November 23, 2008 - Adventures with Markers

While Jared was resting this afternoon on his bed Jon overheard him saying that he wanted to be an Indian and he was going to show his friend at church. Jon thought nothing of it as Jared entertains himself in bed very well. Before Jon left for church tonight he checked in on Jared and this is what he found. Jared had found a marker and said he was making himself an Indian.

He colored his face, hands and had pulled up his pants to color his legs too. Some of his toys along with his shoes also were colored. We just had to laugh. How could you not? Thankfully it was washable and I stuck him in the shower and it washed right off.

November 22, 2008 - Pumpkin Roast

Two years ago my mother-in-law asked me to make a pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving. I had never done this before so a lady from work gave me her recipe and also gave me some fresh pumpkin to use as she stated it is much better than the canned stuff. She said that she buys her own pumpkins and roasts them and then purees the insides. She was right that the pie tastes much better with fresh pumpkin. She provided me with the fresh pumpkin last year also. This year I bought my own pie pumpkin to roast on my own. The lady from work said usually you need 2 pumpkins to get enough for a pie and said if I needed more she would get me some. So today Jon cut the pumpkin in half, I scooped out the seeds, placed the halves cut side down in a big pan, added some water to the bottom of the pan and roasted them for about an hour and a half at 350. When they were fork-tender I scooped out the insides and pureed them in the blender. I ended up with 6 cups of pumpkin puree. More then plenty for a pie. I really had fun doing it and will probably do this every year from now on.

November 21, 2008 - 32 Today!

Today the love of my life turns 32. Jon I want to say thank you for being such a great husband to me and father to Jared. I love how you have so much patience. You are very patient with Jared and know so well how to handle Jared's strong will. You speak so softly and calmly to Jared, which I have trouble doing. I appreciate your patience with me as I learn patience from your example. You are a Godly man who is guiding our family in the way it should go. I have constant faith in you and love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday!

October 9, 2008 -

Lately Jared has been making us laugh a lot with some of the things he comes up. After school today I was asking who brought the snack and he told me "Old Mother Hubbard." Apparently the boy who was supposed to bring snack wasn't there so the teacher got a snack out of the cupboard. He also said that a girl from his class was in the hospital to have her "tips" removed. We asked him what tips were and he said "you know, in her throat" (pointing to the back of his mouth) "they were hurting. We both laughed and I said "you mean tonsills?" "No, tips!" When retelling the story to my mom he said they were "tentacles." Either way it gave us our laugh for today.

October 7, 2008 - Open House

It was Open House at the Early Learning Center tonight. My parents came with us and Jared was so excited to show grandpa and grandma his classroom, cubbie and the gym. He showed us the toys he likes to play with and the art projects that he made also. What fun this is to be able to start having events at school. Here is a picture of Jared by his cubbie and with his teacher Mrs. Hansen and Miss Behnke. Unfortunately Mrs. Hansen is only a substitute teacher and her last day is on October 10th.

                           Miss Behnke, Jared and Mrs. Hansen

September 30, 2008 - Our 8th Anniversary

Today Jon and I celebrate 8 years of marriage. It is hard to believe it has been 8 years already. How the time has flown. I think back to our wedding day and think of how different we both were back then. We had dated for almost 7 years prior to getting married and I thought I knew him so well that marriage would be a piece of cake. How little I knew. Our first year had so many adjustments. Getting used to living together and dealing with eachother's quirks. For me it was really hard. We had many arguments and I must say not much of the "Honeymoon" that most people have their first year. I don't think I would want to do that year over again. Each year since has been different in it's own right. Our second year was great as we enjoyed just spending time together. Our third year brought the difficulty of trying to conceive. Year four brought the delight of the birth of Jared. Years 5-7 we have had the joy of learning to become parents, becoming home owners and again going through the difficulty of trying to conceive. Our 8th year has been the most difficult as Jon has been without a job and God is leading our family in a new direction that I am still trying to submit fully to. There are many difficult days but I know God is working in our lives. Think back to when we first got married and my family had reservations about how our marriage would be as Jon was still a newer Christian and not very close to God. I wondered if he was going to lead our family the way God has intended. I thank God every day for how he has worked in Jon's life and has matured him and brought Jon closer to Himself even to the point of following the call into ministry. Jon has become the husband that God intended for me and I pray each day that God helps me be the wife Jon needs. As God now leads us into this new season in our marriage, I know that He will strengthen our marriage each day as we draw closer to Him.

                                Out to eat for our Anniversary

September 22, 2008 - School Voice

It was Jared's turn to bring the snack at school today. He chose his favorite sausage sticks and cheese. He was so excited this morning that he was bringing the snack and they would sing  the Thank You song to him. It was neat to see how proud he was. After school he told me that he had been naughty again and had gotten a time out again because he didn't use his school voice when they were playing a game. I didn't call the teacher this time because I know that he tends to get loud when he gets excited. There was no note home, so it must not have been a big deal. I guess I will have to get used to Jared getting time outs because boys will be boys and I'm sure this will not be the last time out my active boy receives.

September 21, 2008 - Goggles, Sins and Other Things

Recently Jared got a pair of swimming goggles so he could wear them during bath time so he wouldn't get water in his eyes. Last night at bath time he put them on and I had to take a picture because he looked so cute.

Tonight Jared and I went to Youth Group with Jon and I watched two girls along with Jared so their parents can help with the youth. Before they got there Jared was chatting with my aunt who was bringing her kids to youth group. When one of her boys walked in Jared asked where the family was, then when my aunt came in he asked where the dad was. He also told her that he was baby-sitting and girl-sitting for the girls and his mama wasn't helping. Jon was joking with one of the youth kids about taking her hat. Jared said "Daddy you need to give her back her hat because stealing is a sin." On the way home he was talking about what he had given daddy for Father's Day and he asked "When is Children's Day?" Just some funny things that came out of the mind of our son.

September 13, 2008 - Family Olympics

Time has come again for the Annual Lilyquist Family Olympics. This year my sister had a tough time finding a date when everyone could come, so she picked one that worked for the majority. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. It poured rain for the past few days and today was no exception. So, we had to do everything indoors. During a brief lull in the rain the kids went outside to do a scavenger hunt. It started pouring again during the hunt but the kids didn't care. They all came in quite soaked. The annual money hunt for the kids, which usually is done in the grass, had to be done on the living room floor. All the kids had to close their eyes so they couldn't see as there was no grass to hide the coins. The food was great and the few games we played were fun. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

September 9, 2008 - Time Out

It is the third day of school. I came home at lunch and Jon told me that on the way home after picking Jared up, Jared mentioned that he got 2 time-outs today. What? My sweet little boy getting a time out? For what? I proceeded to ask Jared what happened and he said he hit someone because he didn't know the boys name. I asked if he was mad and he said yes and that he hit and screamed. I doubted this as hitting and screaming is his pat answer when we ask him what he did wrong when he is being disciplined. He didn't seem to be able to tell me why he received the time-outs and there was no note from his teacher. With further questioning he did say that 2 other boys were in time-out with him, one wearing red and one wearing blue. This truly bothered me. I went back to work crying thinking my kid was going to be the class bully or the bad kid. How on only the third day did Jared receive 2 time-outs. Was he truly mad? Did he lash out at someone? This did not seem like something he would do as he has never gotten in trouble in Sunday School. These were questions I needed answered. I left a message at the school asking the teacher to call me after she was done with the afternoon class. I called my sister and she just laughed because of my over-reaction to the situation. The teacher called me and assured me there was nothing to worry about. If it were serious she would have sent a note home. Apparently Jared and the red boy and blue boy took some of the toys and were playing swords and guns. They were having a grand time being boys pretending to fight eachother. She said that being the third day the kids are more comfortable in their surroundings and with eachother but she felt she should take care of the situation before some kid goes home telling his parents someone hit him. She asked the boys to stop a couple of times and they didn't so they got a time-out. Immediately after getting out of the time-out they started up again so they received another time-out. After that she sat the whole class down and talked about the correct  use of toys. I could totally picture Jared playing swords and I wouldn't doubt if he was the instigator. I was so relieved that he didn't really get mad at someone. I guess we need to work with him on telling the truth and learning better how to express his feelings. When I got home I asked Jared if he got the time-outs because was playing swords and guns. He said no, they were playing super heros. He was Batman, the blue guy was Hammerman and the red guy was the Joker and they were fighting him. I asked if the teacher told them not to do it and he said "No, she just gave us a time-out." Needless to say, boys will be boys and I need to toughen-up and not worry so much about Jared.

September 7, 2008 - Serenade

I took Jared to the bathroom at church today. Some of his little girl friends were in the bathroom and asked why he was in the girls bathroom and not the boys. He proceeded to tell that that his mama is a girl and cannot go in the boys bathroom. Glad he figured that out because we seem to go through the same questions every Sunday. He went into the stall and locked himself in. He proceeded to sing at the top of his lungs "I like to move it move it, I like to move it move it, I like to move it move it, I like to MOVE IT!" If any of you know that song you can imagine how it sounded. I cracked up. One of the other mothers came out of the stall and said "What a motivating song for the bathroom." Everyone in there was laughing. That's my little boy.

September 6, 2008 - Hike

The weather we just beautiful today so our family took a small hike today at Evergreen Park. It was so nice to just be outside enjoying God's creation. Jon knows so much about nature and he was able to show and teach Jared new things. We even found a small natural spring that has amazingly very clear water. Jared and I each took a drink of the refreshing cold water. Needless to say we all slept very well that night after an afternoon of exercise and breathing in the cool air.

September 5, 2008 - School Days

Today was Jared's first day of school. He started the 4K program at the Early Learning Center. He goes to school 4 days a week from 8:30-11:30 am. In the past few days we have been talking to him about starting school. He has seemed sometimes nervous saying that he had a stomach ache. A few days ago we were able to go to his school to see his classroom, cubby and meet his teacher Mrs. Hansen. He seemed quite comfortable and enjoyed playing right away. This morning I got up early and made him a special breakfast. He didn't eat much saying he had a food ache. Jon and I drove him to school (he could have ridden the bus, but I remember bad experiences on the bus when I was younger and didn't want to put Jared through that). We waited in the foyer with all the other kids and parents until the bell rang. I was worried because I thought the teacher was supposed to meet the class in the foyer, but she didn't, so we followed the crowd and walked him to his class and helped him find his cubby to hang his backpack. He panicked a little when he realized they moved his cubby. I said they shouldn't do that to a little kid, move the cubby after he came to see it the other day. After washing his hands he went in the classroom and started playing. I gave him a kiss good-bye and he didn't even seem to care that we were leaving. I felt so sad that my little boy is starting school. I know he is quite ready, but I am not. I didn't cry, but became quite teary-eyed. As Jon drove me to work I was all worked up. Where does he put his homework? He didn't get a nametag like another kid. Where do we put his extra clothes and the supplies he needed to bring? Reminding Jon to make sure he was there on time to pick Jared up as no kids likes to be the last one picked up. Jon told me to relax. The teacher will go through the bags and find the homework, extra clothes and supplies. By the end of the morning he will have his nametag and not to worry, he would be there on time to pick Jared up. Later on I found out Jon had to call his parents to pick Jared up as he was not going to make it on time. They picked him up on time and said he talked non-stop on the way home about everything he did. He had a great first day and his mama didn't have anything to worry about. These are the days I need to get used to as my little boy grows and learns new things each day.

August 22-24, 2008 - Pow Wow

Most people don't know that Jon is part Ojibwa Native American. His mom grew up on the Bad River Indian Reservation in Odanah, which is up in northern Wisconsin near Ashland. Each year at the end of August there is a Pow Wow in celebration of the wild rice harvest. Jon and I haven't been able to go to the Pow Wow for many years and Jared has never been. This year we were able to take the trip up. Jon's mom made Jared a ribbon shirt. Traditionally the oldest son has a red shirt. Jared also wore a vest and aprons that were Uncle Matt's and the necklaces, headband and ankle bells that were Jon's. Jon was so proud to see his son wear some of the things he wore when he was a kid. Jared did such a great job traveling the 6 hours up north. He was so excited to go to the Pow Wow. Before we went he invited all of his friends and became very upset when I said they weren't coming. He insisted that they were because he invited them. At the Pow Wow Jared enjoyed watching all of the dancers and costumes. His favorite guy was in a fluorescent green costume. Jared looked adorable in his costume. I told him he was my little white Indian. He said "Mama, I'm not white, I'm just lighter." We all had a great time and Jared even went out and danced with his daddy and cousin Elise. Hopefully we can make this a yearly event.

  Jon, Jared                             Jared's

 and cousin Elise                    favorite

  dancing.                                  guy.

June 28, 2008 - Strawberry picking

Strawberries are ripe! Jared and I went strawberry picking with my dad and my sister and her boys. Jared had a great time and did a very good job picking only red strawberries. I told him that he couldn't eat any until we paid for them. He did eat some but did a  pretty good job waiting. As soon as we paid for the berries he immediately "Now I can eat some?" I took those berries and made jelly and froze some to use during the year. Yummy!

June 14, 2008 - Day Out with Thomas

Thomas the Train has come to a nearby town. We decided that part of Jared's birthday gift would be to take him to see Thomas as he loves trains. We got a 25-minute ride on Thomas, got to see Sir Topam Hat, fake tattoos, pictures, stories, gifts, etc. Jared was so excited to go and we had a great time!

June 13, 2008

As of today Jon is again a stay-at-home dad. His contract in Fond du Lac has ended and there isn't anything new available yet. Please pray that the unemployment only lasts for a short time and the next time he finds a permanent job. He still plans on starting school to become a youth pastor, but needs a job to help pay for school.

June 8, 2008 - Swimwear

Today we had a gathering at my grandparents community building. My sister's kids brought their swimming suits along so that they could go swimming. We did not do this for Jared. He decided that he wanted to go swimming too, so he stripped down to his underwear and got into the pool. Thankfully my sister had a floating device so that he could go further in and that I had an extra set of underwear in his bag. Everyone thought it was quite funny.

June 7, 2008 - 4 Years Old

Today my little boy turned 4. We had the family over for a construction birthday party. I made a bulldozer cake and we gave all the kids construction hats. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and I was forced to have the party inside, but everyone had a good time. God has given us a very special little boy. He has changed so much over the last year. He is becoming much more independent, yet still wants us to help him with things (that I know he can do) just to have us by him. He likes having quality time with us and gets naughty when he hasn't had much time with us. He  really loves to be the leader and frequently talks about controlling his toys. He also has a very strong will and likes to try to challenge us. Thankfully his daddy has the same will and can strike down the challenge. I pray each day that God takes these characteristics in Jared and molds them to His will so that our little boy will turn into a strong leader who follows after God. Happy 4th Birthday Jared!

May 10, 2008 - Mother's Day Cake

Today at the grocery store they had tiny cakes available for kids to decorate for their mothers. Jon took Jared to do this. He was so proud of the sprinkles and frosting that he put on my cake. How special that he would make me a little cake.

May 7, 2008 - Award

After much hard work, Jared has finished his Cubbies book and tonight he received his award. It was a little Cubbie bear that can be sewn on his vest. He was so excited.

May 2, 2008 - Husbands

There have been many things happening around us lately that have been reminding me what a wonderful husband God gave me. Jon's grandma passed away this week and we were all supposed to go up to the funeral 6 hours away. Jared had been sick over the weekend with a cold and his asthma, making me leary about taking him on a trip, also knowing that many of the relatives smoke, which could irritate Jared's asthma. I was worrying (to the point of feeling sick) about whether to go or not when Jon said that he would make the final decision. What a relief that was that Jon was taking that burden off of my shoulders. I immediately felt better. Jon decided that Jared and I would stay home while he went as he was looking out for Jared's health. My sister's husband recently made a decision about their son's health also and a friend of hers commented to thank God for discerning husbands. What a true statement that has stuck with me. Yesterday a lady from work lost her 57-year-old husband due to a heart attack, reminding me that I need to praise God for every day that he gives me with Jon as it could end at any moment. Lastly, my dear friend and her husband are having marital problems. Hearing her stories makes me thankful that my husband has never cut me down or made me feel unloved in any way. He makes me feel secure and treasured.  Things could have turned out so differently in my life. I thank and praise God for my wonderful husband.

March 29, 2008 - Star Wars Day

Today the Midwest Garrison of the 501st (basically the Star Wars costuming group) was in our town for a charity event. Anyone could come to see them and give a donation. We decided to take Jared to see some of the Star Wars people that he knows. Jared was so excited to see the Stormtroopers and Darth Vader, so was daddy. We all had a great time seeing the excellent costumes that these people have looking like they were right out of the Star Wars movies.

March 20, 2008 - Cubbies

With the goal of being potty trained finally behind us, Jared has now earned the privilege of becoming an Awana Cubbie at church. We started him in the beginning of March. He reallyl seems to enjoy learning about Jesus, having games, snacks and learning bible verses. The first night he finished the 3 starter verses and got his book. Last night he received his vest and some patches. I was instructed that the patches needed to be sewn on so he could wear it in the morning.  I was up until after 10 pm sewing on his patches and one more my mom will sew on today as I do not have that color thread. I am so proud of Jared and how quickly he learns his bible verses. Even though he is quite far behind the other kids who started at the beginning of the year, I'm pretty sure he will catch up in no time.

February 15, 2008 - Answered prayer!

Today Jon had an interview for a job and he got the job. It is a IT contract job in Fond du Lac. It will be about an hour drive to get there and will be about 5 months long. It is not permanent, but it is a job. God answered our prayers. Now Jon can start the bible classes that he wanted to do. Maybe God was just waiting for me to submit to His will.

February 10, 2008 - What is God trying to teach me?

A few months ago Jon mentioned that he wanted to start taking some bible classes as he feels that God is leading him into Youth Ministry, rather than IT. This was not something I wanted to hear and proceeded to tell him that I never wanted to be a pastors wife. Again, not the response a Godly wife should have. Shortly after that Jon lost his job. What a blow to our family. As the financial person I immediately started worrying where the money would come from. Many people said maybe this was God's way of pushing Jon towards the ministry. I wondered how this could happen with no job to pay for the bible classes. Through friends and my daily devotions I have been constantly reminded that God is bigger than the situation. I have been earnestly seeking God and what His will is for our family in this situation. What is He trying to teach me? Being the impatient person that I am I want God to show me His will in my timing, not His. I have been continually struggling with this for the past two months. Today I was talking with a close friend about my feelings of inadequacy of someday being a Youth Pastors wife. She told me that God put Jon and I together. He chose us for eachother. So, in whatever God has planned for Jon, God will make me the best pastor's wife or whatever for Jon. Genesis 1:18 - Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Hearing those encouraging words from my friend helped me to decide that if God wants Jon to go into Youth Ministry, then that is where I will go with Jon. It may not have been my first choice, but I know God will bless if we follow Him.

February 1, 2008 - No fax machine.

Today at work while on the telephone with Jon I became irritated with him and hung up on him in anger. I immediately felt bad about this as I know that is not the response a Godly wife should have to her husband. A co-worker overheard what happened and said I was justified in my response to him. I kept trying to explain to her why my response was wrong and was getting frustrated with her lack of understanding. Another co-worker who is a Christian shared with me what she learned in her recent bible study "Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore. The unsaved man cannot discern the spiritual things of God. Those without Christ are spiritually dead, alienated from the spirit of God. (Eph 2:1) Believers struggle with this truth. We cannot understand why our lost friends cannot understand. We say "But it says right there. Can't you see?" No they cannot. It's foolishness to them. If I have a fax machine, it doesn't matter how pertinent or life-saving the information I need to send may be if the person who needs the info has no fax machine. I can fax the info all day but my message will never reach him. He doesn't possess the equipment needed to receive the fax. As basic as this is, you cannot comprehend it without the spirit of God in you to receive and process the info. I found that analogy to be eye-opening and it has stuck with me. Knowing now that all I can do for my unsaved co-worker is pray for her and strive to be the wife God made me to be so I can be an example to her and hopefully one day she will ask me why I am different and she can get a fax machine too.

December 28, 2007 - HTC 2!

Again our family went to Holiday Teen Convention in Green Bay for Campus Life. Jon again did some funny skits including one where he wore a kilt. Jared enjoyed swimming in the pool and many kids made decisions for Christ. All around it was a great time.

December 16, 2007 - Christmas program

Today was Jared's second Christmas program at church. He had a speaking part with another classmate and he also played little boy Jesus. He knew his part very well and was not shy at all. This was his part:

Jesus our Savior, strong and good.

Was humbly born in a stable rood.

The friendly beasts around him stood.

Jesus our Savior, strong and good.

November 23, 2007 - Thanksgiving gathering!

Some of our dear friends were back in town for Thanksgiving. Jon and I decided to open our home and have a gathering of our friends for food, games and just time to get together and have fun. It was a great time together. All the kids came over too to play with Jared. Awhile into the evening Jon went up to check on them as they had been very quite for awhile. He found they had taken all of the clothes off of the hangers in Jared's closet. The hangers were strewn around the room along with all of his toys and the clothes were all on the floor in the closet. Mommy was not very happy, but couldn't clean it up without documenting the moment first. Happy Thanksgiving!

Jared and friends in the closet.

October 31, 2007 - Halloween

 Jared as Buzz Lightyear.

Our finished pumpkins!

October 27, 2007 - Pumpkin Time

Today we decided to carve our pumpkins so we can put them out before Halloween. Jared was very excited. He drew the face on the pumpkins (with a little help). He washed the pumpkins and he helped scoop out the seeds, one at a time. Jared would not touch the seeds or slimy insides, so I ended up doing the scooping out and Jon did the carving. It was a fun family time.

July 22, 2007 - First bicycle ride

Last summer my Aunt and Uncle gave us a small two-wheeler bicycle for Jared. He was too small then, but this summer he is just the right size. We purchased training wheels, put them on the bicycle and started teaching him to ride. This is not the easiest thing. He hasn't quite got the hang of pedaling and he gets distracted easily by the things around him (flags, flowers, birds, etc.) We kept having to remind him to keep his feet on the pedals. Our walk around the block took a long time. By the end he didn't want to try anymore and got off to walk. He does love his Mater helmet, elbow and knee pads. We will keep trying and eventually he will be a pro.

June 29-July 1, 2007 - Camping

We took our first camping trip since Jared has been alive. We went to Long Lake with 4 other families. Camping is not my favorite. I get stressed making sure that we have everything we need only to find out I forgot something when I get there. I also dislike bugs, dirt and heat and really prefer staying in a motel, but my men love camping, so I go. The temperature really wasn't too hot and we had a wonderful time of fellowship with our friends. Jared did not like going in the water. He preferred to stay on the beach and play in the sand. We took a couple of hikes on some trails and just had a nice relaxing time enjoying God's creation. My favorite time was in the early morning when all was quite just reflecting on what God has done for us. Jared had a blast and he didn't want to leave. 

June 16, 2007 - Train Party

Everyone came over to celebrate Jared's birthday. He wanted a train birthday. He loves everything trains. We bought train conductor hats for all the kids and I made him a train birthday cake. Jared was very appreciative and told me how beautiful his cake was. Our meal was pancakes with all the breakfast trimmings. Since he is a picky eater we wanted to make something that he would eat and breakfast is his favorite meal.

June 7, 2007 - Birth Remembered                                       (3 mo old)

Today my baby turned 3. He is getting to be such a big boy. My sister has a blog and on each of her children's birthdays she wrote about their birth, so I will write about the day Jared came into the world. It started on Sunday, June 6, 2004. We woke up at 6 am as we needed to be at church for worship team. I had slight cramps all morning, but didn't know that it was labor. Our day was pretty normal. After church we stayed home in the air conditioning because it was very hot outside and I didn't feel like leaving. I just sat around home with my cramps. Around 7 pm the cramps were getting worse. I realized that this was the beginning of my labor. Jon and I took a walk to try to help things get going. We walked for a couple of hours then came home and I walked around our small apartment. Around midnight it seemed so bad that we decided to go to the hospital. Our families came along. My parents, my sister Amy and Jon's mom were all came to the hospital to wait for me to have our baby. Unfortunately, I was not as far along as I hoped. I was only 2 cm. We walked around the hospital all night long. My dad slept, Jon's mom knit and my mom and Amy took turns walking with me and Jon. Around 6 am I went into the whirlpool to try to help relax and hopefully speed things up. I was in there for an hour but yhe opposite happened. It slowed things down. When Dr. Renee came around 8 am I hadn't progressed at all. She said I could keep walking and my baby would be born that day or maybe the next. Since we had already been up 26 hours, we decided to start Pitocin. With that I was pretty much confined to my room. It started out fine, but with each hour started getting harder and harder. My mom came and sat with me so that Jon could sleep. Over the next 4-5 hours I received 3 doses of Nubain to take the edge off the pain. It worked for awhile, but I was exhausted and in pain and I was only 5 cm. I wanted an epidural. The anesthesiologist came and gave me an epidural around 12:45 pm. It felt wonderful! It took away my pain and I was able to relax and get a little sleep. Around 1:15 Dr. Steve came to check me and break my water. Within the half-hour of having my epidural I had jumped to 7 cm. Around 1:45 pm the nurse came in to check me and within that half-hour after breaking my water I had jumped to almost 10 cm. They called Dr. Renee who said to have my start trying to push while she made her way to the hospital. The nurse had me push once and then told me to stop as the baby's head was right there. For the next 20 minutes I sat and waited for Dr. Renee to come. I felt pressure, but no pain. When she got there I had to push 3 times and then my baby was out. It was a beautiful boy! 8 pounds 21 inches. He was perfect and he was mine. It had been a long time coming as we had tried to have a child for a year and a half. My sister gets pregnant easily and I do not, so it was so exciting to finally have a baby of my own. We found out that my mom and Jon's mom stood outside the door of my room with their ears pressed against to try to hear when the baby was born and if it was a boy or girl. My sister already had 4 boys at the time and there were no girl grandchildren, so when my mom came in I apologized to her that it was another boy. She said it was ok because it was my boy. On that day I realized that I still need my mom. It was such a blessing to have her there. My hospital adventure continued as that night I was moved to a smaller room because there were a lot of other women coming in to have babies and they needed the birthing room. The next day the air-conditioning went out in my little room soJared and I were moved into the waiting room until it was fixed. It was a long couple of days, but it brought a wonderful little boy into our lives who has been such a joy. Happy 3rd Birthday my Jared!

May 12, 2007 - Our Little Man

This morning we went to Perkins for breakfast. On the kids menu they have pictures of the food. When the waitress came to take our order Jared pointed to the dollar pancakes and said "I would like these please." She asked if he wanted juice or milk and he said "Juice would be fine." Apple or orange? "Orange juice please and some bacon please." She laughed and said she liked how he gave his order. He is such a little man. After we were done ordering, the lady sitting behind us came over and said how she enjoyed how Jared ordered his food. She said it showed good parenting. He was very well behaved the entire meal. When we left, the waitress said our meal was paid for. We don't know who, but someone chose to do a kind deed. Maybe Jared being a good boy was what made someone decide to do that.

January 21, 2007 - Imagination

On Tuesday mornings Grandma L takes Jared to Toddler Story Time at the Library. He loves going to listen to the stories, watch the movie and pick out books. Today we were playing with his toys and out of the blue he says "Good Morning, welcome to Story Time! There are books over there (pointing). Today is about Trains. Let's all watch a movie. I'll get the lights." He repeated the same to Jon. I burst out laughing. I had no idea that he knew the story time routine so well. When I told him that we didn't have a train movie he said "Not at Jared's house, at story time at the wabery (library)!" Well, that told me.

Jared has also been having an imaginary friend lately named "Shermin the Wormin" from a cartoon that he watched. Shermin eats with him and sleeps with him. We have to carry Shermin when we carry Jared and say good night to Shermin also. Tonight Jared told us that Shermin had decided to stay at Grandma F's house instead of coming home, but at bedtime Jared heard noise outside and we were told that Shermin had decided to come home and daddy was supposed to ask Shermin if he wanted to sleep with Jared. Jon played out the story and told Jared that Shermin was coming. Jared was very happy and went to sleep shortly. It is so neat to see how Jared's imagination is growing. What an awsome way to see how God created each of us differently.

January 5, 2007 - Sick

Jon and I are both sick with the flu. What a happy new year. Unfortunately when we are both sick at the same time that means that we give less attention to Jared. When we woke this morning Jared had made his way downstairs and got himself the doughnuts on the table to eat for breakfast. That certainly surprised us that he did it himself without asking for any help. Later on in the morning he would offer us water from his sippy cup telling us to "drink, you feel better." What a sweet little boy he was trying to make us feel better and being well behaved for his two sick parents. I thank God for that because neither of us had the strength for discipline today.

December 29, 2006 - HTC

The past few days Jon, Jared and I have been in Green Bay for Campus Life's annual Holiday Teen Convention. I was there to pretty much relax and take Jared swimming. Jared made a lot of new friends as he talked to everyone. Jon did the computer work, did room devotions and helped with the games and skits. The guys did a skit about the history of comedy with the classic pie in the face. The kids thought it was hillarious. The speaker was great and many kids came to know the Lord, which is the real reason why we were there.

December 10, 2006 - What a cute Angel!

Today our little boy was in his first Christmas program at church. His 2s & 3s class were the angels who brought the good news to the shepherdsin the story about Jesus birth. They didn't sing or say anything, they just stood and looked cute. Jared was not shy and stood right out in front of his group. Tears came to my eyes when I saw him with another reminder that he is growing up.

December 8, 2006 - I'm a big boy now.

Today Jared got his first big boy bed. Jared helped daddy and mommy put his bed together and picked out what sheets he was going to use. He was so excited to sleep in his big boy bed. I did not want to put the crib away because it was sad to think about my little baby growing up.

November 21, 2006 - Look Who's 30!

Today Jon turned 30! He's not too happy about it because he says he only has 10 years before he is middle-aged. This past weekend I had a big party to celebrate his birthday. My theme was Sci-Fi. I had a Death Star pinata, Star Wars labeled foods and a Star Gate at the door. Family and friends came to help wish Jon a happy birthday and help us drink the quarter-barrel of Sprecher rootbeer that Jon requested. In the days prior to the party I had been very stressed wondering if everything would turn out and everything did. The cake, food, decorations, etc. turned out well and everyone had a lot of fun.

October 8, 2006 - Our little trooper.

This weekend was an emotional rollercoaster for our family. Jared had a severe asthma attack and ended up in the hospital for 3 days. As his mom I wanted to be strong for him. To not let him know that I was afraid of what was happening. Unfortunately my strength crumbled as I watched helplessly while my son was struggling to breathe and screaming as the nurses held him down to put in the IV, get the oxygen hooked up and give him a breathing treatment all at the same time. Trying to calm him and be his comfort, tears streaming down my face, aching inside, wishing I could take it all away, that it was me and not Jared. Much like God must have felt when his son was taking our place on the cross. Wishing he could take the pain away but knowing that he could not. Jon was the strong one in the family. Always letting me know that things would be okay, Jared would get better. Each day Jared slowly improved. He was such a trooper through it all. Being his happy self, talking, playing and being so polite. He was a joy to the doctor and nurses. Though I never want to go through it again, I thank God for being faithful to us by protecting Jared and being our strength.

Finally going home. Yippee!

September 24, 2006 - We must be doing something right.

Today when I picked Jared up from Sunday School class his teacher told me how polite Jared is, saying please and thank you, how well behaved he is, and what a joy it is to have him in class. What a compliment. I can only say thank you to God for giving Jon and I such a good little boy and for giving us wisdom and guidance in raising Jared. I also thank my sister Amy for allowing me to pick her brain since day 1 and for always giving me wise counsel on raising children. It really makes me feel good to see that Jared is learning what we teach him.

July 25, 2006 - Not a Happy Mom Day:(

It was a humid day today. I had to leave to take Jared by grandma so I could go to work. Jared refused to take his Claritin to clear his nose. He screamed and spit it out at me. After work I had to run to the grocery store to get 6 items. Jared wanted to ride in a car cart (One of the worst inventions ever made from a mother's standpoint). He sat nicely for the first half of the store. By the freezer section he wanted out. He didn't want to ride in the car, sit in the front by mommy or walk. He wanted to be carried. After telling him I couldn't carry him and push the cart at the same time he proceed to scream. Trying to help him realize he had lost the battle, I tried strapping him into the front seat of the cart. The strap was too big and he proceeded to climb right out and stand up. Of course the decent mother that I am could not let him stand in the cart so I held my screaming child down trying to push the cart to get my last item, all the while trying to remain calm (at least on the outside). While in the check-out Jared got his wish and I was able to hold him. A well-meaning stranger came over to advise me that my child is still young enough for me to teach him who is boss. She proceeded to tell me how she had a similar situation with her niece who screamed "not as loudly as your child, however" and she strapped her niece in and the girl soon realized she had lost the battle and was good the rest of the time. I smiled politely, advised her that I had tried that but it didn't work, thanked her for her advice (even if it was unwanted) and proceeded to check out, all the while fuming inside at the nerve of some people to tell a complete stranger how to handle their child. I mean it is every mother's nightmare when her child has a screaming fit in public, feeling like everyone is looking at her, making her feel like a failure of a mother. Needless to say I had had it with my terrible 2-year-old today.