Relax

Just a quick note to say yes.... we are still alive and well... I feel like such a slacker lately, and am not sure what my problem is with keeping up with blog posts. It seems there is always something else that gets priority, family, work, house work, Christmas baking, Christmas cards, running errands, being sick for - let's just say a long time- and just on and on and on...

No excuses... I would solemnly pledge to do better and take more picutres and do more posts, BUT- alas, i know better... but how about I will try...

BUT... I have found lots of time to RELAX today and enjoy the SNOW.... I L-O-V-E SNOW!!! Really, really, really love it! I enjoy watching it and the way it clings to the trees and has the majestic look it does... and when you don't have to travel- it's so peaceful!

We are visiting family in PA for the week! We were smart enough to leave the burg last night and head on up, instead of leaving this morning - as orginially planned! We were able to make it for almost an hour at my company Christmas Party last night and then we hit the road about 6:30pm- we ran out of the snow about Woodstock and had clear travels the rest of the way here!

We too are enjoying the snow as it is falling outside! It is not anywhere near as much as VA, at least for now, but still beautful as ever and really, really cold outside!

Merry Christmas everyone and hopefully I will be back REALLY soon...maybe even this week, as we are on vacation!

Harrisonburg/Rockingham Community Clothing Drive

Grace Covenant Church Community Wide Clothing Drive
Saturday, December 12 from 10am-1pm
there will be a City-Wide Clothing Drive.

Our focus is on Children’s clothes sizes 4-14, for under privileged children in our community.

Please bring your clean gently worn clothing to 1 of 2 pick-up sites.
1) JMU Convocation Center Parking Lot,
2) or the South end of the Sharp Shopper parking lot on Rt 11.

Join us love on these children and their families.

For more information call Anne Whitehouse at 433-9244.

The Blur of October into November

The month of October was pretty much a blurr... but I was able to capture some things on camera!
These horse riding pictures are actully from last weekend, so November! What a great day to be outside! Dale, a friend of Matt's, has several horses and loves it when kids come out to ride! So we took my two nieces up for the afternoon! This is Hannah riding Ginger. Hannah says this is the first time on a horse (although Mommy thinks it's the 2nd). Anyways, she loved it!

This Emma riding Ginger! After she got comfortable on her, she didn't want to get off!

Little K, looking into the horse ring...wanting to get close, but then when we let her- of course she didn't want to!

Kaitlyn happen to fall into this little pile of leaves, and one of Dale's dogs just thought it looked to comfortable to not come and join her, she he just plopped right down on top of her... glad she likes big dogs!

K lookin into the ring again...

This is Hondo, 4 month old Colt of Dale's... Ginger is his mommy... he got a little mad at us i think for taking up so much of mommy's time that afternoon!

A nice October afternoon to get outside; finally Kaitlyn was thinking, I'm sure!

This is K riding her stick horse! She seems to really notice horses all time, and is constantly picking them out in books and pictures and anywhere!

This is K wearing her Phillies T-shirt after they won the NLCS; however, I am not to mention anything else about that whole deal and the World Series and all.... enough is enough I suppose.! hahaha...I shall honor my husband's wishes!

Just hanging with the girlfriends! And, I'd like to add that these babies are wearing Kaitlyn's premie outfits... how sad... she really was that small at one time, how I forget... But at least her babies are not naked anymore! ;)

Daddy even likes to hang with the girlfriends once in a while!

Yup, baby dolls have been a big thing for Kaitlyn these last 2 months probably! She loves to say 'baby" and carry one, or more, around with her, most times now!

So, even though we sort of breezed right over Matt's birthday (sorry babe) as i had just gotten out of the hospital and was staying in Staunton even.... we still managed to capture some good moments here and there! I'm glad Fall has not completely left us already - as it is my favorite season, I look forward to more nice weekends to get out with the family and enjoy LIFE!

October 2009 - Vacation

As I previously mentioned, I was on Vacation for a week in Emerald Isle, NC with my family! It is always a fun time for me to spend with them, and now with Kaitlyn- it is even more fun! She seemed to really enjoy the beach (once she got use to the sand) and all the other kids to play with!
Every year, this trip falls over, or really close to Madison's (cousin to my nieces) birthday- she had a luau party with Japanese Nabe (yummy) and of course K was trying to dress for the occassion (of course it only lasted minutes)!

Aunt Shell hanging with K and some other kiddies down by the water... trying to break her in slowly to the ocean; she is sitting in a pink princess chair that belonged to Sam (cousin to my nieces)- which I might add, K ended up coming home with because she loved it so much!

Granddaddy Rog getting to spend some time with his youngest granddaughter!

This house has a home theater room in it with a stage! The kids L-O-V-E-D it! Several nights they would dress up and put on "A Show" for all of us! They are all quite creative... and entertaining! This is Sam in one of her 'get-ups'

From my bedroom balcony.... ahhhhh.....

From my bedroom balcony looking down at the pool (heated by the way- NICE), which overlooks the beach!

Mom and Dad getting some much deserved rest!

The kids also did a 'spa-day' for us adults one afternoon! Even did hot rock massages! We had neck rubs and back rubs, feet massages and lotion... very relaxing!

The Tiki Hut that sits by the pool and overlooks the beach!

A picture of our house from the beach! I was all the way on the top floor with Kaitlyn... just the 2 of us up there...

Just getting use to the sand, thinking she is starting to like this big play area!

Mommy and Kaitlyn back after a long walk/stroll on the beach!

The 3 granddaughters on the last day- such a great picture I think...

Some of you may be thinking... well where is Matt? As he would say... "Some of us have to work!" But... he is gracious enough to let his wife and daughter go away for a week and be without us... Thanks honey!

V-E-R-T-I-G-O

Well, it has been quite some time since I've posted on this blog. I guess I just kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting for one thing and then another.
I kept waiting to be able to sit up and focus, waiting for something creative to pop into my brain, waiting to just feel good for a day, waiting for time, you get the idea! Now... it is time!

On September 29th, I was on vacation with my family at Emerald Isle, NC. A place we've been going now for several years, probably 7 or 8 years by now. It was a Tuesday... Kaitlyn and I had been down on the beach with the other kids playing and hanging out. It was time for lunch, I think... so we came back to the house where the Grandmothers were all hanging out! They wanted to go out, but one little girl was still taking a nap on the couch; i assured them it would be no problem for them to leave, that I was planning on staying in the house for a while and I'd watch Sam and Kaitlyn.

It must have not even been 30 minutes after they left, that I was sitting in a chair and Kaitlyn had dropped something, so I bent over to pick it up, and as I sat back up this overwhelming feeling of nausea, dizziness, and pure wretchedness came over me! My bedroom was 3 flights of stairs up... how was I going to manage this... alone? I'm not sure how, other than through prayer, I made it up those flights of stairs- carrying Kaitlyn- to put her in her crib so she would be safe until someone got home. I laid down on my bed for a short time, but knew that Sam was still alone 3 flights down napping; what if she woke up and got scared because no one was there?! I had to get back downstairs for her and for my phone to call the Grandmothers!

I managed to make it downstairs, got a phone, and made it to the bathroom... ahhh that cold tile floor felt so good! My mom got home just as quickly as she could. I was unable to move from that spot for sometime, and then finally made it to the couch to rest somewhat more comfortably.

We all thought it would be over the next day, as this had happened to me about 10 years ago... unfortunately, it did not pass so quickly... the rest of vacation went by and we returned home on Sunday. On Monday, I had gotten progressively worse and finally decided to go to the ER. I was unable to eat or drink, and dehydrating was a concern. I was in the hospital from Monday until Thursday. All the while, family was pitching in to help take care of Katilyn and Matt- thank GOD for family! I could not have done it without them!

Anyways, today is day 50; and I have come through not being able to drive, not being able to care for my family or clean house or cook or shop- daily life chores, i've dealt with medical doctors and all the drugs they want to throw at a problem, an ENT consult, Physical Therapy, and rehab exercises. I am somewhere between 90 and 95% healed and keep believing that my Faithful Father will finish what He has started and bring me to a full 100% recovery from this Vertigo and Vestibular Neuritis!

There is sooo much more to this story, but I think this is plenty to remind me! :)

A friend of mine prayed that the Lord would show me a Spiritual Truth to all this, and I believe He still is revealing some eye-opening things to me...but one neat thing He gave me is this:

V ictory
E xpressed
R elentlessly
T hrough
I nfinte
G race
O verall

Thank GOD for His Grace and His Faithfulness and His Healing and so much more!

A Fun Family Weekend

Matt & I decided it would be a great weekend to get some family time is, as the next 3 we will all be different places :(!

So Saturday we headed over to Children's First Day. K seemed to enjoy it for the most part! It is a very busy place and LOTS to see! She got her first tatoo sitting on this blow up crown chair!
Not sure she knew exactly what was going on...but seemed to have a pretty good time there! Maybe next year she will be more into all they offer there!

Sunday afternoon we went to a friend's horse farm to visit and let the kids ride! What a beautiful day! I think all the kids got to ride and enjoyed it!

K didn't make it for a ride yet, but she did manage to get on and sit or a minute with her daddy.... maybe next time she'll go for a ride!

the girls... just playing on the farm! ;)

Family Visits

Matt's family was able to visit us throughout the summer. It was so nice to have them come to us and cut back on our travelling! :) His Mom and Dad and youngest sister and her family made in for a weekend in July. His Oldest Brother and his family made it for a weekend in August and then his Oldest Sister and her family made it for a weekend in August as well.
I'm noticing I really need to take more pictures... i'm getting lazy about it... But, here are a few from the weekends we shared.
Tyler and K trying to figure out how to 'un-crash' the bubble car... they LOVED playing with this car together... so cute!

K and her cousin Ashley... this is about the best picture I got of the two of them, out of like taking a dozen or so! ;) Those little girls m-o-v-e around quickly!

Matt and two of his nephews sporting the Elway jerseys! Matt was soooo impressed they BOTH had Elway jerseys to wear now!

ahhhhh.... the bubble car... all to myself! :)

Nags Head Weekend

Seems like just this past weekend I was in Nags Head with my Brother and Sister...but it must of been like 3 weeks ago now...
Anyways... K and I headed to the beach with my sister and her clan for the weekend. (Matt and his brother were playing in a 2 day golf tournament, so i wouldn't have seen him much anyways... it wasn't like i just abanoneded him or anything- for the record).

It was a great laid back weekend! Just lots of catching up and hanging low. My brother lives on the sound in Kill Devil Hills, back in Colington for those of you who are familiar. So the private beach back there is pretty much always empty....

My two nieces spending the afternoon on the Sound Side Beach.

The girls are totally into paddling now! They are really quite good at it too. It's a bonus that one of the kayaks is pink and one is blue... just perfect for the girls and their favorite colors!

K and her Uncle Mitch just after bath time! She really took to her Uncle Mitch! She would reach for him and want him to hold her! I was glad to see her take to him so quickly and enjoy him... and her Aunt Lyne too... they even babysat for me/ her so i could go run around a bit... what a treat! We had a great weekend visiting and catching up.

THE Tea Party

My Mom and Dad threw a tea party for my nieces! They were each allowed to invite 3 friends. I tell ya, they really went all out on this thing! I'm not sure how they'll top this one.
You know... this will have to become an annual event!!! My Dad... The Butler- greeting young ladies as they arrived for the party.

Miss Emma awaiting the arrival of her guests.

Miss Hannah awaiting the arrival of her guests!

The Host and Hostess dressed for success! And a huge success it was, I tell ya!

My sister even dressed up for the occassion. She is putting the finishing touches on the decorations.

The Set up on the patio.

They all had place settings assigned by little place cards.

The Butler at work, serving his guests finger sandwiches and fruit and cookies and the like.

Now, this is where it got a bit unconvential for a Tea Party! My dad put a zip line up in the yard (woods sort of) and all the young ladies in their pretty little dresses just had to take turns on the zip line. It's just too much fun not to!

What a great afternoon! My mom gave them all ettiquette lessons prior to serving them 'tea' and finger foods. Some of them picked up pretty quickly on the napkin in the lap, no elbows on the table, please, thank you.... not sure they all got all the proper manners down... but they seemed to all enjoy themselves!

What a great idea!