I am my kids mom

Baby Poll

2012-02-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Please visit my baby poll!!

http://bebepool.com/go/?a=brandywk1234&view=list#do_entry

3rd Trimester Trials

2012-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy had been so smooth sailing I thought it would be that way till the end. But what fun would that be? Let the drama begin...
At 29 weeks I had to endure a 4 hr glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I failed the one hour test, so the 3hr test (which took 4 hrs) was insisted by my ob. I tried to get out of it, but no. The day after that enduring test I had pain in one of my arms a few inches above one of my 4 blood draw sites. The next day the pain was higher up my arm! Later that night my whole left upper arm, shoulder, neck, and chest hurt like crazy. The first thing that came to mind of was sepsis! So off to my PC doctor. He didn't find any evidence of sepsis and insisted the pain must be from nerve damage or inflammation. However, later that night a rash started to appear and the pain increased. I went back to the doctor the next day for the correct diagnosis, shingles.

From webmd:

Shingles: An acute infection caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same virus as causes chickenpox. Shingles is most common after the age of 50 and the risk rises with advancing age. Shingles occurs because of exposure to chickenpox or reactivation of the herpes zoster virus. The virus remains latent (dormant) in nerve roots for many years following chickenpox.
Shingles is an extraordinarily painful condition that involves inflammation of sensory nerves. It causes numbness, itching or pain followed by the appearance of clusters of littles blisters in a strip pattern on one side of the body. The pain can persist for weeks, months or years after the rash heals and is then known as post-herpetic neuralgia.

I did catch this early and my doctor was able to prescribe a anti-viral medication. The drug has cut the infection time considerably, however even though the rash is almost gone I still have a lot of pain.
Next on my list of third trimester complaints is my trip to L&D last night. All day I felt like I was leaking fluid. So called the advice nurse and she told me since there is no way to tell if I had a leak in my amniotic sac that I had to be checked out at L&D. As soon as Dane got home to watch the kids I headed in. On my way I noticed that I was having regular contractions. Once there they hooked up the monitors and saw I was contracting every 5 minutes! A midwife came in to check me and found baby was very low in the pelvis +2 station, soft and "dimpled" (not dilated but would be soon). The fluid turned out not to be amniotic fluid. Instead I have an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics. After a bag of IV fluids the contractions stopped and I was allowed to go home with a promise that I would drink more water and stay off my feet.
So here I sit hoping this baby doesn't come early. I'm 32 weeks. But at the very best I'm going to be walking around with what feels like a bowling ball in my pelvis!

**update, baby has moved higher up! She's still pretty low, but at least I don't have to worry about an impending labor**

Scrapbook pages

2012-01-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

One of my goals to get done before baby arrives is to get caught up on my scrapbook pages! My mom got me this awsome digital scrapbooking software for Christmas. Here is a couple of pages! WDYT?

Sam's 3rd Birthday

Sam and my hair :)

24 week check up

2011-12-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

Need a name!

2011-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 22 weeks

We can't seem to decide on a name. Would love some input!

Allison

Emmaline or Emmalyn (Emma for short)

Evelyn

Katelyn

Charlette

Buckle (Sam's favorite, every time we ask him what her name should be this is what he comes up with)

We've had 2 ultrasounds where they've checked between the legs. Both were inconclusive, but we're going with girl. I've even started buying things in pink ;)

It's a Girl!! Well maybe :)

2011-11-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

2nd Trimester!

2011-10-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

This week I'm 17 weeks along! This pregnancy is going by too fast! I think it's because so far this has been the easiest pregnancy thus far. Sometimes I even forget I'm pregnant ;) So before this pregnancy is over and baby has sucked away all my memories due to sleep deprivation, I thought I should jot some down.

No morning sickness! Not once did I have to run to the bathroom.
My belly started popping out as soon as I peed on the stick :)
Started wearing maternity pants on my Disneyland trip (11 weeks)
For the first couple of weeks if Maddy found me drinking a Pepsi, she would replace it with water :)
First felt movement around 14 weeks! But those movements are still far and few between.
Sam thinks he has a baby in his tummy!
Christian always asks "How's baby doing in there?"
Everyone thinks this baby is a girl. We find out Oct 27th!!! At first we did not want to find out the sex, but everyone has convinced us to peek. I'm going to laugh if baby decides to cross his/her legs :)
Love that I no longer have to clean the litter box!

Well that's it for now! Not too exciting, and I hope it stays that way! I have been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but that has always been normal for me (I have an irritable uterus.. haha.) I'm really enjoying being pregnant this time, but am still trying to wrap my brain around having 4 little ones running around here next year :0

We're going to Disneyland!

2011-08-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here comes #4

2011-08-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

We announced to the kids yesterday after our first ultrasound that we're having another baby. Dane's words were "Although we thought we were done having more kids, God decided otherwise." Of course the kids said, "what" and "huh?" So Dane spelled it out, "Mom's got another baby in her tummy!"
I was really worried about Maddy's reaction, as she likes to tell me over and over again how it's not fair that Sam turned out to be a boy. But she was very excited once she decided to believe us after seeing the ultrasound picture. Christian and her spend the rest of the afternoon deciding if it was going to be a girl or a boy. Then we figured that since the kids now know, we mine as well tell the rest of the family as the kids never could keep a secret. Dane had a lot of fun calling his sisters to spread the news. Since he's the prankster in our big extended family, no one believed him at first. So he put the kids on the phone to verify it. It was a very fun night!
After seeing the heartbeat and telling everyone the news it feels more real now. Which I haven't decided is more or less frightening. The resolve to not have more kids was hard for me to come by. I yearned to have another but finances, space, and my sanity kept me from pursuing another baby. Now I know that Gods plan was not that of my own. I feel so much love from him, this gift is just a reminder that he knows what our hearts needs. I will trust in him that everything else will work out. I pray of course for more financial security, space, and sanity! However, that might not be his plan and since I can't see his big picture. So I guess right now I should also pray for patience :)

Oh.. I almost forgot! Sam's reaction. We tried to explain to him mommy had a baby in her tummy. I said "the baby is this big now, and when it comes out of my tummy it will be this big." "Then you can hold it." Sam not even taking a second to digest this information said, "No I'm gonna eat it, put it in MY tummy." :)

Aquatic Park

2011-08-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Kittens 5 weeks old

2011-07-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Pink Nose
Male Blue Lynx Bicolor

"Fluffy"
Female Seal Colorpoint

"Mr Green" (kids named her)
Female Blue Lynx Mitted Colorpoint
This cat is polydactyl (6 toes on both front paws)

"Mittens"
Female Blue Lynx Mitted Colorpoint

We introduced the kittens to our dog Lady today. At first there was a lot of hissing, but after a while they all became very fascinated by her wagging tail.

Bella's 4wk old kittens

2011-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Kittens are 4weeks old today! Born on June 14th. Three girls one boy. They are such a joy to have around! And are really starting to be fun!

Girl blue color point mitted

Girl seal color point mitted

Boy blue bi-color

All have blue eyes and are starting to show some lynx patterns. Just like their mom :)

My belated Mothers Day present

2011-06-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

My belated mothers day gift. The two emeralds are for Madelyn and Samuel both born in May. Christian born in May has the middle stone. Maybe someday we can replace that with a real diamond! :)

We have kitten's

2011-06-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our cat Bella had her kittens yesterday. She delivered 4 healthy ragdoll kittens. Ragdoll cats are born all white and don't show there color pattern until they are about a week old. I can't wait to see what colors and patterns we get. This has been a great experience for the kids. Maddy especially loves the kittens. She spends about half her day watching Bella nurse and take care of them.

Still waiting for my flowers!

2011-05-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

This spring was a doozy for this family! Not only did our Oregon weather stink, and the Trail Blazers fall out early in the playoffs, this family has endured too many doctor visits!

Starting off our spring break Christian had to undergo an inguinal hernia surgery. After the surgery we discovered that he had 2 hernia's that the doctor repaired. Both a inguinal and a direct hernia's. The doctor explained that the direct hernia was a result from the first hole causing a week spot in the abdominal floor. Atleast the hernia's are closed up now and his male parts are where they should be now :) If we had not caught this abnormality his odds of testicular cancer would have gone way up!

Next we have poor Maddy. I received a call from the school nurse on Thur April 28th, asking to come get Maddy she'd hurt her arm falling off a slide on the playground. The doctor confirmed a break of her humours bone and had a sling put on, later to have it casted. The next night we got a call from an orthopedic emergency room doctor who reviewed her x-ray. He told us that her break would not heal on it's own, and she would require surgery early next week. UUGG could things get any worse?? Yes, yes they can. That night her hand swelled up and turned purple. I rushed her to the ER at 10pm, where they had to split open the cast she was in. Imediatley the presure was relieved. Apparently they didn't allow for enough swelling.

The following Tues. Maddy underwent her surgery to place pins inside her bones to allow better placement for healing. Not only did she not get the cast color she wanted, she was in a lot of pain that week!

Now most people don't know her "at home" personality. She hides most of her negative feelings. For instance at the hospital, she did not say a single word to the staff. If she had to voice something, like for example in the recovery room her pain was too high. She would whisper to me and I would relay the message she need more pain meds. But once we got home, OH MY she made her opinion of how much pain she was in and how awful her life was. She refused to see any visitors, even when family members wanted to bring her ice cream and candy!

After a week of staying home, we forced her to go back to school. It turned out to be the best thing for her. You see most kids are excited to show off their casts, Maddy was embarrassed. But once she got there and was treated the same as always by all her friends, she felt better about herself and her broken arm.

Next Monday the 23rd the cast comes off. She's extremely frightened about the pins coming out.. OUCH! I see it as a few more seconds of pain and this nightmare is over!!

They say things happen in threes. I sure hope it's true. If so I'm done with doctors for a while.

On Samuel's 3rd birthday (hey there's the number 3 again.. freaky), just before his party started he fell into a brick fireplace. His bottom teeth punctured his lip all the way through! The urgent care doctor gave us the choice of waiting for the oncall plastic surgeon to come in and stitch him up, in hopes of minimizing a scar. Or, to durabond the cut and hope for the best. He's a boy, scares a cool! We just wanted to get back to his pirate party! What a little trooper he is!

I hope we're done with all this dramma. School is coming to and end, and we are ready for summer. No more doctors, just fun. Oh, and how about some relaxation for mom, and some sun please! Sun would be nice!

Samuel's 3rd birthday

2011-05-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sam had a great birthday! Unfortunately just before his birthday guests arrived he took a nasty fall into the brick fireplace and his bottom punctured his lip all the way through. He was not happy we had to leave the party to go to urgent care, but once he was back he was very excited to tell everyone that the doctor hot glued his lip back together :) I've never seen a 3yr old enjoy his birthday as much has he did! 3 is gonna be a fun year!!

Another amazing cake GaGa! Thank you!

Just got back from the doctors. Time to get into his pirate costume!

He's been waiting patiently for this big moment. Seemed like his birthday would never get here. It's hard to be #3! Birthday's at our house go in the same sequence as birth order.

Samuel didn't want anyone to leave his party. He would stand at the door and say "Please don't leave my party." It was so sad he didn't want his special day to end!

Maddy's insight on how to skip school

2011-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

Found this video on my camcorder. Maddy often takes my camcorder to make mini videos. Found this on last week when trying to make room on the SD card.

Maddy's 8th Birthday

2011-05-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Maddy turned 8yrs old on May 12th! Like we do every year we celebrate her and Grandpa Wenzel's birthday on Mothers Day.

This drama queen keeps her mama on her toes!

A week prior to her birthday Maddy broke her arm on the playground at school. She was not happy about having a cast on for her birthday.And it was not easy getting Maddy to her party. But soon after she got there she was all smiles.

My cowboy

2011-04-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

Christian's 10th Birthday

2011-04-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

10 years old!

Christian loved his basket ball themed birthday party. Double digits! Can you believe it!

Future Lego engineer! Christian built this gun all on his own, using a Lego design creator program!

Time to rock out! Favorite tune to play.. Ghost Busters!

Leprechaun Trap!

2011-03-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

We're going to catch a Leprechaun!! Maddy and I built this today. It has Lucky Charms and gold to entice the naugthy leprechaun! It even has music that plays when the top of the trap is open (used the device off of the singing halmark card)! Wish us luck!!

We had so much fun making this! Except Sam kept trying to eat the charms :)

My God Moment

2011-02-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

my God moment. Sometimes God reaches through others to teach us something. Today for me it was this.. I was checking out at the grocery store after having the worst shopping trip w/ 3 kids fighting and driving me crazy. The checker asked me if I wanted help out, I said YES!! please (looking over at my kids still fighting.) The lady bagging the groceries obviously didn't here me asking for the help out, for when it was time to go she didn't offer to take the cart and follow me to my car. I just shrugged it off, and decided to leave w/ out getting my help out (just more my bad luck today.) Outside she ran up to catch up w/ me and apologized saying she hadn't heard the checker say I needed help out. I thanked her and she helped me get the groceries into the car. Just as we put the last of the bags in my car, the last bag busted open and liquid laundry detg. broke open and spilled all over the ground. I looked down at it an sighed. She offered to go get me a new one. On the verge of tears I looked at her exasperated and said "I just want to get home.. I'm having such a horrible day." She said, I knows what it's like to have days like mine. She then goes on to tell me she just got back from having breast cancer surgery and just started chemo! Her hair is falling out and she's only 43! My tears started flowing! I apologized for complaining about my bad day, here I was whining about trivial things. I told her I would pray for her healing, and thanked her for reminding me what God has blessed me with.

I still had a bad day and I vow once again to never take my kids w/ me to the grocery store. I have a good life, a husband that loves me and kids i can cherish.

Wenzel Fantasy Trail

2010-12-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

This is my in law's fantasy trail that they open to the public during the Halloween and Christmas season. The entire extended family help work the trail on busy weekends, in which guests fill the entire parking lot. Christian and Maddy especially like to help serve hot chocolate in the snack shack. Even little Sam participates, handing out candy canes to all the visitors! It truly is a family affair.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year here are a few pics.

Carving pumpkins

Sam in nothing but a cloth dipe :)

The Costumes

The gang together just before heading out for trick or treating

Between all 3 kids we have over enough candy to fill and entire reusable shopping bag over 10lbs of candy!!!!

Wenzel update

2010-10-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while because I've broken yet another computer. Killed the motherboard on my laptop! So until I get a new one I can only borrow Dane's company laptop. At least every so often I can check updates, do bills and make my ebay/amazon purchases.
A lot has happened since early September. Lots of Christian's soccer games, basketball tryouts, and the sad and sudden death of our loving Great Dane "Daneo." He died Saturday October 2nd from maybe heart attack or possibly his stomach twisted. Either way he went very fast and sudden. I was very heart broken! I thought we had at least a couple of more years with him, he was only 6 (Great Danes live an avg of 7-10yrs.) The day before he died we walked down to the grade school to pick up the kids, it was the first time I had taken him to pick them up. All of Christian and Maddy's friends we so impressed with their big dog! We all had so much fun that day. When I get more time w/ a computer I'll have to post pics of him along with some great memories we had.
On a happier note my cousin Nicole and husband Alex had their first baby on October 2nd. From the pictures I've seen Caleb is absolutely adorable! Sometimes I really miss having a tiny baby.... sometimes :) She had to have a c-sec, which from experience I know is very painful! I pray for her to have a speedy recovery, so she can enjoy all the many firsts with her newborn.

Start of a new year!

2010-09-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

This post is really long and very detailed, as I don't want to forget any part of this important day!

Today was Christian and Maddy first day of school at a new school. The previous years they went to Trinity Lutheran School. We absolutely loved Trinity, however last year with only 5 kids in the 1st/2nd grade class and Maddy as the only girl, we decided to give public school a try.

Last night we were all walking on egg shells! Christian was nervous but excited, Maddy sad and resentful, Dane reassured as I worried, and Sam sharpened pencils! :)

This morning was more of the same. Christian woke up and got dressed right away. Maddy I had to pull her out of bed by her ankles and drag her downstairs. All morning she begged me to let her stay home, not to send her to "kid jail." On the way to school we drove thru to got some hot chocolate. Took about 2 sips and we were there (not the 20 min commute we're used to!)

We went to Christian's class first. He was the first student in his class to arrive. I counted 25 desks!!! Christian's desk is in the very front, which I am thankful for. I talked to his teacher for a bit. It felt strange to leave him with a complete stranger, but she was extremely nice. Gave him a quick hug as other kids were coming in.

I suppressed some tears and headed for Maddy's class room. I spent a little bit more time in her class to get her situated with all her school supplies. As it was close to start time, there were a lot of kids and parents in her class! I gave her a quick hug, turned and left with out looking back.

I felt it coming! I had to get out of there fast! I felt the tears coming on! I bit my cheek and made a bee line to my car. Once a few block away the flood gates were open!

I went back home and fought the urge to go watch them at recess. After keeping myself busy all morning I went to pick up the kids early. Sam loved playing on the playground while waiting. Christian came out first, his head looking all around until he saw me. He was all smiles. First thing he said was "I haven't seen Maddy all day!" Right then she came out and he ran over to her. She was all smiles too!

They both had great first days! Both made some friends. And are both excited to try hot lunch tomorrow.

From past experience I'm sure I'll continue to have difficult mornings with Maddy, but at least she'll know that she'll survive. And now I know that too!

Ever since their first immunizations, I've wished I could take away every bad and uncomfortable experience in my children's life. Such is the hardship of mothers, to let there little ones go off on their own little by little.

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

The Great Wenzel Mountain Sleep Over!

2010-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had the biggest most awsome sleep over at my mother-inlaw's house. It was a blast! Guests included the lost of cousins, aunts, uncles, and Ga Ga & Grandpa! In all there was 8 grown ups, 11 kids, and 3 adult kids. We were especially excited to have some cousins that we don't get to see very often, my twin nephews; Logan & Aiden. Half camped outside in 4 tents (I was one of the brave), and the other half (the wimps) slept inside the air conditioned house. Janice kept us fed with lots of good food and tons of sweets! Thank you Ga Ga & Grandpa for great time!

Maddy's handstands

2010-08-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

She does atleast 50 handstands and cartwheels a day. "Just one more," all night long! :)

Christian's Lego gun designs

2010-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Christian started making his own gun designs a few months ago. He is amazing at it! These aren't from a box with instruction, just spare Lego parts. Infact, he doesn't even look at gun pictures to copy! He says he just sees them in movies and remembers what they look like. I'm so proud of him.

Black pistol

Revolver

Rounded middle where the bullets go

Gatling Gun

End of gun spins round

Machine Gun

clip feeds on the other side

Pistol

working hammer

Sniper

Scope on top. He used the parts from a Star Wars space craft engine. Pretty cool!

Shot Gun

His longest gun. Masking tape helps hold it together

Sam's new shoes!

2010-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

I saw these converse shoes at Kohl's the other day and had to buy them for Samuel!

The little things in life

2010-08-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

Maddy has convinced Sam there is a monster in the closet. Now he always points to the closet and says "monster scary."

Christian has been busy making zombie movie sets with his legos. He wants to make a still animation movie! This week he zombied up some of his lego guys by painting parts of them red (blood).

The first week after vacation bible school is always tough! The kids had been going, going, going all week, and the week prior we were at the beach. So "I'm bored" is all I've been hearing about the past couple of days.

We've been trying to grow grass in the back yard. Daneo our great dane, and our little mutt Lady are not enjoing their dog run! But since they are the reason our back yard has looked like a horse patty they'll have to get used to it. I want my back yard back!!

Speaking of Daneo, I think he has hip dysplasia or arthritis. He doesn't like to take long walks and this gait seems a little off. Twards the end of our walks he sometimes leans up against me, w/ a 120lb dog it's quite annoying! But he is almost 7 yrs old and great danes don't usually live far past 7yrs. Just makes me sad to think he might not have too many more years left in him :(

Maddy has been asking me to sign her up for horse back ridding lessons, so I think I'll look into that tomorrow. And then in the fall we're back to gymnastics!

Cloth Training Pants

2010-08-01T23:29:00.001-07:00

I just bought a new cloth diaper to try out. Actually it's not a "diaper" its an Antsy Pants! They a new design of pull up training pants, and I'm very excited to give them a try!

From - getansy.com

Children who wear cloth diapers tend to potty train earlier than those in disposable diapers. The difference comes down to wetting feedback. Antsy Pants™ Pull Up Cloth Diapers provide the same instant Wetting Feedback™ as all-cotton diapers, but without risking rashes and discomfort on sensitive skin.

Disposable training pants do a great job of absorbing accidents, and so do Antsy Pants™. What's different is how they feel to the touch immediately after wetting.
Disposable diapers and training pants whisk wetness through a non-absorbent top sheet into a moisture-sucking batch of chemicals, keeping your child from feeling wet for even a brief time. No feeling = no learning.

Antsy Pants™ were developed to feel wet for up to ten minutes before they return to a dry feel on the surface. Wetness is spread quickly across and through the performance lining fabric, where it is pulled into the moisture-loving absorbent layers. That means that your child will know when she wets, every time she wets. You don't have to change her immediately, and you don't have to strip her naked to let her know when she's wetting.

Future winner of hot dog eating contests!

2010-07-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

Cute video of Samuel stuffing his face with powdered doughnuts. He always eats like a chipmunk! And yes I know the Heimlich maneuver :)

Our 11th Anniversary

2010-07-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's been 11yrs since Dane and I walked down the isle and said "I do." We've known and loved each other for over half my life now :) Happy Anniversary honey, I love you more than my heart could ever beat!

Vacation Bible School 2010

2010-07-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day of Vacation Bible School. Christian and Maddy are having so much fun this year learning songs, dance routines, crafts, games and bible stories. It's been kinda hard waking up early in the middle of our summer vacation, but has been well worth it. This is the first year Maddy hasn't had separation anxiety and I haven't had to stay the whole day! :) Ofcorse it helps having your brother, cousins, and lots of familiar friends in your class!
My SIL Tani teaches a class every year. However, this has been the first year all of her kids Heath, Heather and Han are teacher aids instead of students! She's been teaching Sunday school and VBS ever since her oldest Heath (who turns 20 this next month) was in her class. I think next year I'll be brave and teach a class along with my other SIL Kari. Samuel can be our little helper or mascot :)

The kids can ride!

2010-07-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I bought Christian and Maddy bikes for my birthday! It was the best present ever to see my kids learn to ride bikes. They've had small training wheel bikes they rode a few times years ago, but now they are big kids! Our family got side tracked with all the baby stuff, plus Christian and Maddy never really wanted to ride a bike. Sun River changed all of that! The extended family and ours vacationed there a few weeks ago. Sun River is an awsome resort community with lots of bike paths. After Christian and Maddy saw how much fun all the cousins were having on their bikes, they decided right there and then they had to learn to ride. Lessons started on Thursday with me holding the back of their bikes. By Friday the just needed a little push to get going. Saturday they were off and running (or should I say ridding!) Today Dane got his bike all fixed up and gave Sam his first ride. He's taken rides in bike trailers (the buggy that hooks on to the back of Daddy's bike), but this was whole new adventure! Samuel couldn't stop smiling and saying "wee".

Aside from all the scrapes and bruises the kids are loving their new bikes. We plan on buying a couple more bikes off craigslist for when my nephews come up from Las Vegas for a visit. Just think of all the fun bike rides we're gonna have with 5 kids. Look out here we come!

Beach Trip 2010

2010-07-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of our annual family beach trip to Lincoln City! We had a blast!

What's wrong with Twilight?

2010-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I was searching through book reviews on goodreads.com for my next awesome book to read. I had to laugh when I saw the Twilight series at the top of two different categories; "Best Books Ever" and "The Worst Books of All Time". I read through quite a few reviews on each side. What amazed me most, was that both sides had such passion for why they thought it was the best/worst book ever. I too have a great passion for these books so here is my take on them...

I LOVED THEM! Couldn't put them down! I figure when it comes to these books you have 2 different types of readers. First there are the literary book snobs (sorry, I couldn't think of a more fitting example). Who, like fine wines, have read, studied and collected many literary works of art. They LOVE to read and are very opinionated on what they define as literary art and what is literary trash.

Then there are common readers like myself, I've never read the classics. I don't have a Masters degree in English Literature. Harry Potter sparked my interest but soon fizzed away. I'd pick up a book that was recommended by everyone including Oprah, and would find that I couldn't get past the first few chapters. To me and other "redneck readers", the Twilight series was like getting drunk on Coors Light or binging on Hershey's chocolate. I couldn't put the book down! As someone else pointed out, Scholastic rated Twilight at a 4th grade reading level. HA! I just love an easy read. I didn't have to analyze each paragraph or become accustom to old English dialect. I flew through each of these huge novels. Only with the final few chapters of the last book "Breaking Dawn," did I take my time and savor it. It was a bitter sweet ending. I didn't want it to come to an end, but I was impressed and satisfied that all the loose ends came together in an impossibly happy ever after.

author: Stephanie Meyers

Stephanie Meyer's hit gold with this being her first books ever published! Her books read in first person, which gives all of the young women reading it the feeling of being special. Edward is handsome, beautiful even, a marble statue of masculine beauty. I hesitate to say hot because the fact is he’s not:) He’s cold to the touch, which makes him all the more attractive because he’s a challenge. Untouchable, so obviously, all I can think of is touching him. The book spends pages and pages showing how Edward fights his attraction to Bella. She's so extraordinarily special to him that he’s fighting his very nature for her. It's painful for him to be with her because she smells more delicious than anything he's ever experienced, releasing his burning venom and desire for her. But he finds it even more painful to force himself to do the right thing and leave her (which he does in the second book). The relationship between them is obviously toxic and isn't one you'd want your daughter to have. My only complaint is with Bella's character. She bugs me in that she doesn't see herself as good enough for Edward and complains constantly. I think Meyers was trying to portray an a-typical teenage girl who doesn't quite fit in. However, this makes Bella come across as annoyed with everyone, except of course Edward.

All of these different aspects of the book make it a good read for teenage girls and women alike. As a teenager, I believe that I felt things more deeply. Love was new, love was scary, love was intense. All of these feelings I had felt were brought back to the forefront with these books. I am so lucky to have married the man that I had those first feelings of love with. I'm sure he's happy that I've read these books because it has rekindled the fire in me, reminding me that I truly have it all. Lucky for me, my life is not a young adult novel... I can go past the PG rating :)

I think selling 40 million copies of her books isn't bad for a first time author! Her books have stayed in the list's top 10 for 52 consecutive weeks. They held the first four spots a total of 13 weeks in the past year. Meyer's graduated from BYU with a bachelors degree in English. She was not an author, her career was being a stay at home mom with 3 kids. Writing in between swimming lessons and potty training. I can't imagine anyone being able to write a book with Blues Clues playing in the background. The idea for the thousands of pages of material came in a short dream she had. In a meadow, laid together, a vampire and a human girl, an impossible love story. The next day she was compelled to write it down. Meyers wrote her first novel in only 3 months!! Her older sister convinced her to send a few chapters to multiple publishers. Meyer's was shocked that it was accepted by a huge publisher and even more shocked to sell over 40 million copies. Also, how amazing it must be to see your imagination up on the big screen. All of this from a stay at home mother of 3. She's my hero, in that she followed her dream (literally) and made it big.

In conclusion to all you literary snobs, Twilight is what it is. People over analyze the book way too much. Finding faults with writing style, plot, characters, etc... From the different reviews I have read, many people pay too much attention to how much they dislike the book and very little attention to anything else. Granted, it's not a book you'd write a thesis on, unless you were inclined to analyze it's success and cultural impact on teenagers. It's just a good read to get lost in (gushy & sappy). Again, if these books are so terrible, how do you explain over 40 million copies being sold? This just goes to show you that everyone has different tastes as to what is good literature and what is not.

Thank you to all the reviewers at goodreads.com, it was fun to see what others thought of this book, which I loved. I'm currently trying to get through the book "Wicked", which has been interesting, but at times painful. Any suggestions on what I should read next?

Sad Goodbye!

2010-06-21T13:40:00.001-07:00

We're leaving for the airport in just a few short hours. This vacation has been so fun! Swimming, Circus Circus, Vegas strip at night (for Sasha and I), Sasha's amazing cooking, games of Hand & Foot (We beat Sasha & Troy :), not to mention the relaxing time we had just hanging out in their amazing new home! The Gillian's made us feel so welcome. Make sure to come pay them a visit, they have plenty of room!
Here is a video of us all breaking in their new pool for the first time!

We're in Las Vegas!

2010-06-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

We arrived Thursday afternoon for a visit my sister and her family, also meeting us there was Grandma & Grandpa L*, and my Dad & Robin. We are having a blast! It's so nice to be in the warm weather! When we left Portland it was in the low 60's! It finaly feels like we're starting our summer vacation!

Sash and Troy's house is amazing! Big with plenty of room for the kids the reek havoc (which they are), amazing decorating, and have I mentioned their beautiful pool! Unfortunately the pool JUST got finished a couple of days ago, and the plaster has not quite hardened. It's a no go till Monday :( But that's ok, we've been using the pool just down the road at the hotel/casino dad and the grandparents are staying in. When it comes to swimming these kids are all over it. Even Samuel! He doesn't know that he can't swim, and keeps protesting when I glide him through the water. He is fearless! Sam's favorite thing to do at the pool is stand on the edge & 1,2,3 JUMP! Down under the water he goes, I pull him up for air with a big smile on his face.

Here are some pics, I'll post more when we return home on Monday. An all too short vacation, but I'll take it!

Grandma N* Turned 102yrs old

2010-05-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

Just a week after Samuel had his 2nd birthday, Grandma N* had her 102nd birthday! How amazing is that! Pictured here is Grandma getting birthday wishes from Sam. Samuel and Grandma have a very special relationship. He's drawn to her at every family gathering. He'll pet her hand or arm and say; "luv you grandma." It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Grandma's face lights up every time he talks to her! Happy Birthday Grandma. My God bless you all of the days of your life!

Farewell Aunt Patty

2010-05-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

This past year I got to spend so much time with my FA Patty. It had been about 3 years since I had visited with her last! We all had a lot fun together. Patty has always had such an adventurous spirit! We went roller skating, hiking, ski doos, and she attended 4 birthday parties (Patty was here for Samuel's 1st and 2nd birthdays and everyones birthday in between)! She also came to Christian & Maddy's school to help paint glass candle holders. Patty is not only an extremely talented artist, but also a great teacher. Teaching 1-3rd graders how to paint a picture on glass is not easy!
The first picture shows Patty on the left with her son Matt (my cousin and childhood best friend) and his new fiance. The other pics are us enjoying her yacht the Isabella. Christian and Maddy loved her boat! They even got to have a sleep over on it! I'm sure they'll always remember their Aunt Patty. I know Samuel will always remember her long blond hair he pulled on during the entire movie "Alice in Wonderland."
Patty is now off to her next adventure in Alaska. Farewell Patty, thank you for all the great memories!

Patty's yacht the Isabella docked at Janzen Beach

Spring Soccer 2010

2010-05-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

We sure had a great season. We missed Maddy however. She really wanted to play on the same team as her brother and cousins. But her shyness overcame that desire, and she refused to play. Considering we had no subs, our players really stepped up a notch.

Pictured top to bottom, left to right. Coach Kim (Christian's uncle). Hunter (cousin), Bradley, Gabe (Christian's best friend), Christian, Noelle (cousin), & Henry (Noelle's best friend). Not pictured: Joshua.

Sam is 2yrs old!

2010-05-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Sam is already 2yr old! He had such a fun time at his B-day party, and got lots of fun toys! The next day Sam had is well child visit at his pediatrician. His doctor was shocked at how big he has gotten! At his 18mo check up he was under weight and in the 1st percentile, weighing in at 20lbs. At this last visit he weighed 24lbs and jumped to the 10th percentile! First time in 2 yrs we no longer have to worry about his weight. Hospitalizations, prescription formulas, weight checks, all of that is long gone! Not only has he advanced in weight, this boy can talk like no other 2yr old! He not only repeats words, but quickly learns the meanings of them. Last week Sam noticed he had a sliver in his big toe, he came to me and said "band-aid, hurts". Then he lead me to the bathroom where we keep the band-aids. So put some ointment on it along with the band-aid. Later that night when the band-aid got pulled off, Sam came to me and said "band-aid", "ointment." He's a smart one!

Here's another story to brag about. We were at the bank the other day. And while talking with the teller miss Maddy kept interrupting me. So I turned to her and scolded "your interrupting me, you can show me what you want me to see in a minute, you have to wait!" Sam who was on my hip scolded "Maddy wait!" he also held his hand up and wiggled his fingers (the sign for wait)! I use that sign a lot in the car when Sam wants something that he's dropped, as I can't exactly stop the car and get it for him.

Every Sunday our extended family gets together for Sunday dinner at my mother in-laws house. And every Sunday Sam is the center of attention. No wonder he's so advanced, he's got 15 of us nurturing his development, and he loves to please!

Happy birthday Sam, you are such an amazing 2yr old! You brighten my days and always make me laugh.

Christian's first hunting trip

2010-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

I ment to post this a long time ago, but was waiting on some pics to post. Thank so Kim I now have those photo. Christian a few months ago had his first hunting adventure. Along with Dane, uncle Kim and cousin Hunter (hehe Hunter is now a hunter.) Christian had a blast turkey hunting and now hunting is in his blood. They left on a Saturday afternoon and drove 6hrs to Elgin Oregon. Elgin is in the northeast corner of Oregon, right next to the Idaho border. He carried his own gun, a kid sized 410 shot gun and his first pocket knife. The boys stayed out in the wilderness 3 nights and came back Monday afternoon. Although no one got a turkey, they all had so much fun. Christian's favorite part was tending the fire every night. They all hope to go again in the next few weeks. Hopefully next time they'll bring back a bird to eat!

Maddy's 7th Birthday

2010-05-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Maddy doesn't turn 7 until May 12th, however we always celebrate her birthday on Mother's day! She had such a fun day. The weather was nice, lots of family, and lots of fun presents. I'm really relived she had a good time, as she was very anxious to have a party this year. She's the only kid I've ever known who was adamant about not having a party. Here are some pics, and as you can see she loved her party.

Madelyn was born on Grandpa Wayne's brithday.

The tree house Maddy and Noelle made!

Christian's 9th Birthday

2010-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Christian is 9 years old! Seems like just yesterday he was obsessed with choo-choo trains!

His party was perfect! Sunny and warm, 30+ guests, great food, and lots of fun presents! Thank you GaGa for letting us celebrate at Wenzel Mountain, and for the amazing cake you made! Thanks to every one who came, we all had so much fun together! And I thank God for an amazing son! Christian is the most gracious humble kid I've ever known. I am so proud to be his mom.

Battle over Maddy's hair

2010-03-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Maddy for the longest time has wanted to grow out her bangs. I always thought she would look cute with her hair all one length. When she was a baby I always had her bangs up in a top knot, they got so long. However, one day my mother in law Janice with all good intentions gave her short bangs. From that point on she's always had them. Maddy decided this last winter she wanted to grow her bangs out. All was going good until they got to her eyes, and she refused to wear her hair in clips or bands. As you can see in the first picture she is absolutely adorable when she wears it like this.

Since she looks like a cross between a sheep dog and rebellious teenager. I've decided this afternoon I'm gonna take her kicking and screaming to the hair salon. Maybe she can try again when she's older.

Maddy's First Gymnastic Medal

2010-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

On Valentines Day Maddy competed in her first gymnastic meet! 15 family members were there to cheer her on. She had a blast competing on bars, balance beam, vault, and a really cute floor exercise! This is Maddy's first sport, therefore her very first medal! She is extremely proud as we all are! I really hope she continues in this sport, as she has such a talent for it! Her first week in gymnastics she mastered perfect handstands. The second month she learned to do excellent cartwheels. Now she can do roundoff dismounts on the balance beam, and is working on back bend walk overs! She is having so much fun, she smiles the entire time she's on the gym floor. I'm so glad she finally found something of her own!

wenzel update

2010-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

I don't have much time these days to post. But I will try to update you on what's happening from time to time. Christian is almost 9 years old and is still very much into Lego's. Maddy has found her own niche in Gymnastics. She started a few months ago and has really excelled! She can do a handstand, cartwheel, one handed cartwheel, and even a round off dismount of the balance beam! Her first meet is Feb 13. Pics to follow!

Sam getting into all sorts of mischief! Such as stuff as much things into the toilet. Bye, bye he kept saying :) At least it wasn't my $300 ipod this time! My last one he used as a cereal stirrer. DESTROYED!!!

Science fair 2009
Christian's : What planet will I weigh the most on...... Conclusion Jupiter at a whopping 118 lbs. Earth 50 lbs... Pluto coming in last at around 3lbs. Grade A+

Maddy's 1st grade science fair project: Do magnets stick to all metals??? The title: Magnetic Attraction. She liked the valentines theme, we decorated with lots of frilly hearts, including conversation candy hearts. Grade A+

This year seems to be going so fast. Before you know it I'll be posting birthday stories and pics!

Samuel is 18 months!

2009-12-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Samuel turned 18 months Nov 15th. At his last doctors visit all went well! His weight is still on the small side 20lbs 8oz 2nd percentile. 10th percentile in height. He's just long and skinny. As far as cognitive and motor skills he is doing excellent! He can say almost anything; bathy time, Maddy go bye bye, more drink please. And he can sign all of these things too. We've taught him many words such as; drink, more, please, food, hot, cold, thank you, dog, cat, mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, cheese, cracker, and lots more! It's great Christian and Maddy are learning sign language in school so they can help me with teaching him all sorts of new words. Samuel is turning into a little boy right before my eyes. I'm sure I'll have some update pics and videos after the Christmas season that I can post.
Thanks for reading!

Vacation Bible School

2009-07-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

This years theme is camp kids rock. Christian and Maddy are having a blast! This was my first year not teaching as Maddy is usually to shy for me to leave. But today Samuel and I stayed to help out with a younger class (I was demoted to Kindergarten :) Samuel had so much fun that I think we'll stay and help out tomorrow! Sam was like our little mascot, all the kids just loved him. And he loved the singing and dancing!

Disneyland 2009

2009-07-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few, ok actually a ton of pics I took while at Disneyland. You might want to fast forward through them as the slide show is kinda slow.
We stays 5 days, but I wish we could have stayed another 5. I just love Disneyland!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Disneyland

2009-06-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Janice (aka GAGA) is treating the whole family all 15 of us to a five day trip to Disneyland and one day at Knott's Berry Farm. We are so excited to say the least! Thursday evening we fly in, and will return on July 7th. While there we'll be celebrating my niece Heather's 14th birthday on 4th of July!

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them when we return!

Day at the zoo

2009-06-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Day at the Oregon Zoo

Maddy, Noelle, Hunter, & Christian

Last week GaGa treated us and Vertner cousins to a day at the zoo! This was Samuel's first visit! His favorite part was the zoo train. The train ride is about 20 minutes long, I thought for sure he was gonna fall asleep but no way, he was having way too much fun! We ate elephant ears, saw just about all the animals and ofcorse spent about an hour in the gift shop. Here are some pics of all the good times!

GaGa helping Sam to walk!

Lion cub binky. Sammy loves his binkys!

At the sea lion aquarium.

Sam loved the train. Maybe he'll take after his brother!

Squished in a cave :)

Sam kept calling the goats "Doodle" which is the name he gave our cat.

Maddy loves elephants.

I cast all of my cares upon you

2009-06-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Cares Chorus by Kelly Willard

I cast all my cares upon You,

I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet.

And any time I don't know just what to do,

I will cast all my cares upon You.

This is my favorite church hymn. Makes me cry every time I hear it. I break down when I realize that the only thing I have to do to feel better, is to just give myself, and my sins to Jesus.

What is your favorite hymn?

Samuel's Teething!

2009-06-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

Sam likes to take his time on everything! Late to gain weight and learn how to eat. Took his time figuring out how to crawl. Is very cautious on this walking thing. And now, is just starting to show off some teeth. Instead of getting one at a time, he's decided to push out 4 in one week! AHHH The pain, the crabbiness, the SLEEP LOSS! I sure hope he feels better soon :(

A look back at this last school year

2009-06-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

School got out on May 20th, here are some pics of our end of the year!

Samuel's Party

2009-05-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

Samuel's 1st birthday party was a blast here are some pics... ok, a lot of pics :)

Outdoor fun 85 degrees of HOT!

Monkey Cake

Samuel's personal cake

Sharing!

So bright, he's gotta wear shades!

All tuckered out!

Samuel's first birthday and first haircut

2009-05-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

Samuel turned one year old today! He woke up to have all of us signing "Happy Birthday" to him in bed. Then Sam got to open a little present from brother an sis. Baby maracas that count and sing abc's. He'll have many more presents to open at his party this Sunday. After picking Maddy and Christian up from school (the highlight of his days) we went to Little Clippers to get his first haircut. Unlike baby Christian and baby Madelyn he actually enjoyed getting his haircut!

Maddy is 6yrs old!!

2009-05-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Maddy turned 6 yrs old on Tuesday! She had her family party last Sunday, the theme was "High School Musical." On her actual birthday, we took her and a few friends to "Build a Bear Workshope" in the mall. Her favorite presents were her new guinea pig "Squeaker," and pink roller skates that she rarely takes off.

It's hard to belive my little girl is 6 yrs old! Here are some pics from her party last Sunday!

Stay at Home Moms

2009-05-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few posts from my favorite radio station Dr. Laura. They are well worth the read! As well as her new book "In praise for stay at home moms", the prefect Mothers Day gift.

Babies Need Love, Not Day Care

This letter is from a listener who wishes to remain anonymous:
Dr. Laura:I totally agree with you about how bad day care is, and how damaging it is for children. Recently, I saw a mother who had just picked up her 18-month-old daughter from day care at 6 o’clock! That’s basically what time my kids go to bed! The baby was crying, grabbing at the mother’s skirt, and refusing to let go. The mother was getting annoyed, and kept saying, “Why are you acting like this? What’s wrong?”
I felt so upset. What a dumb question! You neglected your baby for the entire day, she missed you, and is exhausted and stressed, and you’re surprised that she’s acting that way?
I would think that a mother who has her child in day care the entire day would be the one crying and showering love and attention on her baby instead of getting mad at her. The baby should be mad at the parent, not the other way around.
And then, because parents don’t see their baby all day, they put them to bed too late, which makes them more stressed and makes it even harder for them to cope with their emotions in day care. When we, as parents, are tired, it’s hard not to be fussy. Well, imagine what it’s like for a baby! It’s MUCH harder for them to handle being tired. Parents need to do what’s best for their children, not what’s best for themselves, and if they don’t want to, or if they think their children shouldn’t stand in the way of their doing what they want, then don’t have them!
Why bring children into the world to give them to others to raise? Why bring children into the world if you are giving them the message that your job and your life are more important than them? For those that say “Well, I’m just not the type to be home with my kids,” or “I can’t handle being with kids,” then don’t have them!
I know of far too many babies that get attached to their nannies, and spend more time with them than with their own parents. These babies wonder why their “parent” (that is, the nanny) is leaving them for the night. Not only do they not have their real parents during most of the day, but then they don’t have their “nanny parent” either.
Sometimes, people say “I want my kids to have the best - the best car, the best house, the best toys.” Believe me, things are not what makes a baby happy. Love and attention and kindness are what makes them happy.
How sad.
And then people wonder why children are so troubled, and why they “act out,”and why they would do anything for attention. If a mother MUST work to feed her family, I understand, but the attitude shouldn’t be that day care is the first choice. The attitude needs to be “how sad that she cannot care for her baby.”
I think it’s nuts that people think it’s sad that my baby is home with me. She is definitely happier than all the crying babies in the playground, but all the working mothers will never know that their babies are crying, falling, or are just plain exhausted.

Can’t Beat This Argument for Moms-At-Home

From a listener to my radio program:
Dr. Laura, I want to thank you for the special moments that you helped me have. As a listener, my husband and I decided that I would stay home with our 2 month old baby boy even before he was born. I must admit that it’s hard financially, but we understand that our son is more important than luxury.
Yesterday, I had a “tear-jerker” moment. After feeding my son, I got up and started to clean the room. After a while, I saw him moving. He was putting his little hand above his head, feeling for the place where my arm had just been. Then he stretched his arms and legs in front of him where I had been lying before. I realized he was looking for me. His little face began to prepare to cry. I then placed my hand on his side. “I’m right here, baby.” He then opened his eyes. On seeing me, he smiled his gummy smile.
I stayed there, smoothing out his hair, until he fell back to sleep, but I couldn’t help thinking, what if I had been at work? What if he was with a sitter or at day care? I wouldn’t have had that moment, and he wouldn’t have been comforted. I know, because I used to work at a day care center - he would have been left crying, because he had been fed and his diaper had been changed.
As an ex-day care worker, I know that children are not cared for lovingly. They just have their physical needs met, but not their emotional needs. There were so many kids who called me “mommy,” and that was only because I was doing her job while doing mine. The fact was, “mommy” wasn’t there. But I was and am here for our son. Thank you.

My take on all of this.... I just know there is no way that anyone could love my kids as much as I do!
Therefore, I would never give them over to someone who cares just as equally about my children as they do the other 30 kids that they are paid to watch. Besides why pay someone for the job that I so desperately tried to get! It wasn't easy for me to get pregnant with my kids (about a year of trying with each of them!) and we had a lot of touch and go moments especially with Samuel! God has given me the most precious gift of all being a mom.

First Tooth - FINALY

2009-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sam will be turning 1yr old on May 15th! He's just now getting his first tooth! AHH... Fever, runny nose and ohhh so crabby! Since he's teething so late I'm sure there will be others soon to follow!

I GOT A NEW CAMERA!!!

2009-05-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

As an early Mothers Day present Dane bought me a Nikon D60 camera! I so excited! I know I haven't been posting much lately, but now I'll probably posting like crazy! I've never owned a DSLR camera before, so I'm in amazement at how amazing the clarity and colors are! I'm not much of a photographer so maybe I'll take an online class to learn more. Here are just a couple I took today!

What's been going on??

2009-04-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

Been MIA lately! Well you would be too if you had 3 birthday parties to plan in one months time! Christian had his 8th party last weekend! The theme was archeology (he wants to be an archaeologist when he grows up)! It was an awesome party! Grandpa Wayne made clues all around the outside and had Christian and his friends use a compass to figure out the clues to find the dig spot (huge sand pile)! At the dig sight they dug for treasure! So much fun! Now I'm on to planning or Maddy's party set for May 10th, which is also Mother's Day and Grandpa Wayne's Birthday! Her theme for turning 6 will be High School Musical! Then the very next weekend it's Sam's turn...and he's ofcorse will be turning the big 1! Theme will be monkeys, that is ofcorse what he is right now...a silly monkey! He's not yet walking...he can stand alone but is VERY cautious, so I'm not sure if he will be walking by his birthday... or if he'll have any teeth! That's right he's almost 11 months old and still not a single tooth in his mouth. Every time he's crabby and we think he's teething NOTHING!

Well Easter is tomorrow! Hopefully I can post some really cute pics of the kids all dressed up in their Sunday best! Gods blessings everyone!

SPRING BREAK

2009-03-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Now a lot of parents don't like spring break. Where will I put my kids while I'm at work, there home bugging me all the time, ect. But being a stay at home mom (which is what every kid wants) I LOVE SPRING BREAK! No driving and picking up kids, get to sleep in, and if we're lucky maybe GAGA will invite us to go to Enchanted Forrest some time this week, or weekend! Hint, hint! Maddy was so lucky she got to bring home the class project. And I am very happy it's not an animal I have to pick up after like a Ginni pig, or hamster! So far they are still alive (knock on wood)!

Maddy is taking picture of them everyday

Some pictures

2009-03-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted...so here some pics!

Sam and I walking out the door to Church

Bath pics of Sam!

This is old... but it my fav pic of Maddy and Me!

Pictures

2009-03-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

Here's some pics of Sam that I just had done. Sorry they are so small....but they are the proofs from their website...and they don't alow you to enlarge them. Let me know if anyone wants a copy!

Sam crawling

2009-03-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sams been crawling for sometime now...but I have yet to get video to you all! BTW...Lloyds...notice what he is crawling to! We tried several other items to get him to crawl for this video..but this was the only thing that sparked his interest! Now I just need to get some baby gates up!

TWISTER!

2009-03-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

Some fun at Wenzel Mountain today! Here are some pics of the cousins playing Twister!

What's been going on??

2009-03-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Aside from everyone in our family getting sick, lots of great things have been happening!

Maddy lost her front tooth! It had to be extracted at the dentist due to her adult tooth causing an abscess, but she did great. And in return the tooth fairy left her $5. But that's not all, she also got cash from Grandparent and Aunts! She took all her money and bought a pig wenkinz!

Samuel is very mobile now..not quite walking but crawling every where! Now the gates must go up! He has said his first distinct word (besides "mama" which he will only say when he's crying)...and the first word is..................."HEATHER". Heather is like his second mommy she's the second eldest cousin who takes him under her wing every chance she gets! Now we just need to work on "mama & dada" :)

Christian's birthday is coming up and he wants an archaeologist them! Right now he is so interested in finding gold and lost relics! He's got his heart on traveling the world when he grows up to succeed where others have failed in finding things like; the arc of the covenant, the cup of Christ, spear of destiny. All thanks to movies like "Indian Jones" and his now favorite "The Librarian" series.

2009-03-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been on lately! Everyone has been getting sick on our family. Maddy, Christian and even Sam caught a nasty bug! Ended up giving Christian pneumonia, and Sam a sinus and ear infection!

Will be back soon to update on lots of exciting things happening around here including Maddy missing her front tooth!!

My two boys are sick!

2009-02-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

Both Samuel and Christian I think have a super bad cold, at least I hope it's a cold and not the flu! Sam has had a deep cough and fever since Tuesday, and Christian the same which for him started yesterday. Today was the first day that I saw improvement for Sam. But for poor Christian, I'm afraid today was really bad! He spiked a fever tonight of 103.2! Please pray for my boys to get better soon! Christian and Maddy both celebrate their 100th day of school come this Monday, and Christian would especially hate to miss it! In general he freaks out about missing school, but to miss the 100th party day would be so sad for him!

BTW the pictures were taken just a few days ago.. they don't look so chipper now :(

Sammy's 9 months old

2009-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Today Sam had is 9month well child check up! He's doing great! He now weighs 16lbs 5 oz..still tiny not on the charts 0-5% but back on his curve of growth! As for height he's in the 10th %! Long and lean :) We've switched him of the non-dairy Neocate formula to regular formula with success! He is no longer allergic to diary! Which is great news, except that we will have to pay for regular formula from now on. Before when it was prescription formula it was all covered by insurance company FedEx would drop off a months worth of formula every month, it was so nice! But in the long run I'm so glad he can have milk products! I'm not a very good cook and to have to cook around milk products would have been even harder!
I'll have to make my next post a video of him crawling. He's so cute! I just can't belive how fast he's growing up!

Sammy is sleeping in his new crib right now!

2009-02-09T21:53:00.001-08:00

He outgrew his co-sleeper that we had along side the bed so I had to break down and buy a crib......for $20 bucks! Can you believe it....and it's not a cheapo crib either its a 3 in 1 crib that will go from a crib to a toddler bed to a full size bed! And it's beautiful, the people that I bought it from off of Craigslist just wanted it gone!!

Now those that know me, know I am big on co-sleeping! After catching Christian having a sleep apnea spell where he stopped breathing for over a min, I always slept w/ my kids till they were ready to go into their won beds.....in fact Maddy still sleeps with me! She was in her bed for a while, but has reverted back to my bed ever since Sammy had been born. A...I think she misses being the baby...and B, she likes to sleep with Sammy too!

Sammy likes to fall asleep in my bed w/ me. However, he sleeps longer stretches when he is apart from my bed because I always seem to wake HIM up when I toss and turn! The crib butts up against my bed. so I can still tend to him quickly and get him back to sleep quickly! Usually it's just putting his binky back in!

Wish me luck! Tonight is his first night in his big boy crib :)

Maddy lost her first tooth!

2009-02-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

Last night it was very wiggly, and today at school with her classmates cheering her on she finally pulled it out!!! Her teacher gave her a tooth box to put it in (which she is very proud of!). In the picture it's kinda hard to see the empty space because she already has her big tooth in!

The little things in life

2009-01-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

**Sammy is finally crawling... although we still don't give him much opportunity. I wish we had carpet downstairs for him to have free range of the house. Until he's more stable he'll have to settle for the time we spend upstairs on the carpet, which is usually the time I spend on the computer. While I'm blogging he's crawling :)

**Maddy is soooo close to having her first visit from the tooth fairy! Maybe she'll loose her tooth on the same day that Sammy gets his first :) Yes...he's 8 months and still no teeth....just teething misery!

**Christian is finally feeling like himself again, and with the tubes in his ears he has super hearing!! No more whispering around Christian, can't keep any secrets from him!

**We are weaning Samuel off of the prescription formula Neocate, onto regular Enfamil, which is cow milk based. I think it's going ok.. no obvious signs of an allergic reaction like diarrhea or eczema. But he has been very fussy lately and his cheeks have been turning bright red...but that could very well be from teething! Oh how I wish babies could talk!! We should find out more at his next well child visit, 9 months! His last doctors visit showed him to be falling off the weight charts again. Grow, baby grow!!!

**I miss sleep! I really really miss it! Last Saturday Dane took Sammy for 4 hrs to let me get some sleep. I kept the baby monitor with me just in case Dane didn't wake up to his cry. During that time Dane just popped in a couple of movies. Samuel woke up about 7 times...all of which I heard...WHY oh why did I take the monitor with me! After Dane was done watching his movies, he came in to me to come back and sleep with Sam (Sammy sleeps in a co-sleeper beside our bed) Dane had seen how much of a light sleeper Sam was, and knew that his snoring would wake him up. Next time I get another opportunity to sleep for a 4 hr stretch I'm defiantly not taking the baby monitor... I figure if he screams loud enough I'll wake up!!!

Swimming Lessons for Maddy at School!

2009-01-26T10:56:00.001-08:00

The entire TLC school -Christian

Two weeks ago Trinity Lutheran School had swimming lessons for a whole week! Maddy had so much fun, she can't wait to take more lessons. Unfortunatly Christian was home recovering durring this time. My mom watched him a couple of afternoons so that I could go cheer Maddy on and ofcorse take some pictures!!

Hurry and take the picture mom... I'm freezing!

Maddy's BFF Chloe!

Where have I been latley??

2009-01-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately! Just a lot on my plate! Christian recovering from surgery (tonsils, adenoids and tubes put in his ears) was tougher than I thought! The first couple of days was a easy, but after the local and steroids wore off he was in a lot of pain. Surgery was on the 8th and he did not go back to school till the 20th! Was on pain medication till about the 18th! I felt so bad for the little guy, I'm so glad it's all over with now! He's feeling back to himself and he can hear so much better now!
During the week that he was out of school, Trinity had PE at the Oregon City swimming pool!! Maddy LOVED it! Swimming lessons were everyday for about an hour and a half. I'll post pictures later.
Sammy learned to crawl last weekend. He's been working on it for a while..but on 1/18 he crawled a few feet! And now if given the opportunity (no one will put him down!) he can crawl as far as he wants! Will post video later!
Sasha had surgery this last week to fix her nose. I just found out about it from my mom yesterday, so I have yet to call her to find out how she is doing. It's always hard to call her with the 8hr time difference...by the time I remember to call it's too late :( So Sash if your reading this comment and let us all know how you are doing!!
Well i think that puts me up to date on all that has happened since last post. Hopefully things will calm down and I'll be back on track posting every night!

Sammy's getting bigger diapers

2009-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sam's last visit to the doctors last week had him weighing 14lbs 14oz (1%) my little guy. He's finally growing out of his small diapers and into mediums! In disposables he's in size 2!

fav pics of 2008 Christmas

2009-01-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here are my favorite pics from Christmas 2008

Maddy in the snow - we were snowed in for over a week!

Sammy's first ChristmasLove the hat

Christian still loves starwars!

Santa came to visit!

Sammy loved Santa!

lifehouse-everything skit

2009-01-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

For this sunday I though I'd post a vidoe I hadn't watched in a long time. Every time I watch this it send chills down my spine. Jesus is awsome.. always with us, always feeling our joys and sorrows! Thank you lord for being with me through the good and bad! And thank you for saving my very soul!

Christian's surgery

2009-01-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Christian is back home doing fine now after having his surgery this morning. He had tubes put into his ears and his tonsils and adenoids taken out. Christian says he's a little sore, but other than that doing great! On the way home he asked me if he could go to the Lego store and get a new Lego for being so brave. When I told him we would go when he was feeling better he got very upset, saying that he felt fine!
Thank you everyone who helped out today, and to those who brought over good things for him to eat and fun activities for him to do while he recouping. Discharge papers says no school for 7-8 days but the doc said some kids feel better sooner than others. Let's pray for a speedy recovery!

Artic Blast 2008

2008-12-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

musicals

2008-12-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

Momma Mia!

What a fun movie! I just finished this movie and wanted to know if others have seen this yet, and what they thought of it. Momma Mia definitely isn't for everyone, especially if you don't like musicals. But I love musicals!! And this one made me want to sing along with it.. which I could have if Sammy wouldn't have been sleeping beside me :)
Other favorite musicals..that I can thing of atleast

Sound of Music - Dane LOVES this movie. We have a Wenzel family photo of the kids in Vontrap outfits! Technically their Norwegian outfits :)
Hairspray - Girl fun!
Phantom of the Opera - Grandma introduced me to this one!
Grease - Love John Travolta's dimple!
Annie - The sun al come out tomorrow!
Yentle - One of my mom's fav movies of all time
Jesus Christ Super Star - Sang so many of these songs in Choir
Little Shop of Horrors - Who doesn't love this movie!
Sweeny Todd - A bit twisted, but I love John Dep's acting!
West Side Story - Didn't we all have to see this in High School?

What are your favorites?? Did you see mama mia.. what did you think of it??

Oh..the weather outside is frightfull!

2008-12-15T19:18:00.001-08:00

We are snowed in! Yesterday we got hit with about 3 inches of snow, and today we stayed in the twenty's. Now all you Utah people are probably saying wha'st the big deal.. Well us Oregonians can deal with rain and flooding but not SNOW! No, studs, no chains, no going anywhere! Although today after I about lost it with cabin fever, I talked Dane into going to FredMeyer (the store that has it all!) We bought Christmas presents, food for the next couple of days, and some entertainment for the kids...oh yeah, and snow gloves!

Tomorrow it's gonna stay in the lower 20's and then Wens we'll get dumped with some more snow, but ohh we're not done yet! Saturday possibly a FOOT of snow and maybe even some freezing rain!

Now I've always loved the snow..but that's because in Oregon it usually melts by the next day..letting us all go on with our busy lives. I guess this is Gods way of saying slow down! I just wish our house was bigger to spread out in, we're driving each other bonkers!

BTW - See our lights on the house! At night it's lit up like a Gingerbread house! It is so bright!

Making a list, checking it twice!

2008-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Just look at all the people I buy Christmas presents for. I'm done with most of them...but still have to hit the stores again this week.

Mom

Dad

Robin

Mom in-Law

Dad in-law

Grandma

Grandpa

Sasha

Troy

Logan

Aiden

Chris

Jen

Gracie

Alex

Secret Santa for Brandy

Secret Santa for Dane

Heath

Heather

Han

Hunter

Noelle

Logan

Hailey

Chase

Tyler

Jenny

Lauren

School friend for Maddy

School friend for Christian

CHRISTIAN

MADDY

SAMUEL

Wow! Writing it out makes it seem even more daunting!!

Another Holiday Brunch

2008-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Yes my in-laws spoil us rotten. This last Sunday all 15 of us when to Multnomah Falls for brunch. Here are some pics.

Multnomah Falls

My diaper stash

2008-12-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

As a suprise sent both Candina and Natalie one of my fav cloth diapers it is a minky (sooo soft inside and out) preston pants. Candina is very interested in cloth diapering Sienna. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to show off my diaper stash. Now it's not as cute as the nb diapers that I had when he was just a little guy. But these are the workhorse in our house. A few are missing, as some were in the wash. Yes, I wash my own diapers..there's nothing too it, and I don't think it's gross at all! When you figure the avg cost to diaper a kid from nb to potty training is $1,400 an initial investment of 1-$200 is not bad!

Not sure why some of these pictures are sideways...??? i didn't take them like that!

Here's most of it.. wash cloths ( i made) , inserts, diapers

My fav.. Fuzzi Bunz (some in wash)

Close up of my favorite FB's Bugs, and trains!

Dane's favorite Thrirsties All in Ones...although you can stuff more into them. He likes them because of the velco tabs :)

Super thin and absorbent Hemp inserts (no you don't smoke them) hehe

Also very absorbent Microfiber inserts

Dyed infant size Prefolds (these are what our grandmas used) - I use them for stuffing diapers and burp rags. Have a ton of these!

Diaper liners both fleece (yellow are hand made) and flushable! What a great invention.. Baby poops...you just flush the insert down the toilet!

Update on the kids

2008-12-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

Samuel

On Dec 15th he will be 7 months old, and I'm guessing he will be mobile by then. AHHHH! Part of me likes spending time w/ him on the floor upstairs (carpeted) teaching him how to crawl. Another big part of me would like to stay a little lump baby for eternity! Maddy and Christian have soo many small toys, we will have to baby gate the toy room. Also 2 maybe 3 more gates around the house. Stairs are a biggie! We had a gate up at the top of the stairs when Christian was little, but it was not strong enough and he pushed the gate over an flipped about 5 times down our Very steep stairway. He was ok...but gave us a big scare!

So as soon as the big even occurs we will shoot some video and post it here! Stay tooned!! Still no teeth...although he constantly drools and chews on everything! Loves the watch the kittens run up the drapes in the living room. Is easily entertained by brother and sis, in fact his day is pretty blah until the noisy kids come home from school. Driving to and from school (once to pick up Maddy and then later to pick up Christian) is a different story, he still Hates the car!! Sam's pretty little, still in 3-6 month clothes. Although he looks very proportioned! Not skinny at all! More to come!

Maddy

Maddy had a rough time getting back into the swing of going back to school over the holliday. She would break down crying in the morning saying she didn't want to go. But after a couple of days, I think she's back to her old bubbly self again! She already planning her B-day party and which of her friends she wants to invite to her "friend" party. I love all the crafts that she brings home to me. For Christian it's something he's very used to doing...but for Maddy it's like she's giving me a most valuable gift! :) All of which I display either on the fridge or the hanging thing over our island that is supposed to hold beautiful pots and pans (that i do not own :) She now looks forward to every morning going downstairs to open her advent calendar (this year she has littlest petshop)

Christian

Christian also looks forward to his morning advent calendar, he has Lego City. YES, he still is very much into legos. Although he has been enjoying doing puzzles lately! Everyday after school he does a puzzle. Even though he only has 3, he does over and over again. They are 100 pc puzzels but he keeps begging me for bigger ones. Maybe for Christmas! He is doing excellent in school! The first grade period he came home with straight A's. Must take after his dad :) On the not so happy side of things, he has to have an operation on Jan 8th. This is to have tubes put in his ears due to frequent ear infections and hearing loss that he has been experiencing for over a year now! During the surgery he may also have his adenoids taken out, as we think he has sleep apnea. Christian can you believe it is actually excited to have the surgery...he wants to be able to hear like everyone else again! I'm really praying that his adenoids are of normal size and they do not need to be removed as I know the recovery from that can be very painful! Hid Ped doc said at one time that his apnea spells and snoring could be caused be a very small mouth and throat structure, and if that were the case surg would not help the apnea spells. Keep ya posted!

Dane

I know Dane isn't really my child.... but latley he sure seems like one :) Yesterday was his first day back at work following his surgery he had on Nov 21st! He still has a lot of pain from the incision sight. Yesterday at his doctors appt, the doc informed him it was infected and gave him some antbiotics. NOW he should start feeling better! But he still can lift anything heavy for the next 6-8 wks! So I guess I'll be the one putting up xmas lights this year! UUGG!

Zoo lights!

2008-12-01T20:20:00.001-08:00

Sunday night Janice and Wayne aka Mom & Dad, treated us all to buffet dinner and zoo lights! All were there except Kim :( We all had a lot of fun! The lights were so beautiful, and it now feels officially like Christmas! This was Sammy's first zoo lights, Maddy and Christian have been going for years now! This year we toted him around in my front carrier and stroller! Maddy it think had the most fun driving the stroller! She also loved the baby elephant, who is now about 5 months old! She was so cute! The mama elephant was just getting her lo to sleep by stoking her back and fourth with her trunk. Christian ofcourse loved the train and the gift shop.. This time it only took 1/2 and hour for all the grandkids to pick out a trinket! AHH progress! Last year I think they were in there for about an hour! Gotta love GAGA's patients and generosity! Thank you Janice and Wayne for an awsome evening!

The family

The extended family

Pretty lights

More pretty lights

Sammy in zoo stroller

Maddy the little mommy

Maddy, Noelle, and Rudolff

More pretty lights

Eating an Elephant Ear

Samudra the baby Elephant

(my picture didn't turn out too well as you can't use the flash inside his exibit)

Sammy loved the lights!

Maddy's Doc appt

2008-11-26T21:13:00.001-08:00

Maddy's doc appt went very well! She's gained 3lbs since Sept! Gone from the 4th percentile to the 10th!! At first the doc was a bit concerned because that could be an indicator of hyperthyroidism. But all is well her test results came back normal! She continues to be a very healthy little girl! Which I am very thankful for! As for the hair... I guess it's just a phase and will hopefully pass soon! Between my hair falling out due to postpartum and Maddy going through this phase of hair coming out in globs... our bathroom is looking pretty hairy! :)

We celebrate Danes B-day on Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T21:16:00.001-08:00

Dane's birthday is on Nov 14th, However we usually celebrate on Thanksgiving! So here are

area a few of his favorite things..

Favorite cake! German Chocolate ummmm!

He wants to get one more assault riffle to add to his collection before Obama puts a ban on them

The monkey thing...is just his way of being silly the kids think it's funny that Uncle Dane.. or Daddy always says the wants a monkey! NOT gonna happen

Dane loves cell phones... this may be his next present to himself.

Maddy doc appt

2008-11-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

Today we had a doctors appt for miss Maddy. Her hair has been falling out in globs lately and is very brittle. So the doc ran some lab tests to check her thyroid. Now of all my kids Maddy has always been my most healthiest child..so I'm sure the test will come back fine..but better safe than sorry! Another reason for the doctors appt was to show her that we worry about her as well. With all the attention Sammy gets...she needed to know that have not forgotten about her needs. Lately she has been feeling a little left behind, so we are doing all we can to make her feel special! We should get the test results back by tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted!

Sunday Meditation

2008-11-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

I'm am very thankful today that Danes surgery went great! The biggest worry is the part about waking up from the general anesthesia! We had an awesome anesthesiologist who took very good care of Dane. Although we didn't make to church today due to Dane being extremely sore, I'm sure by next week he should be back to his old self.

Dane's Surgery

2008-11-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well tomorrow Dane goes under the knife to have a testicular cyst removed! EEEEK OUCH! As a woman I can't fully know how painful this will be for him, but I do know the feeling of being scared to have surgery and the hard road ahead of recovery! I Pray that every thing goes well for my guy! Please keep him in your prayers!

BTW - No I'm not prego again! I just love this pic...It reminds me of how he is such a goofball and he always makes me laugh! I love you Daneo!

Grandparent Day at Trinity Litheran School

2008-11-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Although not all of Maddy's and Christian's grandparents could be there for the event, it was a blast! Grandma & Grandpa Wenzel and Grandma and Grandpa Harkey were there to enjoy the festivities! First the kids were taken to school by their grandparents, then they had chapel, got to see the kids classrooms and do a craft, watch skits and performances put on by each class, and lastly a they got to eat a special spaghetti dinner with their Grandparents! I wish I could have put more video for you to see...but it takes a real long time to upload it!

Trinity is a great school for the kid! There are 9 kids in Christian's 1st/2nd split and 7 in Maddy's Kindergarten class. I love the small class sizes, the kids get lots of individual attention from the teachers! The reason it's so small is because the school is in it's infancy. The church has had a preschool since the church opened, and long ago Trinity used to have a school that went all the way to High School.

Co-sleeping

2008-11-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, I co-sleep with Sammy! I also co-slept with Christian and Maddy as well. I bought a crib for Christian when I was pregnant as all expectant mothers do, but he never ended up using it. There's a great debate on whether babies should co-sleep or not. For me the decision came very easy. Baby Christian one morning stopped breathing for about a minute, and was subsequently diagnosed with sleep apnea. He was only 2 months old, it was about 5 in the morning and he was sleeping next to me. I'm a very light sleeper and I've always slept in sync with him. I could always tell when his breathing pattern was changing and he was about to wake up to nurse. Having him in bed with me made late night nursing easier and I got more sleep that way. However that morning I felt him become very still, too still, no rhythmic breathing. I took a second and put my hand on his chest, when I felt nothing I woke up Dane freaking out. We carried him to the another room where there was more light. Together it took what it seemed like forever (was actually like a minute) to get him to wake up and start breathing again! After a few nights in the hospital with the diagnosis of sleep apnea, doctors said I had probably stopped SIDS from taking to my son! After that day I researched a lot about SIDS, and talked with his pediatrician. I came to the decision to continue to co-sleep, rather than put him to sleep on a movement monitor every night. I learned babies brains "remember" to breath when they are next to a parent and can hear/feel them breathing! I'm not saying it's for everyone! Some parents are heavy sleepers, they might roll over on them or get the baby caught up in the bedding. Me however, I've always been cursed as a light sleeper. I think becoming a mom does that!

All this said, the thing I love the most about co-sleeping is the closeness! Every night Sammy likes to reach his little hands up and rub my face, or pull on my hair until he falls asleep. This is the best feeling in the world!

The picture up top is of him is in his Amby bed. He loves to take naps in it. To the left is a picture of Sam napping in the cradle Grandpa L* made. He looks so tiny rolled up into a little ball :)

UPDATE

Since writing this post, my cousins baby girl died of SIDS at 5 months old. It was so painfully sad! Every parents worst nightmare!

Samuel's 6mo Check up.

2008-11-17T18:24:00.002-08:00

Today he had is 6 month check up, and guess what he's getting bigger!! 4% for weight and 10% for height!!! He's finally on the charts. And he's on a new diet to get him to be more "regular" if you know what I mean. Prunes w/ baby oatmeal in the am...and pears at night. Let's hope this gives him some relief, as the poor guy's been constipated most of his short life!

We have moved on to a different carrier.... he LOVES to be carried ALL the time. First I used a sling (peanut shell and hotsling). Now we have moved on to the baby bjorn. Check out all the drool on the carrier in that pic!

He also has a few more toys! A jonny jump up, and an excersaucer! There's a pic of him in his saucer down below in the post about Maddy's pictures. And yes I know I'm getting picture happy but here also is a pic of him in one of his newer diapers, and a pic of his Swedish moccasins from Hanna Anderssons (one of my fav stores!)

Sunday Meditation

2008-11-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today's sermon was about how Christians need encouragement from time to time to keep their faith alive. Whether they're a Sunday school teacher who needs a pat on the back to tell them that their doing a good job, or by keeping your commitment to the choir director by showing up to choir practice every Wednesday night.
So here is my encouragement to all of you who read my blog.

Dane - Thank you for going to your job everyday so that I may stay home and raise our kids! I could go to work and put our kids in daycare..but you know how much it means to our kids to have me at home with them everyday!

Brother in-law Kim - Your such an awesome Dad your kids look up to you and love you so much! And you so inventive and creative...check out Kim's blog on making an airplane!

Sister in-law Kari - You amaze me that you are taking such a huge role in your kids education, deciding to keep them at home with an online school and mentor them everyday! That takes an awful lot of patients!

Sister in-law Tani - Your kids are growing up to be great independent people! You have taught them through example how to live in a Christian way! Your walk with God inspires me! You are the nicest person I know! You always have open hear and ears to listen! Thank You!

Janice (mother in-law) You are like the energizer bunny you can go, go, go! And you live for others happiness, especially your grand kids! I don't know how you get everything done...but you do it with such grace! You always have a smile on your face that brightens my day!

Wayne (Father in Law) I know if you could have it your way you would be living in Easter Oregon living up your retirement. But instead you put up with the rest of us! All the grand kids look up to you and admire you! And your really great at reading to the grand kids and rocking them to sleep!

Brother Chris & wife Jenn- You both had a ruff start and I'm very proud of you both that for the sake of the kids, your pulling things together to give them the healthy family they need!

Mom - I really appreciate all you do for me and my family. You mean so much to me! Not only do you help me with the kids, but you are always someone that I can call and feel better after talking with you!

Sasha- Your thousands of miles away! And you are very missed! I can't wait to be close again! You are my favorite sister! I love you so much!

Dad- I miss you as well, and can't wait to see you! I would love for you to be more apart of my life! Miss and love you so much!

Grandma Lloyd - Thank you for the advice you always give to me, I know that it comes from someone who is very wise and has lived a christian life.

Grandpa Lloyd- Thank you for always making me laugh. But ha! I know you didn't loose that finger from picking your nose :)

Cousin Nat - Thank you for helping me and encouraging me to start and continue this blog, it has been very enlightening to me! Also, congratulations at being a mom of 3 now, it can be very challenging at times as you know by now.. and no it does not get easier (at least it hasn't for me) but you are now blessed x3! And have a new photo subject! He is so cute!

Cousin Nicole - You're career and projects are not just taking off they are soaring! Seeing what you have accomplished is very inspiring! Keep up the good work!

Cousin Dee-Dee - Being a new mother is very magical time! Although the changes can be difficult it is all worth it when you look at his beautiful face! He is sooo cute!

Cousin Mary - Your new baby is so cute! And her big sister looks like she adores her! You are very blessed! And can't wait to hear more from you! I'm so glad I found your blog!

Aunt Nancy - Your family and your life is very inspiring to me! You battled breast cancer and won, and your boys are accomplished athletes and scouts! I love how your family always does everything together! Even climb mountains!

Aunt Linda - You did an awesome job at raising you kids! Just reading their blogs everyday must make you very proud! Thank you for your words of encouragement and suggestions on improving my skills at being a stay at home mom.

Aunt Patty- You are living your dreams right now, which you deserve so much! You had a ruff go at the start of your life..and look at what you have become! Your a gifted artist, have owned your own art studio and now your yachting around the Caribbean! How cool is that! I love reading your blog! It's soo exciting!