Our Family News

Dance Recital

2009-06-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Kayla had her big recital this past weekend. She did GREAT!!! I was so proud of her. She actually fell during her ballet, but got right back up and got back into the dance. She didn't seem to mind!

Long time, no blog!

2009-04-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! I am really behind on blogging! I must admit...I have become a Facebook addict. It's not that I don't like updating my blog...I just get more feedback on Facebook! I will try better to keep this updated! We are all doing great! I'd like to share some Easter pics! I had Easter at my house. I LOVE a house filled with people!!!

Happy Birthday Mya!!!

2009-02-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my niece Mya turned 5! We celebrated her birthday today. Her mom did an awesome job on the cake! I don't do cakes....Scott's and Walmart help me with that. Kayla came home tonight and said..."I want a doll cake for my next birthday"...maybe Aunt Amy will save me on that one! Enjoy the Superbowl tonight everyone!

Future Knights League

2009-02-01T14:28:00.001-08:00

Ryan has had a great time playing on the Future Knights league. We have played against Lakewood Christian, Warsaw, Columbia City, and Garrett. It's been great watching the boys improve each week. Ryan has really enjoyed playing on this team with his friends. Next week is his last week and basketball will finally be over...and then....baseball!

S N O W

2009-01-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

Maybe if I cheer for the football team I do not want to win one of my teams will finally win! The kids are out sledding right now. I thought I would post some pictures from them outside yesterday. Have a great week!

Christmas Morning at Home

2009-01-03T20:19:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Schmidt Christmas 2008

2008-12-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Too Much Fun!

2008-12-16T17:36:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Kayla Dancing at the Embassy

2008-11-30T17:31:00.001-08:00

Here is a little bit of Kay dancing last night....enjoy! My favorite part is when she jumps and her dress comes clear up to her waist. She is in the red dress with the white trim. (During the video I scan to the left and you can see my niece Mya dancing too - 2nd in from the left)

Girl's Night Out!

2008-11-30T06:06:00.000-08:00

Oh what a fun girl's night we had last night! Kayla and I met our friends Julie and Emily. We headed to the Festival of Trees at the Embassy. The girls had fun looking at all the trees. Emily's dance company performed and then Kayla herself got to go on stage and perform at the Embassy with her dance company. We then walked to Coney Island (boy do I miss Coney Island in Kendallville!) and it was packed! We then headed to the ice rink. Notice, there are no pictures from the ice rink! Poor Kayla struggled on skates, but she didn't give up. I used every muscle in my upper body to keep her upright. I only fell once, and I'm sure that the entire city felt it because I went down HARD! We ended our fun night at DeBrand's. We are so blessed to have such good friends and good times!

I love this picture of the girls stuffing their faces with popcorn!

Kayla and Emily

Julie and Julie

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

More Than A Day
As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,

It brings up some facts, quite profound.

We may think that we're poor,

Feel like bums, insecure,

But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;

We have guidance from heaven above.

We have so much more

Than they sell in a store,

We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;

Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.

Enjoy what you've got;

Realize it's a lot,

And you'll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs

Happy Birthday Kayla

2008-11-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my baby girl turns 6!!! We celebrated her birthday this afternoon. We are so lucky to have family and friends that can come over to help us celebrate. We had a FULL house! When we tell Kayla to say "thank you" to "Grandma" we have to clarify because usually there are 4-5 "Grandma's/Great-Grandma's" present! Here are some pictures from the day!

Christmas Beauties

2008-11-23T16:15:00.001-08:00

Mya and Kayla had their first Christmas dance performance Saturday at the Kendallville Festival of Trees. They did such a great job! I don't think I could have got out in front of a crowd at that age and danced (or at my current age!). You can catch these two gals next Saturday Nov. 29th at the Embassy Festival of Trees in Fort Wayne at 5 p.m.

Fall Carnival

2008-11-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

I'm so thankful that the Wayne Center Elementary Fall Carnival is OVER. I was very lucky to work with two other moms that put a lot of time into making this carnival a great event for the kids. Dawn and Tiffanie were wonderful to work with. None of us had ever worked on this event and somehow we made it all come together! The kids seemed to have a great time and our chili even turned out good! We learned a lot and things will be much easier next year. Thank you to all the parents that donated food and their time working at games during the carnival!

Meeting Tom Izzo!!!

2008-11-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

Last night we were very lucky to be able to attend the IPFW vs. MSU basketball game last night with our friends Ron and Kim. They are both MSU grads and had the opportunity to get tickets to this game. We were set up in the Budweiser Suite at the Coliseum.

I think the only rule was that I could not wear any red or anything that indicated that I am an IU fan. So, I tried to wear green, wrong green, but it was still green nonetheless.

I must say, of course I am an IU fan. But I am also am a Big Ten fan. I would put State on the top of the list behind Indiana and in front of all the other schools any other day.

I'm glad State won, but I always have to root for the underdog. I just made one mistake during the game yelling out loud for IPFW in the midst of all the MSU alumni. I only embarrassed Chris briefly and feared for my life for a few seconds. I think that IPFW played the best they could and MSU probably the worst.

The best part of the night (besides hanging out with great friends) was after the game when Tom Izzo came up to the suite and talked to the group of people. He was witty and willing to answer any questions. Being the speech therapist I am, it hurt me to hear him talk - his poor voice is a mess! He was a very gracious man and signed items and posed for pictures. I have to say I think it was a very cool thing and I am definitely even more a MSU fan now than I was before!

NOW IF I CAN ONLY MEET COACH CREAN!!!!!!

American Girl

2008-11-06T18:52:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons we went to Chicago (besides to get away for the weekend) was to go to the American Girl store. The boys decided they were more interested in going to Niketown and the Lego Store vs. American Girl. So we spit up and Kayla and I headed to Water Tower Place.

I had told Kayla that we would get her a doll for her birthday. She has always had the American Girl "Bitty Baby". All summer she saved her money and surprisingly had a nice little stash to take to buy some clothes for her doll. She has had her eye on "Ruthie" for months. I thought for sure that once we got into the store she would be distracted by all the other dolls and change her mind. I was so wrong! She made a beeline right to Ruthie and never looked at another doll the entire time we were in the store.

The store was huge! I was more overwhelmed than Kayla. It was nuts. There were so many girls, moms, and dolls I was about to go nuts. There was a doll hospital and a doll salon. I put a picture up of the dolls getting their hair done. WOW -crazy! Here are some pics from our time at American Girl. I heard her say several times over the weekend to herself, "I can't believe I got an American Girl doll!" She was very excited and has been taking very good care of Ruthie ever since.

Adventures in Ear Piercing

2008-11-02T19:38:00.001-08:00

Kayla NEVER lets her hair tucked behind her ears...so this is a rare photo!

I believe this is when she was saying, "OUCH!!!! THAT HURT!!!!"

All done! Kayla did better than I did! I held her hand during the whole thing, but I was sweating bullets!

Shedd Aquarium

2008-11-02T17:35:00.001-08:00

Our first stop in Chicago this weekend was the Shedd Aquarium. Chris and I had gone two years ago and knew that the kids would really enjoy it. So finally, we all got there! I was disappointed that the Ocean Aquarium was closed for renovations, but the kids didn't know any different. This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. I wish I could just freeze the kids at this age.

I thought this frog was GROSS! It was like 12-15 inches long!

We went to a 4-D movie at the aquarium. So we had to put on our glasses. I had never seen a movie in 3-D so that was a new experience. What made it 4-D was the seats would vibrate and poke you in the back. We got sprayed with water and there were bubbles floating around. I thought that Kayla would really enjoy it because it was a SpongeBob SquarePants show. She was FREAKED out by the 3-D and getting splashed with water!

Now this is a cute frog!

Happy Birthday Great-Grandma Desper!

2008-11-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight the Desper family got together for dinner to wish Great-Grandma Mildred a Happy 85th Birthday. It doesn't seem that long ago that she helped us by babysitting Ryan when he was born until he went to Kindergarten two days a week. She would push Ryan all over town in his stroller going to the library and the park. The library people still talk about how she always brought him in. She isn't able to watch the kids anymore, but we really appreciate the time that she was able to spend with them.

In case you are wondering what is on Kayla's head - she made a headband and drew a feather to tape onto it. We spent the weekend in Chicago - I have tons of pics to share! I am going to try to figure out how to put a slide show together. Hope you had a great weekend!

Calling the TOOF FARY

2008-10-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's out!

Kayla let me take a good yank at that loose tooth and it finally came out. As you can tell from the picture she was extremely excited! It's bittersweet for me. It is just another sign that my "baby" is growing up. It seems not that long ago that Ryan lost his first tooth.

Kayla went ahead and put her tooth in an envelope for the "toof fary". I hope she remembers to come tonight. She has a record of forgetting our household!

Redding Family

2008-10-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Most of the Redding side of my family got together a few weeks ago and we decided to have a big family picture taken. I meant to post these a while ago! Just click on the picture to see it bigger. Have a great rest of the week!

Determination

2008-10-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Miss Jo-Jo

2008-10-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ryan was such a big help this weekend when we watched our niece Alyssa Jo. He kept her busy when she was fussy. He did ask for a break from helping me out and agreed that a baby in our house would not be in his best interest! Miss Jo Jo is getting so big! I can't believe that she is already nearly 6 months old! She looks just like a Cupie doll - I wish I had a better picture of her tuft of hair that sticks up on the top of her head!

Fabulous Fall

2008-10-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....I say it all the time. I LOVE FALL. That's all I'm going to say about this post.

Apple Festival

2008-10-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

Another Apple Festival has come and gone. I am sorry I'm not posting a picture of me in my pioneer garb! I spent Saturday morning selling pretzels for my old sorority. We could not have asked for better weather! Ryan got to eat his favorite Apple Burgers and Kayla had fun making pioneer crafts. I got to see a few people from back home (Wells County) and we had a nice visit with Mom and Dad. Hope you can come visit Kendallville the first full weekend in October next year! Have a great week!!!! :) Jules

Go Hoosiers!

2008-10-02T16:02:00.001-07:00

Ear Update

2008-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! I just wanted to update you on my ear. The most excellent news is that my hearing has returned to nearly normal. I am so blessed! Hearing impairment is awful! I have a new respect for anyone who has hearing loss.

I went to an inner ear specialist in Fort Wayne last week and my lingering nerve damage to the tongue still is there. There really is nothing to do but sit and wait. Sensory nerves (which I damaged with the alcohol) are more sensitive and take longer to heal than motor nerves. It may take up to 6 months to heal. My tongue still tingles constantly, but I am used to it. All food tastes like cardboard on the right side of my mouth, but I still eat!

Life is good. I am attaching a picture to this post of two of my favorite things in the world!!!!

Light the Night - Leukemia/Lymphoma Society

2008-09-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

A BIG THANK YOU to all who paticipated in Kendallville's Light the Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Our little town raised over $50,000.00!!!!!! That rocks!!! Thank you to everyone who walked and or donated cash! Your donations and time mean the world to me!!

Check out Chris' beard!

There were 900-1000 people walking!

Part of the Denton-Desper Crew

My best buddy Tricia and I

Miss Kayla Dian

First Day of Dance

2008-09-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of catching up my blog here is "Sweetie" on her first day of dance. She is very excited that her cousin Mya is in her class!

Golf Camp

2008-09-11T14:41:00.001-07:00

I'm relishing the times I can still beat Ryan in golf, because it isn't going to last much longer! I have been trying to play as much as possible to improve my game. He had fun this summer at golf camp at Noble Hawk. He won a runner-up trophy in the chipping contest. Maybe he can give me some pointers! I'm so ready for the weekend......... :) Jules

Remembering September 11th

2008-09-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Do you remember where you were? I know that I will never forget where I was when the airplanes hit the twin towers. I was working at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne working the acute inpatient area. I spent time going from one patient to another as we watched the TV in disbelief. Please take a moment to remember all the innocent people that died in New York, Washington, and PA that day.

Ear Update

2008-09-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

First of all I would like to thank everyone for the prayers for my hearing to return. I'm happy to say that it has gotten MUCH better and now I have just a mild loss in that ear. This month I will see an inner-ear specialist to determine how to deal with the nerve damage that is affecting my tongue. I still don't have taste on 2/3 of my tongue on the right side and it tingles all the time. I really am okay with everything the way it is now and am so ever grateful that I can hear again. Again, I thank you for your prayers and concern! I'll be updating the blog hopefully again tomorrow. I have tons of things to post! Have a great weekend!

We (I) Survived!

2008-08-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm posting about the first day of school already! The kids started on Wednesday, Aug 14th. I had been dreading this day all year. My baby was finally heading on the bus! She was so excited to be going to Kindergarten. Kayla ran onto the bus and didn't look back! I didn't cry until she was gone. She is there all day and boy is she tired when she gets home! Ryan didn't seem to mind starting school. He is in the 4th grade this year. It's funny the difference between the two kids. Kalya tells me every single detail from her day, from where she stood in line for what to who got in trouble in class. Ryan hasn't changed...he makes it seem like a painful inquisition just when I asked what the best part of his day was. :)

I would like to post a prayer request. On Aug 2nd I was hit in the head accidentally and injured by a water balloon. Seems harmless, doesn't it? When I got hit I had a little pain and then a considerable change in my hearing. The pain went away quickly and I resumed my day and spent about another 3 hours on the lake. Later I still felt like I had water in my ear and it was suggested that I put rubbing alcohol in it. I had heard that before so I went ahead and did it. Big mistake. I didn't realize that I had perforated my eardrum. So, I basically poured rubbing alcohol into an open wound in my ear and directly into my middle ear. Within 20 minutes I was on the bathroom floor hanging on the toilet vomiting. The room was spinning so badly I wasn't sure how I was going to ever get back up. Eventually, I got to the ER and was given a shot to stop the vomiting and medicine for the vertigo. The good news is that my ear is healed now. The bad news is that I have had no return in hearing and I also have lost the sense of taste on the right side of my tongue. I have had some nerve damage and that is why I can't taste well at the moment. I saw an ENT on the 12th and got a steroid shot. I start more steroids next week and are on antibiotics. Last Tuesday, I couldn't hear sounds in my right ear unless they were 70 decibels (sound level of a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner). I know it sounds cliche....but you don't appreciate things until they are gone! I really need my hearing for work and for everyday life! Please pray that my ear will heal and the damage is not permanent! I appreciate it!

Summer Blooms

2008-07-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots of some summer blooms from my Mom's beautiful garden. I can't believe the kids will be back in school in two weeks!!!! AHHHHH!!! My baby is going to Kindergarten....NOOOOOO!

Cotton Ball Sky

2008-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share these pictures I took a short while ago. I haven't seen the sky look like this very much...looked like a bunch of cotton balls. The sky to the west was absolutely beautiful too! Hope you are having a great weekend! :)Jules

Baseball is done!

2008-07-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much on the kid's ball season! It was all done last week as Ryan's team lost their second game in the tourney. I was sad that they lost, but also happy that we were done already and still had a lot of summer to enjoy!! Ball went way into July last year. Chris coached both Ryan and Kayla's teams. He is a great coach and excellent with the kids.

(Check out Kayla's pink glove.) Hope you all are well! Have a great day!

The long and short of it all....

2008-06-29T17:41:00.001-07:00

After much debate with myself and with Kayla, the decision was made to chop off the hair! Life is easy again!!! We weren't able to donate it all to Locks of Love, but there is another organization that will take it for wigs for kids. Hope you all are doing well, more posts coming soon! I have a lot of pictures to share with you!

P.S. The big news has to wait a bit for now. Will share someday soon!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2008-06-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to write to wish everyone a Happy Father's Day!!!!! What a beautiful day in Indiana. Chris is out playing golf with his dad, his brother Matt, and brother-in-law Jon. My Dad is at home working on his new screened in porch with my brother Dave. I can't say enough good things about Chris. He is a wonderful father and husband! I'm not an easy person to live with!!! I've heard I can be pretty bossy and demanding. (What????) Anyways....Happy Father's Day!!!

I have EXCITING news to share soon....I have to wait a little bit longer....It's killing me!!!! Make sure you stay tuned!!! In case your mind is wandering a bit...we are not expecting a new addition to our family!

Well Done Kayla!

2008-06-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Kayla had her first dance recital last night. She did a wonderful job! When we asked her what her favorite part was, she said, "the makeup!". As you can see, she was inundated with flowers and gifts. Our children are so lucky to have so many aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and great-grandmas! Thank you to our friends and family!

Kayla and I are excited to be going to the second show today to watch my niece Mya and our friend Natalie. It is amazing all the work that goes into these shows! Have a great weekend!

Last Day of School!

2008-06-03T16:46:00.001-07:00

WAHOOOOOOOOO! That is what Ryan would type if he was entering this post! Today was Ryan's last day of school. Here is a picture of Ry with Mrs. Jackson, who will very likely be his most favorite teacher forever. Ryan grew so much this year! We are very proud of you Ryan!!! Ryan was awarded "Most Improved Reader" and "Outstanding Performance in Music Class". He also received an honor attendance award and was the honor roll all four quarters! Great job RYAN!!!!

Baseball Time!

2008-05-26T17:19:00.001-07:00

Why is it when you have family from out-of-town drive 650 miles to watch your son

play baseball it is the worst game of the year??? LOL!!! At least we all got to spend some time together! Mom made me feel better by telling me that when my brother was little, Grandma and Grandpa Mynatt drove all the way up to Indiana and he sat on the bench the entire time! I just wanted to share a picture of my baseball player!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend! We had nothing but good times! Thanks for stopping by our blog!

Best 36th Birthday Ever!

2008-05-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the best day ever! Thank you to all my friends and family who called me and made the day special. My day at work was very busy, but went very smoothly (that's a big gift right there!). My husband, who rocks, sent me the most beautiful flower bouquet. I got calls from friends and family from a far. I got to end the evening at the Denton's house with my euchre club friends. Trish made me a delicious chocolate cake and Chris Denton serenaded us with his guitar. It was the perfect ending to a great day. Thank you! It really meant a lot to me!

I want to shout-out "Happy Birthday" today to my cousin Mike in Branson, MO! Check out his website here.

Our Ballerina

2008-05-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

I snapped some pictures of Kayla tonight before she had her pictures taken at dance class. She looked so beautiful!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

I want to wish all the wonderful women I know - Happy Mother's Day!!! I was just sitting here thinking, "this is my 10th Mother's Day!". Wow! Where does the time go??? But that's nothing compared to my mother...it's her 35th Mother's Day and my Grandmother's 60th something Mother's Day.

Above is a picture of my two characters in character after some face painting at a benefit that we had in Kendallville for a little gal with Leukemia. We are so blessed!

Fight2Win

2008-05-06T20:01:00.001-07:00

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Alese Coco. Her incredible life was cut short by complications from Hodgkin's Disease. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. The entries on her blog are some of the most inspirational words that I have ever read. She had an incredible spirit and belief in God. I followed her blog and prayed for her for about a year before she passed away.

Fight2Win was Alese's mantra. Her family has spent the past year setting setting up the Fight2Win campaign. Their mission is a 100% cure rate of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This will be accomplished through research that focuses on Hodgkin's Disease. The research will be initially completed at the Alese Coco Hodgkin's Research Laboratory at Columbia University. They also have the goal to provide a support network for patients diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. That is something that I would have benefited from greatly when I was undergoing treatment. Click HERE to read Alese's blog.

Please say a prayer for Alese's family today. This is a very difficult day, but also a promising time as they are finally able to move forward this incredible campaign. Please consider donating to this cure. There are so many young people that have Hodgkin's Disease. They went through treatment just like I did, however, they haven't made it to remission. Jennifer Willey is continuing her battle everyday. Click HERE to read her last blog entry. Please pray for strength and peace for her.

My birthday is coming up soon! Help me celebrate by considering a donation to Fight2Win. I will continue to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but I will also start donating my card sales to http://www.fight2win.org/ . Thanks for reading my blog today and reading about something that is very important to me!

Our new niece!!!

2008-04-23T19:46:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Chris with our new niece! Alyssa Jo was born on 4/22/08 and is already home! Everyone is saying how much she looks like her Daddy Matt! Congratulations to Matt and Lisa.

She's on Fire Now!

2008-04-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it only took about a week! Kayla is having the time of her life riding her bike everyday. We have even been able to ride around the circle (just short of a mile) around our house. In the video you can hear Kayla yell "wahoo". A few minutes later she crashed hard and had her first bike injury!

Watch out...Kayla wants to be on 2 wheels!

2008-04-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day it was today! We went out to breakfast this morning and then played our first family round of golf for the season. They have a SUPER deal on memberships at the Elk's Course and we couldn't pass it up. I made it only 5 holes, got ticked off, and quit. LOL. We came home and played ball with the kids. I'm not sure what is up with our son, he asked Chris to run around our property line with him. What the heck?? Trust me, I'm not complaining!!!!! It is so refreshing to see him want to be active outside and get mad when we make him come in!!! We have never experienced that! Kayla made the decision that she is done with training wheels. Hopefully we will soon have video riding her bike. This may be a long process! She is very determined to get it done! Have a great week! :)

Please Pray....

2008-04-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

A while ago I mentioned this blog I have been following for a long time. Please pray for a young family named Tricia, Nathan, and Gwyneth. Tricia has cystic fibrosis and is prepping right now for a double lung transplant. This is an incredible story and has taught me about the power of prayer. You can read more of their story by clicking here.

Crean and Crimson!!!

2008-04-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Wahooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

Vacation is Over!!

2008-03-30T18:11:00.001-07:00

Why does vacation always have to go so fast??? I can't believe that the kids go back to school tomorrow morning and I have to go back to work. I had such a good week off. We started the week off fun by having everyone over for Easter and to celebrate Ryan's birthday. We hung out at home a few days and went to Kalahari one night with the DeWitts and Dentons. We had a blast! It was packed!!! Here is a shot of our bathing beauties. Have a great week everyone!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I haven't had much time to blog this last month. Today was such a wonderful day. The Despers and the Mynatt's were able to get together to celebrate Easter. There was sooooo much good food! Kayla JUST got over an 8 day bout with the flu - some family members weren't there today because of illness. (We missed you Barb and Malori!) It's a lot of work to get ready for a big meal, but it is also good to have my spring cleaning done now!! I had a lot of help today! Mom and Grandma came up 2 hours early and helped me fix the food and my kitchen crew down below helped me clean it all up! Thank you to everyone that helped today!!!

We also celebrated Ryan's 9th birthday today. How can he already be 9 years old?? I made my first and last birthday cake! I can scrapbook and make cards, but cake decorating is definitely not in my repertoire. The kids both got Webkinz today. Why didn't I think of those??

The other good news....I'M ON VACATION!!! The kids are on Spring Break this week so I took the week off. I'm happy to get to spend the time with them!

Happy Birthday Chris!!!!!!

2008-03-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, 3/3, is Chris' Birthday! We celebrated at dinner tonight with his favorite meal - beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, and white cake with chocolate frosting. He LOVES the Jiffy dry mix frosting (too gritty for me), but you can't find that in stores anymore! Can you tell what was on Kayla's mind in this picture?? Have a great week! :)

Today's Forecast.....

2008-02-26T03:59:00.000-08:00

SNOW and then....MORE SNOW.

I.U. Basketball

2008-02-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

URGH! I'm so upset. Is Kelvin Sampson coaching his last game at IU tonight? I certainly hope so.

My SUPERbowl Son

2008-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I don't devote enough time to Ryan on this blog. Kayla is home with me one day during the week so I have more opportunities to take pictures of the things she does. So, this post is for Ryan. This is a picture of him making us subs for dinner on Superbowl Sunday. After he made my sandwich (to order of course) he asked me if that was the best sub I have ever had. Of course it was! I usually watch the Superbowl alone as Chris is somewhere else with all his fantasy football junkies watching the game. This year was great because Ryan was REALLY into the game. He watched every single play and every single commerical with me. It was so fun to watch the game with him! He was jumping on the couch and beating on his chest when the Giants were making the huge plays at the end. He said, "Mom, I'm so nervous I can hardly stand it!" What a great night we had. I am so proud of the person he is and is growing up to be. Have a good weekend everyone!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2008-02-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

What's worse? Rain or snow?

Happy Birthday Mya!

2008-02-03T13:26:00.001-08:00

Happy 4th Birthday to my niece Mya!

Here comes round 2.....

2008-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

Ready for more snow? Well, we are in Kendallville, IN!!! Various reports have indicated 3-5", 3-10" ( I love that one...gives the weatherman a lot of room for error), and the latest and greatest report is 12-15" when it is all done and over with tomorrow by 2 p.m. I'm banking on at least a snow delay, but Ryan and I are not going to study for his test tomorrow tonight. I really do not remember doing homework with my parents every night in 2nd or 3rd grade. Sometimes I question if we have some of the things right...I need to make a new game..."Are you as smart as a 3rd grader?". Stay safe everyone! :)

I'm posting a picture of my Grandma with Ry and Kay tonight as she turns 88 years old tomorrow. (2/1/08)

Did I really look like this?

2008-01-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

"Mom, this is what you looked like when you were a little girl."

Brrrrrrrrr - baby it's cold!

2008-01-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

I took this picture during our last snowfall, but I thought it was appropriate for this post. I don't like my children to say the word "freakin'", but I had to agree with Kayla today when she said, "Mom, it's freakin' cold outside." Have a good weekend!

Please Pray....

2008-01-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Check out these two sites to see how God is working on some miracles....

The first is a sweet little gal from Ryan's school that is going through 70 chemo treatments for a brain tumor. Please pray for little Mikayla.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikaylafrazier

It was just a fluke that I stumbled upon this next website. I was posting on splitcoaststampers for cards to be sent to Mikayla. They have a forum where you can post requests for cards and prayers. There are tons of requests on this site. For some reason, this one caught my eye and I have been glued to this blog. This is truly a miracle at work. Be ready to get out the kleenex.

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Both of these stories sure put life in perspective. Love you all. :) J

Snow White and The Little Mermaid

2008-01-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

We're back!

2008-01-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

Wow! My last post seems an eternity ago....since December 20th we've had a few ups and downs. Thankfully more ups than downs!

The most important thing is that everyone is healthy at our house! We got to spend Christmas morning down in Fort Wayne at Parkview's ER. Kayla developed a blood clot in her nasopharynx (the area above your throat). We were very LUCKY that she was brave and let the doctor suction it out. She avoided surgery. We were not looking forward to having a five year-old come out of anesthesia again! For the most part she is back to normal (if you call her baseline normal). :)

I learned how to rebuild my laptop after a Trojan worm virus disabled it. I was determined to not pay the geek squad at Best Buy to do it. I learned that Trend Micro is a crappy virus protector and I now have Norton System Works! I learned that 6,825 pictures may be a tad too many to keep on the computer.

I didn't have to work too many days in the last three weeks. That was a plus! We really enjoyed watching the kids open their presents. Sometimes I think that I am more excited than they are. We spent New Year's Eve at home and that was fine by me! I am grateful for the snow for it covers up the ugly gray ground.

I'm going to try to get outside with the kids this am before it starts snowing to build a snowman. The snow should just be about perfect! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

5 Days and Counting....

2007-12-20T15:22:00.001-08:00

Remember when my little Christmas tree said there were like 100 and some days until Christmas? How time flies! Kayla is perking up quite a bit tonight! She is back and speaking with a new lisp!

Kayla's Surgery

2007-12-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Kayla's surgery was successful this a.m. She had a rough time and wanted to leave as soon as she woke up from the anesthetic. Two hours later, we finally were able to leave. They took out her tonsils and adenoids and also did a frenulectomy (clipped her tongue). Her frenulum (under her tongue) has always been tight and when she sticks out her tongue it looks like a little heart. It was so tight it was pulling the gums off the back of her teeth. So....they went ahead and did that too. She finally stopped fighting sleep and took a small nap today and then hopped on the floor to start coloring. She kept getting upset that she was drooling on her artwork! Hopefully we will get some sleep tonight. If you are trying to call us, my phone line is messed up somehow inside the house. I tested it outside and there was a dial tone. I will keep working on it, I don't want to pay AT&T $25 per fifteen minutes to fix it! Call our cell phones if you need us. Thanks!

Kayla

2007-12-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

Please say a little prayer for Kayla. Tomorrow she is having her adenoids and possibly tonsils removed. She's been snoring like freight train, had frequent cold and ear infections. She will have her surgery in the a.m. and will come home afterwards. I know that she will be in the good hands of my coworkers. Hopefully she will be bopping around singing and dancing by Christmas!

Baby, it's cold outside!

2007-12-16T08:14:00.001-08:00

Wow! What a great snow! I LOVE it! Chris is out snow blowing out our driveway. The snow is still coming down too. My friend Tricia measured the snow and she thinks we are up to a foot of snow. I have to agree. This is a great day to relax, bake some cookies, and get my Christmas cards started and hopefully finished! The kids were out just for a bit. Ryan decided to do somersaults in the snow. Chris and I saw "I am Legend" last night at the Strand. It was good, but a little too intense for me! Have a great day!

First Snow

2007-12-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Can you tell how happy these two were to get into the snow yesterday? Ryan forced himself into boots from last year that are 3 sizes too small just so he could go out!

Bloggity, Blog, Blog

2007-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share some a picture and some video from Ryan's Elk Hoop Shoot contest. Kayla and I enjoyed our annual trip to the Nutcracker with Hannah and Tricia. It is one of my favorite things that we do together each year. Kayla was just mesmerized again watching the ballet dancers. We were lucky and got to hear the Fort Wayne Philharmonic perform the concert vs. listening to recorded music. The video is Ryan warming up for the Hoop Shoot contest. After warming up for over 1/2 hour he had no legs left for the contest and didn't get to move on. He had a great time and we were so proud of him for representing his school!

Happy 5th Birthday Kayla!!!!

2007-11-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! My baby is now five! Today we celebrated Kayla's birthday. She had a princess party with 12 of her little gal friends. What a crew! I am exhausted!

Happy Turkey Week!

2007-11-18T17:36:00.001-08:00

We just want to wish all our family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving!

Elk's Hoop Shoot Contest

2007-11-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Ryan has great news! He won the Elk Shoot Contest for his age group (8-9 year olds) at his school. He will represent Wayne Center at the next contest at Kendallville Middle School on Dec 1st. We are so proud of him! He is so pumped up!

Kelley's Wedding

2007-11-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a fun weekend we had. Chris' cousin Kelley got married in Indy. Kayla and my niece Mya were the flower girls. Kayla only waved at us 3 times during the ceremony. I'm so relieved we made it through! Kelley's dad passed away 2 years ago and I know he was looking down on her during the wedding. Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Don't Leave Fall!

2007-11-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

Time flies too quickly. Especially this time of year. I just wanted to share this pretty picture of our lake. Have a great weekend!

Save those Pop Tabs!

2007-11-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

A dear little 5 year old girl at Ryan's school was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Benign is good, however, this little girl is going to undergo 70 weeks of chemotherapy. Yes, I did type 70 weeks! Ryan's school is trying to collect 1,000,000 pop tabs to donate to Riley Hospital where she is getting her treatments. Please start saving your pop tabs for us and we will turn them in to help this little girl. Thanks!

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here are our two goblins this Halloween!

Perm Solution Memories

2007-11-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how smells bring back memories?? Today I had my hair chemically straightened. It's like getting a perm in reverse. Remember the 80's when women always had a perm? I think I had one from 1975 to 1997 constantly. I haven't had a perm for years. I remember sitting in the chair at Grandma Redding's beauty shop time and time again while she wrapped my hair tightly around the perm rods. Watching her pull the rubber band to hold the rod each time. I remember her tucking a long strip of cotton all around my head under the rods so that the perm solution wouldn't run in my eyes. Then came the smell of the solution followed by time under the hair dryer with air so warm it made my cheeks rosy. Then with a warm head the feeling of the cold neutralizing solution running through the perm rods on my head. Next followed thorough rinsing of the rods and then finally - removal of those darn perm rods! What followed next was the best - soft, silky, curly hair. Today all those memories came to me as I sat in the salon. Things have changed a bit....Grandma is now 87, and no perm rods or dryer was used. I'm sure Grandma would still give me a perm if I dared. :) That's okay...I'll stick with my good memories!

Check out this swing!

2007-10-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

We were outside today and Kayla went into the garage by herself and grabbed a tee and ball from her bag. She came out and started swinging like a pro. I'm sure she will be beating me too by the end of next summer!

Pumpkin Carving

2007-10-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

Can you tell by these pictures who didn't like cleaning out the guts from the pumpkins? :) Last night we spent the evening carving these elaborate designs. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Chris is the master pumpkin carver! Hope they last 'til next week! Have a great day!

Freckles

2007-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ryan: "Mom, I need some of that to get rid of my freckles (as an ad for proactive plays on the TV)."

Mom: "Ryan, that stuff is to get rid of pimples."

Ryan: "Oh, I guess I have to keep them then?"

IU vs. MSU

2007-10-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! Michigan State knows how to fill up a football stadium! Despite the fact that IU forgot to show up at game, it was a neat experience to be at the game. You can say that MSU is a "football school." It was so neat to see all the fans so much into the game. I did have nightmares of the MSU fight song since they played it so many times. Other than that, it was a great day of tailgating and football! Thanks Ron and Kim!

GO I.U.!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-13T05:27:00.001-07:00

Go I.U.!!! Heading up to Michigan State today for the IU vs. MSU game. Important game for IU for bowl purposes. MSU is coming off three losses in a row and it is homecoming. Hopefully Chris and I won't be killed as we sit in the MSU section with our friends!

Happy Birthday Tristan!

2007-10-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated my nephew Tristan's 6th birthday. He wanted a "Duck Hunting" birthday party - didn't my sister-in-law do an awesome job with his cake? My niece Mya is in the picture sitting next to Kayla. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Pumpkin Time

2007-10-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

The kids and I headed over to Ligonier tonight to pick up some pumpkins at the Fashion Farm Pumpkin Fantasy Land. A short while later, we were leaving with a car full of pumpkins and had enjoyed a hayride through the 27 acre pumpkin field. I LOVE this time of year!

Apple Festival This Weekend!

2007-10-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind everyone about the famous Apple Festival this weekend in Kendallville. Remember that it is in two locations. The main part of the festival is at the 4-H Grounds. The smaller part of the festival is on Main St. downtown. It is a wonderful little festival with the BEST food!

Signs of Fall

2007-09-29T12:40:00.001-07:00

There are a few signs around the house that fall is here! I LOVE FALL! Warm breezes, spiced apple cider, Apple Festival, fall colors, jeans and sweatshirts, caramel apples, mums, Halloween...

Light the Night Pics

2007-09-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful night for a walk! The turnout looked great! Thank you to all who supported me with donations or by walking! The picture is a group shot of my coworkers and their families that walked on our team. The other shot is what it looked like walking up main street. I wore my Team in Training T-shirt and had previous TNT members come up to me asking me what events I had completed. I appreciate all the Leukemia and Lymphoma fund raising efforts! Not many cancers have such organized groups raising money for their causes.

Light the Night

2007-09-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late notice...but tomorrow night is Kendallville's "Light the Night" walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are meeting at the high school at 6:45 with the walk starting at 7:30 p.m. Come join us celebrate survivors and honor the memories of those we have lost to leukemia and lymphoma! Please pray that the mosquitoes don't come and carry us away!

What golf does to a person...

2007-09-15T19:43:00.001-07:00

Today was a fun day. Chris and I played in his Uncle Terry's Memorial Golf Outing for the Lakeland Athletic Boosters. It was a bit chilly this a.m., but a good time! I golfed with my mother-in-law Sandy, her friend Jody, and Terry's wife, Michelle. It had been since mid-summer that I had golfed and it took me a little bit to get back into it. I have found since I started playing golf, that it is something that it can turn you into a different person. I actually found myself nearly driving my club into the ground when things did not go my way. That folks, is what golf can do to you!

No Phone Service...

2007-09-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

If you need to call Chris or I, please use our cell phones. Our phone has been out since last night and isn't likely to get fixed until the 15th!!! Sigh. Apparently something happened near the wonderful road construction near our house and something big was cut. We are also unable to access our sbcglobal.net email account. I can deal with the phone...but email???

Remembering September 11th

2007-09-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to take a moment today to remember all of those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001 and also all the people who's lives were touched by that event. God Bless.

Kayla's First Day of School

2007-09-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Kayla started at her new preschool today! She woke me up already dressed in sweatpants from last school year wanting to know where the shirt was that matched them (she long ago outgrew it - as well as the sweatpants!). She was very happy to finally be starting school. She had a fun day at school and was chattering nonstop about school on the way home. I really cherish these days because next year she will be in Kindergarten all day, everyday (sniff, sniff).

Late this afternoon the poor bug came to me and told me that her ear was hurting her. She slept though dance class and was devastated that I didn't wake her up for class, but instead took her to the after hours clinic to get her ears checked. Hopefully she will be feeling better for the next day of school on Friday.

Fish Fry

2007-09-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

This is the first time I'm uploading video...so I hope it works! We spent today recuperating from entertaining 80 friends and family at our annual fish fry. Each year we find ways to become more efficient with the food preparation. I took a picture of all the fish - Chris always thinks we don't have enough! He does so much work throughout the year catching and cleaning all of them. Chad Ihrie and Jon DeWitt helped him this year. We had a lot of help this year from the Denton's, Ihrie's and DeWitt's getting ready for the big day. Thank you so much!

The weather and company were absolutely perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better day, except for one thing.... MOSQUITOS! We haven't had any at our house the entire summer due to lack of rain. I swear some of them were so big they were mutants! Nonetheless, we had a great time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to share in fun times!

A long weekend!

2007-08-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Wahooo! It's a 3-day weekend! I LOVE holiday weekends! I spent the evening thawing out 500 fish filets for our annual fish fry. Thank goodness my sister-in-law Amy came over and helped me! Thanks Amy!

I heard on the news that Northeast Indiana is the nicest place to be in the country this weekend as far as the weather goes! Sunny skies and high in the 70's. Only one downside to that rain we got last week - MOSQUITOS. I thought the kids might have been lifted in the air tonight! Have a good weekend everyone! :)

All eyeballs!

2007-08-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Storm Damage

2007-08-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well...I think we are getting all the rain from the entire summer that we are due in a period of about 2 weeks. We had a quick storm fly through last night about 5 p.m. Look at all the sticks and leaves in our yard and we don't even have any trees! My in-laws took the brunt of the damage. A huge part of one of their trees fell into the lake, they lost one of their pine trees, and the top of another pine tree fell off and landed on top of their neighbors car (ouch!). I think I'll just take the twigs in the yard!

Ryan's First Day of School

2007-08-23T17:59:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since Ryan had his first day of school! I am so messed up this year with school starting so early. What a short summer! I really don't believe we could have packed any more activities in this summer. Ryan has Mrs. Jackson as his 3rd grade teacher. I'm trying really hard to remember who I had...Mrs. Caley? Do any of you remember your third grade teacher? I do remember the most significant thing that happened to me in 3rd grade was that I had the chicken pox. As you can see, Ry wore camo for the first day - he works it into his wardrobe each day.

Little Lake Friends

2007-08-19T15:24:00.001-07:00

Chris came to the door tonight with two presents for Kayla. One was to touch a huge catfish that he had caught last night. The other little present was this tiny little leatherback turtle. We are always welcoming little creatures into our house for temporary stays. Right now I'm trying to get Kayla to keep the lid on the container and convince her that the turtle's mommy is missing her and she needs to return back to the lake.

Prayer Request

2007-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

I would like to send out a prayer request for my good friend and fellow speech pathologist Amy Krahn's father. Please keep him and her family in your thoughts. He recently was diagnosed with a grade 3 brain tumor and started chemo/radiation this week. On Wednesday he suffered seizures and is in an intensive care unit. He is demonstrating speech and language difficulties due to the tumor being in the left hemisphere of his brain. These deficits are new. Please pray for this family as they are going through a difficult time.