An Ear Infection Christmas...

I think each year I need to set a doctor's appointment for Christmas time. I'll have a time slot all set up, because I can guarantee that at least one of my children will have an ear infection at Christmas. Tis' the Season, right?

We made it to Erie, safe & sound, this past Tuesday. The weather was good for traveling, and we only had to make two stops in an 8 1/2 hour trip. That is a first! We've enjoyed two Christmas celebrations, so far, and one birthday party for my niece, Danika, who is turning two. We have one more Christmas celebration, in Erie, to go to. In the middle of all this excitement, Alayna's cold symptoms came back. She had a cold a few weeks ago, but never got over it completely. She still had the lingering cough and runny nose. Wednesday night, and Thursday night, she had a rough night of sleep (and so did we). She started to complain that her ear hurt, and at first I thought maybe she had some fluid build-up. On Friday we decided she needed to be seen by a doctor. I took her to an Urgent Care facility, and it turns out that she has an infection in her right ear, redness in her throat and swollen glands. Oh joy! Poor baby. She has been acting fine, and has only run a low fever here & there. I was glad I took her, and now she's on antibiotic. She'll probably be feeling much better by Sunday. On the other hand, mom is now sick with a bad cold, sore throat, etc., and Dave woke up saying his throat was a bit scratchy. I know Alayna will be fine, now that she's got medicine, but mom is the one I worry about. She keeps reminding me that she's exposed to people all the time, by working at the library, but I still can't help but think that we brought this home to her. I pray she will feel better quickly, and that she'll be able to enjoy her time with us, and her sister from Florida, who is arriving with her family, today. As well as her brother, and his family, from Lancaster County, who we will be seeing tomorrow.

I'm beginning to think it's impossible to visit Erie without one of us getting sick.

Merry (ah-choo) Christmas! Oh no, am I sick, too???

Let It Snow...After We Get To Erie

Just like most of the Northeast, we have been dumped with snow over the past several days. It's just beautiful! I love living in an area where I can see all four seasons...although, sometimes by the end of January, I'm done with this season. Julie's school was cancelled last Friday, and we had to cancel church Sunday, due to a blizzard and hazardous road conditions. Julie did have school today, and enjoyed a very fun Christmas/Holiday party. Dave went in to the school and helped out, and had lunch with Julie. She was determined to be brave when he left, and didn't cry. In fact, Dave said she slammed the door behind him when he left. I guess she was ready for him to go.

Here are a few snow pictures from yesterday. Dave took the girls outside and pulled them around on the sled.




I had to take a couple pictures of Alayna's hair yesterday. She is two, and has the hair of a 10 year old. It is so thick, and when it's wet, and you see her curls straighten out, it's almost halfway down her back. Yesterday, after the girls baths, she saw me blow drying Julie's hair, and wanted hers done, too. Here is the finished product.

Pre-Christmas Christmas

Our family is leaving for PA for Christmas, so we celebrated our own Christmas this past Saturday. We woke up just as if it were Christmas morning, and the kids didn't know the difference. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed watching their faces as they opened their gifts. We bought the girls a kitchen set, and that was a huge hit. Joel mostly enjoyed the tissue paper. In the morning it was just us, and around 3 in the afternoon Dave's mom & Grandma came over to give the kids gifts, and have dinner with us.

Here are some pictures from our day.

How Do You Know We're Not Jewish???

This has been yet another busy week in our home. Christmas preparations, getting ready to go to Erie next week, teachers gifts to make, cookies to bake, waiting for a snow flake (guess I got carried away with the rhyming...sorry). Well, we really are waiting for a snow flake....or several of them, to be exact. We're expected to get somewhere between 10 & 14 inches today. School was cancelled. The snow is not falling yet, but should start between 9 and noon. That depends on which news station you watch. We get weather reports from New York City, and Albany...so, my best bet is to just look out my window.

I made homemade granola this week, to give to Julie's Kindergarten teacher, the teacher's assistant, her bus driver, and her Sunday School teacher. I've never made it before, but I must say that it turned out delicious. I need to get it all packaged before Dave eats it all. I made gift tags (on the computer, of course, I'm not crafty, remember), for each person. Last night I asked Julie to decorate the tags with a picture, and to write her name on them. For her school teacher, teacher's assistant, and bus driver, she drew pictures of Christmas trees with gifts under them. When it came time to do her Sunday School teachers tag she said, "I think I'll draw her a picture of a Menorah." I replied "that's fine, but she celebrates Christmas, like us." Then Julie asked why, and I said "because we're not Jewish, so we celebrate Christmas, not Hanukkah." Julie asked, "How do you know we're not Jewish?" Well...from here I tried to figure out how to explain to a 5 1/2 year old why we're not Jewish, what being Jewish means, that we're Christian/Protestant/Gentile...something. When actually faced with these questions, it is sometimes hard to figure out how to explain something, so that she can understand. Nevermind, that I won't even get in to the circumcised/uncircumcised issue. :)

Well, we're not Jewish, but I did not have a problem with her drawing a Menorah on her Sunday School teachers gift tag...however, I was slightly puzzled when she included Santa Claus and Rudolph sitting on the Menorah (I can tell that Public School is paying off already...LOL). Below is the back of Julie's gift tag for Miss Lisa, her SS teacher.

Rudolph is the red creature on the right, and Santa is the green one...I have a few questions regarding her drawing of Santa, but I'll save that for a later date. I'm still trying to figure out how to explain "why were not Jewish?"

Dinner for 25 of Their Closest Friends

Last Saturday morning the girls had a wonderful time playing "restaurant," and feeding their favorite stuffed animal customers. My entire living room was covered in play dishes, stuffed animals, and plastic food. I love when the girls play so well together.



Today Joel had a 6 month well-visit at the pediatrician. He is now 15lbs. 13oz., and 25 1/2 inches long. He had to have 3 shots today. I hate those moments, and I can't look when the nurse gives him the shots, but Joel handled it well. He cried a little after the 3rd shot, but was over it quickly. He received a free book today, with his visit. The doctors office has started a new program, to encourage reading. Up until the age of 6, each kid will receive a free book with every well-child visit. Our kids love books...although I'm not sure the program is working, because Joel still can't read.

Dave has his last test this coming Thursday for the First Responder course. Once he takes, and passes, this exam, he'll be a certified First Responder. He passed the pracitcal exam last week. He had to work on a real person, while being tested, to make sure he didn't forget anything. To prepare, he practiced on Julie, while I went over the check-list. Julie laid on the living room floor and I made up the situation that Julie had fallen from her swing set. Julie was perfectly still as Dave examined her, checking her pulse, etc. He asked the question "how did this happen?" Julie never missed a beat, she looked at Dave and said, "I was climbing on the monkey bars, I slipped and fell. I even got some dirt in my hair." This child is a born actress. I burst out laughing because she was so serious, and never even smirked. When Dave was feeling fingers and asking if it hurt, of course she said yes. I really think Julie believed that she had a swing set accident.

Julie loves to play around on the piano (no formal lessons yet), and she has figured out how to play Three Blind Mice and Jingle Bells. Dave & I have helped her a little bit, but she is figuring out a lot of the notes on her own. I do believe this child has musical ability...she already plays the piano better than I do. :)

We're headed to Erie for Christmas next week. We are planning our own family Christmas this coming Saturday. We're going to wake up and act like it's Christmas morning with our kids. I'm really looking forward to it, but I have tons of wrapping to do, and Dave has one big gift that needs assembled. Have I mentioned that I still haven't hung our stockings yet?

Christmas Tea

Today was the Ladies Christmas Tea, that I've been planning since September. I am too exhausted to post much about it tonight. I will say, however, that it was wonderful! We had 58 ladies attend, which is 25 more than last year. I set my camera out to take with me, and forgot it (I had about 100 things I had to take with me, so it's not surprising I forgot something...I just wish it wasn't my camera), so I'm waiting on my mother-in-law to give me copies of her pictures. I'm so bummed, b/c I really wanted to post some right away.

Now it's time to fold bulletins for church tomorrow, and call it a night. I was going to try to watch the new Hallmark Christmas movie tonight, but I have a feeling I'll be asleep before it's on. Oh well...I'll catch it on a re-run next year.

3 AM and Wide Awake!

Why is it that the best time for planning your days activities takes place in the middle of the night when you can't sleep? I received a 3AM wake-up call from Joel on Tuesday, and after getting him settled back in I could not go back to sleep. This is not uncommon for me, just ask Dave. He is often awakened by my heavy sighing and tossing & turning, that preceed my inability to sleep. I always figure if I sigh loud enough, and make enough movement in bed he'll wake up, ask what's wrong, and allow me to list off the things that are on my mind. This has yet to happen. In fact, what is more common, is hearing him drowsily ask, "are you okay?" Then, when I reply, "No, I can't sleep," I get an "I'm sorry," followed by his snoring. The next morning he often can't even remember this scenario taking place. Oh well...

I have mentioned before that I am planning a Ladies Christmas Tea for our church, and it is scheduled for this coming Saturday. Last year was our first year doing this, and it was a success. My sister-in-law, Andrea, was our special speaker, and soloist. It was wonderful. We had 33 in attendance, which is great for a church with a congregation that averages around 45 each Sunday. As I did the planning this year, I planned for 40. It came to my attention this past Sunday that we had close to 60 coming. Okay...never fear...we have enough table hostess'. So this is where the 3 AM sleeplessness comes in. I began counting people in my head (I should've counted sheep), and realized I forgot about some people, and was now approaching 65+. Keep in mind, we do not have a fellowship hall. This is a one-room church, with a bathroom. We are clearing out the sanctuary, and setting up tables. So, at 3:30 AM I made my way to the living room to make lists, layout a floor plan for the tables, assign people to their table hostess, etc. I took a benadryl, hoping that I would get drowsy as I worked. I should have known this wouldn't work, since I can take Benadryl in the middle of the day, and never feel phased. I finally went back to bed at 4:30, and dozed off.

Dave came to my rescue Tuesday and set up tables at the church for me. We looked it all over, re-arranged, arranged some more, and figured we can only handle 65 people...no more. Great! I never imagined that our simple ladies Christmas tea would turn in to a waiting-list only event. I am excited for Saturday, and I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to use this.

On another note:
After Julie got home from school yesterday she was sitting in the living room, chatting away with me. I asked her how music class was that day and she began to sing a song about Spinning the Dreidel. Well, I asked the obvious questions..."Are you learning about Hanukkah in school?" To which she replied "Nope," and kept on singing about the dreidel.

More Than 100 Posts...

I discovered that as a blogger, once you've reached 100 posts, you are to type 100 things about yourself. First of all, I missed the 100th post, 19 posts ago. WOW! Secondly, I know no one wants to read 100 things about me...so I'll take a hint from a friend, and fellow-blogger, and try to come up with 50. Bare with me...
1. My full name is Kristen Marie Bierer Miles.
2. My mom has always called me Kristy.
3. I had 4 imaginary friends as a child: Cookie, Sassy, Hoddy & Whitney Price.
4. Whitney Price was my alcoholic husband who died in a drunk driving accident.
5. I don't think I really knew what an alcoholic was, at age 3, but I know this made my Grandma Andrews very nervous that I could imagine such things.
6. I took horse-back riding lessons for a summer.
7. I lived in Sedona, AZ, for two years, as a child.
8. As a child I wished my name was Kelly...I felt that Kristen was such a boring name.
9. My parents almost named me Rebecca.
10. My brother used to practice "Karate Kid" moves on me.
11. I LOVE Reeses PB Cups
12. I played softball in 7th grade
13. I love having my face tickled, it puts me to sleep.
14. I snuck out of the house one time, as a teenager, and hung out with some friends in my back yard. (Probably if I had just asked permission, I would have been allowed) Sorry mom & dad...
15. I used to catch cray fish in the creek. I raised one in a bucket for two weeks, until a raccoon ate it.
16. I sang in Chorus all through school.
17. I was the scorekeeper for the boys basketball team for 3 years.
18. I was "Munchkin #1" in the All-County Musical "The Wiz", in 11th grade.
19. I sang and danced in a group called "Youth Connection" my senior year, and wore a Minnie Mouse costume.
20. I attended Word of Life Bible Institute.
21. During "study hours" at WOLBI my roommates and I would dress up and put on lots of make-up to annoy our RA.
22. I like country music.
23. I have always wanted to be a hairdresser.
24. I worked for a financial planning company.
25. My baby toes turn sideways when I walk.
26. I have flat feet.
27. My husband is my best friend
28. I spent most of my high school years grounded because I rolled my eyes a lot. Although, I swear I never did.
29. I can wiggle my nostrils like a rabbit.
30. My favorite color is red.
31. I don't like "collectibles"
32. I am a master at loading a dishwasher and making everything fit.
33. I love to bake chocolate chip cookies.
34. I love being a mom!
35. I love being a wife!
36. I took 3 years of piano lessons, but I don't play well.
37. I have one cat...I used to have two, but he ran off and became Coyote bait. *sniff*
38. I loved spending summer vacations at the family hunting camp.
39. I love sled riding, but haven't done it in a long time.
40. I've never been able to water ski successfully, but I've tried.
41. I love the show "What Not To Wear" (although I'm pretty sure there are days I'd be a pretty good candidate for the show, rather then looking like I follow the rules of the show)
42. I have great friends, whom I'm very thankful for.
43. I am a Christmas movie junkie, and it drives my husband bonkers.
44. I often have the urge to listen to music really loud, and sing really loud, when I'm driving somewhere by myself.
45. I like to read
46. I used to love doing the quizzes in TEEN magazine, as a teenager.
47. I have milked a goat and a cow.
48. My very first favorite song was "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton
49. I secretly despise doing anything relating to crafts. I don't mind if others do them, but pull out a glue gun, and I'm outta here. :)
50. I LOVE Blogging!

Too Busy To Be Sick...

This title is the story of my life, or any mom's life, for that matter. There is never time in ones day, week, or month to be down with a cold. Well, for whatever reason, even though this seems logical, I am still stuck with a cold. Just a moment ago I asked Dave if I felt warm, because my eyes are burning. He felt my forehead (this is the most accurate test for a fever, anyone knows that), and said "no." I asked for the thermometer just to be sure. Well, I was right, I am burning up with a fever of 99.4...okay, stop laughing, I realize this is not "off the charts", but I still knew I was feeling warm. I love being right. Who doesn't?

Julie was home from school Thursday and Friday with a fever and upset stomach. Today, she is much better, and managed to play with her Polly Pocket dolls most of the day. I was beginning to think that she only felt well when she was glued to the television, but thankfully this is not true. Alayna still has a runny nose, and apparently when the nose runs, the mouth whines. Funny how those two go together.

Joel & I seem to be the last to get it. Dave is holding out, and so far has no sign of getting sick. Joel has not run a fever, but he is very congested, and his voice is hoarse when he cries. Poor little guy.

I mentioned that I don't have time to be sick, and I'll tell you why. Next Saturday, the 13th, I have a Ladies Christmas Tea planned for our church. Tomorrow, after church, I have a meeting to finalize the plans for the tea. On top of all this...rewind a few months -- my friend, Lori, thought we should put together a recipe collection for our church. We had people submit their favorite recipes, and we planned to put it into a small book, and give it out as table favors at the tea. Great idea! Now, fast-forward to this weekend -- the recipes have all been typed by Lori and Diana (or Danielle, I'm not sure). Lori brought me the disk with the recipes, and I agreed to print them on the laser printer. I had no idea that so many recipes were submitted. I am now up to my eyeballs in printing a 50 page book (half pages, front and back). We're making 60 copies. I had suggested a while ago having it printed by a publishing company, but was under the impression there was not enough recipes to do this. So, here we are, one week before the tea, and determined to get this done. My precious husband, who is not sick, has taken time from his work, to help with the kids, so I could lock myself in my office and print, edit, print, get mad at the computer, print, print, get VERY mad at the computer, and print some more.... I still need to finish tomorrows bulletin for church, but I'm waiting for the last pages of this book to print, before I can do that. I'm surprised the printer is not smoking, and I'm thankful that we have not run out of ink, or paper.

Tomorrow, after church, after my meeting, several of us will form a line to assemble these books. After that is done, this week I can get the shopping done for the tea, bake a batch of cookies, make some finger foods, clean my house, and then attend the tea next Saturday....when that's all said and done, THEN I will have time to be sick. Oh, not really, it'll be a week away from Christmas and my shopping isn't done yet. Oh well...*achoo*

Fevers Fevers and More Fevers

The cold/flu season is upon us. It never fails, as soon as Thanksgiving is over the colds set in. Why is that? I'm convinced that any, and all, exposure to extended family, for more than 20 minutes at a time, brings on a virus of some sort. No offense family, but I think my theory is proving to be true.

Alayna started with a fever of 104 Sunday night. She is very prone to high fevers. She only has the common cold symptoms, but she did run a fever for 48 hours. Today her fever was gone, and all that was left was a very drippy, wet, nose. I think that means she's healthy...

Julie seemed fine when she got home from school today, but tonight she asked me to take her temperature before bed. I did, just to prove she WASN'T sick, and sure enough, she had a fever of 100.3. It's a good thing I don't practice medicine for a living. It looks like she'll be staying home from school tomorrow.

I know I'm very sleep deprived right now, and that's to be expected with sick kids in the house. However, I didn't realize how bad it was getting until I went out and ran a few errands today, alone. While driving home I began to feel too warm, so instead of turning the heat down, I turned the radio up. Scary... I eventually figured out that I should turn the heat down, and for cryin' out loud, turn the radio down, too, it was loud enough to begin with.

Here are a couple pictures of Joel. He's such a happy little guy. Don't ask me what the wet spot is on his leg, in the one picture. It's either drool, or spit-up, or water, or ice cream, or snow, or maybe his diaper leaked...I can't be expected to know everything all the time.

Thankful

We had dinner with 19 people this past Thursday, for Thanksgiving. We're very thankful that Dave's brother, Nathan, and his family, so willingly open their home to all of us "turkeys." Nathan's in-laws joined us for dinner, and we had a nice day together. The sad part was, with all those people, we only had 9 pies to enjoy. Dave's family love their pies. They eat them for dessert, and then again for breakfast. That's one tradition I haven't been able to embrace...pie for breakfast just isn't appealing. Although Dave continues to ask me what the difference is between eating a slice of pie, or eating a donut? Well...It's just different, that's all. (I don't have a good argument here...but I'm working on one)

Below are some pictures from our day.

Julie posing for a picture with "the pies."


Julie and Jeremy (Dave's sister's youngest). They are only two months apart.


Julie and Grandma Legg....our Thanksgiving cook.


Alayna enjoying some whipped cream.


Joel & Baby Nate (Dave's brother's baby). They are only two months apart.

"Toofless"

Julie lost her very first "toof" on Friday night. We knew it was lose, but I didn't think it was quite ready yet. It was bothering her at supper and she kept begging me to yank it out for her (this from the child who cries when she "almost" bumps into something). I told her I didn't think it was ready yet. A couple minutes later I turned around to see her handing me the tooth. She was more traumatized by the bleeding that followed. The "Toof Fairy" delivered .25 to her...the exchange rate has not gone up since I was a kid. :)



A sweet moment...


My cleaning helper. Alayna loves to use my electric broom, and who am I to discourage a child from helping me clean?

Julie & the Philistines

Last night I was feeding Joel his cereal while Julie sat at the table talking with me. We were discussing Christmas and what to buy people. She said she knows what daddy wants, "hunting stuff." That's a given.
As we're talking she mentioned that she wanted a Bible for Christmas. She said, "I want one that talks about Jesus and His Philistines."
Maybe I need to set up a parent/teacher conference with her Sunday School teacher?? :)

Pictures Taken By Aunt Andrea

My sister-in-law, Andrea, took lots of pictures of the kids last Saturday afternoon. I will have to post more later, as it's now past my bedtime, and I don't have time to get them all on here tonight. Here are four for now. You'll notice that Alayna is not smiling in any of them. As we were heading outside to take pictures Alayna got her finger closed in the storm door, and was sobbing before getting her picture taken. So, the normally happy little girl, is very sober for the photo shoot. Oh well, she's still cute.
You will notice, however, that Joel is smiling in every picture. He's such a happy baby, and he was especially happy with the wind blowing in his face.

 

 

 

Here are all four grandkids.

 

Pictures from Mimi & Papa's

The kids and I returned home to New York yesterday. Dad & Dave met halfway, and we had a safe trip back. Erie got hit with 10-12" of snow Sunday night. Even on the way back to NY Tuesday, the first part of our trip was still trecherous. Dad kept driving in to pockets of white-out conditions, and icey roads. Once we got on the other side of Cuba, NY it seemed to clear, and by the time we arrived home there was no snow at all. Very disappointing to the kids.

Mom has another chemo treatment tomorrow, then she'll have next week off. Overall she is feeling (and looking) very good.

Here are some pictures from our trip. I will post these ones for now, and post more later. Aunt Andrea did a photo shoot of the kids in mom & dad's yard...before the snow hit. They turned out great. I don't have time tonight to post everything.

Grandma Andrews holding a sleeping baby Joel.


Julie was the "ring leader" for Danika and Alayna. They thought she was wonderful and followed her around. Julie trapped the girls in mom's laundry room between the pocket doors, and they played for the longest time. You could hear lots of laughter.


Uncle Doug The Horse! All three girls piled on to Doug and rode him around mom & dad's living room. Doug even managed a few push-ups with the girls on his back, but I think they wore him out pretty good. He was a good sport. It was hysterical to watch Danika's expressions. She wrapped her feet around Doug's neck and didn't hold on, until she'd start to fall, then she'd grab his hair to stop herself.


The snow hit Sunday afternoon. This is the picture of the girls outside Monday morning. They helped Papa shovel snow, and had a great time playing in it.


I really didn't pose this picture. All four kids swarmed around Mimi, and it was a great photo opportunity. So perfect with the fire going in the background. I love this picture!

Kiddos

Two Sundays ago I discovered that Alayna demonstrated her artistic abilities on my walls. I gave her a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (a must have item when you have children), and made her scrub the red crayon off the wall herself. I think she might have been slightly confused as to why I was repremanding her and taking her picture at the same time. :)


Joel is now eating some rice cereal once a day. He sort of likes it, but isn't quite sure yet if he loves it.

Erie Is Still Drearie

Once again the weather is rainy in Erie. Tomorrow there's a possibility of seeing some snow. The beauty of being near Lake Erie.

Thursday's chemo treatment went well for mom. We went to Pittsburgh strictly for chemo. She did not have a scheduled doctor appointment. In two weeks she'll see her doctor, and we'll get an update on her CA-125. Now that she's going weekly, she doesn't need to see him every time. Our trip to Pittsburgh was uneventful, and Joel travelled well. Dad took Joel for a nice long walk outside in the stroller, around the hospital. Joel was not permitted back in the chemo room. No children are, because of the chemicals.

I sat with mom while she received her chemo. We had a nice time visiting, except mom did get a little loopy when her chemo nurse, Patty, administered the benadryl through moms port (Benadryl is one of the pre-meds for mom, to prevent an allergic reaction to the chemo drug). The benadryl hit mom so quickly that her head started to spin, and our conversation suddenly didn't make sense any more...not to mention the fact that mom kept staring at the people across from us. The loopy feeling stayed with her for a while, but the initial feeling passed fairly quick for her. Mom & I had a nice conversation with the lady across from us, who was getting Herceptin (a drug for breast cancer patients, to help them not get cancer again. it's not a chemo drug). She was a year younger than mom, and her sister was with her. Her sister patted my back when they were leaving and said "take good care of your mom, she's a sweetie."

My Grandma Andrews stayed with the girls for the day, and they had a great time together. I think Grandma was a little worn out by the time we got home. She said she played enough Barbie Dolls that day to last her a lifetime.

Tonight my brother & his family are coming for dinner, as well as my Grandma Andrews. We're having a little birthday party for Grandma. Mom fixed ribs and I made apple dumplings. Mom is feeling really good. Tomorrow she will probably crash a little and sleep the afternoon away, after church. Monday she's back to work, and does the same thing all over again. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, Work. Thursday is chemo. So far her hair is still in tact, but she said her head is starting to itch, which means it won't be much longer now until it starts coming out.

Yesterday Aunt Andrea did a photo shoot with my kids, and I'll have to post those when I get home. Mom & I were also able to get a little Christmas shopping done. I won't be ready to leave next week, but it's nice to know I will be home again at Christmas.

Oh, my dad went hunting this morning, but didn't get anything. My Grandpa Bierer got a turkey, though, and insisted on my dad taking it. Dad brought it home and Alayna & Julie watched him "clean" it. Now all Alayna can talk about is the fact that "Papa hurt turkey." Get used to it Alayna, this is "normal" for our family. :)

I Love Drearie Erie!

The kids and I have arrived safe & sound in Erie. The trip on Tuesday was fairly uneventful, and everyone travelled much better than our trip home in August. Which, to say the least, was a nightmare of a car-ride. Dave drove the kids & I as far as Corning, NY, where we met mom & dad at Denny's for lunch. Julie insists on meeting at Denny's so she can have mac-n-cheese for lunch. (Why is it that I can pay .50 a box for something that costs $4 as a kids meal in a restaurant...oh wait, it's because of the applesauce that comes on the side. Now that makes sense) Mom & Dad brought Doug & Andrea's mini-van to pick us up, and Andrea has graciously loaned her van to me while I'm home. She has a company vehicle for work, and Doug has a truck. It must be nice to have extra vehicles sitting around...I just tell the kids that we're borrowing this van from their "rich" aunt & uncle in Erie.

Today is mom's chemo day in Pittsburgh. Joel & I will be travelling down with mom & dad, while the girls spend the day here with Grandma Andrews. It's a "drearie" Erie day today, but I'm thankful it's not snowing. When we arrived here Tuesday there was around 4 inches of snow on the ground, which melted yesterday now that the temps are rising a bit.

The kids and I spent a few hours with my Grandma and Grandpa Bierer yesterday. Julie went back over in the afternoon for a couple hours by herself. She loves to have special time with Grandma. They baked cookies together, and looked at family photos. When I asked Julie if she had fun she said she was bored, but when asked if she wanted to go back she was excited and said yes. If Julie has to sit still for two minutes, then she's bored. I love being bored!

I won't have any pictures to post while I'm in Erie. As it is, I'm being forced back into the stone age with dial-up while I'm here. I am excited to say that my parents did recently subscribe to digital cable, and I'm so proud of them. Now if mom could just figure out how to program her remote, we'd be set. :)

Talking With Julie

Yesterday afternoon I was explaining to Julie that we'd be going to visit Mimi & Papa this week. I thought I would prepare her for the fact that Mimi would be losing her hair while we were there, and she would be needing her wig again. Julie has seen the many changes of Mimi's hair, over the past several years. She prefers Mimi's "real" hair, to the wig, but she prefers the wig, to seeing her with no hair at all. When Julie was younger she tried tugging at her own hair, in an attempt to change it, like Mimi does.
While Julie & I were talking I was explaining a little about cancer, and what that means (keeping it simple and just emphasizing how we need to pray more for Mimi). I told her how my mom was diagnosed when she was still a baby (10 months old). Julie prays for mom daily, but I know she doesn't understand all of this. A child doesn't need to have worries over "adult" issues, but she does learn at a young age the power of prayer.
Further into our conversation I asked Julie if she had any questions about this, and she said, "No, can we not talk about Mimi anymore?" My first thought was that I had overwhelmed her and she didn't want to hear anymore about Mimi being sick. But, then Julie continued her statement with "I would like to talk about me now, and when I was a baby. I was really cute, and I did a lot of cute things." SHEESH! It's good to know I didn't overwhelm her.
I wish I could be so honest with people sometimes. "Could we stop talking about you, and start talking about ME? I'm awfully cute and I do cute things." LOL!

Here's Julie, when she was younger, with mom.

He's Such a Great Dad!

This past week Dave took me to an appointment. We had Joel & Alayna with us, while Julie was in school. Dave kept the kids entertained in the waiting room. As we're getting ready to leave, Dave is buckling Joel in the carseat and an older woman comments "you're such a great dad." Okay, I don't disagree with this statement at all, but here are my thoughts on this comment. For one, this is not the first time we've heard this from little old ladies. Any time Dave has one of our children with him, or all of our children with him, he gets stopped so people can look at our kids, and make comments about what a great dad he is. Secondly, I was standing in the waiting room, too, getting Alayna's coat on her, and no one said, "you seem like such a great mom."
First of all, what is it about men and children that get people to make adoring remarks? Any time I have the kids with me, whether it be one child, or all of them, I receive the comment "you really have your hands full," or "I've been there, it's a lot of work," or my all-time favorite, "you'll miss this when your kids grow up." Seriously, will I miss grocery shopping in WalMart at record speed while Julie wants every item she sees, and Alayna tries to grab everything off the shelf, and Joel would rather be held than ride in his carseat in the shopping cart????!!!! Okay, maybe I will look back and miss some of that. But, just once couldn't the little old lady stop me and say "you seem like a very involved, attentive, organized mom, with very well-behaved children, who are obviously cared for because their clothes are clean and their noses have been wiped." I mean really, is this too much to ask??

Okay, I get it. Who wouldn't look at the man in the picture below, and say, "he seems like a great guy, and he's probably a wonderful father." Well, they'd be right, he is!

It's Better to Praise...

My blog has becoming a little more "wordy" lately. I guess my heart is over-flowing with things to share. Bear with me... :)

This past week had it's share of "downs", if you will. We found out that the tumors on my moms lungs and liver are increasing and spreading. Her CA-125 is 998, an all-time high. This number is higher than when she was first diagnosed almost 5 years ago. She is experiencing some pain in her abdomen area and was told that she is feeling the cancer. By all accounts, this is not good news in man's view. But, I can honestly say that I feel more peace now than I have in the past five years, since she was orginally diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I can say that this feeling is true for my parents, as well. God is granting us such peace...truly "peace that passes all understanding." My mom and I have been sharing a lot of verses with each other lately. Verses that we feel the Lord is bringing us to, during this "bump" in the road, as my mom put it. There is so much in Jeremiah 33 that stood out to me the other day, but the last part of v. 11 is what I want to quote now. "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever." For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before, says the LORD.
I love that part about restoring the fortunes of the land as they were before. It gives me such an incredible mental picture of restoring mom to the way she was before!

Mom said to me the other night that she wants us all to praise God right now. No worrying, just praising! Romans 8:18 "For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." God is revealing His power and His glory, and it is exciting! Do I love what is happening with mom, NO! But I see all that God is doing with this, and it's an awesome thing to be a witness to.

Mom is starting weekly chemo-therapy treatments, in Pittsburgh. Each week the chemo dose will get stronger. She'll do three weeks on, and one week off. This chemo will deplete her blood cell count and she might have to get shots for this three times a week. She will lose her hair again, and nausea is another side effect. I ask for all your prayers on her behalf. Also, prayer for my dad, as he takes her to Pittsburgh each week.

The kids & I are headed to Erie this coming Tuesday. Dave & I are pulling Julie out of school for a little while, so she can come with me. I'm hoping to spend lots of time with my parents, and possibly do some Christmas shopping with mom.
All of your prayers are greatly appreciated, but please Praise God for all He is doing, and all He is!

I Wish Her Vote Counted...

Yesterday, this is what Julie looked like when she got home from school. They had little voting booths set up for the kids. Apparently it had pictures of the candidates, and you could color in the box next to the picture you wanted. I asked Julie who she voted for, and she said, "John McCain...ya never know." Well, I do know, and I wish Julie's vote had counted for real. Maybe it did, maybe Acorn registered the kids at Marbletown Elementary? hmmmmm

This reminds me of a story about my brother when my he was young. During Sunday School his teacher asked the kids "Who are God's chosen people?" Doug spoke up and answered, "The Republicans." Good answer, Doug! It's wrong, but good answer!

This morning I sat down to read my Bible, trying to gain some encouragement, and the first verse I read was, Jeremiah 16:10 "When you tell these people all this and they ask you, 'Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?" (I'm not kidding, this is the first verse I read)....anways, I read that and immediately thought, I think I'd rather read a Psalm or "See Spot Run." But, I felt like I needed to read on, and I'm so glad I did. The verses later in the chapter jumped off the page at me screaming, and I wanted to share them with you. Jeremiah 16:19-21"O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!" "Therefore I will teach them - this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the LORD."
Also, 17:7 says "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."

So, today, even though I'm not happy about what I see in the news, I'm reminded that it is not man in whom I put my trust, but the LORD, and my confidence needs to be in Him!

On My Mind...

I don't typically post two things in one day, but this is something on my heart that I am passionate about, and want to share with you. Unless you live in a hole you know that Tuesday is election day. More than likely most of the people that read this blog are family or friends that I know where they stand on issues, but maybe, just maybe, I have a reader that needs to hear this. Please vote on the side of human life. No other topic during this election is more important than this one. We have a responsibility to the unborn, who cannot defend themselves, to fight on their behalf. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." God knew us before we were even conceived. Each life has a purpose.
I was also reading in Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, blessing and cursing; therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that both you and your descendants may live; "that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your LIFE and the LENGTH OF YOUR DAYS..."
It is not for us to determine the length of someone's days, it is up to God. Please vote on the side of the unborn this November 4th!

My Achy Breaky Back...

I remember a time when I liked the song "Achy Breaky Heart", by Billy Ray Cirus...yes, I'm actually admitting this. But, for some reason now that I've turned 30 I feel like the title should be changed to "Achy Breaky Back", by Hannah Montanah's dad. Life changes, that's for sure.

Well, my back has improved some since Thursday, but I'm not "healed" yet. Anyone have the number for Benny Hinn??? Okay, never mind. I visited my chiropractor Friday, and over the course of the weekend I'm feeling slightly more mobile, but I go back again Tuesday for another treatment. Poor Dave is running around like crazy with church obligations, and home obligations...mainly a wife who decided that this past weekend was a good time to become crippled. Friday was especially busy. I had my appointment at the doctor, then I promised Julie I would attend a party in her classroom, then bring her home from school early that day. Dave stayed with the two little ones so I could go, but I was in a great deal of pain by the time I got back. Friday evening our older youth at church hosted a harvest party for all the kids, in our basement. They were supposed to be in Biblical costume, or some kind of Christian character (ie., Veggie Tales, Bibleman, etc.)...well, our kids were "sorta Biblical". Julie wanted desperately to be a flower, so she was part of God's creation, and Alayna...well, she's not Snow White, she's Queen Esther. LOL! Oh, and Joel's a deer off of Noah's Ark. See the pictures below:







Saturday morning, Dave had a Hunter's Blessing Breakfast planned, at the Fire Department he volunteers for. The breakfast was sponsored by our church, and meant as an outreach to hunter's in the community. Dave gave a brief devotion and offered a prayer for safety during the hunting season. There were many door prizes that were handed out, as well. Lots of business' donated items for give-aways. Gander Mountain, Dick's, WalMart, Dunkin Donuts, a couple area taxidermy shops, Valvoline Oil Change, etc. Dave was able to share the gospel with about 10 people that might not otherwise step foot in a church. We pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of those that attended. Oh, and bless Dave with a nice deer for our freezer this hunting season. (I'm such a redneck...yikes)

Since Dave had this breakfast to put on, that meant that he had to leave at 7 a.m. Saturday. Knowing that my back was out, and I was unable to lift anything, or clean, my dear friend, Diana, came over with her daughter, Amber, at 8:15 Saturday morning to spend most of the day helping me. Amber and Julie are great friends, and they had a wonderful time playing together. What a HUGE blessing! Diana vacuumed, cleaned up my kitchen, did a couple loads of laundry, brought us supper and homemade cinnamon rolls. It's during these times, when I'm sick, or my back is hurting, that I miss being near my family even more. I know that my mom or grandma would be there to help me with my house, or kids. This was just a big reminder to me of the "family" God has provided us in Stone Ridge. I can't repay Diana enough...however, she told me that someday when she's old, and breaks a hip, she's calling me for help. We'll probably have moved by then... j/k

When It Rains It Pours

Life is never dull, right? I feel like that is a theme for our family. Never dull. I think I might be happy with dull, even for just one day. So, here's what's been happening this past week...I'll try to tell you in the order of events:

1. Yesterday I woke up feeling great, just a normal day. After Julie left for school I started to not feel well. I ended up doubled over with severe stomach pains all morning. I debated on whether to go to the ER, or call my doctor. I called my doctor and was able to get in at 2:15. The pain eased some in the afternoon, and by the time I was in the doctor's office it was gone completely. Next time I'm not making an appointment, I'm just driving myself to his office, walking in the door, and then I should be cured! The doctor was puzzled by my symptoms and ran some tests. He's sending me for an ultrasound on my gall bladder, because the only possible thing he could think the symptoms mimicked were that of gall stones. Apparently you can be in severe pain, then the stones can change position and you won't have pain again for a while, even months. Poor Dave had to set aside a day of work to help me, and then take me to the doctor.

2. Last night I was talking to my mom on the phone, and she informed me that she would not be having chemo today, like she was scheduled to. The results of her recent CT Scan came back and showed that the tumors on her liver have increased in size and multiplied. Her doctor is out of town, so she will wait until next week to see him and discuss a change in her treatment plan. Obviously, the chemo she's on is not working. This was not the news we were hoping for, but in a way we were expecting it. Her CA-125 count is way too high (483), so we knew something wasn't right.

3. Okay, so I thought I was feeling better today, and I was getting lots done this morning...and Dave was able to work. I was in the kitchen cleaning Joel's exersaucer, so he could start using it, but when I stood up I felt a snap in my back and the pain seemed to be shooting all over my body. Yes, I put my back out. I have not done this in some time, and really don't recall twisting funny while cleaning, or standing up any different than I normally do. But, backs are tricky things and they can go out even if you didn't do anything. So, now I'm in a lot of pain, and walking lopsided. I called my chiropractor and have an appointment at 9:15tomorrow. As of right now I'm able to sit, or walk very slowly. Dave had errands that HAD to get done, so he took Alayna and I'm home with Joel, who is currently napping. I should be okay to take care of him for now. Dave also has a First Responder class tonight with a test, so for now I'm trying to take it easy so I can take care of my family.

So, with all this, I was reminded of a verse that I read in Jeremiah yesterday which said, "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." Jeremiah 10:23 Okay, so I'm not sure that "man who walks" applies to me right now...j/k, but I was thinking how frustrating these circumstances feel right now. I always feel like I have too much to do to be sick or injured, and I have some things planned tomorrow at Julie's school, as well as a harvest party for her to go to tomorrow night, Dave has a hunter's breakfast planned for Saturday morning, he's taking this class, the kids have colds, and on and on the list goes...but maybe I'm just trying too hard to plan my own steps, and not stopping and listening to what the Lord has for me. Apparently he wants me to sit still for a while and rest in Him.

This verse is also applicable to the situation with my mom. As much as we'd like to direct the steps for her, and have this cancer gone from her body, this is not up to us. He directs her steps, and He is in control of her treatment and healing. Not even the doctors have control...they may not realize it, but the Lord is directing their steps, too. She is in God's hands, and I am so thankful!!!

Okay, Here's The Info....

Okay, this is kinda lengthy, so if you'd rather not read it I'd understand...

I have been thinking through how to post this topic for some time now, but I just haven't had time to type it all out. I have mentioned a couple times that we have made some disciplining changes around the Miles household. To explain why the changes have been made I need to let you in on some family secrets...okay, are you ready? Our oldest, Julie, for the most part is well behaved in public, but at home we were dealing with a different side. Strong-willed, determined, demanding, and out-of-control. Okay, I don't like discussing her in a negative light, but I am being truthful. Dave & I have always believed in consistency, and felt that was the one of the keys to good parenting...and we still believe this is true, but we had to admit to ourselves that what we were doing was just not working with her. She is very sweet and loving, and the next minute she's raging out of control, screaming and hitting (mostly me). Some of you might be reading this and thinking, well, what that child needs is a good swat....believe me, that child has received some good swats (remember, I'm just being honest here), and the rage only intensified.
We are not naive parents, and we knew that if we could not get a handle on this behavior now, we were fearful of what we would be facing down the road...not to mention that it is a dangerous place for a child to be when they're not obeying their mother & father. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right!"
Okay, so now that you have an idea of what the problem was, let me tell you what led us to this new direction. Let me clarify, by "new direction" I'm not talking about going against God's Word and His plan for children and parents, I'm talking about changing our approach with Julie.
About four weeks ago my parents were visiting with us and helping us celebrate Alayna's 2nd birthday. Over the course of their visit Julie showed her more difficult side, and when asked to help with minor things she refused and was disobedient. To say the least, it was embarassing. The first evening, after my parents returned home, Dave had to be away for something, so I was taking care of the 3 kids. I am mentioning all this, because this was my breaking point. Julie started in on one of her rages, and I was having a very difficult time getting control of her....plus, her screaming was scaring Joel & Alayna, which only made things worse. In the middle of all this my dad called me to let me know they arrived home safely. I tried to contain it, but I burst in to tears on the phone. He asked me if he could talk to Julie on the phone and I said sure. He had a chat with Julie and she did calm down and became more controlled. Afterwards I talked with my dad and he mentioned this book he's heard so much about. I had heard of it, too, but the idea of the title seemed absurd to me. But, at this point I was willing to try anything. Dave & I agreed we needed to get a copy of it, so he bought it the next day. Let me tell you, I devoured it!
This is the book...and many of you may be familiar with it already.

Dr. Kevin Leman's approach is very no-nonsense. His whole message is to let reality be the consequence. If you want to be lazy and not do school work, fine, you get to take the F, I'm not helping. If you want to be difficult at the dinner table and not eat, well then so be it, but after you get up the kitchen is closed, and there's nothing more to eat. Believe me, this all made so much sense, and in a way seemed obvious. But, when you've been battling a child and doing what you thought was right and it's still not working, you feel overwhelmed and confused.
His main theme is "Say it once, turn your back & walk away." He says that repeating what you've said to the child over and over is like saying "You're so stupid, I don't think you're capable of handling this." BINGO! I learned that I am that mother. Because Julie can be so pokey I tend to hover and repeat myself. Well, once Dave & I stepped up and used this approach and she had to reap the consequences a few times, she learned pretty quick.
Example 1: I had asked her to make her bed before Sunday School. Well, she didn't do it. I only asked her once, and never mentioned it again. After she went downstairs for Sunday school, (our church's children Sunday school is in our basement...the parsonage) I made the bed. But, instead of lecturing her about it later I gathered up all the stuffed animals she likes to sleep with and her favorite blanket, and I displayed them on Dave & my bed. When we got home from church and it was time for her rest she wanted those things. Well, guess what, they belonged to me that day. I made her bed, so I rewarded myself by displaying those items on my bed. Believe me, this was not making her happy...but when she saw I didn't back down, and didn't engage her in any argument, she got the message.
Example 2: After a family shopping outing she became angry on the way home and took her shoes off and threw them in the van. Well, instead of yelling at her and making her apologize...or spanking her for her behavior, when we got home Dave gathered up her shoes and told her that since she decided to throw her shoes she'd have to walk in to the house without them. Once again, she was not happy since we have a dirt driveway. She fussed and got mad, but we didn't back down and she did it. (I had dirty white socks to wash, but that didn't matter)
Once she is calm and has gotten the message we use those as teaching moments. So, it's been about 4 weeks now and I'll just say it's like we have a new child! I love this child dearly, and it was breaking my heart that we were having so much trouble with her, and now I'm so encouraged that we are finally getting through. She is not perfect, but no one is. However, she is no longer having screaming tirades, she is not hitting me, and she's doing as she's asked. She is seeking attention in positive ways now (the screaming fits were ways to get attention...we knew that, but didn't know how to handle them), she offers to help me with things, and she is teaching her sister how to help....without me having to ask.
We are also using this approach with Alayna. Say it once, turn your back and walk away. If they want to scream, so what...if you don't acknowledge it they eventually get the message. My problem was that I thought I needed to acknowledge the screaming with discipline and not allow her to get away with it. Once I started ignoring it and acting as if I didn't even know it was happening (which made Julie VERY mad at first...and Alayna, too), it eventually stopped. If Alayna asks for a snack, and it's not time, I say no and walk away. She might get mad, but she stops because I'm ignoring her.
I had to recognize some things about myself. I was a permissive parent AND I was an authoritarian type parent. On one hand I would try to keep peace at any cost to avoid an outburst, on the other hand when an outburst would happen I would take on the mentality of "so help me child, you will obey me and I will win!" She would hit and I'd chase after her, "Oh no you didn't!!!" The hitting is never to be tolerated, and we don't ignore that behavior, but now that we've changed our approach it's not much of an issue any longer.
The problem was we were engaging her in too much dialogue...too many explanations as to why what she did was wrong, and why she needs to obey, and why she shouldn't do that again, and why it wasn't kind and loving, etc., etc., spank, spank, spank! Now, if we have to use spanking, then we do it, tell her why, and that's the end of it. No room for arguing and screaming. If she screams then we walk away until she's ready to listen and apologize...and REALLY apologize.
I've had some fun with this, too. For example, one day Julie was having a fit in the living room and not obeying, I told her to go to her room, but she yelled to me, "you go to your room." Instead of getting mad I just said "that's a great idea, I think I will, come on Joel & Alayna let's go have fun in mommy's room." She immediately stopped yelling and said "I want to have fun in your room, too." I said, "Oh, well then I guess you better do as I asked and apologize to me, so we can all start having fun." Believe me, she got the message loud & clear...and I wasn't beside myself with stress trying to get control of her and WIN!
Now she is recognizing on her own when she has done something wrong and needs to apologize for it, and she comes to us herself. Tonight while I was getting the kids ready for bed she got a very sassy tone with me. I just looked at her, but didn't say a word. She immediately said "I'm sorry mom, I was being sassy." Can I just tell you, that may sound simple, but in this house that is MAJOR!!
Alayna is only two, so we don't expect her to understand the things Julie does, but she is learning that whining is not tolerated and I won't listen to it.
Are we now perfect parents, ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! But, I can tell you honestly that I'm a much happier mom, and less stressed.

Sorry that this was so lengthy, I hope you weren't bored to tears...I just had to share what's been on my heart, and how encouraged I am to be living in a more peaceful home.

Will He Crawl Soon???

Just a quick update...we're all doing well at the Miles home. I am anxious to have more time to tell you about the change in discipline tactics we've put in to place in our home, and how wonderfully affective they've been. But more on that later...All I'm going to say is that since we've made some changes around here Julie no longer seems to be struggling with "night terrors", which have plagued our home for 2 1/2 years now.

Okay, I just had to share these few pictures of Joel that I took yesterday. He's pushing himself up on his arms and he's so strong. With the exception of a few nights recently, he is pretty much sleeping all night long. He is drooling constantly, and I can see bumps where his first bottom teeth will eventually break through. I really hate the teething stage. But, it is just a stage, and will pass in time.

Yes, he's wearing camouflage....Dave is so proud. It is archery season here, but I keep a close eye on Dave to make sure he doesn't take Joel with him when he goes. He's anxious for Joel to learn to hunt, but I think he's a bit young yet, don't you?


"Hey Mom, how's it goin'?"

Pumpkin Picking

This past Wednesday we decided to take the kids pumpkin picking when Julie got home from school. The weather was supposed to cool down as the week went on, and it was so beautiful Wednesday, it was the perfect day to go. We went to Kelder's Farm, where you can pick your own pumpkins. The farm is a great place to take kids. They have a mini-golf course, and lots of things for kids to play on, as well as animals that they can feed. We had a great time as a family, and the kids were great! We even managed to have supper at Subway before going home. It's not exciting, but I didn't have to cook it.
The girls picked out pumpkins, and then Julie picked out one for Joel. Not that he cares, but I like it when they show thoughtfulness towards each other.
Here are some pictures from our outing.

This is self-explanatory.


Dave & Alayna walking back to the van. I thought this made a great black & white.


Julie, Alayna & Joel.


We let Julie play a round of mini golf...I think she scored a 69 on a 10 hole course. She plays like her mom. :)