The little things of Love

Just a note to say how much I love my husband...my "Love" as I call him. Here are a few things from the past few days that I have noticed...

1-he calls the boys before school to make sure they know he loves them and he prays they have great days AND he leaves us all notes

2-he calls after school to check in on their days and their football and wants to hear all about it

3-he loves that his Mom made his favorite peach pie while she was here

4-he happily gets up at all hours of the night to get Max out of his crib to bring him to me

5-he wants to help so I don't get overtired when we have guests

6-he took his Dad along with him for work yesterday and made sure his Dad wouldn't get bored, lined up a customer to spend time with his Dad, so his Dad wouldn't have to SIT all day at a plot day

7-he made sure the pop for his customers was chilled ice cold (at the plot day of his customers), because he KNOWS he doesn't like luke warm pop so why would he not do his best to get pop cold for others

8-he thanked me for doing the laundry

9-he thanked me for making dinner

10-he took Jack along to the Farm Progress show today, with his Dad as well, but took Jack just because he KNOWS how much Jack loves stuff like that. It would have been easier just to bring his Dad and not both. But that's not who he is.

11-he holds my hand and prays with me...and that's how I fall asleep with his arm around me and his hand in mine. SIGH*

I am so grateful...the little things DO matter. And I DO notice them Love, thanks!

Bloggy blues and rambling

I haven't written much on the blog...frankly I have the bloggy blues. Nothing serious, I just am frustrated that I cannot upload pictures right now. I did go to the Apple store today to find out I need to purchase a large external hard drive in order to be able to add any more to this computer, then I need to transfer my photos onto the hard drive.

3 things,

1. I don't like spending money on a hard drive,

2. They didn't have them at Apple so now I have to shop and find what I need, which I don't completely even understand what 2T in computer lingo means,

3. I then have to go back into the Apple store and meet with a Genius there to teach me how to do this. All while my Apple One on One sessions, which you get a membership to when you buy and Apple, is now expired since I have had our mac for 3 years. Oh and in order to renew it, you have to purchase a new computer. Nice trick huh?

UGH UGH UGH Long story short...I can't upload pictures until I do any of that. Which, with a baby and 3 busy boys, will be at least a week, maybe 2.

IF I could upload pictures you could see...

-some sweet ones from our trip to the cabin in August, Alice and Tommy making brownies, Max in the boat laughing, Jack doing go carts

-Drew getting his new glasses

-The fun photo shoot Better Homes and Gardens did here on Thursday, super interesting to watch how they do it all. They were here from 8:00-5:15. LONG day

-Sweet pics of baby Max, thinking he should crawl yet his family makes him sit up every time he almost does it. Trying to keep that from happening as long as possible

But since I cannot get any pics off my camera you will just have to wait...and so will I, which isn't a strength of mine.

I will tell you that with the first complete week of school under our belt, things are feeling good. Tommy has made it the last 2 days without being stressed...whew. Drew is LOVING his teacher and school, Jack is settling into his new class and really into amphibians right now. Teaching Max to call his toy frog an amphibian even.

Football is fun for Tommy and Drew. They both LOVE it. Jack's starts on Tuesday, he is very excited.

Max and I are working on getting into a fall routine, he has been sleeping until after 4am the last few nights which is a HUGE success.

OH and I WON something...I never win anything...but my friend Kristen, from college, had a giveaway on her blog for a dozen cookies a month. And guess what I WON. So we will look forward to getting cookies or bars monthly from her...what a treat!

Drew got contacts on Tuesday and really likes them. Glasses for 2 weeks and now contacts. He loves them for sports. He keeps saying the world has turned into HD. Sweet kid.

Scott's parents come tomorrow from Ohio, they will be here until tuesday. They are coming for the farm progress show. But secretly I am hoping that my Mother in law will make pies, help with the pile of ironing and make some homemade applesauce for our freezer. It will be nice to have them here and for them to see the boys. They haven't been here since Max was 1 month old and haven't seen the boys since we were there in March. BIG changes around here since then....

Enough rambling. I may go snuggle in for the news. Scott, Tommy and Drew aren't home yet from the Des Moines Christian High School football game..it was 45 minutes from here.

:)

Teeth

Max is getting his top two teeth. One poked through in the night..the other will be soon to follow. Wish he would quit growing up...

*sigh*

The Iowa State Fair 2010

The Iowa State Fair just concluded. I was able to get the computer to upload some pics, it decided to cooperate today.

Scott took each of the boys for their fair day with Dad, fair half days this year. They enjoy it so much, love the one on one time, and get to do the stuff they really love. They each have their favorite things to do. It helps that they do those trips, then when we go as a family we don't have nearly the long list of places to get to...since they have each already done them.

JACK'S FAIR DAY

Jack's day consists of tractors, sprayers, cookies, baby animals and the slide

What Jack likes to do...

cookies on Jack's day

DREW'S FAIR DAY

Drew's day consists of all animals, cookies, porkchops, RV's, giant slide and more animals

TOMMY'S FAIR DAY

Tommy's Day consists of rides, more rides, cookies, lemonades, the giant slide and hanging out

We went as a family last Sunday as well, it was nice and not too hot the day we went. We always take the bus down from the Capitol. The boys ALL love that experience and we find it an easy place to park We ALWAYS eat the same stuff, every year. Super predictable. We eat the Warm Chocolate Chip cookies, a meal at the pork tent, AE milk, lemonade shake ups, hard boiled eggs...sometimes we venture down for a milkshake and once in awhile Tommy gets a funnel cake. But other than that, we stick to the basics.

FAMILY FAIR DAY

First bus ride ever

the boys race

Max was either HERE...in the backpack

or HERE in the Peanut Shell

We take a picture HERE every year.

Tommy still followed along at Little Hands on the Farm

bus ride home

Picture Perfect Magazine

One of the standard comments I have heard through the years of marriage from my Love is the following, "The house looks great! You have such high expectations for it, it's not like there is a magazine shoot here today. Relax. Our house is cleaner than most." Okay so I like a really REALLY clean house, my dream would be to have everything labeled and looking like Martha Stewart just walked out the door. EVERYTHING! But hey, that's not reality. Hasn't been reality since Tommy was born and certainly isn't after sweet baby #4.

Here is the funny thing ABOUT his specific comment...This Thursday there actually IS a magazine shoot taking place in our house. So yes the house really DOES need to be that clean this week, there will be a magazine here along with 6-8 other people moving stuff around to make it look picture perfect, editor, prop person, photographers etc. The Quilting Magazine, a division of Better Homes and Gardens, based in Des Moines is coming Thursday for the day to take photos for their winter magazine. So not only do I need the main floor spotless, but our bedroom and they even said possibly our basement family room need to be camera ready too.

So this week there is a lot of pressure to the cleaning of the house....it should be fun to see how they pull together magazine photos. They also asked if they could use sweet Max in a few photos of a quilt ball that is made for babies, so not sure if just his little hands and feet will be in it or all of him, but he will make his modeling debut.

Best news of the week

Dad had his follow up appointment today re: his prostate cancer. We weren't expecting any new information, this soon. We didn't expect his PSA number to really have changed a whole lot since it's only been 10 days since his final radiation....

BUT GUESS WHAT?? His numbers were drastically down. From somewhere around a 7 to .06. That means the radiation has worked and the cancer is ZAPPED! God did it! He zapped that cancer right out of here!

Best news of the week...so so very grateful to God for this miracle. We are going to pray that he remains cancer free forever! His next check up is in 6 months. I cried happy tears and tears AND more tears of joy when my Mom called!

Love you Dad...love you love you LOVE YOU! XOXO

What was I thinking?

Yesterday I noted that it might take me a week or a little longer to get the house organized again after the summer with everyone home....WHAT WAS I THINKING?

After getting the lego's organized in the sunroom yesterday, aka Green Room. I got the ceramic tile moped and the boys school stuff from last year bundled for the basement storage room school boxes...hmm that was it. No laundry done, no closets cleaned, no paperwork filed, no weeds pulled, no storage room cleaned, no scrapbooking done, no computer stuff figured out, no groceries bought...

Let me restate this, it may take me the next 6 months to get the house back to organized...I think I had forgotten one very small detail when I was thinking a week or 2....and I mean small and very sweet. I somehow forgot that there is a little guy named Max that is my current sidekick. Love him to pieces, but he certainly doesn't want me cleaning and organizing my days away. And I am grateful for his sweet little smile as my reminder.

First day of school....sigh

Our boys...

Tommy-7th grade

Drew (in his brand new glasses)-5th grade

Jack-2nd grade

The morning came, it is the first day of school yet again. We had one nervous jr high boy, he was already crying when I got up this morning. He is always worried on the first day of school, but this year it is a big change with 8 classes, passing time and a locker oh and football practice right after school. I am sure once he saw his buddies, and realized he is not the ONLY one who is new at the Jr High thing he will be fine.

Jack was perky and super excited for school. Drew was a little nervous, but for the most part very excited. He was most concerned over the shorts he was going to wear to school since he knew he had PE today...Mom wanted khaki shorts for all 3 but as you can see in the photos...I decided to let that one go. Choose your battles right?! :) 20 years from now it will not matter what shorts they wore to school and what shorts are in the pictures, right?!

walking into Junior High (tears on my face as I took this, under my sunglasses of course)

*sigh*

Jack and Mrs. Zonnefeld

Jack at his desk

Drew and Mrs. Keithley

I am back home and Max is napping..it will take me a couple of weeks, not kidding, to get the house back into some sense of order and organization. Maybe even longer. But we are home. I am not one who likes to meet friends for coffee after the first day of school drop off, I just like to come home and be here. I can cry a little if I want to and no one sees it. :)

sigh here we go onto another school year...

Summer ends

This is the last night of summer at our house, the backpacks are on the hooks ready to go to school in the morning. Tomorrow is the first day of school. I hope I can get my iPhoto to cooperate for a few pictures in the morning to share on the first day of school 2010.

We went to school today loaded up with all of the boys supplies, we met Drew and Jack's teachers in the elementary building. Drew will be in 5th grade with Mrs. Keithley, who we LOVE Tommy had her as well. Jack has Mrs. Zonnefeld or Mrs Zonn for short, she seems wonderful and lovely as well. Jack was most excited. Then we took the long walk down the hallway to the secondary building for the 7th grader Tommy, to find his locker, find his classrooms, meet his teachers and most importantly, learn how to work the combination on his locker. Can I tell you how VERY grateful I am that we are at a small school, that the transition to Jr High is literally a hallway away. That the secondary building is just the other half of the big building that is our school Seems so much less traumatic to me. Of course I say that now, I am sure there will be tears in the morning for both Tommy and me, there ALWAYS are....

Praying for the school year to be a great experience for all 3 of them this year, for great friendships to be built and sustained.

Tomorrow will be a new normal for Max and for me, it will be odd to have the house so quiet once again. I will miss them, Max will probably miss them even more. If you see me in the morning, I will be the one crying behind my sunglasses. Always have and I am sure I always will....love our boys. They are growing up fast 7th, 5th and 2nd grade...WOW!

Guess what Dad?

Tommy started Des Moines Christian 7th grade football practice last week...he is really liking it. Of course, they aren't wearing pads yet...but the fact that it was 110 each day of practice last week and he still loved it was a positive thing. He was "trying out" for the Quarterback position. He has never played tackle football, only flag, but has always loved to play QB. Today as I waited for him to come to the car from practice I saw the coach put his hands on both of Tommy's shoulders and talk with him...I could see Tommy nodding. I had NO idea what the conversation was....

Tommy ran to the car and literally with tears in his eyes, but not crying, he climbed in. I asked him what the coach was talking to him about, I assumed he had been hurt at practice and the coach was telling him to toughen up, to stick it out...he looked over at me and said in the proudest voice "Mom, I got the job. I am the starting Quarterback. And the coach even said I might get a shot to play a little on the 8th grade team"...he was SO excited. It was precious. He then wanted to call his Dad, so he did and the second he heard Scott's voice he started BAWLING...poor Scott I think he thought he had been hurt. And he told his Daddy "Guess what Dad? I am going to be the quarterback"

Precious moments...then he had to call his Poppy. Poppy is one of the biggest football fans we know. He was excited to tell him too.

Practice with pads starts on Wednesday...hope he still loves football then.

38,000 photo limit? Really?

I cannot get pictures to upload onto the computer...argh.. Says my iphoto is full, which it could be with the amount of pics on there. But I am annoyed. Have a bunch from the cabin, some from the reunion, some from the ICubs game and some from the boys fun project today. It will all have to wait until I can figure out how to make room for more on the computer...with the Iowa State Fair coming up and back to school this is especially frustrating for me.

It's been a very busy week. It is nasty hot, Grandma don't worry we aren't flooded here, just HOT. The weather guy says it is supposed to cool off by tomorrow night, humidity and all, I sure hope he is right. YUCK.

South Dakota Linebackers

There is a fun story behind this picture of my Dad with Chad Greenway and Ben Leber. They are all from South Dakota (including Dad) and both linebackers for the Vikings. Dad played linebacker in HS and then center in college. Chad Greenway has always been so nice to Dad, and is always especially nice when asked to meet and greet fans. IF you are looking for a guy to cheer for and follow I would suggest him. He is always more than kind to our boys, he is one of their top 2 favorite NFL players because of it.

Here is the story behind the photos and one of the bazillion reasons I adore my Dad. Scott has a customer from near Iowa City who has an adult son with a disability. Scott was talking with his customer last week and was reminded how this young man, Jeff, loves 3 things in life. His Grandpa, the Cubs and the Vikings. Just about that time the boys were headed the Vikings Training Camp with Grandpa for the day (yes I am behind on blogging will post that when I catch up)...Scott asked my Dad if there was any possible way to get the same sideline passes and player meet and greets for Jeff. Leave it up to Dad to get it all organized...he lined up everything and the Merschmans drove up to Mankato yesterday for the camp. This is the best part...here was Jeff's response to the day to his Dad..."Dad, this is paradise. This is the best day of my life."

Sydney Rice with Joe and his son Jeff

Dad with Jeff

Jared Allen and Jeff

Meeting Chad Greenway, Jeff's favorite since he played for Iowa too.

Chad and Jeff

Worth every second of effort on Dad's part. Thanks Dad for being the kind of guy that LOVES to give, help and care for others. You are one in a trillion. Love YOU! Love helping others, wish I could have been there to watch it all in person. There is NOTHING that feels better than to give to others!

Momma to four boys

Had some pictures taken of the boys yesterday...it was HOT and STICKY out. I haven't seen all of the proofs yet but here is a preview of the ones I have seen. I hope there are some others that turned out sweet too. I love pictures.

Max- 7 months

Jack- 7.5 years old

Drew-11 years old

Tommy-13 years old

I love our boys....love being the Momma of four boys!

7 months old

Where is the time going? Our baby Max is 7 months old. He is so fun and so sweet. We continue to adore him and all ooh and ahh over him daily. He could possibly be, the MOST LOVED baby of all time with all of the attention he gets from his big brothers. It is so much fun to watch them loving on him. I find myself saying "give him space", "stop kissing him", "please quit touching him", "please don't fight over him, you will all get a turn"...many times during the day. There will be some shock around here next week when the boys go to school. Max will wonder where everyone is all day long.

Max is almost sitting up completely on his own, is starting to make sounds, baba and dadada are his favorites. He loves to laugh a very hearty baby laugh, he is learning how to eat baby food and working on a sippy cup, he is starting to smile for the camera. He knows his name as Max, Buddy and Bubba and looks at you when any of them are called. He continues to get up in the night to nurse, some nights more than others. He loves to snuggle in bed with his Momma and daddy. He thinks his brothers are about the funniest guys he has ever met.

He is pure joy for all of us.

We love you Max!

Celebrating

We are celebrating that it is 4:24 pm and my Dad is having his last radiation treatment! 40 radiation treatments is a lot, Dad is tired out and we are all ready for them to be done. We PRAY PRAY PRAY that they worked and did what they needed to do to zap out the cancer! We will know more on the levels in another month.

But for now we will celebrate the end of this stage! And we will pray for complete and total healing from this cancer stuff! We celebrate that Dad won't be so tied to being home everyday and has more freedom to go to the cabin, here and anywhere he wants to be without needing to be in town at 4:24 every day!

We love you Dad!

XOXO

Reunion

A quick note to say my 20th HS reunion was super fun this past weekend! I haven't had a chance to upload pictures yet but did get this one scanned in of Shelley, Leanne and myself in the fun photo booth. I have more to share but trying to get caught up on other stuff today...

Max was a perfect baby on Saturday night...he was happy, social and smiling all night long! He looked so cute, matching his sweet Daddy.

More later...

Sad news

It is with a sad heart that I share with you this news, Cara's beloved Mom Jean, left this world a little after midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning. She left to the sounds of her family singing hymns to her and praying her all the way to heaven.

We were grateful that God had us in Edina, Scott was at Mike and Cara's house in the night with the kids while they slept, and while Jean passed away. We were able to be there to help with Charlie and Alice the following days. We were able to hug Cara and Mike. There are no words to express how sorry we are for their loss, for the void they now feel. Makes my heart ache.

Please pray for them, pray for the Larson family as well. This came so sudden, there is so much shock and disbelief. We are grateful for the promise of heaven to those who believe, and the promise of a new body in heaven. God knows the plan, we certainly do not.

Thanks friends...

PS A special thanks to my friend Leanne for bringing food for the kiddos and me, Friday morning while I was carless.