Week 47: Family

Our family is growing! And today we got a sneak peak at our little one at our 20 week ultrasound.  We decided to find out the gender this time for a couple of reasons: 1. we hadn't done it that way before and 2. more information = a calmer, more prepared Nolan and 3. once I knew, I could start weeding out the baby items we won't need anymore, since we are planning that this will be our last pregnancy.  Eric and I were certain that we were having a girl.  I was absolutely shocked beyond belief when the ultrasound tech told us that we were in fact, having a boy!  This just proves that I have absolutely zero mother's intuition when it comes to the gender of our children.  I've been wrong every time!  Baby Boy looks very healthy, though on the larger size (no surprise, there).  I couldn't believe how wide his feet were - those Flintstone foot genes from Daddy are strong! His little profile picture reminds me so much of Nolan as a newborn, who looked just like his Grandpa Jim.  Little Boy, we're so excited to meet you and to start our life as a family of five!

Week 46: Thankful

We spent our Thanksgiving week in Eau Claire visiting my side of the family.  We spent the holiday itself at my Grandma Edie and Grandpa Arnie's house.  It was especially fun this year because Nolan and Livi were really excited to play with their cousins, Ian and Kate.  They had a great time playing together ALL afternoon.  It was so fun to see them enjoying each other.  Around this time last year, we were very concerned about Grandma Edie.  She had just received her pancreatic cancer diagnosis and was due to start chemo that week.  She was weak and very sick and we weren't sure if she would be with us for future holidays.  This year's Thanksgiving had a much different tone.  With the recent good news of her clear cancer scan, we had a renewed feeling of gratitude as we gathered around her table this year.  It truly was a day of thanksgiving as we counted our many, many blessings.  

Smitten

This little girl  is smitten, just like her mama.

First Haircut

Livi's hair had gotten very long and hard to manage, so we decided it was time for her very first haircut!  She insisted that Katie Kremer, our next door neighbor, do the honors,  so we made an appointment to see her at House of Hair downtown.  Katie trimmed off several inches and finished it all up with a beautiful braid.  Livi was over the moon and so proud of her new hair that looked "just like Cassidy's!"  And the best part is how much easier it is to manage and keep from getting tangled!

Week 45: Something I Made

One of my personal goals has been to try to volunteer more in the community, so I started making monthly meals for the Frederick Place, a homeless shelter here in Rhinelander.  Each time that I've gone the shelter has been full - holding 16 residents.  I've made chicken pot pie, lasagna, and chili for meals so far and each time I've arrived to the house I've received a warm welcome and offers of help with unloading the car.  My goal is to continue this for the foreseeable future, though I may be taking some time off while our baby is new.  I hope that my kids can help me with it, too.  I think it is so important to teach them how to share what we have with others.  No one should ever have to be hungry, especially while so many have so much.  It is one way we can put Scripture into action, and I look forward to teaching my kids about what the Gospel calls us to do.

Siding Project

Last summer I got the harebrained idea to paint all the wood siding on the house.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was going to be a lot more work than originally thought.  There were nasty cracks in the wood that were going to need to be repaired and hours of sanding required before I could even start the painting process.  We decided to go a different route and something maintenance-free up instead.  Snow may be on the ground, but we finally got the project done and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I'm excited to get the rest of the trim and doors painted next summer to really spruce things up!

Week 44: Faith

This weekend was a challenging one.  Our family friend, Amy Frasier Wallace, lost her battle with breast cancer this past week.  She was a mom of three beautiful young children, and because of that and how young she was, this has been especially hard to stomach.  One of the things I've noticed surrounding her passing is how many people get stuck saying the cliches - "God needed another angel" or "It's part of God's plan" or the like.  I've never really realized how infuriating and insensitive those comments are until now.  I DON'T believe that God wants to cause us pain - that somehow He has a master plan that inflicts grief and suffering on His people.  In fact, I believe quite the opposite.  Jesus wept over the death of his friend, Lazarus.  He knows the pain of losing a loved one.  And because of that, He chose to die to end this pain of eternal separation.  He conquered death; He does not cause it.  Sunday was All Saints Day, and Trinity celebrates it in a very beautiful way with a candle lighting ceremony and reading of names of loved ones passed.  I was so thankful to hear Pastor Kari's sermon, which reinforced that Christ conquered death so that we can be family forever in heaven.  It is the only comfort in what otherwise is too painful to bear. 

Week 43: Boo

Halloween night brought lots of fun when we went trick or treating with our neighborhood pals.  The Lindners, Khans, and Wilsons all came with us - making a total of 14 kids in our group!  We spent an hour or two going up and down our street, battling the record crowds!  The kids had so much fun and basically ran the whole time!

After we finished trick or treating, we made our final stop to Grandpa Steve and Grandma Patti's house, where we had a yummy supper together.  We all had a great time and look forward to digging in to some of that awesome candy in the next few days.