Beautiful fall days...

These are a few pictures from the last few days. We enjoyed some time at the park, and then took a walk to enjoy the beautiful leaves! Sorry they aren't in the right order, but you can still enjoy them right!!?!?!?!?!

Not Me! Monday...continued...

So my last post was a pretty scary one, and not so much fun, so I decided to figure out what else I didn't do this week! Here goes nothing...

I did not ignore the four laundry baskets that are full of clean folded clothes ready to get put away. I most certainly did not pick clothes out of the laundry baskets for the whole week instead of putting them away. What kind of mom would do that? Not Me!

I did not forget to make stuff for my husband's lunches almost everyday last week. That would have been just plain horrible.

I did not eat a bowl of ice cream, and then leave the bit that was left sitting on the counter melting because I couldn't wait to eat what was in my bowl! That would have been silly!

I did not spend tons and tons of time trying to get my 6 month old girl to let me take a picture of her new tooth coming in.

I most definitely did not forget to invite my husband's grandma to our kids' dedication at church yesterday. Everyone else got invited... I also did not forget to make the jello salad with Wyatte that he soo badly wanted to make for everyone that was coming.

Today I did not enjoy the fact that I had to drive the big red jeep (because of my last Whoops...post) because it is sooo noisy that I couldn't hear the kids yelling at each other, and the songs that they sing over and over and over and over and over and over again. What kind of horrible mom is relieved that they can't hear their kids sing? Don't get me wrong I love the fact that they sing, but when you have a 20 min. drive to town and the kids sing (at the top of their lungs) Veggietales, Jingle Bells, This is the Day, Jesus Loves Me, EIELE (formally known as the BIBLE), and other songs the whole way and you can't hear your self think, you would relish the noisy jeep too!!!

Whoops...(Severe "Not me" post...)

I did not "fall asleep" in the van and crash into many small trees and do this much damage to the front of the only vehicle that we have that will hold all the members of my family at one time. Not me, I would never let myself drive while that tired. (I was on my way home from my paper route, and thought I would be fine.)



So I was on my way home from the paper route. I could tell I was tired and was going to try to take a quick power nap when I got home, but this happened first. I didn't think I was sleeping, but John and I decided after he got there to get me that I must have at least had my eyes shut... I ended up in the ditch about 2 miles from my mom's house. On Ingebo Road, right before Loon Drive for those of you that know the area... One small tree in front of the left tire (see rounded dent in above pic) and one tree in front of the right tire (see matching rounded dent in other pics) I think the bumper came off when John and his dad pulled the van out. Thankfully it still runs. The headlights still work!!! The only thing that we think is broken is the hose for the washer fluid. The oil pan and filter and everything were saved by the many small trees holding the bumper slightly above the ground. The drivers door is smashed a little bit, and hard to open and shut. All the windows still are fine, no cracks or anything. There is a scratch down the drivers side of the van on the doors and the side, but that is it.

THANK THE LORD WE ARE OK. John says the van runs fine, he did take it today and left me with the Jeep just in case. We are also going to switch the van for the tracker for a couple days til John can look at the van better. Someone must have been praying for me this morning.


(This is part of the "Not Me! Monday" Carnival started by the original "I did not" post! You can see MckMama's "Not Me! Monday" post here.)

Wyatte's first dentist appt...

Playing around in the waiting room.

Looking at the light that the dentist uses to look at his teeth.

Colleen looking at his teeth with the mirror.

Dr. Barb counting them. He has 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom.

Colleen cleaning his teeth.


Wyatte had his first dentist appt Thursday the 19th. His doctor has been on us to get him in, and I finally did it. He did GREAT! He was alittle nervous at first, but the longer we were there the better he did. The dental assistant checked his teeth out and showed him all the tools they were going to use, and then the dentist came in and counted them. 20 all together. Then they decided that he would be ok to have his teeth cleaned. He did great with that too! I was sooo proud of him. A little suprised, but proud! Hopefully Nevaeh will do as good when we take her in next year!

Inspired...

The other day MckMama posed a contest to see if anyone could guess what was on her kids' ala carte lunch plate. There were 11 things on her plate. Read her post and look at the picture here... And although we do not drink "raw" milk, or have anything organic in our fridge, yet... I was inspired to try a ala catre lunch and see how the kids did. This is the plate...While my plates aren't nearly as cute as hers, or have 11 things on them (mine only has 5, or did until Wyatte ate all the grapes off his!!!), the kids loved them! Mom boiled eggs last night, I think to make egg salad for Uncle Paul who is coming home tonight (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), but we borrowed a couple. John's brother found a guy who makes wonderful venison summer sausage so we had some of that, along with mozzarella and cheddar swirled string cheese, an apple, and the aforementioned grapes. The kids did some swapping (Wyatte wanted more apple and Nevaeh wanted more meat...) but the meal when off without a hitch! Usually lunch is hot dogs, or ramen noodles with frozen veggies, or mac and cheese or a pb&j sandwich, and usually involves alot of loud voices because they don't want that. So I think I am going to try this more often. MckMama does this for supper too, but I think that John would starve!!!

I was going to have applesauce and carrots on the plate too, but the applesauce had fermented and the carrots were gross! Any other ideas for what kind of foods we could add to our plate? I think I could put Jicama (hic-a-ma) on it. Carrots would go great, even better if I cooked them. Celery I am not so sure about... Corn is a great one because the kids love it. Fresh peas during the summer would get eaten...

Here is proof that they enjoyed it! And a bonus for me... No mess on the floor!!!My lunch included a wrap with provolone cheese, turkey, sweet red onion (and lots of it), some shredded mozzarella, and lettuce. Some grapes. A stick of string cheese. A hard boiled egg. And a glass of white grape juice. I am trying to go on a diet, or at least eat better. This is about the best I can do right now!

I did not!

I did not just spend 20 minutes trying different ways holding Aubrie's mouth open to get a picture of the tooth that has decided to show up.

She was 6 months on the 13th, so this is by far the earliest that any of my kids have gotten a tooth. I will try to get a pic of it later!!!

Coming Soon, I Did Not!

A blog that I love to read recently did a post called "I did not...". Yesterday in another post she said she enjoyed writing it and getting the comments back about it, and said she would recommend it to anyone else out there. Kinda therapeutic! So I am going to start throwing out some random posts in response to that. Look forward to my "Did Not..."'s in the future!!!

For those of you that still don't know, you can't click on the underlined words ("I did not...") in the first sentence and it will take to you MckMama's original post!

Chare

My future!

Today we had a play day with the MUMS group from church. They went to a local nursery (the kind with plants and trees and flowers...) and made scarecrows! I couldn't get my self ready in time, so we missed that. I kinda missed it on purpose actually, but don't tell anyone that! We did go pick up Noah, John's sisters almost 6 year old, and took him to McDonalds with us. The group was meeting there after for lunch and play time. So today I had an almost 6 year old, an almost 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old. There is NO way I am ready to start trying for number 4!!! I thought life was hard with the three kids so close, but throw in one more and life is just plain CRAZY!!!!!!!!! Here are a couple of pics of Aubrie from the time at McDonalds, the other ones were running around tooo much I couldn't catch them in the pics!!! The last two pics were taken when we pulled in the driveway at home. She had fallen asleep on the way home, and was a bit taken aback when I woke her up! It didn't last long as you can tell!

So much fun in a single night...

Uncle Kirk got in some quality rough and tumble time with the kids tonight! With the crummy weather that we have been having and the fact that Kirk went back to school and Grandma Kris is working again, the kids haven't had a whole lot of interaction with anyone but me, and even though I am mom, they can only love on me so much!!!




Aubrie is enjoying the new found freedom that comes with being able to sit up! She can actually see what is going on in the world around her, instead of what is going on above her!!! She is getting more and more mobile each day. She will now come to you when you say come here!!! It is soooo cute. She is starting to snuggle more when she is tried, but that is only because I am starting to make her a little bit!

I bought her a hat the other day, I will try to get pics of that up here because is it super cute! We also have invested in a fleece snowsuit for her, so we are all set for the snow. I say that as I am sitting her freezing in this cold fall weather!

Finally, a few pics of the kids!!!

Nevaeh loves to read, and just started doing it by herself. She actually has most of the books that we own memorized, or at least parts of them! She opens this book and says "not big" and other one or two word phrases from the book. She is getting sooo big. She knows the numbers to 11, and can count objects to 4.

Wyatte was helping Aubrie get her toys all set! He loves to help her, in any ways that he can!


Isn't she just the most beautiful, smiley baby girl you have ever seen!?!?!? She is chewing on everything right now, so I am thinking there is a tooth gonna come in there somewhere, but can't see one yet.

Wyatte just enjoying his baby sister. So glad that he loves her sooo much!


Couldn't get both of them to look at me! Cute anyways right!?!?!?

"More Dead Animals on my Wall" Fund

Jim (John's brother) is up from North Branch again, and like they always do, they got up a the crack of dawn to be on the lake in time for the "good fishin." Normally this means that they sit in canoes for 4 to 5 hours and Lavern (John's dad) paddles the canoe around the lake and John and Jim sit there with poles out and they talk for that whole time, or so it seems to me. Because what is the point of going fishing unless you are going to bring back some fish for the ones of us that are waiting for you to eat?

Well, as you can see, today was different! John told me they only kept one, and this was it. 22 inches long, and the figure about 6 to 6 1/2 pounds. Right now it is sitting in the Linda and Lavern/our freezer waiting for the day that we have enough money to mount it. So i)f anyone would like to donate to the "More Dead Animals on my Wall" fund please contact me at 218)256-6979!!!

fog/mist

Ok, so this a rant of mega proportions. This morning when I got up to do the papers, you couldn't see more than maybe 100 feet. Granted we are living on a lake and that makes it worse, but... When I started driving down the road you couldn't see more than maybe a block infront of you and it started getting worse as I got closer to town. Took the paper delivery truck almost twice as long to get here because of the fog/mist stuff that was hanging over town. I did get to sleep almost two extra hours though, granted it was in the front seats of the van, but...

So I get started with the papers, and I have about 13 that go down highway 38 in Grand Rapids. For those of you that don't know the area, this road can get very busy once everyone gets up. So since I was about an hour and a half late already I started in the middle of my route with the ones on 38 so that I wouldn't be in the way when the road started to get used. Then I decided that I was going to do the route backwards, because I knew I was going to be late getting some of the papers to the customers, and since the ones that I usually do last get theirs late all the time when the truck is late, I decided to make sure they got theirs first. Anyways, I got about half way done and had to go pick the kids up because my mom and John had to leave for work, and Kirk was getting ready for school. So the kids helped me finish.

Apparently even though the whole town is covered with fog/mist so thick you can't see (like I said before...) when the sun comes up and it gets a little brighter, that means you don't have to have your lights on anymore. You can't see anything and people are driving around with their lights off. So more power to them if they don't need their headlights to see in zero visibility fog/mist, but what about the others on the road that can't see THEM? Where do we rate?

Ok, so that is enought I guess just thought I would throw that out there...

"shark" party ideas

UPDATE: The fish sticks were kinda a thought as I was typing, so... For Nevaeh's bear party we had dried berries and nuts, and a couple of "salads" that were made with things that bears like to eat. So I was trying to think of something that kids would like that sharks ate... I am also looking into hotels in the area...

Wyatte would like a shark party this time around. He has been talking about it since we started planning Nevaeh's party back in July! So now that it is a couple of months away I think it is about time to get planning. Any ideas? I am thinking about getting the party room at a hotel in town here that has a pool (can't have a shark party with out water can you?) Not really sure how that would work because all of the kids that we would invite would be 4 and under... Parents would be a must... Still working on the cake ideas, so help there would be great. I was thinking fish sticks or something like that, but if we are in a hotel... I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I realized that none of you really know what is going on in my life lately. Besides the fact that I am trying to deal with a friend losing someone so young...

Anyways, what is going on in our life lately? Well Aubrie can get anywhere she wants to go very fast! She can now go from scooting to sitting when ever she wants to (yes, at 5 1/2 months old). Her favorite thing to do is eat paper. Another thing she loves is wrapping her thumb in my hair and sucking on them both. She has started eating baby food, and is getting better at it. Last night I was pretty sick, and so John got to feed her for the first time.

Nevaeh is getting the hang of potty training. She does pretty well when we are in town, but when we are at home, especially when we are at home she wets all the time. Maybe I pay more attention to her when we are in town because I really don't want her to have wet pants?!?! She recently moved up to an actual Sunday school class, instead of the nursery. She loves it. I think she is doing very well in there. She is learning the songs really well, and loves to sing! Right how her favorite is "Jesus Loves Me", she can also sing the Veggie Tales theme song, Fisher's of Men, If your happy and you know it, the Bible, God's Army (I may never march in the infantry...), and I am sure there are more but I can't think of them.

Wyatte starts Cubbies tonight. I have been talking it up for a while, so I think he is excited about it. He sooo wants to start school, and I told him this is kinda like school. He is going to go and have to listen to the teacher and do what he/she says. I think I am going to have to have some structured time with him in regards to school this year. He is only 3 1/2, but he loves to talk about school and learning, so maybe I can get him doing something. He is sad that he hasn't been able to go fishing much lately, but it has been soooo cold, and Daddy hasn't been getting home until late. He just figured out that if he holds the bottom of his shirt up he has a very large "pocket" to hold things. So now he carries anything and everything in that pocket!

Sorry I don't have any new pics, but you are just going to have to use your imagination when reading this post and "see" the kids doing it all! I will try to take some new ones and get them up here!

Beautiful Gretta

I haven't been to many funerals in my life, but the one that we went to yesterday for the beautiful 2 year old Gretta was by far one of the most beautiful funerals in the world. I don't know if that is a politically correct way of talking about a funeral, but I don't know how else to describe it. The church was jammed full, Angela thinks about 600 people there. They had gorgeous pictures of the beautiful Gretta. The music that was sang and played touched your heart. And then Gretta's mom got up and gave her testimony. It was a totally moving experience. I don't know how she had the strength to get up there and bear her heart in the middle of this, but she realizes that there has to be a purpose, or many purposes, to this loss that they had. Angela said that if anyone would like a video of the service she would be honored to send it to you, so if you would like to know what I am talking about let me know.

I think I am fighting off the flu, so keep me in your prayers please.

thoughts and prayers

Tonight is the visitation for Gretta. Not sure what to think still. We talked about it in Sunday School yesterday, but still confused and hurting. Why her?

I just got done reading a book by Karen Kingbury, called Waiting for Morning, I think that was it, I will have to look to see for sure. Anyways it was about a woman whose husband and daughter were killed by a drunk driver and her road to recovery from that. She got very angry and turned her back on God, then got involved in MADD (mothers against drunk driving) and between her mentor/friend there and her attorney she turned her heart back to God and in the end was able to forgive the man who drove his car into her loved ones. The mentor at MADD kept asking her to read Lamentations. And I have to admit I kinda skipped over the passages when they were in the book, but I did go back to that book of the Bible after I heard about the loss of Gretta, and I did read the whole thing. There were a few passages that didn't seem to make sense in this light, but over all the Book really spoke to me. I would recommend reading this, it did help me. I wish I could find the book and/or my Bible to see which ones they were exactly, but I think my mom must have "borrowed" the book back from me (it was her library book, but I needed something to help me fall asleep...) and my Bible got left a church again. Whoops. I will try to update this post with the passages when I get a chance.

Tomorrow is our first MUMS meeting. I was really excited about starting up again, but now I don't know where to go, or what to do with my self. I will still be there, but with a heavy heart. Maybe the first study will be on grief or something that will help us through this time as a group and as individuals. It will be a time of fellowship if nothing else. Us women need that especially now. MUMS is going to be cut short because Gretta's funeral is tomorrow early afternoon. God will get us through that as well.

On a totally different note, I found out this weekend that my father is getting remarried. I will let it go at that for now.

G. Wyman, age 2

Disclaimer: there is going to be a lot of music playing at one time unless you stop one of them. my recommendation is to stop the player on the bottom right first (scroll down until you find it) When you click on the Cinderella link that is going to play a song too, so be ready for it.

Yesterday something tragic happened to a friend of mine. She lost her 2 year old little girl. G went to be with Jesus sometime yesterday late morning, early afternoon. I am not totally sure of the time, or exactly what happened. I am trying to fathom what her and her husband are feeling, trying to grasp the pain and sorrow that they are feeling, trying to wrap my head around the reason God took the beautiful little girl Home, trying to figure out what to say to her and her family when the time comes that I see them, trying to figure out how to explain it to my own children, trying to calm my nerves, trying to to worry to much about what could happen to my own children. If I am feeling all of that and more that I can't quite put to words, what are G's parents feeling?

We had a time of prayer last night during Bible study, a time to focus and reflect on what we were feeling and how we could help them. At that time I thought I had processed it and knew what I felt and had somewhat of an understanding of the whole thing. Then this morning during my paper route, all that came to a screeching halt. I have an MP3 player that I listen to in the morning, because I don't like the country station, and the Christian stations that we do get up here only come in sometimes. So I listen to the songs on the MP3 player and I thought I had heard them all. This morning about 2/3 of the way through a song came on that stopped me in my tracks. I started crying so hard I had to pull over because I couldn't see the road. I posted a video of it a while ago, go here to listen to it again. After crying my way through that song, I had semi gained my composure, only to have "Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns come on.


I love this song, and it does mean alot to me, but this morning it really touched my soul and I wanted to share it with you all.

Please be in prayer for the Wyman family in the coming days and weeks and months and even years as God calls them to your mind and heart.

Hearts at Home plug!!!

For those of you that are here often, and pay attention to what is going on in the right hand column of this blog, you will notice something different. And for those of you that don't, I am going to tell you anyways!!!

I am going to a Hearts at Home Conference in Rochester, Minnesota Nov. 7th and 8th. I added a count down "widget" for it! I am super excited about it!!! Can't you tell. For more information about Hearts at Home and the different conferences and other things going on go to www.hearts-at-home.org I tried to get that to link for you, but it isn't working right, so...

One of the blogs in the second blog roll that I have (Blogs I found just wandering around...) is Jill Savage (she is a new addition too!!!) She is part of Hearts at Home.

Just thought I would share that with you, so you can enjoy them as much as I do!!!

Farmer's Day Parade, Bovey Minnesota

A musical scarecrow walking up and down the street at the parade
one of the first "floats" that was in the parade
the sign on the back says... "my ex-wife got the other half"
Wyatte, Nevaeh and friend Se getting the candy that was thrown. There was tons and tons and tons at this parade.
Nevaeh watching someone down the street! She was just too cute to pass up.
Miss H and Baby K, Mommy and Aubrie. Modeling the wraps that we enjoy soooo much!