on the prarie for our family night. I really appreciated his diligence and willingness to make that a priority. At least work is close and he doesnt have to travel far to get there(5 min lol) .

I still think even with the extra hours he has to put in occasionally here and there or the extra half hour tacked on at the end of a workday, we are still seeing him way more than when he was commuting. He often would be long gone by the time any of them got up and wouldnt arrive home til 630 or later some nights. Long days for sure! These are a different kind of long days I think. Even when he has to work late, we are seeing him when he comes home for lunch and quite often a number of the kids see him out the door when he leaves for work as well. They love waiting on the front steps to watch for him to bike home at night too. Those are the neat parts of having him work closer to home.

So I sit here listening to the sounds of the kids playing outside, katarinas radio in the background and the comings and goings of them all. I need to get Zemirah and Ezekiel in and ready for bed. Then I may run Andrew a drink or something to make his night a little easier.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

House picked up ...

2008-08-09T18:57:00.000-06:00

. . . laundry folded, dishes done and now the kids are cleaning up the yard. They have made cards and signs and taped them on the doors of the house, I think we are ready for dh to come home!

Unfortunely he will get home really late, after midnite, so all the chillins will be in bed. So i encouraged them to make him welcome home cards and have the house clean for him. He really appreciates that kind of thing.

I made him his favorite drink, iced tea, in fact I made 4 gallons worth since the kids (minus Zechariah) love it too. I had to label some pitchers "kids" and some "Dad" since he uses splenda in his lol.

Now just to wait, its currently 8 pm, only 4 some hours to go! God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Missing my hubby

2008-08-08T07:05:00.002-06:00

Andrew traveled to Texas yesterday for a work conference. Thankfully a short one(he'll be back late saturday night) but I miss him all the same.

Days, especially weekdays are not so bad, since Im used to him being gone for work. Although with now working in town, we see him a lot more. He generally comes home for lunch every day and doesnt have to be to work til 8 am. 5 oclock rolls around and the kids start looking for him again.

Mostly though its the nights that get me. My pattern is to stay up late until IM really exhausted so I can fall asleep easier. I just dont sleep as well without him lol. And I read a lot of books, that usually keeps my mind from thinking too much.

Only 2 more days to go!

God is good ... all the time

MJ

Random thoughts on a friday

2008-08-01T07:05:00.002-06:00

You know you are really far behind on laundry when you need to do laundry in order for your laundry fairy to reach your machine. My laundry fairy arrives tonite and IM really excited, even though it means a day of cleaning today :)

I took three kittens and the momma cat to the shelter yesterday. That was incredibly hard and sad. It was hard knowing they were going to be caged rather than in a home being loved. We had kept them 6 weeks already with no sucess in finding homes so we had to do something.

We celebrated our 2nd annniversary of moving into this community and house. Our family holiday was saturday and we enjoyed some time at hte lake. Then ended the night with a feast of good food! God is good and we wanted to remember his goodness and what he continues to do for our family.

Well thats enough miscellany for now, more later folks.

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Martial Law declared

2008-07-24T19:34:00.002-06:00

This summer has just been hard. Im not sure exactly what different between this summer and last but it has been.

Im not sure if I was just hyper focused on Gideon and his numerous medical issues last summer and since hes doing fabulous this summer, Im more focused on all the kids or what. Either way things were rough enough that on Wednesday I declared martial law. Cause it just wasnt working, the kids were fighting, I was yelling and nagging and life generally wasnt getting us anywhere.

So I started them out with a family meeting, well more of a mom lecture to tell the truth. I told them this just isnt working and something needs to change. Im not even getting to laundry or any of the other detail cleaning and work I need to do because Im constantly interupted dealing with fights and meltdowns and getting them to do the chores. My eldest children really should be at the point they can get the chores done decently without the reminders to focus and do what needs to be done.

So we started out with some team cleaning. All the big kids super cleaning the kitchen while I worked with the little ones ina bedroom. We worked thru the house on wed and worked on cleaning the garage today. I told them martial law will stay declared until I see improvements in behavior.

They arent impressed with martial law cause it means no friends over at all and they basically have to do whatever they are assigned. The first day they didnt even do their regular chore rooms the way we usually do.

Hopefully this will get all of them and myself back on track. So far Im exhausted but I do have a clean garage -- lol!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Neighborhood diner and hotel

2008-07-18T12:46:00.002-06:00

I used to say a lot when the kids were small that I wanted our house to be the hang out spot when they got older. I wanted to be the one with the "cool house" and be the "cool mom"

Lets just say its harder than it looks. I discovered early on that Im not one of those moms that thrives on extra kids and the subsequent crazyness. So its a constant battle at times to say yes to a sleepover, to letting them eat over, to letting them hang out when all i want to do is say no freaking way.

It really is a good thing, getting to know your kids friends. Its just hard sometimes. So i fight my selfish nature and especially this summer Im trying to say yes as often as possible without losing my head in the process.

Im learning to still have my kids do their chores at chore time even when friends are over. Sometimes some of the friends pitch in(sometimes more than my own kids) somtimes they dont. I dont make a big deal out of it mostly. We generally have enough food, so its fairly easy to just set another plate at the table.

For my own sanity, i have instutited a few sanity saving rules. Like for instance, Wednesdays are declared no friends over days. That way I have a little break. Its also the day my friend comes over for moms group, so I also get some adult time as well. And Sunday night is family night, so no activities or going anywhere on sunday nights. The other thing that helps is having a definitive start and end time. That way I can prepare for the events of the day. Other than that, if their chores are done and I dont have doc appts or other things that take me out of the house, IM trying to say yes.

Last night we had two kids over for supper and subsequent sleepover. One is staying another night! Thats okay Im losing one of my own to a birthday party sleepover at a friends, so its all good :)

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Cant seem to find my groove

2008-07-17T07:22:00.002-06:00

Lately its been hard to get past the constant interuptions of the day. From fights between siblings, to Gideon finding somthing new to get into to phone calls and the list goes on and on. I get little bursts of productiviity but it feels like everythign is dreadfully behind.

I really need to get my storage room and bedroom organized ... again. But those are time intensive projects and I feel like I have no time to start any of that let alone just get basic laundry done.

Hopefully today I can get somthing done. I dont have any therapy or doctor appts or anyone coming over. So if the kids cooperate maybe I can a little bit ahead on my project list.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Take Two

2008-07-14T18:24:00.002-06:00

I'm alive just busy as usual. It seems that someone or something is always interupting me and well it just leaves less inspiration to blog.

Anyway, we headed down to Wisconsin this past weekend for a reunion on my Dads side of the family. We decided to drive down and back the same day, so it was a whirlwind trip. We left at 2 am Saturday morning and got to Richland Center around 730. Travel was faster with only one bathroom break!!

It was nice getting to see some old friends in the morning. The kids needed to burn off energy, so we invited them to the park with us. We also managed a few nostalgic stops at the music shop and donut shop in town. The funny part was seeing the same gentlman we saw at mcdonalds that morning, at the donut shop later in the morning. He apparently had his rounds to make!

The kids had fun at the reunion. My grandmother had door prizes and marshmellow races with spoons for hte kids to do. We even managed to sneak in a visit to my other grandparents house and the kids all snagged mollasses cookies on the way out the door.

Finally got home around 1130, pretty exhausted. Andrew did all the driving ... pretty darn amazing since he only got two short naps during the day.

Summer continues to roll on: the kids are enjoying trips to the library, biking, fishing, and just hanging out. It feels like we have a stream of kids coming and going.

Gideon has taken off this summer as well. He is now walking all over the place, climbing on every surface he can and loves going outside to eat the sand. Its so much fun to see him walking across the room!

Well thats all for now folks,
God is good ... all the time!
MJ

We had an awesome weekend!

2008-07-01T08:00:00.002-06:00

We finally got on the road just after 4 since we had to wait for our van to be finished. The air conditioning was getting fixed. So we were thankful for that on the road! We arrived around 920 or so since we had made a supper stop along the way.

There were some dicey thunderstorms along the way. We kept outdriving one cell and running into another. At one point, we quickly were checking for tornado warnings when the rain appeared to be coming from multiple directions. We got there safely though! My hubby is an awesome driver, I would have pulled over multiple times in the sheet rain.

We hit the waterpark early on saturday morning and spent around 3 hrs there. The kids loved it, since we got there at 630 am, we had the place to ourselves for over an hour. That was nice. Its a pretty small waterpark compared to some of the big ones that have popped up so it really wasnt that busy there. That was kinda nice as well.

Gideon didnt like the water much at all, it was pretty cold and he just was scared. So he spent a lot of time on our lap or on the edge of the water with us. Zemirah had just a blast stepping on the little jet fountains and then letting go and it sprayed up in her face. She was a joy just to watch. Ezekiel was up and down the water slides and kept trying to sneak over the big pool to play on the bench area that wasnt as deep. Ariana enjoyed talking to everyone she saw lol. Elijah loved having the water basketball hoops and we heard plenty of pleas for us to play basketball with him. Zechariah really liked the big slides when they were open. Nathaniel liked showing off how much his swimming has improved and we had a fun game of tag Josiah worked on his strokes as well and did a cannonball off the big slide. Katarina liked taking Zemirah down the big slides with her.

We hit the waterpark at least 3-4 times over the weekend, so it was really nice. I think we will be back. The suites are very reasonably priced and we loved the fact it wasnt as busy there.

The family renunion was nice too. Smaller than I anticipated but nice and intimate. It was enjoyable being able to figure out who is related to who, and so I have a much bettr picture of my grandfathers side of the family.

We also got to see my parents and they loaded us down with all the venison and beef they hadnt eaten in the last year. So we got a huge amount of meat, what a blessing !

We took the long leisurely drive home. We stopped at a playground we usedto take the oldest kids to when we lived in the area. Hit our favorite clearance shopping place and drove home along the mississippi river.

All in all, a nice little vacation trip.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

A little mini vacation

2008-06-27T07:11:00.003-06:00

Since Andrew changed jobs, he isnt eligible to use his vacation time for 90 days. Pretty much the entire summer, so that means no long vacation this year as we had hoped. So instead we are taking advantage and getting a weekend away.

On my grandfathers side, they are having a family reniuon that we are atteneding this weekend. I found a nice lodge that has two room suites that will fit our family(score, this is a tough thing to find). The bonus is it has a small waterpark for their pool area. Pretty minimal just two slides and a couple of fountains but i suspect the kids will have a lot of fun.

It will be nice to see some family especially my grandparents. I really miss living close to them. And Im looking forward to some time away with the family.

So today will be the mad rush of getting the house tidy before we leave, packing bags, retrieving our van from teh mechanic, printing maps, etc.

See you all on the other side!
MJ

sad day

2008-06-26T12:23:00.002-06:00

We have 3 beautiful ash trees in our front yard( 2 directly in front of the house and one in front on the side). They are growing into the power lines, so they either have to be cut down or trimmed way back. The type of line and the type of tree it is, really would leave them short and really chopped. Like maybe 7 ft tall if that.

So they are cutting down the 3 trees today :( We did get them to agree to give us 15 lilac plants for the front yard. Its still not the same though. Our house looks so naked without the trees and there is sooo much sunlight now. It really shaded the entire front yard. Sigh ... I know it needs to be done but I guess I really dont have to like it.

MJ

The first one

2008-06-24T12:32:00.002-06:00

We found a home for one of the kittens today. It happened to be one of my favorites :( but I am happy that it has a home rather than a shelter cage. It went to another family with young kids, so Im sure it will have lots of love and attention.

We are keeping two ourselves, so that leaves only 3 more to find homes for. Im hoping to find them a home but I will take them to the shelter rather than let them go. Momma cat will most likely have to go the shelter. She was really freaked out in the beginning and really has warmed up though.

We gave them all temporary names:half pint, shadow, storm,gandalf, adolf and greybeard. We are keeping half pint(the smallest runt looking one, it has longer hair, tiger striping, white, grey and a kid favorite) and shadow(grey with white paws and neck, little white streak on its nose, a cuddler).

Anyone want a cute little kitten?
MJ

God is good ... all the time!

2008-06-20T20:10:00.001-06:00

All is well!
My doc called this afternoon, so I wouldnt have to wait and worry thru the weekend. I really appreciated her doing that. She said from everything we can see on the ultrasound, baby girl is developing normally and all measurements are good! Woohoo, praising God from whom all blessings flow.

I have to say while I was nervous and a bit worried the day of the ultrasound, God has given me the peace during the subsequent days. So even when a friend called and asked me if i had gotten the report yet this morning, I realized I hadnt even been thinking bout it at all. Praising God again for his blessings!

God is good ... all the time ... he put this song of praise in this heart of mine!

MJ

Its a . ...

2008-06-18T13:10:00.002-06:00

A baby! lol!

All looked good thus far. Heart was strong and 4 chambered, measuring within a few days of the due date.

It will be a few days, maybe even a week , before Ill get the detailed report. So I know they measured the fluid but I dont know amounts. So keep praying that all is well with this little one.

And as for the gender(disclaimer ultrasounds can be wrong lol) our boy and girl totals are going to be 6 and 4. So if the tech is correct, we are having a princess! Katarina of course is elated! Some of the other big boys are out biking and dont know yet.

God is good ... all th time.

MJ

Part 3

2008-06-16T19:40:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning dawned with my very first opportunity to try a starbucks coffee.
REally, had I wanted to, I could have had one well before now but I didnt.

The first clerk looked absolutely incredulous that I had not ever had starbucks before. She asked with a rather dumbfounded look where in the world did i live. So there was a fair amount of discussion over what to have me try. Finally they settled on a black and white mocha with a pump of vanilla added. It really was tasty. Now I at least know what to order next time I go in lol.

The kicker was at the end when the clerk, a fairly young guy, asked if my friend and I were sisters. We look nothing alike at all, although we are the exact same age minus about 14 hours or so. It was rather amusing the rest of the weekend joking bout which one of us he thought was the older one. And whether or not that was a hit on line.

I know we knocked a few more things off the to see list, but my brain is not remembering exactly what. But i know as afternoon approached we headed over the space needle park to meet some online friends of mine. Both groups of friends were running late so Nikki and I took some time to take some pics. They had a cool fountain that had some neat artist benches , each designed differently , around the walkway of the fountain. It provided good picture fodder and lots of fun.

So eventually my friend, Libby and her two girls arrived. So more picture taking ensued. Then we took her girls on some rides while waiting for the others. Eventually the latecomers all managed to meet up! It really was neat to meet some of the friends that I have shared joys and sorrows with over the internet. One I had talked with via phone, the rest was either message boards or email or IM. We ate lunch at the food court area there and then wandered out near the space needle area.

Quickly we were distracted by a sight. There was a group of musicians playing music along the boulevard and a crowd of people was gathered. Although IM not sure the crowd was entirely there just for the music, it was the dancing granny that drew my attention. A uniquely dressed older lady was having the time of her life dancing away to the music. I mean she was putting on a show in her own right. At a couple of points, she started taking off a jacket and then gloves and we were wondering if this was going to stay G rated. Thankfully it did. Eventually we tore ourselves away from the entertainment and got in line for the space needle.

I enjoyed the view and a chance to take some fun pictures with my friends. Although time was short and they soon had to go home.

Part 4 to follow!

MJ

My trip part 2 :)

2008-06-16T19:28:00.002-06:00

Finding longer periods to write a detailed blog post is tougher than i thought.

After getting in fairly late,we slept til 830 or so. We decided to venture out for breakfast. We went to this neat little cafe called the library cafe. It was decorated like a libary and had a couple of cozy fireplaces and neat tables. Breakfast was yummy too.

We then ventured out and proceeded to hit the sights and cross them off Nikki's list. I forgot my camera, luckily Nikki remembered hers. One of the more neat sights was a gigantic stone troll with a real volkswagon beetle in his hand. I think some art society created it, its underneath an overpass bridge. Pretty cool!

Although it was chilly I did enjoy walking along puget sound and picking up some rocks and shells. It rained off and on that day as well as a good wind, so it felt really chilly. Thank God I brought my coat!!!

I got to see the famous pikes market and found lots of fun trinkets there. I sadly did not come at the exact right time to see them throw a fish. If my memory serves me correctly(which it totally might not lol) I think we ate at red robin that night. We decided to hit a late show and see prince caspian. Great flick and the bonus was that I got to see it before Katarina lol.

Part 3 to come!
MJ

Seattle trip - part 1 -- the flight out

2008-06-10T18:15:00.003-06:00

The trip really didnt start out on a good note.

I got to the park and ride relatively easy with plenty of time to make it thru security and the like. That all went smoothly. It was issues with the weather that did us in, so really not the airlines fault. Still very frustrating though. We didnt get to board for an hour due to the ramp being closed with lightening. So we boarded only to find out the ramp was once again closed due to lightening and the baggage handlers couldnt load the luggage(definitely made me thankful I had opted to just take a carryon.

So we are all loaded, the baggage was loaded; we were just waiting for the tower to okay a take off. Then the flight crew and pilot timed out. Now I had not heard of this but I guess due to flight regulations and the like, they no longer could work the airplane. So now we are further delayed while they begin the on call search for a new pilot and flight crew. They eventually make us all get off the plane and our orginal 520 pm flight is now pushed to 930 pm.

Just wait it gets better yet. We board the plane around 930 for a 10 pm flight out. We taxi away from the terminal and everyone breathes a sigh of relief only to find we stop on the runway. Supposedly we are first in line when they release the westbound flights. So we sit on the runway waiting and waiting and waiting. At some point they make us go to an alternate runway to make run for eastbound flights. What happened was a line of thunderstorms from Texas to Iowa and the only open airspace was Minnesota. Thus it was saturated and we had to be sequenced in. We left 7 hrs after our orginal flight time, and finally got in the air at 1230 am. I finally arrived in seattle around 340 am our time, 140 am seattle time. Whew that was an interesting evening.

I tried to think as postively as I could and thought well Im very thankful the children arent here or this would be 10 times worse!! Also discovered expensive airport pizza really isnt that good.

More to come :)

MJ

Just a quick post

2008-06-09T08:57:00.001-06:00

Im back, had lots of fun, glad to be home too! Will write more later when I have some more time. Laundry awaits!

MJ

Im Off

2008-06-05T12:18:00.003-06:00

Well shortly here anyway. Going to drop the kids off at the sitters and head to the park and ride. Hopefully everything is easy to find.

We never did end up watching the movie last night as Andrew was pretty much comatose. He really did a number on his back, so the doc yesterday had prescribed muscle relaxants. Those really made him out for the count. I tried waking him up to get some help with finding a park and ride and he was just too out of it. That was a bummer.

Feelign a little more relaxed, at least I will once im actually on the plane. Got a good bit of laundry caught up, a whole lot folded and put away. Went to the grocery to get some frozen pizzas and bread. I think I covered most of hte bases. I have like 7 notes all on the fridge and emailed andrew a detailed list of stuff. It takes some efffort to leave a husband and 9 kids at home lol.

Well thats about all for now folks, see ya when i return
MJ

The mad dash

2008-06-04T17:38:00.003-06:00

I spent today chaperoning a field trip to como zoo with ariana. Other than being a little cold, it was a lot of fun. That also means I have a day less to prepare for my trip to seattle.

So tonite its the mad dash of finishing up laundry, finalizing sitter details and packing my bag. I have a 5 o clock flight, so I will leave before the kids even get out of school to get to the airport on time.

I hope to watch a movie tonite with Andrew while folding the baskets of laundry :) Im looking forward to getting away. The boys actually cheered that mom was going to be gone for 3 days... typical i suppose. Katarina is still begging to go with and the littles really dont grasp the concept.

Well thats all for now folks

MJ

Tad bit overwhelmed

2008-06-02T12:18:00.002-06:00

Its only Monday afternoon and Im already feelign the pressure. So much that it makes me want to shut down and do nothing, rather than everything I need to arrange.

Im going to Seattle for a trip away to visit my friend this weekend but the excitement is getting buried deep in the to do list. It doesnt help that this is the last week of school for the kids and various arrangments must be made for the time IM away. Katarina is also going away for the weekend as well, babysitting for my SIL and brother, so detail for that must be arranged as well. I believe they are picking her up but its complicated by the fact she has a field trip that day that wont return til late.

Im sure Ill feel a little better when ill the babysitter arrangments are said and done. I got a reminder call today reminding me of a specialist appt for Gideon. I have already exhausted my possible list of sitters so IM stuck taking all the littles with me tommorrow. On my birthday no less. Sigh ... thus is life.

Then if the ducks line up in a row(mainly if the sitters work out) IM chaperoning a field trip for Ariana on wednesday and then i fly out early evening on thursday. Andrew just informed me we are in for some wicked bad storms that day ... great, As well as figuring out where to park and do security stuff at the airport, ick, that is making me anxious already. Unfortunely with starting the new job it means AJ cant take off to drive me in to the airport.

On top of all this, I had wanted to get the house in good order before I left to give Andrew a good start to the weekend. Sigh I guess i wont get everything accomplished.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

a little unreal

2008-05-30T07:42:00.002-06:00

Today is Andrews first day at the new job. So we begin a new chapter in our lives.

It felt very odd getting up so late and still having time to have a fairly relaxed morning. Well there was the crazyness of getting the school kids to brush their hair and teeth and find socks but still.

I made Andrew breakfast and he had time to sit and check some tech news and leisurely get his stuff together. It certainely felt very different. Normally its how quickly can he grab his stuff and get out the door, maybe throw an egg sandwich at him as he goes out the door.

Now I look outside and see the car sitting there and it just is out of character for our typical day. Andrew took his bike this morning and Im reminded what a blessing this new job is, in that he does have the ability to ride his bike.

I think we both had given up on finding a job here in town that paid enough for him to work close to home. Yet God took that desire and fulfilled it in his time, Praising him in his goodness.

Gideon has recovered nicely from his surgery, other than a post surgery ear infection. That fever the day after , panicked us for a bit but no problems thankfully.

We all have been busy with end of the year school thing:band concerts, field trips, projects etc. So I think the kids are all looking forward to a summer off here in another week. I will be going to Seattle next weekend as well, so trying to arrange all those details as well.

Im in the process, mentally at least, of figuring out a summer schedule. I suspect it needs to be a bit more structured than I like. Loose structure but breakfast and lunch at a certain time, a time limit to finish chores by, free time from this point to this point;that kind of thing.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Surgery went great

2008-05-21T18:21:00.002-06:00

He came thru with flying colors. I really appreciate all the prayers, I could definitely feel them. Most in that he was not cranky for not getting to eat and only having some juice up until 9 am. He just was a little fussy at getting told no when he couldnt pull cords or push the nurse button. So that was a great relief.

He took a little longer in the recovery area as he was just worn out and wanted to sleep. We couldnt go home until he had woken up and had something to drink. We eventually had to encourage him to wake up and stay up and then we finally left after 4 pm. Lets just say it was a loong afternoon.

Gideon is moving a little slower than normal but seems to be happy to be home and happily drinking his milk!

Thanks for praying
MJ

Prayers are appreciated- Gideons surgery tommorrow

2008-05-20T20:14:00.002-06:00

Gideon will be having his hernia surgery(he has 3) tommorrow, 5/21, at 1145 central time. The hardest part will be the no food after 345 am rule. He cant then have milk after 545 am and no clear liquids after 845 am.

Im thankful for that at least, since apple juice is considered a clear liquid, and that will hopefully tide him over until close to the time we leave. Since the hospital is an hour away and we have to be there by 1015.

The no food thing is pretty big though, he pretty much wants breakfast upon waking most days and will not be too pleased with the lack of it.

Please pray for his surgeon, Dr rich, for us as we wait thru the surgery and mostly for my little guy. Its always scary when they get put under.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

sorta like the song that does not end

2008-05-19T19:02:00.002-06:00

I had the motherlode of a headache today. It started around noon or so and did not disapate fully until after 630 pm. I dont typically get long term headaches or migraines or anything so it was a bit unusual.

Im thankful that its mostly gone now though. It made it hard to function at times esp when the kids were uncooperative. A nap, drinking water and taking headache meds didnt help. Guess it just needed to wear itself out.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Its official!

2008-05-16T12:53:00.002-06:00

Congratulations Andrew!

He officially accepted a job as a IT engineer this morning and will start may 30th. He will be working here at a local business in town, so his commute will go from 1 hour to 5 minutes!~ Thats a pretty big time savings.

We are very excited to embark on a new journey!

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Whirlwind of a week

2008-05-15T19:05:00.002-06:00

Pretty busy week, with babysitting, doctor appts, field trips, track meets, ultrasound and job negotations.
It is fast catching up with me, I am exhausted. Very much looking forward to tommorrow where i have nothing specifically that "has" to be gone to tommorrow. Id like to take the little ones out in the stroller and do some rummage saling but thats at my discretion. And well of course there is the resident housework that is fast multiplying during the time in which I have been gone this week.

Our world is a bit shaken up right now. Andrew is in the process of switching jobs and negotiating the final details. I think it will be a really good change for our family as he will be losing the commute. Details to come as it finalizes but God is awesome! The timing is amazing just as gas prices are really starting to go thru the roof, God comes thru with this offer. I know I shouldnt be surprised at his provisions but I am taken aback at his goodness to us.

Gideon also was diagnosed with cerebral palsy this week at the developmental doctor appt. I must say I wasnt expecting this one. He has improved so much in skill and development(although it needs refining for sure) that I was all pumped to show him off. And while the doc was really pleased with his progress and how far hes come, his muscle tone issues are still there as much as they ever were. Thus the diagnosis, she had waited this far to see if the muscle tone would change but it didnt.

Exactly what this means, we dont know.

What we do know is that we still love Gideon just as he is and that God is not shaken off the throne with this diagnosis.

There is a broad range of disablities with this disease. For example intellgience ranges from normal/above normal to learning disablities to mental retardation. We wont know the range of that for a long time. Some kids cannot even walk but I suspect Gideon will as hes already walking around furniture, just needs some extra stablity in his legs as he has low tone there. The one thing that we do know is that the muscle tone does not improve nor does it get worse. So where he has low tone now, will always be low and where its high, it will stay high. There are physical therapies and occupation therapies that can help him adjust to life but it will not change the tone issue.

Im in the process of reading a book the doc has given me and absorbing as much as I can. Then we will begin figuring out how best we can help him, what therapies are worth doing, how many we can tolerate without it being too much, etc.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated as we go thru this time period of our lives. God does like to shake things up now and then.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Mothers day was nice

2008-05-12T13:30:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty low key day and that was nice. Church and stuff in the morning, thankfully Andrews nasty headache went away before he had to sing.

Andrew made homemade fajitas for lunch -- yum and I got to open my presents. I got a bunch of homemade ones from the elementary kids. I enjoyed those and a really cute glass globe bear knicknack. Andrew got me a really nice card, a box of my favorite choc mints and a max lucado book.

The afternoon was relaxing as well, the kids played wii and Andrew and I napped! Then we finished off the evening with out traditional little house on the prairie viewing and a watching a movie as well.

Although Im tired today, it was a nice day.

Babysitting today and tommorrow, medical appt for Gideon wed and thurs and I still need to schedule an ultrasound for me as well. So looks to be a busy week ahead.

Lots of little details to tend to as well.

God is good ... all the time!
MJ

Today seems full of waiting

2008-05-07T11:50:00.002-06:00

Waiting for the washing machine to finish, waiting for the kids to finish lunch, waiting for it to be time for Gideons doc appt, waiting to hear when Andrews interview will be.

Despite having 9 children with a 10th on the way, IM not very good at waiting. Although despite my trying, I rarely can hurry up anything im waiting for. So i guess i just better settle in for the ride.

Had my first prenatal yesterday. I did get to hear a really busy heartbeat :), active little bugger already. The more nervewracking news is that Im already starting to measure larger. That in itself wouldnt worry me a lot except thats exactly how Gideons pregnancy started. So its all i can do not to worry. Trying to turn it all over to God and let him keep it!

Ill have an early ultrasound somtime next week and verify the dates are accurate.

Until then more waiting lol. Andrew got word that they want him to come in for a 2nd meeting at one of the jobs he interviewed with last week. So that too is in Gods hands as we wait!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Catching up

2008-05-05T19:44:00.002-06:00

Last week we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on May 1st. In some ways it feels like we have been together forever and in others just yesterday that we walked down that aisle. We have our moments :), but I really do enjoy being married to my sweetheart.

He picked up a card for the kids to give to me, picked up a really sweet thoughtful card(and he wrote 15 things in it) and got me a water bottle for my bike. He also took thurs and friday off to celebrate, so we had lots of time together. On our actual anniversary... where did we end up , well walmart and menards of course. I love it that we recognize that sometimes practical wins out over romantic. We just had Gideon that day, since my friend watched the other two for me. So that was nice, and we checked out a mexican restaurant for lunch that was really yummy.

Only 35 more years to go til our 50th lol! We are counting down and will plan a big celebration when we hit that mark!

We also did some rummage saling that day and found a really good deal on a riding lawnmower. So I joked that i bought andrew a riding lawnmower for our anniversary.

I did manage to farm the kids out for the weekend(thank you to all of you that helped out). So it really was nice to just spend some time together. We went to a late night movie(ironman), we rummaged saled, we took a bike ride, watched a movie at home and had some nice meals. We commented more than once how quiet it was in our home. The kids all seemed to have a really good time and the littles were certainely glad to be home.

Im so thankful for my wonderful husband who puts up with me each and every day. I love just being with him.

God is good ... all the time!

MJ

Recouperation from the weekend

2008-04-28T15:44:00.002-06:00

It wasnt all that busy. We did some extreme rummage saling in the snow and cold on Saturday. It actually was kinda fun although very chilly for end of april weather. Found some good deals and enjoyed the bargain hunting.

It just seems mondays, I find myself extremely exhausted. Maybe its just getting into the swing of the week, not really sure though. Didnt help that I really didnt fell well all of today.

Its Andrews long day today. He starts another graduate class this evening but this one is on campus. And it seems much easier given that its only one class at a time! Its on organizational communication, and communication is one of andrews strengths, so all in all not too bad for him.

Josiah has a track meet tonite. He was supposed to call me with where it was at, but never did. So I wont get to cheer him on in person. Bummer.

Andrews interview at the bank, got pushed back til wednesday. He looked really sharp this morning. It orginally was scheduled for today. The other interview for another job more locally will take place friday morning.

Our 15th wedding anniversary is this week. Im hoping to do some farming out of the kids this weekend so we can have some time together. I imagine we might just sleep lol!

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Random update

2008-04-24T16:18:00.003-06:00

Havent felt much like blogging lately, although the topics come fast and furious to write about.

Our new washer arrived Wednesday and I am so enjoying doing laundry again. We decided on an LG Tromm front loader washer, middle of the line model(so no bright colors or steam options). It is a 4.0 cubic foot washer. Our other front loader was pretty big but it doesnt compare to this one. Previously id end up with a fairly full basket, now im ending up with a basket and a half. It really is a distinct difference in how much i can get in there. Im enjoying the features as well. One particular helpful one is the load sensing feature. It tumbles a load a few times to determine the weight and then give you the size of the load so you can adjust your detergent accordingly. It has little chimes when you turn it on and actually a little tune for the end buzzer sound. I totally love it!

Im really thankful to my friends who helped me out by either taking laundry or letting me do laundry at their house. It really helped out a lot! We ended up only having to make one trip to the laundromat since so many friends helped out. Im really excited too that Im finally feelling like im getting caught up-- woohoo -- thats pretty huge for a family of 11!

I have a spring cold today which definitely puts a damper on my energy. Overall dont feel really great either with headache and sore throat, but this too shall pass. I planned a low key day today with the kids watching movies and me doing laundry. So i could rest a bit in between at least. Andrew is bringing home pizza for dinner, so thats a blessing as well!

Looking forward to the weekend, no huge plans, so mostly just hanging out with hubby and the kids! One of these days, maybe saturday even, i reallly need to tackle my bedroom and dig out the mess.

While Ive been doing laundry I have been pulling out winter clothes(not all of them of course this is minnesota) and then putting them away in their respective tubs. I already pulled out most of the summer stuff. We are shy on a bunch but we will hit rummage sales to fill in the gaps. I also started more of rummage sale piles, as im not keeping everything. That feels good to pare down as well.

Its been raining all day, so I guess it was a good movie day. Andrew has worship practice tonite and the two girls have dance but i am trying to motivate the rest to finish chores by offering wii turns tonite!

Well thats all for now folks, God is good ... all the time

MJ

Productive Day

2008-04-17T19:44:00.002-06:00

I got a bunch of laundry folded that had gotten down this week and it was put away as well.

Then some ladies that are helping me organize and whatnot came over. We attacked the storage room and the clothing tubs. Its now organized neatly by size and tidied up quite nice.

I am pretty beat though but its a good tired I guess.

Made some yummy lasagna with salad for supper. And helped the kids with homework, negotiated some phone calls, ran a couple of errands and just hung out with the kiddos.

Andrew is finishing up his grad papers, that will be a great relief when thats done.

God is good ... all the time

MJ

Out of sorts

2008-04-15T16:20:00.002-06:00

Sort of like our weather today. Its sunny and warm and beautiful out but with a harsh wicked wind. The kind that rips doors right out of your hands. I should be in a good mood and whatnot but I just feel out of sorts like the wind that comes in from nowhere.

Andrew will be late tonite due to a stop at the downtown libary and supper is cooking in the oven. My motivation seems to have been lost by the wayside never to be found again. Dishes pile in the sink, laundry waits to be folded and the kids chatter endlessly.

I did get an appt in this mornign as well as a walmart trip with the 3 littles in tow. So its not like the day didnt hold some accomplishments. It just doesnt feel anywhere near as productive as yesterday was.

Oh well ... there is always tomorrow lol!

MJ

Blessings

2008-04-14T07:45:00.002-06:00

I have felt very blessed to have the house we have. I enjoyed our family room a lot and really loved all the space we have had. We previously had some used furniture downstairs but it was very comfortable and we enjoyed using the space. We were content with replacing furniture as we came across bargains at rummage sales etc.

I never would have envisioned it as it looks today. We are indeed mightly blessed. I feel so blessed that God has allowed us to get some new furniture and to decorate this room. It looks night and day difference from before and IM just amazed at how much I really do like it.

Now that being said, I can say without a shadow of doubt, that I would not "choose" the sewer backup in our basement, not even to get all the new things we have. I see the blessing thru the struggle in this.

Andrew spent a good portion of his day yesterday putting the boys room back together. He was out in the garage at 730 am cutting trim even before church! We even had to make another run into menards to get some boards for Zechariahs bed. Their room looks great! Andrew did a great job on the trim and I love the beds we found for the boys off of craigs list.

Our washer died this week and its another reminder to be thankful for what we have. Somtimes it takes a trip to the laundromat to "remember" how blessed I was to have a washer at home. We are trying to nail down which front loader we are buying. We have already repaired the one we have a month ago, so we have decided its not worth investing another 300+ dollars into it. I may be coming to visit some of you with a load of laundry in tow :)

We also finally settled on which bookcases to purchase and Andrew even got one of those up last night as well. Very productive weekend and Im so thankful to have our basment back again. Still have boxes to go thru and unpack, a dresser to buy, a bedframe for k to track down and some detail work like curtains and a doorknob to put on. Im so thankful for a husband who has worked really hard this weekend to get it all together for us.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Triple Expresso was a hoot!

2008-04-11T08:29:00.002-06:00

I totally loved the show! I havent laughed that hard in a long time!! So hard that i had to wipe tears away from my eyes more than once!!! I would highly recommend going if you can sneak away before they close in the next few weeks. Or if it comes to your city, even with different actors, its well worth the cost of tickets.Andrew got us front row seats and it was a small intimate theatre. I very much enjoyed that.

It really was a nice night despite the nasty weather we had to drive thru. It was rainy, sleety, snowy and a tense drive home. But the date itself was fabulous. We ate out at applebees and the steak was divine. We even had time to browse the mall before heading over to the theatre for the show. The find of the night was a tv stand strong enough to hold our tv. We have been looking for over a month, so Im glad thats out of the way.

Its been a long while, I think since we have had a date, so that was a great treat! It may have been close to a year since we've been out. I cant really think of when cept our anniversary last year when we went out to see spiderman 2.

We even got mochas to drink during the show and they were really tasty. We bought coffee mugs to commerate the evening. I will remember the laughter for a long time! It was the orginal actors and authors as well, so that was neat to get to see the orginal cast in action.

God is good ... all the time
MJ

Lots of stuff lol

2008-04-09T13:02:00.002-06:00

Gideons birthday was interupted due to a jumping session from Ezekiel. He decided that jumping off the back half of the couch was a good plan and it ended badly. Badly in terms of landing right on top of his head and earning himself a concussion. Thankfully hes okay now but we ended up running to ER cause he wasnt acting like himself at all, lethargic, crying in pain and throwing up. Scary stuff ... supposedly hes supposed to take it easy for the next two weeks... hmmm yeah keeping a 4 yr old lying low, yeah right.

I find it sorta ironic as Gideon went to the hospital on Ezekiels birthday, so now Ezekiel went to the hospital on Gideons. A bit of revenge perhaps? Not likely but still sorta funny in a weird way.

Its official, i took the official doctors test lol. We are expecting number 10 in november. Not exactly in our plans but God does have a sense of humor. I think this is the last one for me. Feeling really really exhausted and of course all day sickies have their places in my world right now. So Im hoping that will ease here in another 4 weeks or so. So on to the fun part of naming. I love picking out baby names, its one of the fun parts of being pregnant.

Right now, which is always subject to change without further notice, Im liking Tobias Daniel for a boy and for a girl, something with Audrey as the middle. Perhaps Gabrielle Audrey or Marika Audrey. Not settled at all on the girls. I really like the boys one though.

Carpet is in-- woohoo! Furniture for the family room will be delivered friday and we hope to put the kids bedrooms back together this weekend. The end is in sight. I plan to go thru all the boxes as we put things back together and really try to decide to keep only what we are using. So i will likely take my time putting the rooms fully back together. The goal though is to have the kids back in their rooms, even if we dont have all the dressers yet, by monday.

Andrew is nearly done with this doubled up graduate classes. Down to the two final papers and then a 2 week break! Then he will take one on campus, but one seems like a piece of cake compared to the two!

Still waiting for the surgeon to call to schedule Gideons hernia surgery. I suspect I will have to be a bug in their side to get it scheduled.

Well thats all for now folks,
God is good ... all the time, he puts this song of praise in this heart of mine!
MJ

Happy 1st Birthday Gideon~

2008-04-07T15:11:00.002-06:00

My mighty warrior is 1 today. Its been a long year from being in the NICU at birth, to being hospitalized for pneumonia to his many challenges. Today he is doing well, crawling, pulling up to standing, making messes everywhere lol.

Gideon has a fondness for finding the dog food in the kitchen and for pulling down everything within his reach. He is getting more and more independent by the day. Eating mostly table food. Today he got to try hot dogs and mac and cheese, he loved that!

We will have a little family celebration tonite. He will open his presents when Andrew gets home and we will have our family cake, black magic!

My baby boy is officially growing up!

God is good ... all the time

MJ

Nice but a long day

2008-04-04T16:32:00.002-06:00

Beautiful weather today, close to 60, a little windy and cloudy but really nice.

The kids and I even walked to school to pick Ariana up for her dentist appt and then to the dentist. Thankfully there were toys there. The appt took an hour and half and Gideon was so beat that he fell asleep in the stroller on teh way home. He even slept for an hour and a half!

Its just been a long drug out day. Things are not quite right around here and i can feel the stress. Thankfully its friday. Its womens night tonite but i havent even touched base with andrew on it, so I dont know that I will go.

Plus I promised Zechariah his celebration for reaching his 300 point milestone. Hes actually 313.8 in reading. They read a book and take a test on it and get so many points per book. Hes the highest in all the school! Pretty darn impressive. He chose chocolate ice cream with gummy bears and strawberry syrup(yeah i know ick). I bought vanilla for myself, i couldnt stomach the thought of that combo. Andrew is off at a late day medical appt, so i guess ill toucch base with him after.

God is good ... all the time
MJ