Could you spare 50 cents??

My friend Beth W. is really good at keeping it real. Always has been.

Today, when I called her cell phone, she had an 8 foot Christmas tree IN her van, with two kids on either side of the thing. There's nothing like a stab in the eye from a pine tree to get you in the holiday spirit, right? Well, I think it was wrapped, so everyone probably still has their vision.

The best part of our conversation was when she went through a Wendy's drive-thru for some quick lunch before dropping off the preschooler. This is the time of year when everybody likes you to "give a little more", so the cashier at the end of her order asked:

"Would you like to spend 50 cents to save a child's life?"

Beth: "Uhhh, no."

That's my girl. Knocking off the hungry children of the world, one drive-thru at a time.

Thankful Moments

Internet Junkies (It's hard to use a laptop when your lap is disappearing)

Daniel and cousin Susie - i think they have the same chin

And Susie's little sister, Lucy, who became Aaron's little buddy

Nick and Beth's newest girl, little MaryLou - we love red haired babies!

The deer eating in the front yard at Aaron's parents'. They've become quite tame and don't go too far when people come around - pretty funny.

Manly Pictures

Proud Papa with his boys

Mmmm, I missed you, my little HP

I came this close to hugging my hard drive...well, actually my husband deserves the hug for nursing our computer back to health. Happy Thanksgiving to me.

And the long weekend was good. Really. Especially compared to previous years when all my children were 4 and under and I was just trying to keep all the plates spinning. Now I have a hard time peeling my 2 oldest boys away from Wii -- the Nintendo phenomenon. They are freakishly good at tennis and bowling...I haven't quite figured it out, but the younger you are, it seems, the better you are at this thing.

The Thanksgiving meal was a big one - 26 people in all. I don't know how my mother-in-law keeps her sanity, but somehow it all comes off very relaxed and laid-back, and of course, a lot of people bring different dishes. (Ya havent' had wild rice till you've had it up north.)

I was definitely reminded once again how very blessed I am to have a great in-law family. My "sisters" and I have been around each other long enough now to really "get" each other. Your spouse's family is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get. But I got some good stuff. Thanks, Lord.

Ooh, and I can't forget to mention that Gregory lost 2 - count 'em - 2 teeth this weekend. He pulled one, Daddy pulled the other. It's the bottom center two, right next to each other.

Hang on, folks, next thing ya know he'll be poppin' pimples and askin' for the car keys.

Withdrawal and Thanksgiving

I needed a fix. Bad.

My computer has been ill for the past week and I AM DYING. I don't think that's too much of an overstatement. But, thank you, mother-in-law for having internet access here in Wisconsin. I am a happy girl.

Aaron is out in the great woods, hunting, and I am listening to the chatter and play of many cousins doing their best to get along (interpretation - not listening to Greg boss them around...)

Last weekend, Aaron was here hunting, and shot the biggest buck of his life. When my computer is back in the land of the living, I'll post a pretty picture, but for now, it was 11 pts. and bad to the bone. I'm pretty dawggone proud of him. Yes, it will be mounted, and yes, it will live forever in our home.

Baby girl is doing good and making herself known quite often. My due date has been pushed a little ahead, to about Mar. 20th...so I feel the clock ticking a little stronger.

Many happy thanksgiving wishes to everybody and thanks for your patience.

I Can't Keep Secrets

Is it just me, or does the widget baby look a bit more PINK today?

saturday morning

...and what's happening, you say?

My Creative Memories Holiday Open House today, 9:30-2, come on by!

Tonight, Kaela and I are going over to the High School to see their performance of "Les Mis" - I can't wait. I haven't been to something like that in a loooong time. "Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men?" That's all I remember from that song...oooh, and "I Dreamed a Dream" should be good, too.

Tomorrow our new senior pastor, Mike Gibbons, will be preaching at church. He was voted in unanimously - pretty shocking for a church our size, but looking forward to what God has in store. Still working on a song I'm doing with the choir tomorrow - "Still" by Reuben Morgan. Grabbed it off itunes and listening like crazy!

Nothing?

Got an email from the doctor at the university today and it appears Daniel just had a reaction to a random virus. The doctor wrote,

In summary, it seems like Daniel had an acute viral infection that gave him the fever, joint pain, and the rash. We call those infections ‘viral exanthems’. Although parvo is one of the common causes of viral exanthems, there are many other viruses that are known to cause this, and probably many many more that are not even known to us. As we told you, as long as he feels better and the symptoms disappear, it doesn’t really matter the exact name of the virus that caused it.


And that's okay with me. Thank you, Lord.

New Stuff

Not to point out the obvious, but I'm a little jazzed about the new widgets on my blog.

I'm so proud of myself for using the term widgets. Don't ask me to define it, I just know it's the right word.

First, my buddy Holly G. introduced me to Shelfari.com, my latest addiction (see bookshelf, right). It's fun to see what other friends are reading and get some ideas. It's like browsing your friend's bookshelves.

Then, this one's a little gross, but I had to do it. Melanie B. in Texas has this on her blog and I stole it, sorry. It's a little countdown on when baby #4 will be coming. Can't believe I'm about halfway there...I forget sometimes. That's under the picture of Jonathan. Enjoy!

Looks like the ultrasound for baby is Nov. 12...and YES we will be trying to find out the gender. Will the screen glow pink or blue??? Aren't you just dying to know?? Well, we might tell you and we might not, so there. :)

Are You Kidding??

This is a picture from the front page of The New York Times today, Friday Nov. 2.

If you look closely at the gentleman in the front with white hair, white beard and then look directly behind him, there is my brother-in-law, a proud employee of The Heritage Foundation welcoming our Commander- in-Chief.

Gosh, I'm so proud.

The Longest Week

When a child is sick, time stops altogether.

That's what happened this week in our family. I won't go into tremendous detail, but Daniel had a rough week with what doctors think was some type of virus reaction.

He had a rash that covered him from head to toe, and extreme pain in his joints/muscles, to the point where he didn't want to move, stand, do anything. Fevers would come and go and we were completely confused about what this could be.

Our pediatrician was really great and eventually sent us to the University of Minnesota on Wednesday where Daniel was seen by 4 different people who specialize in rashes/viruses, etc. But that was a good day, where he was finally walking and seemed to be getting back to his old self.

Today, Friday, he is 95% back to his pre-virus self. Every now and then he complains of soreness in his hip joints, but the fever and rash are completely gone.

I don't need to tell you how scary this was and how it brought Aaron and I to a place of desperate prayer. I was pretty strong until I saw him actually walk in the waiting room at the University. Then I had my little moment. It felt like someone had finally untied a huge knot inside my emotions and I could let go.

We still haven't heard the results of the tests they ran on Wednesday, but when we have a clearer idea, I'll post an update.