Jeff and Lydia were looking at an 'I Spy' book and this was their conversation:
Jeff,"Okay, I'll close my eyes and you spy something."
Lydia, "Okay now you find a telephone."
Jeff, "Okay, I'll spy it."
Lydia, "No Daddy, you have to find it!"
Jeff, "Hmmm...I don't spy a telephone."
Lydia, "Daddy, you have to FIND it."
Jeff, "I can't spy it?"
Lydia, "Nope, you have to find it..." Shaking her head at the unthinkable.
"Here it is Daddy, now you find it!"
Jeff, "I wouldn't have spyed that without my glasses anyway!"
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Daniel's Birthday
October 24th, Daniel turned 15! Last year he made his brownies with a layer of M&M's that were an inch thick. This year he had just one. 
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Out of the mouths of babes...
In school Joey is learning about singular and plurals. He went through the list and as I corrected them I saw that he had 'brush' listed as a plural. So I asked him how he came to that conclusion. "Mom, if you see a deer in the 'brush' there is always a lot of it!"
I now consider exceptions for such hunting terms!
Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
I now consider exceptions for such hunting terms!
Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Amazing Grace!
It seemed to take longer than anticipated for them to call us back to meet with the doctor. We sat outside the door trying to be patient. He sat us down and took a long explanation to share that Robbie does not need a pacemaker. He has a hormonal imbalance. The vagal tone (whatever the hormone is that counters adrenaline is called? Will have to look it up!) that works to counter adrenaline is over compensating and that is what is causing his heart to slow and skip beats. He just needs lots of water and caffeine!
Can you imagine when Robbie wakes up how he will respond to not having a pacemaker, but needing a Mountain Dew? We're just waiting to see him now!
We feel as though we have just experienced a miracle! How gracious God has been to us!
He was and is in utter shock! Before surgery the doctor spent a bit of time talking about pacemakers, what kind he would put in, etc., so we were really anticipating a pacemaker. We continue to rejoice! And will do so for as long as He keeps us on this earth!
Can you imagine when Robbie wakes up how he will respond to not having a pacemaker, but needing a Mountain Dew? We're just waiting to see him now!
We feel as though we have just experienced a miracle! How gracious God has been to us!
He was and is in utter shock! Before surgery the doctor spent a bit of time talking about pacemakers, what kind he would put in, etc., so we were really anticipating a pacemaker. We continue to rejoice! And will do so for as long as He keeps us on this earth!
Robbie
We're at Children's Hospital and it's so humbling to see so many hurting people! One girl was processed along with us and was going in for back surgery, she was 13. They took Robbie in at 8am, he had a mild sedation and continued with his humor. The first part of the surgery will take 2-3 hours and will be definative as to whether he needs the pacemaker or not.
We came up last night since we had to be here at 6am. The hospital hotel could use a bit of renovating! The shower head wouldn't turn on so we called maintenance. Tyrone explained to me to just pull the lever. I told him there wasn't a lever and I couldn't find any way to turn it on. He came and tried it himself and said, 'I never in all my life seen anything like this!'. So with the help of a tupperware bowl we eventually got a shower. The heat was on high all the time, so we had to slept with the windows open. Makes for a short night with all the sirens and traffic. But we're here, and so thankful for all they can do to help Robbie.
This morning we read Psalm 103, his favorite.
Psalm 103
Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
We came up last night since we had to be here at 6am. The hospital hotel could use a bit of renovating! The shower head wouldn't turn on so we called maintenance. Tyrone explained to me to just pull the lever. I told him there wasn't a lever and I couldn't find any way to turn it on. He came and tried it himself and said, 'I never in all my life seen anything like this!'. So with the help of a tupperware bowl we eventually got a shower. The heat was on high all the time, so we had to slept with the windows open. Makes for a short night with all the sirens and traffic. But we're here, and so thankful for all they can do to help Robbie.
This morning we read Psalm 103, his favorite.
Psalm 103
Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Monday, January 9, 2012
8-}
It all started out like this: Elijah, his parents, and three sisters (one of them married with a little boy) came out the day after christmas. 2 days after christmas, Mom, Elijah's Mom, and Elijah's sister went to the "store".
While they were at the "store", they really went to the local arboretum to decorate the gazebo with flowers, candles, etc. Then, the signal that the gazebo was ready was mom called home and told Joseph to make cornbread and to get lunch ready. Then Elijah asked Megan if they wanted to go do a photo shoot at the arboretum before lunch. So Elijah's Dad went with them to take the photos. They got to the decorated gazebo with snow falling lightly outside, took a few photos, then Elijah's Dad said he had to go see a fellow about a horse. Then Elijah read Megan a letter he had written to her, then got down on one knee (of course) and asked Megan to marry him. Megan of course said YES!!!!!!!!!! The wedding date? March 24, 2012. So Megan has about a jillion-and-one things swimming around in her head and is VERY excited!
So what else is going on? Robbie is going to have heart surgery Lord willing on wednesday. they will go in through a catheter and decide if he needs a pacemaker. Then they will put the pacemaker in right away if he needs it. Prayer would be much appreciated!
---Daniel
While they were at the "store", they really went to the local arboretum to decorate the gazebo with flowers, candles, etc. Then, the signal that the gazebo was ready was mom called home and told Joseph to make cornbread and to get lunch ready. Then Elijah asked Megan if they wanted to go do a photo shoot at the arboretum before lunch. So Elijah's Dad went with them to take the photos. They got to the decorated gazebo with snow falling lightly outside, took a few photos, then Elijah's Dad said he had to go see a fellow about a horse. Then Elijah read Megan a letter he had written to her, then got down on one knee (of course) and asked Megan to marry him. Megan of course said YES!!!!!!!!!! The wedding date? March 24, 2012. So Megan has about a jillion-and-one things swimming around in her head and is VERY excited!
---Daniel
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
WEDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Megan and Elijah are ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!! Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Mom, Elijah's Mom, and his sister Anna, went to the "store" actually the store and the arboretum in the morning and decorated the gazebo with roses and candles in every window, and on the table. About an hour later Elijah took Megan to the arboretum with his dad, supposedly "to take some pictures"! Elijah proposed, and she said "YES!" Then the two of them went to lunch, and came home to tell every one! There is much planning going on and lots of excitement!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
"Duck Babe"
Megan and Robbie were on a trip to Iowa to visit Elijah, so the rest of us were sitting around the table for lunch and Dad says, "Children, what do you say we turn your mom into a duck hunter?" Emphatic cheering began!
Mom says, "Oh, that sounds fun, but I think I feel the flu coming on! You and the children will have fun, dear!" Nobody fell for that so Dad gave Mom one of his hunting shirts and we packed up and headed for water.
With our total crew in tow, it would seem most impossible to sneak up on anything, let alone suspecting ducks. The first pond we went to Mom wasn't quite sure what to do, so we just stirred them up without any success. The second pond, well, that was unseccessful too.
So then we turned to fishing and that seemed much more fun than watching Mom miss.
Than Daniel whispers to Mom, "I can take you to a pond and get you a duck!" Mom, wanting to be cool in the eyes of her 15 year old agreed. And they took off!
They traveled through swamp to another pond. Mom said it was about 10 miles, but Daniel said it was 1/4 mile. To sneak up on this pond it was important to squat down and walk up behind some reeds. Now, when Daniel squats to walk he's about 14 inches tall, so guess he figured Mom should do the same, that wasn't happening! But they snuck up on the ducks and Mom got a good aim!
Lo and behold, 2 ducks went down, but one came up and flew away, go figure? Still got one duck! Daniel went to the edge of the water to retrieve it and it needed another shot. Water, muck and mud flew up high all over him. Dripping, he brought the duck to Mom and immediately took a picture!
Mom talked Daniel into letting her carry the gun, while he carried the duck, on the treck back to Dad and the gang. After a 5 minute walk, just as they connected with Dad, the duck started flapping violently so Daniel passed it quickly to Dad. Dad immediatly solved the problem, as Mom struggled to resist the urge to vomit.
The mood changed quickly as Dad shared his pride and joy of his wife's first successful duck hunt! Now he affectionately calls her his "Duck Babe".
Mom says, "Oh, that sounds fun, but I think I feel the flu coming on! You and the children will have fun, dear!" Nobody fell for that so Dad gave Mom one of his hunting shirts and we packed up and headed for water.
With our total crew in tow, it would seem most impossible to sneak up on anything, let alone suspecting ducks. The first pond we went to Mom wasn't quite sure what to do, so we just stirred them up without any success. The second pond, well, that was unseccessful too.
So then we turned to fishing and that seemed much more fun than watching Mom miss.
Than Daniel whispers to Mom, "I can take you to a pond and get you a duck!" Mom, wanting to be cool in the eyes of her 15 year old agreed. And they took off!
They traveled through swamp to another pond. Mom said it was about 10 miles, but Daniel said it was 1/4 mile. To sneak up on this pond it was important to squat down and walk up behind some reeds. Now, when Daniel squats to walk he's about 14 inches tall, so guess he figured Mom should do the same, that wasn't happening! But they snuck up on the ducks and Mom got a good aim!
Lo and behold, 2 ducks went down, but one came up and flew away, go figure? Still got one duck! Daniel went to the edge of the water to retrieve it and it needed another shot. Water, muck and mud flew up high all over him. Dripping, he brought the duck to Mom and immediately took a picture!
Mom talked Daniel into letting her carry the gun, while he carried the duck, on the treck back to Dad and the gang. After a 5 minute walk, just as they connected with Dad, the duck started flapping violently so Daniel passed it quickly to Dad. Dad immediatly solved the problem, as Mom struggled to resist the urge to vomit.
The mood changed quickly as Dad shared his pride and joy of his wife's first successful duck hunt! Now he affectionately calls her his "Duck Babe".
Duck Babe
It's not a true adventure with Dad unless something gets stuck!
The thrill of a catch!
Only SERIOUS duck hunters allowed!
On this same day, Daniel got a turkey, and Emily got 2 ducks!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Cold snowy day =
COOKIES!!! And CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!!! I (Emily) made Chocolate Chip Cookies today! YUMMY! It was a perfect day for baking. If anyone is looking for AWESOME Christmas music, go to grooveshark.com and search " Celtic Woman Christmas" Beautiful!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Sledding!
We had our first sledding of the year and it was fantastic! 7" of snow and a beautiful sunny day made a great combination. Lydia eventually got tired going up the hill, but her desire to sled was still strong. So I (Karen) pulled her up the hill numerous times which was great exercise! I convinced her to lay on the sled on her back so she could look up at the sky and see an airplane and the early moon. As we went up the hill she said, "Mom, the moon is moving!" Oh, to capture such moments forever!
It got cold quickly when the sun went down, which just made the hot chocolate all the better!
It got cold quickly when the sun went down, which just made the hot chocolate all the better!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Got Questions?
This has been one of my favorite sites! To look up information it's very well supported biblically. Sometimes I get lost on tangents and can spend a lot more time on here than I should! ;-) If you find something that doesn't measure up biblically let me know, but from what I've seen so far I really like. Hope you enjoy it!
www.gotquestions.org
www.gotquestions.org
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Robbie
Just to be sure we keep the medical field afloat we've had to take Robbie in to a heart specialist. What is it with us and our hearts? ;-) He was monitored multiple times, once for 21 days, and all showed that his heart has episodes where it stops beating.
The heart doctor stated (implying his belief that Robbie needs a pacemaker), "Someone will have to prove to me that he doesn't need a pacemaker" and referred us to an Electro-Physiologist. That started another waiting game, as we attempted to set an appointment with the EP. There are only 250 of them in the world!
I called to see if we could get on a cancellation list because it seemed Robbie was feeling worse. They got us in on Friday which wasn't the doctor's normal office hours, but he was willing to work us in.
We really liked the doctor! He was very thorough in explaining everything and drawing us clear diagrams of what he was talking about. (Now we understand more what those readings on EKG's really are! ;-)
Our next step is to schedule an EP test which will test the electrical system through a catheter. If they find that Robbie needs a pacemaker, which they believe to be true, then they will put one in at that time. The hard part is the restrictions a pacemaker brings. No more basketball, football, frisbie or any contact sport. Nothing that may jar the pacemaker wires out of place, or cause harm to the pacemaker - which sits directly underneath the skin, unprotected. This will be an extremely hard adjustment for Robbie since he is very active, especially when it comes to contact sports or activities! Wrestling, running, playing with and flipping his siblings is a daily event.
We were not able to schedule the test until January, so until then, as an expirement, Robbie is on a diet with no sugar, no caffiene, and lots of hydration - which we are hoping will bring a solution to the problems he's experiencing. Yes, it's a bit of a long shot, but worth a try. All wrapped with lots of prayer!
Meanwhile he's getting all the activity in while he can! And God continues to show Himself evident in our lives!
The heart doctor stated (implying his belief that Robbie needs a pacemaker), "Someone will have to prove to me that he doesn't need a pacemaker" and referred us to an Electro-Physiologist. That started another waiting game, as we attempted to set an appointment with the EP. There are only 250 of them in the world!
I called to see if we could get on a cancellation list because it seemed Robbie was feeling worse. They got us in on Friday which wasn't the doctor's normal office hours, but he was willing to work us in.
We really liked the doctor! He was very thorough in explaining everything and drawing us clear diagrams of what he was talking about. (Now we understand more what those readings on EKG's really are! ;-)
Our next step is to schedule an EP test which will test the electrical system through a catheter. If they find that Robbie needs a pacemaker, which they believe to be true, then they will put one in at that time. The hard part is the restrictions a pacemaker brings. No more basketball, football, frisbie or any contact sport. Nothing that may jar the pacemaker wires out of place, or cause harm to the pacemaker - which sits directly underneath the skin, unprotected. This will be an extremely hard adjustment for Robbie since he is very active, especially when it comes to contact sports or activities! Wrestling, running, playing with and flipping his siblings is a daily event.
We were not able to schedule the test until January, so until then, as an expirement, Robbie is on a diet with no sugar, no caffiene, and lots of hydration - which we are hoping will bring a solution to the problems he's experiencing. Yes, it's a bit of a long shot, but worth a try. All wrapped with lots of prayer!
Meanwhile he's getting all the activity in while he can! And God continues to show Himself evident in our lives!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Lydia's Birthday
Lydia turned 4 on September 21st! One of the highlights of her birthday was getting her pink violin - it's just her size, and she loves to make noise on it. :) Also, a friend brought over some baby kittens that we all had fun holding and playing with.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Emily's Birthday
Emily turned 13 on September 10th :D She spent hours in the kitchen making homemade cheesecake for her birthday celebration! Emily is in 7th grade this year - she got a violin for her birthday, which she has been practicing along with piano. Emily's favorite thing to do is hold babies, which she does at every possible opportunity. :)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Use Punctuation
I asked Megan, "Why can't I find this book on Librivox?" Megan quickly finds it for me, then says "Punctuation matters." She goes to the white board and writes:
Let's eat, Grandma!
Let's eat Grandma!
Punctuation saves lives.
:-) Emily
Let's eat, Grandma!
Let's eat Grandma!
Punctuation saves lives.
:-) Emily
Robbie's Birthday
Robbie turned 18 in August! He had his traditional apple pie ... no cake mix for him! :)
Robbie's continuing with CollegePlus!, he now has 76 credits, and is planning to transfer to Liberty University next semester, where he'll take courses online to complete his degree. He's been working this summer as a salesman for Cutco, and loves doing that.
In other new about Robbie, he has an appointment this week with an electrophysicist tomorrow ... they moved his appointment up two weeks, which we were very grateful for. He's continued to have problems with his heart, and hopefully after this appointment we will have a better idea of the next steps.
Robbie loves math ... he's working on statistics right now, and he's tutored several of his friends for Math CLEPs.
Megan's Birthday
Yes, I'm posting birthdays on a 5-month delay. :P Mom says she still wants the pictures posted on the blog. ;) I'm going through all the pictures on my computer trying to get updated photos for my grandparent's picture frames, and figured I might as well blog them at the same time. :) -Megan
On my birthday, I was actually in Pennsylvania with a group of CollegePlus! students. Robbie very graciously allowed me to go with him to the get-together, and we had an amazing time! I had the most epic 20th birthday party ever, complete with a card signed by the whole group and a cake. This cake was my brothers idea, half of it was designed for Robbie's friend Aaron, and the other half was designed for me. My half was supposed to say, 'Congratulations on surviving 17 years with Robbie'. What it actually said:
:D
One of my favorite parts of my birthday was the church service on Sunday morning ... 35 young adults studying the Bible, encouraging one another, and singing praises on the Pennsylvania hillside. It was beautiful!
On my birthday, I was actually in Pennsylvania with a group of CollegePlus! students. Robbie very graciously allowed me to go with him to the get-together, and we had an amazing time! I had the most epic 20th birthday party ever, complete with a card signed by the whole group and a cake. This cake was my brothers idea, half of it was designed for Robbie's friend Aaron, and the other half was designed for me. My half was supposed to say, 'Congratulations on surviving 17 years with Robbie'. What it actually said:
:D
One of my favorite parts of my birthday was the church service on Sunday morning ... 35 young adults studying the Bible, encouraging one another, and singing praises on the Pennsylvania hillside. It was beautiful!
Since we were little, Mom started having our pictures taken on our birthdays. Emily took these pictures ... I'm wearing a dress that my friend Anna made for me. :)
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