Lancers! Wednesday Night, Family Night!

This past Wednesday night, Family night we went to a Lancers game. Unfortunately Jeff got my cold and stayed home. Although, he did keep Major and MaKenna with him, so it made the night a lot easier on me. So Cam and Jake and I swung by Papa's house to see if he would like Jeff's ticket and he climbed in. Off we went to the Civic for the Omaha Lancers hockey game. As if we don't have enough "ice time" in our family...but the boys got tickets from school and they really wanted to go. And actually I really enjoyed it. It was the first time in 10 years that I was able to actually WATCH the game without having to chase someone or entertain someone. It was actually very enjoyable!! Cam and Jake had a great time and I think Papa did too...especially when he dove into that yummy funnel cake! The Lancers lost...but it was a very good game!

Surprisingly the boys STILL don't get enough "ice time" in their opinion. Today...Black Friday...Jeff came home early from work and took the boys and MaKenna up to Fremont for Stick and Puck time. They had a lot of fun...some of their teammates were there too. Am I the only one that gets tired of the ice rinks??? :-)

More on Black Friday later! What fun we had! That is why Major and I stayed home though while the rest of them went to Fremont...we needed naps! :-)

Delivery of Turkeys!

So last Saturday I was a bit under the weather with a cold, but we had signed up to deliver turkeys for the Open Door Mission here in Omaha for underpriviledged people, so I muscled through. Originally we were told we would deliver 5 turkeys to 5 different homes. But when we got there, they only gave us 2 turkey and fixin's to deliver. It was very nice because they gave us the addresses and the maps. So...both of our homes were in Bellevue. So we drove down there...followed the google map to a tee....and where were the houses? Hmm...did we take a wrong turn? No...hmmm...so we drove around a bit knowing that those computer maps don't ALWAYS know EVERYTHING...but still...no luck. So we called in the reinforcements....my sister. I called her and asked her to look it up on Mapquest...she got the same result. Hmmm...after about an hour of trying to figure it out, we realized that the address was different then the address that they put in the google maps...we were told by google maps to go to Florence Dr...the actual address was Florence BLVD and they had also put in a different zip code. Sooo...we drove all the way BACK toward the Open Door Mission and went to where we THOUGHT Florence Blvd. was. Woops...not there either...so then we FINALLY lookce at my GPS in the truck and found it way in north east Omaha. So after 2 hours of driving around...we finally found homes for our turkeys! It was a nice experience though for the kids to see how some people live, to teach them that some people don't have some of the luxeries that they have or even the food that they have. We will do it again next year...but...next year I will check the address AND the google map against eachother BEFORE we leave the premises! :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Just wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of my family and friends out there! I am SO thankful for each and every one of you! God gave us the ability to be thankful not only to eachother but also to Him. I pray that we all remember Who to truly thank this Thanksgiving season.

Without Him, there would be no turkeys! Without Him, there would have been no Mayflower to bring the Pilgrims over. Without Him, there would have been no Indians for the Pilgrims to meet. You get my point. It all stems back to the One and only true Living God.

So while you are busy preparing your meals, eating your meals, thanking your family, watching football (YIPPEE), and falling asleep from the sedative effect that turkey has....don't forget to thank your Heavenly Father, who created all things!! Just a reminder that we all need sometimes! I know I need reminders! We are only human!

Give your loved ones extra hugs and kisses tomorrow!! Enjoy the football...oh...and the turkey and time with friends and family! I guess you know what I am looking forward too!!!

Cam...man of many words...

So...everytime I kiss Cam lately, I notice he very stealthily wipes it off. I mentioned that to him last night. He said, "No I don't!" So, I kissed him. He sat there....you could tell he REALLY wanted to wipe it off...he laughed...rolled around...until finally he wiped his forehead where I had kissed him. I said, "SEE!!!!" He said as he was laughing..."NO!! I wasn't wiping it off...I was rubbing it in!" Right! Nice one Cam. Very smooth!!

PIANO LESSONS!!

I have 3 openings for piano lessons!!! Hurry up before they are all gone!!!!!!

http://www.pleasantlypiano.blogspot.com/.

Family Night

Well...tonight is family night. I am not sure if I have shared this before...if I have...sorry, but we are SOOO busy with hockey and hockey dance (what MaKenna calls her figure skating), that we are NEVER home in the evenings. The one night we are all home is Wednesday night. So we opted OUT of Awana so that we could be home...all of us...together. We usually take turns deciding what to do...of course, mom and dad can put the nix on things...but for the most part, we do just about whatever that particular child would like to do that night. We play games, we go out somewhere special to eat (those are on Cam's nights...all the kid does is think about food!), we play hide and go seek in the dark (that is a favorite), we watch movies, etc. You get the idea. Well...tonight Coco Key (Indoor waterpark here in Omaha), was free and normally it costs around $20 to get in...and it was free! So...we went there. Now...it wasn't a total family night. Jeff couldn't get off work in time and you had to be there by 5 in order to get in for free...and Cam was just being a booger and didn't want to go...so I took Jake, MaKenna and Major by myself. It was PACKED...and we had to stand in line to get in...but I kept telling myself it is family night, I promised the kids...Jake and Kenna are excited...it is worth it. We DID have a good time. It was VERY stressful keeping my eye on everyone at the same time as packed as it was...but I survived...and they survived and we had a good time. HOWEVER, I forgot our towels. I have been to Coco Key before...they have towels. You know, they have a bin for dirty towels and usually next to it they have a bin with folded clean towels. Well, those bins weren't out there. So I asked the clerk behind the lifeguard counter. He had a bin next to him with towels in it. They were not folded, but I assumed they had just gotten out of the dryer or something and he hadn't had time to fold them. He handed them to me and off we went. Once I went to wrap them around the kids I noticed that one had a fresh ketchup stain on it and one had something that resembled mud on it. Upon further inspection with my nose, I realized these towels were OH SO NOT CLEAN! EEEWWW!!! That is SOOO gross!!! Can you believe that someone would give out dirty towels!! Used towels!?!?! And it wasn't like I was the only one asking...there were quite a few people up there when I was up there asking for towels that he also took out of said bin! UGH! Well...that really put the kabosh on a good night let me tell ya!!!!

Roy Helu Jr, Nebraska RB

Saw this somewhere...don't remember...I want to say it was on facebook in the Nebraska Husker Fan page or something...anyway....thought it was great and wanted to share!!

The Nebraska football star running back, Roy Helu Jr., is a strong Christian. In a letter to The World-Herald today, a fan wrote that last week, when Helu was asked about his performance, "he talked about his faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. He didn't brag about the wonderful game he played." How powerful is that? It's great to have believers like Helu to point kids to.

MaKenna

Today at the lunch table she said,

"Mamma..how do you give God your heart, because I want to."

So proud of my little munchkin....even if she drives me crazy sometimes!! She is a joy to have around. Quite a ball of energy too!!! I am glad that she wants God to have her heart...I hope I gave her a good answer. Her prayers each night are priceless too....

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, angels watch me through the night and keep me safe 'till morning light....God bless mommy, daddy, Cam, Jake, MaKenna, Major, Mickey, Nacho, Duke, Nana, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, Peanut Blondie....God loves us so much that he died on the cross for our sins. He wants us to be good. God made the world and it is so beautiful. He rose from the dead for us. He wants us to be nice to eachother. He created the world, flowers, everything. We take care of his amimals. (yes...amimals). In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

That prayer varies from time to time, but that is the jest of it...she includes all those points somehow into our nightly prayers. AND...she drags it out with um's and sighs...etc. It is sometimes like listening to a commentary...but they are the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard! We must be doing something right...or the church is...or both of us are!

Update on Baby Evie....

From Lindsey

Hi Friends! I spoke with Kristi, our enzyme replacement coordinator this past week, and a tenative plan for Evie's treatment has been set! Praise God! If all documents are signed, sealed, and delivered, we will do our baseline/screening visit for Evie on Thursday. You can pray that God will grant me the mental capacity to understand all of the numbers, measurements, dates and scheduling for Evie's treatment before we sign on the dotted line. Then she will go into the hospital Monday the 23rd for her initial IV dose of medication, and we may only have to stay for 2 or 3 days if all goes well! This means home for Thanksgiving, back Friday for some labs, and we will start her injections (shots) the following Monday. She will have these 3 times a week for the next 6 months, and tests scattered throughout the weeks to monitor her results. I am bursting with gratitude for the people who have worked so hard to get this started.On a deeper note (scary, I know!)... I have had one of those days... Looking back on how God has touched my heart in the past few weeks. It started at women's Bible study two Thursdays ago, when we were reading about how Jesus told Peter that he, Peter, would be crucified. Then this past week we decided to take the kids to Coco Key when John got off of work. We had to hurry and get the girls out the door because you can only get in free before 5pm! So we hurriedly drove across town only to find out that it was a "black out day" and we couldn't get in. I was so frustrated! When we left we took 72nd street to Center to head west and get something to eat. As we were driving down Center street tears started streaming down my face. I hadn't driven down that part of Center street since I was pregnant with Evie... and we had visited the cemetary on 50th and Center to get familiar with where we would lay her to rest. Jesus had told Peter how he would die. God knew before he sent Jesus to this earth, how Jesus would die. And in a distant comparison, when I was pregnant, we were told how Evie would die.When people me how we survived the last few months of our pregnancy, I can only describe it as "one day at a time." The truth is, I KNOW death is not the end of Evie's life. We went to that cemetary half a dozen times to get familiar with Evie's doorway to the place God is preparing for her. To get comfortable with the symbolic place where we could go "visit" her. Where we could sit by her grave and weep because of how much we love and miss her. Was it painful? YES. Is it hard to consider even now??? It rips my heart out. But Jesus said "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." God has not only prepared a place for Evie, but thankfully also for me, her mom, so I can hug, talk to, and walk the streets of Heaven with her for all of eternity! I hold firm to that truth, thank you Lord!Now that we have had Evie home for 8 weeks, I am sitting with a towel... not a kleenex... as I did so many times when I was pregnant, thinking about that time when we thought we were going to lose her. And now instead of dropping to my knees and praying for a miracle, I usually drop face down on the floor thanking God for Evie, and for the 8 weeks of joy she has brought to our lives. We will all obviously face death someday. I am so glad I can face it knowing I will be reunited with my children in Heaven, and be incredibly thankful for the time we have together now.Our dear friend and Pastor is doing a 4 week sermon series titled "It Would Take a Miracle." After what we have experienced the past several months, I just can't wait. If you are looking to find a church, or a place to hear about God's love for you, I personally invite you to come. The series is starting in December (Dec 6th) at Brookside Church. John, Lyla, I, and our BEAUTIFUL miracle will be there (: Make sure you come say hi!Love you friends, I'll be back when we have more news and let you know exactly when Evie's treatment starts so you can be praying for her. Bye for now!

Cam the STAR of the program!!

Cam's 5th grade at Neihardt had a show Tuesday night. He was the MAIN character out of all of the 5th grade!! He was the host of the show, Are you Smarter Than a Chorus Member. He was SOOO excited!! Here are some pictures! He did a FABULOUS job!!!!! SO PROUD OF MY LITTLE MAN!!!!

Selling horse trailer and RV

Hey all! Just in case anyone locally was in need. My dad is trying to sell his horse trailer and his RV. Here are the pictures. If you are interested in either, please let me know. He has it on Craigslist also. He is asking around 1800 for the horse trailer...and I think he said 10 or 12,000 for the RV. Both are in PRISTINE condition! Sorry the RV pics aren't any bigger. If you know of anyone interested too, please feel free to pass this on.

Bathroom

Bedroom over the fifth wheel

Kitchen

Slide out living room with two recliners, the couch also pulls out and the kitchen table also becomes a bed.

Oh....the honesty of children

I must be raising Cam right. Thank goodness. I wore brown pants today and a brown "MOPs" shirt. I wasn't looking to win a fashion contest...I was grocery shopping most of the day...they were just run around town clothes. When I picked him up at school though and got out of the truck he said, "Whoa...mom...that outfit isn't very flattering on you." Thanks kiddo...for your honesty. His daddy never would have been so honest. Jeff would have said, "You look fine." Hence...the difference between adults and children! :-)

However in Jeff's defense, Jeff does understand the can of worms that would be inherently opened by taking the path that Cam did. Cam does not have enough history and errors in his life (yet) that can be used as retalition. I Jeff on the otherhand have quite the portfolio of said events and by answering "you look fine" was able to NOT be reminded of a single one them. While Cam wisely chose honestly as his answer, I decided on self preservation and attempted to diffuse any conflict. So in short, Cam and I are both wise beyond our years!!!!

Pictures October 2009

Our Mops group at church puts together a photo shoot for us Mops moms each year. Addie Gengenbach does the photos and she does a fabulous job! She gives you the disc with all of your pictures, and she also puts them in black and white and sepia for you also, so you can have your choice. Grandma Gwin and Dixie were here when we took the pictures, so they got to have pictures taken with the kiddos too. We had to work fast though...Major started having his "major" meltdown!

Can you believe that Cam is almost 11 years old???

Jake is almost 9 years old! Gosh...where does the time go?

The model of the family, MaKenna...just turned 5!

Then there is my terror...Major....he will be 2 in a few weeks!

The whole family. I was hidding behind Major apparently.

There's mommy!

My pride and joy!!!

A-ha's!

Here are a couple of "a-ha's" recently that I read elsewhere and just thought I would share.


There is no difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in something you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something you accept no excuses and produce only results.



I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself including the things you might be ashamed of love is feeling comfort...able and safe with someone but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.

Happy Veterans Day!!!

Lydia Kay Ramsey was born on Friday the 6th!!

So Deana called me Friday afternoon and said, "I think I am in labor." Yes...this is her fourth child, but she has never fully gone into labor. Her first was an inducement turned c-section and the rest were all scheduled c-sections as well. So, she had no idea what it was like to randomly go into labor. Since it was Friday, she thought she should call the doctor just in case. They wanted to see her, so she brought the kids over around 1pm. We figured she would be kep there...and sure enough, they got her a room and got her prepped for surgery. At 4:43 pm on Friday, Novebmer 6th, little Lydia Kay Ramsey was born! She was 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 19 inches long. She is quite a cutie! So...we had already planned on having my and Allyson's birthday dinner that Friday night. We knew Deana would obviously no longer be able to come with us...so Emily and Allyson and I went out anyway...don't worry...we will still go out with Deana again when she is ready too! Good excuse for good company and a night out with no kids!! After our dinner, we ordered dessert and took a dessert for Deana to her at the hospital. Lakeside has great desserts...but we wanted her to be a part of our night somehow! So here we all are...

The proud daddy, mommy and little Lydia.

Allyson and Lydia.

Mamma...feeling great and looking great after her fourth c-section!

Big brother Gabriel, big sister Hannah and big brother Nehemiah just love on her like crazy! She is going to be one spoiled and loved little girl!!

Here is Emily and Lydia.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RAMSEY'S!!!

LEAVES!! IT IS FALL!!

MaKenna made a statement the other day.

Mom...why is "fall...called fall?" I said..."um..." and she said, "I think it is called fall because the leaves fall!" You know something kiddo...I think you're right!!!!!






So tired after a long day of leaf picking up! Big Brother Cam is a good pillow!!