Surgery yesterday

Surgery went well! I'm so glad it's over! We got to the clinic early and then waited and waited, but once they took him back it was a whirl wind of people and papers and questions and explainations and he was zoomed away "like a motorcycle" on his bed. He was fearless. He told the nurse, "they are going to drain fluid out of my penis", she got a pretty good laugh out of that. He did a great job. Once he woke up he was pain free and ready to eat and got the promised ice cream. In the evening he started to have some discomfort as the medicine they gave him began to wear off. This morning he's mostly pain free, but seems to hurt a little as the tylenol or motrin is starting to wear off but he is walking (and running and hopping and standing on one leg) as normal. Overall the worst part was the anticipation, I didn't have time to get emotional before hand and the time passed pretty quickly while he was in surgery. Recovery was a little hard to watch as he tried to fight the anesthesia to wake up but once he relaxed and slept a little longer and the anesthesia wore off a bit more then he woke up easily. It was so nice to have a friend along to help pass the time and help with little things afterward too. William could not walk because of the medicine they had given him and could barely sit up either. He thought it was funny that the "medicine made him wiggle" but really it just made him tip over. It was funny and now it is all done! : )

Surgery tomorrow

William has his surgery tomorrow on his little boy parts. Thankfully his lungs are healthy so we can get this taken care of. He's pretty excited about it. I'm not so much. It'll be at Hershey Medical Center, which comforts me some, it's a great facility, and comforts him more - He knows there is chocolate in that town and his only question about surgery was if he can have candy. I promised him ice cream. I was going to be going alone but today Carrie volunteered to go with me! I'm so glad to have someone sit with me and help me pass the time, thank you so much! I am trusting that all will go well, being a nurse means I know too much so I have worried about every possible thing even the ridiculous things. Please pray that all goes well, that I can be strong for William and that he will come out of anesthesia well and have minimal pain.

Blessed

I have been blessed SO much lately! God is definately doing a work in me and taking care of my heart along the way. I have been learning some difficult things about myself and having some struggles with a friend lately, but all along God has been showing me that He loves me dearly and is present ALL AROUND me! I have been encouraged and blessed by so many conversations I have had in the last couple weeks with people from many different areas of my life. It has been so exciting to get to know more women around here and to expand my circle of friends as well as nurture casual friendships I already had. First and foremost my husband has been so amazing!! He has been so thoughtful and encouraging and also gently pointing out things I may have missed in situations. But most of all, he has been there for me and has made it clear that we are in this together. He's incredible. I am excited to be joining a new Bible study. I am really excited to get back into learning more in depth about God and His Word. Also was blessed to see and be able to talk to two past friends that I had lost contact with at our first meeting. One of whom has been on my heart and in my thoughts off and on over the past couple weeks (and Jon even mentioned her once) and I decided yesterday that I needed to call her. That was not going to be an easy call and I would have put it off for some time I'm sure. But today, there she was, and though we only talked for a few moments, she was a blessing and an encouragement and said JUST what I needed to hear! I am also excited to lead a Wednesday evening ladies study at our church and am very excited to meet some more women in our church and build friendships with them. Our kickoff meeting last night went well and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting a few new ladies and catching up with a couple others. Thank you God for being so evident in this place and in our church and comforting me in a difficult but growing time! Now, help me to put into practice the humility and grace that you are in the process of teaching me!

Views

In the most recent newsletter from the camp Jon used to work at in ND, the new cook wrote this, "I think I have one of the most beautiful views in the world from my living room windows. Horses graze with the lush, green hills of the Sheyenne River valley in the horizon." She's right. That used to be the view out my living room windows when we lived in the trailer that used to sit where her house does now. I miss Cooperstown sometimes. (I could only find a winter shot, but also imagine green grass and horses.)






























But, my view here isn't bad either. I like the view of the mountains from our swingset.

Birthday Cake

I just finished frosting my baby boy's 4 year birthday cake. He chose a castle. It's nice. I had to restrain myself from frosting a big heart on it. He's such a great kid. I love him. He's so kind and patient and excited about life. He's the sweetest little man in the world.

Today he had a little birthday celebration with some friends from church in combination with a girl who shares his birthday. He was so giddy while they sang to him and he waited for M to open her presents and would not open his until everyone was watching him, He said, "Everyone has to be looking at me. Everyone has to watch me." He was very sweet.

A box arrived for him today. It's a train table from Jon's parents. He is going to be so excited about this. I'm excited for him. He's the greatest!

Header

How do I make a cute, personalized header?

A few quotes

"He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one."

"I have lived a hundred and nine winters in this world and have never yet met any such thing as Luck."

"Do not dare not to dare."

From CS Lewis's 'The Horse and His Boy', Book 5 in the Chronicles of Narnia

Birthday weekend

It was Jon's birthday last Monday so this weekend we did some birthday things. We took the kids camping for the second time. The first was in a camper two years ago, this time was in the tent. They did pretty well. We got to the site late, Jon pitched the tent while I started the fire racing the darkness. In the middle of my fire building William had some bathroom issues, but I still got it lit quite easily. I'll claim one match on this one. The kids told us they wanted to go to bed, they must have known what fun was coming. They were having so much fun giggling and laughing together in the tent, it was sad to have to tell them to be quiet. They really enjoy eachother (usually). In the morning we had breakfast and broke camp to head to Gettysburg. They have a new visitor's center that Jon had not seen yet. The kids weren't in the mood for walking around looking, so we headed to the cafe for a candy stick for the kids and a coffee drink for me. After that we went down to hear a music group that was playing. It was all Stephen Foster stuff, you can check it out here (it's not really that exciting, I just wanted to figure out how to add links like that). The kids sat for the whole thing, well almost sat. They were quiet and stayed near me. They danced some, Callie colored a little, they played with cars, had granola bars, and William flirted with the lady sitting near us (just like his dad schmoozing with the old ladies). Jon was finished with his touring just as we finished with the music. After this we got lunch and headed home. The kids were wiped out! The two previous days they hadn't gotten very good naps and they had gone to bed late the night before. Over all it was a fun day...pictures to come when I get the film developed.

Callie also said "awesome" for the first time this weekend. I asked, "did you just say awesome?" and she said, "yeah, that's awesome". It was very cute.

Dirty Bathtubs

I love a dirty bathtub....not Blue Burrito (nasty) dirty, but good cloudy water, dirt on the bottom dirty. To me, that means there was some outdoor fun happening! We just finished up a bath that was just that. Today we went to the park with some new friends. We had a good time. The kids had lots of fun playing on the baseball field, dragging their feet along the chalk, throwing the sand (we were too far away to stop all of this) and playing on the playground equipment too. William had some white hair, his bottom was all sand and his gray shoes were white. Callie wasn't as bad, but she was more sweaty than anything. Then, of course, after the bath we had our traditional games of "Rock the baby" which is Cal snuggled in her towel and being rocked and William's game of "Baby Bird" in which he hides in/under his towel while I sing a made up song about a bird hatching and wiggling and moving and how excited I am to see my baby bird. Then the teeth brushing begins and Callie says, "yuck" to the paste.

We also had William's cardiologist annual exam. It went well. No changes from last year and will see them again in a year.

Now I better get to all those dishes. Yesterday was a carrot freezing and tomato canning day and the dishes are all still there. : ( We'll see how fast I can go to the Bob Marley CD I found the other day that I didn't know we had. : ) I have fond memories of Jamaica...and it also reminds me of Ultimate frisbee.

A bit more

She has also gotten very interested in babies. At Hershey Park the other day she would not play at the water park but she would squat down by the baby who was in the water and touch her back and talk sweet to her and put her pacifier in the baby's mouth. And any baby carrier or stroller she sees she runs up to saying, "see da baby". She got some bottles recently and spent the whole morning feeding her babies and putting them to bed in their cradle with their blankets. And this evening she was pretending to be a baby and was laying in the middle of the floor making crying sounds. It was funny.









Also, very exciting is that we now have a fenced in yard! The dogs now get to run and play and they are meeting the kids and the kids are doing a good job of being nice and respecting the dog's space.

Catch up

So, if I'm going to do this thing I better get to it, hey? Throughout the day I often think, "oh, I have to remember to post that" and then I never do and as the week goes on I have 10+ things I can't remember that I wanted to post. I just need to do it more often. Let's catch up...also, I'm sure Jon wants the previous post to go further down. : )

After my in-laws visit we had a couple weeks on our own and then my mom, my sister and her three kids visited for about a week. We all enjoyed the visit and the kids had a great time with their cousins. William still misses them. Even today at lunch as he prayed he thanked God for his cousins and that they came to our house and after his amen he told me, "I like my cousins". He has also asked when they are coming again and right after they left he said, "I want my cousins to come back, I love them." Very sweet. Callie also loved "Baby Nowa" (Nora). In the days after they left she often asked, "Baby Nowa sleepeen?" We did many day trips while they were here; picnic at Cowan's Gap, Hershey's Chocolate World, Gettysburg and DC.

William and Cousin Liam at our picnic in the mountains

We took the older three with us on our tourist days.

The little girls stayed back with our mom and had lots of fun and good naps.

My beautiful nieces.

Kisses even after I drug him all over the world and to three doctor visits all in one week. (I'll get to that later.)

This might be the only picture of my mom while she was here, but she was here. Those kids just steal the spotlight.
So, while they were here William had another asthma exacerbation. We went to the doctor early to try to prevent what I saw coming, but we were unable to. He had a rough night breathing and started on prednisone, which makes him better but also takes his emotions on a rollercoaster ride. He didn't get better as quickly as usual and we ran out of prednisone so we had allergist appontment #2 and added an antibiotic for bronchiolitis. In between these appointments, as I was listening to his lungs, I decided to listen to his heart. He has a murmur and I just decided to listen. Why? Because I'm nuts, I guess. But I noticed his heart rate was irregular. As that is not his norm I called the cardiologist and the next day we had the third apointment of the week (actually second since it was between the other two) to get an EKG and have a Holter Monitor placed for 24 hours. He did so well with this! I wasn't sure if he would try to play with the buttons or try to take it off, but he did amazing!! He called it his spy pack. What a trooper!! All these tests showed was a Sinus Arrythmia. The doctor said it was okay and we go for Wm's anual check up tomorrow and will find out more.

Other medical news on that boy...he keeps me hopping and really makes me sick of doctors. But he does so well with them! The last two appointments he had, while we were waiting for the doc to come in, he played doctor and I was the patient and he would bandage whatever ailment I made up and at one he said, "I'm going to be the nurse and fix people and make them all better". We also visited the Urologist recently and had surgery scheduled for this Friday, but it has been postponed due to his current breathing issues. He has a hydrocele (fluid sack near his scrotum)that needs to be drained and they will also stitch up the hole that a hernia would come through (which is where the fluid also comes through) and they will possible also be doing a bit more depending on what they see that day. I'll spare the poor boy any more details as this other part deals even closer to the privates. I often thank God for my kids' health and then have to ammend my prayer to thank Him for the medical abilities we have that help keep my boy as healthy as possible. I'm thankful for good doctors, too.

And just so my Beauty isn't left out.

She said, "wide a hosie" (ride a horsie). She can get out but doesn't.

LOVE THEM, and their energy and excitement and patience and sweetness.

And now, the last picture my camera will ever take. The Pisle kids came over and they were all
playing in our tiny sandbox. After this shot I set the camera up on the ledge of the platform and left it there for about a week. Before I remembered it was there we had two huge strong rain storms. It has never turned on again....but the memory card was okay!!

This week has been dedicated to catching up in our house and on the computer. I feel like I am just now catching up since our company left. Also, the garden is ready to be harvested so today was full of freezing carrots and canning salsa and tomatoes.

So, that's my long update.

Exceeds High Expectations

That is the over all rating my amazing husband got at his 6 month review. He is doing very well at his job! (Although he won't so much enjoy my posting his "first day of work" picture.)

Some quotes from his review..."He is a team member and will do anything you ask and then some." .... "Jon is customer service oriented and takes the time to talk to customers and takes care of their needs." ..and.. "Jon has exceeded my expectations since I hired him."

One I smile at, "He is a good communicator".

And my favorite quote is this. "He is a scholar when it comes to integrity and never has any problems, period." No problems, I wish that part was as true as the first part, my integrity scholar.

Jon is doing a great job at his work and I am very proud of him!! Oowakdah!

The Message says it nicely

I checked those verses in the Message and liked how this one was worded.

"There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourising finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears."

And then I skimmed on and read 4:13 "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

and 4:23 "Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves." Nice.

Worrying

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ~ Jesus (Matt 6:27; Luke 12:25)

There was a situation that warrented worrying Monday evening. But this verse came to my mind. It was surprisingly comforting. The truth of the matter is that no matter what is happening, God IS in control. He KNOWS what is happening where and to whom. Anything can happen to anyone at any time. We can be in a most dangerous situation that warrents worrying, we can be totally lost, or we can be "safe and sound" in our own home and something could happen to us. God is working and interviening in our lives and our situation wherever we might be. Closing doors or opening them, guiding or allowing us to wander, but all the while He is still there and He knows the outcome of our sitations. He also knows the long term outcomes of our situations way beyond our thoughts. He knows the day that the most difficult situations in our lives will be used for His glory even if it's decades away. Praise the Lord.

I pray for my friends and their most difficult situation. Trying not to worry, but to have faith and being confident that He who began a good work in them will bring it to completion. (Phil 1:6) And I pray a strength and a peace that surpases all understanding will guarded their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7) Amen.

In-Laws Visit

My in-laws were here visiting this week. It was a fun week. A different kind of busy. The kids had a blast spending time with their grandparents. They got spoiled with a few new toys and lots of attention. We did some of the usual things like story time at the library and grocery shopping with grandparents in tow. But we also spent a day as tourists in Baltimore. On the fourth we visited Fort McHenry and enjoyed a dinner at Medieval Times. I wasn't sure how the kids would take to this and was mentally preparing to have to leave with one or both...but they both LOVED it!! Cheering and yelling and clapping!

Fort McHenry

Cannon demo. It was loud!

they could have sat here all day watching the boats. Medieval Times

He got very serious

Though I looked forward to their visit and enjoyed it as well, I get more ancy as the time goes on. I do appreciate the help with the kids and help around the house, but also have the need to have my job as mom and homemaker back at some point. I feel ashamed about the change that my actions and attitude take part way through the week. Having never lived near family since we've had kids makes me un-used to having other people around and in my house so much. I don't know how it would be different if we lived closer, but I do know it would be different. This coming week I feel like I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on, but also just need a break and some "normal" home life time. Next week my mom, sister and her three kids are scheduled to come for 8 or 9 days. We'll see how that goes! Having lived with them before and grown up with them I imagine it will be easier, but time will tell.