Playing in the Snow!

 For Christmas Henry got a sled. Unfortunately, we didn't have very much snow so he didn't get a chance to try it out until the end of January. We finally had enough snow to take it to a nearby park.

 There was a small hill that was perfect for beginning sledders. All three of them took turns on it and had a blast doing so.

 There was playground equipment and a slide to play on as well. We discovered that there is also a very small ice skating rink set up at this park. The kids don't have ice skates, but if winter has finally hit us we may get some.

 We got a lot of snow here Thursday and Friday. I think it was 10 inches. While I hate it the kids were out playing in it yesterday and it does make for good sledding. I think the nearby Meijer may have some sleds on sale. I think Irene would like her own.

 The children had no school on Friday. They went out and jumped around in the snow and tried to shovel. The snow is so wet and heavy that it was hard for them to pick up the shovel. When they came in they were drenched. Hot chocolate was given out to warm them up.

At least the kids can enjoy the snow!

A Doctor!

Since we've moved down here a year and a half ago we have not been able to find doctors in the area. No one here takes our insurance. Well, that isn't entirely true. There is a Spanish speaking clinic and a free clinic in a terrible part of town that will take us, but that is it.

I spoke with the insurance company and they said that we could go pretty much anywhere as long as the office was willing to bill our insurance. I found one in our town that listed the insurance on their website. When I called them though, holy cow! You'd think I had asked them to part the sea! Talk about rude and nasty. The woman on the phone was absolutely offend that I suggested that they take the insurance. I told her it is on their website. Hmm, as for her answer...the gist of it being that I must not be able to read. Customer service must not be high on their list. I wouldn't go there even if they did accept our insurance.

I would check the insurance site once a week in the hope that a new one would pop up. Then one week I got a shock. New doctors! Only 20 minutes from our house! I immediately called Mark with the info so he could call for an appointment. He was in the most need of going. He called and yes, they just started taking the insurance. Mark would be the first one signed up. He went in and liked the doctor, the office and how things were handled. We decided to sign the kids up, too. Unfortunately, I have a different insurance plan then Mark and the kids, so I didn't get to sign up. Still, happiness for a doctor nearby!

We took the kids in for a well child check-up. The office was easy to get to and nice. They even have a big room that is all play area for kids. The doctor we saw (the same one Mark saw) was excellent and easily handled my three monkeys.

Thankfully, we found this office. At the appointment the doctor found that Irene had a very swollen lymph node on her right side. Since she had been sick two weeks before the appointment we all figured it was from that. The doctor said to keep an eye on it. About two week later she told me her neck hurt. The huge gland was still there, but a hard, marble-like node had popped up lower down her neck. A day later another one popped out between the marble one and the huge one.

We went back to the doctor. This time it was the other doctor in the practice. He was also very good with her. He measured the lymph nodes and also found that her tonsil on that side is swollen. Since she has no other symptoms he couldn't give a definite diagnosis. We are on a 'wait and see' for six weeks. It is possible that the infection she had back at Christmas just settled in those glands and it is taking a while for them to go down. If they go away and no other symptoms or problems appear then all is good. If they don't go away or if other symptoms appear then we'll do the invasive tests. The ultrasound and blood draws. Of course, he mentioned the dreaded c-word. Still, he'd rather go with the simple infection idea. Frankly, so would us all.

Now we wait. While I worry and am nervous, checking her neck every day, she runs around like a normal little girl. Loving life and school and being especially dramatic.

Another Holiday Finished

 Another Christmas finished in the Williams Household. The weeks leading up to the big day was full of picking the tree off the floor and cleaning up broken ornaments. One morning I got up and discovered the tree on the floor. As I stared at the broken pieces I felt an overwhelming desire to toss it all out the door.

 Instead, I left it on the ground and got the kids ready for school. Once they were in school I tackled the mess. I had some moments of tears as I picked up broken pieces of my tree topper. It was a limited edition Waterford made to look like Christmas past. I cannot get another and I admit I just loved the look of it. It made me think of the 30's and 40's tree toppers. It invoked memories of my grandma.

 Also lost was the Northwood University ornament. The lovely blue ornament in the pic above. My brother gave it to me and there are so many special memories wrapped into that one ornament. Among the broken bits were Polish ornaments, another Waterford special edition, and ornaments we had just bought. My 'Nicole' ornament, that lived on my mother's tree for 3 decades, also met its end.

 I cleaned up the mess, took apart the tree and waited for Mark to come home from the road. I put the tree back up, tied to the window this time, and decorated it for the second time. A few hours later the damn thing fell over. This time it fell toward the window. Nothing was broken, but it was clear that the tree was not going to remain upright. Once again, the ornaments came off and the tree was sent on its way. We bought a tree at Walgreen's for $30. Ornaments put on...for the third time.
Our plan for next Christmas is to buy a better made tree. One with a metal stand. It'll cost more so money is being saved. Still, I do not want another year of smashed memories.

 Christmas arrived and poor Irene spent 12 hours of the day throwing up. She managed to get up and open gifts. After, she was back on the couch sleeping. She didn't play with anything until after dinner.

 Mark and I made a Christmas brunch. We had coffee from Madagascar that I had given to Mark. If you have ever seen the show Dangerous Grounds you'll know the coffee. The rest of our day was spent relaxing and playing and watching movies.

 Poor Irene spent the rest of the week with a fever although, thankfully, the throwing up stopped.

 The rest of the week was spent having lazy days. Mark was off for the week and we just relaxed.

 The new tree and the new tree topper. Below is a pic of some of our decorations.

The kids had two weeks off from school. It was a nice break from the hectic mornings. Of course, the adjustment back into school was a little rough. Another holiday season is finished and I am looking forward to spring.

Catching Up

It has been a while since I've written anything. I've been busy with the kids and getting them to and from school. Plus, when I have a free moment I've been knitting like crazy. Lot's of baby knitting has been getting done and I've moved onto the Christmas knitting.

Hmm, what is new with the Williams Family? Well, Henry has gotten glasses.

 He started telling me that things would look very far away. I thought he was near-sighted like me, but the way he described it didn't make sense for it. Thankfully, he got in to an eye doctor. He is far-sighted, but by the end of the day his eyes are strained from the work of trying to read, etc. at school that it makes it hard to see things far away. He now has glasses to help with it and the doctor said that his condition could actually get better. I think he is so stinkin' cute in his glasses!

Henry has also lost three teeth recently. He lost two on the bottom (one on Thanksgiving) and just the other day one of his top front teeth came out.

Mark and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We made plans this year since it has been years since we've been able to go out. We went to a German restaurant in Middleville. I enjoyed it since a lot of the flavors reminded me of meals with my grandma. We were near the Gun Lake Casino so we decided to pop in after dinner. Normally, we do not gamble. However, since it was our anniversary we signed up for the players club and got some "free" money to use in the slot machines. I won ten dollars and Mark won a hundred! That money paid for our entire evening out. Dinner, gas, coffee all covered. And, we were home by 7pm. Woohoo, let the good times roll! Actually, it was such a blast and it was one evening where we got to do something for just us.

We had Thanksgiving at home. We weren't invited anywhere and it was actually nice to not have to drive for an hour or more. I did invite my dad, but he went elsewhere. Mark makes a great turkey and we had an abundance of veggies to go along with it. It was a nice and calm day. Mark actually left around 10pm to take a load to Detroit for work. He came back on Friday morning. I picked him up and we stopped at two stores for some Black Friday deals. Since it was around noon when we went I didn't think what we wanted would still be there and I wasn't too concerned about it. Surprisingly, both items were still in stock and for one I used my store reward points and got it for $4. We went to two stores, bought two gifts and it only took 15 minutes total.

We are getting in the Christmas spirit. Last year at this time I didn't think we'd be able to give the kids a Christmas. Thankfully, we were blessed with some big-hearted angels and were able to give them a beautiful day. This year I've started early and bought gifts as I could. One week Mark had to take an extra run to Florida, so that money went to gifts. I still have a couple of things to pick up. I do still have a few things to get for my family and Mark's.

I guess I don't actually have that much news. We've just been plugging through school and the holidays. Take Care!

Halloween!

Halloween was a bit wet and cold this year. The kids had on their winter jackets and some gloves to keep the hands warm. Thankfully, it stopped raining and Barbie Cheerleader, a Fireman and some character from Star Wars (along with mom) set off. We walked our neighborhood this year instead of my in-laws'. There were quite a few houses giving out candy. Since no one was home at our place I set out a bowl full of candy from three bags. An hour later it was all gone. There were a lot of kids out in our area!

We stayed out an hour and a half. We had a great time and everyone was tired. Henry had a homework sheet to fill out about how much of each kind of candy he got and he had to read to me. We did these things and watched a little bit of TV and still managed to get in bed only ten minutes behind schedule.

Henry had another baby tooth come out yesterday. The tooth fairy was supposed to come last night, but she was tired and completely forgot. When Henry discovered this he was so sad. The tooth fairy offered a sincere apology, a hug...and then paid double.

My Best Friend's Wedding

 My friend, Caroline, and I met in first or second grade. I cannot remember which it was, but I remember the school we were at and it just seemed like one day I met her and the next we were best friends. She moved to a town near Detroit a few years later, but we always kept in touch and saw each other during summertime. It helped that her grandparents lived in the same town as me.

When my mom died she was one of the first people I called. She and her mom came for the funeral and several months later they came back to help clean the last of the things from my mother's house. They did this in the middle of winter with no heat in the house. Considering the circumstances, it was still a great time and I look back at those days with fondness and love. I am amazed that they cared enough to do that with me.

 Shortly after that, Caroline moved to Texas. She had found a wonderful man that made moving worth it. Recently, they got engaged and planned to have their wedding in Manistee.

As soon as I found out the date I had a room booked in Manistee. I started saving money each week. There was no way I was going to miss this wedding! Of course, the week leading up to leaving I seemed to have no end of difficulties. Little things went wrong, big things went wrong. Still, I decided we were going no matter what. After all, we had not gone anywhere out of town in the year since we moved here and I felt we could all use the time away.

 My beautiful friend and her Texan got married at the Ramsdell Inn in Manistee. The building has an interesting history and is right downtown with a view of the bridge and river.

Irene was a flower girl in the wedding and got to wear a beautiful dress and cowboy boots! In fact, the bride and bridesmaids wore them, too!

 After the wedding there were some finger foods and drinks served while pictures were taken. Unfortunately, it rained and rained and rained the entire weekend. Caroline had planned on pictures taken on the beach and other areas of town, but had to have mostly inside ones taken.

 I think they need to have a party for their one year anniversary and have some pictures taken then. Of course, this would mean we'd all get to come back and have fun again!

 The kids were fairly well-behaved during the ceremony. It was fairly short so Gavin tried sitting still...with a few funny faces thrown in.

 Henry wore the hat he got from Uncle Peter for his birthday. He did have it off for the ceremony and a lesson was given on why men do not wear hats inside.

 The reception was held at the Rockin' R Stables in Bear Lake. It was still raining and so we were all inside. Caroline had planned for a hayride and even horseback riding, but that darn rain messed that up. I didn't mind the rain and lack of activities. The room we were in had a big fireplace. It was rustic but cute and the decorations just added to the country feel.

 They had Eddie D's doing the catering. During the summer he does food at the beach house at the main beach in Manistee. His food is good and the food he did for the reception was fantastic. Keeping with the country theme they had ribs, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw, biscuits, beans. There was wine, pop, beer and even a beer that had been made especially for the wedding.

 Bubbles were handed out, in mini champagne bottles, and the kids were entertained with blowing bubbles all around. Big Texas mugs were given out as well as chocolate popcorn.

 After dinner was finished, big batches of cheese popcorn, caramel popcorn and butter popcorn were brought out.

 Caroline and Sean had a dance together to a song that has special meaning to them. Some very sweet speeches were given. The cake was cut and shared. The entire event was so cozy and had such a family feel. I loved every second of it. The roof even leaked in one spot in the middle of the room. I thought it added to the whole feel of the evening. I know that things did not go the way they were planned, but I thought it was the best wedding I've ever attended. I think a lot of that atmosphere was from the people. No drama, just lots of good feeling and love.

 One of the funniest parts of the evening were the goats. They roamed freely and to use the bathrooms you had to leave the building we were in and cross the lane to another. There the goats came in and out. Lots of pictures were taken of those goats! At one point a goat tried sneaking into our building through the back door. It just happened to be right were the cake was set up. Perhaps he wanted a piece?

 We stayed until 9pm. On our short drive back to Manistee we saw a coyote on the side of the road. Totally kept with that country theme of the evening!

 It was the best weekend and the best wedding. I loved being with Caroline and her mom.

 When I first heard that Caroline and Sean were getting married I decided to make Caroline a wedding shawl. I actually made two. Since her dress was an off-white/ivory color she wore the creamy colored shawl. Her dress was gorgeous and totally something I would pick out. I thought the shawl went nicely with it.

 I am thrilled we got to be a part of the day. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congratulations to Caroline and Sean!!!!!

School Time, Again!

 Another school year has started! This year Henry is in 1st grade and Irene is in Kindergarten. The day started with a thunderstorm and a lot of rain. We managed to make it out the door on time. At school it was a madhouse! So many cars we had to park at the nearby church and walk over. Since it was raining all the students and parents and helpers were inside the halls.

We stopped at Henry's classroom first. We talked to his teacher and dropped off his rain jacket and lunchbox. Then we walked to Irene's room. Irene gave me a kiss and was ready for the day to start. I walked Henry back to his room and got my hug and kiss. He joined the other kids that were waiting for the bell to ring.

Now it is just me and Gavin at home. Goodness! It is quiet!

I am hopeful that this year is going to be better than last year. This year Henry's teacher was recommended by Mrs. Peterson, Henry's tutor. She said Henry will have a good year with her. I hope so! They are expected to do more work by themselves, which is good, but I worry about Henry.

Henry did do three weeks of summer school in August and I think that really gave him a head start into this school year. I'm hoping that it has gotten him back into the 'school mode' so that the transition from summer to school will be easier.

 August was a busy month for us. Henry had summer school 4 days a week for 4 weeks. He missed one week because I had food poisoning and was not able to leave the house. Thankfully, the kids and I had a movie watching marathon that week.

Miss Irene either feel or jumped off her bed and hit her leg. She was screaming in pain and her leg looked...not right. We thought it was broken. We made the drive to the hospital. Poor Irene whimpered all the way. I sat in the back with her and we had her legged propped up with pillows. At the emergency room we got right in and within fifteen minutes she was getting x-rays. Everyone, including the doctor, was surprised that her leg was not broken. We were shocked but relieved! The doctor said she had bleeding into the muscle which was causing the pain and trouble walking. She was instructed to stay off it for a few days. She became very good at ordering her brothers to get things for her. Pillow pets, cheese, blankets, go get them!

 She is doing much better now. Just a lot of bruising on her leg.

                                
 We went to the library a lot this summer. We'd find books and movies to bring home. Plus, the library always has some kind of cool set-up in the children's area. For the summer they had a tent set up with a fake fire and marshmallows for roasting. There was fishing, and cook-out food to play with as well. It was a very cute set-up and the kids loved it.

 Now, we are in school mode once again. Lot's of new stuff this year. We are also saving to go to Manistee for a weekend in October. One of my best childhood friends is getting married there. I am so excited for her! We are looking forward to a weekend spent with people we like and love. It will be a real treat to get away from Lowell. Of course, those darn curve balls keep coming our way. As I try to save each week for the October weekend life sends little surprises. The water pump went on our vehicle and we were without a car for several days. Our dryer quit working. It took the repairman ten minutes to fix and cost us $90. I am grateful for a working dryer once again, but it did set back my weekend savings plan.

With school starting it reminds me that we have now lived in Lowell for a year. I can't say that I am thrilled about it all. We have our very own family Dramalama complete with threats against my children. Perhaps I'll tell that story soon.
Yeah, can't say I'm happy to be here, but I am trying to make the best of it.

Besides, just look at that ^ smile. It sure makes me smile!