Momma Amy

Lydia's Birth Story

2009-08-20T18:05:00.011-05:00

Well, Tuesday afternoon, August 4th, I had a midwife appt. She checked me and I was a good 2, almost 3 cm, but not effaced at all. (I remember the first half of my labors seemed to be mostly effacing and not so much dilation.) So, I asked her what I could do to encourage things along. She said that good, brisk walking was the best to get baby's head down there to put pressure on the cervix. That evening we took a walk and I did a couple lengths of brisk walking. Well, as briskly as a 9 month pregnant woman can! ;) I figured we would try and take some walks that week and maybe by the weekend or next week things would kick in.

At 1:15 am I got up to use the bathroom, I remember because I was sure it was like 4am, but the clock said otherwise. I went back to sleep and at 1:45am all the sudden I felt this gush. I thought, "Oh my gosh, did I just wet the bed?!" I got up and ran to the bathroom realizing that this had to be my water breaking because I had absolutely NO control over it. So, I called out to Daniel, "Babe, I don't want to freak you out, but I think my water just broke." You see, my water has never broken on it's own. I've always had to have it broken and usually in the midst of labor to speed things along. He got up and asked about my contractions. Well, they were very sporadic and not very hard or long. I called my midwife and told her what happened. (Interesting side note: With every labor it's been 2am when I've called her to let her know this was it.) She said to try to get some sleep and call her when active labor kicked in. Ok.

I go to bed and try to sleep. Not many contractions, but my mind was going a mile a minute. Finally about 4:30 I fell asleep. The next morning Daniel called his folks to let them know what had happened and tell them he wouldn't be coming into work. Also, to arrange for his mom to have the kids. I called Kathy (midwife) with an update and she said to get walking to kick things in gear. So, we decided to head down to the business, drop off the kids, and walk around Wichita where we would be close to the Birth Inn. (A house the midwife has set up for home births. Like a birthing center idea.)

Here we go!

We drop the kids off early afternoon and then Daniel and I walk all around Wichita. Whenever I was walking I would have contractions, but they still weren't very long or strong. Brenda (midwife's assistant) kept track of baby's heartrate to make sure there wasn't any infection and there was no checking of dilation until she was sure I was in active labor. That also helps prevent infection since my water had already broken.

Taking a little rest while walking around the mall.

Things were chugging along, but no real hard, regular contractions yet. Baby was still doing good, so we headed to the Birth Inn to settle in and keep walking. I remember around midnight thinking, "I could keep walking and try to get things going or I could try and get some rest before all the hard work comes." I decided to try for some rest. I got 15-30 minute stretches throughout the night, just waking up to time my contractions. They were about every 15 minutes or so. By 6:30 am I had to start focusing a little more with them. I called my midwife to update and she was happy. Things were progressing albeit SLOW. :) Then we went walking again!

Walking around the neighborhood.

Baby's heartrate was still doing well. As I kept walking my contractions finally get to being about 5-7 min. apart and there are some stronger ones thrown in. Kathy arrives at noon and checks me for the first time. We know things are happening now! I am at 5-6 cm and 90% effaced. I was hoping more like 8 or 9 cm, but whatever! I keep walking and things continue to pick up. She offers to give me some "labor candy" to speed things up at 1:00 and I decide to wait a little bit to see if things will just go on their own. I thought if things aren't flying by 2:00, I'll take some then.

Are we done yet?? (I did tell Daniel after Lydia was born that I did not want to go walking anytime soon!)

In the mean time, I might end up delivering with another mom here at the Birth Inn. There was a mom who thought she was in labor and when she goes, it's fast! So, we went in the room with the tub, because I was planning on a water birth, (So much better than non-water birth, in my opinion!!) and the other mom arrived to be checked and assessed. It ends up nothing was happening so she went back home. She delivered a week or so later, I believe.

Laboring in the tub.

Focusing during a contraction.

It's over. *smile*

"Ok, I'm ready to be done."

So, once she was sent home it's a little after 2 and I'm relaxing too much in this water. Let's try that labor candy. I'm just SO ready to be done by this point. It's been a long 2 days and I'm tired! At 2:20 I take some and usually it will kick in after about 30 minutes. Well, contractions kept coming of course and Kathy checked me again about 30 minutes later. Almost to complete now. She told me, "Bear down some with the next contraction, you'll be complete and baby will come flying out like a bullet." Sounds like a plan to me! 2 contractions and 2 pushes later, Lydia Faith was here at 3:02pm!!! A short 42 minutes after taking the "labor candy." Poor thing had some facial bruising and redness in her eyes from being pushed out so fast, but Mommy was so eager to meet her!

Lydia's here!!

Moments after birth.

See all the vernix? She was only 38 weeks along.

First bath.

We are all so thrilled she's here and loving her to pieces!

Happy Mom and Dad!!

Mommy and Lydia after birth.

Mommy and Lydia at 6 weeks. (She's gained a few pounds. :)

"Hi everyone!"

2 months!

2009-08-20T13:03:00.002-05:00

Oh no, I've become one of "them"! You know, one of those people who like never updates their blog and you wonder why they even have one? I can't believe it's been over 2 months since my last post!

I am sitting here typing this one handed, holding the sweetest baby girl, eating lunch, and reprimanding kids. So, I'm not sure that I can promise more frequent posts, but I do want to get back into it. I'm hoping to post Lydia's birth story next with plenty of pictures, too.

So world, I am still here busy as ever and just wanted to give a shout out to ya!

Pregnancy

2009-05-16T11:13:00.009-05:00

17 Weeks

Here are some pregnancy pics I have taken so far. I am 28 weeks along now, which means I am just starting my 3rd trimester. I have really been trying to savor this pregnancy since it will likely be my last one. :)

17 Weeks

I also want to really do better weight wise, since in the past I haven't been good in that area. If only I'd known how difficult it would be to lose the weight after wards!

17 Weeks

Healthy pregnancy weight is about 30 pounds they say. So far, at 28 weeks I've gained 18 pounds. Which leaves me 12 pounds to go and the 3rd trimester is when it can really pile on for me. I'm just taking it one day at a time.....

17 Weeks

I haven't had any real trouble, which is nice. I'm starting to get a bit uncomfortable at times, but nothing too bad. :)

17 Weeks

I am having soreness in my thighs, which I found out is due to my pelvic muscles spreading and preparing for delivery. Interesting... I never experienced this with my other pregnancies, but my midwife says it is normally after a few kids it becomes more noticeable. (I've noticed it also makes me feel like waddling or walking like an old woman! :P )

17 Weeks

Kind of like the after birth pains increase too, after multiple children. :S Oh well, I'm sure she will be worth it!!

24 Weeks

She has been moving more which is always cool! She doesn't move around as much as my other ones did, which I hope translates to a relaxed, calm, and peaceful baby/child. That would be much appreciated, seeing as she is number 5. :)

At times, I can even see her move around. My tummy does a little jump here or a wave there.

25 Weeks

The kids really like to talk to her or just say, "I love you, Baby!" to my tummy. So cute. They are beyond excited and full of questions, too. Especially Isaac, he is a really inquisitive one. Such as: "Does the baby eat the pizza you're eating?"

25 Weeks

I can always use prayers, so feel free to throw one out there for me from time to time. We'll probably be taking more pics soon. So, more to come......

Missouri April 2009

2009-04-30T20:24:00.028-05:00

I am still here, but I find Facebook to fit in better with my time. I do still plan to post on here, but as you can tell, it's not very frequent. :)

The kids wanted to go to the creek so bad, so on our first day there, Daniel took them to the little creek down by Koinania.

He suggested they build a little dam.

They all worked together, collecting rocks and building it.

The 2 youngest helping each other. :)

We went to Missouri for about 5 days and got to spend time with some great people! My sister Emily was there for a little bit, and her husband Jason, but he was there for really just a short time! April 26th was Emily's 25th birthday so we celebrated with a hayride (well technically a wagon ride since there was no actual hay. :) and some strawberry cream cheese pie, So yummy!

Getting ready to go.

In the middle of some fun conversation!

Abigail getting a turn riding with the drivers.

"Hi Joanna!"

Hannah's turn.

Isaac didn't want to go until after he saw his sisters give it a try. He really enjoyed it!

We got to see a foal that was just one day old! So cool.

Momma and baby

Abigail petting the horses.

Waylon, Emily, and Hannah meeting some other horses there.

Beautiful!

Also, my cousins Gen & Waylon were there. Always love spending time with them, though it's not near often enough!! Her sis Sarah and her kids, Emma - 8 and Christian - 5. Our kids connected with hers so quick. It was great! They had such a blast together and were so disappointed when it was time to leave! Their mom Nancy and hubby Wayne came along, too. Lots of fun time together! Anyone who knows the Gibes, knows it's always a fun time when they're around!

Grandma's creek

A pic of the baby bump @ 24 weeks

There was a huge piece of a tree that was floating in the creek, so the girls had fun "riding" it.

Getting on

Isaac splashing around.

Climbing on the rocks and jumping to Daddy.

Gen was there, too.

Momma Amy at Grandma's Creek

The kids just love to be outside there. So much to do and explore! We had some great experiences. My parents have some pretty interesting neighbors. ;) So, they took us to visit one. They had recently gotten an alligator someone found in a nearby river.

Taking it out of the tank.

They taped it's mouth to protect everyone!

The kids trying to pet it.

Daniel held it so they all could have a chance to feel it's skin.

Isaac holding it. Obviously, he takes after daddy. :0

Back in the tank with some clean water.

The kids also got to feed their goats.

Trying to feed the goats after the dog scared them away.

We'll feed them in their pen.

ELEPHANT ROCK STATE PARK

On our last day there, we all went to Elephant Rock State Park. The kids had fun climbing around with Waylon! Then it was such a sad good-bye. :(

Hiking up to a lake. Here are some views of it. So picturesque!

Now to the rocks....

Waylon, Hannah, Abigail, and Christian

Posing for a pic

Isaac and Joanna

In a tree trunk

Climbing, climbing, climbing......

Hannah maneuvering her way through.

Isaac found this caterpillar and carried it with him, (except when he asked me to hold it) the whole way.

Hannah and Abby holding up the rock. ;)

One huge rock!

Waylon, Isaac, and Joanna climbing around.

Cute Isaac!

Joanna

The moms chilling & talking while the kids and husbands explored.

Attempt at a family pic.

A turtle we saw in a different lake.

Joanna so wanted to ride on Waylon's shoulders, but was being shy.

Notice her hands clasped together, not touching Waylon at all!

Still clasped, but she enjoyed it so much that when she got down, she wanted right back up!

More climbing

Hannah, Abigail, Isaac, and Joanna

All the kids l-r: Christian, Hannah, Joanna, Abigail, Isaac, and Emma

"See our dirty behinds from the damp rocks?" :)

From there we drove halfway home and stayed the night in a hotel with a pool. The kids loved that! We didn't take any pictures though. :( It was such a fun trip and we look forward to spending time with all of them again!

Abigail

2009-03-13T20:03:00.004-05:00

Abigail and Isaac's combined birthday cake. Princess for Abby and dinosaur for Isaac.

Well, February 8th was Abigail's 7th birthday. We celebrated a little early while my parents were visiting over Super Bowl weekend. Then we all got sick with colds and such which just took forever to go away. So, here is a very belated birthday post about the birthday girl.

decorating cookies

Our Abigail is now 7. Wow! Time really does fly. She is a great helper to Mommy, and so looking forward to baby coming. She can do laundry, take out the trash and recycling, vacuum, put away clean clothes, and clean up her room. Usually without complaint. :)

Mommy and Abigail at a wedding.

She has some amazing abilities. Such as: tripping over nothing, getting food on her in hard to reach places, messing up her hair in 3 seconds flat, not being able to see things right under her nose, and making hilarious faces. Just to name a few. Some of those she inherited from her Auntie Becca. ;)

She does very well in Math and Science. Things will just click for her and she's got it. Even if she wiggles in her seat during the whole lesson! :) Her memorization is quite good, too. She memorizes her verses for church pretty quick.

She is such a lovable, fun loving little girl with a feisty spirit! We are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for her this year.

9 Years Ago Today

2009-02-26T10:33:00.004-06:00

Nine years ago today Daniel and I made a commitment to each other for as long as we both should live, and we plan to keep it. This was/is a serious decision for us that we didn't enter in lightly. We knew once we had committed we meant forever. We completely surrounded this decision with prayer knowing that we could only do this, if God was a real part of our marriage.

We have never regretted our decision. In fact we are often reminded of God's amazing blessings to us. He knew so much better than me, who would be best as my husband. I am forever grateful!

I just love to be with Daniel. Whether it's on some great adventure or just watching a movie together. He's my first choice. :)

So, a big thanks goes out to God for making the past 9 years so tremendous. We've had our highs and lows, we're far from perfect, but that makes us love each other even more. We're real, honest, broken people doing the best we can together.

Also, I've not posted yet about my second born's 7th birthday on the eighth of Feb. We were all pretty sick at that time, but it is still coming. Stay posted.......

Isaac

2009-01-31T00:56:00.008-06:00

Well, today my little boy turns 5! Five is a bit of a milestone in our family because that is when you are allowed to have GUM. Let me tell you, this boy has been waiting for 5! :)

I remember being so surprised when he was born. We decided not to find out what we were having. I already had 2 girls, I was raised with 2 sisters, and my sis-in-law had 4 girls at the time, so I was convinced that I would only have girls. So, when he was born and Daniel leaned over and said to me, "Isaac's here." I could hardly believe it! I was so shocked. A boy? Thank You Lord! He knows the desires of our heart.

Isaac has been such a blessing. He is an amazing boy. I love to see the natural boy things come out. He loves bugs/animals just like his Daddy. Any type of ball, car, truck, dinosaur, gun, or tool and he is thrilled! He also has a real sweet, kind personality. He has a natural caring for others, which just touches our hearts. He was born with manners. We didn't have to teach him to say "please" or "thank you" he just did it on his own.

Here are some more pictures of "the boy" from the last year or so.

Day 5 & 6 - Kealakekua Bay, Marriott Waikoloa Beach, Kona Airport

2009-01-24T19:13:00.029-06:00

Day 5:

So, we have already gone to the green sand beach, a white sand beach, and we wanted to be sure to go to a black sand beach. We looked in our travel book and there was one just off the road a bit on the way to our next snorkel spot. So, we detoured there. It ended up being a bit further "off the road" than we realized, but no worries. :)

On the way there.

The lava is quite interesting.

Our feet in the sand

white coral on black sand - nice contrast

You can see the texture of the sand - not real comfortable actually.

We took our pictures then went on to Kealakekua Bay right next to The Place of Refuge for some snorkeling. "The concept of the place of refuge is interesting. In ancient Hawaiian culture, certain areas were designated as places of refuge and no blood could be shed in its confines. If you had broken a law or were escaping from a war enemy and you could get (swim) to the place of refuge, you were protected and given a second chance."

Place of refuge - from a distance

Kealakekua Bay Beach

A Fisherman

Snorkeling time

Here are a bunch of fish and turtle pictures. This isn't all of them, though it may seem that way. :) It's just so hard to pick! You will see that depending on where we were snorkeling, our visibility varied.

We also saw an eel, which was actually kind of creepy. It reminded me of a snake. eeww

Then we saw the Place of Refuge a little closer.

Then we noticed, right there was a little beach with jet black sand. We didn't need to stop on our way here after all, because we were snorkeling right by some of the blackest sand we had ever seen!

Check out how black it is.

Some kids playing in a shallow area.

We were resting after snorkeling and waiting for Brian and Brenda and Daniel liked me looking all bedraggled, so he told me to pose. You know husbands, they think you look great just rolled out of bed and feeling sick! (Well, at least mine does. ;)

Just after snorkeling (I actually like the picture better than I thought I would. :)

Beautiful plumeria - they smell so delicious!

On our way back to the hotel.

I figure I'm in Hawaii, so I should have a flower in my hair, right?

We had heard that Kona Joe's was a great place to go, so decided to stop on our way back. We ended up getting there like 10 minutes after it closed. :(

Some beautiful flowers at Kona Joe's.

close up

coffee rows

coffee close up

We pulled off the road to see another wonderful Hawaiian sunset.

The end of another amazing day in Hawaii.

Day 6:

We were leaving in the afternoon to fly to Oahu for a couple more days. So, since we hadn't actually snorkeled at the beach right at our hotel, we decided to snorkel in the morning, then pack up and head to the airport.

Marriott beach

Can you see the fish? Daniel actually pointed it out to me, but our underwater communication can use some improvement, and I missed it. :( At least he got a picture of it.

I believe it's a flounder.

some cool coral

We saw a couple turtles, which was really cool. Well, this one was pretty friendly. I just stood still and waited to see what direction it was going. No lie, it came straight towards me, so I reached out and just lightly touched it's shell. Well, actually just the algae on his shell. He needed a bath. :)

Ok, sea cucumbers are kind of gross looking as it is, but I actually saw this one move. ick!

We had fun snorkeling and now we are on the way to the airport.

There are such beautiful, colorful flowers along the roads there.

I would say a statue in the airport, but the airport is mostly outdoors. :)

Getting ready to fly to Oahu. We got asked if we were on our honeymoon. Well, if almost 9 years of marriage and 4 kids count, then YEAH! :)

Time

2009-01-06T21:05:00.002-06:00

Oh, so much to upload and post, but so little time! Most of you know that we are expecting our 5th child, (yes 5th, it sounds crazy!) this coming August. Well, this pregnancy I am feeling a lot more tired than I remember with the others. I've had some nausea, but nothing serious, thankfully. My blog has taken a back seat for a bit. I hope to continue posting, but it will likely be less frequent. So many things have happened that I think, "I need to put that on my blog!", yet the time just isn't there. So, bear with me please.

Just a little tidbit. I overheard Isaac and Joanna playing today. Isaac's "person" was telling Joanna's "person", "You are being so rude! Do you want me to tell God?" I guess he'll just take it straight to the top Authority! :)

Hannah

2008-12-19T11:41:00.003-06:00

So, I know I'm not done with our Hawaii posts, but today is our eldest's birthday. I can hardly believe our little girl is 8! Hannah is such a blessing from the Lord.

God knew what He was doing. I was a young wife in a new place and I didn't know anybody. We were looking for a church, I had just left my family 8 hours away, and we only had Daniel's brother and sis-in-law close by. I needed "something" to fill my long, empty days and God knew just what would be the best thing. :)

So, just 10 months after our wedding, Hannah arrived. A little ball of perfection. :) She was such a beautiful, wonderful baby. She continues to amaze me. She is a creative, perfectionist and I have no idea where that came from. Definitely not me! When she puts her mind to something, she will do it and do it well. One of her favorite things is rescuing stuff from the trash and creating all sorts of things with it. She is a giver, too. She loves to make things and give them to her family and friends. The other day she made a card for Daniel which said, "I love you, and I love you, and I love you Daddy!" then she left it on his pillow. So sweet!

She also is our girly girl. She loves pretty or fancy things, especially jewelry. Sundays are special when I'll sometimes put shiny lip gloss on her. :) She was born with a little strut and has never lost it. She can strike a pose with the best of them and doesn't even realize she's doing it! :) Boy, she can make us smile and shake our heads.

There is so much I can share about her, but it's just not the same as really knowing her and her heart. She cares so much. When Daniel and I had to get new cell phones, (see Hawaii posts) she REALLY wanted our old broken ones. We told her she could have one or the phone people would fix it up and give it to a woman in trouble who can't afford one. (domestic abuse) I could tell she was feeling really conflicted about it. So, I told her it was absolutely OK for her to keep it. She decided that's what she wanted to do and we started to leave the store. Then she stopped and looked up at me with her big, innocent, blue eyes and said, "Mommy, I want to give it to those women in trouble. So, they can call someone if they need help." I asked her if she was sure and she said yes. So, we turned around and gave it to the Verizon folks. This contented look of "I'm glad I did a good thing" came over her. (You know what I'm talking about if you've ever seen it or experienced it.) I know it was a sacrifice for her. She has always wanted a cell phone, but she wanted to help a woman in need more. Those are the moments I praise God! He is alive and working in my little girl's life!! I am so thankful to Him.

So Happy 8th Birthday my Hannah girl!!

Day 4 - Mauna Kea, Hilo, Rainbow Falls, and Pe'e Pe'e Falls

2008-12-06T22:31:00.037-06:00

On day 4 Daniel & I, Brian & Brenda, and Dave & Darlene (Speed Queen folks) planned to hike up Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano. Technically it's the tallest mountain in the world if you measure from the base. :) So, we filled ourselves up at our huge breakfast buffet (paid for by Speed Queen :). Almost anything you can think of they had on this buffet. Lots of fresh fruit, waffles, omelet bar, cereal, muffins, pastries, breads, rolls, bacon, potatoes, juices, even fried rice, and more. So yummy!

Many places in Hawaii tend be partially indoor and partially outdoor. So, we had birds flying around at breakfast trying to eat any leftovers they could find. Here are some of the birds just waiting for an opportunity.

Mauna Kea is located in the north central part of the Big Island. We were staying on the west side of the island. I believe I mentioned before that our side of the island was the desert side getting only like 10-30 inches of rain a year. On the eastern side of the island is the rain forest area, getting something like 200 inches of rain a year. There's a road that goes right across the Island called Saddleback Road. So, we got on that and headed towards Mauna Kea.

Here's a wild turkey we saw on the way. We actually didn't see a whole lot of wildlife. Kind of disappointing. :(

Here's a view of Saddleback Rd.

You can drive up most of the way to the top, as long as you have 4 wheel drive. :) Then you hike the last bit. From Saddle Rd. it's almost 15 miles to the top. About 6 miles in, there's a visitor's center. So, we stopped there to change into our warmer clothes and to let our bodies adjust to the altitude. You start at sea level and go up to almost 14,000 ft. in a pretty short time! No one actually got altitude sickness, but there were some moments of queasiness. :)

Oh, and it was at this time that Daniel and I realized we had a miscommunication and left our jackets back at the hotel. Let me tell you, it was cold and windy! Thankfully, Daniel had a long sleeve under armor shirt in his back pack and he generously let me wear it. We had worn our pants that morning, so we were good there. Also, Brian had an extra long sleeve shirt that Daniel could wear, so it worked out. It just made us hike a little faster! :)

Here's a view on the way up looking down at the visitor center. You can see some buildings on the left side of the road.

This is what the side of the road looked like. Everywhere was pretty much shale. Not the best stuff for hiking.

Where we're heading, Mauna Kea.

View from the road.

We stopped a couple of times on the way up to try and let our bodies adjust. So, here's Daniel and I at one of our stops.

Since Daniel and I didn't have the best wind protection, we hopped on the trail quick, and scurried as fast we could up to the top.

Here I am part of the way up. It was so windy you just had to plant your feet with each step and lean into the wind. I had my arms hugging my body and my hands in my armpits most of the way up, trying to keep warm! Once we reached the top, the wind was a bit calmer and there was a pile of rocks we could sit behind to block it. So, it was much more comfortable.

We felt pretty triumphant once we got to the top. Thus, the next pictures. :)

Me at the tippity top. "I made it!"

Daniel at the tippity top. :)

Cuddling together at the top.

There are several observatories on Mauna Kea with some of the best views of the sky, but we didn't have enough time to visit any. :(

Daniel took a picture of one from the top. You can see the other couples on their way up. A couple of dark dots on the path. :)

I'm resting while waiting for the others to join us.

Here are several views from the top. It was quite scenic.

We all made it!

"Hanging loose" on top of Mauna Kea.

The guys

Brian and Brenda

The survey post marking the official elevation. As you can see it's 13,796 feet above sea level.

Daniel on top of the post marker.

Now it's my turn. :)

We headed back down and Daniel took off at a jog.....

Then he turned around a got a pic of me jogging down, too. (Remember we're really cold. :)

Everyone making their way down.

Once I got down I headed straight to the porta potty and Daniel decided to get a picture of me with it.

I don't know if you can tell, but it's chained to the building due to the strong winds!

So, with that accomplished, we got back onto the Saddleback Rd. and headed off to Hilo to see the rain forest side of the Island.

The Saddleback Rd. Do you see how it's getting a lot more green?

While we were driving along we saw something black scurry across the road. We thought maybe it was a dog or something. We came over a hill and saw this.

So, we pulled over to see if we could help.
He didn't just blow a tire. Check this out!

Assessing the situation.

Trying to work something out with a buddy.

Needless to say, the tire couldn't just be changed. So we offered him a ride to town.

An interesting plant while we wait.

Lots of greenery now.

When we got to Hilo, it was lunch time. We decided to try a Thai place called Sombats. It was very good!

I ordered Pineapple Fried Rice. As you can see it came in half a pineapple and had shrimp, chicken, cashews, pineapple, onions, mushrooms, and more all cooked together. So yummy and beautiful!

The Hilo side of the island is also where Rainbow Falls is, so we decided to check it out.

We weren't too impressed, but it's supposed to be beautiful in the morning when the sun is shining on it. Still, we can say we've been there. :)

Next we went to Pe'e Pe'e Falls. (Pronounced pee-ah pee-ah falls, despite the spelling!)

Pe'e Pe'e Falls

It has what they call Boiling Pots. When the water is flowing strong enough, it looks like the water is boiling in these holes along the way. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough water flow that day for us to see any "boiling", but still a cool place. Some pictures of the "pots."

It was a really pretty place with lots of interesting plants. So, we took pictures of each couple there.

Daniel and Amy

Brian and Brenda

Dave and Darlene

Some of the flowers there.

We couldn't resist a picture of this street sign! :)

There were lots of cool trees and plants in Hilo, especially the banyan trees.

Palm tree with flowers

We saw this store while we were driving through town. Notice the sign on the door. Maybe Daniel should use that sometime at the business. :)

This is the library in Hilo. That huge rock is the Naha Stone. The Hawaiian prophecy or legend of the Naha Stone stated that the person who moved the 2 1/2 ton Naha stone with his bare hands would unite and be ruler of all the Hawaiian Islands. One man did accomplish this feat, and his name was King Kamehameha the Great at 14 years old.

We decided to take a scenic route back to our hotel. Brenda and I sat on top of the seat back with the top off and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery! Here's some pics for you to enjoy, too.

We stopped at a place that was just beautiful. The waves were crashing against all these rocks and it sounded so amazing. Actually right near this cove a boat full of new Toyotas crashed into the rocks. So, the insurance company sent an adjuster there to check it all out. He insisted on a helicopter taking him right to the deck of the partially submerged boat and some strong waves came and took him with them! That was the end of him. I'm guessing the insurance company didn't send another adjuster. Here are several pictures from that awesome spot.

A path you could take to get down towards the shore. We didn't have enough time to explore this area, which was too bad. It was really cool and interesting!

Signs at the beginning of the path.

Looking straight down from the edge.

Some interesting plants there.

Some more interesting plants.

Then we got back on the road and headed to our hotel. After awhile it began to rain, so we pulled over and put the top back on. :( Here are some pics of our drive into the evening time.

Hopefully the next set of pictures won't take quite so long to post. We are leaving for Missouri soon and will be gone for a couple weeks, so no promises! :)

Day 3 - Kahalu'u Beach, White Sands Beach, End of the World, and Catamaran Cruise

2008-11-25T21:54:00.024-06:00

The next day we had a scheduled Catamaran Cruise with the Speed Queen group in the evening, so we decided to go snorkeling for the first part of the day. We headed to Kahalu'u Beach. It is supposed to be a good beach for beginners, which was really good for me. :)

Kahalu'u Beach

It was a great experience! Definitely good for first time snorkelers. Lots of beautiful fish and we saw several turtles, too. We wish the water had been a bit clearer, but it was still awesome. Here are lots of pictures from the experience. Daniel was the sole photographer of the underwater pics. (With our new underwater digital camera! :)

Damselfishes

Raccoon Butterflyfish

Red Pencil Urchin in coral

Stripebelly Pufferfish

Ringtail Surgeonfish

Sea Turtle

Lined Butterflyfish

Damselfish and Lined Butterflyfish

Me trying to communicate with Daniel

Yellow Tang

Orangeband Surgeonfish

Coral and Red Pencil Urchins

School of Ringtail Surgeonfish

Stripebelly Pufferfish

Sea Turtle

Sailfin Tang

Collector Sea Urchin

Sea Cucumber - they're kinda gross looking

Yellow Tang and Coral

Some cool Brain Coral

Wrassesfish, Parrotfish, and Yellow Tang

Bluespine Unicornfish - "Can you see me?"

Ornate Butterflyfish - They look like they could glow in the dark!

Pennant Butterflyfish

Sea Turtle

Orangespine Unicornfish

A school of Damselfish

A school of Yellow Tang

After awhile we decided to drive a little ways up the road and visit this White Sands Beach. The sand was so soft. It is some times called Magic Sands Beach. When there is rough water it pulls the sand into underwater caves, but when the waves calm down it brings the sand back. Pretty neat! You can see in some of the pictures the "ledge" of sand on the beach while it's being washed away.

The waves were pretty rough that day. We had hoped to do some snorkeling there, it's supposed to be a good spot, but it was too dangerous. Oh well. See all the sand in the water there?

Can you see the beach is in the process of being washed away?

The waves were pretty strong that day.

I'm trying to prepare for them. :)

Splash!

Coming back to shore.

Daniel told me to sit there for some pictures. The waves were so powerful I had a hard time staying holding a position.

When the wave went back out it turned me right around with it!

It was a really beautiful beach! One of my favorites.

There is a place called "the end of the world" where people will go cliff jumping. We went to check it out, but the water was too rough for any jumping. See the sign.

We decided to walk in there and see what the place was like.

That's Brenda way over there on the rocks.

Yeah, you don't want to jump into that.

Still beautiful, though.

Check out the crashing waves.

Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the catamaran cruise and dinner.

Some of the bluest water I've ever seen!

The mast and sail

Daniel and me

We watched another amazing sunset while we were on the boat. Here's a couple pics, but they don't even come close to actually being there.

Then we headed to land for an outside supper with live music.

Day 1 & 2 - Flying, South Point, Green Sand Beach

2008-11-22T20:27:00.035-06:00

Well, we woke up EARLY and got to the airport in plenty of time. Only to have our plane delayed for almost 2 hours. Something with a baggage door. So, we haven't even left Wichita yet, and boy are we ready to go! :)

Killing some time on the laptop. That's Daniel's brother Brian and wife Brenda with me. See our plane sitting there behind us?

Yeah, I don't look too impressed. "Please, let's just get this show on the road!" :)

Since our first flight was now off by 2 hours, of course we missed our connecting flight. So, they had to do some searching and find alternative routes. We were supposed to arrive in Kona, HI around 2pm, instead we made it about 8:30pm. Thus, missing our first cocktails and dinner together with the Speed Queen folks. :( Daniels' mom made a comment about me "jinxing" our trips. Remember the bag fiasco in London last year? Thanks, Mom! :)

Finally on our way! We ended up going from Wichita to Phoenix to San Francisco to Kona. Some of you know that I seem to have a twin out there somewhere. Well, when we landed in Phoenix, this guy sitting across the aisle from me (not Daniel :) said to me, "Whenever I travel with you, this always happens." I was just dumbfounded. I had no clue who he was!

Over Arizona somewhere, I think.

Beautiful sunset

At our hotel on the Big Island. We had a full day planned and soon found out that there just weren't enough hours in the day for all we wanted to do. We tried to just soak it all in and have fun!

We were staying on the desert side of the island. It was actually pretty barren. So much lava rock and some brown shrub things.

Brian and Brenda rented a Jeep so we could have 4WD for some of our adventures. :) We really enjoyed it!

Barren desert view with beautiful blue ocean

We did stop at Walmart to get a few things before we headed off to South Point, the southernmost point of the U.S. and a Green Sand Beach. It was pretty much like any other Walmart, but with swimsuits year round. :)

We thought this was interesting. Such a striking view of the black lava line and greenery.

You can clearly see the lava's path.

Just the beginning of the rough roads ahead.

Down at South Point the wind is so strong that the trees grow sideways. This was a farm we passed on the way.

We first stopped at Broken Road. They had built a concrete landing here to launch boats into the water, but it lasted less than a year and "broke" off. You can see me at the edge there.

Brian and Brenda on a cliff overlooking broken road. It was so beautiful and the water was a gorgeous, clear, deep blue color.

See? Beautiful view!

Daniel up on a cliff to take pictures. :)

Kissing on Broken Road

A little further down there were these boat hoists. Several people were fishing from there and it looks tempting to jump into the clear water, but there is a strong current that will take you out into the ocean. Not smart!

The water was SO clear and you could see about 30 feet down into the water. Just beautiful!

We got to the southernmost point and the waves were mesmerizing. We climbed all over the rocks and watched them for a long time. Here are some pics Daniel took of me on the rocks with the waves splashing around. I honestly didn't upload all our pics of this. :)

Whoa, it's cold!

On my way back towards Daniel I slipped and fell into the water. Oops. :)

Then I realize my cell phone was in my pocket! Double oops!! It was fried, Ugh.

Some cool wave pictures.

Brian on the rocks

I didn't post the pics of him flexing or doing tai chi out there. :)

From South Point we went to the only Green Sand Beach in Hawaii. The sand is an olive green color from a mineral called Olivine. It was about a 2 1/2 mile drive (with 4wd only) or you can walk. Here are a couple pictures of the jeep on the "road."

Good Jeep ad, huh?

I don't think we actually went down this one. It was a fun drive, but I think the seat belts bruised our shoulders. :)

We passed this on our way. Looks like a good use of the tree.

The green sand

A Comparison

My toes in the green sand.

Green Sand Beach - it was actually more like a little cove.

You had to climb down a somewhat steep sand hill to get down to the water.

Daniel and I

Brian having fun with the waves. They were quite strong. A couple times they about ripped my swimsuit right off me. Definitely gives you a healthy respect for nature!

These little crabs were all over the beach. They were hilarious to watch. They run sideways and boy are they quick. Daniel caught one so we could see it up close.

Daniel

Jumping off the rock. :)

We climbed up on the cliff by the beach. We got 1 bar on our cell phone, so made a few calls. Here are some pics of the view from up there. Just gorgeous!

Brian and Brenda

Daniel and me

Having fun with the sun.

We passed many of these trees. So interesting.

A beautiful sunset to finish off the day........

Obviously the pictures don't do any of it justice. It gave me such a renewed awe of God and His creation. So amazing!

We're Back!

2008-11-13T20:07:00.006-06:00

Well, we're back now so I'm hoping to do several "Hawaii" posts. We have 1200 pics just on Daniel's camera, so I obviously need to organize and choose which ones to post. I am planning on doing that sooner, rather than later when my memory is less sharp. :) We had an absolutely wonderful time, and got asked several times if we were on our honeymoon! :)

Hawaii, here we come!!

2008-10-31T01:45:00.002-05:00

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
Saint Augustine

I sure hope to read a lot of this book! Looking forward to reading a chapter for the next week or so!! :)

Zoo, Mother Nature, and the Park

2008-10-23T00:16:00.018-05:00

We went to the zoo a couple weeks ago. The kids love going there!

I attempted a picture of me and the kids before we went in, but didn't quite get Joanna in it.

Here's one with Joanna

Isaac dancing? No, just jumping off the bench. :)

This bear was right up to the window. The kids had fun looking face to face with it.

The Bear

Hannah

Isaac

Joanna

Abigail - silly face!

Mommy too

The kids reluctantly posing for Mommy. :)

Mommy and Isaac waiting for the girls to finish in the bathroom.

Waiting for Abby still.....

Whenever we passed a drinking fountain, of course we had to stop and take a drink. :) The water bottles we brought just weren't as good!

Isaac

Abby

Hungry Hippo

We went on further on the nature walk this time. There was a really pretty "lane". Here's a video of the kids running down it.

Beautiful nature walk

We have at least 10 really nice parks here in our town, so we decided to try one we haven't been to before.

The kids playing

Joanna taking a turn on this zipline thing.

Group pic :)

Mommy decided to take a turn on the zipline. The kids had fun pushing me back and forth. :)

Mommy being silly :)

Kids

2008-10-19T13:09:00.009-05:00

I found some fairy wings at the Dollar store the other day and bought some for Joanna. Of course, she wants to wear them all the time now! She had to try them out right away and did not want to wear a shirt with them. :)

Our little Joanna fairy

"See my pretty wings."

Big smiles!

Isaac got this football and a new backpack for traveling. He was excited. One of his love languages seems to be gifts. Lately, he has been asking anytime I go somewhere, "Did you get any boy things, Mommy?"

"Thanks, Mommy!!"

He can be such a poser.

Goofy boy! :P

On Fridays our home school group has coop classes. Hannah, Abigail, and Isaac took an Arts & Crafts class, then Hannah and Abby have a science class and P.E. So, the other day I let Isaac and Joanna use my camera and take pictures to keep them busy. I deleted a lot, but here are some random shots from a little kid's point of view. :)

The kids are playing Red Rover. (Hannah is in the jeans and black shirt on the left side of the pic.)

Waiting for someone to "come over". (Abby is in the pink shirt.)

Waiting for something....

Isaac entertaining himself with a toy car.

I have no idea? Boys!

Our friends Anjie, Garrett, and Marcus

Marcus playing

I was looking at a magazine and this is the top of my head looking down.

I suppose somewhere this might be considered "artistic." :)

More to come soon.....

Pictures

2008-10-19T01:02:00.006-05:00

Well, I finally downloaded a bunch of pictures from my camera, so now to organizing and uploading them. We had a trip to the zoo, another nature walk, a park day, home school coop classes, a visit to a pumpkin patch and more! Hopefully a few new posts to come soon......

Mommy Moment

2008-10-10T22:18:00.003-05:00

The other night I said something that I never would have imagined saying in my life. I asked Joanna how she got toothpaste on her bottom. She replied "I was brushing my teeth." Because, you know, that completely explains it! :)

Also, today was payday for Daniel which means budget balancing time. (Always fun. ;) It does give great opportunity to really see God at work as our Jehovah Jireh - Provider. He has in numerous ways proven Himself to be ever faithful in this area. Oftentimes we don't know quite how it all balances out. Don't get me wrong, we do have to shave things from the budget sometimes and tighten our belts, but we've never been unable to pay our bills.

We are big believers in tithing. I was raised with a dad that always wrote our tithe check first and somehow everything else would work out. Daniel also is a big giver, usually more than me. He likes to go above and beyond. :) Oh, sometimes it can look so tempting to skip it or lessen it, but honestly my conscience can not do that. We have never regretted our tithing decisions. We have only experienced blessings from it, and I'm not talking just monetary.

In this current economy the idea of tithing can sound a bit ridiculous, when you are feeling squeezed from all sides, but I would encourage you, if you're a believer and not tithing, just try it for a month. I believe tithing is the only thing mentioned in the Bible where God specifically tells us to test Him. (Malachi 3:10) You will reap great blessings!

Enough

2008-10-05T21:40:00.004-05:00

So, I had to try this Cutest Blog on the Block thing. They have TONS of cute, free backgrounds. If you have a blog, check them out. Also, super easy to use too. You can't beat that!

On a different note, my couple of local girlfriends that I have "Girls Night Out" evenings with, have been really busy and got a lot going on in their lives these days. I have been feeling pretty neglected and needy for some time away from the kiddos and I have a more than willing husband. I recharge by spending time with other people. I need people, adults specifically. :) I would happily go out with Daniel, but that means needing a babysitter, etc. So, I've been having various pity parties for myself and lamenting that I don't have more friend options for this area, you get the point. :) Well, today in church I felt like God was asking me, aren't I enough? Do you need more than ME? Obviously not, but my gosh darn flesh is being "fleshly," and I'm really quite good at pity parties. (Just ask my husband and sisters!) So, I am trying to get some perspective and when the whining starts, I am going to remind myself that Jesus IS enough. I know He is, I just need to live it. Which is easier said, than done.

Nature Walk

2008-09-29T10:11:00.017-05:00

On Saturday we decided to go on a nature walk at our local college They made a very nice trail through some of the school property. It runs near the local Sand Creek.

Walking to the trail.

The beginning of Sandcreek trail.

Joanna - "Try to catch me!"

Abigail - she wanted me to read every sign we passed!

I was there, too. :)

Check out Hannah and Abigail's travel gear.

Hannah - our excited poser :)

Suppertime - We stopped and got Subway to take with us.

Isaac and Joanna - she's telling me that the sign says "bench" right, Mommy?

We attempted a family picture, using the timer mode for the first time. It worked out pretty well, though Jo's head is blocking some of Hannah's face.

I know this is blurry, but I was walking and taking pictures at the same time! :)

Daniel and I

We followed a smaller trail and came out on a dirt road near this farm.

Hannah and Joanna running down the bike path back to the car. (I don't know how they still had energy to run. Maybe because there were cookies at the car!)

They had so much fun! We'll definitely come back here often.

I took a little bit of video on my camera when we first started the trail.

"Fireproof" Date Night

2008-09-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

We went to go see the movie Fireproof last night. It's a really great movie and we would definitely recommend it to all couples! So, try to make an opportunity to go see it. :) It is just a wonderful reminder of getting your priorities straight concerning your marriage relationship. It also has some great comic relief!!

We attempted a couple of self portraits in the theater. :)

Wedding Weekend

2008-09-22T12:08:00.027-05:00

This weekend we went to a wedding in Manhattan, Kansas. Daniel's cousin, Josh, married his sweet girlfriend, Danele. We all really like her and are super happy for them! They had a somewhat eventful wedding (or reception technically), that will be quite memorable for years to come. Here's some pictures from our weekend.

The wedding party waiting for the ceremony to begin. They actually were all supposed to be waiting in a limo out of the heat, but it never showed. :(

The Moms of the bride and groom going over last minute details. On the left is Aunt Dory, Daniel's mom's sister. Follow that?

Daniel's nephew Caleb was the ring bearer. He was entertaining everyone all weekend! :)

Caleb and Danele's niece, Joss, walking down the aisle. Caleb was a perfect little gentleman. Cute!

Danele walking down the aisle with her brothers.

Our kids were getting a little antsy and hot, so Daniel took them back into the shade to watch.

Check out their enthusiasm. :)

Thus I ended up alone in our row. (Besides the dude I don't know sitting there!)

Vows

Caleb being a 5 year old! :)

I looked over and saw Daniel pointing the camera at me, so I thought we'd have a little fun.

They did unity sand. (I'm not sure what it's actually called) Where they each pour different colored sand into one vase to represent their lives blending together in marriage. Pretty cool.

The view from a bit further back.

At the end they came back and dismissed each aisle.

Abby and I sitting patiently awaiting our turn. She came back to sit with me for a bit.

About to give some hugs of congratulations.

Now to some of the other excitement. :) For the reception we went to the Wareham Theater. It's an old opera house built in the late 1800's, I believe. Everything was going well. We all ate dinner, there was lots of socializing, and the DJ had gone around and collected song requests. The bride and groom were getting ready for their first dance, when firemen arrived and told everyone to evacuate because there was a fire there. I was downstairs in the bathroom. Joanna had asked to go upstairs by herself while I was washing my hands. So, I said OK, and off she went to find all the other kids. They had played quite a bit in the balcony area. When I got upstairs I heard what was going on, then found Daniel. He went to look up in the balcony for the kids and I went down to the bathrooms to be sure Joanna had come up. When I got to the bottom of the stairs 2 firemen stopped me and told me to go back upstairs, so I told them I was just making sure my daughter wasn't down there. They said they would check and when I went back upstairs, Daniel had all 4 kids with him. (Big mommy sigh of relief!) We couldn't see any fire or smoke inside, so their wasn't mass panic or anything. When we got outside we found out the marquee sign was smoking.

The Manhattan Fire Dept. setting up the truck.

The firemen working on the sign.

Josh and Danele posing by their smoking Congrats sign

and a fire truck!

The kids thought the fire trucks were pretty cool, especially Isaac. He was quite intrigued and told us he wants to be a fireman!

We were across the street watching everything and there was a costume store right there. So, Daniel's Uncle Harry bought 2 firemen hats and the kids delivered them to Josh and Danele.

They graciously posed for a picture. :)

Then Uncle Harry generously bought out the store of all their firemen hats for the nieces and nephews. They loved that!!

"Thanks Uncle Harry!"

Unfortunately, the excitement wasn't quite done. One of the DJ's they hired ended up getting arrested. I only saw a little bit of what happened, but it was quite a scene! Here's a few pics. They aren't very clear, but it was night and Daniel wasn't able to get the best shots during the whole thing. :)

The DJ wasn't cooperating with the cops about anything and was being pretty belligerent, so that's what you get.

When things were wrapping up with the fire, the firemen were very friendly and passed out hats and stickers to anyone who wanted one.

Here we are walking over to get in on the action!

The firemen also offered to take the bride and groom up in the bucket. A nice way to end the whole thing!

Getting safety belts on.

Are you ready to do this?

Up, Up, and Away......

So, after almost 2 hours we were given the "all clear" and let back into the theater to continue with the dancing. Daniel and I were busy dancing the night away (with the kids, too!) that we didn't take anymore pictures! Around 11pm he took the kids back and I stayed to help clean up. We were there until about 1am. What a memorable experience! Oh, we found out that a pigeon had shorted out some wires in the sign and that was what caused the fire.

The next day we attempted to take a quick family picture with all the Ashers that were there. (We are missing Michelle's husband and 3 of her kids.) Later, I thought we should have taken a family picture with all of us dressed up for the wedding. I especially wished we'd thought to get one of just our fam! :( Oh well, too late.

Here's a few attempts:

Back Row: Michelle, Mom, Daniel, Me, Joanna, Brenda, Dad, and Heidi
Front Row: Caleb, Brian, Levi, Abigail, Mathias, Calista, Hannah, and Isaac

Mathias thought we were done and started to walk away. Brian's telling him to come back, look we're not done yet.

Mathias reluctantly returning. :)

September 7th

2008-09-15T13:51:00.003-05:00

September 7th is a very important date. It's my wonderful husband's birthday and I haven't posted for his birthday yet! Bad wife!

There are so many wonderful things to say about him. I love many things about this man. He is absolutely incredible to me! I couldn't have asked for a better man to run this race of life with and he definitely keeps things interesting! :)

I absolutely love just being with him. Do not underestimate this aspect of marriage! There certainly is a lot of "just being together" time in marriage. Sometimes alone, sometimes with children, with friends, with family, etc. It helps to have someone that it just comes naturally with. Stop and think for a minute, who would be your first choice to experience some amazing new adventure with, or the mundane tasks of daily life? Mine is always Daniel. (Except for maybe a chick flick! :) He is the best!

I know that I am spoiled and I don't appreciate him near enough. I will talk with friends or family and hear all types of marriage stories and situations - good ,bad, happy, sad, etc. and I always come back to the same thought. I am so happy that I married Daniel Asher! We have an amazing relationship that can only be credited to God.

We are both very "broken" individuals, with many annoying habits and such, but with God we truly become one. Don't get me wrong, we have our misunderstandings. We've brought each other to tears and had some really tough times, but we just come out stronger and loving each other more. I don't know how many times we have talked about how it's when we behave selfishly and make ourselves the priority that we have the biggest struggles in our marriage. I thank God that we have an open and honest relationship with each other and can really tell each other how we feel and know that the other person is really listening too. It's so amazing and freeing!

So, I'm just feeling really thankful and appreciative of him today. He is my now 33 year old husband of 8 1/2 years and still an amazing man! I look so forward to many, many more interesting years together. Happy Belated Birthday, Hon!!

(He is so often behind the camera, that I don't have many pics of him!)

Random Photo Post

2008-09-13T00:25:00.006-05:00

I was looking through some of my pictures and thought that I would post just some random ones.

Gotta have some bath time pictures! :)

Isaac and Joanna

One of Joanna's friends, Naomi, was over playing so I had to take some pictures.
Such cute little 3 year olds!

Notice Joanna's swimsuit. :)

Naomi - cute little red head!

Joanna - big smiles, fun times!

Isaac asleep with his beloved pocket knife.

One evening when I was out for a girl's night, Daniel took the kids to a park. They love going to the park! Some seesaw time.

Hannah and Isaac

Joanna and Hannah

Joanna

Now to some swings.

Joanna

Old style merry go round.

Hannah and Joanna

weeeeeeeeeee

There is a big dirt hill there and the kids loved playing on it.

Hannah, Joanna, and Isaac

Oh yeah, a boy's dreamland.

You just can't go near a drinking fountain and NOT take a drink!

Here's a mixture of girl toys and boy toys:

Abigail and Isaac playing together.

Pollies and Lincoln Logs

Fishing in Missouri with Grandpa.

Daddy, Hannah, and Joanna fishing together.

Abby's catch!

I told Isaac to smile for the camera and he did this goofy boy routine. Check out all the faces! :)

Daddy joining in! Silly boys! :)

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T10:35:00.008-05:00

We had so much fun over the weekend, that we forgot to take pictures. I only have about 6! :) So, mostly words will have to do.

One of the main reasons for this get together, besides great family time, was for all of us to meet Rebecca's new man, Jon. We all like him very much! He adores Rebecca and the feeling is definitely mutual. We will all continue to pray for God's clear direction and guidance. I am so happy and excited for her!!

I didn't think to get a picture of them until the night before they were leaving. So, this is it and they were pretty tired. I think they were operating on only about 4hrs of sleep at night. You know what it's like to be in love! ;)

Rebecca and Jon

Emily & Jason, Rebecca & Jon, Daniel, me, Hannah, and Abigail all went on a float down the Black River, Saturday. Also, Em and Jason's dog Benny came, too. It was a lot of fun! I said it was like marriage counseling trying to communicate and make the canoe do what you wanted it to do!! We were busy having so much fun, that we only snapped 2 pictures. We even brought our new underwater camera we bought for our trip to Hawaii. Oh well.

Stopped to play some Ultimate Frisbee in the water. It's quite difficult to move quickly in the water and on a rocky bottom to boot!

We did have a couple canoe tips, but only one casualty. Jason lost some nice sunglasses. :(

The girls had a blast! They moved around from canoe to canoe and everyone got a chance to experience the float with a curious little one who doesn't always help keep the boat "balanced and generally upright.". ;) Though I don't think the girls were responsible for any of the actual tippings.

Abby in her life jacket.

Daniel brought his snorkeling stuff to practice and attempt to teach me some before Hawaii. He found a quick little turtle and chased it around then caught it to bring back for Isaac to see. He absolutely loved it! He would carry it around all day if we let him. Here he is holding it.

Isaac with the turtle. He didn't want to let it go, even to eat. In fact, at one point the kids were having a donut for a snack and he really wanted one, but was so conflicted about having to put the turtle down first and wash his hands. You could see him standing there trying to decide what to do. So, his compassionate mommy offered to feed him the donut while he held onto the turtle. He thought that was a great idea!

See the joy!

He and all the kids liked it so much that we decided to bring it home and put it in Daniel's old frog tank. So, now we have a pet turtle named Genny. In honor of Gen and Waylon. (You know, the one that caught the lizard!) :)

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-03T21:53:00.003-05:00

I am hoping to post soon. We had a great family weekend in Missouri over Labor Day and I do have some pictures to post, too. So, hopefully soon. We are back into the school routine and life's "busy as usual." :)

The Lake

2008-08-12T20:53:00.012-05:00

We had some donuts for breakfast and notice they are already in their swimsuits. Right when they woke up they immediately asked when they could go in the lake. :)

We had them eat first and put sunscreen on, then we got in the lake around 9am.

We got life jackets and goggles and they had such fun splashing around.

A bit more serious here.

Relaxing on the beach and playing in the sand.

Pure joy!

Here's a sequence of pictures that Daniel took of Abigail running through the water to the beach. Mixed in the sand in the lake was this clay type stuff that stuck together really well and was fun to build with.

Abby - our little fish!

We were working on the backstroke a little bit.

There was a bit of activity on the lake, too. We saw some boats with tubers(?), jet skis, fishing boats, and more.

Watching some wave runners.

Serious swimmer

It took Isaac a little bit to get comfortable in the water. The waves were a new experience, but he soon figured it out! :) You can see how far away from me he is in this picture.

Joanna started to get a bit tired of being in the water all day long and spent some time relaxing in a chair watching everyone splash around.

Tired girl!

We didn't leave the lake until about 3:00pm or so. We did stop for a lunch break and told them they needed to rest for 1/2 an hour or so during the hottest part of the afternoon. It was seriously like 101 degrees or something. Not really recommended camping weather! We reapplied the sunscreen, but still got some sunburn. Ow!

We're looking forward to our next camping experience, this time with Hannah along. Maybe in September.....

Camping

2008-08-10T21:53:00.016-05:00

We bought a tent this past spring and have planned to use it sometime this summer, but time was flying by and summertime was coming to an end quickly. So, the first weekend in August we decided to spend one night at a local lake. Hannah was away with Grandma Asher for a women's conference, so she wasn't able to camp with us, but she had a Great time with Grandma!

We arrived and Daniel set up the tent with a friend, while the kids and I went to go pay.

When we got back it was all ready. Nice! :)

The kids trying out there beds for the night. They were super excited!! It took them forever to get to sleep. ;)

We waited til about 7:00 pm before we went to the lake because it was a very hot, sticky day in the low hundreds. So, after the tent was up and we had organized things a bit the sun was setting and made some good opportunities for pictures. So, we had a bit of a photo session.

Abby

Abby's reflection

Some sand, feet, and water pictures. :)

The lake was just beautiful with the sun setting. We had fun with our "photo shoot." :)

The kids were very patient while we were having fun.

Here they are watching us from shore.

The kids asked almost immediately when they could go swimming, so we said they could get in for just a little bit in their clothes, then change into their pj's.

Joanna and I enjoying the water.

Isaac and Abby having a blast!

The sunset was just beautiful.

Abby

Here's a view of our campsite at night.

Keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

The calm evening lake.

Pictures of the next day coming soon. Just think lake. We were in it pretty much all day long!

Exercise.....

2008-08-07T20:47:00.005-05:00

Gen asked me in a comment how my exercise was going, so I thought I would just post my answer. No "fantastic" results as of yet, but I'm trying to stay positive! I looked back at my calendar where I've been keeping track (since I don't remember such details very well). For the last 14 weeks straight I've exercised 5 times a week. By exercise I mean doing a 30-45 minute exercise video and sweating like crazy! (Not counting the Pilates I've been doing in the evenings for the last 4 weeks, too.)

I feel pretty good and I'm glad that I've kept with it, just disappointed in my lack of "results." At least what I consider results! :) I've only lost about 4 lbs. in the past 14 weeks. I'm happy for that, but was really hoping for more. :( The only thing that I've really noticed is that my wedding ring has gotten pretty loose and I'm gonna need to resize it soon.

So, I'm pretty much complaining here. :) Sorry! I've just got some frustration here!! Daniel and a couple of friends have said that they think I'm toning up, but it's just hard for me to see it on myself. A friend suggested I measure myself to see how many inches I lose, so I think that I might try that. What I've really been trying to do is not let myself get too down and just throw my hands in the air and quit. I will not be a quitter! So, I'm gonna keep truckin' and we'll see what happens. I've got 3 months left until we leave for Hawaii, so I'm not gonna stop now! :)

Thanks for "listening."

"Grandma's Creek"

2008-07-31T21:14:00.018-05:00

The time at the creek was definitely a highlight of the weekend! Thus we have LOTS of pictures of our time there. Here's a little variety for you.

Here's some pictures of the creek without any people in them.

Just getting in. It's a little chilly at first!

Carrie, Hannah, Abby, and Isaac enjoying a little waterfall.

Mommy, Isaac, and Joanna

Hannah

Noodles are a fun toy in the creek, but you have to make sure they don't get away from you!

Mommy and Joanna sharing a noodle.

There are several little waterfalls around and the kids enjoyed trying to "ride" them like water slides. Here's Abby going for it.

Now Hannah's turn.

We also enjoyed putting our heads and backs under the stronger ones. Like a little water massage! :)

Isaac

My turn.

Now with a different camera setting. That one was pretty strong. I had to put my foot against a rock to keep myself there.

Richard also did a little fishing while we were swimming around.

Daniel found a crawdad and then we all decided to go crawfish hunting for bait. We caught quite a few. They can be fast little buggers!

Abigail checking out the finds.

Joanna did a fair bit of just sitting in the water and playing with the rocks around her.

Getting her toes wet.

Doing some exploring with Mommy.

Sitting with Mommy.

"I Love You!"

Our family all together in the creek. Fun times!!

If any of you are wanting to play around in "Grandma's Creek" too, just visit Koinania in Black, Missouri! ;)

"Those" People!

2008-07-22T21:45:00.015-05:00

Well, I have become one of "those" people. You know, the ones who have a blog, but post so infrequently that it gets frustrating and annoying and you wonder if they're still alive? I have become one of "them"! :) I really do have good intentions of getting back into posting regularly and doing better, but it just doesn't seem to happen! So, here's just a little somethin' for ya!

We had a nice long weekend in Missouri. My cousin's family came down too, and it was really nice to catch up! We saw the horses get their hooves trimmed, spent an afternoon at Grandma's creek, went fishing, made s'mores, helped Grandpa clean up his garage, and had lots of fun!!

Here are a few pics of our adventures! I'll post some now and more a little later.

The kids watching the shoer.

Isaac watching intently.

The shoer busy at work. He was very nice and gave each of the kids an old horseshoe. They loved it!

Joanna and me petting Stretch.

Isaac's turn. He would have stayed there all day if we'd let him. :)

Joanna and Isaac talking to the horses.

The kids sitting on the gate.

It's hard to tell, but the kids are petting a tiny kitten. It was only a few days old!

Helping Grandpa in the garage.

They enjoyed operating the engine hoist.

Isaac being silly! He loves being a big helper boy to Grandpa!

Joanna finding treasures in the trash can.

So, Isaac feels a need to investigate, too.

Look at that dirty face!

So busy and serious.

Creek pictures to come next.....

Update

2008-07-12T22:55:00.003-05:00

We are having some computer problems. It looks like we will need to get a new desktop computer. :( So, I can only use Daniel's laptop and most days he has it at work with him. Also, this summer has turned out to be quite busy. So, I really haven't had much computer time.

We finished school this past Friday, and now we're off for about a month. Yeah! The girls are doing really well, and I enjoy seeing them catch on and learn so many new ideas, concepts, etc!

We're heading out to visit my parents in Missouri next weekend. The kids are getting so excited, and so are we! :) Maybe pictures?? We'll see.

Now that school is done, I'm hoping to have a bit more "free" time (haha) to blog more.

Thanks for your patience!

I'm still here....

2008-06-18T13:28:00.006-05:00

So, I know that I haven't posted in quite awhile. I have been very remiss. My apologies.

I have a myriad of excuses, but I will give you just a few. One is that the time of day that I would usually post is now when I do my exercise DVD. I have been sweating like crazy, no fantastic results of yet. (I do plan to post pics of me all fit, trimmed, and hot in the near future! ;)

Actually, I'm hoping by November because I recently found out that Daniel and I will be going on a trip to Hawaii, if we can get all the little details worked out. (These are some times I really appreciate homeschooling!) The business earned 2 all expenses paid trips to Hawaii and his parents generously gave them to Daniel and Brian. For anyone who knows me, that is one place I have always said that I would love to go!! So, I'm totally jazzed and now I'm working even harder to lose those last 25 pounds! (Which actually sounds impossible right now, since I feel as though I've been working on losing weight for the last 7 years! BUT I will never give up!!)

Also, we are still working on finishing up first grade. There are so many basic principles to learn at this stage. We've really tried to go a bit slow to let it all sink in. The girls are doing great! They seem to grasp new things well and file it all up in their brains somewhere. We're working on being done by July 4th.

I do also have some pics I want to upload on here, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Nothing too exciting, just fun. We've been enjoying all the great weather for playing outside. I want to let them enjoy it as much as possible before we get some crazy hot Kansas weather.

Tomorrow evening we go to Kansas City to pick up my sister Rebecca to enjoy our Christmas gift from her. She is coming out for about 5 days and Daniel and I can do whatever we want while she spends lots of quality time with her nieces and nephew. :) We are planning on staying one night in a hotel and lots of hanging out and play time all together. We are really excited, especially the kids!!

So, signing off for now, but hopefully more to come sooner rather than later....

Tag Time!

2008-06-04T09:44:00.012-05:00

I got tagged by Tulipgirl and thought that I would actually try to post something on my blog! :) So, here goes:

If you came to my house. . .

You would see:
My new (to me) couch and loveseats, a variety of pictures of my family, several Scripture prints, and I'm sure quite a few toys lying around!

We’d probably feed you:
Papa Murphy's Take-n-Bake pizzas. (If you know me, at least some type of pizza at some point!)

And offer you this to drink:
Water, soda, or juice. If we're feeling fun, maybe a Smirnoff. ;)

We’d undoubtedly ask if you’d read:
Hmmmm.... Maybe Lord of the Rings or Dr. Seuss?

We’d want to play this music for you:
Well, I mostly listen to the radio, so KLOVE. (I spend most of my time with friends talking, not listening to music! :)

We’d want to tell you the latest about:
What our kids are up to, homeschooling, or the family business

We’d probably suggest a game of:
Cranium or Canasta

We might/would definitely show off:
Our kids silly antics

We might get on the computer and show you:
Some of our favorite pictures, including our trip to England.

If it was a long enough visit, we might watch:
Depends on the person.....home videos, chick flick, action/adventure?

After reading my answers, my house actually sounds a bit boring. Believe me, it rarely is! Between spilled juice, sibling issues, homeschooling, house cleaning, bath time, outside time, etc, etc. boring would definitely not be the word for it. You've just got to experience us! ;)

What would a visit to your house be like?

So, I'm supposed to tag some other folks. Let's say:

Emily posted
Sara posted
Heather
Lesli
Gretchen

Our Jojo!

2008-05-29T11:03:00.010-05:00

Today my little Joanna turned 3 years old! I can't believe it's been 3 years. She entered the world with a fair amount of drama (emergency C-Section) and continues to have a flair for the dramatic! :) She always keeps us laughing, especially with her many facial expressions. She tries her hardest to keep up with her brother and sisters and is quite a determined one. She will attempt to convince us that she's 5, not 3, so she can have gum, but we know how to count a little better than her! Some words that I would use to describe her would be: feisty, lovable, hilarious, adorable, entertaining, sweet, stubborn, and cuddly just to name a few. Here are some pics of our now 3 year old girly.

Happy Birthday Jo!

Joanna and Mommy the day she was born.

Joanna about 2 1/2 months old. She loved to play with her tongue!

Jojo with big sis Hannah.

Sleepy baby.

Our little hippie!

Winter fun.

Always the ham! :)

and full of smiles, too.

Gettin' ready for the cold...

Such a great helper, too.

Happy girl!

I actually got this ready on her birthday, but it didn't get posted until today. I have been tagged by Tulipgirl, and hope to post soon.....

Pics as Promised

2008-05-12T23:53:00.010-05:00

I brought my camera with me, but I'm not very good at remembering to actually take the pictures! In fact, when Daniel called me Friday night he said, "Don't forget to take pictures!" That's the only reason I have any at all. :) They barely capture all we did together.

Abigail and I headed out Friday morning to St. Louis. We met up with my sisters, then my parents came through and picked up Abby. They took her with them to visit my Grandparents in Springfield. So, my sisters and I had some great "just sisters time" in St. Louis.

Here's Rebecca, Emily, and I taking a self portrait at the hotel we stayed at in St. Louis. They had a nice hot tub that we relaxed in and just talked for awhile. Talking is what we Wiltberger sisters do best!

We went to the Broadway Oyster Bar there in St. Louis for lunch on Saturday. Rebecca was craving crawfish etoufee. :) The food was tasty, but their bread pudding was definitely the highlight. I know, I know, bread pudding?! But it was some of the best we've ever tasted and I'm not a huge fan of it, either. Sorry I didn't get any pictures there.

We did a lot of driving and talking. We headed up to Springfield on Saturday for Alice's big surprise. We all called her from our cell phones throughout the day to wish her a Happy Birthday and try to throw her off the scent. That's why Rebecca's on the phone in this picture.

Emily was our driver, so I took a picture of her doin' her thang. Thanks Em!

I had the shortest legs, so that means that I got the back seat in her 2 door car.

Rebecca talking to Alice and posing for a picture simultaneously. :) Emily and I were the quietest we'd been in awhile!

Emily brought stuff to do pedicures while we were with Alice, so we decided to stop at Walmart and buy a few more nail color options.

As you can see we tried them on to decide which ones we liked.

I tried to get a picture of Alice's surprised face, but my camera went off too soon and I only have a blurry picture of the back of her head. She was very surprised!

We headed out to Olive Garden for supper and dessert. Alice had already eaten because we surprised her and Brian at the restaurant, but us sisters were hungry. :)

We headed back to the hotel and swam in the pool for a bit. Well, I say swam, but we really just stood in the pool and talked & laughed. When the pool closed we headed back to our suite and all got into the HUGE whirlpool tub and talked & laughed some more.

This is a picture to show you the size of the tub. It was huge!

After our soak, we did pedicures. Emily was the kind one to do Alice's feet, since she's 8 months pregnant and can't reach her toes too well. ;) We stayed up to around 2am talking about anything and everything. The next day we tried to take a picture of our toes all done. Here's a couple of our tries.

We enjoyed a wonderful room service breakfast. A new experience for me! (There was a miscommunication between hotel staff, or actually no communication, concerning breakfast, so we had a little hiccup, but we got it all straightened out in the end.)

We posed for a picture of us all together.

Afterwards we dropped Alice off at home and headed over to visit my Grandparents for a bit.

Here's Grandma, Mom, my sisters & me, and Abigail.

Abigail had a blast with all her Grandparents and had a variety of treasures to take home for everyone. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!! Also, thanks to Daniel for blessing me with this weekend of girl time!

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-12T13:50:00.003-05:00

I had a Wonderful Mother's Day weekend! My husband blessed me and kept 3 kiddos while I had a "Girls Weekend!" I met my sisters in St. Louis and we had a fun night together, then we headed to Springfield, IL. and surprised my cousin, Alice for her 30th birthday! We had such a fun time all together. It's amazing how quickly grown women can become silly teenagers again! :) I am planning to get some pictures up soon.....

Alice (Dahl) Hendricks

2008-05-05T11:12:00.002-05:00

For any of you that might know my cousin Alice, she is turning the big 3-0 this Saturday, May 10th! Her husband, Brian, is planning a few surprises for her including a card shower. We want her to be blessed by a ton of cards and e-mails! So, if you want to send her something, just leave me a comment and I will get her snail mail or e-mail address to you.

Thanks So Much!

Poems and Pictures

2008-04-23T17:18:00.007-05:00

Today in school we wrote kite poems. We were supposed to write one about Rosa Parks and here's what we came up with.

Rosa
Black, Strong
Brave, Fair, Important
Right, Mother
Parks

Then I decided to write a kite poem for Hannah and Abigail.

Hannah
Sweet, Kind
Leader, Helper, Sister
Creative, Caring
Asher

Abigail
Silly, Sensitive
Wild, Kind, Funny
Helpful, Sister
Asher

Here are some pictures of what you can get when you let kids have control of the camera for a bit. :)

We took the kids to see "Horton Hears A Who" a couple weeks ago. It was a fun experience, though I spent quite a bit of time walking to and from the bathrooms. (Some of them thought that was more fun than the movie!) We tried to take a picture of us in the theater, but they came out a bit dark.

While I was vacuuming the other day, Joanna really wanted me to hold her. So, this was our compromise. :)

Some playful pictures...

Kiss anyone?

Apology

2008-04-22T10:40:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posting of late. Life has been pretty busy. Besides the normal home, church, school, etc. Last week I went down to Wichita for Commercial Laundry Sales and Service (Daniel's Family's Business) for an open house. I was the "Grill Master" for the event. :)

Then on Friday and Saturday I had a Garage Sale. It went pretty well and I am so happy to have lots of stuff a.k.a. junk, out of my house! We also got a bunk bed for Abigail and Isaac, so we are still in the process of rearranging all the bedrooms, dressers, etc.

On Friday we leave for a trip to Missouri to see my parents and cousins I haven't seen in a long time. We will be there for about a week and we are so looking forward to it!!

Plus, I'm working on plans for a trip in about 3 weeks when I get to spend some wonderful time with my sisters! Yeah!!

Needless to say, there's a lot going on. Oh yeah, and we almost bought a new house, but our offer wasn't accepted. So, now we are just focusing on getting this house ready to sell and planning to move in a year or so. We will stay here in town, just looking for a bigger house. You know 6 people in a 900 square foot house, (we do have a full unfinished basement, but it's pretty much just storage area.) we'd like a little more room. :)

Well, I have rambled long enough. I hope to post more often when things settle down around here. I should have lots of pictures from this trip....

Pout

2008-04-09T20:24:00.004-05:00

I actually have downloaded some pictures already, but I haven't gotten them organized yet. So, hopefully a new post with pictures soon! I did think that I would give you a little tidbit of a post still.

The other day Hannah was pouting about not getting her way with something. So, afterwards I was talking with her about it and when I mentioned her pouting she said, "I didn't mean to pout Mommy, but it just came onto my face so fast that I couldn't get it off!"

Then we had a Mom trying not to laugh and still teach about good behaviour when we don't get our way! :)

Grace

2008-03-28T11:42:00.003-05:00

Phil Wickham is one of my favorite artists, and I especially love this song. Enjoy!

Grace.... what a truly amazing thing.