Weight Time

I really didn't have high hopes for the week's weigh in. Friday we had Clarence's retirement party luau. Michelle barbequed...enough said. Not to mention there was cake and coffee. Then Saturday we went back over there for lunch and dinner was a Sunday School party where we had chili dogs and s'mores. Not even going to look up those points. Sunday was Julianna's dedication. We had fried chicken and even got to take some home. Maybe notsuch a good idea :) I am definitely a social eater and an emotional eater. I have learned that these last couple of months.
But God is good and I still lost a pound. So, if nothing else all the running around helped as well as having smaller portions...even if it is just a noodle or two :)

Friday

We got to finally meet Julianna in person. Hannah barely let her out of her sights :) In fact, she and another cousin of Julianna were standing guard waiting for her to come out of the bedroom after Michelle (my sister-in-law) got done feeding her. Too cute!

Aunt Annie

How do you say good-bye to someone who has always been there? Someone who would take me on the weekends....let me feed mean chickens that used to chase me when we went for eggs, let me ride her pony (that she let us believe was ours) even when it threw me off twice in a row....you'd have thought I would have gotten the message by then!!!! :) Going out to visit her in AZ on vacations. You took good care of us! Even giving me a spank when I needed it because I wouldn't sit down in the car :)

How do you say good-bye to someone who has always been my cheerleader? I could always call or write and tell her my accomplishments. She would cheer, clap and praise with the best of them. You spurred me on to be the best that I could be.

How do you say good-bye to someone who loves my kids like a grandmother? This is the one that just breaks my heart. She has cherished the funny stories of my sweet, smart Hannah girl. She laughs and tells others. She will even get in the sand when she is very sick and build sandcastles with Hannah just to get to know her and make memories with her...not to mention just because she loves her. She drove all the way from up by Minnesota just to help us celebrate Hannah's first birthday. When Hannah was just a baby Aunt Annie was the only one that Hannah would let rock her to sleep. Those are precious memories of loving me and my family.

She had matching bald heads with little Emily last Christmas because of her chemo and radiation. I think that bonded those two. "Bald is Beautiful" was their battle cry! She never misses a chance to snuggle her buddy :)

She prayed a lot for the safe arrival of our little man. She likes to call him Paul :) Too funny, she thought Joseph Harrison was much too big of a name for such a little one....ha, he has proved her wrong....he has truly grown into that name. He is a very big boy! Every time he would cry when we were up there last she said he was calling for his Aunt Annie. You know, I think maybe he was. He didn't want to not have Aunt Annie memories. He got the award for the best gift when he gave her SuperGirl underwear for her birthday :) Joseph never has a chance to fuss when Aunt Annie is around...she will scoop him up with the first wimper or boo boo face! Spoiled rotten and loves it.

Here is another good memory when we were up there last she gave my girls money to go out for an ice cream after a day out on the town with us. She was getting a little too weak to come with us. So, we let the girls pay at McDonalds with their own money from Aunt Annie. They thought that was so special! Then we let them have at it! What a mess...it made for cute pictures. Precious memories. Then we got to go over to her house for a Packer party the next day. We were all decked out in our Packer gear :) Fun times! "Go Brett Favre" Hannah yells as she dances around the living room. Joseph never left Aunt Annie's arms.

Thank you for pushing yourself and your body so hard to spend so much time with us the last time we were up there. Going to Chinese only to have to get up and leave because of the lack of service and the clanging of real china...not a good kids place! Then going to McDonalds AGAIN with us. These are times I will always remember and be so grateful I had with you. It is so not easy for me to be away from my family.

How do you say good-bye to someone when all you want to say is NO, NOT YET????? I know that is selfish of me because you are in so much pain, but I love you and I don't feel like letting go. I know you are going to be in Glory with our Savior and all your pain will quickly fade away. Remember us and how much we love you. Thank you for all the memories you have made in my life and in the life of my kids. We are going to miss you so very much! But no matter what, you will live on in our memories, our pictures, all the lessons you have taught us, the cleanliness you instill, the work ethic you have taught us and the pure strength you have. I love and admire you.

How do you say good-bye? I wish I could have just one more hug and kiss and to hear you say you love me too.

A Heavy Heart

Please be in prayer for my family. My Aunt Annie (my mom's sister) just found out she is not doing well. Her cancer has grown 70% since August. It is now around her bronchial tube. She is in a terrible amount of pain, and it is really close to her heart as well. I am praying for her to be at peace and to be comforted. Please pray with me. It is so hard :( She is a Christian though so we know that it will be so much better for her to be with her Lord.

Playing Outside

"No really...be honest...is Peter Rabbit masculine enough for me???"

Hannah outside today. We went out front and used sidewalk chalk. It made me a little nervous since we live on a state highway :( I think they had fun, and it looks so cute out there.

Go Cardinals! They are decked out in their fan gear. We are hoping the Cards fare better tonight. It would help if there was no pinetar involved :)

My sweet little Emily playing outside. She did more running around and chewing on anything that looked interesting (sounds like your dogs hey Michelle?) than chalk art. Hey whatever floats her boat :)

The Scale is Back in Good Graces

Yahoo....I didn't have to repress my incredible urge to chuck the scale across the room this morning. I weighed in 2 pounds lost since I last logged in two weeks ago. The progress is definitely slow-going, but at least it is going :) So that gives me 30 pounds lost. I really haven't been exercising, so I know that I can jump start my loss by getting my rear in gear...so that is nice that I haven't really hit a loss plateau yet that I haven't had a clue why I am not losing. Allen lost another 2 pounds. He is now down 51 pounds. Man he is a stud :) Can I just say once again what a blessing he is to do this with me. He is so amazing. Thank you all for keeping me accountable. I really love and appreciate you. Thank you for the reminder to post, Beth :)

Also, at the advice of my sister-in-law, Michelle, I am now switching my weigh in day to Tuesday. That way I can save my flex points for more cushion on the weekends, but then I have Monday to bounce back :)

Yummy!!!! My kids are so very messy :)

We love our cousin Caleb. I put this picture on there because I thought Hannah and Emily look so much alike. Man, I love my kids :)

Karate Kid. Joseph is brushing up on his black belt which he will continue to need in order to fend off his lunatic sisters :) I laughed so hard when I saw this picture!

This was so good for my mommy heart. Hannah got her Bible and was reading it to her brother.

Buddies! Daddy giving Joseph rasberries. Joseph gets him in a headlock. Special!

Pastor Shawn Craig holding baby Audrey for her dedication. She was such a little doll. He is actually the Craig from the Christian group Phillips, Craig and Dean! Cool :)

Yeah, I am training her early. Too bad Cinderella missed the ball :)

Family Time

Our dear niece Audrey was dedicated to the Lord on Sunday. It was a very nice service, and it is so very moving to see parents giving their prized possessions back to the Lord! These are all the cousins (except poor Caleb who was exhausted and Patty's unborn little girl and Pam's unborn baby). The boys in the back are Gabe and Ethan (Patty's), Sami, Breanna & Lauren (Pam's), Audrey, Hannah holding Joseph and Emily. Hannah couldn't hug them all enough :)

My handsome men!

Hannah never tires of her wonderful Caleb :)

Look at those cheeks! This little boy is my pride and joy. He has such a sweet spirit. His temperament reminds me of Emily. He only cries when he is hungry (which is often) or if Hannah pinches his cheeks or other rough things she does.

Allen tried to put a coat on Joseph and then put him in his baby carrier. Then he noticed he would have to loosen the straps...lo and behold they were as loose as they would go. So, we had to put him in his big boy car seat. He LOVES it!!! Notice he is missing a shoe. I think he was missing a shoe most of today the little goof ball.

My little angels. Emily Madison 17 months old, Joseph Harrison 5 months old and Hannah Morgan 3 years old. They are my world!Can you tell they are all related? Who do you guys think they look like?

My little man all dressed up in his church clothes with his Auntie Sandy

Me and the love of my life. I sure miss seeing that sweet smile and feeling those strong arms around me and those. Me and my pumpkin in the pumpkins :)

One of my very best Buddies, Karen, and me with Joseph just hanging around :)

There was this stuffed crow. Hannah panicked a little when she first picked it up because it felt so real. I couldn't help but laugh.

Hannah hugging her cousin Sami (Sandy Hermann's daughter). She just loves her :)

Kissable isn't he??

Here is the cute little conductor of the steam engine train. We had such a nice time. It was a 25 minute train ride into the woods next to the Meramac River. Fun fun!

A live scarcrow....it worked on Emily....she wanted nothing to do with it :) Joseph grabbed the burlap and chewed on the poor girl's face!

Our Weekend

Here is a picture of me and two of my buddies (Karen, Sandy, me) at the pumpkin.....uhhh...patch/stand whatever. Friends are such a blessing!

My sweet Emily. She had her hat pulled down crazy over her ears. I put this one on here mainly for my mom. I knew you would LOVE that :)

Another picture of the fam....man I am lucky! I just love my cute little family. They were all so worth the wait!

Weekend

We got to take a family picture at the pumpkin patch. Amazingly it only took 10 tries :) Yeah, it usually takes longer than that. I am so grateful for a husband who loves to spend time with us. We have such great family memories already! Blessed, simply blessed.

Grr....

I hate when things don't go my way. I have tried several times to upload pictures from this weekend with no success :( I will say that Iwill not be weighing in today because I have forgotten to take my pills all weekend and then thoughtlessly ate high sodium foods. I will wait until my medicine has had a chance to work.

Pray for us. Allen is away on a business trip until Thursday night. I don't know who is going to have a worse time.....the kids being without their dad and sick of mom, Allen with no family to come home to and having to share a room with two other guys, or me with no best friend coming home to see me and hug me and kiss me, not to mention help!

It's Friday!

Hallelujah it is Friday. I absolutely love the weekend. It is so nice having Allen home and getting so much family time (not to mention the extra hands :P). It has been a trying week, but we have grown victorious. Hannah has not peed the bed this whole week and I have done my devotions every day :) Horray for us!!!! Those are big praises in our household:P

I am enjoying having some more directions for my Bible reading. I am doing a bible study on joy in knowing Christ. Today the thought that really struck me was this..""He [Paul] isn't trying to find present good for himself in his tough times. Instead, he sees the present benefit for God's kingdom." I have so often thought that God will bring good out of every situation to mean that it will be for my good. Nope not necessarily, it is the good of His will, His kingdom and His glory. Hmm....go figure it doesn't all revolve around me. Sadly, this is eye opening to me! The verse that meant the most to me is Phil1:27 "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel." You mean to tell me I am supposed to be godly even when Hannah wets the bed during naptime (which she hasn't done for months) and Emily gets in the shower with her clothes on that I just put on or Joseph is throwing a fit and knocks the cereal bowl out of my hand and all over the floor, or Allen is going to be late for the 20th time this month?????? Tough stuff! Thankfully sanctification is growing godliness, because I am certainly not there.

Spiritual Goal

Yesterday I made it to the Christian bookstore and got a Bible study on Philippians titled "Experiencing the Joy of Knowing Christ". The intro was good enough for me this morning. It has help me solidify my spiritual goal, and it is this....

Phil 3:9..."not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ..the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ..."

I am tired of having a form of godliness by what we do on the outside and yet not have a growing heart relationship on the inside. I am tired of manmade rules that supposedly measure righteousness! I need the rightousness from God through faith by knowing Christ.

Dakota, Allison and Gavin!

Hey guys!!!! It's me, Hannah :) I like talking to you on the phone, but today I am just writing on the computer. My mom says that you guys read our blog. I am glad you do. I wish I could see you more; I miss you. But maybe you can try to keep up with our crazy family by reading about all we do.

We watched the Packer game. It was beautiful. Hi cousins! Hello we saw Brett Favre...we're a team (yes, I am typing exactly what she is saying right now :P). I want to play with you but there is a snake. Uncle Chris brough the snake out???? Why? He has to put it back in the cage so I be safe! (Ha ah ah ha she is cracking me up!). I love you very much, Bye! XOXO

Forgot Two

Talk about growing up too fast...Joseph was clawing trying to get at Hannah's cup (the one in the top picture). He was even grabbing her shirt and pulling. I figured he just liked the colors so I made her let him see it. He began drinking from it! So, I thought I would try and smaller one with handles and a soft spout.....once again....he actually drank from it. I couldn't believe it!

Happy 5 month Birthday, Joseph!

Here is Joseph's 5 month picture. He is making that giraffe look smaller and smaller

If you look closely you can see his two teeth. I can't believe it! He is growing up too fast!!

"Yeah, I am cute...You know it!"

Here he is doing his very favorite thing...chewing on a toy and jumping in his exersaucer (thank you so much for that Jen!!!)

Confessions from the Heart!

All right! I am looking for some input here. Honest but nonjudgmental please. I want to know if you guys are having devotions, how often and what do you do for your devotions and finally how long do they normally last?

God has really been trying to get me to the end of myself. I have tried for a long time to just work hard and do everything on my own. I have really struggled lately. I don't have the strength, the organization, the patience or anything else. I have been a frustrated timebomb that has had to apologize way more often than I would care to admit. I am even getting muscle spasms and twitching because I am trying so hard and getting nowhere while getting very frustrated. This weekend I have waved the white flag. I am finally seeing that this may not be just an organization problem but rather a spiritual problem of pride and not putting God at the helm.

I had not been doing devotions of any kind for quite some time. Truthfully, I haven't done them each and every day since they were a requirement at Northland! I have been so busy that I have not made time. I know that the saying goes I had so much to do today that I had to make time to pray.....just never got through to me though....or I had good intentions and well...you know. I am making a commitment to having my devotions. I am tired of just reading through a book, so I am doing a Bible study I had already. Karen, it was the one we were doing :) I need to surrender and realize that without him I am truly nothing and can do nothing for an extended period.

Just curious how you all fair in this area of your spiritual life!

Football Sunday

There was a rumble scheduled in our house for 12pm central time on Sunday. The Rams were playing my beloved yet shamefully under 500 Packers (1-3). We had our Packer and Rams garb on. Hannah said she wanted to be the Packer cheerleader, so I had to let Emily be the Ram cheerleader just for her daddy. Joseph doesn't have anything Rams, so oooh look at that he had to wear Packer things too ;) Hannah told her teacher at church, "Yeah, I have to go now. We are going to McDonalds and then were going to see Brett Favre." That's my girl!!! We had a good time cheering during the game. It was a pretty fun game to watch...that is until there was only :35 on the clock and Leonard "I am a murderer and should be in jail" Little knocked the football out of Brett Favre's hands to end the game :( So sad for me!

Hannah dancing as the Rams get yet another penalty. Emily watches in disbelief.

The Rams fan club

My cheerleaders!

Go Pack Go!!!! Fun times :)

Happy Birthday, Allen!!!!

My beloved is 35 today!!! I love you so very much. Thank you for being the most amazing man I have ever met! You are definitely getting even better with age (which is hard to imagine). He gave himself a super present too...he lost more weight. He is now officially down 49 pounds. Unbelievable! I am so proud of you.

I am grateful to report that I have lost another pound. I didn't feel I did very well last week. I felt like an emotional eater. I am more of a frustrated/angry eater. I get crabby and then I get rebellious. So, I am officially down 28 pounds. I will have to say that how fast Allen is losing is still getting on my nerves!!!!!

More more more pictures

Love these pictures. Just had to share these too. Man, I take a lot of pictures. Allen said he wonders if I have turned some Japanese like Asagi :)

Can you believe more pictures?

We visited Lincoln's tomb. Very cool to see

One of several old survey instruments we saw.

Man, he is so cute!!!! I am so glad he is all mine

My tired little princess. She fell asleep soon after this!

Don't you just want to squish her?