Praying for the mercy of the Lord

So tonight after work we stopped by my Mom's house so Alexa could spend time with her. While we were there Mom gave us an update on my Uncle Roger, my Dad's older brother. He has had cancer for quite a while now, battling it for well over a year and it looks as though his battle is almost over. He has been suffering even more since December, going in & out of the hospital with very little they could do for him other than medicate him. He has now been released to home hospice. Although from what I am told the Doctor's said he could have up to a month, he seems to be saying he has 4 days (which is what he said on Monday, meaning tomorrow he expects to leave this earthly world.)

As sad as I am for his wife and his 2 sons, my cousins, I find myself first of all envying his family and secondly praying the Lord take him quickly to ease his pain and suffering.

I know most people may wonder why on earth I would envy his family. The reason is rather simple to me -- I would have given almost anything to have a chance to say goodbye to my father(his younger brother) who died of a very sudden massive heart attack in Sept of 2008, only 2 weeks after having been given a clean bill of health. I know my father loved me & I know he knew that I loved him. However, that provides minimal comfort compared to if I had simply had the time to say one last goodbye, one last I love you, one last thank you...

I pray the Lord takes my uncle home, that he ends his earthly suffering that he may join my earthly and my Heavenly father in Heaven and that he may never have the pain of this earthly world again. It is a very hard & difficult time for their family and all my relatives but I pray that the Lord grant us all his peace and mercy.

Uncle Rog, please know I love you and am praying for you daily. Aunt Carol, Ben, and Brandon, please know you are in our thoughts and prayers constantly. May the Lord uphold you in His hand and grant you His peace during this difficult time.

Enough with the snow already!

Here is the snow drift I came home to, & this is after Micah had taken the snow blower to the rest of the driveway 3 times already today!

Goodbye to Kiko, Hello Patches

So last week was an incredibly sad week for our family. Our precious dog, Kiko, had to be put down. She had been walking a little funny for the past few weeks & every now & then she would whelp if she was touched the wrong way. She apparently had a herniated disc in her neck.

On Monday night, while I was at volleyball, Micah had some friends over to watch the football game. When I came home I was told how when one of the guys went to sit on the couch, he tossed Kiko to the floor (a common action that has been done many times over the years of Kiko's life, one that to any other dog would have been completely harmless).

In doing this, it was the final straw that broke the camels back so to speak. The herniated disc in her back ruptured. She lay there whelping in pain and apparently paralyzed from the waste down. She spent the rest of Monday night, all day Tuesday, and Tuesday night in an immense amount of pain. Micah took her to the vet on Tuesday morning & they gave her pain killers, but we were told the only possiblity of relief would be an extremely expensive surgery that might not even help her & that she likley would not be strong enough to survive through.

So after listening to her crying in pain on Tuesday night, Micah took her back into the vet on Wednesday & asked if there was anything else they could do. The only humane thing to do was to put her down. A lot of tears were shed & the house simply didn't seem the same without her.

By Friday, Micah had convinced me the house was TOO quiet & that we needed to get a puppy. Not being a vast animal lover, I hesitantly & somewhat reluctantly gave in. Patches was brought into our home on January 1, 2010. She's adorable, but an awfully big handful! The last week has seen many whinny nights, and dangerous walking in the mornings. Good thing we don't have carpet!

Christmas Blizzard pictures

Here's a few pictures from the Christmas "Blizzard" 2009

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Catching up...Christmas with both families

I know, I know -- its been a LONG time since my last post. Things have been pretty busy for us - for me at work, for us as a family, and a lot has gone on over the last month or so.

Where do I begin? Well, since my last post was last year, I'll start there. December came & went with something keeping us going every night it seemed. Alexa spent the first 3 weeks of December 2009 like normal, going to Alicia's every day to play with Eli (& Andrew). Then starting the week of Christmas, due to the major Blizzard they were predicting for our area, Alexa's babysitter had to leave early to go home for Christmas. So Alexa got to spend the week with Daddy & with Auntie Coby & Uncle Kris (& the rest of her Aunties on the Schouten side).

We spent Monday night watching the football game with Uncle Kris & Auntie Coby, Grandpa Schouten & Aunt Kiley since my volleyball game was cancelled.

Unlce Kris feeding Alexa ice cream :)

Coby & I on the couch, Kris, Alexa & Kiko in the recliner eating ice cream :)

Then came the 1st & 2nd days of the "Blizzard" & Christmas Eve with the Schouten Family.

All the Schouten kids, their spouses & Alexa :)

Micah, me, & Alexa, Kiley & Jill opening - opening presents at the Schouten Family Christmas

After opening presents we all were sitting around enjoying some treats when Bobbie & Eric made a big announcement ;) - it looks like we're going to be an Aunt & Uncle & Alexa is going to have her 1st cousin on the Schouten side :)! Congrats to Bobbie & Eric! :)

Then on Christmas morning we opened presents with Alexa at home before going to my sister Sarah's house to open presents with the Fennema side of the family.

Alexa sitting in her new chair - a present from Mom & Dad :)

Alexa unwrapping her presents from Mom & Dad

Mommy helping Alexa & Grandma open Alexa's next gift

Alexa & Grandma checking out her new learning cards

Daddy & Alexa with her new puppy from Uncle Joel

Pictures :)

Eat the duck Uncle Eric! :)

I'm a big girl! I climbed up here all by myself - now feed me! :)

Aren't I cute with my morning hair & cheesy grin & don't forget about my DORA PJ's! :)

Life...

I know, I know its been a while!

Life has been busy, with the typical day-to-day things & the extra things like holidays thrown in there, life hasn't slowed down at all...and come to think of it, neither has Alexa! :)

She seems to change each day, growing "older" somehow. From the words she says to the things she does, it never ceases to amaze me what she can come up with! A couple days ago Micah caught her climbing up the bar stools so that she could reach the cookies that were sitting on the counter. Then last night while I was making cookies for our church cookie exchange on Saturday morning, Alexa wants to sit & watch. Micah was out helping his dad so I picked her up & let her sit on the counter next to the mixer & she just loved watching it spin. Every time I added something she would look at me and say "cooking Mommy, ooooohhh YUMMMMY!" with this goofy grin on her face & she'd pat her tummy. When the mixer was done she decided she was bored watching me roll the dough into logs so she moved off the counter & stood on the bench next to it. I have an old crystal cream & sugar set, that I picked up at a garage sale,sitting next to the coffee pot on the counter & she instantly found this entertaining. She took the spoon from the sugar & in the empty cream pourer she started swirlling the spoon as if she was mixing things together. After each mix she would taste the spoon & then she'd pick up a pen & pretend to jot notes onto the pad that was also laying on the counter. I sat watching her do this for about 10-15 minutes before she caught me looking at her & had to offer some to me "taste Mommy taste, yummy yummy," she'd say. We certainly have a little goof-ball on our hands!

The other side of Alexa, however, is definetly a stubborn little girl! She will NOT say sorry! At just about 18 months old, she has the strongest will of anyone I know! (Could it possibly be due to the fact that both mommy & daddy are stubborn too? Nah!) :)

All I can say is based on her current ability to apologize & admit when she's been naughty & wrong, we are in for a LONG road ahead of us! The silly part is -- it is NOT as though she doesn't know how to say the word, or that she's not old enough to know it -- as some people have tried to tell us -- she is simply too stubborn. When we catch her being naughty we will call her on it & say "Alexa, what did you do?" Her answer..."Naughty, I trouble, I trouble, naughty!" Hmm...if she can say those words & know that when we are upset with her she's been naughty & is in trouble...please tell me, what reason, other than her stubbornness, is there for her inability to say sorry? None that I can think of!

Here are a few of the latest pictures we'd snapped of her, boy does she think she is funny! :)