Elijah is crawling!

First I'd like to say-my kitchen floor was VERY clean!
Second: this was a week ago. Eli can now crawl the span of a room and go from crawling to sitting up. He's so great! I just love this happy little boy! Check out his beautiful smile! :) He gets that from his Momma!

Park Day

Maryland winters do not offer many nice sunny days to enjoy the outdoors. I had been getting cabin fever and just plain depressed that the sun doesn't shine even though its cold out. However, there was one day a few weeks ago where the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was manageable. I decided to capitalize on it! There is a great park in the neighborhood across from mine that we had not been to yet so after I got Zechariah from school-we headed there for some playtime. It turned out beautifully!

Gabe and Zech are kings of the mountain!

Zech on top of the monkey bars

Gabriel loving the park!

Ammon loves the camera and as much as I tried to catch a candid-
he kept posing for the camera. Isn't he handsome?!

This was Eli's 1st time on a swing.
As you can see, he was elated! He laughed and laughed!
So sweet!

What do you do when you can't do anything?

This week has been a challenging one. My kids have been sick. The 2 that I would never want to be sick were sick: Zechariah and Elijah. I never want Zech to be sick b/c he does not deal with sickness very well. Everything is magnified 100x! And the baby...He's just a baby! Why are they sick? Probably b/c I ran out of the above pic (my blogger is not allowing me to place pics anywhere I want) and was too cheap to buy any more. I just placed my order and will get it soon. Believe me: IT WORKS!!!

Tuesday Zech came home from school and we went to piano lessons. He informed me on the way that he was freezing. I thought he was just be melodramatic and turned up the heater (he had put on his coat, ski gloves, and his hat) From piano we drive to JuJitsu class and I make the boys get dressed in the car. As we are pulling up Zech says his eyes hurt. I tell him to come and get his Gi on and he just lays in the front seat. I tell him to come on b/c the teacher just got there and he tells me his eyes hurt again. I grab his face to look deeply into his eyes and he is burning up to the touch! Forget JuJitsu-we go home, take his temp and it is 102.8! YIKES!!! Zechariah stays home from school Wed while I try to get a dr apt. None were available and Zech's temp was up all day long even with Motrin and Tylenol. Finally at 8pm Wed it breaks. I keep him home from school Thursday b/c we have a dr apt in the afternoon and b/c he needs to be fever free for 24 hrs or he'll spread his germs around. In the meantime, Elijah's cold that he's had for over a week is getting worse and worse. He develops a fever Wed night and his poor nose is caked over with green gunk. Thursday we go see the dr and find a nasty ear infection in baby Eli's left ear. Poor baby! I take him to Aunt nancy's to pick up the other boys and he fall asleep on the way so I put him in her crib and start organizing her house for her. 2 hrs later I go to check on him and he's still asleep. I force him to wake up b/c he just doesn't look or sound good. I take his temp 104.1! I am officially freaking out! I rush to the pharmacy to get his amoxicillan and more Motrin and Tylenol, come home, try to fix dinner for everyone while taking care of baby Elijah, while trying not to completely lose it with a panic attack. Gary is of course, working late and will not/cannot come home. Friday comes and Elijah is still runnning a fever. Zech is feeling great but school was out anyways! All the kids are home and I have a sick baby! UGH!

So over facebook this week I have been writing about the sickness, stress, fevers, etc. A dear friend of mine writes me a comment that stopped my heart and made me reevaluate my attitude. She said, "What are you stressed about- the boys being sick? Be thankful your boys ARE with you-even being sick. Sorry to sound preachy but you know where my words are coming from".

You see, this dear friend lost her son to a drowning accident when he was just a toddler. She would give anything to be able to hold his feverish head, take him to the dr, give him Motrin, stay up at night to make sure he's breathing ok, suck out his boogers with a bulb syringe, nurse him, hold him, kiss him, sing to him at night, and rock him to sleep. She would give anything to have him here at all. I am grateful to her for putting life into perspective. I am so blessed. I am grateful for my boys. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are forever and that there is life after death. I have never had to endure anything of her trial. and hope I never have to. I know I must be stronger and walk by faith. I have felt overwhelmed this week because I couldn't control anything or make my children better. I had to let the virus run its course and let the antibiotics work its magic. Maybe if I had prayed more and lost it less, things would have been different. I can't do this, not alone, and I don't have to. Jesus Christ says come unto me and yet over and over again I try to conquer the world on my own.

What do you do when you can't do anything?

Have faith and trust in someone who can!

A ray of sunshine

Last week we had a few rare days of sunshine (I miss TX sniff, sniff!). So, I forced my hermit-we-hate-the-cold family outside to finally break in their new bikes Santa brought them. It only lasted about 30 mins but Hey! It was fun! (and cold!)

Zechariah got a 20in bike with NO training wheels. He tried to ride it while I held onto the back of it but since he couldn't master it quickly, he rode his scooter instead. Sigh Maybe if I keep at it, he'll eventually want to and get it. His 6 yr old cousin rides a 2 wheeler bike like a champ and I even tried the whole, "Don't you want to ride a bike like William?" and the "William is younger than you and he can ride a bike!". One good thing about Zechariah: he does not succumb to peer pressure! :)

Gabriel absolutely LOVED his new bike (with training wheels). What a gorgeous smile!

Speaking of smiles... HOLY COW!!! This kid could melt anyone's heart. Ammon did not get a bike for Christmas since we have 2 in his size but he had fun anyway.

Oh brotherly love! (This is totally posed. Ammon and Gabriel fight ALL the time!)

The next day was so nice that I walked to Zech's school to pick him up and then forced the boys to walk to the park with me where I did not bring my camera :( It was fun though and I'm glad we went! There is a lake/pond in the center of our neighborhood and a trail around it and a small play area for the kids too. We walked around the lake and watched the Candian Geese walk on the ice to the center of the lake where it was unfrozen and swim there. BRRRRRRR!!!! We also watched (in horror!) as 2 young boys ran across the entire lake. I just prayed the ice didn't give and they fall in. There would be NO way I could've gotten to them. Come to find out, one of them goes to church with me. Should I tell his mom? My kids wanted to do it too where I abruptly said NO! only for them to ask why and I was able to give a science lesson on water, ice, weight, pressure, death, hypothermia, etc. (you get the idea) Needless to say, they no longer wanted to gamble with walking across the frozen? lake.

I hope it gets warm soon. I hate the cold.

A year in review

So I know this amazing blogger that I like to steal ideas from (Thanks Sarah) and she had this questionnaire on her blog that I thought was really interesting and wanted to share my thoughts. So, here it goes:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Went on a houseunting trip with NO children, moved to MD, had 4 boys, moved close to family.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I did not keep my resolutions perfectly so I made them again and am hoping for better results this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Umm, me! Ashley finally had a boy! Yippee Ashley! Jana finally had a girl! Oh the spoiled fashionista!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My dog, Ogden. We'd had him for 9 years and it was very sad to lose him.

5. What countries did you visit?

HAHAHAHAHA That's funny!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Sleep.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April14th?- we closed on our house and found out our dog had been hit by a car and killed.
May 28th -I welcomed into our family Elijah Aaron Griesmyer.
July 3rd and 4th-tons of family were here for Gabe's bday, 4th of July, but mainly and most importantly Eli's blessing!
Nove 20th-21st-I assisted in bringing Wyatt Joseph Johnson into the world.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving the move, Gary's new job with its stresses, juggling 4 boys, being called to Primary, and trying to maintain happiness and sanity.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Every time I yelled at my children, got frustrated at my husband, and did not follow the Spirit.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I somehow broke my wrist (don't know how but the Xray's said it was fractured!)

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A house! It's 2x the size of the one in TX!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Zechariah's! Thanks to some helpful medication, he has been in control of his emotions and actions 90% of the time which has given me room to relax and breathe.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Obama and all the other liberals in Washington that are trying to take away my freedoms!

14. Where did most of your money go?

Housing and food--it is SOOO expensive here!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Fitting into my pre preggo pants :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

There are a lot actually. Mainly pop songs that me and the kids like and sing all time.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? a little of both

b) thinner or fatter? thinner I was pregnant this time last yr

c) richer or poorer? We make more money but we spend more too

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Laughing, playing, and letting go

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Cleaning and taking the weight of the word onto my shoulders

20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve at Aunt Nancy's with the Griesmyer fam, Christmas day with the Griesmyer fam at my house, the week after with the Johnson clan in Syracuse, NY.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Yes. Every time my children would smile at me or laugh with me or my husband held my hand and spent time with me. Over and over again I fall in love with the 5 most amazing men on earth!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

So you think you can dance.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No. Hate is a really strong word. It takes just as much energy to hate someone as it does to love them. I'm working on the love thing instead. :)

24. What was the best book you read?

The Twilight saga. I know it's stupid but true. Kristen, why did you have to ruin the movies for me???

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Ammon plays the drums!

26. What did you want and get?

Lots of things: shoes, clothes, house, stroller, household pretty-pretties, etc.

27. What did you want and not get?

It's personal.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I don't know! I can't think of one.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I threw myself a Wonderwoman party/going away party and loads of friends came! It was awesome!!!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Less stress and responsibilites.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

hide the pooch, hide the pooch, what do I have that will hide the pooch?

32. What kept you sane?

Faith, humbling experiences, serving in Church, Gary.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

They pretty much all disgust me.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Healthcare

35. Who did you miss?

My dad.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I have met so many amazing people here in Waldorf. I am so grateful to be here. The loadies in my ward are exceptional! I am especially grateful to be living so close to Gary's Aunt Nancy. She is a jewel.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Do your best, leave the rest, angels do not more. I'm still working on it!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I'm not perfect, no I'm not. I'm not perfect, but I've got what I've got. I do my very best, I do my very best, I do my very best each day. But I'm not perfect and I hope you like me that way.
-Laurie Berkner

Christmas miracles

OK, so I am a few weeks behind, I formally apologize. I will try to do better. Yes, this blogging stuff takes FOREVER but I will perservere because I don't journal and this is so much more fun! Plus, I've started to recieve some comments which is fun so I'll keep it up!

This Christmas was filled with miracles:

The first lesson I learned was a renewed love for and strengthened testimony in my Savior, Jesus Christ.

This winter has proven to be very tight financially. When things are tight, I get down and depressed. I ended up saying "Screw it!" and whipped out my little credit card. (a HUGE no-no!!! since we've been debt free for 3 years!) Well, two weeks before Christmas, my van decided to quit working while I was driving it home from church. What a blessing this turned out to be! This caused my DH and I to sit down, talk about finances, talk about things we hadn't been saying (ummm, was it really the credit card I needed? I think not.) We were humbled by this threat of not having a van, not having any money to buy a new one, and the credit card debt we(I) had incurred. This scare brought us to our knees together. We prayed that our van would be ok and that it would not be anything major and that it would last us at least 6 more months. We put ourselves and our own pettyness aside and sought out the Lord's will and council. (Yes, I know this is what we should be doing all the time but sometimes, we don't) Jesus says; "Ask and ye shall recieve, knock and it shall be opened unto you". Why then do we not ask? or knock? Well, I was humbled-greatly! I had my van towed to this great repair shop in Waldorf after taking the advice of the tow guy. It was full of honest, nice, and competent people. They told me it was just the serpetine belt that slipped off and I got my van back for only $58! I could not believe it! "O ye of little faith" My van is a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with 180,000 miles on it. I thought it was toast but our prayers were answered and it is still going strong! We were able to drive up to Syracuse for the blessing of my new nephew, Wyatt, and hang out with my family in beautiful, snowy NY. Our van got us there and back and is trucking on and on!

Miracle number 2:

I won't go into much detail or disclose the identity of the individual, however, a person whom I have not seen or talked with in 15 years felt impressed by the Lord to send our family a monetary Christmas gift. It was not much money by today's standards. However, like with the van, I was humbled by the gesture. I was frankly shocked, in awe, and felt humbled and somewhat unworthy. You see, I had been very down. I tend to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders and not ask or allow anyone to help me. This time though, I actually got to the point where I did ask for help and didn't receive it the way I thought I should. I desperately needed to know that someone out there knew me, loved me, and was willing to serve me. This came in the form of a friend whom I have not communcated with in over 15 years. When this person contacted me and told me of his prayerful inquiry as to who he should serve this Christmas and when he told me of the revelation he and his wife got and my name was in it!-I felt the Spirit so strong! I knew that Jesus was aware of me. I knew He knew me, my struggles, and my thoughts and feelings. Better yet, my testimony of His love for me was tremendously strengthened. I am grateful for this servant who was willing to be an instrument in his hands to bless my family, my life, and my testimony.

Lesson learned?: I will pay it forward based off of this

Zechariah sledding