LOVE

A lot has been on my mind that last couple of days. There is one thing that has stuck out to me. You don't know how much you love someone, until you think that you might lose them.

That is pretty much all I can say. I think I am not going to take life for-granted any more. Even though I have a young little family, the Lord can call us home anytime. I need to enjoy every moment I have with them, and not sweat the things that are not eternal.

Christmas 2009

Classes Are Over

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Classes are finally over!! Jon and I should be coming out with flying colors. I am actually quite surprised that I am getting an A, A- at the worst. I owe it all to my AMAZING tutor.

I am not taking any classes next semester so that I can focus on house and kids. That way Jon can focus on school and passing his Quals, we only get two chances to take the Quals. If he doesn't pass the Quals, we get kicked out of the program. This is a huge deal, so no class for me. I have a few craft projects that I would like to get done, so it will be a nice break for me.

Kate at 6 Months

Here is Kate at 6 Months.
At 6 Months Kate:

*Has mastered the crawl.

* Has grown almost two pounds in a month.

*Loves oatmeal, as long as it is mixed with juice.

*Is debating if fruit is really that good.

*Is still not sleeping.

*Still melts our hearts.

*Loves her brother more than anything.

Kate at 5 Months

Ok I am trying to play catch up(silly stats class), Kate is now 6 months. Let's take a trip back to when Kate was 5 Months.
Facts about Kate:

*Kate is crawling like crazy. I think she skipped the rolling stage.

*She is still not on solids (We kind of hit a road bump and are waiting to introduce foods to her).

*She is gaining weight like crazy.

*Kate and Brett have developed their own language that they use to communicate (screeching).

*Kate thinks that other babies communicate like that, but they just look at like she is crazy.

*Despite all efforts she is not sleeping through the night.

An Answered Prayer

So Usually I can never tell if one of my prayers has been answered until months after the prayer has been given.

While laying in bed one night pre-surgery, I was praying for the safety of Kate. The thought came to me, it should be nice if an LDS person was at the Hospital with Kate. I prayed for it, but knew that my chances were slim. Ann Arbor has two wards, Our ward is made up of Business school students, Dental students, and Law School Students. Other various masters/PhD Students are scattered through out, with like two or three Medical residents. We really didn't have good odds.

Post Surgery, there was a resident hoovering around waiting for the surgeon to show up. He introduced himself and I naturally blew off his name and what he was doing at the U of M. The Doctor cam and gave us his little blurb. The resident came back and gave us his little blurb and handed us our discharge papers. Then he looked at Jon and said, "I know you from somewhere, What do you do here?" Jon told him that he was Nuclear Engineering PhD. The resident shook his head and said, "Well that's not it. Hmm......that is weird, I know you from somewhere." I asked him where he did his undergrad at. He told me that he did it at the University of Utah. I asked him if he was Mormon. He replied that he was and then he said, "Wait are you in the Second Ward?" To which we replied that we were, and I was able to match his name to His wife. What a blessing. Since this he has checked Kate's wound the following Sunday and called us to make sure that her wound was looking ok and the there wasn't any puss.

Have you ever had that feeling like your prayers never get answered? Then when you recognise that one has been answered, you get this flood of love from your Heavenly Father and you know that He hears you. All you want to do is cry, because His love for you is so intense that you can't help but cry. Yeah, that's how I feel.

Kate's Recovery

Kate is recovering really well. She is still cranky, so I just keep her doped up on Tylenol and then she is happy. She is having some drainage from her wound, but I have been assured by a few people that it is normal.

We have really been trying to teach Brett that Kate needs a break from their "normal play." By that we mean that Kate really doesn't feel up to being his horsey, or catching all of the balls that he throws at her, or being a road that his cars can drive on or being used as his picnic blanket. Yet he still feels like she should just take it all in stride. He just doesn't view her any differently now, then he did before her surgery.

Here are a few pictures of Kate's wounds.
Her Incision
IV #1
IV #2

The Surgeons Post -Surgery Comments

After Kate's surgery, we had a little chat with the Surgeon. He told us that the surgery went well and that the cyst was 1/2 inch deep. Because it was so deep he cut down 5/8" deep just to make sure that he got it all. He is pretty sure that he got it all, but there is a chance that she has more in her neck. We need to watch her neck and make sure that no lumps, swelling or redness occur. If it does she will have to go back in for more surgery. When the surgeon was probing the cyst to see how deep he needed to cut down, the probe broke through the cyst.

During our little chat the doctor kept calling Kate a him. Finally he asked me how old "he" was. I told him that SHE is 6 months. the Doctor looked at me and said, "Sorry, she's 6 months." then he said, "Well I didn't operate down there." I chuckled and said, "Well I am glad you didn't." When I told Kate's Ped. what the Surgeon had said, she just about died, she thought it was so rude. Personally, I found it funny, it fit his personality.

My Dearest Kate

It is 6:30am, the morning of your surgery. You have not slept a wink all night, and I am utterly exhausted and an emotional wreck. On our way to the hospital I tell Dad that I want to turn around and go home. I have had nightmares of you not waking up from the surgery, or if you do wake up, that you will not be your normal self. I know that some people may think that I am overreacting, but I know that if something were to happen to you, I don't know if I would be able to make it through that.

We arrived at check in, and are being escorted back to pre-op. Every part of me wants to grab you and run back down the long hall. I grow more nervous with every step that I take. It is a good thing that Dad is carrying you in your car seat. I rely a lot on your Dad for strength, and he is really good at providing it.

In Pre-op we are meet by a host of people: Residents, Doctors, Nurses, and anesthesiologists. Most asking the same questions: is she allergic to anything? When was the last time she ate? Do you know in your own words why she is having this surgery? Do you have any questions? The Doctor comes and marks your little cyst and asks us to get you in your gown. I am growing even more nervous, but at this point you could probably say that I am very scared. I smother you in kisses and whisper in you ear "I love you so much. Don't forget how much I love you." I also plead, "Come back to me." Your Papa kisses you good bye and they whisk you off in a warm blanket, with the promise that they will take good care of you. As I stand up to walk to the waiting room, I find your pink sock on the ground. I run around the corner and catch the anesthesiologist and hand her the sock. I catch a little glimpse of you over the residents shoulder, My heart is breaking. I want to shout at him to stop, but I know that this is for the best.

The elevator ride and walk to the waiting room just about kill me. I tell Dad for probably the hundredth time, that I want to go back and get you. He assures me that all is well. I do a mental check: Fasting and Prayer, Check. Fathers Blessing, Check. Prayers, Check. Tons of Prayers, Check. Your name placed in the Temple, Check, Check, and Check. I guess all I can to is turn this over to the Lord, it is out of my hands. All I can do now is worry. I have been trying to study statistics. Do you know how hard it is to study stats, with zero sleep and a baby in surgery. I am distracted by the clock, it is 9am and no word. I am getting a little worried. A couple is sitting next to me and we are talking about their Daughter who is having surgery for cysts too. Dad is sitting next to the closest power outlet and working on his school work. It is 9:15am I am wondering what is going on now. I have given up all hope on my class. A Doctor comes out and is talking to a mom whose little boy went in after you. Your surgery was only suppose to be 30 minutes, I am starting to get really worried. 9:35am the receptionist in the waiting room gets word that she can bring us up to see you. As we are walking down the hall I turn to her and ask, "Can we run?" She gives a little chuckle. She tells me that in the four years she has worked there, no one has asked her that. I told her,"well that's exactly how I feel inside right now."

We get up to post-op, I can see you. You are all wrapped up in blankets, you are very motionless. My heat kind of sinks, but nit a whole lot. I expect that you will open you eyes and respond to me when I start to speak, you know like in the movies. You can guess how much my heart sank when that wasn't the case. You are however moving and that is a great sigh of relief. You will open your eyes and look at Dad, but you fall back to sleep when I look at you. I am trying everything to get you to look at me, I need to see you eyes. Your eyes will tell me if you are there, I believe that they really are the window to your soul. It is 10:45am and still you are not waking up. I am very anxious to get you home, where you belong. I decide to feed you and see if you respond to food like you normally do. Luckily you take after me and start gobbling up your food as fast as possible.

We decide to take you home. Brett is so happy to see you, He is only allowed to kiss you on the head. He is pretty upset that we will not let him play with you. You sleep most of the day away, only waking up for a few hours, in which I feed you and love you. I try to make you laugh, you start to squeal at me, there is a huge grin on your face. I look into you eyes, there you are. You did come back to me. Prayers were answered. I have been blessed.

Kate's Visit to the Pediatric Surgeon

We found out on Monday that Kate's little hole on her chest is a Branchial Cleft Cyst. It usually doesn't get detected in children until they are teenagers, so we caught it early. It is no light matter, at least that is what several Doctors have told me. It needs to be removed as soon as possible. Kate is scheduled for Surgery on the 10th of December. It is a quick 30-minute procedure, and she will be able to go home with us the same day.

*Click on the image to see the cyst.

Being her Mom, I am really scared. This surgery is consuming my thoughts all day long. I am so nervous. I am worried how she will fair after the surgery, I am worried about the anesthesia, I am really just worried about everything. I am sure that she is going to be fine and that all will be ok, but I am still really worried for some reason. So next Sunday, which just happens to be fast Sunday, Our Family is going to have a special Fast for Kate. Will you join us? Will you keep Kate and our family in your prayers.

Kate (Part 2)

I took Kate to the Ped. on the 17th(Tuesday). Just a side note, her well child visits were at 2weeks, 2Months, 4Months. We have more then doubled that amount in 5 Months. The main reason for my visit was that she had been screaming for hours on Monday and on Sunday she had started puking all over. I was so discouraged when I left the doctors office, that I followed my gut. I packed up the kids and I headed down to Mom and DadWierschke's . I decided to take Kate to a homeopathic person. This is the same "Dr.(she's not a Dr.)" that I blogged about a few short posts ago and my little visit with her. Here are the solutions that I found to the problems that are noted in this post.

Problem 1&2) We discovered that Kate has a lot of yeast in her little body. To tell you the truth, eight different kinds of yeast. When she eats food the yeast is creating extensive amounts of gas. The Gas as it is moving through her body is getting stuck in the sharp bend in the Large Intestine. Thus causing LOTS of pain in her tummy, and quite possibly a lot of sleepless nights for us. We have started her on a homeopathic remedy for this and is already pooping her heart out.

Problem 3) The little hole in Kate's Chest. Well that is a post all by itself, which will be posted on Sunday. (Note: We saw a good old pediatric surgeon for this, the homeopathic doctor had nothing to do with this little problem. Yes, we do believe in modern medicine and those that practice it:))

Problem 4&5) When I took Kate to the Ped. on the 17th. The ped. knew just by looking at her that she had food allergies. Two days after that Kate broke out in massive rashes all over her body. The Peds. best guess is that the puking is related to allergies as well. So we have an appointment set up with an allergist 2 days before Christmas. The Homeopathic Dr. Found out that Kate is allergic to Gluten, Wheat, Sugar, and Red food dye. As of January 4th, we are going on a Gluten free diet.

Kate (Part 1)

This is an account of the problems that poor Kate has faced since birth.

Problem 1) Kate has never slept through the night since day one. Which as most mothers know, is nothing unusual. However, at night between cries, I get anywhere from 8 minutes to and 1.5 hours. The average is one hour.

Problem 2) At about three months, Kate starts screaming for hours on end. As a parent I can sense that something is wrong with her. Even our neighbor was worried about her. On top of that she had not pooped in five days, we take her to ER. the Doctors scanned her belly to make sure that her intestines had not twisted, which they hadn't. They sent us home with instructions to give her a suppository if she doesn't have a bowel movement in a couple of days. We had been home two hours when she finally pooped, and it was very gross. The pediatrician and the ER doctors disregard it as normal breastfed babies at three months. Four days after that bowel movement, the screaming started again. We kept giving her suppositories every four or five days. Finally the Ped. said that we couldn't give her any more suppositories and switched us to juice. one once of juice to one ounce of water. It helped, but we were still fighting her bowels and extensive gas.

Problem 3) Kate has, since birth a little hole on her chest. At her two week appointment, the Ped. said that it was just where her skin didn't close off as a fetus. She wanted me to watch it and if it started to ooze puss then I should give her a call. I pretty much thought nothing of it.

Problem 4) About a week and a half ago, Kate broke out in a huge rash all over her body.

Problem 5) Kate keep mysteriously puking. It is only mysterious because she has no other symptoms other then her projectile puke.

The New Me...Well Kinda

So back in August I went in to see a homeopathic "doctor." Uh, she really isn't an MD but I don't know what to call her. Anyway, after I had Kate I was having a hard time rebounding. I was super tired, my body hurt really bad and my migraines were out of control.

She did E.D.S.(ElectroDermal Screening) on me and discovered that I have heavy metals in my body along with a long list of food allergies. We also found out that my neurotransmitters were not working properly and as a result I was not falling asleep for hours after bed time. The heavy metals was causing ringing in my ears, which I have had for as long as I can remember. As for my food allergies, I had been tested for those when I was five. This E.D.S. test found all of my allergies and then some. She discovered that my adrenals were working over time.

With this information and a few supplements, I have been able to turn things around. I feel like I have a new me. As for the kinda part, I think that once Kate starts sleeping through the night, I will feel amazing.

*This is when I got those beautiful gladiolas from Jon!!

Kate at 4 Months

This is our darling girl at 4 months. This is kind of late seeing how she is turning 5 Months tomorrow. Here are a few things that she is doing right now.

*Rolling completely over.
*Eating solids and she pretty much hates everything. She is going to be my picky child.
*Not sleeping through the night, in fact she is worse than a newborn.
*Her smiles can melt your heart and make everything Ok.
*She loves her Brother.
*My favorite thing is to hear them laughing together. I have tried to get it on Video, but no luck so far.
*She is very photogenic.
*Love to sit at the dinner table in her high chair.
*Brett Love to play horsey with her. She is the horse, he is the rider. Lets just say that she has strict supervision when she has tummy time.

Craigslist Gems

So Other then yard sales I have been hunting on craigslist fo some needed items. They may not seem needed, but let me justify them to you.

We got this entertainment center. It is going to get a new fresh coat of paint and doors put on it. We are also going to get another shelf. This shelf retail was $475 we bought it off of craigslist for $150 and that included delivery.
This georgeous mirror, enlarges our very small living room. It retails for $700-$1000 we got it for $25
We were given a sleeper sofa from mom and dad wierschke. I had put a slipcover over it, after a little while Brettwould rip the slipcover off for fun. It got so frustrating that I started looking for a new one on craigslist that matched our decor. Lucky me, I found a desired sleeper sofa that matched our decor and was in our budget. The couch retail in anywhere from $360-$600 we got it for $75. Why would we want a sleeper sofa? Well the answer isn't so that we would have a place for our guests to sleep. I mentioned that we have a small living room, Scroll down and see what we did. It went from a sleeper sofa to a........

TOYBOX!!!!! We took out the sleeper mechanism and turned it into Brett's toybox. Can you tell that my husband is an Engineer. He has a million great ideas, that make my life easier. Thanks Dad Wierschke for your help.
We also acquired a bedroom ceiling fan. Since it is fall and cool outside, it is sitting in a box in the basement. So I was not able to get an pictures. My next purchase is a Brio Train set. I am going to pick it up on Thursday, should all go well.

It Could Be Nothing, But I Could Be Something

For those who do not have us as friends on facebook, here is what is going on with Kate.

When Kate was two weeks old I noticed that she had a little dimple in her skin right above her heart. When I felt it, I could feel that this dimple was a little deeper then it looked. I asked the doctor to take a look at it, at Kate's two week check up. The doctor explained that when Kate was a fetus, her skin didn't close all of the way at this place on her chest. Upon further investigation the doctor concluded that she didn't feel that it was a open track. The Doctor did tell me that should it start to ooze puss, that we should bring her back in.

Two weeks ago, I was on the phone with my Sister in Law. Like most days I was loving my little girl and checking her out. Making sure that she wasn't hiding any goo in her neck rolls. I say her little dimple and I had this urge to feel it. The track felt wider then it had when she was two weeks, I just chalked up to the fact that she had grown. I figured that I would ask the doctor when we went in for Kate's 4 month check up. As I was feeling around it, puss started to ooze out of it. It wasn't just a little puss, the amount was bigger then a pencil eraser in diameter, or enough to freak me out.

I called the Doctor and then had arranged for me to bring Kate in that afternoon. When the Doctor looked at it she dismissed it as nothing serious. She believes that it is closed on the inside, to be safe she has referred us to a pediatric surgeon. She consulted another Doctor in the office and he told her that he had seen two in the late week and they both turned out to be cysts. Ok, that is not comforting at all. Doc says that if it keeps oozing puss to bring Kate back in. Well we are still oozing puss. My question is if it is closed on the inside, then why is it oozing puss?

Our Appointment is set for Nov. 23. If it is a cyst, I am going to be ticked that they didn't get us in sooner.

Flowers

Jon bought these for me a few weeks ago, when I was going through a tough time. I had gone to a homeopathic specialist, hoping to find some answers about what I was going through(more about this later). When I got back from my 3 hour appointment, these were waiting for me. It was nice to know that he still loved me despite all that I unintentionally was putting him through.

Star Gazers

Brett likes to go out at night so that he can see the,"lil stars" also known as, "Baby stars." The other night he begged Jon to take him out in the freezing cold and this is what my sweet boys looked like.

Study Buddy

When the kids are asleep, it is my time to get in as much studying as I can before they wake up. Well occasionally Brett is asleep and Katherine is awake. Which means I have a study buddy. So I sit her in the bumbo and she coos at me while I study. Can anyone guess how much studying I get done, when I have a little girl who looks like this staring at me

The Lord is Mindful

Sometimes when I am super overwhelmed, like with this move and all of the costs involved. I start to whine and stress about how it is all going to work. I have this great friend who constantly tells me(I can quote it cause she tells me so often. Wait, what does that say about me?), "Kathlen, the Lord is mindful of you and your needs. He will bless you with those things that you need." Now my mother and my mother in law can attest that when something is said to me that I don't want to hear, I just ignore the advice. So for many months now I have ignored my friend's comment. I mean come on, I know the Lord is mindful. It doesn't mean that anything is going to happen, when I need it to, right? I had pets growing up and I was always mindful of them, but they got fed on my schedule. Which meant that they were often neglected(please don't report me to PETA). So with that in mind, I have always felt that it was up to me to make it work. We moved in to our little place and I just wanted to die. We were going to have to pour so much money into this place, and I didn't know where we were going to get the money from. We were hoping to use our deposit form our last place. I was discouraged about that. In the past it has always taken us a month to get it and then half of the deposit is gone for sometimes legitimate reasons(only one landlord had legit reasons), but mostly for lame excuses to keep my money.

I hit that amazing garage sale and walked away with tons of loot for the house. Our deposit came with in a week of moving out. Even more amazing, we got back every single penny of it. I kept finding things on craigslist or on sale at the store. I was talking to my friend two weeks ago and we were talking about how things were going with the house. I remember feeling overcome with the Love of my Heavenly Father as I told her that I have really felt that the Lord has been mindful of us in this move. Her response to me was, "Good I am glad."

I don't think that I could even begin to express the love and gratitude that I feel right now. Sure we have still had to pour a lot of money into the house, but I know that the Lord is mindful of me. Not the kind of mindful I was with my pets growing up, but he is truly mindful of us and our situations. It makes it easier for me to go to Him when I need help and know that He is there.

Garage Sale Items

Here are my garage sale items, that I promised I would post pictures of. This was all from one garage sale.


Heavy duty shelves Retail:$80 Garage Sale:$20Curtain Rod Retail: $35 Garage Sale: $4

Sheer Curtains Retail: $40($20 per panel) Garage Sale: $5 for both
Bumbo Baby Chair Retail: $40 Garage Sale: $10
10' x 10' Carpet Retail:$350 each Garage Sale:$20 for two
Child Teddy Bear Backpack Tether Retail:$30 Garage Sale:$2
Pole Floor Lamp Retail:$130 Garage Sale:$2
2.5' x 7' carpet runner with pad Retail:$100 for runner $50 for pad Garage Sale:$25 for both
Table Water Fountain Retail:$40 Garage Sale:$2
Book Case Retail:$80 Garage Sale:$5
Wall Shelf Retail:$20 Garage Sale:$4
Kids Ball Pit Retail:$40 for pit plus $30 for 100 extra balls Garage Sale:$4
Not pictured:
Brand new pair of black sunday shoes Retail:$40(they were high end shoes) Garage Sale:$5
Pack and Play Retail:$70 Garage Sale:$10 (Only used twice)
Halloween costume for Brett Retail:$30 Garage Sale:Free
Wipe Warmer Retail:$20 Garage Sale:$2
Cute little ballerina shoes for Kate Retail:$20 Garage Sale: $5
Princess Binky Clip Retail:$20(lots of Rhinestones) Garage Sale:Free
(I know I am forgetting something, but I am not sure what)

Total: Retail: $1615 Garage Sale:$123, but I really only paid $106. As she was counting up my total she kept knocking of a few bucks here and there because, "It makes my counting easier" she said.

I think I walked away with a steal! What do you think??

Coupons

I have coupons for Formula(Similac, Enfamil, and Nestle Good Start), Nuk Pacifiers, Pictures(JCPenny, and Sears), Bottles(Gerber). If you are interested in them or want more information about them, my email address is towards the bottom of the sidebar.

Kate at 3 Months

Well even though Kate turned 4 months yesterday, here are her 3 month pictures. Better late than never right? I absolutely love her smiles, the just melt my heart. Her cute little giggle is enough to make me laugh. She has attempted to roll over many times and only been successful a few times. Kate is a very social little girl, I have no idea where she gets that from :)! We can't do anything with out her. She loves to be around people, even if they are not paying attention to her. Although she really likes people to pay attention to her. She slobbers like crazy and always has a nice collection of slobber bubbles, which she enjoys blowing. She has the best pouting lip around, just thinking about it makes me laugh. This girl is so dramatic, again I don't know where she gets it from. Enjoy the pictures! Kate is so photogenic, we had fun taking her pictures!

New House

We were finally able to move into our new house last saturday. We had the Elders Quorum come and help. We started at 9am filled a 26' Uhaul, we finished at 12pm. We are still up to our ears in boxes, mainly cause Jon and I are super busy with classes.

We love our new house, what we don't love is the moving expenses that come with moving. Our house pretty much comes with nothing. No lights, no carpet (we have hardwood floors, which are not conducive with toddlers), no curtains, no a/c (which is necessary here). So we have also been in the process of making this house into our home. I hit a fantastic yard sale(I will tell you all about it on wednesday) this weekend and got a bunch of stuff for the house, like carpets and lights. I have also found out that Craigslist is my best friend!! Craig tells me about good deals and great garage sales. the only thing that I have had to buy retail so far is one set of curtains.

Well that is our update so far, more info and pictures of the house to come!!

My Auto Mechnic

Our brakes have been squeeling, so the last time we were at Mom and Dad's we had Dad take a look at them. Since mom and I were canning pears, the guys took Brett out with them. After about an hour I was curious as to what Brett was doing. This is what I foundYou think his face is gross, his hands were ten times worse.

Yes, he got the hubcap off all by himself.

Working on the hubcap.

This is a little video of his saying screwdriver, which comes out screwdrivaver. Cute video only a few seconds long and totally worth it, if I do say so myself. Sorry it is sideways.



I do have to say that he is the best mechanic in town.....didn't charge me a penny.

Baby Mingos

Every morning Brett likes to check on his "mingos." He is super cute when he talks to them. I have a video of him talking to the Flamingos, but I noticed that our new address was on a post it note stuck to the monitor. I tired to re-create the video with no luck, so you get a picture!!

Finding Hope

I found this on the Lds.org website, it is about finding hope. Even though it is about 9/11, I really felt the power and truth of this. May it help you find hope in your darkest hour!

Fried iPod

For the longest time, we have wanted to get an iPod speaker docking station. Sadly they cost a small bundle. Well we found a docking station on craigslist for eight dollars, after talking with the owner we bought it. We brought it home cleaned it up and plugged our iPod into it, all of the sudden our iPod froze. I tired to revive it and nothing worked, after many hours of trying, I gave up. We contacted the previous owner and she told us not to plug anything in to the docking station cause she didn't want it to fry any of our electronics. Uh, too late. Especially since we had already told her that it fried our iPod. She told us that she had used the docking station the previous night, and that it worked perfectly. She also told us that she would pick up the docking station and refund our eight buck. When we told her that that sounded like a good idea to us, she stopped all contact. Grr, now we don't have any music in our house and we really miss it. Plus we are out eight bucks, not including the cost of our iPod!!

Update on the Move

Our tentative move in date is on the 18th of this month, Unless they have to rip out all of the hardwood floors and then our move in date will get pushed back again. The good news is that we get all new appliances, some new dry wall, new baseboards, new linoleum. Pretty much we get all new everything.

The Lesson of the Pear

Labor day weekend, we went down to Mom and Dad Wierschke's. We have been trying to help them with canning and a few other jobs around the house. Lately I have been thinking a lot about sin and the atonement. As I was peeling the skins off the pears, I was having a hard time with all of the blemishes that were on the skins. The blemishes were not only on the outside but they were on the inside too. Some times they were just bruises and the pears was soft and tender, but the other hard spots seemed like the pear has calcified(for a lack of better terms) around the blemish. As I was thinking this, the thought came to me that we all have "blemishes" aka sins. Some of these blemishes are little brown marks on our outside, nothing that really effects the pear under the skin. These could be those little favorite sins that we can't give up, and that we don't need to see the Bishop for. Those blemishes that are a little darker and bruise the inside of the pear, are quite possibly blemishes that you should give up, maybe they are blemishes that if left alone would be detrimental to the whole pear. The blemishes that are really gross on the outside and when cut into it seems to have calicified the pear around that spot.
When canning the pear you don't want to have these blemishes on your pears or in jars. The pear that has the little blemish on the outside is easily removed when we blanch the pears. The pears with a blemish that bruised the fruit of the pear, I simply take a knife and gently cut the bruise off. The blemish that calcifies the pear is a little harder. I have to cut out what I can with a pear knife and then I have to take a sharp knife and cut the rest out.

In one of these cases none of the pears were beyond canning. All were able to be saved. So it is with the Atonement and us. We all have sins to different degrees, all can be taken off through the Atonement. None of us are to far gone to be saved, there are no limitations or stipulations on the Atonement.

Katherine Is Official!!

As if being born didn't maker her official, we received her social security card last week. I don't know why but to me it just makes her official. Out of all of us her number is the easiest and Brett's is the hardest.

Yay, for Katherine!!

In Laws

A few weeks ago I visited my friend and her husband Jake*, who had just had their first baby. During my visit my friends mother said, "Jake will be so glad when I am gone." Jake just laughed and said, "maybe."

That got me remembering and thinking. When I was growing up I knew a lady named Joan and she didn't get along with her mother-in-law. I had heard many stories of things that pulled the two apart and I often worried about my relationship with my future mother-in-law. I was scared that I would spend most of my life dreading visits from my mother in law. That fear grew as Jon and I got into a serious relationship and it continued to grow until I met his mom. The first time that I met her was when Jon and I went to pick her up at the Idaho Falls airport. She came through the security checkpoint and all that she could do was cry and hug and tell me how much she loved me. Imagine the shock and relief that I felt after all the years of worrying about my future "monster-in-law"! I have been blessed over the years that our first meeting wasn't some fluke or that even after all the very stupid things I have said and done that I haven't fallen out of grace with her or dad for that matter. They truly love me for who I am, and would do pretty much anything for me and I them. So you may be be able to understand the little bit of sadness that I feel when I hear comments like the one that Jake's mother in law made and his response.

I have been thinking a lot about eternal families lately and how amazing they are. How wonderful is it that we can be together forever? I love the comment that President Hinckley made a while ago in reference to eternal families and links(I am going to paraphrase). Basically he said that we need to be strong link, because weak links will break our family chain between here and the after life. That got me thinking about links, who am I linked to. By marriage I am linked to my wonderful sister-in-law. She is linked to her husband and he is linked to his brother Sam through their parents. Sam is sealed to his wonderful wife, Jessica. Thus through the wonderful plan of eternal families I am sealed to Jessica. This leads to another story. After Jon and I were married, we would spend thanksgiving at my sister-in-law's house. This particular Thankgiving I was 11 weeks pregnant and dying or so I thought. On Thanksgiving day Sam and Jessica came over with their little boy Cameron. We were all sitting around the table talking about adoption, you see Sam and Jessica adopted Cameron because they were not able to have their own kids. As we are talking about adoption, I tell Jessica that I want to adopt at least one child. Oh man, that really made Jessica mad. She was so upset that I wanted to adopt when I could have my own kids. She told me that I had no right to adopt, and that I should be grateful that I was able to have my own. That I shouldn't be allowed to adopt kids out of the system, when there were other people who have been waiting years to adopt. You can imagine that I was angry and hurt. My sister-in-law tried to explain that they had been waiting three years to adopt, but I was still hurt and refused to let it go. It was one of the reason I didn't like her at all. It has been three years since that conversation, I got an email from my sister-in-law the other day; telling me that Jessica and Sam just adopted a boy and a girl. At first I didn't really care, I just hoped that maybe Jessica wouldn't be so bitter anymore. Then, I had this conversation with my little shoulder angel and devil:

Angel: You should be happy for them.
Devil: Why, they are so bitter and they hurt you. They were in the wrong when they made those comments about you adopting.
Angel: They have waited for so long to add to their family, they were hurting.
Devil: So.
Angel: They are your family you are linked eternally, you need to forgive them. Love them for who they are despite their shortcomings, they are not perfect and neither are you!

I bet you know who won. Since the little bit of enlightenment, I have felt a great burden lifted off my shoulders. I no longer have to carry around the resentment that I feel for them. I am glad that they have added two more to our family and soon they too will be linked to us eternally.

Why are our In laws always the bad guys? Why can't we love them in spite of all the things that they do to us? What makes you so perfect that you are exempt from forgiving? Jesus said love everyone. He didn't say love everyone, but your in-laws cause they drive you crazy. You are linked eternally, love them now. Let the little things that they do roll off your back, especially if they have tried to apologize for the dumb things that they did. Realize that you may not be as innocent in a situation as you would like to believe that you are. Life is so short, don't spend it being mad at the ones that you are spending eternity with. Remember that you are not perfect and neither are they, but we are all trying.

Sorry it is so long, Jessica really got me thinking.


*Names in the related stories have been changed to protect the slightly innocent.

Brett Robert Wierchi

I am pretty sure that I have not shared this, but if I have you will have to forgive me.

Back in April, we were teaching Brett how to say his full name. We were very successful, he would say, "Brett Robert Wierchi." Ok, so maybe not so successful with his last name, but hey you can't fault him for that.

Since then when Brett gets in trouble we will call him by his first and middle name. To that his reply is, "Wierchi!" Occasionally when I call him by his first name, he will finish by saying, "Robert Wierchi."

Other funny things that he is saying:

Mingo=Flamingo
Sell Sone= Cell Phone
Canols=Candles
Tato head=Potato Head
Luff you= Love you
Lefulant=Elephant
Fink so=Think so
Funder=Thunder
Kafren=Katherine
Sinosaur=Dinosaur
Nuggle=Snuggle
Piklick=Piglet

A Boy and His Tractor

Everytime we go down to Grandma and Grandpa Wierschke's house there are a few things that we have to do that are a must. For the last year the list consisted of cooking something with Grandma and her mixer and helping her do the dishes (which usually consisted of a simultaneous bath). Since June the list has grown to going for a ride in Grandpa's Van and taking a tractor ride with Grandpa around the yard. Grandpa lets Brett drive the tractor around that yard with out any help, unless he is going to run in to something. Then Grandpa lends a helping hand.

Can you imagine the fun that Brett would have on Grandpa Hodgson's backhoe?


Even a rainy day doesn't put a damper on their fun.

* I have more pictures and video, but I am not quite sure where I put them.

Kay Kay Bug

Jon started calling Katherine, "Katie Bug." Brett loved it so much that he now calls Katherine "Kay Kay Bug." He is so cute, and he loves his sister so much.
We are trying to teach him to take his binky out when he kisses his sister!

Giving his sister kisses and squishes(Hugs).

Buying Crystals

In Jon's research he works with cubic zirconium. I am not really going to get into what he does with it because, my explanation won't do it justice. The important part of this is that he works with cubic zirconium (not the pretty ones that look like diamonds, see below).

Katherine was having a super hard day and so she had been crying pretty much all day. I think Jon had stayed home with me that day to help me out. It was his turn to try and calm her and nothing seemed to be working. In an effort to get some work done he tells Katherine, "Come on sis, lets go buy some crystals." Surprisingly she calms down, I was amazed. After a minute or so of looking at crystals, she starts to scream again. Jon comes out of the den and says, "I guess she doesn't like that type of crystals."

Kate At 2 Months

When Brett was little I took monthly pictures of him, as a result I have a nice picture time line of his first year. I decided that I would do the same with Katherine. Babies grow up so fast in their first year, it is fun to see the change.
Oh, how we love our little girl!

We Are Moving

I told everyone that we were trying to move. Since the last time I posted about the situation we have been bumped to third on the list. Someone already living in the complex wanted a three bedroom and insiders get first pick, so we got bumped. Which now means that it could be longer then a few months to get into a three bedroom. The complex has a two bedroom that is available on september 8th. It would have been available sooner but the couple living there has been there for 20 years. So management has to go through and replace a bunch of stuff, including but not limited to: hardwood floors, appliances, linoleum, and drywall.

We are going to ask our current landlord for a one week extension. Even though I don't think that she will budge on her deadline, I know that the Lord can soften hearts. So now we need prayers for our landlord or we are still going to be homeless.

Not So Fantastic Sams

I have been meaning to post about this but have been so behind in everything, that it has been shoved off until now! About 7 weeks ago(that puts is event the Saturday before Katherine's blessing) I decided that I wanted to get my hair cut*. So against the advice of my mom, who warned me that it is not a good idea to get a hair cut the day before a big event, such as said blessing, I did it anyway. It wasn't like I was getting a perm or coloring, it was a simple cut. Three inches off and a few layers, you really can't screw that up.

So I went to Fantastic Sam's and owner told me that I had to have my hair washed no matter what, even though I had washed it the night before( I have never had to have it washed in the past). So I got it washed and I told the guy what I wanted and in about 8 minutes he was done, and I was scared. Scared because I have had my hair cut many times and I know that it takes longer then 8 minutes to cut my hair and put layers in it. It looked ok at the moment and so I went to go pay and the woman charged me $10 for a wash. I didn't want to cause a huge stink(plus I had to hurry home to sis, so I paid her and left. I get home and realize that when he "layered" my hair he parted it down the middle and not off to the side like I always part it. So when I part it like it is suppose to be all of my "layers" are on one side. Problem number 2 is the fact that he took off like, I don't know 5 inches!!! So my hair is really short, well shorter then I like it. Problem number 3 is that I have to either wear my hair in a really tiny bun, due to the fact that I have very little hair or curl it before I go out. I can't leave it down and uncurled because it looks like a rat came along while I was sleeping and gnawed off 5 inches. Lets just say that this Fantastic Sam's is not so fantastic.

I will have to wait a year before I can fix the mistakes that they made, and I will not be going back(in case you were wondering). I have also learned to listen to mom!! Oh by the way my mom used to do hair and she was in shock when she saw what they had done to my hair and found out how much I paid them.

I don't know if you can see how bad it is, but honestly the picture don't do it justice.



*Note: After having a baby you feel, how do I put this.....not yourself(mom's you know what I am talking about). When I have to go out in public after a baby, especially for an event where I am going to be in the spotlight, I like to look good. Which usually means that I buy a new outfit, get my hair done, paint my nails whatever it takes to make myself feel good and not the sleep deprived mother that I usually am.

So Tired

We have been so tired at our house, that a little boy can't wait to be put to bed. I was feeding Katherine on the couch, and I all I heard was silence. Most moms know that that means trouble. So I got up to go find him and he was tucked up next to the couch(which is why I couldn't see him) and dead asleep. We know exactly how he feels!
*This is a normal sleeping position for him.

Bedtime Stories

We read tons of books before we put Brett to bed. His all time favorite book is, "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" by Jane Yolen. It is a super cute book, but what is even cuter is that Brett has that book memorized and does what the dinosaurs do at the end of the book. Like kissing mom and dad and giving them big hugs.
He loves to point things out in the books and knows the words that are coming on the page.


Our love for books has worn off on him! Here he is reading to Katherine.

He loves to give her kisses when she is sad, or in this case very very mad!!