We've talked a little bit this week about taking the kids to the Farm Show because Matthew had something about going. I've not been there for years and neither has Mike. Yesterday morning, I texted Mike and said that the kids only have school till 11:30 and that it might be a good time to go! He was up to it and so we surprised the kids when they came home from school and said that we would go! Hadassah was not really into it. She didn't know what to expect and plus she's still been feeling under the weather somewhat! I can't wait to see this girl full of energy and not blowing her nose!!! :/ Matthew, of course, was all into it! Ashlyn loves farm animals and so she was into the idea too!!! We even invited Mike's mom to go along because his dad is in Florida. (Mom is waiting to help Lena with her baby once it finally decides to arrive!!! :) ) She was all into the idea to so we all went together. The drive there seemed further than the way home and the kids were ready to get there!
We started with getting some fried mushrooms! Then we went to the horse arena and watched some really nice horses show off their beauty!!! Then we walked around to see the cows and goats. We were able to see two little goats only four hours old! They were just learning to walk and the mom was still licking them and caring for them. So neat!
Then we went back to the food court and what a difference. By now everyone and their neighbors arrived!!! The place was packed out!!! The food lines went fast but we could hardly get through with a stroller and the crowd was crazy!
We decided to get tickets for the Rodeo! The kids couldn't wait and Mom was never at a Rodeo before! Mike got the good seats and we found our place! Ashlyn was SO into the whole thing. She sat in her little seat waiting and watching. She was all smiles!
We watched horse bucking cowboys. Cowboys roping calves. Barrow racing. Then bull riding!!! There was even one bull that after the rider fell off, it was still bucking and suddenly it couldn't walk! It else dislocated it's knee socket or broke it? The whole crowd gasped and we watched as it tried hard to get out of the arena! It looked pitiful but they got it moved and who knows if it will be repairable or made it meat?!?
The whole night was fun ... especially the rodeo! All three kids loved it and the best part for Mike and I was seeing them enjoy it! We told them to get their fill of it now though because that crowd was nuts!!!
We got home late but we all slept in this morning! Making memories like these are great!!!
Basketball season has begun and fast here at this home! Hadassah had her first game last week and lost. Then her second game was Monday night at school and lost again but played great. Tuesday, she had another after school game VS Bethany Christian School and lost by only one point. She played great at this game to and even scored!
Watching girls play this game is vicous. They throw their hands and arms into each other's faces. When they get the ball or retrieve it, they hang on to it for dear life! So many jump balls come from that. They make lots of shoots, get the rebounds and try to make the basket again! I said that night that I'm waiting for someone to start bleeding or get an eye poked. But, but ... I am happy they make a good effort! Hadassah loves this game and it's great exercise running back and forth the court.
Mike, Matthew, Ashlyn and I all sit along the side lines and cheer! We have many more games to attend and we hope we start a winning streak real soon!
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I've been spending extra time down at moms this week. She had her thyroid surgery done on Friday and she did great! She was able to come home on Saturday with a major soar throat and orders from the doctors to not do anything for 10 days. Her throat is healing and eating soups is on her menu a lot! Yesterday, she tried some salad (and soup :) ) for lunch and that went well.
Each of us children said we would take a day to get mom's laundry, get her lunch and supper, and anything else she has for us to do. It's worked out good so far and even though it wasn't my day yet, I was down every day. Not all day but just stopping in is fun!
I texted and offered to bring a baby meal to Anna Ruth's yesterday, so I figured since they live really close to dad's, I would make my foods at mom's. Ashlyn and I went down in the morning and walked in with my huge bag of foods. Mom was happy for our company but she would have been entertained well without me there too. She had lots of people stopping in all day and that makes her smile and her day go fast. She feels good but isn't allowed to move her neck too much so having company makes her healing days go by faster. I prepared my foods and baked cookies while we all chatted! The day did go fast for me too and it was time to deliver the baby meal! I then rushed home to get Matthew off the bus and then to Hadassah's basketball game at 4 PM! I made lasagna in the crock pot for our supper and it was so tasty after a day in the kitchen! Yum! Now we are ready to go visit Mike's parents before they start making their trips to the sunny south! Mom Lapp said she would make us homemade ice cream and we all love that!!! :) We played some settlers and then ate homemade ice cream!!! Fun night especially when you win! ;)
This winter has been busy so far! I think it will take a snow storm to slow down. Our 1000 piece puzzle is still at the beginning stages. I keep thinking that I can start packing up some housing things soon. Things like bookshelves and closets will be boxed and stored soon. We are going to see our blueprint and make some changes if necessary tomorrow! Mike and I are excited about this and hopefully the township will have us our permits sooner rather than later!!!
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I am in week 14 with baby growing inside! I am feeling much, much better! The extra iron pills and good nutrition is a plus! I can cook again. Drink decaf coffee. Smell things like lotions, soaps and candles again! My cravings have calmed down some and my stomach is now doing much better with eating only three meals a day instead of every two hours! :) My belly is popping out a small bit and I have switched to maternity shirts. I have my second doctor appointment next week and I am ready to actually "hear" the baby's heartbeat! I was only able to only "see" it on the ultra sound last visit.
We pray for our baby every day! Ashlyn says she wants a baby sister but she still refers to it as a baby boy and says we will name it .... _______________ ??? She came up to me the other day and kissed my belly and said hi to baby. She is going to be all over this baby once it joins our family! We can't wait!
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Winter time is time for extra sleep, extra rest, playing games and time to read and do puzzles. Sipping on warm drinks is such a delight! I've always said, "If it's going to be cold ... it may as well snow!" When we see snow in the forecast, we cheer!
For now, it's been a really cold week with many people ice skating. Enjoy this season of cold, snow, and freezing tempts. Even though winter is my least favorite season, I know Spring comes next!!! Cheers! :)
Stay warm. Stay dry. Stay connected with the Lord by reading more scripture and doing a bible study! I'm loving life and feeling blessed! One of my favorite hours of the day is 8 - 9 AM! I have the radio on and I love, love the music that gets played on WDAC in the morning hours. This morning, as I was cooking breakfast for the kids, this song came on! I love it so much and I sang with it meaning the words as I sang!!! Don't you just love it when you can have a "God moment" while flipping eggs! :)
Hadassah did very well with volleyball and she was honored to be part of the school A team. But the day volleyball was over, she mentally went to basketball. She was working hard and really wishing to make the basketball A team at school. She found out on Tuesday, when she was home from school coughing and sneezing all day long, that she made the team! I thought she would be jumping up and down. I thought she would react a little more excited. She was beaming but being under the weather was still getting her down.
Yesterday morning, she was doubting in her mind if she should play or not. She said, "I'm going to be coughing and sneezing in everyone's faces." :/ Yikes!!! I have to say that when she gets sick ... it's a sun downer! She really gets it! She's been coughing and sneezing for days and her poor nose is red and sore! She was off to school after her morning grapefruit. I prayed she would feel OK by game time!
Ashlyn and I had a busy day at home cleaning. I am so amazed that after just one week, the house needs another major cleaning! I picked up tissues, wiped down germs, sanitized the bathrooms and swept the carpets really good! It took me almost all day but it was worth it! I even got to go through some closets. My maternity clothes are now hanging in my closet and getting closer to my reach. I wore my first maternity shirt yesterday because I was up to something really comfortable! :)
We picked up a coffee of "Decaf Sweetheart Latte's" for Matthew and I before heading off to school. Hadassah had arrangements to get to the basketball game with the team, so I thought it would be fun to treat Matthew to a warm drink on the 14 degree day!!! He smiled and we sipped as we drove to West Fallowfield School for the first basketball game on the season. The girls got warmed up and Hadassah looked good in her new shoes! :) I could tell she wasn't feeling 100% but she wasn't sneezing and coughing on everyone either!!! That's a good thing! :)
The girls played hard but it always to seems to take a game or two to get used to playing together and getting the drills all down. Hadassah's team lost 20 - 6 but at least they had fun! Hadassah played well but I can't wait to see her energy level rise and be even better for her next game!!!
We drove home with warm chicken noodle soup waiting for us! I made a big batch after the house was cleaned and it tasted so good on such a cold night! We had cut up kiwi, oranges and avacodoes to go with it! Eating rich nutritious foods is so important right now! I can't say the rootbeer and birchbeer that the boys had was so healthy though. :/
The evening was spent doing homework and studying for tests. Mike had a school board meeting to go too. I was happy to stay indoors! Brr!!!
We've had two days in a row of two hour delay at school. We love these delays because we get to sleep in and relax yet call it a school day. The weather was harsh this week with the tempts being in the teens! The snow we got the other day is still around. There's no way it's going to melt in these tempts. The kids have enjoyed some sledding and outdoor play! Getting all bundled up is a must but such fun for them!
The girls love the snow!
Matthew took his gun outside.
Snowboard ...
Meg and Mel came over a bit and tried out the sled too.
Stay warm!!! I've got a newborn niece to visit today ... Angelyn Lili was born last night! So happy for you John Ervin and Anna Ruth!!! I also have mom to visit today. She's getting her enlarged thyroid surgery today!!! Pray all goes well!
Christmas vacation is officially over. The holidays are over. The lazy sleeping in mornings are over. 2014 is over and 2015 has begun! It's back to reality! :)
We got back on Sunday from a four day mountain/cabin getaway! We started the week with Ashlyn not feeling well. Bellyache bug that lasted only 12 hours! But then Mike got the same thing. His belly hurt. He even threw up and I can probably count on one hand how many times I remember this happening. He's got a tough stomach but this time, it just needed to come out. He went to work on Wednesday but was drained. I had a really, really busy day at home on Wednesday. I cleaned the house. We packed all the bags. And groceries. And baked cakes. Packed the huge cooler with food and drinks. The kids were helpful! We were ready to leave by 5 PM! We dropped Ginger off at Sadie's but right before heading out the door, I thought that maybe I should grab a plastic bag. Everyone was feeling fine but with you never know with nasty winter sicknesses!
We got subs at Subway and we were on our way. We were at least half way there when suddenly I wasn't feeling so well. I grabbed the plastic bag and began vomiting. Mike pulled off and I heaved along the turnpike throwing up. I got back in the Yukon not feeling too bad. I even ate a few pretzels to help the taste in my mouth. We were almost at the road for the cabin, and here it came again. Then, when we could almost see the cabin driveway ... again. Three times I was outside, along the road throwing up! The thing is, I didn't even feel that sick. My stomach felt OK. No major pain. We were all happy to finally get to the cabin! Thankfully, no one else caught the bug! Hadassah did start with a nasty cough but nothing too bad to get her down.
Dave & Suz invited us to the cabin. We both got there at the same time. We unpacked and wrapped in blankets and drank hot tea that Jordan made for us! The cabin was only 40 degrees when we got there and it took all night to warm up! Plenty of blankets kept us warm!
The new year came and we watched the ball drop on our iPhones. :) Some went outside on the porch and watched some fireworks. The new year has come and I have spent very little time of making resolutions. I hope to make some notes about this soon!
The next few days were spent relaxing, eating, playing games (lots of Acquire by the men), and watching the children play. We stayed up late every night but slept in each morning too! Matt Lapp's came to visit us on Thursday and Ashlyn and Colson played all day long! When they left she said she's ready to go home too. :) Then on Friday, JR & Ruthie and Jason & Ann Michelle came up. They brought the kids along and that was fun for our children! Orlando and Matthew had a blast. Ashlyn and Ava made new friends, Tanesha and Jacoby! The kids all played well. Jordan and Hadassah joined in on the adult conversations a lot. :)
Thanks Dave and Suz for the invite! We really enjoyed the whole weekend!
Now, it's back to school. Back to laundry piles. Back at home with Ginger. Mike's back to work and Ashlyn and I went for groceries. Today was very cold and there's even some snow in the forecast for late tonight. Hadassah came home from school still not feeling the best and still coughing. Pray for her if you think about it! Her nose looks like she's getting a cold yet. :/
2015 will be a year of many changes for our family! We are making appointments to get started on our house remodel. We found out quick that things out of our control, go longer. Waiting for our permits is our latest. We really are hoping to start as soon as possible so we can be remodeled and settled in before baby arrives! Baby ... another change. I am in week 12 right now. I'm getting ready to soon move into maternity clothes.
We are so blessed and God has been good! Leaning on Him in 2015 will be our strength!
