Sierra had her first program this past week. Wow was I a nervous wreck! Whenever I would ask her her songs or actions she couldn't remember them. Well this little girl must be all about stage presence. She was dramatic and singing loud and knew all the actions and words! We were sooo proud of her! She wasn't nervous one bit. She even waved to us in the back before the house lights went down. Oh I love this aspect of parenting! I love seeing this little girl blossoming into her own person. Of course I forgot my camera, so I missed all the memories for years to come, but that doesn't diminish how proud of her we are!

I wanted to say how proud I was of my husband this week. We were at Panera having a bagel together after dropping Sierra off at school, when 3 Marines walked in. My husband went up to them and asked if he could buy them breakfast, just out of the blue. He wanted to thank them for their sacrifice for us. Wow - tears came to my eyes. I was so proud of him!

I love watching Steve get Sierra ready to read her homework book from school. He has her do jumping jacks to get her energy out and to get her to focus. She really is progressing in her sounding out letters to words but tends to try to guess at them too to make it easier. Now we just have to get her to focus at school. She does great at math. She must get that from her daddy :) But she struggles with language like writing the words the teacher says for them to write. We're working with her- hoping and praying that all this will click in her mind. It is an influx of knowledge for the little girl. I'm sure it feels overwhelming!

More fall photos

Here's some fun fall pictures. I took lots of photos of Sierra & Prince - many of which had us chasing the cat or trying to get him out of a tree :).

Sierra & my dad

Dad doing a campfire for us after school one day. We love going over to my parents and starting a fire, drinking hot chocolate, shivering in the crisp wind(ok maybe we don't like the shivering part :), and the smell of the fire.

Winter is coming! We are expected to get snow tonight and tomorrow morning. I guess it was going to come sometime, but I like for it to wait until Christmas or maybe just a dusting for Thanksgiving. I went out and bought salt this morning - maybe you think I'm crazy but since I broke my foot last year from slipping on the stairs outside our condo, I'm going to be better prepared this year. You all may laugh and jest but those to the east of us have it coming next!

I'm feeling MUCH better since my surgery. The 10 day mark hit and now it just feels a tad sore. No more pain medicine except b4 bed a little Tylenol PM. I am very greatful, b/c it felt like it was never going to end. Now we can focus on other things like Harvest Fest at church Friday night. I'm getting excited about getting Sierra dressed up in her Cinderella outfit. She will love all the kids, candy, and hoopla that goes into it every year.

I don't know about any of you guys, but we are loving watching the ALCS games. We are rooting for the Red Sox to be in the World Series. Man, are they good. A whole team of very good players - now that is the kind of game to watch on tv. We enjoy having something we all can watch together at night. Game 7 tonight!

Well it has been an eventful (sp.) weekend. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed yesterday. Good times! Thankfully Steve was with me all day by my side. My dad picked up Sierra from school and took her to his house for the afternoon and then my sister took her overnight. Very sore to swallow and kind of dizzy and nauseous, but I'm alive. Living on ice and liquids for the next 10 days.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We had a whirlwind trip to MI Tue-Thur. It was good to see Grandma and the rest of the family. It was also a blessing to find out that 3 people raised their hands that they had prayed with the pastor for salvation at Grandpa's funeral. Thank you Lord!

It's very sad looking at my last post knowing that Grandpa died today. We are so grateful he lived a very full life and knew the Lord, but we still miss him greatly. We'll be heading to MI sometime midweek for his funeral. Pray that his testimony will continue on to influence those of the extended family that don't know the Lord.

Well I wanted to wish Steve's Grandpa a belated 91st birthday. This was taken last month when we went to see them around Grandma & Sierra's birthday. Wish we could see him but schedule won't allow it. So hope you had a great b'day Grandpa!

Well today was the big day! Sierra was a trooper! She got all dressed for school and brushed her teeth while mommy took endless pictures. She seemed so grown up! I think she was too excited to even eat breakfast - her hungry tummy when I pick her up will change that tomorrow :). I cried when we left, but Steve took me out for breakfast since it was so early. I guess the early empty nest begins - wow! I miss her already!

Well we had one last hurrah before Sierra jets off to school. We went to the zoo in the morning and rode the train and carousel. We ate lunch there and bought 2 animals that are made by a machine that heats up plastic into animal shapes - lion & giraffe. We came home for an hour to relax and then went down to Lake Michigan for some swimming. There was hardly anyone there, the water was pretty clear and warmer than normal - perfect conditions for swimming! To top it all off a Channel 4 helicopter flew overhead and took video. I think we were on the 10 o'clock news at night - too funny! Now we're celebrities - ok not really - but an awesome day. We topped it off by going to Red Lobster with Daddy for dinner - Sierra loves looking at the lobsters :)

Well Sierra finally got her long awaited kitty who just bit my toe - hopefully that doesn't become a habit:) She earned enough money to buy Inka from the humane society. We still are debating names. She can come up with a million girl names but since he's a male those won't work. Our recent pick is "Prince Fielder" for our infamous Brewers player. Prince or the artist formerly known as prince (thanks to Dave Mulder's comment :) does come to mind but his name originated with the Brew crew. He is a keeper but tends to keep us all up at all hours of the early morning or late night chasing his tail in circles or seeking to lay down in front of your face so you can't breathe.

I've had a number of things going on but was waiting to get the pictures up before I posted. Well that could be the next century, so I thought I'd just write about it first.
My wonderful husband planned a 30th birthday party for me. He made it a luau theme where everyone had to wear leis given out by Sierra. It was such a nice time with family, friends and neighbors. We rented out a park with a pavilion and a big playground near my parents' house. Steve made hot dogs, hamburgers and brats and then some family and friends brought the extras. Trinity made a huge bowl of homemade salsa, Steve's mom made a huge bowl of potato salad and their wonderful caramel brownies, Mom made a huge taco salad and helped us decorate, my cousin brought pasta salad & plates, my sister made veggie & fruit platters and made a couple trips to the store, once we started, for last minute items. We got a big cake from Sam's and my aunt made her awesome carrot cake.Steve had been stock piling water and soda for months. There were about 10 12 packs left after the party - give you an idea? We had enough food for probably 100 people! He had a whole box of hamburgers & hot dogs left from Sam's - yikes - they are still in our freezer! We made up water balloons and had the sprinkler running so the kids could get wet. We also had a badminton net set up which the kids and families used too. I was quite impressed with my husband. He did a great job & made me feel very special. Thanks sweetheart!

The doll I showed in the last post is Sierra's favorite, Molly. Here is a picture of Sierra doing her best imitation :).

I don't know if any of your kids are into the American Girl doll craze but it has hit our family. For the first year we were able to figure out when the sale is and order tickets. We started 4 min. before the alleged start time to order tickets and it was busy solid for 15 min. and then when we got on you had like 2 min. to complete all the info. and order. I think the dolls end up being around 1/2 the normal price in stores but I have a feeling it will be crazy! We thought it would be good to get Sierra one from everyone for her b'day so she doesn't get more stuff that doesn't fit in her room :). A doll could fit and would be nice keepsake for her 5th and golden b'day. My mom and sister and I were going to go, but it looks like my sister can't come b/c of a wedding, so maybe her oldest will come instead. I think this may be a one year and done experience for us. We'll see!

Paige & Mark Sherid

Yes it has been 2 months since I posted. I have officially switched my computer over to the laptop completely so I figured out how to hook up my camera too (which is why I didn't post before). About one month ago we went to Paige's wedding in Kentucky.It was so great to see her-- she looked glamorous. It has been so long since we've seen each other. I think the last time was when we were on staff together at Northland. She is a gem. I hope Mark knows what he's got! Well, we stayed for the Thunder over Louisville fireworks which boast being the best fireworks in the country - they were pretty great, I must admit. I enjoyed getting the tail end of the air show that was during the day with the F-16's deafening roar overhead that literally shook your insides :). I borrowed this one from Kelly Glupker's blog - those were excellent pictures!
We even visited Churchill Downs and took a tour - location of the Kentucky Derby. There were beautiful flowers everywhere! Sierra graciously did endless posing while "tiptoeing through the tulips." They actually bury parts of some of the winning horses there. They bury their head, hoof and heart.
It was beautiful. We even ended up watching the race this month since we were just there. We then went to MI and visited Steve's grandparents for a surprise visit. It was so good to see them even if it was only for one night. It was a whirlwind weekend but it was a nice getaway.

We've been trying the program photo booth on my computer. Here's a funny one of Steve, Jordan & Brooke.Here's a great picture of Sierra and my Dad.

Well regarding my dr. visit today, the dr. said 6 more weeks before my foot is totally healed, but I don't have to wear my boot anymore unless my foot starts hurting considerably. So I can wear tennis shoes, sandals, or even be barefoot - woohoo! Thankfully no more crutches. You never realize how precious the basic things are until they are taken away. Just in time for spring/summer :).

Well the doc called last night. He said that they didn't see any hernia or anything else wrong. I had them do the scan over my abdomen all the way down my torso just to make sure. I am so grateful that they didn't find anything major wrong. He said it could be a pinched nerve in my chest or inflammation of the breast bone - sounds strange, but ok. He said the next step is to see a pain doctor and get a cortisone shot in my upper abdomen. It is odd, at first I just wanted him to find the hernia and have surgery to get it over with, now I am just praising the Lord I don't need surgery. No hernia which is weird- b/c even the chiropractor thought I had one and would push it in when I would go in to get adjusted. At least it has calmed my fears considerably b/c someone was even mentioning cancer which totally freaked me out. God gave me a passage in Job yesterday which I said, "Please may this not be b/c I need to face more trials yet to come today." The Lord was just teaching me to rest no matter what the outcome. Thank you for your prayers. This morning I go to the foot dr. Hope he says "Your healed" :).

No news on the ct scan yet. I should be able to find out in the next couple of days. Go to the dr. on Wed. to see if my foot has healed. Loving the 70 degree weather! Sierra is wondering when she can go swimming :).

Well I met with the surgeon today and he couldn't find a hernia. What in the world is going on then? Well just to make sure, I'm going to get a ct scan tomorrow. 2 more bottles of barium to drink! Yuck! I don't know if any of you have had to do that but it is nasty! I guess I go in one of those tunnel things and get multiple x-rays of my abdomen like little slices. Hope it gives some answers. I do have to say I am grateful that as of right now I'm not scheduled for a surgery. That is a relief!

Well the car was a little more difficult to fix than first anticipated, so they took it in to get it fixed. The cost $1800. Yikes! Needless to say we didn't get it fixed, seeing that we only paid $900 for the car. Yesterday I went frantically looking online and in the paper at cars. We found a 2001 Chevy Prizm (really a Toyota Corolla built for Chevy) for $2000 less than the blue book price and bought it from a Toyota dealership. So Steve is thrilled to have a car that isn't puke brown and not 1 year from being in the classic car category :). It helps that 2 neighbors of ours have the same car and love it. If you know anyone who would like to buy a 88 Chevy Celebrity for cheap, let me know. It needs new brake lines and a gas line, but the body of the car is in good shape. Kind of like a fixer upper project for a father-son duo. Anyways, I'll post a picture soon.

Well I'm at the coffee shop today while Sierra and her cousin Brooke are enjoying the St. Patrick's Day festivities. It is so busy here today b/c they put it in the paper. I'm blogging from my laptop for the first time. Great fun to be mobile! Steve is at my parent's house working on his car. On his way to a lead for work, his brakes almost went all the way out. His brake line broke and was draining all the brake fluid. Thankfully we were able to take back roads to my parents and get there safe. He and my dad are going to reinstall new brake lines - what a job! I do not envy him, but I am so grateful that my dad is willing to help to him to help save us money. I've been having significant pain in my chest below my sternum, so I went in this last week. It is confirmed I have a hernia. I meet with the surgeon this Thursday to see where it is and what are next step is. I'm kind of freaking out about having another surgery. I just had one 4 1/2 years ago for Sierra & then 3 months later for my gallbladder. I kind of have a feeling that it will be happening rather soon since last time I went in on a Thursday and had the surgery the following Tuesday. I just hope I get better in time for Paige's wedding April 20. I really want to be able to go. So please pray that I only have the 1 hernia, since there is a great possibility I could have more from the stitching areas from my last surgery. Also pray it is a one time fix, quick healing, no future problems to come from it and my current problems go away. 2 weeks ago it seemed like my body was having a panic attack which the dr. thinks was really a reaction from my hernia. I think it was due to a significant amount of caffeine. Who knows, but I just hope we can fix the problem this time. Last time the dr. thought it would all go away with the gallbladder surgery, but it didn't. I did have stones in my gallbladder, so it wasn't a needless surgery, but I was hoping the pain would go away. I am grateful the dr. also did blood tests and an ekg to see if the pain was related to my heart or liver and thankfully they turned out normal. I would greatly appreciate your prayers!

She thinks she's the next Brett Favre. Whenever I let her dress herself she either puts on her Packer outfit or her Brewers outfit :). Now we just need to channel that energy and enthusiasm into getting ready for school :)

Well time for an uplifting post! It is a gorgeous day today and we are loving the sunshine! We are looking forward to the long range planners showing a 50 degree mark in the works. Three weeks from today we go to see if I can get the boot off. Woohoo! We purchased an Apple laptop this weekend, but I haven't used it much yet, b/c we don't have the necessary equipment to go online with it or MS office. I did sit in a parking lot near free wifi and tried it out though. That is nice to sit in the car while my daughter is snoozing in the back and be able to work on the computer. She is recently not loving to take naps, but I can tell she still needs them. So en route around town she falls asleep. So either I drive for an hour, or park for an hour. Now I have the laptop to keep me occupied :). Last night we went to an open house to check out a school. It was really weird for me. I guess it seems so far away yet so close. I was kind of hoping we could make it uneventful and just sign her up. Well that was before I was ushered into the world of private schools. You set up a meeting for questions, turn in the application with $98, Set up another meeting for Kindergarten readiness, Go to another meeting to discuss the outcome of the readiness meeting, they discuss which of the 2 teachers' styles best fit with yours, and then turn in a Pastor's referral sheet, sign a statement of faith(Sr. year at NBBC :), and welcome you in. I feel like I'm back at Northland! I understand the process, but I just wish I could say here's your lunchbox and backpack, have a great day, love you! :). We shall see. I need to get my act together b/c it all needs to be done within the next 6 weeks. I also have to decide between 1/2 and full day. I 'm leaning towards 1/2 to kind of acclimate her into school. What do you guys think?

No news is not always good news. I went outside to take a walk when it was warming up here on Tuesday and slipped and fell on the stairs. I nailed my head on a concrete step and broke a bone in my foot. I had a mongo gooseegg on my head which still is hurting but has diminished significantly. Thankfully on Thursday I got a walking boot on my foot, so I can at least get around with out crutches and hopping. I'm still adjusting to the difference in leg length with the boot on which makes it quite awkward. I had to go to the bathroom in a garbage can by my bed if I wake up in the middle of the night, b/c my boot comes off at night. I'm not very steady on the crutches at 2 a.m. either :). Frustrating! My lovely boot! We kind of had an Iron Mtn. experience with our hospital here. They said I just sprained my foot. I took their x-rays to an orthopedic dr. and he said it was broken. It is the 2nd one this month from the same hospital with the wrong diagnosis. Kind of like Iron Mtn.'s practice of taking out extra organs when you go in for surgery :). Let's take out the appendix just for the heck of it since we're going in there anyway - priceless!
We also got a lot of snow this weekend (maybe a foot), not as much as expected (22 inches). Sierra and Steve made a fort and Steve let Sierra bury him in snow :).
Here's my beloved husband whipping snowballs at me, while I take pictures of him :).

My beloved husband gave Sierra & me flowers for Valentine's Day! I got the roses and Sierra got the purple tulips. I got him a Favre jersey, but I don't think he was too impressed. Oh well! I must say, guys are soooo hard to buy for. I got it before Favre said he was coming back, so I thought it might be hard to find if he retired. He was still very appreciative, but we'll take it back :) I think we'll go back to him picking out his own gift :) We wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

Well we had a fun super bowl party at my parents yesterday. We made homemade pizzas which satisfied almost every person, so they could custom make their own. I attempted to make the dough in the breadmaker and ended up with a goopy mess! So a quick dash to the grocery store and we were ready to roll! Jordan got his wish with Peyton winning. The rest of us got our wish with the Bears losing - woohoo! We brought our portable DVD player for the kids to keep them occupied, since the temps were too unbearably cold to go outside. Today the schools were closed for the weather, which usually means Steve is off, but I guess that only applies to snow/ice closings - bummer. He got all excited until he called work and they said, "Sorry, we're still open." Poor guy.

We have been trying to get our kids to get their energy out, so my friend Trinity and I have been taking our kids to the malls a couple of times a week. They run and play in the kids' area and sometimes wrestle, which is hilarious to watch. They don't get angry when they wrestle, but I think some of the other moms are kind of wondering why we let them. I think Sierra baffles Alicia with her love for Cinderella and her love of wrestling :) Today we went to the kids play area and then to the train where both kids wanted to be the conductor. In reality, they both just wanted to ring the bell :).

Today is the last "warm"(22 degrees) day before the artic freeze starts coming our way. This next week the highs are in the negative a couple of days. They said it is the coldest it has been in 30 years! I just hope my car starts in this frigid weather!

Night out on the town Steve took me to one of my favorite restaurants for a date Friday night. We went to Lake Park Bistro. It is on a cliff overlooking Lake Michigan. Steve was given some unexpected money and surprised me with a night out. We sat at the kitchen table which is all by itself right by the chefs. We've come here once before on Valentine's Day 2 years ago. The manager of the rest. for some reason remembered us which was really cool. Later I thought it might be b/c we wore the same outfits 2 years ago :). You get to watch what all the chefs make and your waitress and the manager explain the different dishes as they come up to go out to people. He gave us 2 free appetizers - Lobster Ravioli and Escargo. Yeah we attempted the last one, b/c it is snails. But I made sure the guy didn't tell Steve what it was til after he tried it. They were under a puff pastry which helped, but you could see the little antennae (sp.) coming out of it - ahh! They really only tasted like garlic, but it was a mental/texture thing. Steve ordered chicken with roasted potatoes and I had their awesome hanger steak with shoestring fries. He gave me every sauce they make, so I could try all the different ones - red wine sauce, blue cheese, peppercorn, cream sauce, au jus, and a mushroom cream sauce. I settled with the red wine sauce intermingled with blue cheese. Oh good! We had such a fun time!
Sierra at another coffee shop storytime.
This one was all about a pajama party. The bad thing was we forgot we had to go home and change her before we went anywhere else since she was still in her pj's. :)

Pretty eventful weekend with Sierra letting an unknown dog into my parents' house & then my sister's dog attacks it by pinning it to the floor and going for the neck. My sister got her dog off the other one long enough for it to get up and we helped it go back outside. Very traumatic! Sierra thought the dog wanted to come in. Well it did, but it wasn't meant to :). Today Sierra sticks one of those "pretend earrings" or hard plastic circle stickers up her nose! I couldn't find it and she doesn't seem bothered by it, so I'm hoping it is already in the digestion process. I still don't know what the logic behind that one was. I have a feeling there wasn't any.

Sierra & I while taking a walk at the park.

Sierra and I were talking in the car the other day. We were talking about how God made us. Then she asked, "What did He make us out of?" I said, "He made us out of dust and His breath." She said, "He must have some strong breath!" Oh did I laugh. She is a gem :).

Jason & Kellie Knapp (left) with their family and fellow missionary family in Papua, New Guinea.

I just read an email from some friends who are missionaires in Papua, New Guinea. They are presenting the Gospel in the native language of the tribe they are in for the first time today. There is significant opposition to their teaching from a cult. The cult is trying to draw the people away at the same time the teaching is going on, so they will not hear it. Please pray for the Knapps and the hearts of the people they have given their lives to. It is so awesome to see how Jason, Kellie & their kids have dedicated their lives to first learning the language, developing a written form of the language, and now translating and teaching the truth of the Bible in the tribe's native tongue. Their website is http://www.claypots.org.

Belated Christmas photos :). Some living room decor.
Christmas morning with the "motherload" of presents :)

Here's a picture of our tree & our piano all decked out for Christmas. I'm just taking down the snowman stuff today. Normally I keep it up through Feb/Mar, but we have no snow, so it seems pointless.
Sierra & I went to a "teddy bear picnic" storytime today at a new coffee shop by our house.
Can you tell she loves her new Ariel salon that she got from Nanna & Papa ?