All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.......

Thanksgiving Weekend

Hi!  It's been awhile since I have blogged!  I guess I needed a break and was just a little busy the month of September.  Then October rolled around and it was still busy.  Now I can't believe it is the end of November!!

Some things that have happened since I last blogged:  

• Nathan turned 13!
• Our friends, Mike & Michelle, had their beautiful baby girl, Tenley!
• Karli turned 5!
• Kelsi turned 8!
• Nathan's arm healed and he got to play the last football game of the season!
• Rob and I drove to NE to be with my mom during her heart valve replacement surgery.  (That went so smoothly)
• School, school, and more school!
• I turned 39! (Don't feel it one bit!)
• Flew to NE to help my mom.  We enjoyed visiting, sleeping, reading, and I cleaned!
• Everyday life!

I was so ready for this extended weekend!  We planned to stay home and just relax.  Yesterday we enjoyed our Thanksgiving Day at The Blucker's!  Rob made the turkey on the big green egg and his mom made all the trimmings!  It was very yummy!  After ALL of the dishes were taken care of (there were 17 total this year) we played Wits & Wagers and then the famous Shanghai Rummy!  I won!  :)  They weren't very happy with me.

Today we slept in and I tried to organize and do laundry most of the day!  How fun! :(  The girls had fun playing though.  They dressed up and did ballerina most of the afternoon.  Then Kelsi, my little homemaker, wanted to make a snack that she had found in her new magazine, Sparkle.  She is constantly creating or wanting to cook!  It drives me crazy but I know that I need to let her drag all of her crafts out or make a mess in the kitchen!

Side note:  Recently she made a picture for Nathan.  It had a picture of him all dressed up, titled "Princess Nathan".  :)  We saved it!

 

Love the look!

Making sure to follow the directions!

Karli is waiting patiently!  

 Taadaa!  The finished product!  She was so proud.

The simplest things that make your heart sing!

Humerus!

Here is my boy! Last Monday he had a football accident. He fell and jammed his arm. We thought it was nothing and told him to suck it up!! He would be okay after icing it. Well..... after two days of letting it hang and not using it we thought we better go see the doctor.

Our family doctor took an x-ray and told us we better see an orthopedic doctor. He said it didn't look too good, he was worried that it may have damaged the growth plate. So we decided to see the orthopedic doc. that also saw Nathan when he broke his leg.

We were a little worried. The family doc. said he could have permanent damage and not be able to fully stretch his arm. Right away we told our family and friends to pray that it was not the growth plate. To pray for quick healing!

Guess what??!!! Rob and Nate went to Doc. Ware today and he told him he broke his humerus!!! Thank you, Jesus!!!

Nate broke it close to the elbow, where the arm turns from bone to cartilage. Doc. Ware put a splint on him and said to come back in 2 weeks. It should be healed and he might be able to play football yet this year!!! I'm not so sure about the playing football yet!

GOD IS GOOD!!

Here are the Details!

Monday, August 23 I was on my way home from school (New Paris) on CR 142 (going west) to pick up Karli from the babysitter's in Waky. I was coming up on CR 15 where there are some trees and a house right at the corner, along with a stop sign for traffic on 15. All of the sudden I see this white F150 truck speeding through the intersection (going south) as I was right there. I remember saying oh no and locking my arms. Then the next second the airbag exploded and I could see nothing. I remember slamming on the brakes at some point and just not being able to stop. (The skid marks are after the impact.)

Here is a picture of her truck.

The next thing I knew my Toyota Highlander was on the wrong side of the road in a corn field. The neighbors came down to help. I had my cell phone right beside me and called 911. I was pretty shaken up and could not remember where I was. Some other calls must have come in and she suggested the road I was on and then I remembered.

Steam/smoke was coming out of the car so I wanted to get out! But the door was jammed. The neighbor helped pry it open for me. Finally he got me out and I called Rob right away. I felt ok. I felt a little pain in my hip, neck, and shoulders but nothing major. I was up walking around. The other ladies truck was on the other road in the corn so I could not see it from where my car landed. She came over and apologized right away wondering if everything was okay. She told me she did not see the stop sign at all!! She had three children with her, one of them was taken to the hospital because of a cut on his head.

Rob happened to be on his way to the Goshen hospital to see his uncle who happened to be in critical condition due to an infection. He got there soon after the cop and ambulance. So we just stood around while they got all the information.

It is a miracle that neither of us were injured badly! We were both driving around 55- 60 mph!! I hit her right in the bed of her truck, just behind the wheel. We think that the highlander is totaled but are waiting to hear from their insurance. You should have seen all the debris on the ground. Rob said that it is because the vehicle is made to absorb all the shock. I think we would get another highlander, even though it got a bad rap last year!

I am just amazed that I am still here today! It is a miracle!

It was a very difficult day, though. Nathan came home injured from football practice. He jammed his arm as he fell and he couldn't move it. I took him with me to the doctor Wed. and now we have to go to an orthopedic doctor next week.

Then that night, Monday, we got a phone call that Gene, Rob's uncle, passed away. He had parkinson's disease and had surgery to help his shaking two weeks earlier. Somehow he got an infection and just went downhill very quickly. I wish Rob could have seen him before he was gone. We had the viewing and funeral this week.

Through all of this you stop and think about what could have happened. I am so thankful for what I have, too often I am unsatisfied and want what others have. I am just reminded how quickly it can all be taken away. I need to make every moment count! God has me here for a reason and I need to be more aware of my impact here. I have been a little too caught up in the busyness of life and the things I want. What is really important?? I think my relationship with God and the others in my life!

Chanelle had a bad day!

School Days

School has begun! Where did the summer go???

Nate is in 7th grade this year and Kelsi in 2nd. (Karli still goes to Lorene's.)

Nate was very groggy in the morning but Kelsi popped right out of bed, got ready and came running out into the kitchen all smiles. Here is our first day of school picture.

It was a great day! Kelsi came home saying that 2nd grade is AWESOME! Nate was even telling us how he liked all of his teachers. Looking forward to a great year!!

Tradition

It is a tradition here that we always take our "school-age" kids somewhere fun right before school starts. In the past Rob has taken Nate to nearby water parks. Then when Kelsi started school it stormed the day they had planned to go so they went to a movie. This year we went to Cedar Point!! It was a blast. I got some pictures as the day started out but then it poured while we were there and my camera stayed in my bag.

Nate being goofy at Bob Evans. He LOVES pie! Mmmm pie!

Kelsi loves hot chocolate!

This was the first ride we went on, The Iron Dragon. Kelsi loved it! Her and I went on it many times while Rob and Nate went on the scarier rides.

Nate made me go on this ride! As we went up, I stared straight ahead. I knew if I looked down I would freak out! As it thrust us down from the top, Nate informed me that I screamed like a little baby. I hated it but loved it!

We had so much fun and can't wait to go back next year! (Maybe we will go again for Nate's birthday in a couple weeks!!)

Summer has been busy! Here are some pictures to get you caught up.

Kelsi and Karli had swimming lessons.

Did a little fishing. Kelsi was the lucky one!

Nathan making us laugh!

I am taking a nine week photography class on line, The Photography Workshop by Karen Russell. I am loving it and learning some awesome stuff!

Our little helper likes to go to Grandma's house and help her with all kinds of things since her back surgery. She spent the day doing laundry and garden stuff.

Karli learning to ride her bike without training wheels.

Rob got to ride in a helicopter, right in our back yard!

My mom and dad took the grandkids camping, a yearly tradition. So Rob and I spent a few days in Chicago. We went to Taste of Chicago, road on an architectural boat tour, and did lots and lots of walking!

We had a few days until the kids came home so we got a few projects done.

Kelsi went to Grandparent's Camp with my mom in Ohio, while Nathan went to Ohio to stay with his cousins.

And... Karli got her tonsils out!!

Registered at 7:15.

Waited....

and waited....

10:00 went into surgery

11:30 out of surgery and sleeping

4:00 ready to go home!

Ice pack on her neck, popsicle stained mouth, and ice cream bear in the background. She has been a trooper.

The other two come home tomorrow and only 3 1/2 more weeks until school starts! Not ready!

Father's Day Weekend

The start of the weekend we had a fun Small Group pool party at Jeremy & Jesse's house. Well... we got some swimming in before the storms hit (the first weekend of the storms, that is!) I wanted to go in the basement but Jesse thought I was nuts! ;) Here are a few shots of the kids.

Kelsi & Karli

Ali & Kara

All the girls!

Seth & Nate (all the boys!)

This is when we should have been in the basement!

This isn't the best shot but I loved how Seth had Nate in a nose lock.

We ended up leaving soon after the storm went through because we knew our electric was out. Thankfully, our electric came on the next day around 10 a.m.

Father's Day - Rob did something fatherly! He and Nate went out and did some shooting. Then, who showed up??? The "City Slickers"! Our nephews, Jordan and Niall!!! They were all in heaven??

Niall was a natural!

Jordan....... not so much! :)

But that is okay because Jordan wants to be a youth pastor and Niall wants to be a cop!

This picture below, Jordan did nail that one! You can see it blasting apart in the sky! He was so proud.

Here are all three of the boys shooting against each other.

Then Rob got out the handgun. Scary! But look how cool my picture is!! You can see the smoke! Look at Niall's face, he is smiling!

The other kiddos!

This one couldn't handle the noise! :)

Then the cops came!!! Guess the neighbors didn't like the noise. :(

Just kidding. It was only Rob's cousin, Curtis.

Boys will be boys!!