Grown up Ben

My little Benny is growing up. He's started calling me MOM (instead of
Mommy). Not sure I was ready for that!

Luke's foot

Luke got his cast cut off today, but then put right back on! He still
couldn't walk on his foot and it appeared to still be hurting. He said it
wasn't, but he pulled his foot away every time the doc pushed on that spot
where they thought it might be broken. Luke was excited about going
swimming, but still can't =(. We have to go see an orthopedist now, and most
likely get a real cast -- maybe he'll be able to get that one wet.

Luke's foot

Little Luke may have fractured something in his foot a week ago. Our last night @ the beach with Greg's fam, he jumped off the bunk bed like his cool bigger cousins. Monday morning, when it was still hurting, I took Luke to the pediatrician and he sent us to get an xray of Luke’s foot but couldn’t see anything, but since Luke still could’t walk on it, he put a partial cast on it for a week. At the end of the 7 days, they’ll remove it and see if he can walk and bear weight on it. If not, they’ll send him on to an Orthopedist. The foot has a reddened bump and bruise on the top, on that bone above his insole. He was not to walk on it or swim this week which was hard with his cousins TC and Josiah here – at the same time, they were a big help in entertaining him. While at the hospital for the x-ray, Ben fell off a chair and got a good knot on the back of his head J. It was a challenge managing 4 boys and an infant at the doctor’s office and the hospital all morning, since Luke had to ride in stroller which meant Elsi was being "carried" (worn, actually) so I couldn't deal with Ben bonking his head very easily, but we survived!

Camp T-siah Day 2

We went to see Igor today, me and five kids. The movie wasn't that great, but at least we had something to do for a while. I forgot to take pictures though. TC and Josiah were very helpful with the younger guys, especially Luke, since he has to be carried or pushed in a stroller everywhere he goes. TC took Luke and Ben to get drinks out of the water fountain and Josiah pushed him in and out of the theater. TC has also taken up the role of Elsi's guardian. He puts her paci back in her mouth or picks her up anytime she cries. So sweet! I think the big boys were probably bored this afternoon, but they say they're not homesick, so I guess they're okay.

Camp T-Siah Day One

Today was a little chaotic. Probably tried to pack too much into one day. TC and Josiah, our nephews from Atlanta (Greg's sister's kids) are visiting. TC made up the nickname Camp T-Siah as a combination of both of their names, saying they are running summer camp this week for Luke and Ben. We had to take Luke to the dr. this morning to get his foot checked out, which then required a visit to hospital for x-ray, then back to dr.'s office for a lightweight cast. Dr. says it may or may not be broken -- hard to tell with little kids -- but it still hurts obviously. We'll go back in a week and they'll cut the cast off. If it doesn't hurt anymore, we'll assume it was sprained/strained(?) and move on, but if it still hurts, we'll have to take him to an orthopedist. TC and Jojo were so good and so helpful that I wanted to do something fun. So, we went to the aquarium. Ben however, melted down about halfway through, desperately needing a nap and knowing that Mommy was a little tied up because I was holding Elsi. Not sure if they had fun or not, but at least we're home now and they can play video games uninterrupted since the little boys are FINALLY napping!

Our trip home from Family Vacation

Last week we were with Greg's family at Seagrove Beach near Panama City Beach in FL. Our trip back was awful because we sat in mostly stopped traffic for a couple hours about halfway through our trip. We should've been home about 5:30 but it was after 8:30 by the time we finally got there. TC and Jojo, our 9 and 8-yr-old nephews are with us for the week. We stopped at a gas station near the end of the trip and let all the boys out in a grassy area to run around while I fed Elsi. They started dancing around and singing silly songs to try to get cars to come into the gas station we were at. I managed to snap a pic of Jojo dancing while my boys tried to throw stuff down the covered drain.

Joker

Elsi had oral thrush and since we couldn't get her doc to call in a
prescription after hours we had to resort to the gentian violet.

We're on vacation with Greg's family, having a great time. They boys are pretty much occupied playing with their cousins. We're all swimming in the pool a lot and going to the beach. I've been talking lots of naps too. I am very content just to stay around here and not go out and do anything. Not really sure why, but it probably has something to do with how much more work it takes to get three kids out the door to go somewhere than just me and Greg -- like I can even remember that! ;-)

Sleeping until 8

Elsi slept until 8 this morning, with minimal intermittent moaning starting at about 7. I fed her at midnight, then we both went to bed by 1. 7 hours in one stretch! How 'bout that?!?!?

Fun weekend

We had a fun and tiring weekend. We went to Atlanta to hang out with Greg's fam. His brother Roger got a speedy boat and the boys spent the day riding on it. I swam to it and got on and off, but Elsi couldn't ride because we didn't have a life jacket for her, so I just enjoyed swimming and relaxing. Lyd and Gabe came down too for the afternoon, which was awesome! Greg's probably more exhausted than when we left, but he had a good time. Luke rode on the tube behind the boat. We also spent more time than usual hanging out with Greg's siblings and their families, which was really fun. Sadly, I didn't take a SINGLE picture!

Happy Mommy

Elsi smiled at me today. It was the first time that I was SURE she was smiling AT me. Naturally, I loved it =). I'd post a picture, but you know it will take an eon to get a picture of her smiling!

sports weekend

We had a lot of fun going to semi-pro games this weekend. Baseball last night and soccer tonight. Luke liked the baseball better. Why? There were fireworks at the end.

printing a retraction

Greg is "only" 34, not 35, which is good news because it means I'm only turning 33 this year, not 34.

Elsi's Growth Chart

She's gaining on them!

Loving my family

I am just so thankful for my family tonight. Ben is so cute with his hair cut and I'm so proud of him that he's swimming all over the pool in his tube and loving it. Elsi's growing -- today she was 8lb. 15 oz (10th %ile); 21.5" (25th %ile!) and head 37 cm (5th %ile); working on learning how to smile and coo. Luke is loving his friends, reading, writing letters, cutting with scissors, playing with the web cam embedded on the laptop and just generally loving life. Greg turned 35 today and has been such a wonderful husband and Dad -- I've really enjoyed his company since I got back from Lyd's wedding and I'm just so thankful!

Trying to clean

I tried to clean the boys' room today in a way they can maintain. Will they put away their toys if they have marked boxes with pictures saying what goes where? Any body wanna place any bets?

Blue Dukas Mentality

One of the things that is taking too much of my time lately is the effort of trying to save money. I HATE paying full price for things -- I feel like I'm getting duped or something. Do you think that comes from the "blue dukas" mentality?

There used to be this little souvenir market in Nairobi; I think it was near the Sarit Center. We used to love to go there to buy artsy/crafty-type souvenirs, like wood-carved animals, soaptstone coasters and candle holders, baskets, etc. The thing about the blue dukas that was different from a regular store is that you were supposed to barter for things -- if you didn't, you'd be getting duped for sure. In places like those blue dukas (and there are lots of places like that in East Africa for souvenirs), bargaining can be a majaor process, depending on how much time you're willing to spend on it.

I don't barter for things here, but I look for coupons and sales that can be used together. I don't even bother even looking at sales racks that aren't at least 50% off. There are even a few blogs and websites I look at where they tell you what's on sale and what coupons have been in the paper that can match up with those sales. Even with that information, I spend a lot of time putting all my coupons together with all the sales, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my family, so I guess I'll be fitting it in now when I can. I just need to be a little more disciplined about getting to bed at a decent time!

Weighing in at 7 pounds

Elsi weighed 7 pounds today on her one month birthday. She's doing great!

Visiting Grandpa

My boys are out with my dad right now. He took them to the park and to Wal-mart. They love having him around, and so do I! I got a nap and a shower and Greg got his car registered. It was way over due. Dad got pulled over in Knoxville a couple days ago when he was driving it, but luckily, he just got a warning.

I got to dress my baby in a dress today!

I actually got to put a dress on one of my children today. It was very fun for me =).

Selling Point for our Neighbor's House

Greg's take home police car is apparently a selling point for our neighbor's house. Not working really well, however, since the house has been on the market since last summer!

Rolling over

My 2-1/2 week old child has just rolled herself over 4 times in a row. I think I've heard before that newborns can do that sometimes, but it's because of reflexes and stops after a few weeks, only to start again a few months later. Either that, or I just have a GENIUS little girl =).

Job Change

Well, apparently my boss told everyone at work on Friday, so I guess I can let the cat out of the bag now. I am changing jobs next year. I'm not particularly excited about the change because I'll be sad to leave the ladies I've been working with for three years, which includes some dear, dear friends. I trust the Lord that his plan is perfect and my job had started to get kind of stressful (who knows how much of that was the pregnancy as well).

The funny thing is that my job is changing due to the economy, but not in the way you would expect! I am being moved to a part-time teaching position, because the state is getting stimulus money and want us to expand some of our special ed. services, including assistive technology, which was my job. We're not quite ready for me to work full time, so I agreed to go back to teaching Orthopedically Impaired students. It won't be quite as flexible -- I'll actually have to work the same times every week, without being able to flex my time as long as I put in my total hours, like I was able to do before. But, as I said, the Lord knows our needs.

Cousin Fun

We've had a fun week with Tasha and Jude. Sad they have to leave. Poor Tasha isn't feeling great herself, but she was still such a big help. The main reason I need help now is that I just don't have much time between baby feedings and I'm exhausted from getting about two hours of sleep at a time.

Elsi

She's awake more now and it's precious.

Big bro

Our Newest Addition

Greg's e-mail announcing our baby girl: Elizabeth Sharon arrived Monday at 7:17pm after the doc threatened Esther with a C section.  The labor stalled at 4cm and the dr came in and said if things didn't progress in the next couple of hours, he would have to do surgery.  Esther took this to heart and so after I left to find some supper she decided to dilate fully and try to call me back early from supper.  So...10 minutes later the dr was back, about 1 hour and 20 minutes after he left the 1st time. Two more contractions and Elsie entered this world crying her head off and peeing all over the doctor, her way of punishing him for threatening her mother.  She weighed 5lbs10.7ozs and 18 in long, had a few wisps of what appears to be red hair, and a good set of lungs.  She isn't feeding well yet so we are working on that and having to supplement with some formula till she gets the hang of it.  Grandpa Wilhelm came to visit today to help daddy try and distract the big brothers.  Lydia and Kaki were here and a great help but have to leave today.  Great Auntie Ann comes in from Canada to help today.  That is where we are today.

Having a baby Monday!

When I went to the doctor today, he said my fluid was down to a 6 and
there were more calcifications on the placenta. Since I will be 36
weeks on Saturday, he said we should just go ahead and have the baby.
So I'm going to the hospital on Monday morning, 5 AM, to be induced!
Doc believes the baby will be ready to go home and not have to go the
NICU; said he thinks she'll weigh about 6 lbs. I'm excited, and a
little nervous. Lydia and Kaki are here now, both planning to leave
Tuesday, so hopefully for their sakes we'll have a baby before they
have to leave. Praise the Lord we made it so far and pray that we'll both do great.

Please pray for Luke and Ben too. They've been very clingy today and I'm not sure why, but there have been a lot of people helping us out by doing many of the things I normally do for them. Besides struggling themselves -- they're wearing out the rest of us with their whining and fighting. I'm sure Greg is tired too, but he's been wonderful to me and the boys.

God is Good!

Things were actually looking up today at my bi-weekly doctor's visit. (Is bi-weekly twice a week or once every two weeks?) AFI (amniotic fluid) was almost at a 9. Means we have at least another week, unless it just goes really downhill between now and Monday. I've been on Spring Break this week, so I haven't done much of anything. Next week, I'm not supposed to go back to work, however, which is good and bad. Got stuff to do and don't need to eat up my sick days, but God is in charge and I feel encouraged. It's hard at times to be in such limbo, and I think Greg is especially feeling it right now. He would LOVE for this all to be fast-forwarded and be OVER.

Today's Preggo News

I guess it's not really BAD news, but kinda feels like it to me. I'm 34 weeks and a couple days. Doc said baby still looks good, but fluid has dropped more. I'm supposed to be getting as much rest as possible and doing fetal kick counts between now and my appointment on Thursday. He said we'll probably be having a baby this weekend or next week. I'm voting for next week or later!

THE Latest

33 weeks, 2 days today. Had another dr. visit today. Amniotic fluid level is basically the same as last Thursday. Went from 6 on Thur. to 7 today. Dr. said to continue what I've been doing (drinking lots of water, restricting activities as much as possible making it my goal to be off my feet for an hour to an hour and a half 3 times a day) and he thinks I'll get another couple weeks out of this pregnancy, which would be great. Dr. said at this point his concern is not to prolong the pregnancy, so I may have avoided the long hospital stay this go around. We'd like to avoid the baby having to be intubated, like Ben was, because Ben's had health issues from that scar tissue. Please pray for that.

I haven't cried yet in his office, but almost did today. I cry when people start to get too nice to me =). He almost "crossed the line" today!

Thanks so much for all your prayers and help. We so much appreciate the food and company (aka, helping with the kids so I can be on the couch =).

Not such a good Update

Well, not such good news today. Baby looks good, but fluid was down today to a 6 (from a 12 on Monday). Nothing else is changing though. I'm just supposed to keep getting lots of fluids and lots of rest.

Good pregnancy news!

Today, my amniotic fluid was back up to a 12 (from a 9 on Friday)! I am trying to thank the Lord for pollen and allergies. My throat was hurting all day yesterday and I know I drank at least four 20 oz. bottles of water. So, now I'm trying to keep up what I did this weekend. Lots of rest and lots of water! Thanks for your prayers.

Newest pregnancy news

The news Friday at the OB doctor was not too good. My amniotic fluid was down a little more, from a 10 to a 9, and the doctor said baby growth may be slowing a little. He sent me to the hospital to get steroid shots yesterday and today for baby lung development, just in case. I will now be visiting the doctor twice a week, with my next visit being on Monday. When I asked him at what fluid level he prescribes bed rest, he said to start to restrict my activities as much as I can, because fluid below a 5 will land me in the hospital again -- not exactly sure what that means -- almost sounds like he was kind of saying it was up to me, but these were the consequences. The week before, he told me to lay down for an hour three times a day. Lyd (my sis who’s a labor and delivery nurse) and my Mom-in-law (nurse as well) agree that I need to keep my stress level as low as possible and get lots of rest, of which kind laying down is better than sitting. If the placenta is the problem, the less work it has to do to keep working properly the better.
Anyway, I'll TRY to keep you posted. I'm planning to try to find some help in the evenings while Greg's at work (Monday through Friday, 3:30pm to 12:30am this week), especially to get through dinner and bed time. Anybody wanna come visit =)?
It's been a little worse this week though, because Ben has been sick (not awful, but a croupy sounding cold/cough) and today it seems that Greg and Luke may be coming down with it. Thankfully, I've been able to avoid it so far.

Pregnancy News

Last Friday at my appointment (31 weeks) everything was still good, but the tone of the appointment felt a little more serious. At this point it’s still just precautionary, but my doc wants me to get off my feet for an hour 3 times a day, avoid heavy housework/physical activity, and make sure I’m getting extra protein. Baby growth was still good, amniotic fluid was still in normal range but down 2 cm from week before. Some fluctuations are normal, so we just don’t want a continuing trend! Pray we cn keep it up!

Hunting rain puddles

Had a lot of fun with my kids the other day, hunting for rain puddles! It's fun now that Ben can walk really well and doesn't have to be pushed in the stroller or carried everywhere we go.

Tree Climbing

Luke climbed his first tree Monday. The weather was GORGEOUS! 64 degrees I believe. He was a little nervous, but Greg helped him. Is there anybody out there that doesn't fondly remember climbing trees during childhood?

24 weeks and Counting

Had a doctor's appointment this morning, and he said everything still looks good! I'm at 24 weeks right now, and amniotic fluid still looks good. I don't remember when it started looking low last time, but I think it was close to 30 weeks. Every time I go, I think, "Will this be the visit when the boom drops?" I go back again in 3 weeks. At that point, I'll have to start going more often, but so far, so good! My doctor is completely comfortable with how things look right now. Praise the Lord!

We can rip off tags now.

Doctor says we're having a girl!

We are exhausted after 2 nights with a sick two year old, but this morning, he has no fever and seems to be fine!

I am also happy to have a day off from work due to "inclement weather." I guess there must be some flooding.

Visiting with the Masons

Aunt Sanny, Uncle John, Irene, and Isaac all came down from Nashville yesterday to visit with us. Lydia came up from Greenville to see them too. We made chicken curry with all the toppings, Mt. Kilimanjaro style, out of my new copy of the Herron/Cobb family cookbook that I got for Christmas. Aunt Sanny brought a delicious strawberry cake with cool whip and Irene made some chocolate cookies. It was yummy and VERY fun!

For any interested: I posted the link for buying the cookbook on the left-hand side of our blog among the links.

It's a girl . . . maybe.

The doctor said today that he THINKS we're having a girl. He said not to rip off any tags yet, though. That would be good news to me -- I want a girl, but it is kind of scary too -- that's a whole new ball game for us!

Sick Kiddos!

Both of our kids are sick. Just colds, but both sounding very croupy, which is not unusual for Ben, but is unusual for Luke. Greg took Ben to the Dr. Thursday morning (Luke was still okay at that point). Apparently his breathing sounded really bad to them, because the lady behind the counter heard Ben cough, and the office just about flew into a frenzy. He hadn't been there 5 minutes when they took them back to a room and got Ben on a nebulizer, which Ben HATED! They made him stay at the office for 2 hours to see if they wanted Ben to go to the hospital or not. They said we should have taken Ben to the ER the night before. Greg felt terrible, of course, but it sounds worse to explain -- "He sounds like this all the time!" They should already know that anyway. I guess we'll know better next time, but this time, we thank the Lord that it wasn't any worse.

Baby's Moving!

Feeling DEFINITE baby movement tonight. Thought I might have felt it before, but tonight, I'm sure!

New Office Digs

I got a new office at work. It's no big deal, but it's been fun to make a change. I am now in an office that looks like an office instead of a closet. It's given me a chance to get a little more organized, which seems to be my boss' special project, for which I'm very appreciative.

Crazy Family

We had an awesome family vacation with my ENTIRE family in Ft. Myers Beach, FL last week. The kids had a great time -- it was a great beach for them, pretty level and wide, with shallow, calm water. The adults had fun too. We could actually let the kids run on their own on the beach while we sat in chairs, which is not a very common occurrence with kids under three. Thanks for the pic, Kaki.

Ego Feeders

Luke just asked for carrots and tomatoes -- for DESSERT! Funny how that's an ego boost for me! =)

Moms Building Cathedrals

I love this. I thought about sending it as an e-mail forward, but e-mail forwards can be a pain, so here it is -- you can read it if you want, and you don't have to move it to your trash afterwards.

The Invisible Mom
by Nicole Johnson
This excerpt is from Nicole Johnson's novel The Invisible Woman (W Publishing Group, 2005). For more information, check out the author's Web site at www.freshbrewedlife.com.

It started to happen gradually …

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?"

"Nobody," he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going … she's going … she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:


* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Puppies gone!

Praise the Lord -- literally -- it was a prayer request -- we have sold all 6 of the puppies. Well, sold and/or traded. We actually traded one for $100 and a brand new Nintendo Wii. Kind of funny, but we're enjoying it!

Just want to save this for later as an archive . . . it's old now, but I'll never remember how to find the website.

Arena (known to self and others) accepting, adaptable, helpful, intelligent	Blind Spot (known only to others) caring, clever, friendly, giving, kind, loving, mature, modest, patient, quiet, relaxed, sentimental, spontaneous, trustworthy, warm, witty
Façade (known only to self) responsive, self-conscious	Unknown (known to nobody) able, bold, brave, calm, cheerful, complex, confident, dependable, dignified, energetic, extroverted, happy, idealistic, independent, ingenious, introverted, knowledgeable, logical, nervous, observant, organised, powerful, proud, reflective, religious, searching, self-assertive, sensible, shy, silly, sympathetic, tense, wise

Dominant Traits

83% of people think that Deares' is caring

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (33%) adaptable (33%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (83%) cheerful (0%) clever (16%) complex (0%) confident (0%) dependable (0%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (50%) giving (33%) happy (0%) helpful (16%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (33%) introverted (0%) kind (33%) knowledgeable (0%) logical (0%) loving (50%) mature (16%) modest (16%) nervous (0%) observant (0%) organised (0%) patient (33%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (16%) reflective (0%) relaxed (16%) religious (0%) responsive (0%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (0%) sentimental (16%) shy (0%) silly (0%) spontaneous (16%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (16%) warm (16%) wise (0%) witty (16%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 31.12.2007, using data from 6 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view Deares''s full data.

Our puppies are getting SO cute!

The four tri-color ones are still for sale and they are so adorable. I ALMOST want to keep them for myself!

Our online ad is here at Puppies for Sale...

Our puppies are almost 5 weeks old!

These are just a couple pictures of the puppies. Check them out at puppyfind.com.

Link to pics of our new hall bath on ratemyspace.hgtv.com

Our new hall bath -- finally some pictures!

Please follow this link to see the recommended page:
http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/SNC/viewitem.aspx?pguid=6db6be3f-1720-4ba3-a081-999042c09b6b&itemGuid=0d89e8cc-9c87-441c-8b59-81e5d8fb7b56

Happy Birthday, Granmama!

New Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies!

We are the proud new owners (for now, anyway) of six brand new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies! They were born this afternoon and they are so tiny and cute. We have 3 tri-color and 1 blenheim female and one of each male. I can’t tell yet if any are smaller than the others, but that will show as they eat and grow, I suppose. We have 6-10 weeks before they leave us to go home with their new owners =(. It’s pretty easy right now while they only nurse for sustenance because Tori cleans up after them. When they start eating puppy food, six cute little puppies will quickly become a pain in the you-know-what and we will actually be happy to get them sold. But for now, they are cute and tiny and sweet!

At the Beach!

DSC03751
Originally uploaded by gregnes99

We just got back from a vacation with Greg's entire family in Charleston, SC. We had a wonderful time with his family. The boys really enjoyed playing with their older cousins and I think Ben's vocabulary doubled because he learned everybody's names.

I also really enjoyed the ocean like I haven't been able to for a while. We were able to float on the waves past the spot where they were breaking. Not only was it very relaxing, but it also reminded me of Mombasa with my Mom. She loved to go out beyond the breaking waves during high tide and just float, and I loved doing that with her and talking. It also reminds me of my friend Rinnie, though too, doing the same thing with her. I also have this vague memory of singing "Lady in Red" out in the Indian Ocean with Rin -- did that really happen?

Our life

We're getting stuff done in our house! But, we had to move out of our
bedroom. Our guest bed feels mighty small, and I've slept some on the top
bunk in Luke's room. I've been feeling like I was missing Greg, so last
night I moved back to the double bed. I was feeling that lack of adult
companionship. I'm actually kind of looking forward to getting back to work
and away from my kids a little! I feel awful saying it, but I know others
feel the same way at times.

Back to our house renovations. We're getting a tub and shower, plus wall, in
our bathroom. The other room with the biggest change is our living room. I
wanted it to be PERFECTLY clean before I took pictures, but unless I wait
until nighttime (bad pictures) it doesn't stay clean long enough for that,
so I just took them anyway.

Next Saturday we are leaving for vacation with Greg's family going close to
Charleston! The day after we get back, I have to start back to work, and my
cousin Clara gets married -- wish we could be there!

Summer is also birthday central in our world. For Greg's birthday we had a
little party, where I tried to invite people Greg would want, which included
Xavier and Kara. We need to do more with them. Timmy's birthday was last
week. Then, my birthday comes soon (although, it can stop if it wants) and
then Peter and Luke in September -- I can't believe Luke'll be three soon!
Heather and Matt have July and August birthdays too.

I just wanted to have future record of this. . .

I copied this off of Lydia's old blog:

Monday, January 08, 2007
Pray For My New Nephew- Benjamin
I am mainly writing now to ask for your prayers for my little nephew. He was born today by cesarean section. He is my sister's second boy. He is premature so he is having a hard time breathing and has been put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Please pray that he will be able to breath enough on his own so that they do not have to put him on a breathing machine. Also pray that he stays healthy and does not get any infection, because when babies are that little its very easy for them to get sick. My sister has been in the hospital on bed rest since Dec. 20th so its been a stressful time for the whole family. And because Benjamin is in the NICU Esther does not get to see him or hold him.

Friday, January 12, 2007
Update on Benjamin
Here are a few pictures of Ben. This first one is of him on the breathing machine they have him on right now.

This one is of him just on oxygen, when he looked the best. This is what we want him to be on :) He looks so much more comfortable.

Ben is still doing about the same. They ended up having to put him on a respirator for 24hrs but then they were able to take it off. He did fine without any machines for about 6hrs but now they have him back on a partially assisted breathing machine. The doctors are still being positive about the situation and saying he may be able to come home next week. So please keep praying. Esther came home today so that has been good, but its also hard for her to leave Ben in the hospital.

Jan. 24, 2007
I can thankfully say that little Benjamin is home and healthy. He has been home for about a week, after a ten day stay in the NICU. I left before he came home, but I did get to hold him a couple times in the hospital. He is so small...was 5lbs 2oz and now he is 5lbs 6oz. I will post a picture from the hospital. He is still having a harder time controlling his body temperature so you can keep praying that will be stable. Esther has to check it about 4 times a day to make sure he is staying warm, but that's nothing compared to the problems he was having two weeks ago:)

Puppy Needs a Home

Puppy at 10 weeks old.

Tori (dame; blenheim) and Kaiser (sire; tri-color)

We still have one puppy left. I think he’s 14 weeks old now. At this point, we just need to find a home for him, so we’re offering to give him to anybody we know that wants him. (If we don’t know you, we’ll have to charge $100 to make sure you’re serious about wanting him and will take care of him.) That’s a really good deal – he’s a $1000 dog! E-mail us if you need more info, or leave a comment.

He’s mostly black with tan and white on him too. He’s a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that is ready to be registered CKC. He has been to the vet three times and got all his puppy shots/deworming. He’ll weigh about 20 pounds full grown (Dad weighs 22, Mom weighs 18). He doesn’t bark. His breed and his parents are great with kids, aren’t yippy dogs even though they are small, and just love to cuddle on the couch with us whenever they can. As far as I’m concerned, their only downfall is that they shed.