Catching up...

The past couple months have been a blur...Just when I think I'm getting used to a schedule or keeping up with things, I get a reality check that life with 5 busy kids just isn't going to be neat and tidy like that.  I am starting to get over that (and myself) and am trying to enjoy every moment without completely trying to control or worry over it all.  Our kids have been great at picking up the pieces of what Mom can't keep up with and turning it into being responsible, well-rounded & adapted individuals.  I was really excited when they all went out this Halloween, and for the most part, chose their own costumes and decided what they were going to do.  I simply did not have the energy and felt bad, because I know it won't be long and I won't get a picture like this again.

If I could have found a football uniform for Noah, you can bet he would have been a football player too.  If he is just as obsessed about it next year as he is this year, you know what he'll be wearing next Halloween.

We went up to the Prep Bowl this year and although I was worried that it was going to be outside (TCF Stadium), the weather cooperated perfectly and it was a beautiful day, a great game & the best outcome...Back to back Class A State Champs!  There was a little action that happened during and especially after that game, but our boys displayed Viking Valor and made us all proud of them and our community, because it could have gotten really ugly.

Now that football is over, we are well underway into basketball and wrestling season.  Ian is wrestling again this year because they have a great program for little ones to burn off some energy.  We will take him to a few tournaments but we are by no means going all-out for first grade wrestling, simply because we have 2 other kids in activities as well.

Faith is now in her first year of organized basketball, and her coach is none other than...Daddy!  He just can't say no, but it only seems fair that since he coached AJ's 4th grade team, that he does so again for Faith.  I must say, he's much more laid back now with her team than he was 3 years ago.  Faith has a great knack for ball handling and loves to take control and drive right to the basket.  I hope she continues to have that confidence as she grows in her game.

AJ is back to basketball after having to sit out last year because of his ACL injury.  His class has gotten taller, the game is faster, and competition is a little more, well...competetive.  He feels a little behind in his skills, but we encouraged him to keep practicing hard and it will get better.  I think part of his frustration is that he compares himself to one of his classmates who is a foot taller and comes from a large family of older superstar basketball athletes to practice with.  (That player has now been moved up from 7th grade ball to play with C & B squad - 9th-11th graders.  Yes, he's THAT good.)  So, now without their "star" player, the boys have to up their games and their attitudes about themselves and just have fun playing games they might not always win, as they have so easily done in the past.  Sports are just not about the game, but also learning lots about life and who we are and how to grow in that.  I think that's why Jason loves being an athletic director so much.  It's a great privilege to be able to teach kids about being adults in the settings they are in.

Laney is excelling in all things artsy.  She made her costume for Halloween, loves drawing for art class, and plays piano and clarinet beautifully.  She spends much of her time at home while most of us run up to the school for games, but she doesn't mind and loves having the house quiet and to herself once in a while.  Noah also likes to hang out at home sometimes, so they have had more time together.  She also took a babysitting course this fall, so she is getting more experience at home and hopes to earn some money that doesn't involve picking rocks.  Both her and AJ are as tall as Mom now and it takes some getting used to.  I've been so used to hugging small people and now it's like hugging myself...seems way to soon for that!

Unfortunately, my camera is on the fritz and I was forced to bring the tablet to Christmas concerts.  With the intention of video taping each of the kids' songs, I realized halfway through that there was only enough storage for one picture.  So as I watched part of the concert through the back side of a tablet, thinking I was taping it, I really only snapped a picture, and this was it.  (If you look closely, you can pick out Ian dressed as "the man in black")  I'm thankful for the memory...it was a beautiful program, as well as thankful that I realized what was happening and closed the tablet and watched the rest of it from my chair and not through a screen.

Merry Christmas!!  May you know the love of God and His desires for you!

rep-uh-TAY-shun-ist - n.

Faith: (in a conversation with Laney) You know...the person who sits at a desk and answers phones and stuff?
Me: (overhearing the struggle of explaining her word) Faith, do you mean "receptionist"?
Faith (laughing): Yes! That's what I meant!

I need to make sure I get these recorded right away, because I almost forgot how she said it and it wasn't as funny the way I was trying to explain it to Jason.  It's almost as good as the spuh-TOO-lah story!

Happy birthday, Noah!

 Noah turned 4 and we are having so much fun!  He's small compared to most 4 year olds, so when he says and does the things he does, he tends to catch people off guard.  He's starting to break out of his shell and is getting better at talking to others.  When he does, it's usually about Minneota football, or as he says it, "Minneota huh-ball".  He loves watching the State Championship games...one is on YouTube and the other is on Grandma & Grandpa's DVR.  He knows exactly what is going to happen during those games and he lets the rest of us know as well. 

 

He also loves dinosaurs, Thomas the Train and spending as much time with Daddy when he can.  Now that's Mommy's working part time, she gets to come home after "a long day's work", but she gets the "Hi Momma" welcome.  When Daddy gets home, (even if he left for just 10 minutes), he gets the wide-open-arms-run-to-you greeting with a top-of-your-voice, "DADDY!!!!"  Don't get me wrong, I feel the same way most days, but who wouldn't want that greeting for themselves also??

 

Yes, he still falls asleep at strange times in strange positions.  He couldn't even finish his ice cream cone this time!  We are excited (and somewhat sad) that our youngest is 4.  As he grows, we try take in every toddler moment knowing it will most likely be our last.  (God has not been calling us to another baby...sorry ya'll!)  With that in mind, we are looking at our family as moving toward teenagers, later nights and with that, sleeping in later, more activities, more conversations and no diapers!  (Well, unfortunately, Noah has expressed no intention of using any type of potty in the near future, so the patience virtue builds as we anticipate that milestone.)  He does about everything necessary for potty training, except wanting to use it!  He even got mad at me for taking him down the aisle at Walmart that had potty chairs & pouted all the way to the other end of the store.  When I realized he was upset about something, I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I don't want to get a potty chair!  I don't like it!"  

So this little Mister gets his way because with this little face and a Mom that prayed for patience, he is sure to give her opportunities to master it, but she absolutely loves it and is grateful for the gift of him and his big persistence in a tiny body.  Happy birthday, Mister!

Got shingles?

Unfortunately, these are not the shingles on the roof, and yes, I got them.  It's been over 2 weeks since I was diagnosed, but looking back, I began having symptoms 4 days before that.  I didn't get the classic itching rash right away, rather the pain first and then a rash, so that's why it took me so long to go to the doctor.  For the most part, I am healed up, just some slight nerve pain when I get stressed or overwhelmed, (which, let's face it, in a family with 5 kids, working a part-time job with preschoolers after a 13 year at-home-mom-hiatus, and a hubby that works 2 admin jobs, stressed is everyday.)  Right now, my skin feels like a bad sunburn that itches, but you can't scratch because that makes it burn more.

What has this condition taught me?  1) That it's time to let go of most of the "extras" that I am doing right now so I can take care of myself and my family first and foremost.  The extras will always be there.  2) That I need a better outlet to deal with my stress.  3) Lastly, to offer my never-ending cycle of pain and health issues up to God and put them to good use.  I am reminded that there are many people suffering way more than me in other ways, and that by directing my pain toward God and offering it to Him for someone else, somehow allows me to experience a grace and relief that I can't do myself or with painkillers.  It is in the suffering that Christ showed us how much He loved us, so the least I can do is turn this experience into His loving hands so that He can bless it with His perfect will.

You'll never believe this one...

If you've read this blog, you've seen pictures of Noah sleeping in strange positions and different places, 

but this one I wouldn't have believed if I just heard it.  This is truly a "seeing is believing" moment.

Here he is in the back of the Suburban, on Jason's baseball equipment bag during a Mudhens practice.

I don't know if I should feel sorry for him or laugh that he really does this.

Spanish & ISIS

Ten days ago, our Faith-y turned 10 years old.  She had a sleep over with a couple of friends and a party the next day with more friends.  They had fun running around and we even made an attempt at tie dying socks.  (I say "attempt" because they didn't hold the dye because this Mommy forgot to make sure the socks were 100% cotton.)  We'll try again next year, but maybe we'll do headbands instead.  Here they are eating their ice cream treats.

 

Being 10 comes also with it's share of downs to go with the ups, with most of that falling into the category of homework and added responsibilities.  If you didn't know, Faith has only one other classmate in her actual grade, so they are combined with the grade above them.  They all get along great, but some days, the pace of early 'tweens gets to a sensitive girl.

Last week, she was having a hard time getting to sleep and I usually realize that she's got lots on her mind and just needs to release some of the stress before she can get any rest.  After a couple nights of bedtime routine stalling, I sat down to ask her what was up.  The proceeded to tell me her worries about not knowing as much Spanish as she thought Fr. Zach thought she should know.  I know, she worries enough for most of us.  This is her first year learning Spanish, and to Fr. Zach's credit, he is immersing them in it, and they are stressing about it.

As we continue on, she then mentions that Fr. Craig was in their class that week also.  (Yes, we are blessed to have 3 priests in our area that are great with kids!)  So he was talking about Christian persecution.  I don't know if someone asked a question or what, but what he said sunk right to her heart, and she started telling me, "He was telling us about these people that go around killing people (*begins to wail) THAT LOVE JESUS!"  So at this point, she was crying hysterically and I had to reassure her that ISIS was not coming to our house (hopefully not anytime soon anyways) and that even if they did, we would just have to pray and trust that God would protect us. 

What was so beautiful about it, was that her fear was real BECAUSE she loves Jesus, and although I would never hope that my children would die because of their faith, my prayer is that they have a faith strong enough that they would not be afraid to die proclaiming it.  That they love God so much, that no evil could convince them to turn from Him ever, even in the face of death.  As a parent, I hope that that death is only one of death-to-self and not a physical one.  I truly had a God-filled moment when I heard her innocent but mature 10-year old love of Jesus and witnessed her live up to her name.

Hair raising issue

Well, the good news is that lice shampoo smells pretty good.  The bad news is that I now know what lice shampoo smells like. 

It's the call any parent dreads..."You need to come pick up so & so, because we found evidence of lice."  EW!  I'm just itchy and squirmy thinking about it! 

Luckily, only 1 of the 4 in school had it in their class, but unfortunately, you still have to treat them all as if they actually have it.  So after I got home from working this morning, I had to set out in search of lice treatments.  To save myself possibly an hour of driving to Marshall, I headed to our little grocery store to find out if they had any.  After a short visit in the aisle, I QUIETLY asked the cashier, (because there were 2 people in that aisle, which is usually empty every other time I'm in there!), if she knew if they had any.  She briefly looked and then to my dismay, went to the register and uttered into the microphone, "Brad, do we have any lice treatment?!"  (NOT quietly I might add.)  Now not only am I fidgety because my kid has lice, now it's being announced over the loudspeaker and now everyone else in the store knows that I'm looking for cootie treatment!

I quickly set out to my next destination, to buy more than enough treatment to delouse the entire block.  I had to make sure I got enough to treat everyone initially, plus some spray to treat things that I couldn't put in the washer, not to mention another spray that you could put directly onto hair (just in case the shampoo didn't work the first time) and a preventative shampoo to keep the critters away until this all gets under control.  Can you say "overkill"?

As if going through lice treatment isn't enough, adding insult to injury is washing everything that your child has come into contact, pretty much EVER!  Every single bed was stripped of all the blankies, mounds of pillows and stuffed animals and hauled to the laundry room.  Every blanket that was used that I could find had to get washed, and unfortunately it was nearly every one.  My laundry pile looks like Mount Everest and I will be washing well into tomorrow, and if I'm lucky, I might actually get to my "real" laundry on my day off!

Let's just say that today has been "a case of the Mondays" so I will be glad when it's over.  For now, we all have clean heads and clean sheets.  And even though I wasn't a hero, because all of the pillows and blankies were not done by the time bedtime came, I know that I battled the bugs and hope to come out victorious.  If anything, we'll all at least smell good in the process!  So, I'm at least happy that we don't smell like medicine cabinets, but it's also a smell that I hope I won't have to experience ever again!

Noah..."The Cuteness"

 I know I'm biased, but this kid kills me with his cuteness on a daily basis!  After 5 kids, I think I finally started really embracing the toddler age, and just wanted to share a few of his adorable moments.  Like...

...falling asleep wherever he is....

...rockin' the tie...(He just loved it & would have slept with it on probably!)

First day with his new shoes...just couldn't stop touching them, even when he fell asleep!  A year ago, I couldn't get him to keep shoes on, and he wore these all day until I finally convinced him to take them off before bedtime!

Here are 2 videos (sorry the one is sideways...that's what I get for trying to video with a device different from my usual!) 

This is him displaying his hopscotch skills. 

 

The next is him at the Children's Museum.  An assistant saw him having so much fun with stuffed dinosaurs, she mentioned that they had a costume.  Here's how it transformed him...

Myhre family continues to grow!

 Here is an updated picture of the Myhre cousins and how much they've grown.  We realized how much they are growing up when, after we took this picture, noticed that it only took a minute to get the desired picture, and finally, with not a one of them asleep or crying!  (Timing can be attributed, but the fact that most of them are now school-aged, helps quite a bit.)  This is taken at our yearly trip to Lake Cocharan in SD.  Lots of fishing, tubing, swimming, playing and eating & most of all laughing and having a great time together!

 Growing up, I didn't have any sisters and didn't have a girl cousin to play with until I was 13 years old.  Now I have 6 beautiful sister-in-laws, 2 on my side and 4 on Jason's side.  Bridget is our most recent addition with her and Jason's youngest brother, Craig, getting hitched on June 20th.  This picture was taken with Jason's mom, Mary, at a cousin's wedding.  We realized we were all "color coordinated" and it would make a neat picture.  Mom brightens us up in the picture just as she does in life.  So blessed to have so many wonderful sisters in my life and I love every one of them and we all get along like we've spent a lifetime together.

Oh, and speaking of growing family...Teresa & Seth are expecting baby #4!  You can't really see her baby bump because of the black dress (and because she's tiny anyways!), but we know soon there will be a new little Myhre to hold.  Picture L-R:  Teresa, Bridget, Stephanie, Mary, Janice & me.

Reno 911

No, not the show...these are renovations to our home and even though they were not emergencies, they have been projects that had been put aside since we moved in 15 months ago.  Not only did we finally get the time to do them, the desire to tackle home improvement projects has emerged again.  The patio deck was one of the many things I noticed that needed attention when we bought the home, but it's one of those projects that requires the right conditions for it all to work smoothly and quickly.  Fortunately, the weather (and the kids) cooperated well and I was able to get this one tackled in a few days time.

  

 

 The next step will be to re-paint all of the posts...not really excited to dig into that!!

So this unfinished built-in is right in our front entryway, so there's no hiding this.  There were unfinished shelves and it had become the catch-all area for everything I needed handy, but didn't know where to put yet.  My goal was to build it into a bench/basket holding/coat hook hanging area, but as we started to take the shelves off, we realized that it was going to be more work to sand it all down and it really wasn't going to turn out like we wanted, (OK, how I wanted!)  

So after staring at the bare wall for a day, I re-vamped my plans and changed it into an area for my Dad's old buffet cabinet and shifted my organizational wall to the other side of the door, making for a better flow into the living room.  We haven't quite finished making the hanging shelf to put above the bench that we re-claimed from the school. 

Once again, this was a project that consumed more time that originally planned because when we took out the plywood, we discovered that it was glued to the sheetrock.  Well, anyone that knows what happens to sheetrock when you pull off things attached with glue, is that it usually means you have to replace it or patch it.  Luckily it was only on one wall and Jason was able to patch it beautifully so you could never tell what was there before.

Of course, when you uncover things, you find other things that need attention, and in this case, it was unfinished baseboard trim and flooring that didn't go close enough to the wall to be covered by average base trim.  More monkeying around with that, but Jason worked his magic and made it look great.

 

I love the new look and am excited to get the other shelf up before backpacks and coats start piling up as school starts.  Updates to come!

Record setting

It's not one I'm proud of, but I think 2 months between posts is a new record for me.  I must say, the month of May was crazy-insane, and June was spent decompressing from that.  Now that we're in July, it's starting to feel like a summer.

In May, we had the end of school for the kids.  Jason finished his classes for his Masters in Administration, (well, so we thought...his advisor missed one of his classes before Jason's exit interview, so he is in the process of taking that one...last...class.)  He also transitioned out of his Principal job, caught up with scheduling and stuff in his Athletic Director job and now started his Area Faith Director of Religious Education, which is a fancy way of saying he's in charge of catechesis programs for Catholic kids not in Catholic school for the 4 parishes in our area.  He's done this job in the past, but just not for several parishes.  It fits into his schedule better and we are hoping it is something that will work out for a while.  Transition is not always easy.

AJ was cleared for normal activity 4 months after his ACL surgery.  He went through the rehab program wonderfully & he's now working hard with the school strengthening/weight lifting program to get to his top strength.  Even though his knee is as strong as the other, he was told that even the good one is lacking in strength, so to protect from further possible injuries, he needs to work on certain muscles that protect his ACL.  (That information would have been beneficial to me back before I had 3 ACL surgeries myself!)  He is looking forward to football season, which will be here before you know it!

Laney has been busy immersing herself in books, time with SuzyCat and friends.  She is mesmerized with cooking shows and has taken many opportunities to cook meals.  Yesterday morning she made pancakes from scratch and used fresh blueberries to make smiley faces in them.  She definitely has a creative side and I love to see that come out in her cooking.  If I need anything artsy, I just call on her.  She also blesses us often with her piano playing.

Faith is right where AJ left off regarding sports and activities.  She went to an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) basketball camp, played softball, and has volleyball camp this week.  She enjoys spending most of her time playing with friends or being at the pool.  Her tan lines can prove that!  Both girls also attended a week-long girls camp at Schoenstatt.  It involves spending time with the Sisters there and growing in friendships and faith.  Many of their friends from church and school went as well, and they made new friends and connected with old ones.  It's a camp that I think they will continue to be long-involved with and I really like that.

Ian is also a busy bee and will be a go-getter like Jason.  When he's not with Jason when he's playing for the Mudhens, he's either hitting or throwing a ball.  I joke that he would sleep on the baseball field if I let him...he never tires of being out on the diamond!  He never misses an opportunity to be at any of the home games, and is usually there from the moment Jason gets there to get ready (usually and hour or 2 before the game) until the last light goes out (usually an hour after a 3-hour game).  When most people are tired and ready to go home, he's out there running the bases and sliding into home.  Of course he played on his own team, but they didn't get any games in with other teams, so he probably got more experience playing with the Mudhens during practice.  He also, like Faith, enjoys playing with friends and being at the pool.

Noah is starting to come out of his shell and finally let me leave his side at the last ECFE class.  He enjoys going to the pool, but doesn't get too wet yet.  He finally started putting his face in and blowing bubbles and doesn't completely lose it when he gets water splashed on his head.  He loves being around Daddy and has enjoyed just-the-boys fishing trips.  He actually caught the biggest fish the last trip.  He loves playing with his brothers, but they usually get crazy and he ends up getting hurt, so he usually plays with Faith.  She has a great imagination and they can play for hours.

I have been trying to keep up with these 6 and still find some time to clean and have some quiet reflection and prayer time.  I need both to keep me somewhat sane.  With Jason's new job, we needed a little income to replace, so an opportunity came up for me to help part-time with the preschool program for the upcoming school year.  This will be the first paying job for me since I left my vet tech job over 10 years ago.  I have certainly kept busy with volunteer opportunities, but they don't require resumes, applications and interviews.  It has been months of discerning God's will for me and He has definitely put the pieces together for us.  It hasn't always been easy waiting for Him to open up doors, but the peace that comes from allowing Him to present His gifts to us is so rewarding. 

Noah will have one more year at home before he starts preschool, so this opportunity filled my desire of being able to work but not have to put him into daycare.  Jason's new job gives him the flexibility to work from home, so we will be at home in the mornings while I work.  I will be home by lunch time and after that, he will start his workday at the public school.  Since his AD job has him working mostly afternoons and evenings, this shift in jobs and schedules will work out nicely, (at least it looks like it will on paper!  We'll see how this year goes!)  But, either way, we trust that this is the path that God has put us on for now and we look forward to starting a new school year...that is, after we enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Grandma's job

The other day, Faith and I were walking toward home from the high school with Jason's parents, since they live just 2 houses down.  Mom is a construction manager for a business that will be working on the school this summer.  I asked her when they will get started and we were talking about it.  Faith then asked her, "Grandma, what do you do?"  She explained to Faith, "Well, I set up bids for commercial buildings, write up estimates, and if we get the bid, I oversee the contractors and organize the scheduling and keep the project moving forward."  (That might not be what she said word-for-word, but the point is that she went on explaining in great detail all that she does as a construction manager.)  After all that, Faith replied, "So Grandma, you make commercials??"  I'm still laughing.

Time flies when you marry a courageous heart!

It's been 17 years since I married my soul mate.  He's taken me on so many adventures and he managed to make our anniversary day one as well!

Saturday morning he said he felt like he was getting a chest cold and I was wondering if he was going to make it to the special concert that AJ & Laney were a part of in another town.  (They were chosen by their band teacher to be in Honor Band, where they meet with kids from other area schools and learn some songs to play together for a one-day event.  AJ is in percussion & Laney plays clarinet.)  He figured he would be fine to make it to that.

Later that morning, he rode his bike down to the baseball field to make sure the high school tournament started ok.  On his way back, he felt more pressure in his chest.  With the history of heart issues in his family, and from past experiences from people we know, we wanted to make sure something more serious wasn't going on.  So, he decided that I should go up to see the kids in Honor Band while he went to the doctor.  He left and just as I was ready to head out the door, he came back in & said, "I think you better take me...it's getting worse."

So we left Faith with the 2 younger boys and headed to the ER.  On the way, he complained that his chest hurt and that it ached into his shoulders.  "Here we go," I thought to myself, "here come the heart issues!"  I called the ER to let them know we were coming and about the time we got into Marshall, he tells me, "I'm starting to sweat...You better hurry!  I'm getting dizzy...now my vision is getting blurry."  And then he scared me when he looked me right in the eyes, with fear in his own, and said, "I love you."  I just thought, "Oh no you don't!  You're not saying going anywhere!" and I just tried to get him to breathe and relax.

I'm now dealing with street lights and a situation that's getting worse.  I pulled up the ER door and ran inside to get a nurse and a wheelchair.  Now my adrenaline was going because I started to feel shaky, but we were at the hospital, so I felt much better.  He felt better as soon as we got him in the ER, and in hindsight, we guess he was so uncomfortable from the car ride and also nervous, that his symptoms in the car were from the ride making his pain worse.

They hooked him up to EKG and the monitors to check heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels, and all were pretty normal.  They put an IV catheter in and took all of the precautions of someone with his family history presenting with chest pain.  They did an x-ray and based on the tests ran, they diagnosed him with pericarditis, which is inflammation of the sac around the heart.  All of his symptoms correlated to that as well.  We were very grateful that no signs of heart attack were present.

He was sent home on anti-inflammatory meds and a schedule of resting.  The rest of that day was pretty uncomfortable for him.  Pericarditis makes it painful and difficult to breathe because the heart "rubs" on the adjacent body parts.  Lying reclined makes it even more uncomfortable, so resting as prescribed is easier said than done.  How can you rest and relax when you can't lay down??  So our Saturday was spent trying to keep him comfortable and resting while the kids ran around. 

To make things more stressed, he started developing a fever later that afternoon....a sign of infection that can get serious quickly.  I called the ER to ask if I should bring him in and they had me give him some Tylenol and monitor his temperature.  They were ok with it getting up to 103 degrees.  I, on the other hand, was not.  After just reading the discharge sheet, remembering a conversation with the nurse in the ER, and reading online info, a fever over 100.5 was reason enough to go back to the ER.  Well his got up to 101.  I was willing to meet in the middle, and when/if it hit 102, I would be taking him in.  Thankfully, the fever leveled off at 101, and just before bedtime, it subsided and we both were able to relax and get some rest.  I knew he was resting well when he started snoring.

Each day he has gotten much better and we will know more when the results from his ECG (ultrasound) come back today or tomorrow.  It's one of those conditions that comes up suddenly, and the causes vary.  It is treated based on the symptoms and concerns arise if it doesn't improve or continues to reoccur.  Even though he is starting to feel normal again, he has orders to refrain from physical exertion for at least 2 weeks when they will recheck his blood work for signs of inflammation. 

We are not sure what will become of all of this, but what we do know is that we are thankful for the outcome so far.  We are grateful, (as serious as the condition is), that it didn't turn out more serious as other heart conditions can be.  For now, we continue to trust in the Lord in our lives and thank Him for the gift of life and our time together on this earth, for too many of us know how quickly it can change.

On that day, I was especially grateful for the opportunity to have family close, (Jason's mom went over to get the kids when we knew we'd be in the ER for a while), that we have a hospital close by, for the anniversary lunch date we had when we left the ER, and for understanding kids that realize how important their Daddy is.  I am grateful also to a gracious God who allows me opportunities to recognize what's important each day.

 

Appointments!

I realized the other day how many appointments I have been running to when the receptionist asked me (while scheduling his 6 year exam), if Ian had his 5 year exam.  Don't they have records for that kind of question?  Seriously, with 5 kids and myself to keep track of, between the doctor, dentist, a pediatric dentist, orthodontist, chiropractor, physical therapist, and orthopedic surgeons, not to mention lab appointments & radiology, I struggle to remember who is due for what.  Thank you to those who send reminders and give phone calls! 

My calendar has become a rotational schedule of certain appointments at certain times of the year, and don't forget about "No school" days!  Let's pack them all into one day so we don't have to disrupt the "after school schedule", but find a way to completely wear everybody's mood down to a "aww, do I have to?"  I don't think I'll do that again.  I spent 4 hours of my day running them back and forth from home to the dentist's office, and then came home to hungry, tired kids and a messy house!

Let's just say that I let Jason schedule his own appointments...

What's new?

Life has pretty much been school for the kids, school for Jason and me trying to keep up with it all.  I am happy to say that after a year of being in our new house, I am finally getting to some of the organizing and unpacking of the things that have been put aside and deemed "unnecessary tasks".  But, the spring cleaning bug is upon me & the desire to purge and clear out cobwebs has finally returned amidst the chaos of my daily life.

So, Jason is only 3 class periods away from being done with his Masters in Administration, and was considering of pursuing a full-time AD position.  (Yep, none of those around here, gotta find a big school, which would have meant moving!)  Not a word I expected to hear again, at least for a while!  After much discerning, we have decided to stay and he will be sticking with his AD job and another admin job for the church...not sure yet exactly what that will be. 

I have been offered a job to help at the public school with 3 year-old preschool for the next school year.  I will probably start out part time so I can still spend time with Noah for another year before he goes off to preschool.  We will know more within the next couple of weeks how it will all work out, but until then, we are praying that God will lead us to what He desires for us. 

Until then, I am going to try hard to organize my house more because who knows how much energy I will have left after spending mornings with a bunch of toddlers!  God has a sense of humor...

That's a record!

Two and a half months since my last post!  Yikes!  So the good news...we're all healthy and growing, (some of us more out than up), and the computer is happy again!  (And, this is my 300th post!)

It's been a while for pictures, and as I looked at what I have taken, I realized that they are from Christmas, and actually, they are pretty much the same as my sister-in-law, Teresa's, blog, but I will put them up anyways if you don't read hers. 

These are from the hay ride that we took around town...it was a pretty nice day.  The wind was a little chilly, but we had homemade hot chocolate to warm us!

Dad & Mom

Teresa & Seth

Madison, AJ & Austin

Noah & Jason

Faith, Elena (tongue out), Laney & Madison

Brooke & Janice, and Reed on her lap

 Craig & Bridget (getting married in June!)

My hubby & John

I'm still here!

So an apology is in order to those who follow my blog and find it lacking in any new information or pictures lately.  My computer has been on the fritz and it's super slow to upload any photos and function on any level for that matter, so I have leaned towards not messing with it rather than try to fix it.  I did spend one entire day on it to get it somewhat functional, and then the kids spent time watching videos on it & we're back to square one for some reason.  Most of all, I need to move some photos and delete them from my computer so it won't slow it down, but that takes time, and right now that isn't something I have to myself.  I also have been having back & shoulder issues, so sitting at my computer for lengths of time gets pretty painful.

So you know how December's go, so I won't go on about that, and I will attempt to get some pictures on here soon.

Jason's schedule with Masters classes and 2 admin jobs has got him pretty much home to sleep.  Every once in a while, he gets some spare time, but at that point he just wants to "vejj" on the couch and decompress, and I don't blame him.  I just try to keep up with the house so he can do that and not feel like he needs to do anything when he actually IS home.

I have been trying to keep up with it all & have realized that I can't & embrace some sense of sanity with it unless I do 2 things...PRAY and let some things go.  That's a work in progress!

We had some running back and forth to Mankato (2 hour drive) to confirm what we originally thought...that AJ has a torn ACL, an injury that rarely happens in 12 year olds.  What that means is:  no sports, reconstruction ACL knee surgery, 6 months of rehab, then we can think about sports again.  If you know AJ at all, you know that this sort of injury is killing him, because ever since he could kick or throw a ball with his daddy, sports are all he's been about.  So, we have surgery finally scheduled for Feb. 19th and then my life will be more about travelling to rehab appointments and checkups than all of the other stuff I've been occupied with.  So, in a way, it's confirmation to prayers that I need to let go of some things that I have done for a long time to keep me busy, so I can concentrate now on what I NEED to do & not what I WANT to do. 

Thanks for sticking with us & I'll hopefully be able to get on here soon with more updates.