30 days until Christmas...

Can you believe that we only have 30 days left before Christmas? It's insane! We've just begun our shopping and I hope that we get it done in time. I've never waited this late in the year to shop. I'm usually done by the first or second week of December. Oh well, I guess I get to shop with all of the procrastinators.

I know that I've been gone lately, but I do have a good excuse. I'm directing our church's Christmas Musical for the Children's Ministry Program. It is called 'Bows of Holly'. Everyone is invited. Bring the family, it's free, gets you into the Christmas spirit, and it has a good message. However, I must warn you all, it is not your traditional Christmas play - there are no wisemen or pregnant virgins.
It will be performed on December 9th at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. It's free, but we are asking if people would like to bring a non-perishable item to donate to the church's food pantry. Saige and Shelby Oswald (Jen's niece) are starring in it. Kids from the 5th grade all the way down to pre-school age will be in it. There are some great songs and dances too! Don't miss! Vineyard is located on U.S 27 south past the new Wal-Mart and Menards.

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. I managed to gain 5 pounds in three days. Oh yes, it can be done. Okay....okay.......I'll write a self-help book on how to gain weight. There are so many 'How to lose weight' books out there (that don't work very well, I might add). I might as well monopolize on something that I'm so gifted at. Share my secrets with the world!!!

Football....

The PAL Football season is over for us! Saige played Junior Varsity for the 49ers. Of course his team didn't win one game this year, but they improved so much over the season. I enjoyed watching him play and practice, but I am so glad that it's over. Three days a week for several hours each day he would have practice on the Snyder practice field, and every Saturday from 8-12 at alternate highschools, would be game day. It would of been much more fun for me if I didn't have to drag the little ones to every practice and game. Wil and Ash are clearly not into sports at this point of time in their lives and they let me know that at every practice and game.
They weren't bad just bored. The picture above is from his last game vs the Vikings. They lost but when my boy played he looked good. Saige is #80 and he's running the ball in the photo. The poor kid was so beat up this season that I actually think that he's glad it's over. He wants to play for PAL next year instead of playing for middle school. We weren't too sure about that, but he has been pretty insistant about it. The coaches asked Bryan to let him back. If he does, he'll be on Varsity. JV is 9 & 10 year olds and Varsity is 11-12 year olds. This year over 3/4 of their team were first timers, they really need a lot of the kids to return so they have a team that has been working together and already knows how to play. Hopefully the 49ers have a better year next year!

It has to be Him.....

The last five days have been a whirlwind....I just now feel like I'm settling down from the weekend. This last weekend our church held a women's retreat, 'Captivating - Unveiling the mystery of a women's soul'. The women's minstry team puts the whole thing together, and since I'm a part of the women's ministry team--well, need I say more? Thursday we spent all day decorating, putting together the games, and making sure that everything was going to run smoothly. Our conference started Friday night, which I was the speaker for the evening. It was the first time that I ever taught a lesson for adults...it wasn't too bad. We met back at the church Saturday morning for another session and I was in charge of the games for Saturday morning and had to help another lady go pick up our lunch (chinese - it was soooo good). We had our last session Saturday afternoon and then left the church together. The women went to Samaritan's House for a tour and then we met at Chari's House at 3:30 for another tour and to see what all these places do and what help they might need. Around 4:30 the women left for their 'Adventure'. My friend Lisa and I put together a Downtown Adventure for the ladies. We had around 30 women and put them on teams of five. Each team had a quote that they had to solve, there were ten clues prompting them to go to ten different locations to find there word -the library, Summit Square, Lincoln Tower, the Court House to name a few. We had them decoding messages and looking up information. We ended the 'Adventure' at the bus station where they had to do an act of kindness to a stranger. It was very hectic but overall went over rather well. They had a lot of fun and Lisa and I were exhausted! We then all walked to Don Hall's on Superior and we had a fabulous dinner!

So far it sounds like a fun weekend huh? Yeah....well what I didn't mention was that ......let's start on Friday morning.

I watch a little girl in the morning (she goes to school with the boys) and she gets to my house around 7:15. Of course the night before I was trying to finish my lesson for Friday night and didn't get to bed until 2:00 am - setting an alarm when you're exhausted - you're bound to mess it up. I accidently set my alarm for pm and I woke up late at 7:45 - I was freaking out thinking that I'm going to have to call her mom and really apologize. I run downstairs to the phone and I see her sitting on my couch. Evidently Bryan never locked the door (he's up all night now because of his shift change) when he came to bed at 5 or 6 in the morning. That poor little girl had been sitting alone on the couch all morning. I felt terrible. Of course now I'm scrambling to get all of the kids ready and feed them breakfast and get them to school on time. Wheww!! That's out of the way, now I can focus on finishing my lesson.....phone rings.....it's the school....no one is there to change Wil and he's leaking.....okay.....I get there and he has leaked all over his clothes, it was a mess. I noticed though that he seemed to be stooling out (it would be similar to when normal people have diarrhea). He was looking pretty lethargic too -----NOT THIS WEEKEND---NOOOOOO! I clean him up and then pick up the little girl that I watch 3 days a week from the pre-school at the boys' school. I tell her that I'll take her to McDonalds for lunch. I figured that before lunch I'd stop by the bank and deposit some money, plus I needed to order some checks. When I get to my bank they tell me that normally they could give me checks but that my account was in a negative balance. WHAT!!!!!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!! I had just been online two days before and I had plenty of money in my account ---Oh wait---snap-----there are several bills that I pay that come out automatically every month - it's a good system unless you forget - which I did! Of course I was only $10 short and I should be thankful that we have overdraft protection - of course we keep our bulk savings at another bank so we don't spend it -- it's not helping me now---We had over $90 of fees for this 'little' error! I've been kicking myself over and over and over. It's one thing if you don't have the money but entirely another when you do but you forget about your automatic withdrawals and then forget to cover them you must deposit the money you have! I make it back home just wanting to cry - I pick the kids up from school - Wil isn't looking too good. My parents come over around 4:00 to pick up the boys and take them to their house for the night. I send some powerade with Wil and tell my parents to make sure that he drinks it. After they leave I go into the computer room to finish my lesson that I have to give in about 3 hours! When Bryan got up for work I told him about my error and of course he's not happy - but he's not mad at me. He's a typical male - well if I made more money we wouldn't ever have to worry about little errors like that. Between lack of sleep, wondering about Wil, not being prepared, and kicking myself for the financial error - I did what any other woman would do ----I started crying----I couldn't stop----great, now my eyes look like I've been in a boxing match and I have to get up in front of women and speak. As always, God comes through and lightens the load, which He did. My lesson went rather well and it was all Him. As the women's conference was coming to a close Saturday evening I called my parents to tell them that I was on my way to pick up the kids. My mom said that Wil had just vomited. NOOOOOO!!!! It's bad enough when he stools out, and usually we can monitor it and get him back on track but once he vomits while stooling out, well, there is nothing we can do. I pick the kids up - Wil looks terrible - he lost about 2 pounds in 2 days, his eyes are sunk in and he's super weak. I call my sister-in-law and tell her meet me at my house and take Saige and Asher with her for the night. On the way home Wil vomits all over himself and the truck. Poor guy! I get home pack the boys bags and pack a bag for me and Wil and we truck into the ER at 10:00 pm. We got into a room around 2:30 am. He was dehydrated - though ironically his levels weren't that bad-his sodium was the lowest.
Bryan came up to the hospital when he got off work and stayed until about 10:30 Sunday morning - he had to go home and sleep because he had to work that evening. Sunday morning my sis-n-law brought the boys to the hospital and did a switch with me because I'm heading up a Christmas musical in Children's Ministry and that Sunday happened to be our first rehearsal and I was the only one who had all the scripts and CDs. On Kim's way to the hospital she picked up breakfast for the boys and to make all of our lives just a little more interesting, Asher vomited all over her car. YEAH!!!!!! I LOVE BEING ME!!!! Wil was released Sunday night and today was his first day back at school. He's still not up to par but is doing much better, Asher too.

The most wonderful thing about the last five days is that after my crying fit, I gave it all to God. Some of the things that were going on were in my control and I messed up and then some were not. I remeber praying, "God it has to be You, I can't do this, it has to be You! Keep my attitude light and my disposition cheery. I need Your help." Guess what......I haven't been stressed like I usually am during these situations. My attitude has been really good. Our finances are cleared up, the women's retreat went really well, and Wil and Asher are getting better. I say ALL this ( I just proofread and saw how much I wrote-sorry) I say ALL this to just let all of you know that; It has to be Him, you can't do it, it has to be Him.

October is here?

The other day the kids just started school and summer wasn't quite over...when did October get here? Someone told me the other day that the Christmas is only 12 weeks away! It can't be....I'm not ready!! I don't want to get out the coats, hats, and gloves yet!! Autumn is my favorite season but I'm not ready for it yet!
This summer just seemed to fly by - the older I get the quicker it goes! The saying is true - time flies by! Well enjoy this fall, hopefully it won't go by as quickly as the summer did!

I'M DONE......

I think I may change my blog name from 'laugh-often' to 'vent-often'!

My children can aggravate me so easily and so often. I recieved a call from the school at 10:15 am. What could they possibly want now? Let me rephrase that, 'what could my children possibly want now?

As most of you know, last year the school couldn't find an assistant for Wil until about three to four months into the school year - so I had to go down to the school twice a day to do his toiletry and feeding jobs. It caused a lot of frustration for me, plus Asher was half day pre-school and I had to cart him with me - not fun! So this year I have relished in the fact that all of my kids are full time students and I would not be needed to care for Wil during school hours. Now I have the time to finish my online schooling and can hopefully start working at home this fall. YEAH RIGHT!!

This year all Wil needs is changed once a day - no more tube feedings - which has made things much simpler. The nurse is there all day on Monday and on Wednesday afternoons. Mrs. 'C', the special ed teacher, is changing him the rest of the time. Well, this week is ISTEP so Mrs. 'C' is unable to change him, which I'm fine with. So for this week only I have to go the school Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.
I get a call from the school this morning....let me start over. I was in the middle of taking a typing test online - it was timed - when my phone rings - I let it go - then my cell rings. I realize that it is probably the same person and I better answer it. It was the school. Wil went to the office and said that he needed dumped. I just changed him two hours ago! He shouldn't even need checked for another couple of hours. I stop all that I am doing to be a 'good mom'. The whole way down to the school this was in my head -@!!*@*!! you better be leaking Wil! Ofcourse his ostomy bag isn't even half full. I just looked at him with that 'I am so going to hurt you look' and tell him when he gets home.... go back to class.

Granted a lot of my frustration stems from this morning with my children. Saige and Asher wouldn't get out of bed and were running a half an hour behind schedule. Saige is a safety guard this year and has to be at school at 8:15, lately he's been there about 8:25. Not good! He wants to quit....yeah right.....we told him you quit that you quit football. He wants to stay up later than his brothers because he's older. So every night it's a fight to get him in bed and then ofcourse he never wants to get up. Tonight it's 8:00 - I'm done!
Wil doesn't get homework every night so I don't always check - besides he's in the second grade and needs to be responsible. This morning 10 minutes before we leave he announces that he had homework he didn't do. I was furious! Obviously playing the computer and watching TV are more important! Oh..did I mention that his fingers were almost healed and this week he started chewing them again?! He is also refusing to take all of his meds. I'm done!
Asher - well he's just Asher. This morning it was 'wash my hands until I overflow the sink' and let's 'accidently spill a full glass of water all over the table and floor.' I'm done!

So tonight after school the kids are getting a talkin' too. No more computer, TV, or playstation during the week. Three nights a weeks Saige has football and once a week Wil has a music program at Turnstone, other than that they will be bored out of their minds and will be forced to do chores around the house that they will not get paid for because it needs to be a normal responsibility, get their homework done EARLY, and if they want to play something they can play cards or board games together. Not to mention until they can get out of bed the first time they are awoken with a smile on their face and saying with a bright & cheery disposition 'Good Morning Mom' their bed time will be no later than 8:00. I'M DONE!!!!


My kids are going to hate me; but guess what - don't care - why? - because I'M DONE!!!!

Texas....

Our trip to Texas was great! Our friends Brandi & Aaron live in Lewisville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Brandi & I have been best friends since our highschool freshman year. We also lived together for almost four years in our late teens and early twenties! They've lived in Texas for the last nine years and I've missed them sooo much! Aaron's immediate family have lived there for 14 years and his sister and I are great friends too. She and I graduated highschool together from a small christian school. Saige had such a good time, he wanted to stay and told us several times that we need to move there.....someday......maybe....who knows what all God has in store for us. It was seven years since we've been out there last, actually it was for Christine & Dan's wedding - almost to the day! (their pic is below). Brandi & Aaron come back to Fort Wayne once or twice a year to visit their family that still lives here and we when we see them it's a very short visit. This is the most we've been able to sit around and talk for seven years (face to face)....I think we might try to save the money every year so this will be our annual trip!! They all have such beautiful families too - and they all love the Lord so much - it shows in every thing that they do and how they live! It was great to see how God's worked in all of their lives and how faithful they are! We visited their church on Sunday and it fit us so good, along with all of their friends! Below are some pictures - I posted quite a few but in reality I took over 200! I miss my B! I miss Christine too! I cried pretty hard when we left...God has blessed me with such great friends! Downtown Dallas - from The Dallas World Aquarium parking lot.

We went to Medieval Times - we were cheering for the red/yellow knight. There is one in Chicago too!
Saige and Asher at the Aquarium
Belle (4), Sami (1), Saige, Asher, & Wil at the Dallas Aquarium - Belle & Sami are Brandi & Aaron's daughters.
Aaron & Sami in the pool in their backyard.
Brandi & Sami - she is such an angel - always smiling

Aaron & Sami at the Aquarium Pool party - almost every day!
Kenna - Dan & Christine's daughter
Bryan & Tori - also Dan and Christine daughter - Tori & Kenna are 21/2 and are twin sisters
Dan & Christine - she hasn't aged since highschool!

Aaron, Belle, & Brandi @ Medieval Times - Belle was tired - that's a wierd pic of Aaron but Brandi looks hot- so I put it in anyway
Brandi and Wil at the Spaghetti Warehouse - downtown Dallas
Belle & Asher - they are two peas in a pod - they either got along great or fought
Our knight won!!! He was a cutie - the green knight was pretty hot too! Then again so was our bar wench (server) according to Bryan and Aaron - course I don't have any pictures of her - oops! lol

Belle & I at the Aquarium - she was such a little princess and she took to me very well - I loved it!

Ever wonder.....

Since I'll be gone for the next week, I thought that I would leave you all with something that would leave a smile on your face!


Only in America.....do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.


EVER WONDER ...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

6 more days...

We only have 6 more days until we leave for Texas! Woo-hoo!! We are going to be taking off when the kids get out of school Friday. It's a 16-18 hour drive - Wahh! We've only been there once before and we flew, so with my kids, this will be an adventure. Last spring when we went to Florida, it was over 20 hours and they didn't do too bad - so let's pray and hope!! My best friend, Brandi, has lived there for nine years now - I can't wait to see her and have a whole week with them. I've known Brandi's husband Aaron for a long time too - as a matter of fact - I'm the one who introduced them back when we were 15 & 16. Just call me the match maker!! Okay the chemistry was all them but I do believe that I played an important role in the outcome. They have two daughters, Belle & Sami. Belle is so hyped about the boys coming - she is a female Asher - needless to say they get along 'really' well. Aaron's family all live there too! I'm anxious to see his sister, Christine, she and I have been friends since high school, we actually graduated together from a private school - just her and me - she was the valedictorian and of course that left me with the 2nd place, salutatorian. Anyway, whenever we get together we call it our high school reunion. She now has twin little girls, they are so cute! I'll post after we get back and will try to post some picks too! My kids are stoked!

Saturday night we might go with them to a Def Lepord concert - yeah - I know! The good ole days. Anyway, Bryan has been looking around at the Good Will for tight jeans or leather pants. He is going to wear a tight t-shirt, a suit vest, a cross dangling earing, and to top it off a mullet wig. That's my man! We aren't going to let them know of course - he's just going to come out of the bathroom and say,'Let's rock and roll!' with his taking hanging out! I'll laugh if he goes to all of that work and we end up not going! Bryan is odd - but that's why I love him!

Freedom....

FREEDOM!!!! This is the first time ever that all three of my children have been full time at school. I love it! My husband and I went out to breakfast this morning and we didn't have to rush back home to pick up a preschooler. They grow so fast. This is also the only time that all three of my children will be at the same school at the same time. Asher started kindergarten, Wil is in the second grade, and Saige is in his last year at Elementary - fifth grade. This morning Asher was so excited that he was running into the school and with the rain the ground and floors were wet and he biffed it. Poor kid! Of course that didn't stop him, Bryan couldn't find him after they entered the school and someone said that he ran to his class. He's ready to go! I remember the days that I loved going to school, that ended quickly, I think by middle school, I hope my kids always love school. Saige is following in my footsteps though, this morning he was depressed about going and then added with a sigh, "Yeah, and if I go to college I still have another eleven years until I'm done." Of course my response was, "What do you mean if?"

Last week Bryan's brother Scott and his family (Tara & Eli) were here visiting us from Georgia. By February he should be out of the army and they are going to be moving here to live. I can't wait, Bryan & Scott are the best of friends and I've never seen either one of them ever connect to someone else like they do. I hope my boys grow to have a brother bond like that. Scott's wife, Tara, and I get along great, she is such a sweetheart! It's weird because there are quite of few similarities between our personalities, but still quite a few differences to keep us individuals. I can't tell you how many times last week I was called Tara and Tara called Sara. Our husbands were the worst!!! Their son Eli is 15 months and boy is he a cutie! He loves his Uncle Bryan, he's always going to him. We were in Georgia a few weeks ago and Eli still remembered him. It will be great though when they move here, we're so excited.
Iwont' say when I'll post again....it always gets me into trouble!!!

I need SLEEP!!!!

The last few weeks have been so busy that I haven't had time to get any good sleep. I've noticed that the older I get the more sleep my body needs to function. Lately, I've been functioning on very low levels. I don't seem to get any more than 6 hours. I know...I know.... to some of you six hours is still a lot of sleep. Five to ten years ago 6 hours could feel like ten. Now six hours feels like three. I need at least 8 hours to function; be nice, have a positive outlook, cook, clean, run errands, do laundry, read, and tend to children. I've been averaging 5-6 hours and my function level is at an all time low; I'm moody, very negative, don't feel like cooking, my house is trashed, I ran errands the other day and had to take a nap when I got home, my kids are out of clean socks, I haven't been able to read, blog, or check my e-mails, and I honestly don't know where my children are at the moment!!!!

So I am leaving my readers with something new to read! It is short and... well.... sour! But I know you all love me anyway!! It was great seeing some of you at the annual Birthday Party!! I had a lot of fun and once again didn't get much sleep! Have a great week! I'll try to blog again before the 4th of July!

Hello????

Yeah...yeah...yeah...I know....I've let everyone down. I realize that I haven't blogged in such a long time. Yes, I'm still alive, no I have not been abducted by aliens, (at least that I remember), I have not been in the hospital, or been on a long extended vacation. I've just been lazy with my computer. I get on once or twice a week and I usually have 20-25 e-mails to go through.

Bryan has started a youth ministry in our neighborhood. It's not church affiliated, though he'd like all the churches in our community to come on board and work together. Easier said than done! He started out four weeks ago with three kids and now has 12-13. They meet in our house or over by the elementary school (Nebraska) every Sunday night. During the next few months they will go and do community services within our neighborhood, outreach projects, and of course share the message of Jesus.

My husband is amazing me. His faith, perseverance, determination to share the gospel is stronger than I've ever seen. He even had our children learn an acronym to help them know the gospel message - even Asher has this memorized - don't know how he did it but it's so cool to hear a five-year-old say all of this:

G - God created us to be with Him
O - Our sins separate us from God
S - Sins cannot be removed by good deeds
P - Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again
E- Everyone who trust in Him alone has eternal life
L- Life thats eternal means that we live with Him forever

I just had to have Asher come in and tell me what E and L were, because I forgot. lol A week before school let out Saige witnessed to one of his best friends at school. Of course he did it during 'silent reading time'. That cracks me up! Not at recess or lunch but during silent reading time. I'm glad he did it though. I'm proud of my kids!!!

I'll try to blog at least once a week......I may need some accountability!!!!!! Be nice, Jen!!!!

Spring Break 2007 pictures...

Hey ~
Check out my other blog, wigge pics, and you can see some of our pictures from Spring Break.

Gotta a cute joke for you today! Hope ya laugh!!


Little Johnny Stands Up


A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks you're stupid, stand up!"
After a few seconds, Little Johnny stood up. The teacher said, "Do you think you're stupid, Little Johnny?"
"No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself

UPDATE: SPRING BREAK & EASTER

Spring Break was a lot of fun! Me & the kids went with a friend and her family to Daytona. The kids did great on the way down and on the way back. They travel very well, especially since two of the them had to sit in car seats the entire time. Asher was constantly asking when we would get to the beach. He started in Indianapolis and didn't stop until we made it to Florida! When we got there we took him to the beach as soon as possible. Right after that we had to go to Wal-Mart and get some food, so we told the kids we'd have to go. Asher started crying and said, "But it took us too long to get here, I don't want to drive all the way back to go to Wal-Mart!" We started laughing and explained to him that there was a Wal-Mart there in Daytona. Poor kid thought that the only Wal-Mart was back here in Fort Wayne.
Every morning from our balcony we were able to the dolphins swimming, Saige really enjoyed that! He also had tons of fun body surfing. Wil had fun, but not being the water kid, he had more fun with the activities that the condo provided. Everyday they had something going on; bingo, pizza, ice cream social, pool party. He really enjoyed that. Asher tried to body surf and boogie board, it was so fun watching him try to conquer the waves. All the boys played in the sand and collected shells. I had a lot of fun just hanging out with my friend, Janice. She is so awesome! Her daughter, Bethany, and her friend, Bree, watched the kids one night so we could go out and have some 'alone' time. We dressed up and went to dinner, I really enjoyed that.
We all did miss daddy though. We talked to him everyday! He said that the first few days weren't bad but by the end of the week he was totally missing us. He said that he hated coming home to an empty house. When we got home the house was spotless, candles lit and there were homemade cookies on the table for the kids with some chocolates and a beautiful yellow Easter Lily for me. Bryan is so awesome. The kids bought him an alligator head. Doesn't seem quite as elegant but he liked it very much, it is kind of cool. I'll post some pics on Wigge pics.
Easter turned out great! The play went on without any problems and everybody did an excellent job. Everybody loved it! The message that I wanted to get out - came out! We went to my mom and dad's for Easter dinner. Bryan's mom joined us! There was food, Easter egg hunt, food, candy, food, candy......I'm sure that everybody was like that! The only thing that could of been better was the weather. It seemed more like Christmas than Easter. Today is a beautiful day though, I'm going to go out to enjoy it. Have a great week.

What a beautiful day....

Today is such a gorgeous day! I stood outside for awhile today and just soaked myself in the sun! Today I went with Saige's fourth grade class on a field trip to the History Museum and the Courthouse. We ate lunch in the Courtyard at the Courthouse, the weather was absolutely beautiful!! My group was very well behaved and we had a lot of fun. I am pretty tired though and this week is going to be so busy! Every day there is something scheduled and I have a lot of little things to get done too. Me and the kids are leaving Friday (when they get out of school) to go to Florida. Hooray! A friend of mine has a time share, and every year she takes her kids to a condo on the beach in Daytona. She only has a 16 year-old left in the house and she is taking a friend. The other family that was suppose to go could not. She called me a few weeks ago and asked it the kids and I would like to go, the condo, hotel, and rental van are already paid for, so she asked that I help out with gas and food! Oh yeah!! I am so lucky to have a friend like that! She is soooo awesome! Bryan has to work so it's just me and the kids. It'll be fun and probably a little frustrating! The kids will be watched one night by the teenage girls so the 'moms' can go out! I have so much to get done before Friday......and when we get back, within two days is Easter and the 'Easter Play'. Plus I have to take midterm on my Medical Terminology. So I will be studying that and my script on the beach!! I'll update again after Easter and Spring Break! Enjoy the weather we're having and have a great Spring Break!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away !!!!

What is up with this weather? Spring is like a tease. One day the sun is out but still a little on the chilly side, the next day beautiful weather, then the next rain, the next chilly and rain, and the next day more chilly rain. I understand that with Spring comes Spring showers, but can't it be a little warmer?! I'm so anxious for 60 - 70 degree weather! I'm anxious for the Spring smell too! So far only one day did it smell like Spring! I want to open my windows and let the fresh breeze in to air out my stuffy house. The other day it did thunderstorm though, I loved it! I just don't like the continuous cold rain. Oh well! On the flipside it will make the grass greener, which is good! I should be thankful that it's not snowing like it has in the past during the months of March and April. Okay, the rain can stay, just warm up a little bit more!!

Spring is here....I think.....

Spring is finally officially here! Of course this morning it was still quite cold! Wil was very disappointed that it wasn't warm and sunny. He's been counting down all week. Hopefully by later today we'll actually feel the 65 degrees that they keep talking about.

I know it's been over a month since my last blog! All I can say is Busy! Busy! Busy! I've been hopelessly trying to catch up on my homework and haven't been very successful at it! I have also been writing an Easter Play for our church. It's quite funny with my odd and warped sense of humor! For my first time at writing a play; I'm actually pretty satisfied with it! Any of you who don't have anywhere to go on Easter feel free to come and visit our church, you will be entertained!!!

Have a great Spring!!

Superbowl & Sickness...

Yeah!!! The Colts did it!! Finally Indiana has something positive to brag about! I was rooting for the Colts but would have been ok if the Bears would of won too! It was a win-win situation for football fans in Northern Indiana. Before we had the Colts the Bears were the team. The Colts winning the Superbowl was the best thing that happened to us this weekend. Sunday morning Saige started to vomit, by the afternoon Asher started, and by the evening it hit Wil. We decided not to send the kids to school Monday, letting them recuperate. Within 10 hours of Wil being sick he started to go down hill. By late Monday morning he was in the hospital. I had Bryan come home from work to stay with the other two and then he got really sick with diarrhea and vomiting. By Monday night I started to feel nauseous and vomited at the hospital. Bryan's mom had to come to the hospital to stay with Wil at 11:00 pm and I barely made it home before I started vomiting again. Wil came home yesterday afternoon and is doing great. He and Asher made it to school today, Saige wasn't so lucky. He thought he had gas and it wasn't.....it started with him and I guess it will end with him. I feel much better, though I'm achy all over. I feel as though someone took a bat to my upper body. My ribs, back and shoulders are killing me. I must have heaved really hard!! I'm sure that all of my readers love hearing about vomiting and diarrhea!!!
Bryan made it to work today and I am slowly trying to disinfect our house. Usually when the kids get sick the parents don't. Not this time....it hit Bryan and I really hard. Thank God for grandma's. Hopefully, this will be the only time this year that our family gets hit with the flu! The kids were at my parents house Sunday night....I hope that they didn't spread it there!! I pray that all of you and your families stay healthy!

Salvation & Surprises....

January 20th I threw a surprise party for Bryan's 30th birthday, which he won't actually turn 30 until January 30th, which is tomorrow! The BIG 3-0!! The party went well, we threw it at our church (in the gym). Bryan thought that he was showing up for our friend's surprise birthday party. He had the idea that the party was for both of them and was shocked when he saw our friend, Gary, standing there yelling 'Surprise'! I had everything decorated in pink. Bryan has his first, and let's hope only, Princess Party. I didn't want to do the typical 'black', over the hill party, for two reasons. The first is because it's such a common theme and the second is because I'm older than Bryan and I will never admit or say that he is over the hill - where would that leave me? I thought about a theme and came up with the Princess party idea, because if I had a daughter I'd love to throw a Princess Party! Let's face it, science has proven that the male determines the sex of a baby, so it was determined for me three times to have boys, thus no pink or purple will ever exist in my household. I even bought him a cone shaped pink hat that said, 'All hail the birthday princess'. All the table coverings were in pink, and each table donned pink, purple, and hot pink balloons. My cousin had brought her daughters barbie and Dora castles for table decorations. We had cupcakes (instead of cake) that had pink and purple sprinkles on them. For dinner we had a Taco Buffet! My mother, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, brother, and quite a few friends were such a great help! I couldn't have done it without them. I greatly appreciated their help! I also had a game, 'How well do you know, Bryan?' quiz, the top five people who got the most right came up to Bryan and dressed him up with a purple dress, wand, plastic earrings, necklace, wand, and tiara. It was great! Bryan even posed for pictures. My gift to him besides the party, was a DVD containing pictures from childhood through his current age. (my brother helped with that) At the end there were also interviews of the kids and me. Of course mine got kind of lengthy....that's not a shocker!!!:) It was a lot of fun and he really enjoyed himself. I will try to see if I can put the DVD on wigge pics, not sure if it will work-be forewarned though, it's about 30 minutes long, so make sure you look at it in your 'dead' time.

Last night was such an awesome night. Saige couldn't sleep and he came downstairs to tell me that he was scared. In church some kids turned the conversation to demons and spiritual warfare. I told him (the same as the teacher) that if Christ is in you, through him you have more power than Satan himself. Demons have to go away, when cast them out in the name of Jesus. I feel for him because I too grew up with similar fears and it took through adulthood to really overcome them (he also has a fear of death). I prayed for him, rebuked fear, and prayed that God give him a peace. He asked if he could sleep in our room. I was still up, but Bryan was in bed. I told him that it was ok. About 15 minutes later, both Bryan and Saige come downstairs in their undies. Bryan is smiling from ear to ear and Saige looked at peace. Bryan told me that Saige woke him up to pray for him, and that after he prayed Saige said that he wanted to ask Jesus into his life, that it was something that he had never done. WOW!!!! There was no prodding by Bryan, Saige asked his dad to help him do that! So they went through and did what scripture tells us on salvation and on January 28, 2007 at 10:00 at night my oldest baby asked Jesus into his life. I can't tell you how elated I am. We raise our children with the truth, but both Bryan and I know that when they hit a certain age they will no longer be covered by us spiritually, and they will have to make their own decision to follow Christ. Saige will be ten this year and he's matured so quickly! He knew it to be true and he's believed it but now he's at the age where he knows that he has to make a decision about his own life. We have some workbooks that we are going to do with him to help him better understand the commitment that he made last night. He told his dad that before he asked the Lord into his life his stomach was hurting, and after it felt better and that he was really tired and was ready to go asleep. I'm amazed at how God allowed Saige to physically feel at peace. To feel safe. I can just envision God wrapping his arms around Saige, and softly whispering in his ear that he was safe, loved, treasured, and that he was his little boy! To know that my son chose, on his own, without the pressure from mom and dad, to want the Lord in his life. In all of our parental mistakes (which are many) we did something right. We allowed God to work in our family, we gave our children over to Him, and He prevailed! From a mother's point of view - one down two more to go!! lol
Of course the road ahead of us is still a long one, Saige hasn't even gotten to the pre-teen and teen years yet. This is really such a great opportunity for us to continue to educate, pray with, and disciple Saige. To help him establish a foundation that will not be shaken, so even as a pre-teen, teen, and young adult he will continue to live his life for God and continue to make good decisions! The future always holds so many uncertainties but today I'm on cloud nine! My spirit is jumping for joy!

We have reached a milestone...

The Wigge family has finally reached a milestone! We no longer have medicaid to cover Wil's medical expenses. I am filled with much fear and and even greater joy! It's funny to feel both of those feelings together. I am just thrilled to not be under the burden of making a set income and to never have to fill out all of the paperwork that having medicaid entails. A huge burden has been lifted and I know that a new door for our family is opening. The last seven years we have lived under medicaids thumb, and we are now finally free! I have appreciated the coverage that we have had. We definitely needed it during this time, but now we are able to move on. The major drawback now is that we will have to pay for diapers again. It will be several more years before the necessary surgeries are done on Wil before they are not needed. We can live with that though. Bryan's insurance coverage is going to be just great for Wil. We will have some out of pocket expenses but we are no longer held under the dictatorship of medicaid.



Yesterday Wil turned seven! Wow! Seven years ago we didn't know what the outcome was going to be with Wil. Seven years ago.... seems like forever! Our family was forced to seperate, Saige was going through a rough time, my marriage was falling apart, and we thought that our little bably Wil might not make it a week let alone seven years. Check out my other blog, perfect wil, and you will know exactly what was going on in our family seven years ago. I am so greatful and so blessed that the Lord has provided for us. He has kept our family together, healed Saiges wounds, and has given our baby Wil life. Our family and the struggles that we have endured is the best testament that I could ever give about my Saviors love. He has lifted us when we were down and comforted us in our sorrows. He has been our rock, our refuge, our source of peace, and he has restored so many things for us. Our family gives God all the glory for what has transpired in our home. We are eternally thankful.



As I was saying, yesterday was Wil's birthday. After dinner Bryan and I took him out on his 'birthday date'. We took him to Toys R Us to spend his money and gift cards, then to Build a Bear, where he made a batman monkey, named 'Ron the Monk Bat Wigge'. Anyone who has children who watch Kim Possible might have seen the episode when Ron Stoppible became a monkey... or something like that, anyway that is who the monkey is named after. After that we went to see the movie, Happily N'Ever After. It was cute. Wil kept saying that it was the best day of his life. When we got home we had our cake and icecream and Wil went immediately to the PS2 to play some of his new games that he bought at Toys R Us. We had a lot of fun! I just love taking the children out (individually) for their birthdays. Just mom, dad, and the birthday boy! They know that it is their special day! It was one of the best decisions that Bryan and I have made. The kids love it and they don't get jealous of the birthday boy because they know that the same attention will be on them when their birthday comes. Bryan and I actually are the spoiled ones, we get to go out and have at least three dates a year! lol Yesterday was great!

Happy Birthday Wil!

2007.....

Sorry! I haven't been too good at blogging lately! This is the busiest time of year for us. It won't end until the end of January. Two days after Christmas was Asher's birthday, he turned five. We took him to Toys R Us to spend his $50 in gift cards, then to Chuckee Cheese for dinner and some play, then to Build a Bear Workshop. Bryan and I take the kids out for their birthdays individually, like a date! We had a lot of fun and Asher is a very thrifty shopper. He has to walk around the entire store (Toys R Us) at least twice until he has made his final decision. His decision making was quite quick at Build a Bear though, we walked in and he grabbed the frog without any hesitation. Once filled and bathed he knew exactly what outfit he wanted for him, Superman. So now Asher has 'Super Frog' and takes him everywhere.
We then had New Years Eve. We went to our friends (Gary & Lisa) where they had an 80's theme party. I'll post picks soon but you can see some on my brother's blog (go to reality check). It was a lot of fun getting dressed up and seeing what everyone else looked like.
During Christmas break, Bryan's work was on shut down, so he had a week and half off. The entire time was spent over at his mom's house. He demolished her bathroom and completely remodeled it. We still have some finishing touches to do but it looks great. New shower, new sink, new walls, lighting, ceramic tile. He did such a great job.
This Thursday is Wil's birthday, he will be seven. He will also spend his birthday money at Toys R Us, go to Build a Bear Workshop, and will pick a restaurant to eat at. He wants to see a movie so he might choose Cinema Grill.
The 17th of January is our Anniversary! Nine years! Time flies when your not paying attention. lol Then the 30th is Bryan's 30th Birthday! Every year when Christmas is over I, for a very short time, feel relieved. Then it dawns on me that 'it's not over'. So once February hits I will take a deep breath and really feel relieved. It will be the first time that we can actually rest since November.
Our Christmas was wonderful along with our New Year! It's hard to believe that it's already 2007! I pray that this year brings you all joy and prosperity!