We're Off!

Well, we are off to Arizona! I may be updating while there...but who knows. I may be having just too much fun to sit down at the computer!!!!

We are headed straight to Flagstaff. We will stay there a few days, then we will head to Lake Powell...Jeff's favorite place. The Filleman family rented a house boat for a few days. We will have the house boat....Holly (Jeff's sister) has her boat for water sports...I am not sure, but Jeff's dad and mom may bring up their boat and jet ski also...and I think I heard from a little birdie that Jeff's brother has a new boat he wants to show off at the lake too! :-) So we will have lots of places to play, relax, etc! We are looking forward to the nice sandy beaches...beautiful water and canyons....try not to hate us.... :-)

In the mean time...Lisa and my dad will be taking care of Peanut. It looks like she is not going to have her baby before we leave. :-( So...be in prayer for my dad and Lisa. :-)

Have a GREAT 4th of July!!!! Be safe!!!!!

Jon and Kate Plus 8

I took this from a friends blog. I am sure she won't mind. She put it so eloquently though, and she said just what I was thinking!! So why reinvent the wheel?? Thanks Robyn!!!

I know there's a love/hate relationship we Americans have with one particular family. Either you love Jon & Kate or you don't. There doesn't seem to be middle ground. For those of you--like me--who have watched their show forever, I'm saddened by the breakup of their marriage.

It points out the one concern I've felt for them for years. They always talk about how they put their kids first.

Here's my point. When you put your kids first in your marriage, it forces your marriage (and your spouse) to take a backseat to the children. I've heard it time and time again from so many people whom I respect and from a lot of sources. To be the best parent you can be--love your spouse. To be the best example for your children--love your spouse. The best example any dad or mom can set is to love their wife/husband with their whole heart.
Our pastor reminded us on Father's Day that you were with your spouse before your children. When the kids are grown and gone, you will be back with your spouse. You have to continue to cultivate that relationship throughout all the years of your marriage. I believe that with my whole heart. Keep your marriage the priority so your kids know that their future spouse should come first when they get married, too.

Do your kids a favor--go out on a date with your spouse...or buy a little gift for them...or take time to share your day with each other--even if it means telling the kids to shush for a little bit. Show your children how important your spouse and your marriage is to you. By giving them a clear message of your love for each other, you provide the best security for their hearts and minds.

Working out

I have been working out for the past few months. As far as weight goes, I did fine after Cam was born...pretty good after Jake was born....not so good after MaKenna was born, and when Major was born, I think the only weight I lost was his 9 pounds!!! It has been hard. Couple the fact that I have birthed 4 babies with the illness of my mom over the past 5 years (I am an emotional eater), and you get an overweight mamma! Now...I am NOT going to blame my kids OR my mom for my weight. I did it all by myself...but those are circumstances that didn't help my situation much.

When we moved into this house, I started walking the kids to and from school. That was a start...then the weather got yucky...I wasn't going to walk my babies in that weather...so I didn't exercise at all. After mom died, and I couldn't get into the one suit that was my biggest one...the suit that I wore DIRECTLY AFTER my pregnancies, for her funeral...I decided...this is ridiculous. I have to do something about this. Those of you who saw me at the funeral and you say...."I think you looked fine in that suit." I just want you to know...I was HORRIBLY uncomfortable, I wasn't breathing a lot and if you noticed...no matter how hot I got, I NEVER took off the suit jacket....I also NEVER buttoned the suit jacket! :-) Don't get me wrong...I don't think I have ever been huge by any means...but for someone that used to be a size 1....my current size 12-14 is big! And I was just not comfortable anymore.

So...as soon as the weather started warming up...some in February, but mostly in March, I started...not only WALKING the kids to and from school...but I went and bought a jogging stroller and I JOGGED to and from school, with Major in the stroller and MaKenna riding her bike. That was my starting point. I also started eating better. Not really a diet...I just cut out ALL snacks during the week....on weekends, I can splurge a bit. Anyway, I didn't see a huge difference, but my clothes weren't quite as tight after a month or so...and I did have more energy. Well...one day we went to Skatedaze as a family and I saw a flier for a fitness study done by Curves. I called and I got in. They measured me, weighed me, talked to me about goals, etc. It was a one month study. I had to go in at least 3 times a week. So...starting May 18th, I went at least 3 times a week. I also had to record all of my data on the computer for the University of Texas, who was actually doing the study.

After a month, I was weighed again and measured. Now...throughout this month, I must say...I REALLY enjoyed it. I had TONS more energy....and my clothes fit MUCH nicer. I continued to run to and from school. And once school ended, I kept running in the evening. It all became a habit for me. Now I am lost if I don't go to Curves and get my running in. So...after that month...I lost only one pound...BUT...I lost 7 inches!!! Not all in one spot of course, but 7 INCHES! THAT IS HUGE! ONE MONTH!!! So, I joined Curves...I became a member.

Now....like I said, I go at least 3 to 4 times a week. Even when I am vacationing in Flagstaff next week, I plan on going to their Curves. I also run ALMOST nightly...and eat well during the week. Now my clothes don't just fit much nicer, now they are ALMOST loose on me!!! I am not quite ready to go down a size, but almost! I still haven't shed much weight...but I know that will come with time.

If you aren't familiar with Curves, I would really encourage you to click on the link above. It is circuit training which is what I always did when I ran track. It is a 30 minute work out. That's it! I have 30 minutes I can give to my health! I burn more calories in 30 minutes at Curves than I can running for an hour!

Anyway, so I have this friend, Allyson. She is a fitness person too. She wanted to start running together at night after we put the kids to bed. So, Sunday night at 8:30, she came and picked me up. We went over to Ed Zorinsky Lake, and did 4 miles! 2 miles running, and 2 miles walking quickly. It was SWELTERING hot here...but I survived. When I got home, I had so much sweat all over me I was soaked. The kids asked if I jumped IN the lake! Allyson and I had planned on only going out and doing this once or twice a week...but knowing I was going to be busy this week getting ready for the trip and then being gone for 10 days, we thought we should go out Monday night too. So at 8:30, I went and picked her up. We wanted to mix it up a bit...plus it was EVEN hotter, so we biked the 6 miles around Wehrspann Lake. The running at Zorinsky took us an hour....the biking at Wehrspann only took us 33 minutes. We were still sweating like crazy, but it was fun. So we have been enjoying the extra work outs we've been getting. We plan on picking up where we left off as soon as we get home from Flagstaff/Lake Powell. Maybe in a few months I can get back into size 10 jeans??? You'll all here a "Hallelujah" chorus when that happens!!! :-)

Keep on keepin' on!!!

T

Fried to a crisp!

It is HOT here...just down right HOT! I can take 110 in Phx over this stuff ANYDAY! I HATE humidity!! It has been almost 100 here with almost 90% humidity! It has been stuffy and awful to say the least! ICK! We went to the pool the other day...and that was even almost unbearable. I was great and putting lotion on the kids....and me...but I can't reach my back well....sorry, I am not double jointed...Jake rubbed it in...I THOUGHT. Apparently he didn't do a good job and I am just FRIED! I hurt SO bad. I can hardly sleep, clothes hurt, showers hurt, it just hurts! ICK! No more pool this week!!

We leave Friday evening for Arizona. Some sweet relief from the horrible humidity! We will be gone for almost 2 weeks, so don't fret if I don't blog! I actually still might be able to. I am thinking about bringing my laptop! I just can't stay away from blogging! It's for the kids...they will have a really cool record of our going on's some day!! :-)

Anyway, I am a bit stressed getting ready for the trip. The more kids you have, the harder it is to get ready. Shopping, library, banks, appointments, stop the mail, stop the paper, the horse, the dogs...etc...etc. Luckily dad will be taking care of 90% of that while we are gone! Peanut STILL hasn't had her baby...so I think it is going to be up to Lisa and my dad to help with the new little rascal. I have more to say...but too much to get done....see ya!

T

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL MEN IN MY LIFE!!!!! Even if you aren't pictured!!! :-)

Jeff's dad (Jerry) with Cam, MaKenna, Major and Jake

My dad (Les) with Rhonda, mom and I

My honey (Jeff) with Cam, Jake, Major, MaKenna and I

My honey (Jeff) with Major and Sea World Dolphin...it takes a real man to have a picture with a stuffed fish...okay...MAMMAL!

My daddy and I...I've always been a daddy's girl.....

Hot and Humid!

ICK! I HATE humidity!!! I can take 110 in Phoenix over 85 here with this humidity! I feel like I can't breathe!!!

We did a lot of water playing this week though...well...when it wasn't raining...which made it even MORE humid!!

Really...other than playing in our backyard, or friends' backyards, we really didn't do a whole lot this week. It was actually kinda nice and relaxing! Next week will be very busy as we are getting ready for our trip to Arizona/Lake Powell. Not only that, but we have some sort of appointment almost every day next week....plus clean the house (I hate coming home to a dirty house)...plus keep my piano lessons...plus our weekly library stop...plus get the truck in (our remote starter and our DVD players are not working. I can do without the remote starter...but I am NOT traveling 24 hours straight without a DVD player for the kids!). Needless to say...it will be a very busy week. Forgive me if I don't blog much.

No Foal yet. Still waiting. I am thinking very soon though...Peanut was acting very funny this evening when we went out to feed her. She just wasn't herself. She didn't want to eat much, she didn't want to graze....she had been laying down because she had bedding all wrapped up in her hair...she was pacing a bit...so I think it might be soon. HOPEFULLY before we leave for Arizona. Though...it is Murphy's Law that she will have the Foal when we are gone. Hopefully Murphy's Law will be broken this time though! What a great Father's Day present for Jeff if she has her foal tonight!

Sunday is my sister in law's and brother in law's FIRST anniversary!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GUYS!!! Friday was my brother in law's and sister in law's TENTH anniversary!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to them also!! Holly and Brandyn Tullis....1 YEAR!! Danny and Caitlin Filleman...10 YEARS!!!

We did go out to Mahoney yesterday and dropped off Jake and Cam so they could camp with Papa, and Rhonda and Mike and their family. We went out there today and picked them up and had dinner with them. We also gave dad his Father's Day gift. His FIRST digital camera. He was VERY excited! He is looking forward to taking pictures of his new horse Sparky!!

First tick of the season...and it's on MaKenna!

YUCK...YUCK....YUCK....YUCK!!!!!

So, I was showering with MaKenna the other day (it's just faster and easier), and I washed her hair, etc. Nothing out of the norm...until......I was brushing her hair. ICK! I thought she had a big knot in her hair or something. I tried to take it out...when I realized, the "knot" was squishy!! EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S A TICK!!!!!! Cue 33 year old woman screaming and cringing while trying to keep truth from 4 year old daughter.

Okay...so I have had ticks before....none of the kids have though...and the ticks that I have had, were on my leg...easily noticed and easily taken off. But the HAIR?!?!?! How do I know how long it had been there? I was HOPING that it happened the night before while the kids were playing in the weeds while Peanut ate out at the ranch. Either way....ICK! I called my dad.

Tonya: "Dad!! Where are you???"
Dad: "On my way home...why?"
Tonya: "Great! Stop here please...Kenna has a tick!"
Dad: "Okay...on my way!"

I also called my husband...but he really wasn't much help because he couldn't come home, and anything that he told me would go in one ear and out the other because I wasn't yanking this thing out of my daughters head.

Dad got there really quick. Like a surgeon on a mission, he got MaKenna on the stool...put out his hand and said, "Tweezers." I handed him the tweezers...moved her hair out of the way exposing the wayward disgusting organism and held on to her head in case of any sudden movement. It took him a few good tugs before the nasty creature broke his suction. Luckily Papa got everything out of her head...creature's head and all. It left a nasty little "cut" on her scalp though. We put said organism in a container and later I took it to the doctor to see what kind of tick it was. Some ticks carry lyme disease. I didn't want to take the chance. They said she should be seen due to her age, allergic response to some things, and the fact that she HAD had a mild fever for the past day or two. She was seen...doctor said it was a simple Wood tick with little risk of Lyme disease and he treated her poor little scalp. Poor baby. I think I had a harder time with it than she did. She just went along with the flow the whole time. She didn't ever flinch or cry, or say Yuck...like her mom was...EVER! She was such a champ!!! What a little country bumpkin I have!!!!!

Bubble Gum

I love the movie Forrest Gump. Who doesn't, honestly? I love the soundtrack too...but now I am getting off the subject. We used to always call Cam Bubba....we never did Jake much...obviously not MaKenna...but Major I have found that I call him Bubba a lot. But...for whatever reason, I have been calling him Bubba Gump. You know...from Forrest Gump. He and his friend Bubba were starting a Shrimping business. They called it Bubba Gump shrimp. So, I call Major Bubba Gump quite often actually. A couple of nights ago Makenna said, "Mommy...why do we call Major Bubble Gum?" I had no response....I could do nothing but laugh. Poor thing. She is still calling him bubble gum!

By the way, while I was looking for a picture of Forrest and Bubba...I found out that there really IS a BubbaGump Shrimp company...inspired by the movie!

Telly Button

MaKenna....she says the darndest things. She has forever called our belly buttons..."Telly Buttons". I don't know why...I have tried to correct her...but that is what she calls them. I just thought that was a cute thing to mention. "Mommy" she said to me tonight..."does Peanut have a telly button?" Honestly I have never looked closely at a horses under carriage...but I told her, "Yes honey...Peanut has a telly button." Jeff tells me not to encourage her misuse of words...but it is just so darn cute!!

By the way...no baby for Peanut yet...still waiting. Our luck? She will have it when we are at Lake Powell. That is murphy's law isn't it?

Another review...Eyes Wide Open

Here is another book review I did. First is the summary from the back of the book. Under that I have written what I thought of the book! :-)

Book: Eyes Wide Open
Author: Jud Wilhite

Summary:
I had it all backwards. The main thing was not my love for God, but his love for me. And from that love I respond to God as one deeply flawed, yet loved. I’m not looking to prove my worth. I’m not searching for acceptance. I’m living out of the worth God already declares I have. I’m embracing his view of me and in the process discovering the person he created me to be. In Eyes Wide Open, Jud Wilhite invites you to discover the real you. Not the you who pretends to be perfect to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Not the you who always feels guilty before God. Not the you who secretly feels God forgives everyone else but only tolerates you. Not the you who looks in the mirror and sees a failure. The real you, loved and forgiven by God, living out of your identity in Christ. A travel guide through real spirituality from one incomplete person to another, Eyes Wide Open is a book of stories about following God in the messes of life, about broken pasts and our lifelong need for grace. It is a book about seeing ourselves and God with new eyes–eyes wide open to a God of love.

Wow. This was a great book! A must read for everyone in my opinion. I wish I had an extra copy to give to you. Of course, you are always welcome to borrow mine ANYTIME! Wilhite starts out by saying that this book will help you learn to see yourself as God create you...the real you...without pretense or playacting. He says, "This doesn't mean you'll have it all worked out by the end. You may still feel like a mess. But now, as someone has put it, you'll be GOD'S MESS. And He has wonderful things in store for you." Boy...he was right. This book helped me become aware and realize a lot about myself and my life. He reminds us that we matter to God...no matter where on the ladder we are...our weight...the kinds of clothes we wear, etc. We matter just as we are. We are incredible spiritual beings because that is how God created us. He also reminds us of forgiveness, "When y ou and I make Jesus our leader and forgiver, we're offered forgiveness because of who God is and what He has done for us. It's called grace. And it's uncensored." He made several good points. Points that I KNEW...but didn't KNOW. For example, "No matter what difficulty, pain, or hardship we face, God will pull us through. He will fight for us in the midst of the problem." He reminds us that the Lord is our helper, and we we should have no fear. When we are up against life, we need to remember that promise. God will never fail us, or abandon us. He is our helper...so we should have NO fear. He also has a chapter which focuses on Community and how important it is for Christians to have it. That really struck a cord with me because I know people who say, "Nature is my church...I don't need to go to church." That is not true. You will be renewed and encouraged by others...and the only way to do that is by community...by church...other believers. The trees can't encourage you. So sorry...but your horse can't either. Finally, at the end of the book, he says, "We usually say, "As long as there is life, there is hope." But I believe that as long as there is hope, there is life." What a true statement that is...and one I needed to hear especially with the loss of my mother only a few months ago. We have hope in Jesus Christ...therefore she is living with Him right now as we speak. We will always have life, if we continue to have hope in Jesus. That was so refreshing. The book was A++++++++ in my opinion, and I really would encourage all of you to pick up a copy yourself!

Happy reading!!!

The Disappearance of God by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Here is another book that I am reviewing for the "Father's Day Blog Tour" for Random House. First I listed the stuff on the back of the book, after that are my thoughts of the book:

The Disappearance of God, Dangerous beliefs in the new spiritual openness

By: R. Albert Mohler Jr.

ABOUT THIS BOOK :
“Great biblical truths are meant not only for our intellectual acceptance, but for our spiritual health.” –Dr. Al Mohler

More faulty information about God swirls around us today than ever before. No wonder so many followers of Christ are unsure of what they really believe in the face of the new spiritual openness attempting to alter unchanging truth.For centuries the church has taught and guarded the core Christian beliefs that make up the essential foundations of the faith. But in our postmodern age, sloppy teaching and outright lies create rampant confusion, and many Christians are free-falling for “feel-good” theology. We need to know the truth to save ourselves from errors that will derail our faith. As biblical scholar, author, and president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, writes, “The entire structure of Christian truth is now under attack.” With wit and wisdom he tackles the most important aspects of these modern issues: Is God changing His mind about sin?

Why is hell off limits for many pastors?

What’s good or bad about the “dangerous” emergent movement?

Have Christians stopped seeing God as God?

Is the social justice movement misguided?

Could the role of beauty be critical to our theology?

Is liberal faith any less destructive than atheism?

Are churches pandering to their members to survive?

In the age-old battle to preserve the foundations of faith, it's up to a new generation to confront and disarm the contemporary shams and fight for the truth. Dr. Mohler provides the scriptural answers to show you how.

Okay...now my turn. In the second chapter, "Guarder Through Faith", I was reminded what Jesus said, John 10:27-29, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." Knowing what I have been through this past year, you would all probably agree, that this verse was a great reminder to me. Reading this comforted me. This chapter was one of my favorites. He speaks about how the world events right now give questions of belief which trouble Christians and cause us to question our assurance of faith. But we have to remain steadfast in our faith. It talks about all of the things that are against us. In fact the whole book talks about things that seem to be against us and how we have strayed throughout each generation. He talks about how we are saved by grace through faith. Grace alone, nothing more and nothing less. How comforting that is.

In another chapter, "A Christian Vision of Beauty, Parth 3" the author reminds us that we delude ourselves into thinking that attractiveness means beauty. Just as nature can lie with its attracive creatures, so also we can lie with the attractiveness we try to portray on the newsstands, on television, in Hollywood, or in the mirror. There is so much more to beauty than what we see on the outside and what we think we SHOULD see on the outside. He reminds us that we are ALL beautiful because we are all made in the image of God.

There are other great points that Mohler made. I enjoyed being reminded of several things and taking notice of other things that have gotten out of hand in society. However...as bright as I think I might be....I am clearly not the intellectual that he is. I had a difficult time reading it because his writing is very technical. Many of the paragraphs I read, I found myself having to reread to make sure that I understood it correctly. Either way you look at it, there was a lot to learn from this book, it just might take some longer to read and understand then others. :-)

Strawberry Pickin' and more

This week was a busy one!!! The kids had Vacation Bible School all week from 5-8 at Community Bible Church here in Omaha. They absolutely LOVED it! We had quite a few friend guests come with us as well. So many in fact that we had to take two vehicles almost each night to get them all there and home! The church fed the kids dinner and everything. One night, Jeff and I even ventured to a new Mexican restaurant...with Major (he wasn't old enough to go to VBS this year)...and my niece Brooke. She was a little scared to go to VBS, so we just took her with us. Then Jeff and I headed out to see Peanut. It was nice not having to hear, "I HAVE TO GO NUMBER TWO", two minutes after we arrive at the stable. :-)

So Tuesday we went pickin' strawberries at the Bellevue Berry Patch.
I specifically chose Tuesday to go because Jim Flowers from channel 6 said it would not rain. It was overcast, but Jim said, no rain, so we went anyway. We were there for 10 minutes and it started to sprinkle. That's okay...a little rain never hurt anyone...UNTIL IT STARTED COMING DOWN TORRENTIALLY!!! IT WAS LIKE A HURRICANE OUT THERE WITHOUT THE WIND! It was NUTS! We ran for cover...we were SOAKING wet. There was a play place there that the kids were just dying to play on, but...the lightning started and I made the executive decision to go back another day. We did get quite a few strawberries though! Of course, Jeff and I are the only ones that will eat them, but hey, it spruces up our salads rather nicely!!

Wednesday we took our weekly run to the library. The kids love going to the library...hopefully it is because they have inherited my love of reading and books. Major also had his 18 month check up. Yup! 18 months!!! Can you believe it? He is looking great. He is average height, 15th percentile for weight at 25 pounds, and he has a big head. He is in the 75th percentile for head size. But...the doctor said it was to house that HUGE brain of his! :-) Yeah...that's why he isn't talking yet? :-) He DOES babble...but no actual speech that WE can understand. He always gets what he wants though...one of the 5 of us will give him what he wants when he points and grunts...screams...or cries. I guess we could be enabling him not to speak? :-~ Poor kid got 3 shots...but he is done now with shots until Kindergarten!

Thursday we went to a spraypark here in Omaha. It was really nice. The kids had a great time. Once again Jim flowers told us it would be too cool Thursday for water play. So, we just went to the sand park...no suits...it would be too cold remember? It was HOT! So, I let the kids play in the spray park with their clothes on and they just went home soaking wet...again. I am seeing a trend here. Oh well...all this stuff makes for great memories...right?

Today it was raining so hard that they cancelled BMX. So we went out to see Peanut...no baby yet...then came home, I had made a couple pizzas, and we ate them with tv trays in the living room while watching a movie! That was THE BEST to the kids! It takes SO little to please them sometimes!! That is the trick though. We always try SO hard to please our kids with elaborate things...but sometimes it is the simplest of things that they love and will remember forever.

Evie Jayne's blog

Lindsey put together a blog for everyone. It is certainly heartbreaking what they are going through. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Hi Friends and Fam,

Between doctor's appointments I have been wanting to share things with you all, so instead of filling your email inboxes with more emails, I have started a blog. You can check it out at http://eviejayne.blogspot.com/. This first entry is just an synopsis of our journey thus far, and I will update it soon. I also plan on continuing to send out email updates after doctor's appoitments.

Love you, Lindsey

Peanut and Kenna

Back to Peanut again! She is getting more blog time then the kids!!! Still no baby, but when we went out there this afternoon MaKenna and I tried something new. I french braided her tail...it looks beautiful by the way... :-) and then...instead of the bow...which broke when it was stepped on (it was actually a barrette), we picked purple flowers (Remember...one of MaKenna's fave colors) and put them all along the top of her mane. I just weaved the stems in. She looked really pretty!! She probably had about 15 purple flowers woven through the top of her mane! I didn't take any pictures though. :-(

I did take a picture of MaKenna on the monkey bars in our back yard! She has made it across!!!

I'm SO proud of my little girl!!! She was very excited!!! She does it ALL the time now!!! Notice...she is in purple...AGAIN!! :-)

Friends' babies, part two

My friend Gloria just had another ultrasound and there is STILL a heartbeat!! Praise God! Her little bean is still thriving!!! The heart rate is only 132bpm, which may seem slow but the doctor says it's good. Her doctor has released her to their OB. Thanks for all the prayers. Keep them going up for Gloria and her "bean"....she is still in the early stages, we just need to keep praying that this baby will continue to thrive! Baby Bean is due Jan 15th 2010! :)

Now Lindsey doesn't have as good of news. Here is her latest update:

Hi Fam and Friends, Thanks for your prayers the past few weeks, when we were first going through all of our doctor's appointments I was hesitant to tell everyone about what was going on because of all of the unknown, but we have found your support and prayers so wonderful so I wanted to thank you first. We heard from Dr. Bonebrake the perinatal specialist this morning, he spoke with the doctor from the Skeletal Dysplasia registry last night. We received pretty bad news. Based on the angles and length of the baby's bones, and the density of her cranium and ribs, they concluded that she has Type 2 Osteogenesis Imperfecta. It is the least common and most severe type. I will most likely carry her to term, but she has a lethal form of the disease and will most likely only live minutes to hours after she is born. When I asked the doc if they knew for sure, he said they are comfortable and confident in the diagnosis, especially since everything showed up so early on her ultrasounds. We will plan a c-section when the time comes since delivery would be too hard on her. I can't say that we aren't heartbroken over the news. It's nice that we can have some time to prepare for her birth and what is to follow. I feel blessed that we have a few more months to spend with her, and continue to pray for healing. While I'm not giving up hope, I know it would take a divine miracle to straighten, strengthen, lengthen, and sustain our little girl. I wouldn't want her to live a life of physical pain. I know that God doesn't make mistakes and feel confident that he will use this little girl to impact our lives in miraculous ways. Praise God for giving us a firm foundation on which to stand. I am so comforted that we will know our little girl in heaven and can spend the time with her there that we weren't given on earth. Without that knowledge I think the news would be devastating. We are so blessed with the joy of knowing Christ. "That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to> heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will find grace to help us when we> need it." Hebrews 4:14-16. We have decided to name her Evie Jayne. Evie means "life" and Jayne means "God is gracious" and is a combination of John and Wayne... after my man John Wayne Elsaesser himself. Love you all, thanks again for your support and love, the updates will keep coming. Lindsey, John, Lyla, and Evie.

Please continue to keep them in your prayers. I can't even begin to imagine what they must be going through.

Peanut in Gretna and loving it! No baby yet....

MaKenna is such a sweetie. We went to see Peanut and MaKenna immediately went and got a bow to put in her hair. Purple is one of MaKenna's favorite colors and this bow is purple. So I put it in her mane, right up in her forelock for MaKenna!

Here is her temporary stable in Gretna. She doesn't seem to mind the fencing. She can get outside too....but we do have that fenced off out there too and she ate all the vegitation out there already, so when we go see her which is at least once, and usually twice a day, we let her out to graze in the pasture. We have her staying at our friend Lisa's house, so Lisa goes out and checks on her quite often too. She used to raise Miniature's also!

Here is Cam giving her a nice brush down. She sure LOVES to be brushed.

Here are the kids doing their chores. I have never seen these kids do chores like they do in the barn. You don't even have to ask them, they know what they are supposed to do and they do it!

Here is MaKenna giving Peanut a nice brush down too. She is a spoiled little Miniature horse!!

Peanut and the Royals!

We had a great end of the week. Especially with our new addition. I think we had just about every neighbor kid over on Friday. My nieces and nephew were over for the day too...so they had a lot of fun with Peanut. She did really well on her first night on our "farm". It was like Christmas at our house Friday morning though. The kids were out of bed, dressed and outside with Peanut before Jeff and I even got up at 7:30! Anyway, here is a picture of my niece Brooke riding Peanut with her big brother Shawn leading her. Here is a picture of MaKenna on Peanut. She does so well now that she doesn't even need help riding her. She just gets on and goes!

Here is Peanut coming out of her Corral that Jeff built for her. Now...we don't have a stable for her in our back yard yet...and bad weather was coming, so Friday night Jeff and Cam took her out to our friends house in Gretna. She has a barn and pasture. Peanut LOVES it out there. Pictures of that to come!

So, Friday night, MaKenna, Major, Jake, Tini, Dixie, Tanner, and my sister and her family all went to an Omaha Royals game! Thanks to my good friend Allyson for getting us tickets through her husbands workplace! Here is my sweet little MaKenna.

Here is Kenna, Brooke and my sister Rhonda at the game.

Here is Shawn, Kayla and Jake.

Major is such a ham!!!

Omaha lost 4-7. We had a great time though!! There were fireworks after and Major REALLY enjoyed them!! He ooohhhhed and aaaahhhhhed over them!!! It was about midnight before we got home and in bed though, so they were all very sleepy and they all slept in Saturday morning!!!!

Major

Major went on a big boy swing today!!! He LOVED it! He stayed stick still though. He didn't move a muscle except on his face!!!! I didn't swing him very high though of course. :-)

I went to Curves the other evening...he has this picture window in the front of our house that he likes to look out of. When I left, I could see him standing in the window crying. Jeff said he watched at the window for awhile after I left and then just laid down and fell asleep right in front of the window. He was still there when I got home. Poor baby! What a sweetie!

Our new family member....

Well folks...we did it. We got another family member! We didn't think we had enough children and pets...so we added yet another. Jake has fish...we have two dogs...Duke and Nacho...and we added....a miniature horse! Yes...that is right...a miniature horse. So what? you say....well...this horse is making its home in our back yard. Yes...you read correctly...our back yard! :-) Can we say, "R-E-D-N-E-C-K"? You all know us....you all know we are rednecks. Come on...admit it! I will!!!

Below is the picture of our new family member....her name was Pepsi...we changed it to Peanut with a middle name of Pepsi. :-) MaKenna and Major both have ridden her...Jake isn't sure yet. Cam is too big. Miniature horses can only hold about 70 pounds.Her belly is SO big you say? Well...yes...as if it weren't enough to get a horse...she is a VERY pregnant...due any day horse. Here is Michael her former owner and Jeff trying to get her into the horse trailer.

We got her in Harvard, NE...about 2 hours from here. She had a long ride...but she did great. She is a VERY nice horse. We had originally gone down to get a different horse and her Filly...but we decided against them as the mama was not the friendliest of horses. Peanut is a VERY sweet horse. She didn't seem to mind the kids at all. She nuzzled them, let them pet her, snuggle her, ride her, etc.

Here she is in our back yard. You can see the play set behind her. Now...for those of you who haven't been to our house, we have a HUGE backyard...so don't think that she has no room to roam. You can't even stand on one side of our backyard and see the whole thing. It is a corner lot in a culdesac and so it wraps around and it truly is HUGE. Jeff made a nice area just for her and fenced it off. I should have taken a picture, I will tomorrow. We will let her roam with my dad's new horse Sparky out in the pasture with him for a week or two at a time, let her come be with us for a week or two, and go back and forth. Gives her new scenery. But we will leave her with us until she has her baby and awhile longer while the baby is still little.

Duke is our Rottweiler, here he is up against her to show you her size. The neighbors were all hanging over the back wooden fence gawking at her. They all think she is very pretty and very cool! We will be the neighborhood hit with the kids! :-) I will post more pictures tomorrow of her fenced off area, and the kids riding her! My nieces and nephew are coming over tomorrow...we will ride her, but not for long...I don't want to hurt her little pregnant body! :-)

Children's Museum

We have a SUMMER OF FUN list hanging on our fridge. It is a list of all the fun things we want to do this summer. We went to the library the other day...that is on our list, but that is a recurring one....we also have Children's Museum in Omaha on our list...so we went today! First of all...I have to say, I USED to have a membership when I was homeschooling. Last year though we didn't go enough to hardly PAY for the membership, so I didn't renew this year. In years past it didn't always cost extra for the traveling exhibits they have had....but apparently that has changed. Now...I am just grumbling to grumble...the kids had a GREAT time...but as a parent, with financial concerns, I am going to grumble. It cost me $24 to get in...and that was with $1 off each person coupons. THEN they wanted $4 per person for the Sesame Street Exhibit, and THEN they wanted $2 per person for the Horse Carasoul (however you spell that). I am sorry...but I wasn't ABOUT to spend $16 MORE dollars to get in to Sesame Street unless it was the REAL Sesame Street. I had ALREADY told Jeff I would ONLY spend $24...I didn't feel right spending more than what I had told him. Not only that, but I had looked on the website to MAKE SURE that Sesame Street wasn't extra money...and NO WHERE ON THE SITE DID I SEE IT SAY IT WAS EXTRA. Could I have missed it...of course, I am a mom of four...but I looked hard. I told them that their website didn't say it cost extra but they still said I had to pay if we wanted Sesame Street. :-(So, we played in the kid area with the grocery store and the little house and slide...then we went to the dress up area...then the ball area. THAT WAS IT! I am sorry...but the Children's Museum I grew up in actually had educational things in it...not just play things. The play things were great...don't get me wrong...but for those three areas I paid $24 and my kids would have had just as much fun at McDonalds in their play area AND I would have been able to get them all lunch. Later my friend Emily, who did go upstairs to the Sesame Street Exhibit called and said that it was SOO not worth it. I think I will do the Children's Museum in Lincoln which I have heard by multiple people is SO much better AND cheaper I might add...a lot more bang for your buck from what I am told. Anyway, now that that is off my chest...here are some pictures! :-)

Major went down on his tummy for awhile, but eventually he did go down on his bum bum.

My farm boys!

My little shopper...

All four of them are in the above picture...Jake and Cam "Work" at the grocery store, MaKenna is buying and Major is standing next to Cam trying to "boss" him around. :-)

Major stood here with this ONE water gun for almost 20 minutes...NO KIDDING!

Cam as Father Nature, as he calls it...

Is it any surprise that MaKenna would pick the unicorn?

And any surprise that Jake would pick the Shark...with a car??

Cam went back to the store to "work" again. He said, "What? I feel like a kid again!" I said, "YOU ARE A KID!! DON'T TRY TO GROW UP TOO FAST!!!!"

Major had to get in on the action.