And the greatest of these is Love...

third birthday party

2011-09-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

I know this is really late but better late then never right?!

Birthday Theme: Hello Kitty

Juju's Favorite Colors: Pink, Purple and Green

Favorite Song: Jesus Loves Me and singing at the top of her lungs!

Favorite Activities: swimming, playing outside, mothering her babies, loving up her brother, playing with cousins and shopping with mom.

Trying to get a "normal" picture from this kid...I wasn't too successful.

Some of the little girlies eating their "cupcapes" together

Squeezes for my boy!

first day...

2011-09-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

...of preschool for this girl started the end of August.

To say she LOVES it would be an understatement.

She walked in on the first day and dropped her bag at her teachers feet and headed right for the toys. We immediately had an etiquette discussion as to how we are to behave and hang up our own bag!

To get this girl to stand still for a picture was like nailing jello to the wall!

She's a sweet (and sometimes sassy) bundle of energy!

Super excited about her new "for preschool only" hello kitty backpack and asked me to take a picture of her wearing it.

Pretty sure this girl will be one that loves staying busy with school activities from the looks of it!

little home

2011-09-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

has gotten an update!

new roof, paint and shutters all within about 3 months this summer.

LOVE IT!

Too bad we didn't have it painted over four years ago when we first moved in and could enjoy it all this time. Ryan Dirks painted it and it looks AWESOME!!! He did such a great job!

For those of you that don't know, we listed our house on the market back in July and it's still on the market. The housing market is horrible right now and we're busting at the seams with four people in a two bedroom home! We are continually learning to trust God through this and it will sell if that's what He wants for us!

three

2011-07-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

THREE

Don't talk to strangers,

You must comprehend;

I give you a warning,

Not all grown-ups are friends.

I teach you about manners,

And when to be polite,

But I also enlighten you

When saying "no" is alright.

You discover responsibility,

You master a first chore;

You learn to put your toys away

That are left on the floor.

When a bad mood

comes into play,

Mr. Grouch is invented

so you can throw it away.

Once in a while

You are out of control,

Three minutes of solitude

Takes on a role.

Your personality blossoms

More and more each day;

I like who you are

And all that you say.

from: I Liked You at Ten, I'll Like You Again

~Taylor Copeland

one, two

Your heart is so big and overflowing for your brother Julia,

You get so excited you can't contain yourself but you don't know what to do with all that excitement!

~You are an awesome big sis to Jax and such a good job helping mom and dad care for him.

~Your personality has blossomed the past year and your love for Jesus has grown deeper.

~You sing "Happy bird-day dear Dod-Desus (God-Jesus)" almost on a weekly basis and burst into songs about Jesus and his love for us.

~Your child-like faith is a reminder to me, my faith and relationship with God.

~You always have a baby with you calling her sweetheart, honey, darling and giving many loves and kisses on a daily basis.

~You are always so active and busy.

~You like to know how things work and are beyond estatic to start pre-school in a few weeks and go to cubbies this fall.

Praying you continue to develop a love for life and a heart after God's.

Love you lots sweet girl!

6 years

2011-07-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

sorry about the shadows, our scanner won't scan so I did it the

high performance way and took pictures of the pictures!

Wedding Day July 16th, 2005

who knew that a year to the date, after this picture was taken we would be walking down the aisle

highschool, senior year 2004

the three below are some of my favorites-our engagement photos taken by a french couple from Canada during the bethel college photography workshops

some of my favorites

2011-06-30T18:18:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorite pictures right now.

Enjoy!

twenty-five

2011-05-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

The love of my life turned 25 on April 23rd. Whoa. We've been married almost 6 years and have been together for about 12 years. God knew just who I needed as my life mate!

This is the night we got engaged...Jeremy played college basketball and he had had a pretty rough practice and threw up four times that night before proposing. Even though he was exhausted I'd never seen him smile so big for so long!!!

Engagement picture...one of my favorites!

Who would have thought that we would be where we are today with two precious kids. I wouldn't want to travel this journey called life with any one else but you!

(Picture was taken Mother's day after Jaxon's dediation...such a special mother's day!)

a little behind...

2011-05-04T20:51:00.003-05:00

I'm just slightly behind in blogging due to life, but better late then never right?!

Newborn: February 22nd, 2011

1 Month: March 22nd, 2011

2 Months: April 22nd, 2011

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It's gone even faster with Jaxon then it did when Julia was this age. I've been busy loving being a stay at home mom-which will only last one more week :-(

Could you please pray for me these next couple of weeks. I'm starting to have a very hard time with the idea that everything is going to change again next week and it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest again (like it was when I had to go back to work after I had Julia). Our family time will be less, my one on one time with each of the kids will be less, my social time with friends and family will be cut back, my stress level will go up about 75%. All of the above sounds so negative. I hate sounding negative. I need to consistently remind myself that atleast God has provided me with a job to return to. That I have a job I love 95% of the time and have awesome co-workers and usually a pretty flexible schedule. Sunday's message hit me right where I needed it. It was about allowing God to use me for His glory. I am in a job that helps people transition through the process of death and dying. Not many people have this opportunity and I should be grateful for the position God has put me in to use me for Him. I just need to remember to let Him shine through me and be active in looking for ways to glorify Him.

"cool dude"

2011-04-19T13:30:00.002-05:00

So when Jaxon was 5 days old he was hospitalized for a very high bilirubin level. He had two bili lights on him...one on whatever side he was laying on and then a great big one that just sits over him. To prevent eye damage they put these little shades on to protect him.

He looked super cute...but those were a pretty expensive way to have to get some cool shades like that!

Jaxon Troy...

2011-03-23T15:20:00.006-05:00

Was born Tuesday February 22nd at 12:09pm

weighing 9lbs 1.6oz and was 21" long!

BIG boy!

Three Generations

Kristi was my nurse for Jaxon and also when I had Julia. She is AWESOME! One of the many great nurses at the hospital that I had my babies at. She's extra special to us though because of being my nurse for both of our kids and a sweet friend!
He's so snuggly!

I've been HORRIBLE at blogging...obviously since this is the first post of the YEAR! Good honk! Things didn't do as planned after Jaxon and I came home. Between the two of us (him for jaundice and me for a post delivery infection) we spent exactly 14 days in the hospital after Jaxon was born. Things are starting to become a little more normal now as we've been home and are settling into a routine. I'm LOVING being home with my precious kiddos and my heart is already breaking for when I have to go back to work in May. I'm trying so hard not to focus on having to go back to work but soaking up these sweet little ones!

December 2010

2010-12-31T15:40:00.023-06:00

wow. what a whirlwind this month has been.

a pottery class with my co-workers

a work "progressive supper"

2 work Christmas parties

1 Christmas program

family get togethers

a HUGE suprise visit from my cousin from Africa!!!

a growing baby boy

and a little girl who is soaking up Christmas...a BIG difference from last year to this year with her!

Here are some pictures of this past month.

Trying on glasses with mommy

we spend LOTS of time reading to all our babies and dollies around here.

Setting new trends this winter.

sorry folks, but this is the best one I could get Christmas morning.

a new ladybug beanbag to go with all the new books to read!

~~~~~~~~

We had to cancel two of our family Christmas's due to multiple people having the flu. Both have been rescheduled and both of them are tonight. One is 10 minutes away and the other 3 hours. I'm on call this weekend (and feeling hugely pregnant) so we'll be going to Jeremy's family Christmas. My family is having the last Christmas up on the farm tonight. That's the farm my dad grew up on. My brother, sister in-law, nephews and niece are moving down to our area in January as my brother transfered from one job to another within the same company. We are SUPER SUPER excited to have them closer but know this move will be very difficult for them. We'll miss celebrating Christmas with you all!

~~~~~~~~

It's unbelieveble how fast time is going, especially this month. 8 weeks or less and we'll be meeting our little guy. So excited for this new chapter but so nervous for all the adjustments at the same time.

~~~~~~~~

At Christmas on my mom's side I walked into my Aunt's kitchen to see my cousin Mel standing there. She was in Africa last I knew!!! I was sooooo completely estatic to see her (and her husband JJ too!). I got to spend Christmas Eve during the day drinking coco and shopping down town with her. We had an absolute blast! Oh how I've missed her so much. I'm blessed by the work her and JJ are doing in Africa and am sooo incredibly thankful to get to spend so much time with her this Christmas!

~~~~~~~~

Christmas weekend I helped another co-worker out and attended a death of a patient. My Christmas prospective was instantly changed unexpectedly. Two of the deaths that weekend were patients that had proclaimed faith and salvation in Jesus Christ, who knew they were going to heaven. The part that touched me the most is that one family member said their loved one is having the best Christmas ever...they're standing in the presence of the one who created the world, who sent a tiny baby to earth and who would later die for us, so that we may have eternal life with Him. wow. I haven't been able to get that out of my head. So true. What this person said, I already knew. But it was the timing and significance of it...on Christmas weekend that jolted me. And what an outlook and perspective this person had about the death of their loved one. Pretty powerful, to me anyways.

~~~~~~~~

Hope you all have a safe and happy new year! We're looking forward to what God has in store for us in 2011 and are thankful for all that He has brought us through in 2010.

the winner

2010-12-08T18:00:00.002-06:00

is number 2!

Those were one of my favorites from the get go but I kept trying some on and then made my selection harder. Don't have them yet but hopefully before the holidays I'll get them.

Thanks so much for your help in deciding!

happy wednesday!

HeLp!!!

2010-12-06T18:57:00.005-06:00

Help me!!!

I'm picking out new frames and have 6 different pairs to choose from.

The ones below are my current pair.

What do you think my style is?

1. Pink with brown in the center.

Sideview
2. These are deep purple with etching and some sparkles on the side.

3. Black withlight pink around the edges and on the back.

4. Black with a purple flower/rose on both sides of the frame

5. Brown with teal edging and on the inner side of them.

6. Brown with a flower/rose on both sides of the frame

(these are the exact same as the black ones above)

What's your opinion?

family pictures at Thanksgiving

2010-12-03T19:51:00.003-06:00

These pictures are pretty much self explanatory for all the chaos and fun we had at Thankgiving this year. Our whole famly hadn't been together all at the same time in over 10 years!

Soooooo much fun!

oh the things you say...

2010-11-23T20:53:00.009-06:00

You are a ham Julia Jane. We never know what's gonna come out your mouth and have learned quickly over the past 6 months that you have become "peat and repeat".

Some things I don't want to forget that you say or do frequently:

You talk to your toes. Your usual conversation with them is: "Hi toes! How are you? Good toes? I'm glad!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Praise da Lord!"
out of the blue while playing you come over to one of us and say "I wauve (love) you!"
"I need a wuave"
We wake up in the morning to you singing "Happy Birdday (birthday)!" in your crib at the top of your lungs.
"I need a sticker, honey."
"oh goodness"
"Skunnay skool!" (Sunday school)
"I need my big girls" (I need my pull-ups)
"yaadybug" (ladybug)
"Be bery careful with baby brodher"
"Where is baby brodher?!"
"SQUEEZE baby brodher!"

You are so loving and full of life. Even though it's challenging at times (ok a lot of times) I love how God gave you so much character. We see your heart growing and changing already when you talk about Jesus and we pray you become a woman after God's heart.

You're not physically a baby anymore, you're growing into a little girl...but you'll always be my baby (I understand what a mother means when they say that now that I am one).

Love you sweet girl!

(hair do compliments of your father)

sono results

2010-11-08T20:01:00.005-06:00

Today has seemed like such a looooong day.

Not sure why, it just has.

We are overwhelmed beyond words for God's love, grace and protection/health of our little boy.

During the sono this morning they still found the same spot that was seen at the previous sono. We saw it this time too, last time we couldn't see anything wrong.

Today it was obvious. There was a little white spot on the screen after his little left ventricle pumps. As the doctor spent quite a bit of time looking him over, head to toe, all his little organs and looking for any other markers that would indicate any chromosomal defects (i.e. down syndrome-which doesn't run in either side of our families but with a heart marker like they saw, that can be an indication of down syndrome) he feels that what is going on in his heart will heal itself and there won't be a need to deliver in Wichita or Kansas Ciy and no need for any surgery. By birth the spot they're seeing now will mostly like be non-existant and he probably won't need a sono of his heart after birth unless the pediatrician hears something abnormal. He offered us the option of having an amniocentesis done in the office today to have a full genetic panel done. We declined since there is a 1 in 200 chance of miscarrying after an amnio is done...and the thought of a needle going into my abdomen, through my skin, muslces, uterus and then being so close to my baby and putting him at a harmful risk didn't sound too appealing to us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We knew delivering in Wichita might be an option but had no idea KC would be.

The doctor said that some women he's seen, he has to send over to KC because the babies need a neonatal heart surgeon immediately after birth which there isn't one here in Wichita.

After hearing that, we feel beyond blessed for such a healthy baby.

We've become more excited throughout today and will hopefully enjoy the rest of the pregnancy a lot more then we have been the past month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just can't wrap my brain around how gracious our God is.

How such a heavy burden has been lifted from our chests.

That a situation that could have been so scary and harmful has seemed to be improved and how drawn to God I feel. When we got in the car after the appointment and were driving home how perfect it was that every song, the whole way home, had a theme to it that God has created all things and how deserving of my praise's He is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My personal goal is to continue to grow deeper with God through His word, frequent communication (prayer) and finding ways to actively praise God for big and small blessings on a daily basis. Thank you SOOO much for all of your prayers and encouraging notes with verses to help us. We are a part of an amazing body of Christ and have witnessed HIS hands and feet the past several weeks! Bless you!

A Pink Butterfly and News

2010-11-05T14:09:00.004-05:00

Juju was a "flutter-bye" for halloween. We made four stops that evening and she came home with way more then enough candy for the rest of the year! Not joking.

I tried to get her to sit still next to the pumpkins but she is constantly on the go...sorry for the blurry pictures. She was so excited!

She told the pumpkin, "I wuve you punkin"

We ended the evening at my Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Ledean's house. Cousin Addy was there and Juju LOVES Addy (and Tresa too!). Thanks for playing with Julia Addy!

Update on Baby Boy Ekeland: Can't believe it's been a month already! Things have started to move way faster then expected. We found out more what they saw in baby boy's heart at the last sonogram. It has to do with his cordinea tendineae in his left ventricle. Cordinea tendineae are what help "operate" the vavle and keep it closed tight after blood passes through. My doctor is sending me to a high risk pregnancy doctor in Wichita who will do the sono. The Wichita office called yesterday after my appointment and scheduled me for next week. We were planning to have to wait for 4-6 weeks yet! We're both nervous for Monday to come but at the same time are a little relieved that we will get to see our babe again and will know sooner what's going on. The two biggest things we'll be finding out at this appointment is:

1. If they see anything, what are the possible long term effects after birth

2. If it's safe for us to deliver here in Newton or if we'll have to go to Wichita.

We're still praying that whatever it is has healed itself by now or will heal itself as he grows and there won't be a need for surgery. My doctor did indicate yesterday that with the other information from my sono he's obtained it's not as "scary" as what we first thought which is a huge relief for us. We're still nervous but know that he is in God's hands and worrying won't change the outcome so we try not to let ourselves (myself mainly) get worked up about it.

Thank you for those of you who have been praying for us. We feel we've been drawn closer to one another and God and both desire to lean on Him to meet all our needs. Not saying leaning is easy, but the fact that we desire Him more and are releasing our "need for control" over our concerns has brought us to a deeper level in our faith.

Ending on a happy note my sister is getting married tomorrow. I'll post pictures next week, it'll be a wild time with an expected 45 kids running around!

We found out we're having a...

2010-10-08T19:53:00.007-05:00

...sweet baby boy in February!

We are so excited and feel blessed beyond words.

Jeremy was able to make it to the sonogram with me yesterday

afternoon which made me SOOOOO excited!

It was sooooo evident it was a boy!

~~~~~

I LOVE seeing my baby through a sonogram.

The skeletal system is so defined.

You can see each little, individual disc that connects to another one

forming the chain of his spine.

His little tongue was moving in and out of his mouth

and he kept putting his little fingers in his mouth.

He flexed his muscles for us and we saw the outline of his little arms and legs.

His little heart beat steadily and there were 4 chambers in it.

It's hard to wrap your mind around how tiny they really are.

~~~~~

After my sono I went to see my OB doctor to hear the report.

Jeremy had to get back to work by now so I went to this appointment alone.

This is nothing out of the ordinary, going to an appointment alone,

I thought that our baby looked so perfect and there

would be nothing "out of the norm" to report.

When my doctor's assistant came in she told me that they found two

abnormalities in his little heart. Two spots in his left ventricle.

My sweet baby boy's heart is no longer perfect like I thought it seemed to be.

They aren't able to tell yet what these abnormalities are foresure so the first part of December we will be sent to have a fetal cardio-echo-gram (a high tech sono) done with a pediatric cardiologist right their reading the sono. This will determine what is wrong and how this will affect him (long or short term),

the delivery and care after he is born.

They didn't say that it's not nothing so they've indicated that it is something.

They aren't able to tell at this point if this is something he will grow out of or medication or surgery for him will be required.

~~~~~

My heart aches at the unknown.

Waiting two months to find out what is wrong will be hard. extremely hard.

I feel helpless for my little baby boy but not hopeless.

God's hand is in this situation and this we are 200%

positive that God has a purpose.

We have placed baby boy Ekeland in God's hands completely.

That is something that I find myself doing over and over throughout the day.

My brain and emotions are exhausted tonight from going to work today and fighting back the worry about the little one inside me.

I have to keep on moving through the day even though I just want to make time stop and hit a fast forward button to hurry up and get to the outcome of what this could be.

We would love for his little heart to heal between now and the sono and that they wouldn't be able find anything wrong.

~~~~~

We feel God drawing us closer to Him already as a couple and a family and

we're praying that God's hand of healing will be on our baby and

ultimately HIS will will be done.

~~~

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

Prayers Requests:

*for growth and strength for baby Ekeland

*that Jeremy and I would release all fears and worries, continually, to God

*for our families as some of them are having a difficult time with the unknown results at this point (as Jeremy and I are too).

pickin' pun'kins

2010-10-03T16:30:00.002-05:00

This was our first year going to a pumpkin patch. Julia had a BLAST!!!

The weather was absolutely beautiful and I found out that the sweet nurse I use to work with and who was my labor nurse when I had Julia owns the pumpkin farm! We went to Papa's Pumpkin Patch out north of town close to Goessel.

Julia loved helping pick out the "pun'kins" and loved the maize of the patch

(even though every other step she took a tumble!)
The corn was her favorite part, she played and played and played and didn't want to leave. Poor girl, atleast she settled down when we gave her some bar-b-q chips.

I'll post pictures of all the pumpkins we got later.

I highly recommend Papa's Pumpkin Patch, the admission is free, the pumpkins are VERY reasonable and the owner is pretty sweet too! Thanks for the fun afternoon Kristi!

family reunion 2010-labor day weekend

2010-09-06T08:24:00.005-05:00

My mom's side of the family has a reunion every 2 years and this was the year.

Here's my family...everyone. That's kind of weird that we got everyone in the same picture. Doesn't happen often since we're all kinda spread out.

back row: Aaron (soon to be brother in-law), my dad-Greg, hubby,
brother Brandon and brother Devan holding Kinsey.
front row: sister Marla, my mom-Joy, me, SIL Shelly, SIL Katrina
Kids on laps: Garrett, Gavin, Juju, Carter, Clara, Macie, Ethan

two.

2010-07-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

TWO

your world is enlarging,

there's so much to see;

the zoo and the park and the beach

are just three.

~~~

I'm here to protect you,

to keep you in sight:

your being safe

is my ongoing plight.

~~~

fascination erupts

you crave to learn;

I use lots of sunblock

so you won't burn.

~~~

not always aware

of why you're told "no",

you are continually testing

and on the go.

~~~

when we go shopping

I mist advise,

"we look not with our hands,

but look with our eyes."

~~~

the terrible twos

are thought of with dread,

but I say you're inquisitive

and just want to be led.

~~~

~ From: I'll like you at ten, I'll like you again.

Oh sweet Julia, our home has been Blessed beyond anything we could imagine.

What a precious gift you are.

I watch you in awe some days as you learn so many new things.

~~~~~~~~

Some of your favorite things I want to remember at this age are:

you LOVE swimming

you sing and dance to any beat

bath time is a highlight of your day

you're VERY independent...your daddy says you get that from me :-)

you always have to be doing something, you can't sit still for long

you are very cuddly and love to rock at bedtime

you nurture your babies and dollies

you give LOTS of hugs and kisses

you LOVE car rides and going "bye bye"

you are already a people person-you love LoVe LOVE to be around people!

We love you Julia Jane!

Happy Birthday!

five years

2010-07-16T07:09:00.004-05:00

Five years ago today, I married my best friend.

I thought I knew what it meant to love you then Jeremy,

but every year my love toward you grows deeper.

We been together through some pretty hard times

and some pretty amazing, fun life experiences.

I love how you tell me that "you're my kind of pretty",

and that you always know how to make a bad day better.

I know I've told you this before but God knew exactly what he was doing when He brought us together. I love you babe and wouldn't trade what we have now for anything in the world.

Happy Anniversary!

new life.

2010-07-11T14:25:00.009-05:00

You created my inmost being,

you knit me together in my mother's womb,

I praise you because I am fearfully and

wonderfully made;

Psalm 139:13-14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are excitedly awaiting the arrival of a new little Blessing and life into our home next Febuary! God is so good and His love and mercy never fail us.

way up high

2010-07-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

This little girl LOVES to be thrown in the air!

mmmm.....pickles!

2010-06-26T14:13:00.005-05:00

I've pickled my first batch of cucumbers today.

This is Jeremy's grandma's recipe...definitely a whole family favorite on the Ekeland side.

You will need: Canning salt

Apple Cider Vinegar

Red Pepper Flakes (if you like pickles with a kick)

You'll also need dill and wide mouth canning jars.

Before I set everything up I wash the cucumbers and then put them in a bowl or the sink in ice water.

While the cucs chill (for about an hour) I set up all my jars, take the lids off and fill them with dill, red pepper flakes and a few of them I put in sliced jalapenos for really hot pickles.

I don't sterilze the jars or lids because that process is taken care of during the heating process in the oven.

I then put the cucumbers into the jars. 3-4 will fit in each jar depending on the size of the cucumbers.

After the cucumbers are in the jars I make the brine which is:

2 pints water

1 pint applecider vinegar
1/4 cup canning salt.

btw 1 pint is 2 cups of water...just incase you were wondering...I had to look it up today! :-)
Heat brine to just about boiling (and making sure salt is disolved) and then pour over pickles in jars.

Above amounts of ingredients will be enough for 3 large wide mouth jars.

Place lids on as tight as possible and place in cold oven.

Once jars are in oven like above picture turn oven on to 225 degrees.

Leave jars in oven for one hour and take out immediately.

Then after they cool just store in a cool dry place.

Enjoy!!!

desitin.

2010-06-18T21:16:00.002-05:00

Somebody was just a little scared they were in a lot of trouble for getting into the desitin. We won't tell her that I thought it was funny at first, until I had to scrub hard to get the greasy mess out of her hair.

first one of the season.

2010-06-18T21:09:00.002-05:00

You may think this is corny...blogging about a cucumber, but I was so excited this evening when I went out and found this.

It's our first cucumber of the season out of our garden. It's a pickling cucumber and it's HUGE! About 7 inches long and 4cm in diameter. If they all come up like this, pickling could be a challenge.
Jeremy's grandma Mable has the absolute best pickling recipe. She's an amazing cook and has so much experience as she lived pretty much her whole life on a farm and gardening in the summer was their whole livelyhood to survive in the North Dakota winters.

So excited when more come in and we can start canning!

June 5, 2010

2010-06-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

On June 5th, 2010 we welcomed Carmen Goering to our family!

Addy's prayers were answered and she now has a Mommy.

A year ago Addy started asking her Sunday school teachers to pray for a mommy for her.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, especially these!

The mother's (my Aunt Carolyn is on the right) lighting candles.
Addy and Tresa

Carmen coming down the isle

Congratulations Jason and Carmen! You had a beautiful, meaningful celebration.

We hope you had a wonderful time in Jamaica!!!

2010-05-22T13:27:00.002-05:00

I've become a big helper while mom makes supper.

I get soaked, but I don't mind!

failed.

2010-05-17T20:30:00.005-05:00

I feel like I have failed tonight at the wife and mommy thing.

as a result of thousands of ants starting to fall through the light fixtures over the kitchen sink, I have had a short fuse.

I don't like it when this happens.

I feel all out of sorts.

not myself.

Bless my husband.
he got rid of the ants as best as possible.
he has taken over Julia's bath time...that was not going well.
she was just trying to have fun and splash.
I need to relax on my "clean" and "perfectionistic" side.
it's ok to make fun messes sometimes Jennalee.

Julia is going to another sitter (other then my mom) for two days a week.
That starts tomorrow.
I think I'm pretty nervous about it.

The pest control guy is coming Wednesday.
This week will get better.
God is totally and completely incontrol.

I'm just venting.
I feel better now.

peek.

2010-05-09T18:34:00.003-05:00

24

2010-04-23T15:49:00.002-05:00

Today this sweet man, who God knew I needed him and he needed me, turns 24 today.

You have been the greatest blessing to me for the past 11 years and are a

hardworking provider for our little family.

I love you forever and ever babe!

footsteps in the night...

2010-04-18T13:48:00.004-05:00

Thursday night about 11:30pm I was out HARD and had been for about an hour.

At that time I faintly heard footsteps coming through the house.

I hit Jeremy and whispered, "did you hear those footsteps, someone is in the house, get your gun!".

He didn't respond.

I layed super still trying not to freak out.

After some time I thought maybe I was just hearing things and relaxed a smidge.

Then I heard more footsteps.

This time getting louder, coming through our dining room, down our litte hall and I saw a figure in the dark slip into the bathroom.

I hit Jeremy super hard this time, multiple times and told him someone was in the house, in our bathroom!

He didn't respond.

I shot straight up in bed and looked to his side of the bed and he was gone.

By now I am FREAKING out.

I was so confused.

I was thinking that the person in the house came and took Jeremy and the person in the bathroom was waiting for me.

My mind started racing, what should I do?!?!?! I thought about getting my shotgun out from under the bed, but was afraid that I would be too noisy loading it and the person in the bathroom might make it into our room before I got it loaded.

So instead I shot out of bed, ran into the hall and turned on all the lights.

I BANGED on the bathroom door and started yelling for Jeremy.

Well wouldn't you know that Jeremy openned the bathroom door just then.

I said, "what are you doing?!"

He said, "pee-in', what's the matter with you?"

I said, "didn't you hear those footsteps in the house?"

He told me he was in the kitchen and he thought it was weird that I didn't wake up when he got out of bed (I usually do).

I think I gave myself a heartattack Thursday night waking up so confused. It must have been the combination of my Chipotle burrito and starbucks I had at Life Group for our fun night that made me sleep so good and hard up until then. Mmmmmmm, Chipotle!

I hope to never have to encounter a real life situation like that. At least that situation has brought us lots of laughter over the last couple of days and I'm sure it won't be easily forgotten!

clip

2010-04-11T20:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=RVX8Ab6Gjhk

This is one of my favorite things to watch. It just makes me roar. The movie Anchorman it's self is pretty dirty but this part has kept me in stitches ever since the movie came out.

easter

2010-04-06T19:31:00.002-05:00

Not a lot to write. Spent Sunday listening to a "stop me in my tracks message" by pastor Dave, helping in the nursery and the afternoon with the Ekeland clan. It was a relaxing day to celebrate our Risen King!

Sweet little feet!

Playing hard with her little friends all morning in the nursery

Taking her turn to swing at the pinata at Grandma and Grandpa Ekeland's.

unexpected events...

2010-02-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

this week has caused me to be VERY thankful that it's the weekend.
We're all very tired and drained around this house.
We have a very very sick little girl with the nastiest cough she's had yet.
I've had some major unexpected complications from my endometriosis causing me to miss a day and a half of work.
Doctor visits for Jewel's and me.
My poor hubby is so tired from pulling his weight plus mine this week.
Bless my Mom, Dad and Hubby for all their sweet caring this week.

My heart is aching for all the pain in the world around me and especially those that have cancer that are in the community and our church. Observing other's struggles have helped put my week in a different perspective. I may have had some physical health struggles this week, but I am not faced with the challenge of fighting for my life like so many others are.

Through all this choas this week and feeling like every thing is so uncertain, I feel a peace and like we're relying completely and totally on God for healing (for Julia and me) and to meet our needs and that we're (I'm) not trying to "fix" everything on our (my) own. I DO NOT rely on God the way I need to. The way He wants me to. I usually try to over analyze EVERYTHING (just ask my husband!) and try too hard to problem solve and calculate every little thing without factorying God into it.

I don't have a lot of witty or deep things to say tonight.
I'm tired.
I am just so thankful for how incredibly blessed my family and I are...and that God has made that so evident to me this week.

Blessings to you!
Nighty night!

welcome to miami

2010-02-06T16:18:00.002-06:00

As most of you know I went to Miami about two weeks ago. It was a beautiful 60-73 degrees there! The scene flying in was gorgeous and the answer to Jeremy's first question when I got back was yes, did it look like it does on CSI Miami. We landed, found a taxi and we were off! Now I've never ridden in a taxi before but they truly do drive like they do in the movies...like a bat out of hades! Some of you know that I get car sick easily and I was SOOO thankful to be out of that car (and that I had taken some Dramamine!)

Here's the room I stayed in. I felt like a giddy little kid being able to jump from bed to bed and not get caught doing it! haha

The view was nothing to write home about. It over looked another roof which was kind of sad and not what I was expecting.

After putting down my bags I found this:

I honestly don't know what it is about my fascination with over priced bottled water. I guess I just think it's ridiculous. They charge $6.50 for their water unlike Atlanta who only charges $4.95. I yet again stuck with tap water. I got their early afternoon and since we didn't have time to stop and get anything to eat from the airport to the hotel I got to order room service. They had VERY good food there. Everything was done to perfection.
This is the back of the hotel where there is a river canal running through it. BEAUTIFUL!

We had our dinner reception on this patio on the canal the night before. love love loved all the palm trees!

The second night we were there we took a tram to bayside and walked to pier 5 for supper. Down there the have an outside shopping mall and restaurants on the ocean. We ate outside at the Hard Rock Cafe. I was awestruck by the handiwork of God on such a beautiful night and the massive waves of the ocean. I could sit and watch that for hours. so peaceful.

See the pineapple in the picture below?! It's a building called Club Cabana. It was a pretty cool looking building.

I was SOOOO glad to get home even though my flight in Chicago was delayed by 50 minutes and I got off the plane to a blizzardy snow storm in a jacket and summer shoes (i.e. no socks).

Going back to when we took the tram through downtown Miami to get to bayside it reminded me of a missions trip that YAC took to St. Louis when I was in high school. There were homeless people sleeping in the tunnels and under the stairs and escalators that took you down to ground level from the tram. Women were walking around by themselves in the midst of men yelling inappropriate and derogatory words as we walked past them. I didn't even feel safe walking in a group of three and wonder if some of those women made it safely to their destination.

I was surprised when...

2010-01-16T20:16:00.004-06:00

I opened the toilet to find this:

thankfully the toilet was clean and the shoe salvageable.

before...

2010-01-16T19:51:00.003-06:00

Before I left for Atlanta Jeremy told me that he was going to start painting the bedroom. We have had it painted super dark since we bought the house almost 3 years ago because I was working night shift. It wasn't the most romantic or attractive decor but I was able to sleep during the day due to the darkness...guess that was the point. We've been wanting to change our room but haven't had the time. Well...when I got home he had ALL the painting done. Such a sweet husband I have!

Here's before:

and after:

We still need to finish painting the trim white (from the horrible 1950's orange-ish wood stain) and eventually we're going to buy actual night stands and matching bedroom furniture...HA! But for now we're just thankful we have furniture in our bedroom to hold our clothes and it reminds us of when we were newly married...when nothing matched and we barely scrapped by with what we had. None of that mattered though, we were super in love and that's why we are where we are today. Love you forever and always babe!

I got the mirror from an estate sale. I love love love it! It has so much character.

welcome home to me

2010-01-16T16:30:00.002-06:00

Jeremy picked me up from the airport late last night. It felt sooooo good to be in a town where I knew where I was going!

Atlanta was a b~e~a~u~t~i~f~u~l 56 degrees while I was there. I didn't even take my coat with me on the plane and was glad it was nice enough there that I didn't have to worry about hauling it all over the place. Atlanta airport is absolutely ginormus! I was with Michelle from work and was so thankful I wasn't by myself. Since this was my first investigator meeting, Michelle was there to help me along. Thanks Michelle! I was VERY anxious about this trip mainly because it was my first trip and I didn't know what to expect and also because they serve a lot of alcohol...I mean A LOT. I didn't know what to expect as far as how crazy some people get when they drink but God's presence was definitely felt and He calmed my nerves and everything turned out great!

My flight went very smooth and thanks to Dramamine there was no nausea or sickness involved. (can't say the same for some of the people I saw in the airport after they had landed and didn't have time to make it to the bathroom or a trash can, yuck). Once in the Atlanta airport we took a tram to get to the opposite end of the airport (this place was HUGE!) and a valet driver was waiting for us holding a sign with our names on it. This car was a smokin' smooth ride! I didn't feel one bump in the road and the driver was super nice giving us details and history about Atlanta our 30 minute ride to the hotel. Once at the hotel we checked in and then went across the street for some dinner (or lunch as they call it there). Definitely got my fill of "southern foods" the past two days. I was served lots of rice, mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, roasted chicken, lamb, some kind of roast beef, lots of greens, bread pudding, peach cobbler (I passed on these two desserts...I don't care for either of them, so I went for some amazing chocolate cheesecake instead!), ice cream with rum and bananas topped with rum and brown sugar, jumbulia pasta, ravioli, cornbread, fried green tomatoes, corn, beans, and list goes on and on for breakfast foods. oh my word. That's like 4 lines of food listed above! Granted that was over 2-3 meals but wow. I was sad to see all the left overs just being dumped in the trash knowing that there are millons of people going without food.

At the end of the second day we were shuttled back to the airport on this HUGE bus...this did make me (and other people) nausous because it sat up so high and swayed back and forth.

The rest of the story is sitting in the airport for about 4 hours waiting for our plane to leave. Below are some pictures of the room they put me in...it was very relaxing. I didn't take my good camera so the point and shoot camera will have to do...

I loved this lamp shade. It shimmered...the picture doesn't do it justice!

This shower head was amazing! two in one! haha

Do you see the price on one of those bottle's of water?! $4.95! ouch. I'll take tap water thank you very much!

These lights were hanging in the dining banquet and the meeting banquet rooms. I thought they were pretty. The camera didn't do these justice either!

I got a very big greeting by my sweet hubby (who did something absolutely Amazing and romantic...post to follow) and little girl when I got home. Julia must have missed me because she has refused to take a nap and has been glued to my side the whole day.

I missed them both. extremely.

it didn't feel right being gone without them.

so happy to be back...until I leave for Miami a week from this coming Tuesday bright and early at 0635.

Christmas

2009-12-31T21:51:00.003-06:00

Christmas is my absolute most favorite time of the year. Not just because of all the lights, pretty packages and decorations but for the true meaning of Christmas, the meaning of Jesus' birth, the reason I am here on earth and have a purpose, the reason I have the opportunity to live eternally in heaven through faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior.

I was a labor and delivery nurse right out of nursing school and if you have ever been able to be a part of a birth of a baby you know that it is an unbelieveble experience to witness and that each birth is so precious and unique. Each child that is born has a purpose in this world. After being a part of hundreds of births in school and in my work it is still hard to grasp the depth of meaning that the birth of Jesus Christ has had. I can't wrap my head around how perfect HE is and His entrance was into this world. And Mary...what would it have been like being in her shoes?

That's just my experience that has brought me close to God and makes me so excited for the season. Here's some pictures of some of my favorite things from this year.

Julia's very first Christmas ornament. It's from her Grandma and Grandpa Ekeland the Christmas before she was born.

Remember this Tami? Thank you so much again! The Lakey's gave this to us the Christmas after we got engaged. Love love love it!

We had Christmas with the Ekeland's Christmas Eve which is tradition. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures.

The weekend of Christmas we made a trip to Denison (the town that I grew up in) for Christmas on my dad's side of the family. We had Christmas at my Grandma's house. That brought back a ton of memories from when I was little and holiday's spent with my cousin's. Unfortunately not all of my cousins and Aunt and Uncle were able to make it. It was a really fun time though but sad at the same time because that could be the last time we're able to get together at the farm for Christmas like that. With this trip I forgot my camera again. Sorry there aren't any pictures.

For Christmas on my mom's side we're celebrating this coming Saturday. Hopefully I'll remember to take my camera to this one!

This month has been packed FULL:

sickness and ear infections (with me...not Julia this time thank goodness!)
6 Christmas parties including our life group ugly sweater contest
2 white elephant gift exchanges-one which included Jeremy receiving "armpit juice". yuck. Thanks Brandon!
a winter wonderland Christmas wedding (SOOOOO beautiful!)
shopping with a sweet friend
baking
Christmas lighting
precious family time at home
packing a box FULL of Christmas goodies and blessings and shipping to West Africa to my cousin and her hubby-we miss you guys terribly this season but are so thankful that you are where you feel God has called you to be!

Hope you and yours had a meaningful holiday season. See you next year!

scroll down to see previous posts made.

new things

2009-12-31T21:34:00.006-06:00

Last fall I found these letters at
Hobby Lobby for a steal. I brought them home, painted them and hung them up in Jewels' room. love love love them! They're so bright and happy and full of personality just like her!

Julia has been eating with utensils regularly for a while now and is VERY independent and strong willed...throws
the food and silverware when someone tries to help her. The
following pictures
are usually how most meals go. Enjoy!

out with the old...

2009-12-31T21:03:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited at how God has provided!

About the past 2 months our ol' faithful 30 year old washer has been leaving nice little rust stains on all our whites (and other clothes). Before Julia was born we were debating whether or not to buy a new set. We just couldn't afford it then. And when our dryer quit working God blessed our socks off with providing us an amazing and practically new (2005) dryer in GREAT working condition for only $50. (Thank you again Marsha!!!) Well, we weren't sure if we should spend the money or not (I have HUGE buyers remorse when it comes to purchasing anything) but knew that with the old beast (pictured below) we were ruining all our clothes and there really aren't any other options (for long term) then to get rid of it or take all our clothes to mom and dad's. So......

tuesday night we headed to sears after work. God is so unbelieveble! A front loader that is cheaper then a top loader?! It is being manufactured by a different company and they are selling all these models at close out prices to make room for the "new" brand (even though they're the same thing pretty much).

Those lights and buttons make lots of noise and talk to me when it turns on and I program it. :-)

It only uses 18 gallons of water or less every wash...as compared to the 45-55 gallon per wash beast of a machine that we had. I just cannot get over how amazing God is at providing and openning doors. I am overwhelmingly blessed!

They had a matching dryer but we have the fairly new one that has been working GREAT.

We talked about getting it, but are making ourselves be content with what God has provided. Alot of people don't have dryers that work well and we are blessed for what we have.

a changed heart.

2009-11-17T20:00:00.003-06:00

I've been reflecting back on Judgement House these past couple of weeks, I saw God work in ways that I didn't ever see affecting me personally. Mainly because I was raised going to church and accepted Christ as my Savior at age 5...the typical (in my mind) story of a christian. But as I was growing up circumstances and situations that came up pushed me farther and farther from God. I was very angry at God all through highschool, putting up walls all around me not only with God but also with friends and family. I'm difficult to get to know on a personal level with most people I interact with (I'm sure you could just ask some of the people in our life group!) The past 5 years a lot has happened inside me and I've been slowly changing, no longer angry at God and understanding His will for me going through the valley in my past to get here in the present.

Judgement House was different this year in that I saw first hand God working in situations that have affected me directly. The Holy Spirit moved through me in a way that I have never experienced it. It gave me hope and a purpose that I am bringing God glory. That is something I haven't felt.

On celebration Sunday after Judgement House I was given the opportunity to minister to a man who is dying with only weeks left. This, is not my comfort zone by all means. As this man reached out for my hand with tears streaming down his face and him asking me to pray with him, I opened my mouth and the words that came out of my mouth were not my own. w o w. The power of the Holy Spirit is mighty. I have never experienced ANYTHING like that before and know that I will never forget it. Discovering the body of Christ working together and praying together for strength, endurance and wisdom is uplifting. Thank you to those that prayed for this man that day, for me, my nerves and the whole situation.

I don't know if he accepted Christ as His Savior or not. He said that he wanted to do it privately when I offered to help him. If you think of him will you pray for him?

All the above to say that I have a changed heart after JH this year, like I have never felt before...even my husband can see it!

one of a kind

2009-11-10T21:21:00.005-06:00

God originally designed and "prescribed" you.
from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, p. 141

I LOVE this quote. it makes me feel special. :-)

Tonight as I was carrying Julia to her room after we rocked a little bit, I tripped in the hallway. On what you might ask? a sack of potatoes. Julia has taken to hauling a sack of potatoes around the house now. God built a one of a kind mold for her when she was designed. Just when I think I can't love her anymore, I find that the love keeps growing deeper...even over a sack of potatoes.

2009-11-09T20:25:00.000-06:00

"Thoughts positive or negative, grow stronger when fertilized with constant repetition."

Come Before Winter, p. 239

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

I choose to be happy this week no matter what situation arises and let every thought praise God for what He has provided. Here are some things/memories that make me happy (not in any particular order).

1. I LOVE pink...it makes me sooooo happy. we had a pink wedding :-)
2. coupons!
3. the seasons changing...especially spring and fall.
4. jeans and sweatshirts
5. chocolate
6. cheesecake
7. mexican food
8. taking pictures
9. babies!!! when they're sleeping and cuddle up right under your chin in your neck.
10. Julia's giggles
11. lazy days with my family.
12. daydreaming
13. having our car paid off!!!
14. seeing the face of my heavenly Father someday... what conversations will we have? how will I feel standing in His presence? what will heaven look like? makes me wonder...

Happy the rest of the week to you!

fifty-five

2009-10-29T20:19:00.006-05:00

Thank You for being a great provider while I was growing up dad, I am Blessed by having you as my father and could not imagine life without you. I enjoy all our laughing and joking together...wish I had a picture of the eight layer collapsed cakes I would make you for your birthday's.

Glad we could celebrate with you tonight!

Love you!

outting

2009-10-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

So tomorrow I think we're going to try taking Julia to church with us. He spots are mostly gone now. She's not contagious...she can just pick germs up easier. She won't be able to play with her little friends in the nursery but we also know that we can't protect her from everything forever. Plus she's going nuts here at home...distroying our home by dragging EVERYTHING out of closets and drawers :-) I just hope that she does well. We won't know until we try I guess.

Judgement House started this week. How AMAZING is God?! People have come to know the Lord every night so far! God is soooo good and to see Him work in all different situations stops me in my tracks. Please pray for all those walking through JH that God's will would be made clear to them and their hearts would be softened to His word. Also if you could pray for strength and health for the actors as some are getting sick with the flu while others are very sore from the roles they play (being thrown around, carpet burns, lifting etc).

Dad's shingles are healing slowly which is a blessing. So thankful that they weren't worse then what they were and so far no one else in our family has gotten them.

Happy weekend to you!

ahhh fall!

2009-10-19T20:10:00.003-05:00

Don't you just love to sit in your favorite chair with the windows open and let the refreshing and cool fall breeze flow through the house?! I just can't get enough of this weather. Fall and spring are my favorite!

It's been a busy and stressful couple of weeks but I'm trying my hardest to not let all the stress and mess numb my senses to life happening around me. God's BEAUTIFUL weather, plants and people He has Blessed me with. New little babies will be born this week and I am SOOOOO super excited to see their pictures! My sweet auntie has made us two meals in the last week as well as Shena and Jess. Thank You soooooo much you guys, everything was delicious and a nice break from having to worry about what to cook when I got home from work.

This week Judgement House starts at our church. Jeremy was going to help with Security but is needing to stay home with Julia. I am super excited to be involved with make-up again but an also very overwhelmed with work and feeling like I'm constantly on edge about Julia and all the "what if's" that could happen. I'm praying that I will be able to focus my heart on JH and the people walking through that need Jesus Christ as their Savior instead of worrying about me and my own needs. God is in control of this I am sure.

A quick prayer request...my Dad has shingles as of yesterday and they can be very painful. Could you pray for a quick recovery and that his pain could be well controlled? Also that no one else that has to be in close contact with him (i.e. my mom or sister) gets shingles as it could put Julia at risk for getting them on top of her hsp.

Happy Fall!

details

2009-10-11T19:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I got to talk a while with a doctor that I work with and asked her some questions about hsp.

She said (ask did our pediatrician) that the odds are in our favor of Julia making it through this disease with a full recovery and most likely without any lasting kidney damage, yet at the same she has a good chance of her kidney's being effected. Hope that makes sense.

HSP is genetic, (not that Jeremy and I have ever had this but we could be gene carriers) since Julia has gotten it now, her kids some day have a probable chance that they will get this too. The doctor also thinks that if we have anymore kids there is a very high chance they will develop an autoimmune disease as well since Julia has.

The last thing that was most significant in talking to this doctor is that Julia is a very high risk for obtaining a different autoimmune disease (since she has this one) at any point and time in her life. yuck. That was not anything I was wanting to hear.

On the bright side, we have discovered that Zyrtec is working VERY well for her in keeping most of her red/purple spots away. She is still in a lot of pain every now and then from her joints and stomach aching but the Tylenol seems to be sufficient for now. Although she may not feel well most of the time she still perks up to somehow find her way up to the top of the dining room table when we step out of the room.

God is soooo good. We have been blessed with meals, many prayers and Jeremy and I got to go to church today while my dad offered to stay with Julia. It was a very meaningful message. Pastor Dave spoke about worship and how it effects us and worshipping in EVERYTHING...in our trials, celebrations and failures.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice and be glad in it!

hsp

2009-10-08T18:47:00.004-05:00

What we thought were little red bumps starting out as the chicken pox last night took a very surprising turn today sitting in our pediatrician's office. Julia was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called HSP or Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (if you know German). It is a disease where her blood vesicles swell. Her whole little body from head to toe is covered in bright red bumps that hurt and her joints (fingers and toes) can easily become inflammed and swollen.

Her doctor thinks that in about a year (the average time this autoimmune disease lasts) her little body will overcome it. There can be some very serious and even life threatening effects of this disease such as kidney disease/failure and her bowels can almost twist themselves into a knot (because the vesicles could swell so big inside her). She has a fever off and on, is very clingy and in the middle of playing she'll just lay down on the floor.

Could you please pray that she can remain as healthy as possible during this time. We're not sure how long the spots are going to last, most likely for several months. So you won't be seeing us in the nursery to greet you for a while and hopefully Jeremy and I can make it to church taking turns staying with Julia.

In less then 18 hours she went from no spots to this.

How Great is Our God

2009-09-14T19:03:00.002-05:00

Romans 5:1-5

1. therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2. through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3. Not only so, but we know that suffering produces perseverance: 4. perseverance, character: and character hope. 5. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

These verses have been on my mind consistently since Jeremy was laid off. It's amazing what peace and comfort you can gain by placing all your faith and trust in Him when things in life seem so upside down and uncertain.

A HUGE praise and Blessing came today: Jeremy got a job and starts tomorrow morning! It is less pay then what he was making (but it's a job and we definitely can't complain!), and God will continue to provide and meet our needs like He's been doing. We also picked up a vehical for Jeremy to drive today in exchange for some work at the dealership and little bit of money.

Julia is getting better and pretty much back to her self today.

I started my new job today and came home very overwhelmed. Please pray for me that things will "click" and I will "get it" soon. I think I will really love this job...once I get past the being overwhelmed part!

I forgot to mention another praise in my last post. We're going to have a new niece or nephew this coming May! So sweet to have another new little life to look forward to meeting next year!

Hope you all had a good Monday!

new blessings

2009-09-08T21:31:00.003-05:00

God blessed us today by opening up doors for Jeremy to do some side jobs until a regular job opens up. He has also provided us a reliable, affordable car for Jeremy to drive. (some of you may know that we've only had one vehicle because Jeremy had a company van that he would drive and there hasn't been a need for us to have a second vehicle) Greg Hinz is absolutely awesome and it's amazing how God is providing for us through his business. Thank you God! I know God is still working even though I can't see it all yet!

Blessing

2009-09-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

We had the song "Household of Faith" sang at our wedding by my aunt. My husband is so precious to me and I am so glad that we have each other and God to lean on right now. Thank you all for praying, your e-mails and phone calls. What precious friends God has blessed us with :-)

Household of Faith by Steve Green

Here we are at the start committing to each other
By His word and from our hearts
We will be a family in a house that will be a home
And with faith we'll build it strong

We'll build a household of faith
That together we can make
And when the strong winds blow it won't fall down
As one in Him we'll grow and the whole world will know
We are a household of faith

Now to be a family we've got to love each other
At any cost unselfishly
And our home must be a place that fully abounds with grace
A reflection of His face

We'll build a household of faith
That together we can make
And when the strong winds blow it won't fall down
As one in Him we'll grow and the whole world will know
We are a household of faith

you think it only happens to other people...

2009-09-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

This morning Jeremy left for work a little before 7:00 and was sitting back in front of our house by 7:15. He was unexpectedly laid off. Will you please pray for us, for a job for Jeremy and that we can totally release our stresses, concerns and needs to God? You think it only happens to other people but nope. This is a complete shock to us but...God is in control.

pretty much the most amazing dip ever

2009-09-04T08:00:00.008-05:00

So when I was working at Newton Medical Center as a nurse aid the ladies I was working with one evening gave me a mini bridal shower right before we got married. Each of my co-workers brought a recipe, the ingredients for the recipe and a dish for the recipe to be made in. It was such a fun little party and a great idea. This is one of my favorite recipes I got that night and a big hit at our family parties.

Dried Beef Spread

Here's what you'll need for your shopping list:

2-8ounce cream cheese

milk (1tsp)

sour cream (1 cup)

garlic powder (1/2 tsp)

pepper (to taste)

minced onion (2 Tbsp)

2-2.25 ounce jars of dried beef

chopped pecans (1/2 cup)

butter (2Tbsp)

wheat thins

veggie sticks

You want to start by dicing the dried beef

so it looks like this...

Blend the cream cheese, milk, sour cream, garlic, pepper, minced onion and dried beef together...really well

we usually put a lot more pepper (Sarah this recipe makes me think of you and Marc!) and more garlic powder then it calls for

This is what it should look like well mixed. I don't have a picture but you melt the butter and cover the chopped pecans with the butter and then spread that mixture over the cream cheese stuff and it's ready to go into the oven in a greased 9x9 round baking dish. It should be baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Dip with these or veggie sticks and oh yum, it's amazing!

I just...

2009-09-03T17:11:00.001-05:00

can't get enough of these sweet, chubby cheeks!

dilemma

2009-08-29T10:00:00.005-05:00

So this week has been unbelievable in a good way.

Earlier this week an opportunity arose for a job as a clinical researcher (research on medications, their interaction with patients, giving shots at flu clinics, drawing blood...stuff like that).

Today yesterday I accepted the job after much thought and feeling like I have been in a huge mental dilemma.

You see, I just started at Hospice last November. Love love love what I do. But being on-call so much is very draining to me and my family. 62 hours of on-call in a 7 day period is too much for anybody! I absolutely LOVE my co-workers and am going to miss them terribly. I hate getting use to a new job also. But this offer I received is an 8-5 job, no on-call and no weekends unless I volunteer to give shots at a flu clinic and I get to travel 3-4 times a year all over the US and maybe even out of the country with the option of being able to take a family member with me. How awesome is this! It is quite a bit less pay but in a way I feel better about it being this way. I am completely in God's hands for meeting our needs fully. The benefits are awesome also. I am still in awe of how great our God is and how He knew my path would take this course when I wasn't expecting it!

A couple of weeks back we broken down and bought a camcorder. Boy do I wish we would have done that sooner! It's not letting me post the video directly on my blog so it's on youtube. Julia is making a huge mess at dinner!

Going to meet our creater...

2009-08-03T20:43:00.002-05:00

I'm frequently stopped in my tracks by what people have to say while working with my dying patients, but today, it was an unforgettable day. Some patients are able to talk about how they feel about death and dying and what it means to them, some are unresponsive and never get the opportunity to verbally process some of their thoughts. Today will stick with me forever.

I was visiting with a very special person and it became quiet during our visit. As we sat in silence together this person looked me in the eye and said, I am ready to meet God, my creator. Simple and to the point. I've never had a patient say that to me. I couldn't believe how confident he was when he said those words. I was trying to process how this patient could be so comfortable with death all of the sudden and the journey that it entails. As we finished our visit it became clear to me that my patient was fearful of the journey but had the hope of God, his creator waiting for him in heaven. My patient was asking me if he will journey through "a valley of the shadow" and wondering if it will be a dark time for him. Unfortunately the answers to his questions don't come with my job discription :-). His questions made me wonder the same thing. Is the point that he is at now his "valley" or will that come when he is unresponsive in the dying phase?

I've been processing this all day and looking at life around me completely different. I've always known and believed that God is the creator of ALL things but this now has a more indepth meaning to me. Looking at my little girl tonight, playing with her so full of life and knowing that my patient will soon die and others will pass this evening while I enjoy my time with my family...wow, Life is Precious.

one.

2009-07-30T17:35:00.004-05:00

One year ago today at 1:39pm little miss Julia Jane graced us with her presence.

Her birthday was celebrated last Saturday with family. Thank you everyone that could make it!

We're blessed by such a sweet family.

She looks so grown up compared to the above pictures.

wow.

2009-07-25T07:41:00.002-05:00

What a week! God has definitely been teaching me to be patient, place all my cares in His hands and not get so uptight about things.

~Our week started off with Julia getting better from her ear infections (YAY!!!) but then I missed three days of work due to an awful sinus infection and an infection in both ears.

~Jeremy is coming up on a deadline at work and he's been going pretty hard. Well to enhance the mood of the stressful situation, Tuesday, he came home with his back window of the company van knocked out and the center all vertically dented inward...he backed into a dumpster that was in his blind spot when he was leaving work for the day. He feels awful about it and thankfully his boss knows that.

~Here's the part that has been the biggest struggle. The first day back to work from being sick I went to see a pt and that pt passed away while I was there. What has been so disturbing was how that pt passed. I can't give details but matters were out of my hands and dignity and respect were not upheld. That is the goal of my profession, to provide utmost dignity, respect and care to anybody I take care of, young or old. What happened in this situation I was not able to control and I feel like I took on the guilt of this playing over and over in my head what I should have done better although on the part of other people being there, it wouldn't have changed the situation. This is where God is teaching me to totally release the situation in to His hands. I know now that God will deal with those that were involved in the situation and caused it to go badly...not to make it sound negative like He will deal with them harshly but these other people are in God's hands and it is not my place to worry about it anymore. God is so good and I've been able to let go of the situation slowly and not think about it so much. Out of this situation it has made me be more aware to prevent this from ever happening to another pt.

For some happy thoughts:
State surveyed our company this week and we have ZERO deficiencies company wide! Praise God!!!

Today we're having Julia's first birthday party. Lots of family coming and we're really looking forward just to be able to be with everyone!

mmmmm chocolate!

2009-07-17T18:57:00.005-05:00

I left the kitchen with the child proof lock off for one minute and Julia discovered the joy of chocolate...we heard screeching and giggling.

Attempting to put the lid back on before mom and dad come after me!

bath time came early tonight! :-)

one year pictures

2009-07-15T06:56:00.003-05:00

Pictures by Meg. These were taken back in June when it was 100 degrees out. The pictures turned out great! This is one of our favorites :-)

Love love LOVE her little hands.

And as the evening went on and it kept getting more humid this is what Julia started to think of the whole situation. It's her classic Julia look when she's upset or frustrated.
And she's officially had it! I love these pics. They capture her personality!

We had fun Megan! Thank you so much for taking our pictures, we love how they turned out!

2009-07-13T20:42:00.003-05:00

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust"

Psalm 91:1-2

I have to admit that I have been trying to calculate without God....on a daily basis. I spend hours up on hours a week worrying about life, family, work, friends, laundry, even cleaning! I know that God is fully in control, but allowing myself to control my "need to be incontrol" is what is so difficult. The above verse is so comforting to know that when I put my faith and trust in Him, He gives me shelter and protection. He loves me for who I am no matter what mistakes I've made. He holds me tightly in the palm of His hand even when I feel like I'm barely hanging on for dear life! As long as I constantly remind myself to place my life and my family in Him, I can assure myself that I am safe.

My brother and sister in-law gave me a woman's devotional for my birthday and I highly recommend it. It is "Joy for the Woman's Soul-Promises to Refresh the Spirit by Zondervan". It gives little devotionals about integrating JOY in the midst of fear, crisis and pain, persevering, having a Godly perspective, having JOY in faithfulness (even when you don't have it in your heart to be fully and completely faithful in trusting God's will for your life) just to name a few of the topics.

little ears

2009-07-10T18:28:00.004-05:00

Julia has an infection in both ears. Poor little thing. She hasn't been feeling well the past couple of days and we were chalking it up to her teeth. SO SO SO glad that I called her pediatrician this afternoon and that they wanted to see her before the weekend. Hopefully only one round of antibiotics will be needed and her ears will heal up!

peek!

2009-07-10T07:34:00.001-05:00

our fourth-part two.

2009-07-10T07:23:00.002-05:00

More fourth. This is Kinsey Kay, So happy!

A very tired little girl that was not liking the fireworks or their loudness :-(

Almost all the little ones and kids

By the next evening Jewels had gotten her second wind and was having a great time at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Carla's

our fourth-part one.

2009-07-10T07:14:00.002-05:00

here are some pics from our 4th of July weekend.

Ethan covering his ears from all the loud fireworks, and after eating some yummy dessert!

Garrett with the parachute that he caught

Carter poseing. What a ham!

Clara getting ready for loud noises!

Gavin showing me his sparkler. This is a pyro child forsure!

miniture four wheeler

2009-07-10T07:07:00.002-05:00

Jeremy, Ethan and Clara on a ride over the weekend of the fourth.

It was sooo cute!

"it's tomorrow"

2009-07-10T06:57:00.002-05:00

As Jeremy rolled over and gave me a hug this morning before getting out of bed to go to work he whispers in my ear...

jeremy: have a happy birthday

me: ok, but it's tomorrow.

silence

jeremy: i knew that.

hahaha! that makes me laugh.

help around the house

2009-07-04T22:23:00.004-05:00

We have a big "helper" at our house now! Last Saturday by 9:30 in the morning Julia accomplished this...

A beautiful floor lamp broken in half and not fixable. No returns on the lamp or the baby. hehe. We love her to pieces and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world!

Pretty sure this won't be the last lamp or item broken in our home by a little girl named Julia Jane! :-)

First Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:44:00.004-05:00

Jeremy is a super fantastic dad.

He absolutely adores Julia (and she's a spitting image of him!) and I'm absolutely in love with him...way more so then when we got married almost 4 years ago!

Jeremy is a VERY calm, laid back guy and doesn't get too worked up about stuff.

Definitely balancing me out. :-)

He's so patient and gentle with fun and sarcasm thrown in there!

Thanx for being such an amazing husband and "dada" (as Julia would say) Jeremy! Love you forever and ever babe!

my mercy...

2009-06-17T21:08:00.004-05:00

good heavens it's been long enough since I last blogged! mercy.
we're still here. sailing wildly through life.
last week i looked at jeremy and said, "maybe we should sell our house". he said "ok". which is what he says to pretty much anything i have to say.

now's a great time to buy but can be a rough time to sell. we haven't decided 100% yet to put it on the market but most likely will. we'd like something with more square feet (here in town) and it's looking like we could get more house for our money especially with interest rates dropping. and no, we're not pregnant. :-) if God opens doors and leads then we'll follow. otherwise we'll wait until He knudges again :-)

we're crazy busy fixing all the little things around our house that should have been done after we first bought it. it's so fun seeing it all come together!

tomorrow we get to have our small group over. love love love being with them. we've grown so close this year.

not much else to say. hopefully life will slow down sometime soon. so excited for megan to take our pictures next week!

happy almost weekend!

Bird Doo Doo

2009-05-26T19:51:00.002-05:00

Forgot to mention in the previous post that a bird pooped on Julia at the Zoo.

So thankful that she didn't get any in her mouth although it was discovered when I picked her up out of her stroller and I put my hand in it. Oh well, I've had my hands in much worse.

First Trip to the Zoo and Family Time

2009-05-24T21:24:00.003-05:00

Jeremy, Julia and I went to the Zoo today. It was Jewels' first trip. The first part she wasn't all that interested, especially in the jungle area.

But then we got to the big kitties and boy howdy did she LOVE those! They seemed to love her too! The little lion came over to check her out. She started screeching and giggling. She got so loud that a little crowd started to gather around to watch their reaction with each other.

She also love this statue of a tiger. She's like her momma.

I've always LOVE those wild animals.

We ended the day by stopping at Mark and Bonnie's house (Jeremy's parent's) and cousin Alexis was there. They had a blast playing together. Before they haven't really been able to interact a whole lot because Alexis was just learning to sit up on her own and then she got so sick. So sweet together!

Hope you're having a fun, relaxing and memorable holiday weekend!

My Momma...

2009-05-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

This is my mom Joy (for those of you who don't know). She means the world to me and I can't Thank God enough for His gift of putting me with her.

Thank you for all your listening, caring, gentleness, prayers, hugs and babysitting Mom!

spring happiness!

2009-05-09T22:31:00.005-05:00

This year for Mother's Day Jeremy took me to pick out flowers to be potted! This evening was absolutely BEAUTIFUL to be out potting plants. In our backyard we have an old grill and since we would never use it, last year I filled it with dirt and put some flowers in it. It turned out great so I did it again this year.

Gerber Daisies are my favorite. I LOVE the color of this one! It's so bright and refreshing!

Iris's grow along our fence in our backyard in purple and yellow this is the first one of the season.
This is by far my most favorite plant I got today. It's a Fuchsia. If you've never seen one before it looks like pink and purple cherries are hanging in clusters with little "bells" inside the clusters. The backyard is so peaceful now, ready to have me swing and relax.

The Rest of the Kitchen

2009-05-09T22:08:00.004-05:00

Today I finished painting the kitchen ceiling and Jeremy put the trims up to the can lights. All that it left is to put molding at the top and then edge with paint.

This is a picture of when the ceiling fan was down and the can lights were cut in, no new sheet rock yet.

This is with the new sheet rock up and after Jer finished mudding and taping.

And it's finished! He did such a great job!

This is the decorative track light that he hooked up in the living room spot lighting a tapestry with a verse on it.

Getaway

2009-05-05T11:27:00.004-05:00

Warning! This is a long post with no pictures because I forgot my camera. Sorry!

Last Friday Jeremy, Jewels and I headed to Olathe and KC for the weekend to see my friend Dayna in her nurses pinning ceremony.

The trip over there was a little rough.
Jewels was not happy to be stuck in her car seat.
She's a get out and go kinda gal!

Friday evening consisted of meeting Dayna at the most amazing restaurant EVER!...Chic-Fil-et. Yummy!

While we were eating we saw Pam Buller.
They just moved to Olathe and were excited to see someone they knew.
Chic-Fil-et was followed by a trip to Target! (one of my most favorite places to go!)
We finally got checked into our hotel at about 8:00pm, watched some cable and attempted to put Jewels to bed. She went down alright but was probably up a total of half the night off and on crying or talking to herself.

Saturday was started off by shopping!
We went to JCPenny outlet mall and browsed. Didn't find the ottoman I was looking for (one to hide her toys inside but one that could be utilized for sitting on top).
Then headed over to our most favorite place we would always go window shop when we were in college at MidAmerica Nazarene University...Overland Park Mall or Oak Park Mall.
I love that mall.
I don't know why, I guess it brings back happy memories of when we didn't have responsibility and our dates of window shopping.
I got a purse and wallet. I love them.
The mall was follwed by Target again where I got the ottoman I'd been looking for.
Lunch was at Chic-Fil-et again and we ate with my friend and her family.
A quick trip back to the hotel to change clothes and we were off again to Dayna's nurses pinning.
We got to see a lot of old friends and find out that a new little one is on the way for Mike and Sarah. Congratulations you guys!
Dayna, you are fantastic and did an amazing job! You worked so hard, Congratulations!

Saturday evening we just chilled in the hotel room (with another run to Target!), ate some chipotle and Godiva cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory (absolutely FABULOUS!).
We headed home Sunday early afternoon after a stop at Bass Pro Shop and KC Masterpiece.
It was a long trip home with a cranky little girl again but we made it!

Yesterday Julia was throwing up and the way she was acting I'm pretty sure she had the flu. My mom was sick as well as Abby Wallace who my mom watches.

Today Julia has been very congested and has a horrible cough, hoping that it stays out of her lungs.

Pictures soon to be put up of all the work Jeremy and I did (mainly Jeremy) in the living room and kitchen ceilings last month. Hope you're having a great week!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"

~Colossians 3:23

The Big 23!

2009-04-23T16:25:00.004-05:00

This guy is 23 today.

The picture was taken almost 4 years ago on our wedding day.

He's the love of my life and I couldn't imagine me without him.

God knew what he was doing when we first met at Eastgate Lanes 10 years ago!

Happy Birthday Babe,

Hope you enjoyed your surprise birthday lunch today!

More Kitchen Happenings!

2009-04-12T17:02:00.005-05:00

Last summer before Julia was born we put in a microwave hood above our stove. Before the microwave there use to be a 1950's hood (no microwave) that was all rusty. Well...ever since we put that up all of our junk had been exposed! Last weekend Jeremy finished making the cabinets (since he had to cut out space up into the cabinets for the microwave to fit), painted, hardware applied and waaa-laaa!

This is the finished project! It looks a million times better! Thanx babe for doing such a great job!

We are also working on putting up a new ceiling in the kitchen (the day before I took my state boards in May of 2007 Jeremy was putting up a fan light in the kitchen, slipped off the 2X4 in the attic and landed on the sheet rock. Needless to say a VERY large crack appeared immediately in the kitchen ceiling! He sure knows how to lower my stress level before a ginormous test!!! hahaha). The ceilings we will work on this coming weekend. Yesterday Jeremy tore out the florescent light above the sink and is now working on putting up two can lights. We're slowly but surely updating this 1950's humble abode!

He is Risen, The Tomb is Empty!

2009-04-12T16:50:00.004-05:00

This is in the foyer of our church. Mom and I (mostly Mom) made this together back when I was in highschool. In the old Sanctuary it sat up front by the pulpit. I think it helps give us a small picture of the beauty and sacrifice that Jesus showed when He died on the Cross for our sins and Rose again. Without Him...there would be no purpose for Easter.

Somebody's First Trip to the Emergency Room...

2009-03-21T10:34:00.005-05:00

Lately bedtime has been a battle with Julia not feeling good. She just wants to he held while she sleeps and HATES being layed in her crib. Last night was no different. She was out hard when I laid her down in her crib and after I left her room she started crying. I thought I'd just let her cry it out like I had done before. Well...15 minutes later (she's crying very hard by this time) Jeremy and I were watching the news and we heard a loud thud on the wood floor. We tore off the couch to find Julia laying on the floor in front of her crib crying harder then ever. My heart sunk. She can't even pull herself up on a piece of furniture yet and for her to pull herself over the crib Jeremy and I were shocked! Her bed was atleast halfway down into the crib but Jeremy started lowering it all the way to the bottom right away. As I was rocking Jewels she was just laying still, still crying. All of the sudden she started throwing up and didn't stop. I called my mom crying. Long story short, by the time we left for the ER she had projectile vomited 3 times, was very pale and had a HUGE knot on the top of her head by her soft spot.

She was checked out and no broken bones or brain bleed. We're still watching for signs of a small bleed that can happen over time. I got up a couple of times in the night to check on her and she seemed to be ok. This morning she's crawling around again, clapping and playing. What a relief!!! God was watching over our baby! My mind just kept going back to situations I'd seen in the hospital where babies and little kids had gotten brain bleeds because of something like this. Thank you God! And thank you family for praying last night!

Faithfulness

2009-03-20T20:22:00.002-05:00

Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Psalm 96:13

I feel that I have been tested and challenged by God this week and I am ashamed to admit that I did not pass some of those tests and challenges very successfully. I have been struggling with being faithfull in that God has me completely in His hands and my life is in His control. I know that I'm better off being completely surrendered into His hands and don't know why I doubt Him and His control of my life, I just do sometimes. It seems like I'll completely surrender to Him and things go like they should be going which to me is living in complete awe of what God is doing in my life. But then I get rapped up in my job, family and everything else going on around me except God. I feel a heavy load of guilt when I get this way. I get to the point that it's almost like I'm scared to completely surrender to God again and doubt that He can take care of me the way I think I should be taken care of. I shouldn't be worried about every detail of my life, God will take care of that. I should be rejoicing in the things He has provided for me and my family, the life and creation He gave me to enjoy and be Blessed by. God is so good to me!

Burnt

2009-03-16T18:13:00.001-05:00

I don't know how in the world a person could burn Mac and Cheese, but I just did.

Happy

2009-03-14T18:54:00.006-05:00

These are two of the things that I LOVE!

Chocolate and Shoes make me Happy.

They are shoes made out of chocolate!

Rearranging Furniture

2009-03-08T20:25:00.005-05:00

It stormed here in Newton Saturday late afternoon/eveningish. I know the picture below isn't very discriptive of a storm but it was the sky to the north of our house. As I sat rocking Julia and it thundered I remembered when I was a little girl. To keep myself from becoming scared during thunder storms I would think that the thunder was God rearranging His furniture in His house. The louder the thunder, the bigger the piece of furniture! I would also think when it was just cloudy out that God was sad about something (I usually thought that I had been caught doing something bad and that's why He was sad!). When it was raining, God was crying. Of course I LOVE storms now but everytime I think of when I was little!

This is me rocking Jewel's while she was asleep. I've been sick the majority of the week with stomach and sinus junk. Hopefully tomorrow I'll start to get back to my self.

Cultural Diversity

2009-03-07T08:20:00.009-06:00

I went to two full days of meetings in Hutch this week for work...as part of my continuing ed. The class was on a variety of things, Death and Dying, Ethics, Cultural Diversity, Pharmacology etc. As one of our speakers was talking to us about dropping all judgements about patients and his or her family at the door before we enter their home, room, facility etc...she read "A Perspective of Cultural Diversity". (As to who did the math or if all the facts are correct I don't know but it just caught my attention.)

If the entire earth's population could be shrunk to a town/village of 100 people with all human ratios remaining the same it would look like:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 Northern and Southern Western Hemisphere persons
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire worlds wealth and all 6 people would be from the United States.
80 people would live in substandard housing
70 people would be unable to read
1 would be near death
1 would be near birth
1 person would have a college education
1 would own a computer
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
The following is also something to ponder...If you woke up this morning with more health then illness, you are more blessed then the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battles, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pains of starvation you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world that cannot read.
ELNEC supercore curriculum

I'm admitting today that when it comes to working with patients that have a history of (or are currently) using drugs, are homosexual, have AIDS etc...I often enter the room judgemental...even when I don't realize it. The perspective above kind of opened my eyes in a different light then what I've been use to hearing at church, not sure why, it just did. It is not my place to judge, God will take care of that and I definitely don't condone the use of drugs, homosexuality etc...but I need to learn to love my patients (and family and friends) no matter what their past is. As a patient's caregiver once told me..."I love her, but I don't have to like some of the choices she's made". Every single person is created by God, in God's imagine.

This is a weird post to me. I haven't posted anything like this but it was on my heart and if I post about it, I think it will help keep me accountable. I am truely Blessed for what I have and I thank God daily for it. Besides the perspective about changing my way of thinking about my patients, family and friends it also reminds me to never take anything for granted. We can be gone in the blink of an eye. Life is too short for me to judge.

New Jammies

2009-02-26T07:08:00.002-06:00

Mom and Dad bought me new jammies. They are sooooo comfortable...and cute too!

I'm getting so big. I'm almost 7months, 20lbs, sitting up on my own, rolling all over the place and am just about to crawl!My Grandma and Grandpa Ekeland bought me this Cat Hat for Valentine's Day. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Weekend

2009-02-22T15:15:00.008-06:00

A few pictures from our weekend. Poor Shelly and Clara got the flu...so we left the next morning we got there. We were looking forward to getting pictures with all three babies but were unable to be with Devan, Katrina, Ethan and Kinsey. We'll try again soon.

No, Garrett didn't really hit Julia with Carter's, but it is a pretty good shot!

Julia was so excited to see Carter. He didn't know quite what to think of her. She would just laugh and giggle and try to touch him constantly, he just looked at her and tried to crawl away. So funny!

Julia with Papa's hat on this past week

A New Angel in Heaven

2009-02-08T14:21:00.003-06:00

Cora went to be with Jesus this morning. After fighting stage 4 cancer she is now in heaven with Jesus pain free! What a precious sight I have of her as an angel. We love you Joel and Jess!

http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/

Precious Baby

2009-01-26T21:24:00.003-06:00

Little Cora was dianosed with stage 4 cancer of her liver with spots on her kidney's and lungs. Follow these blogs for her story and to support Joel and Jess. Keep Praying!!!

http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/

http://corapaige.blogspot.com/

Firsts and Long Time Goodbye's

2008-12-31T06:50:00.008-06:00

FIRSTS:

Little Miss is a big girl now with her very first highchair! I loves it! She likes to sit in it and watch Jeremy and I do the dishes or make her cereal and bottle.

First Christmas and it's all so exciting! Julia LOVED all the pretty lights and of course music!

Here she is in her Christmas dress

We had our family Christmas on my side of the family the Sunday after Christmas at the Fireside room since we're getting too ig to fit in a house. My family picture minus my two brothers and their wives and families.

This is what little miss thought of the Christmas celebration.

Tresa andAddy were nuts over Jewels!

And this is the long good bye. My cousin Melissa and her husand JJ are going to Togo Africa in March to start a Bible camp there. They won't be home for two years!!! Mel and I are very close and I will miss her like CRAZY! Love you!

Big Stuffin's

2008-12-25T21:37:00.007-06:00

A few days before Thanksgiving we started Julia on Cereal and boy was that a hoot! It took her a week or so to get use to it but now she LOVES it!
Before...
After...haha, so cute!
It's so super precious how she sucks on these two fingers all the time!

She's also gotten to discover the Johnny Jump Up, first time in it (daddy put her in it backwards) :-)

And today she was introduced to sweet potatoes! She really liked them although I think she likes her cereal better.

More to come about Christmas...

My Thanks

2008-11-30T11:50:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving on my side of the family a little early this year killing three birds with one stone...Thanksgiving, Gavin's birthday and Carter's Dedication. The past several years we've had the big Thanksgiving celebration at my Aunt Paula and Uncle Doug's house in Topeka. We had the fun of celebrating again this year at their house and it was a lot of fun. Thanks for opening up your house to us!

Below are just a few of the many people I am so Thankful for!

This is Levi...I think (I get Levi and Evan mixed up). Levi was teaching Jeremy how to play Uncle Mark's Wii.

Gavin turning 4!

Miss Clara Marie playing air hockey with her cousins.

My sweet hubby!

This is my Grandma...my last living grandparent on my side of the family.

Drew and Matthew playing the Wii also.

Ethan playing air hockey...little twurp was pretty good at it too!

Drew, Matt and Gavin. I wasn't able to get pictures of all the little ones. Some of them napped most of the afternoon. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tagged

2008-11-29T16:12:00.003-06:00

I've been tagged from Alisha to give some info about my hubby and I and here it is!

Husband's Name: Jeremy Troy Ekeland. His dad wanted to name him Jesse. Thanks Bonnie for picking Jeremy! Jeremy doesn't seem like he'd be a Jesse.

How Long Married: Three years this past July 16th.

Dated How Long: Well, we've known each other since 1999 and technically weren't allowed to date until he was 17 but we went on dates anyways so I'd say about 6 years.

How Old is He: 22 and a half...his birthday is April 23rd.

Taller: Him...he's 6'5 I'm 5'7

Who Can Sing the Best: probably me

Smart: Jeremy is definitely technical and book smart. His mind is geared toward wires and hands on things. He was always an A student and didn't have to hardly study. He LOVES math and creation too!

Laundry: I'd say Jeremy does more of this then I do. Since we both work full time we've just kind of gotten in the pattern of when we get home from work I'll feed Julia and he just goes and does the laundry...he's so super good to me!

Paying Bills: I pay our school bills and car out of my account and Jeremy takes the mortgage and other bills out of his account.

Who Sleeps on the Right side of the Bed: If you're laying in bed Jeremy is on the right side of the bed...we switched sides last spring!

Mows the Lawn: Jeremy does, I love to mow but when I was pregnant and ever since I had Julia he won't let me touch the thing.

Cooks Dinner: Usually me but Jeremy helps me out quite a bit

First to Admit Their Wrong: I am extremely stubborn would have to admit that Jeremy is the first. I've gotten better though but still need to work on it.

Who Kissed First: Jeremy kissed me first.

Who Wears the Pants: We both make decisions together or find a way to compromise. Jeremy can be so quiet and I can be so loud that quite a few people have made comments that I (Jennalee) am the one to wear the pants...hahaha that's understandable.

And here he is:

Now I tag Katrina, Jess M., and Tami V.

And He Answered!!!

2008-11-29T16:08:00.002-06:00

The full time positioned opened up at Hospice! God's timing was absolutely perfect! I received the call from my new boss on my last day at the hospital (although I was at home very sick)...much sooner then I expected. God is so good to our family and Jeremy and I have so much to be Thankful for...not just at this time of year but all year round!

Out on a Limb...God I'm in your Hands!

2008-11-14T22:15:00.004-06:00

Today I resigned at the hospital, giving my two weeks and starting full time training at Hospice December 1st. I am so incredibly excited about this opportunity and am in love with the care and support that Hospice supplies to their patients. I've started orienting already on days that I have free in between home life and still working at the hospital. We prayed for a couple of months about this decision and finally ran with what we felt God was telling me to do.

The Joy of this job is that it's Monday through Friday, pretty close to 8am-5pm hours, one on call weekend a month or so (no other weekends except the on call weekend!), awesome paid time off accumulation, the freedom of being able to see Julia or Jeremy during the day or take Julia to an appointment if needed and fantastic staff to work with who have devotions every morning together and lift each other up.

Through all these positives I have a heavy, burdened heart yet a peace only God can give. It is way to entirely long to try to describe on here but if you think of Jeremy, Julia and I...would you keep us in your prayers. We (together) made this decision about my job and knew that it was a perfect chance to go out on a limb giving ourselves the only option to give our lives fully and completely to God to meet our needs...His "future" perfect timing for moving me to a full time status, providing good insurance and meeting all of our financial needs. I personally can become very scared about the next several months being so uncertain if I don't consistently pound into my brain that God is BIGGER then this situation, he has put this through his filter first, don't try to calculate without Him...it's not going to work if I do and that he is carrying myself and my family in his hands...I would be crazy to think that God would ever let us (me) fall out of His hands.

God's Blessings...Some Hidden

2008-11-12T17:37:00.007-06:00

Our week has been quite a whirlwind so far filled with Blessings, Challenges and sickness...

It's easy for me to forget the Blessings hidden within lifes challenges...big and small. So I'm making this blog to remind myself of what I do have to be Thank ful for, and, that I really don't have it that bad at all.

Challenge: I (Jennalee) was hit like a brick wall with a horrible sinus infection Saturday night and have missed 3 days of work so far.

Blessing: I am slowly getting back into the grove of things and should be back to work by the end of the week

Challenge: Julia is teething like the house is on fire and our evenings have been filled with a feverish, fussy, slobber soaked baby...poor thing.

Blessing: She still manages to smile, chatter at us, giggle and be happy through it all...look at this face!

Challenge: Jeremy had his teeth cleaned this afternoon and he has six cavities...and his insurance doesn't cover dental :-(

Blessing: The dentist is going to shave some off of his crooked/tilted teeth to make all his teeth more aligned and the dark spots (that have been there since his teeth came in and the spots with the cavities) on his teeth will be blended with the natural color of the rest of his teeth which Jeremy has always wanted to have taken care of!

Other Blessings:

We're celebrating the Will extended family Thanksgiving this weekend...it'll be exciting to see everyone!

I might have a greater opportunity approaching with Hospice soon. Please Pray!!!

I have had orders from my personal business this week! (we'll need it to pay for those teeth! HAHA, Bless Jeremy's heart)

We have a healthy and stable family and home.

On a more upbeat note, here's little Babe with her "Learning Doll" that Karen gave her. She loves to eat her dolls. Hope this isn't a sign of her interaction with her future siblings!

Judgement House Makeup

2008-11-02T08:41:00.002-06:00

Our church presented Judgement House again this year (a walk through drama showing you life consequences to choices you make or do not make). I helped with makeup again and had the privilage of working with these fun guys. My mom made up the Satan's (this is Adam) and I made up the Damian actors.

Joel after make up getting ready to peform.
Over all effect was to look aged, like he'd been in hell a long time and with lots of blistery wounds/sores. Was it successful?

I also did Kelsey and James' "Damian make up" too!