Christmas Eve!

Aislinn

Kerstyn

Greyson and Lauklan

Brennan

Santa Claus is coming to town!

It's going to be a short night, to say the least!

Good news!

The urologist told Aislinn and I that her ultrasound looks good and that if all continues to go well we don't need to come back for 6 months for a follow up ultrasound and visit.

Good news, good news.

Ultrasound

I took Aislinn back to Arnold Palmer Hospital this morning for a follow up ultrasound. They took picture after picture and now I get to wait until tomorrow at our post operative appointment to hear what they saw.

I pray all is well.

Not one, but two!

Lauklan actually lost both front teeth on the bottom last night. He was very pleased to find $2.00 under his pillow this morning.

I know that he now thinks he's a really big boy!

Lauklan lost his first tooth!

Lauklan is so excited that he lost his first tooth today! He already has it in the bag for the tooth fairy.

Sometimes I wish I was young again so I could experience the magic of being a child.

But, since I can't, I guess I'll just have to do it through their eyes.

Christmas service

The program during Sacrament Meeting was very nice today. It had a lot of music, which we all know that I like and great spiritual messages.

I even played the bassoon. I think that it went ok, but of course, I wasn't pleased with a few things.

We had 4 visitors in primary today and it was great to have a little bigger group. We all know though, that I love our little intimate group, but a few extra children is nice too.

Just getting started

I bought the first Christmas gifts of the year today. Yes, today! I finally feel like I can move on. I have been worrying and waiting for this surgery for over 6 weeks and it's finally over.

I am mentally and physically exhausted. I need a week to sleep. The kids have been so patient and kind to Aislinn and she continues to get better every day.

I have a lot of catching up to do!

She's here!

Holly, Devin, Jarom and Mom (Nancy) came over today for a visit!

I haven't seen Holly since April and that is the longest we have ever gone without seeing each other.

She's one of my best friends and I cherish our friendship.

I look forward to the month that she is here and am going to do my best to see her as much as possible.

Improvement

Aislinn is getting better every day. I was worried last night though because her side is really swollen, but the doctors assured me that she is fine. It is still sore, of course, and she has to be careful when she moves, but overall, each day is better and better.

I haven't bought a SINGLE thing for Christmas. I guess we'll just kind of not do too many presents this year. Focus more on the true meaning and just being together.

I feel so much better now. I did not realize the weight that I was carrying around for the last 6 months worried about Aislinn. I am looking forward to a happy and healthy Aislinn in the months to come.

What a blessing it is that we live on the earth at this time. No telling what would have happened without all the technology that we have today to see inside her and diagnose the problem.

I am eternally grateful to wonderful family, friends and doctors who took care of us through this time.

We're home

Aislinn and I arrived home around noon today. She is slow to move and still running some fevers and experiencing pain, but WE'RE HOME!

I'll write more later because of right now, all I want to do is sleep.

Until we're home

Debbie Carter of CarterClips will be updating Aislinn's status while we are in the hospital. Click on CarterClips to go there.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I KNOW without a doubt that they are the reason that she is doing so well.

Chris and I will leave with her in the morning around 5. They say they are shooting for 7:30 for the actual surgery.

We just got home from Aislinn, Chris and I receiving much needed priesthood blessings. I am so very thankful for the priesthood in my life. I'm not sure where I would be without it.

Officially over the top!

As you know from the last post. I was at the edge...

Over, over, over - right NOW!

I woke up around 4 this morning running a fever. I haven't felt well since Sunday. I don't feel awful, but I don't feel like eating and apparently am running a fever.

Can you say REALLY BAD TIMING?

I hope I'm well enough to be with Aislinn.

This can't really be. Someone pinch me and I will wake up.

Over the top!

How much does it take to put Melody OVER THE TOP?

Well. I'm afraid that we're getting ready to find out.

Last night my clothes washer quit! Now, you might think that its not that big of a deal, but in our house it is for sure!

They can't come until Thursday to work on it so hopefully Kenney won't mind having to deal with it.

I now have a load of whites that are all yucky and need to be rewashed. I guess I'm going to call my neighbor.

Seriously! When is enough, enough?

All clear!

I took Aislinn to both of her appointments today. She was given the go ahead by both doctors. As long as she doesn't get sick before Thursday morning at 5:45, of course.

The nephrologist stated that the rough day would be Thursday, surgery day. Essentially they say she will be heavily sedated all day. Friday, they should be able to pull her out of it and start getting her back to normal. Hopefully, all will go well and we will be able to leave the hospital Saturday.

Pray, pray, pray, PLEASE!

Sunday, Sunday

It was fast Sunday again and I wasn't thinking too much of it except for the things that I wanted to include in my fast. I had no intention of bearing my testimony since I had done it the last 2 months. I don't want to be a hog of testimony time. BUT, I felt like I needed to get up there again. I felt the need to testify of things that happen that I feel are tender mercies in my life. Things that I know are not coincidence, but are from my Father in Heaven. I am so thankful for that.

I also know that the children that are here now are mighty and strong in spirit. I know that they have been saved for these days for a reason and that their faith and spiritual strength are great!

Tomorrow is a big day for Aislinn. She has 2 appointments. One with the pediatrician and one with the nephrologist for her to be cleared for surgery. I pray that all goes well.

The cutest little party ever!

The kids and I went to Macie's birthday party today. All of the kids went, even though the party was for a one year old. The reason I point that out is because the kids had so much fun that they didn't want to leave.

I had a really good time too visiting with friends and meeting new people.

Afterward, we came home and the kids took delight in driving each other crazy! I took off for the gym after Chris got home from his meeting and I was really feeling it. I wasn't feeling strong at all. Tired, tired, tired.

Now, we're back, most of the kids are asleep and I'm looking forward to church tomorrow.

I have noticed though that I am stressed. I hope that this goes away after Thursday. Please pray for our little girl. It's scary to me.

Not good

I have a headache.

It's really late and I need to be in bed.

The day was very crazy with kids, appointments, etc.

I'm glad its over.

Just a thought!

"Turn off the television and focus on family." President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Sunday, October 12, 2008

Chris and I have commented to each other several times before General Conference and even after that we needed to do this as a family.

How many times do you have to hear something before you actually DO it?

I'm doing it. That's it!

Not my friend

Well, these are my friends tonight having Boy Scouts, but below is NOT my friend!

Who would have know that this tree could cause such issue with me?

That tree, does this! Not nice, not nice AT ALL!

Different thoughts

Today was a busy day and it went really quickly. We had work/school and then I headed to the gym for 50 minutes on my friend the stair master. I did level 4 today and survived. A friend of mine suggested that I get a personal trainer but it is more money, of course.

After the gym, I hurried home with the kids to get them bathed and fed. I also took a shower and got dressed up to go to Enrichment tonight. It was a nice time. Good food and friends are always a nice combination.

When I picked my seat, I saw this paper and I liked what it said. It kind of goes along with the theme of the book I'm reading and I wanted to share a few of the things it said.

"This Christmas, end a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust... Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child or a senior. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak your love of our Savior. Speak it again. And again and again."

The ones that I put in italics, I am thinking right now, that I am going to focus on. I think that this is a great way for ME to focus on the REAL reason for this season.

I'm going to work on these. I knew when I read it at my seat that I did NOT sit there by coincidence. I am thankful for that.

Crazy Monday!

We went back to the crazy schedule today with school. The kids were up and out at 7:30 this morning, well Brennan and Kerstyn were. Then at 8, I took Lauklan and came back to get Greyson and Aislinn. We left here later than usual, around 8:35 and I got them to school around 8:50.

Work at the office today was quite quick. I had a bunch to do and didn't get it all done, but the time just flew by.

The afternoon consisted of a little play and then homework. I REALLY needed to go to the gym so around 4, we headed there. I did the stair master for 50 minutes on Level 3 and felt strong, which is nice. Then, I headed to the sauna for an hour to read a good book and sweat!

The kids wanted Cici's, so we held FHE on the way there, ate quickly, showered and they are all now in bed.

Whew!

We're home

I'm tired!

We went to church this morning with Chris' mom. It was nice to have us there together. After church, we came home and ate a leftover lunch then headed home. I tried to get the kids to bed early, but it didn't go too well. We'll see how well getting to school goes in the morning.

I just can't believe that tomorrow is December!

Thanksgiving, again.

We were having a good time!

Look! Chris is smiling!

Dessert shot.

Chris' uncle John and his wife Carol.

Chris' sister Carolyn, Chris' mom Nancy and Chris' brother Ricky.

The kids played so hard today outside and inside Grandma's house. They were FILTHY at the end of the day. If dirty means they had a good time, they had a BLAST!

Also, today was Holly's 29th birthday and I was glad to have the opportunity to talk with her. I sure do miss her...

B.A.G.

I must give credit where credit is due. I stole this idea from Debbie and Doug Carter several years ago, and I am glad that I did. What would I do without them? :)

Melody's BAG:
B - The opportunity to serve my husband and children in my role as wife and mother and the Eustis Ward Primary children.
A - Managing to remember my blessings amongst my trials. (most of the time)
G - To become less stressed over the little things.

Chris' BAG:
B - Being able to hear out of one ear.
A - Keeping the firm going another year!
G - Lose weight and be healthier.

Brennan's BAG:
B - Having a good school year.
A - Improved in helping his family.
G - To continue to improve.

Kerstyn's BAG:
B - My family.
A - Getting in Order of the Dolphins.
G - To stay in Order of the Dolphins.

Lauklan's BAG:
B - Doing well in first grade.
A - How to read!
G - Get baptized.

Greyson's BAG:
B - Learning how to write my name.
A - Learning how to be a big brother.
G - Go to elementary school for Kindergarten.

Aislinn's BAG: (completed by Mommy)
B - Having a father who holds the priesthood.
A - Getting potty-trained and going to pre-school.
G - Get through surgery well and being healthy afterwards.

Thanksgiving Day

Not too much happened in the Shipley house today. I finished up the cooking/baking that I started yesterday. I made 2 chess pies, 2 hams and 2 green been casseroles. I took half of that over to the Bell's for their Thanksgiving dinner.

I thought it was very sweet that they would invite us over to their house when it was already going to be full with family.

After eating we came home and Lauklan and I hung up the remaining lights. I just wanted to put up 4 strands right above the front door. Of course, that is where it is the highest, but the kids helped me as much as they could and I got them up.

Not 5 minutes later, Aislinn pulled on the extension cord and ALL the lights came tumbling down!

So, I did it again. Thankfully, they are still up. I sure hope they stay that way.

Really cranky!

The kids Thanksgiving school holiday started today and I had grand plans.

We were going to have breakfast, run errands, and have fun.

Well, we did the first two things, but DID NOT have fun!

Aislinn is in such a bad mood! She fusses about EVERYTHING! I am praying that this is because she feels bad because, if not, we're in BIG trouble! But, I'm sorry to say that I think it's because she feels bad because she was never this rotten before!

I begged Chris at lunch to not work late tonight because I needed to get away. Thankfully, he came home around 6 to help me out.

They're in bed now and I always look back and wonder if it was as bad as it seemed.

Let's just say, "I sure hope that it wasn't as bad as it seemed!"

But, even when it's rough, like it was today. I am thankful for them.

All of them.

And yes, one day, I'm gonna miss this!

I've lost my mind!

I started back to the gym on Saturday. I froze my membership about a month ago after I didn't go since May. But, as soon as I froze the membership, I missed being able to go and I noticed that my clothes weren't fitting the way the used to. (funny, huh?)

Well, on Saturday, my first day back, I did 50 minutes on the stair climber at level 2. On Monday, I did 50 minutes on level 3. Today, I decided that I would do a cycle class.

What am I, crazy?

My thighs are STILL burning! I'm not sure I'll be able to move tomorrow.

Smart, real smart!

To a different subject - Aislinn is still not herself. She started again tonight with the frequent need to urinate. I'm concerned that maybe this antibiotic isn't working. However, the fever hasn't returned so that is good.

Goodness gracious, this child is giving me a run for my money!

Happy 10th Birthday Kerstyn Rebekah! (and Aislinn update)

Kerstyn with the birthday cake that doesn't have her name spelled correctly! It's ok though, because it tasted really good the kids tell me!

Early this morning before school, Kerstyn had to pose for the birthday picture with the showing of hands how old she is.

I sent Kerstyn to school with cookies to share with her class. She really seemed to like that because she usually doesn't have school on her birthday. So, this was a treat.

The birthday person always gets to pick where we have dinner and Kerstyn's pick was Jeremiah's. We had a pretty good time and then came home to showers/baths and of course, cupcake cake.

Publix apparently can't read their own writing, because Kerstyn's cake said KerEtyn instead of KerStyn! I was in too big of a hurry to fuss so we just decided to ignore it. :)

Aislinn update -

She seems to of perked up a little this afternoon but was not so great tonight. Hopefully it was just because she was tired. I spoke with Dr. Montanae (her nephrologist) this morning about what was going on. She told me that the reason the ER doctor didn't give her the IV Cipro was because he felt she wasn't that sick! Dr. Montanae then said, well he doesn't know Aislinn like we do and he didn't know that she doesn't act nearly as sick as she really is. SO - Dr. Montanae told me to call her if Aislinn didn't start to get better or got worse and that she would have to admit Aislinn to the hospital again. The urine specimen last night showed that she does have the infection again. Apparently the antibiotic that Aislinn has been on the last 10 days did not work.

What is worry some, among many things, is that Cipro can damage the liver. The doctor says we don't have a choice right now since it is the ONLY thing that works!

I pray that we can get through this. I mean, I know we will, but what will we have to do to get there?

Please pray for sweet Aislinn Grace's little body. That infection is sure persistent!

Just got home

It's a little after 1 a.m. and Chris and I just got back home with Aislinn from the Emergency Room at Arnold Palmer.

I finally got to speak with the nephrologist around 7:30 and she said that she wanted us to take Aislinn to the Emergency Room so that she could get a urine sample and start her on Cipro (antibiotics) again. She told me on the phone that she wanted to do it by IV, but the doctors in the ER didn't do it.

Aislinn's urine is deteriorating which means her health is also. We had gotten a clean urine specimen last week and now, it is off again, so we were right to be concerned about her. I just know when my child is not doing well, and she isn't. She was complaining that she had to go to the bathroom all the time and she was very cranky!

The nephrologist now knows that she will not respond to any antibiotic EXCEPT the Cipro. I sure pray that she will continue to respond to that, or I don't know what will happen.

They also treated her asthma while we were there. I hope to get everything under control soon.

They did great!

The Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation was today.

The children were amazing. They sounded like angels.

See, I had nothing to worry about.

On another note. Aislinn is not doing well. She is having asthma and is complaining that she is in pain and needing to go the the bathroom frequently. She is also just not being herself. We are concerned, to put it lightly.

I called the nephrologist's office about 45 minutes ago and we are waiting for a call back. In the meantime, we had family prayer and are hoping for good news.

A little early

This is blurry, but you get the idea.

I was on a mission today to get the tree up and the Christmas stuff outside. Well, I got the tree up and some of the stuff outside but we still have to hang the icicle lights off the roof.

I was afraid if we didn't do it today, that we wouldn't get it done until about 2 weeks from now. I just hate to go to all that work and not get to enjoy it for very long.

The kids are ready for Christmas to be tomorrow. Uh-oh.

Marvel

The family 'wall'.

I received all of my prints from the photo shoot with Katelyn yesterday in the mail.

I bought enough pictures to disperse to all. It seemed like it, anyway!

I'm just sitting down to write after I dated each picture and the ages of each person in the picture. I stood for a minute or so and just looked at my wall that you see above.

I can't believe it!

That is my family. All of us.

Chris and I did this. (With the help, of course, from Heavenly Father.)

I just looked, and looked, and cried.

I am blessed. We are blessed!

I'm in another funk.

Blah!

That's all I can say!

Blah.

On a good note, I spoke with Kenney yesterday. I called her on Tuesday night to see if she could come and take care of the kids while Chris and I are with Aislinn in the hospital. I was starting to feel concern about who would watch them while we have to be in the hospital with her. I pondered it, felt out all our friends and family, and then felt that I had to make the call. I called Kenney's cell phone and left her a message pleading for help. I hesitated to ask her because I know that they live 4 hours away, she has a full-time outside the home job, and Nana, and Alyssa... you get the idea.

But, I called and asked. Yesterday when she called me she told me that she and Dad had talked about it and that she would come and take care of the children. I started to cry, and I am right now. I told her that I don't have the words to express my appreciation for that. She is putting everything aside to help us. And she's doing it because she wants to. She said, "That's what family is for."

It reminds me of when we were in the hospital the end of last month. How Debbie Carter just said, "I'll take care of the kids!" She did. She even packed lunches when I forgot to tell her to do it. She still loves me after Greyson played with matches and almost set the house on fire. I got phone calls of love and concern. My friends just called to say, "What can I do?", and "We love you and are here for you."

This Thanksgiving, I have a TON to be thankful for. You all reading this, it's you!

Thank you.

Thank you.

THANK YOU!

Interesting.

I'm not feeling so blah anymore... my blog must be therapeutic!

An act of service

All of the Eustis Ward Primary children from ages 8 - 11 did some service to fellow ward members last night. We actually had more than just the 8 - 11 kids because we had all of my kids and Camryn was there with Ethan. So, it was most of the Eustis Primary.

We sang I Am A Child of God as our opening song and I was caught off guard at how strong the spirit was when the children started singing. I talked with the kids that were in my car later in the evening when we were delivering cookies about that spirit that I felt. They said that they felt it too. We all commented how wonderful it is that the spirit can be so strong, even in some one's house!

We proceeded to bake cookies and just have a good time while we waited for them to be done. We ate as many as we could, then headed off to Sister McGrath's grandmother that lives in a nursing home to deliver one of the plates. She seemed pleased to have us there and we sang her I Am A Child of God and then left.

Hannah Boatwright's house was next and I hope that Hannah appreciated it, but it was hard to tell. Anyway, she knows that we miss her and are thinking of her, I am sure.

We had a good time and the children seemed to really enjoy just being together.

It's getting chilly!

We played and played today! The kids were running around like they had all the energy in the world! It was cute to watch.

It's going to be in the 30's tonight and tomorrow night. I sure miss my fireplace!

The Polar Bear Club and an accomplishment

Just within the last few weeks, Aislinn has learned how to ride a bike with training wheels. My baby sure is getting big!

It was in the 30's last night. Greyson didn't care that it is only in the high 50's right now. It was time to swim!

Oh my!

What do you think?

Aislinn

Greyson

Lauklan

Kerstyn

Brennan

Chris and me

All the kids

Family 2008

Katelyn McGrath took these pictures for us out at the farm in Sorrento. I was so excited to get them done and even more excited to be finished! Katelyn did a great job considering how hard it is to have all 7 of us looking in the general direction of the camera. Thanks Katelyn!

Why cry?

We had our last attempt at rehearsal this morning for the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation. It was not as good as I planned, to say the least!

We only had about 30 minutes that we could actually be in the chapel because of the other ward starting their sacrament meeting and the children actually did sing very well while we were there. However, they don't seem to want to stand still or keep their arms down.

After we left the chapel, we went to the Primary room and continued to practice. I became quite frustrated after Brennan read his talk. I'm even not sure the word 'read' is good to use.

I ended up crying after that one. Not the happy cry, either!

We ended up cutting several verses out of a few songs and cut a complete song out of the program. I'm ready to be done with this. I thought that I had escaped the stress associated with doing the program, but I was WRONG!

I'll just continue to think, "Next week at this time, it will be all over!"

Talks

I helped the children write their talks for the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation a few hours ago. I called them all to me individually and talked with them about their individual topics. We talked about what we wanted to say and then we read it together.

Greyson will follow the prophet.

Lauklan looks forward to being baptized and confirmed.

Kerstyn talked about prayer and when she was reading it to me so I could help her work on fluency, inflection, etc. she started to cry. That made me tear up. When she finished her talk, I hugged her tightly and asked, "You know what you're feeling right? What is it?" She replied, "The spirit". Yes, yes indeed!

Brennan knows that the Savior lives and that he will come again. He knows that the atonement is for him and that when he chooses the right, he can return to live with Heavenly Father again.

I was strengthened by just listening to the children.

I might, just might be getting something right?

I sure hope so!

Parent fireside and MANY laughs

I laughed more tonight than I have in years.

Not kidding, years!

Chris, Lew and Jose were just cutting up like crazy at Chili's last night after our parent fireside and we had a great time together. The food was ok, except for Debbie having a french fry in her blue cheese dressing and Frances never getting her rice and beans. The service was awful, but we sure had a great time laughing and cutting up. It was really nice. I commented to Chris after we got home that I hadn't heard him laugh like that in forever. Hmm.

The parent fireside was really good. A little long, but good. We were given tools to help our children develop their own testimonies and encouraged to stay strong, focused and dedicated.

I really enjoyed listening to how President Carter's girls felt about developing their testimonies. He gave us a list of 20 things that they said that were the 'not so obvious' things that helped them develop their testimonies.
1. Their parents dedication to service in the church.
2. The parents took church very seriously.
3. They were dedicated church goers each Sunday and that they were there to learn the gospel.
4. They went to church while on vacation - never missed.
5. Family traditions of a righteous nature.
6. Church activities were mandatory.
7. Mother and father must be one.
8. Family responsibility and accountability - they didn't want to disappoint their parents.
9. Support of church leaders - ALWAYS!
10. Talk about gospel principles and spiritual matters.
11. Sing with and read to their children.
12. Temple centered home.
13. Respect for sacred things.
14. Encourage bearing of testimony at even at a young age.
15. Consistent Family Home Evening and family prayer.
16. Father interviews.
17. Love of God
18. Treatment of each other in the family.
19. Discipline followed by consistent consequences.
20. Going to the temple.

I listed all of the points because I know that I will want to look back on this. Who knows how long I will have the papers that I took notes on, but I know that I will have this blog forever.

I am thankful to my local leaders that they take the time to tell me things that I need to hear in regards to my family's eternal progression.

Busy, but fun

I worked this morning after I dropped off the last 2 kids. From work, I went right back to pick up the youngest 2. We played at home for about an hour and a half then headed off to start the pick-up of the older 3. I came home with Brennan, Lauklan went down the street to play with a friend and Kerstyn arrived about 4 with Mary from school.

From 4 until about 5:15 we had a presidency meeting to finalize the program, figure out the treat for the kids after the presentation and get another activity for the kids planned for next Wednesday.

When finished with that, I went over Kerstyn's homework and we headed to Suzy's to pick up Lauklan. Suzy was gracious enough to fix us dinner and we stayed there talking, playing and eating until about 7:30. That is WAY late for me to be getting home to start baths, etc. but we did fine. The kids had fun, I had fun, and now they're all in bed.

Let's do it again tomorrow!

Scouting fun

We had the opportunity last night and tonight to have some scouting advancements. Here are some highlights.
Brennan receiving his first class rank.

Ethan getting his new uniform on.

Beginning of the ceremony.

Brennan with the American flag.

Jon Brooks conducted the meeting.

Tuesday night, Lauklan went to scouts and got his swimming beltloop and his Bobcat badge. Good job, Lauklan!

Lauklan really enjoys scouting and is ALWAYS eager to put on his uniform and get to work. He helped Brother Garrett, Brennan and Ethan do Scouting For Food and he was happy to do it.

Brennan had a Court of Honor last night. He received his First Class rank. We are proud of his hard work in scouting.

Ethan received his Arrow of Light award last night and then crossed over to Boy Scouts. It has been a pleasure working with him for the last 3 years in the scouting program.

The Eustis Ward currently has NO Cub Scouts. We will pick up again in May when Jared enters followed quickly by Lauklan in July.

Kerstyn had the opportunity to go to the Bishop's house last night for her activity. The bishop was teaching the girls about drawing and from what I hear, he's pretty good.

I really enjoy watching the children grow from their various activities. They are growing up so fast.

Veteran's Day activities

We started off the morning by taking Brennan to school. The rest of the kids had Veteran's Day off. After that, I came home and got the rest of the kids ready and we headed back to Brennan's school. They had a parade and a presentation in honor of Veteran's Day. I was really glad that we went because we learned a few things, and it is important for the children to understand the sacrifice made for them. Above, you see the children and Brennan's friend Blake waiting for the parade to start.

I took this of all the kids holding their flags lining the parade route. I thought it was neat.

After the morning activities, the kids and I headed to Lowe's to get some stuff for the septic tank, then to Radio Shack to make a return. Following those FUN stops, we went to Burger King to eat lunch and play in the play area with the Valentich Family. Aislinn fell asleep on the way home and took a good nap. I am becoming a little worried about her and am going to have to keep a close eye to see if she is getting sick again.

As you can see, she is feeling better after her nap because as soon as she got up, she joined the others outside to play. Since the pool water is too cold, they are back to playing on the mountain, aka, the driveway.Here they are getting ready for a run down "the mountain".

Fun, fun, fun.

Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation

The Eustis Ward Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation is scheduled for November 23, 2008. Please come if you can and support our Primary.

I promise that you will NOT leave without feeling the sweet spirit of our children. We will testify of our knowledge of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through songs and talks. The children are looking forward to sharing their testimonies.

Another visit

Papa and Greyson

Yoo-Ma and Papa with the kids

Mom and me

Yoo-Ma and everyone minus fussy Greyson.

Yoo-Ma and Aislinn

Mom and Dad came over this afternoon for a quick visit. It was great to see them, as usual. I snapped quite a few pictures of Yoo-Ma and Papa with the kids.

I believe that we have the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation rescheduled for November 23. As I stated in an earlier post, it was scheduled for December 14 which is only 3 days after Aislinn's surgery. I was very worried about that. So, we got it written and worked on it today with the children. I think the children will do great. It will also allow me to not have the worry during Aislinn's surgery. The weeks up to the Presentation are usually quite stressful, so I look forward to doing it and being done with it, until next year, of course. :)

A quick visit

I drove over to Cracker Barrel in Sanford this afternoon to have lunch with Michelle. It was a very nice visit and is always wonderful to see her.

The rest of the day was just visiting with friends in the neighborhood and letting the kids play. What a nice relaxing day!

This is the way

Yes, I have a picture of the Second Coming in my laundry room. I need perspective, a LOT! Also, I have a 'thing' that I worry about running out of supplies, so yes, there are 3 or 4 of everything up there. Laundry detergent, stain remover, Clorox 2, paper towels, you name it, it's there.

See, one load is washing, one is dry and sorted and more will be coming tonight!

This is the way we clean our clothes, clean our clothes, clean our clothes. This is the way we clean our clothes, every day of our lives! And sometimes several times a day!

As I was folding and sorting the laundry a few minutes ago, I thought that I would do a post on it. Only because I know that one day I will miss this.

I divide the clothes when clean, by child and in age order. When I am done, I call the children to the laundry room to take their clothes to their room and put them away.

I spend quite a bit of time in this room, therefore I thought it appropriate to document... :)

Surgery is coming

Chris and I took Aislinn to the nephrologist and the urologist this afternoon.

They took a urine sample when we arrived for our appointments and the urine tested good. No more blood, protein or a skewed white blood cell count.

Good news.

With that, the doctors are encouraged that the infection is getting better and that we can move forward with surgery plans.

As the urologist explained his plans for the surgery, he stated that it is important that we make sure that the infection is gone, but with time, we have an increase in the chance that the infection can come back. So, Aislinn will stay on antibiotics until the surgery and we will monitor her closely. I have to take urine samples to the lab weekly for testing and we should call immediately if she shows any signs of the infection returning.

They will be removing what they believe to be about 1/3 of her right kidney. It will be done with one incision that should be about 2 inches long under her rib cage on the right side. They are hoping to tie off the extra ureter, but if they see when they get in there that they need to remove it, the will make another incision on the lower part of her right side. They will just have to see what the ureter looks like when they get in there. The urologist hopes that this surgery will put an end to our troubles.

She is scheduled to go in to Arnold Palmer on December 11. She should be able to come home Saturday evening, December 13, if all goes well.

Chris and I know that she is doing well healing right now because we listened to the spirit and got her the help that Heavenly Father needed us to get her. There are no words to express my feelings of love, humility and appreciation to my Heavenly Father for that!

As I was driving home, I realized that the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation is scheduled for the following Sunday, December 14. I don't think that that is going to work for me. I called the Bishop and left him a message. Help! It just doesn't seem possible that I have Aislinn in surgery just a few days before the presentation. We'll just have to see how it all plays out.

I watched history

Chris, Brennan and I witnessed history last night with the election of Barack Obama.

I stayed up until midnight and Chris and Brennan were up until 1. The other children watched until about 8:30 and then we sent them to bed. It was fun to watch with the children as they soaked up all the different things going on and to answer their questions.

I hope that this "change" will be for the good.

A good thing here is that there will be NO MORE political ads on the television or radio! I am so tired of hearing them.

I was also glad to see many people get out and vote. I wish it was that way every time we had an election.

Tagged, again! :)

I was tagged by Jennifer Porter:

10 years ago I . . .
1. Was getting ready to have Kerstyn in 20 days!
2. Working on my Master's degree in Elementary Education.
3. Was 10 years younger!
4. Living in Tallahassee in our first house.
5. Had only 1 child and 1 on the way. (As evident by my answer to number 1.)

5 things on my "to do list" today . . .
1. Pick up all the children from school.
2. Help the kids with homework and sign agendas.
3. Try not to yell when I get stressed.
4. Cook dinner and feed everyone.
5. Get everyone bathed and in bed on time, including myself.

5 snacks I like . . .
1. Dorito's with melted cheese on top.
2. Ice cream
3. Reese's pumpkins, christmas trees, easter eggs, etc.
4. Movie theater popcorn with so much butter that it almost slips out of my fingers.
5. Diet Coke! I know it's not really a snack, but I like to have it, a LOT!

6 things I would do if I were a millionaire . . .
1. Invest it so I would not worry so much about money.
2. Help my family members that need it so they wouldn't worry so much about money.
3. Provide for my childrens' college education.
4. Donate to good causes.
5. Run away?
6. Shop, shop, shop!

3 places I have lived . . .
1. Dunedin/New Port Richey/Hudson, FL
2. Tallahassee, FL
3. Mount Dora/Sorrento, FL

5 jobs that I have had . . .
1. Wife
2. Mom
3. Student
4. Counter staff at The Loop, Tallahassee
5. State of Florida employee

8 favorite TV shows I love to watch . . .
1. Boston Legal
2. Survivor
3. The Amazing Race
4. ER
5. 17 kids and counting
6. Jon and Kate plus 8
7. American Idol
8. So You Think You Can Dance

8 things I did yesterday
1. Got out of bed! Wahoo!
2. Fed the kids and got them to school.
3. Lost my temper with Lauklan and Greyson because they decided to play in the sprinklers before school and were soaking wet!
4. Went to work.
5. Cried
6. Picked the kids up from school.
7. Homework/dinner/baths
8. Blogged, then slept. :)

8 favorite places to eat...
1. Cracker Barrel
2. Outback Steakhouse
3. The Cheesecake Factory
4. Sonny's
5. Chili's
6. Carrabba's Italian Grill
7. Lampu
8. Fiesta Grande

8 things I am looking forward to...
1. Aislinn getting well
2. The holiday's and getting to see family (HOLLY!!!)
3. Brennan receiving the priesthood
4. Lauklan's baptism
5. Summer break!
6. The children not fighting as much! (I probably shouldn't hold my breath on that one...)
7. Watching the children grow. (That's a bitter-sweet one.)
8. Growing old with my eternal companion.

8 things on my wish list... (not necessarily in order)
1. An eternal family.
2. A less-stress Chris.
3. A better economy.
4. To endure well to the end.
5. Happy, HEALTHY children.
6. A self-cleaning house!
7. No yelling?
8. A skinny, wrinkle-less Melody! (come on, we're wishing, right?) Oh yeah, no gray hair either!

3 people I tag . . .
Holly, Karen, Laurel
Love you :)

Picture of me

I think that when I'm dead and gone, my posterity won't know what I looked like from about the age of 19 until 33 or 34.

Now, I'm making up for all those years. I must be going crazy!

Did you know that when I was young, I looked very similar to how Aislinn looks?

Kerstyn, looks just like me as an adult. I hear that ALL the time. But, I was a tow headed little girl until about 7th grade.

I also had board straight hair that was very thin. Very similar to Aislinn's hair.

I now have hair that is turning quite gray. It is also very wavy. I now wonder how I would live without my straight iron. Thank you Holly, for turning me on to that one!

So, here I am. Now you have some odd facts about me too!

Fast and Testimony meeting

I got to share my testimony today during sacrament meeting.

I knew from the middle of the week that I would stand this morning and testify of the truthfulness of the church.

I knew that I would stand and testify that I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that the priesthood has been restored to the Earth.

I knew that I would testify that I KNOW that my Heavenly Father knows me individually. That He knows my heart, that He knows my needs, wants, my everything!

I knew that I would testify of my knowledge that families can be together forever.

I knew that I would testify that I KNOW the power of prayer. I know that He LISTENS to our prayers and that He ANSWERS our prayers.

I knew that I would cry.

I knew that I would cry before a single word even escaped my mouth.

I knew that when I testified of the things that I had experienced this week, that I would feel the spirit. AGAIN!

I did.

I know.

Halloween happenings

Brennan - I'm not really sure what he was. He made up his own costume.

Lauklan was a clone trooper, or something like that.

Kerstyn was a physician.

Greyson decided to be Darth Vader, again.

Aislinn was Strawberry Shortcake. They gave her that costume at the hospital. The Child Life specialists went around to the rooms in the morning and gave all the children who wanted them costumes so they could go downstairs to the Atrium to Trick or Treat. It was really nice and Aislinn had a good time.

We had planned a few weeks ago to have a nice pot luck get-together here on Halloween night. But, it didn't happen given the week that we had. Maybe next year?

Aislinn is having a good day today. She hasn't run a fever since Thursday morning, so that is a really good sign.