First Shots Fired

Yup, I finally did it.  I had a crash course in gun safety while standing in lane 7 wearing a very stylish pair of plastic glasses and ear protectors.  My brother was the strict instructor.  The weapon of choice...  .40 caliber Sig Sauer.  The day, December 23, 2012.

Lesson #1 - ALWAYS assume the weapon is loaded.
Lesson #2 - NEVER point the weapon at a person UNLESS you are going to use it.
Lesson #3 - NEVER put your finger on the trigger unless you are going to shoot.
Lesson #4 - Equal height equal light.
Lesson #5 - Take aggressive stance, point gun, breath, then squeeze trigger s.l.o.w.l.y.
Lesson #6 - Slow and accurate always beats fast and inaccurate.

Before I shot the gun, I told Tim that I was nervous and he said he always get's nervous before shooting too, and he has been doing this for a living for 13 years... so I didn't feel so bad.

It was time for me to try it... Tim placed his hand on my shoulder which steadied me, he talked me through all my steps and then waited for me to get the guts to pull the trigger.  I am actually very proud of the fact that I hit the target for the first time I ever shot a gun.  After I shot it, I laid it down on the ledge and took a big breath.  Honestly it shook me up a little, so I took a second to collect myself and then picked it back up a fired a few more rounds before reloading.

It really was an amazing experience that was mixed with a little scary.  When you are holding a loaded gun in your hand, and you sit back and think of the power that is literally at your finger...mercy... it's a lot for this mind to wrap around.

The knowledge that Tim possesses is a fountain that never runs dry.  I learned so much, I respect my brother so much more for what he has to do, and the responsibility that he has.  Makes me even more proud of him, because I really don't think I could do what he does.

Well, that's about it.  I have now felt the power of a gun and I'm kind of hooked (in a good way).  I am looking forward to going back and taking Kevin with me.  I am really curious to see who is the better shot... *smile*

Reading With Tyler

I have been wanting to share about Tyler since he finished up his class several weeks ago, but since I was unable to post pictures for a little while, it was kind of pointless because pictures really do a much better job at explaining what Tyler does now for reading.

First I want to give you a little information about our brains.  God created our brains to work with these tiny little things called neurons.  We have 80-100 billion of these little work horses in our brains.  They have long extensions branching out... like arms, that connect to other neurons.  One neuron could have 40,000 connections to other neurons.  Every time you do anything, thousands of neurons are firing off and they are connecting to thousands more.

When you learn new things, your brain is strengthening the connections that are needed for the new knowledge or skill.  As new skills are learned new neural pathways are being created.  Here is an analogy...

You drive a certain route to work every day that takes you 20 minutes, and one day you turn off by mistake on a different road but realize you have discovered a shortcut that gets you to work in only 12 minutes.  It's not that the road wasn't there before, it's that you didn't know about it.  But now that you discovered it, you probably will start using it all the times.  Pretty soon you are driving that route without even thinking about it, and it seems strange to drive the old way.

That is kind of like what it is for Tyler.  He has been using the same way to read and it takes him a really long time to get to the end of a sentence.  Now we use different activities to train his neurons to take a new path, a faster path, a path that makes it easier to read.

One of these activities is using koosh balls.  It usually takes about 10-15 minutes a day working with the koosh balls.  We go through a sequence of brain exercises, then Ty has to stand on one leg, when he is ready he looks up and I throw him 2 koosh balls at the same time to the middle of his body. We keep this up until he can catch both balls without dropping them.  Then we do it all again, but this time, I throw them to the right side of his body, then the left and then back to the middle again.  This trains the neurons to start new paths.  I have to say that this little exercise really helps Tyler.

There was a day that he really didn't want to do the koosh balls.  So I said that we could skip it for that day if he was able to read.  We went through another orientation process before we opened his book to start reading.  When we opened the book, he looked at the first word, struggled with it, looked up and said... "I need to do the koosh balls Mom."  The best way I can describe what it does for Tyler, when he is disorientated, it's like he is trying to read in a fog.  Some letters are there, some are not and he needs to concentrate really hard to find all the letters and then make them into words.  When he is orientated he can see all the letters perfectly and the words come much easier.  After we worked with the koosh balls that day, we sat back down, he looked at the first word again, saw it immediately and took off reading.

Another part to his reading program is building words.  Ty is a picture thinker.  When he hears or reads a word his mind sees a picture.  There are so many words in the English language that just doesn't  really have a picture to go with them.  Like.... the, is, and, where, when, what, with, like, that, there.... the list is over 240 words.  Usually called Dolch words.

Definition... to live or exist in the past.

What Ty has to do is make pictures in his head for all those words.  So we pick two words a day, Tyler needs to look them up in his dictionary.  I read him the definition and then he needs to build with clay the definition.  He has a set of alphabet letters already built, so he needs to spell out the word with his clay letters.  After all that, he needs to tell me the word, close his eyes, spell it forward and backward and forward again, then tell me the definition of the word.  He takes a mental picture with his brain and then we take a picture for future reference.

Definition... the person who is speaking.

We also do two 10 minute reading sessions daily.  Usually one before he builds his words and then one after.    Before every time he reads we need to orientate him.  All of this takes about 1.5 - 2hrs every day.  Micah and Jilli need to be absolutely silent during this time, because voices distract (disorientate) him and makes reading almost impossible.  Interestingly enough pictures also disorientate him, so we have to cover them up while we read (this is very common for dyslexics).

This program also gave me the tools to help Tyler with Math.  Many dyslexics have problems with math.  Tyler doesn't seem to be one of them.  But in the future, if we come across something that doesn't make sense to him, I have all I need to help make new neural pathways.

So that about sums it up.  I can't tell you the difference this program has made for Tyler.  It was worth every penny!  My son can now see all the letters when he reads.  We have the tools he needs to continue building words and "de-trigger"the words that stump him.  He is no longer stuck in a rut, unable to move forward.  So often dyslexics use "crutches" to make it through life.  It is actually really sad, when you hear stories about adults who never received the help they needed.  Ty no longer needs to figure out "crutches" he has his tools.... His future just opened up to endless possibilities without the shame and anxiety that so many dyslexics feel!!!

From the beginning we have called Dyslexia a gift, I won't lie, we have had our struggles with this gift.   Tyler gets frustrated some days and tells me that he doesn't want the gift God gave him.  But then there are other days when he is proud of the fact his brain works 2 times faster than mine (I think it's more like 10 times faster, but I'm not going to tell him that!)  There are days that he amazes himself at how much easier reading is becoming for him and how good he is getting at it.  I know that God is going to use this gift in an amazing way.  And you know what.... because of this program, Tyler now has a better understanding how to control his gift and put it to work to accomplish great things!

L's Christmas Card

I couple weeks ago Kev and I packed up the kids and made our way down to Kalamazoo to take Christmas pictures of Lorelei.... and her parents, but mostly Lorelei.

First I have to say that it was a beautiful day for pictures and I LOVED the location!  I had no idea this park even existed or that it was so close to their house, what a great place for picture taking!

There was so many great pictures that turned out from our time spent at the park.  But one that just stands out to me... I would have totally used this on my Christmas card, but I understand that smiles are a preferred choice for cards sent out and you can only choose so many to use.

With permission I give you my favorite.....

How can you not help but smile at this picture when you look at it?!

Blessings!!

Dream Come True

It was a big day.... not only was it election day, but it was the day that Jilli had been waiting for since the moment she opened her birthday present from Aunt Laurie.

We spent time picking out the outfit that she would wear, we talked at length as to how to wear her hair.  Every thirty minutes it was another question about the time we would leave, how long it would take to get there, where would the boys go while we were gone, was I sure this was the same place Daddy had worked at... on and on the questions kept coming.

At last it was time for Aunt Laurie to come pick us up.  The excitement was hard to contain, she was a little girl bubbling up from the tips of her toes ready to burst.

We finally arrived at our destination.  We walk inside and are met by Miss Kim, who is sitting on a beautiful dapple grey arabian horse.  It is not often that I look at someone else and think.... I wish I had her job.  I think I have a pretty amazing job, but in that moment... I allowed myself to dream it was me sitting on top of that beautiful horse training it instead of Miss Kim.

Miss Kim told us where we could find the horse Jilli was going to ride.  We walked to the stables and found where Layla was quietly standing munching on a little hay.  I think it was love at first site for Jilli.  Her smile was infectious.

Miss Kim took Jilli into Layla's stall and showed her how to put a lead on her then instructed Jilli on how to walk with her and off they went.

Miss Kim talked the entire time she was working with Jilli.  I loved it.  As she instructed Jillian on all the brushes used before saddling a horse, what the parts of the horses body were called, when Layla moved into Jilli how she was communicating with her, why you brushed before you saddled a horse, and on and on...

Laurie and I were enjoying all the lessons probably more than Jilli was.  I had been through horses 101 back in 8th grade when I went to horsemanship camp, but it was so great to hear all the ins and outs again.  

It was such a joy to watch my little girl's dream coming true, she drank it all it, she enjoyed every second.  To her it wasn't just about riding a horse, it was about being with a horse.

Then it was time to saddle Layla.  Jilli had a choice of either western or english saddle.  Jilli said she didn't care, so Miss Kim said she prefers the english saddle because there is less leather and it is easier to learn proper technique when you can actually feel the horse beneath you.

I was super excited she was riding english.  A long time ago I worked for a lady that owned a horse ranch, she allowed me to ride her horses.... I didn't get to do it but a few times.  She had told me that if I wanted to she would teach me dressage, which required and english saddle.  Sadly, I had to change jobs into a position that reflected my schooling.  I lost touch with her and never took her up on her offer.  She ended up selling her ranch several years ago and now every time I drive by it (on our way to church) I think about what could have been.

As Miss Kim helped Jilli saddle Layla, she continued explaining all the parts of the saddle, what they were for, why there where extra parts that weren't used.  Once Layla was completely saddled and Jilli had her helmet on, it was time to take her into the arena.

Again, Miss Kim had Jilli doing everything, teaching her how to walk with her, how to not let Layla get away with little disobedience issues.  How to watch Layla for the littlest things that indicate what she is thinking or feeling.

Once in the arena, Miss Kim double checked the tightness of the saddle, shortened the stirrups, and instructed Jilli how she was to get on Layla.

Then the moment arrived.....

First Miss Kim stayed right next to Jilli, teaching her how to make Layla walk, stop, turn.  They went around the arena a few times like this and then slowly Miss Kim moved further and further away as Jilli kept following the instructions.

And before I knew it, Miss Kim stood in the middle of the arena, giving instructions and Jilli was handling Layla all on her own.  It still makes me a little teary-eyed just thinking about it.  Jilli looked so comfortable in the saddle, not an ounce of fear, not a moments hesitation.

Miss Kim told us that Jilli was amazing, a complete natural, a quick learner.  At the very end of her lesson Miss Kim asked Jilli if she wanted to learn how to make a horse back up.  Jilli (of course) said "sure".  Within seconds of Miss Kim telling Jilli how to do it, she had Layla walking backwards.

And then....her lesson was done.  She walked Layla back to her stall.

How I wish there was a way for us to be able to continue with lessons for Jilli.  To see her dream, a dream that has passed from her Nana, to her Mom, and now to her, be fulfilled.  I would muck the stalls, scoop up manure, scrub the floor of the barn with a toothbrush, even offer my husbands amazing carpentry skills, in order to off set the cost of lessons.  The joy on my baby's face... the excitement of spending a hour with a horse...

Thank You Aunt Laurie for this awesome gift, it was an experience she will never forget!!

Blessings!!

Teeth Pulled

Two weeks ago today my boys had an unforgettable day at the dentist.  Micah had 4 teeth pulled and Tyler had 2.  Tylers were worse because they were two molars.  He is finally not having trouble eating foods anymore.  Micah, although had more pulled, were less traumatic.  His were all located in the front, didn't inhibit his eating like the molars did. Our dentist came out to talk to me after pulling their teeth and told me how wonderful the boys were, how great they did and he wished he had more patients like them!

They sure did look miserable though...

It was so sweet, after their teeth were pulled, they didn't want to go home.  They wanted to go see Daddy at work and get hugs from him.  So that is exactly what we did.  I love, how even as they are getting older, they still look to their Daddy for comfort.  Micah is not far off from those very interesting teenage years, praying that he (Tyler and Jilli) never tire of being wrapped up in the arms of their Daddy.

Blessings!!

Back Up and Rolling Again

OK, so I think we are back on and rolling again!  Thanks to my ever-so-smart cousin who has come to my rescue, I can now upload pictures again and not have to delete any of my past posts!

So the cousin of which I speak is the one on the right.  You know, the dude with the beautiful long curly hair.  The kind of hair most girls dream about.  Well, a certain lucky someone will get to use his long locks for their own because he grows it for Locks of Love.  Yup, he is a pretty special guy!

Alright, so now with my blog rolling again, I am ready to do some major posting.  I have missed this outlet and can't wait to get back to regular blogging again.

Blessings!!

Birch Run Follow Up

Yesterday was a big hit all the way around.  It started long before it should have with Jillian getting up at 12:30 in the morning thinking it was time to get up and get ready for our girls day.  Then every 1.5-2hrs after until 6:45 when I gave up trying to sleep and got up to take a shower.  At one point I sat up in bed and asked Jilli if she wanted me to tuck her back in bed... she said yes and climbed into my bed snuggling her little body in the arms of her daddy.

The day started a little drizzly, but by leaving the first of many stores it had stopped spitting on us and the rain didn't come back for the rest of the day.  We had a nice little lunch halfway through our day, and saved the most exciting store (for Jilli) until almost the last stop.  Justice... a girls dream come true who loves bling!  We finished out our day with a quick supper and then headed home.  All of our men where waiting for our arrival at our house.  It was a perfect coming home party to end a perfect day.

Both "little" girls did amazing!  Bringing two girls (one 7yrs old and one that is only 2.5 yrs old) could have been disastrous, but it turned out to be a great day spent together as family.  One that Jilli and I look forward to doing again next year!

****
As I was typing this post Tyler comes down the stairs, it was obvious he had been sleeping.  He walks up to me and starts mumbling something.  I ask him if he wants me to put him back to bed and we go back upstairs.

As I am tucking him in I ask him why he came downstairs and he said "I needed to get Micah in the Death Star, he had a pillow."  I finished tucking him in, told him I loved him and said good night, he said "good night Mommy".

How funny is that!  I am used to Jilli and her midnight ramblings, but Tyler has never done it!

Heading off to bed, busy day tomorrow!

Phone Call Admission

Yesterday I finally talked with my Wisconsin cousin.  We had been trying to figure out a time where we could have a phone conversation for weeks... you know that 1 hour time difference was brutal to work around... At one point during our conversation I exclaimed that my house was a mess.  We had received the kids math curriculum in the mail and they had tore into that like it was Christmas.  But they had left all the "stuffing" laying all over my table.  My cousin asked me to please take a picture of it and then blog about it so that her husband was sure to see that my house can too be a mess.  Well lucky for me (unlucky for her) I still can't post pictures to my blog (still working on this problem).  However I thought that I would at least write that my house was a mess...

Back to my blogging issue.... I am very close to having this problem resolved (I think)  I am trying to export my blog to my hard drive, but am having some problems because I use safari and blogger doesn't like safari, so I downloaded chrome, but apparently my computer is too outdated to use that... and the saga continues.  I hope to have this situation resolved very soon!

And lastly, tomorrow is going down in the history books.  Jilli and I are going on a "girls day" with my in-laws.  We are going to a place I have only been to once and that was long before I was married.  Jilli is so excited.. She wants to pack us muffins for the drive and is wondering where we will be eating lunch and what exactly we will be doing.  I told her I wasn't sure about the muffins, I didn't know where we would eat, but that we would be shopping.  She is shootin the moon with excitement about having a girls day.  :)

Well that is about it for this morning.  Hope you have a blessed day!!

Blog Book

It's funny my Mom posted a comment yesterday about printing my blog and then deleting old posts to make more room... because that is exactly what I have been doing the past 2 days.  I am on page 114 and not even out of 2008 yet.. It is a labor of love that I am hoping to have done in the next day or two, but in the meantime, do you mind so much if I blog with little to no pictures?  As I have been combing through all my old posts there are some that I can delete now that will make some room, but not a lot that I want to get rid of yet without a hard copy.

About this blog book that I have been working on.  When I started blogging in Dec 2007, I had know idea what I was getting into.  I started it so that my brother and sister-in-law could stay up to date with the happenings of the kids since at the time they lived 3 hours away, but as I go through and reread some of my posts, it is turning out to be such a blessing for me and I hope someday for the kids.  Back in the beginning I wrote a lot about just the little everyday things that happened around here, the little things that you forget.  I can't wait to finish the book, get it printed, and then read through it cuddled up on the couch... laughing and crying as I go.  I think too, that I want to get back to blogging some of the everyday things again.  Life slips by so quickly and without the documentation, you lose so much.  I am reminded what my Grandmother spoke to me a few months before her death.  "Lyn, you need to document everything!"  She is right, I do...

So on that note... I will leave you to figure out what I can blend for Tyler to eat (more on this subject later) and I will keep working on my blog book project!

Blessings!!

OH NO!!!!

I just finished writing a post and I was trying to upload the pictures that go along with it and I got a message that said... "Whoops, you've hit your 1GB memory limit."
So now I don't know what I am going to do.... It looks like either I have to start a whole new blog or I have to pay a monthly storage fee...
This just stinks.

Crazy Week

It's been over a week since my last post.  I apologize... Last week was insanely busy for many reasons, but my biggest one was Tyler's "class".

I have so much to write about the week, but right now, I will just have to say, that the progress that he made was amazing!  Friday I had to go work with his teacher for 4 hours, at one point she had Tyler come into the room so she could show me how to work with him.  He started reading and I started crying.  I couldn't help it, it was like the last 3.5 years of pain and frustration were wiped away in a single week.  We still have a long ways to go, but he is ready to work!

I am excited to share more with you....

Lorelei

It's been a loooooooooooooong time since I got to spend a whole day with my niece.  The last 3 times I was to watch her I was unable to :(

I love the time I spend with her and her cousins love to spend time with her too.  It's kind of funny, Jilli, in the past, didn't like it when we were with Lorelei because for some crazy reason she thought I loved Lorelei more than her.  Apparently those misguided feelings are gone because the girls had lots of fun coloring and playing together.  Not once did jealousy rear it's ugly head.

Tyler on the other hand is amazing with little kids.  He loves to be a helper, and play with them.  He has such a great way with kids.  He was making Lorelei laugh all day.  At one point she put her crayons down rested her head on her hands and listened to him tell her a story.

She found the end of the story funny (as we all did) and started laughing.

I took two things away from our day with Lorelei.  1.  2 year olds are tiring!  I totally could have laid my head down and taken a nap right along with her.  I had forgotten how much effort you put forward and how little you get done around the house.  2.  How very precious that age is.  I loved reading to her all the books I don't get to read to my kids anymore.  I loved all the questions she asked!!  Kevin thinks I ask a lot of questions... he should spend a whole day with his niece!!

We are looking forward to the next trip Ama & Poppop go on so we can have her again!!

My Thoughts...

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”  ~Thomas Paine

I did not want to rush to the computer yesterday, it was a day of serious reflection. Of crying out to God.  Sadness that runs deep into the shadows of the ocean, threatened to over take me.  Did we think that things of such high value would be paid for so easily??  God knows the proper price for freedom.

What pains me the most is knowing...knowing, what my children will now face.  All throughout time mothers have sent their husbands and son's off to war to fight for the cause they believed in.  Did I think that my sacrifice for my freedoms and those of my children would be any less?  

Tuesday was a devastating day.  Truth didn't seem to matter for half of our country and the fundamentals that we were founded on went to the wayside.  Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.  Over half of this country is being blinded by liberal media and socialistic values.  Will they wake up to see what they have done?  Will they fully understand the ramifications that Tuesday will forever have on our country?  The freedoms that will now be stripped away...

Elections have consequences... 

-Three of our states voted for gay marriage (Washington, Maryland, Maine)

-Massachusetts legalized Doctor assisted suicide

-The dollar fell Wednesday against the Euro (currency that Spain, Italy, GREECE use)

-Healthcare will be more money, employers will not be able to afford it now.  Government now holds all control over your health.

-Inflation is coming... gas/coal/energy will all be more money.

Within hours of re-election Obama called UN to begin talks again on global ban of guns.  Doesn't matter what our 2nd amendment rights are.  The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty would nullify them. 

Sadly our schools have been indoctrinating our children for so long, we have lost touch to the real history of the United States.  Our children buy into the lies that are taught them in school.  They can't think for themselves.  As parents we have pampered our children, teaching them to expect handouts instead of working hard for what they have.

I will be honest, I struggled yesterday.  I told myself things that I had to keep repeating until they reached my heart.  Where does my faith lie?  In a man, in a country, in me?  No, my faith lies with the only One who sees past the present and into the future.  My hope is in the One who saved me.  I know that consequences are coming, I know that times will be hard, but I trust my Savior.

Tuesday afternoon, the kids and I were talking.  I said, "if we have no food, who do we trust?  If we have no water, who do we trust?  If we have no heat, who do we trust?"  Their answer "JESUS!" 

It makes my heart so sad to think of all the people who are looking to Obama, and thinking that he is the answer.  People were chanting, screaming, dancing... FOR A MAN.  I worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  I have hope, for what can this world take from me?... my life.  But I know where I am going!!   Heaven!!  I know where my husband and children are going!  

Tuesday night I went to bed with tears in my eyes.  Last night I went to bed knowing that God is in control of all of things, it took me a day to get there.  I don't believe this was what God wanted, God didn't want Adam and Eve to eat the apple... but he provided another way for them.  And he will provide another way for those of us who call him Savior.  

My resolve is ever so much more, to teach my children where our hope lies, to pour into them truth that is found only in the Bible. 

~ I have to share this.  On Sunday while in church we saw a video of a remote tribe in South America.  They have only had bits and pieces of the Bible in their language.  The whole New Testament had been translated for them and was being flown into their village.  The whole village showed up, they were singing, and dancing.  The plane landed, the box of New Testaments was carefully carried out of the plane and handed to the elders of the tribe.  With tears streaming down their faces, they handed it to the oldest of the tribe.  One of the tribesmen said, (paraphrasing) "We have believed, and now we pass our beliefs down to you." As this was said, the elderly passed the box of Bibles down to the youth.  The whole tribe was crying (including me), because this box held the Truths that they had believed and never had!  They handled that box like it was their most prized possession...and it was.  

How many Bibles do we have sitting in our homes, that we have taken for granted?  We can sit and open the Word anytime we want too.  We can get online and look things up whenever we want.  But how often do we?  Do we handle our Bibles like our most prized possession?  I know I don't... 

Here it is... I think that allowing a man a second term to finish what he started, was a grave mistake.  A mistake we all will pay the price for.  But our hope is in the Lord, so while we will be carefully watching what happens next, we will be praying for the leadership of this country.  I pray that what I (and many other people) see coming doesn't happen, because so many will be completely unprepared.  And that is the most scary prospect of all!  

Psalm 112^[a]

¹ Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
    who find great delight in his commands.

² Their children will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³ Wealth and riches are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures forever.
⁴ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
⁵ Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

⁶ Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
⁸ Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
⁹ They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
    their righteousness endures forever;
    their horn^[c] will be lifted high in honor.

¹⁰ The wicked will see and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

...Amen

This Weekend

I keep wanting to start writing about our trip upnorth, but things just keep happening over here that push that trip to the end of the blogging line.

My last post I mentioned that we hadn't heard from Tim and Melissa for a few days.  Tim called me Sunday morning to update me.  They are doing well, the power is back on at Sissy and Sanjay's so they are able to move back there (they had left b/c they ran out of water and it was cold with no heat).  Good thing, is that none of their stuff was destroyed, bad news is it will be at least another 2 wks before they are able to move back home.  They are also thankful because there are still many buildings that still have standing water in their lobbies, those buildings are not permitted to pump them out because the water has too much oil and gas in it.  Many of these buildings are located all around Tim and Melissa's building, the buildings are currently temporarily condemned.  People who live in the buildings can't get to any of their stuff, and are being told that it could be months before they will be allowed back into their buildings.  I can't even imagine!

After I got done talking with Tim, Jilli hopped on the phone with him for a few minutes then Tim past the phone to Aunt Melissa and Jilli talked her ear off for like the next 20min!  She is all girl... I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when she is a teenager!!

OK, so what I am about to tell you next might shock some of you...

Early Saturday morning our home was broken into, however, we didn't put all the pieces together until yesterday.  Here is the story...

Friday night Kev and I were watching TV when we heard Tyler throwing up (he is not sick, we think it was an allergic reaction to what he ate).  We both ran upstairs and took care of him, got him back in bed and decided we might as well go to bed too.  So... we didn't do our nightly rounds of all our doors to make sure they are all locked, our routine was interrupted and neither of us even thought about the fact that we didn't check our doors.

Fast forward to Saturday morning... Kev and I get up and as I come down the stairs I notice that the curtain that hangs in front of our slider is blowing out the door.  The slider door and screen door were open about 2 ft.  Micah who got up an hour earlier said that he didn't open it.  I thought it odd, that I wouldn't notice the slider open, especially because it had been cold outside.  I checked to make sure my purse was still here (thankfully it was 'put away').  Kev's wallet was sitting on the counter and all of my computer equipment was still sitting where it always sits.  Kevin didn't think there was much to worry about. So we went about our day.

I had noticed that there was one thing missing, but maybe I had misplaced the item (which I knew I didn't), but it didn't really register with me to be overly concerned.

Sunday I told Kevin that this particular item was missing and that I knew exactly where I had put it and it wasn't there.  Kevin then asked me if I had read an email that had come in from our neighbor.  I didn't, so he read it to me.  She was warning us that there had been 2 houses that had been broken into early Saturday morning.  We decided to call the police.

The officer came and told us that there had been 3 break-ins (ours makes 4). All on our street.  One of the houses being 2 houses down from us.  They actually saw the man, he was coming in their front door while there were people sleeping in the living room!  That was at 7:56am.  The officer dusted for prints... there was some, but there was no 'ridges' on the prints so he couldn't use them.  He did tell us there was some really good clues at some of the other houses...

After piecing together the timeline the officer gave us we have kind of figured out that this man entered our house through our unlocked slider, was able to grab the item he stole just as Micah got out of bed and headed to our room to get Romeo.  The two of them came running down the stairs, the robber heard them, and took off out the slider.  Micah did tell us that Romeo acted weird, heading straight to the slider instead of to his food bowl.  We are so thankful that 1. Micah did not encounter this person still in our home.  2. Romeo was with him and makes more noise than a herd of elephants to scare this guy off.  3. No one was hurt.  I just have to say that guy is lucky he didn't meet Romeo.  It wouldn't have gone well for him.

So, that's the story.  We give God the praise for protecting us from a situation that could have been so much worse.  I told Kevin that I think I am starting up my childhood bedtime rote prayer "....Please help there be no bats, no fires, no robbers. Amen"

Update

Updates....
We are waiting to hear from Tim and Melissa, it's been a two days since we have had any contact with them.  We are assuming that all is well, we hope to hear from them by the end of the day.

Nadia has been in contact with her family thanks to facebook (the only good thing about facebook).  She posted that she was trying to contact them.  A family friend saw the post and went to Nadia's sister's house to make sure they were OK.  Apparently cell phone coverage is not so great unless you have Verizon.  All other carriers are having great difficulty keeping coverage on the East Coast.

I don't think I mentioned my New Jersey family in my last post, but all of my Dad's family lives in Northern Jersey.  They all came through the storm without any harm done to their houses, but most of them are without power, there is a lot of flooding and downed trees.  Thankfully one of my cousins has Verizon so he could let us know they were all OK.  Please keep this family in your prayers, much has happened since Sandy blew through.

That is the family updates... now onto updates about Idiots (and I don't use that name lightly)...

So with basically all of Jersey without power, many places flooded, damage that is inconceivable... Help is coming from all areas of our Nation.  Except not all help is excepted.  Utility workers were turned away from helping in NJ... Why??  You would think that they would LOVE all the help they could get!  Because they were NON-UNION workers!  How ridiculous is that!  I just cannot wrap my brain around that stupidity!

Then there is the good old Mayor of New York.  Bloomberg has given the New York City marathon the green light.  What?  You mean that you are still going to run a marathon when your city has been devastated by a hurricane?  When you have no gas for your residents, no electricity, food is running scarce, people have no homes to live in... and you are going to flood your already flooded streets with runners?  When you have police stationed at all your bridges and tunnels not letting any cars into the city with less than 3 people in them, you are going to open your city to marathon runners??  What about first responders?  They have to be present for any race, you are going to take them away from the people that are trapped and stranded on Staten Island?  I am really horrified.  Why would you EVER, run a marathon through the 5 boroughs that have been destroyed by Sandy?  I don't care if the NY Road Runners have created a 'Race to Recovery' fund.  Why don't you donate your money and your time and help clean up the 5 boroughs?  Then when we are back on our feet, run your marathon.  I don't get it.  These runners have reservations at the hotels where the victims are currently staying.  Are the hotels going to kick out the homeless to make room for the runners?  I did hear that the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield will NOT send the homeless away, they are telling the marathoners to find another place to stay.  Good for them!

Wow, I am getting amped up, time for me to walk away... t.h.i.s. i.s. m.e. w.a.l.k.i.n.g. a.w.a.y.

Storm Info

Wanted to give a quick update on Tim and Melissa.  They were under forced evacuation, so they packed up and went to go stay with Melissa's sister and brother-in-law, who live about 8 blocks NW of where Tim and Melissa live.  Currently they are without power, but are doing fine.

Tim and Melissa were able to make it back to their apartment today.  Their building had 4-6ft of water in the lobby with water damage all the way up to the 6th floor.  Thankfully they live on the 20th floor and their stuff is fine.  They have been told that it will be at least 2 weeks before they will be able to move back to their apartment.

In Tim's words.... "This morning there were clothes, mannequins, and shoes all over the street from the stores. Most seaport stores and restaurants are completely destroyed. There is a thick film of oil and gas on everything in the neighborhood and a heavy stench in the air. This is apparently from all the underground parking structures."

We are so thankful that Tim and Melissa made it through "The Storm of the Century" without incident. However my sister-in-law Nadia has family that lives 3 blocks from the ocean in Queens.  Nadia has yet to be able to contact any of her family.  Please keep them in your prayers.  We know they didn't evacuate from their home before the storm.

Cousins

Growing up I didn't have any first cousins that were my age.  They were either way older than me or way younger.  Thankfully I didn't lack in the second cousin category, but back then, I didn't really know the difference between first cousin and second cousin.  They were just cousins.

I had two very special cousins, one of them was my best friend growing up, we did everything together.  We had special nicknames for each other, we lived only a few blocks away from each other, so we were always together.  Our birthdays are only 4 days apart, so we even had birthdays together.  Back when I was younger I would always tease him that I was older than he was.... now I kind of wish it was the other way around... I guess I can still say I am 4 days wiser!  I miss him.  It's been a few years since I saw him, he lives a little further away than what is conducive for a weekend visit.

My other special cousin lives in Wisconsin.  Thankfully she didn't move a half a nation away from me, she is just a jump, skip, and hop over a little pond called Lake Michigan.  Wisconsin is my Mom's home state.  Even though my grandparents (by this time) were living in Grand Rapids, "going home" for my Mom was making the 5 hour trip to the little town of Racine.  Carey and I are only a few short months different in age (again I am the wiser one), so we naturally became good friends.  She and I are different in so many ways and yet so much the same.  Our friendship has continued to grow over the years.

Micah, Tyler, and Jilli are almost in the same situation that I was, growing up.  Their first cousins are much younger than them, as is most of their second cousins.  So we move right along to third cousins.  A cousin is a cousin... right?!  Especially in the Bergsma family, we throw the cousin order right out the window.  Thankfully the kids have third cousins on Kev's side of the family too that we love to hang with, so they are never lacking in the "cousin" category.

OK, so this past weekend our "Wisconsin Cousins" came for a quick visit.  Oh my goodness what a fun weekend!  The kids were making every minute they had together count.  I love how well they all get along!  As I watched them this weekend, it kind of hit me, the boys may or may not stay connected as they reach adulthood.  Boys can be a little funny that way, but Emily and Jilli... they are beginning just like Carey and I did.  They are forming a friendship that is going to last them a lifetime.  They are cousins, but they are friends.  It's a beautiful thing to see.

Traditions.... a picture or series of pictures must be taken of the cousins with every visit.  So here you go... our most recent series of pictures (cuz if I haul out my big clunky camera, I ain't taken just one).

 This next one is oldest to youngest, with Romeo added in because he is the coolest dog ever.

Drew, Jacob, Jason, Micah, Tyler, Emily, Jilli

Is it legal for third cousins to marry??  I see a lot of husband potential for my little Jilli...  :)

 And no visit is complete without tears after the departure.  She is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh... 

Thankfully she calmed down for a little while until we put her to bed.  We prayed protection over our cousins as they traveled home and the water works started back up again.  Oh sweet baby girl... how I love your tender heart!

Tyler

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.   Psalm 139:13-16

I painted these beautiful words around the walls of our nursery, the room that is now Jilli's bedroom.  They are still there... I just can't bring myself to paint over them yet.

This past week these words have come alive for me again.  God knows us, He created us!  Over the past week, I have started to learn about an amazing gift called dyslexia.  A gift that God hand picked for our very precious son Tyler.  Our funny, crazy, loving, always thinking out-of-the box, bright, smart, playful, son.

You see, we have had a secret for some time now.  A secret we've kept very well hidden from most.  Tyler struggles to read.  We have been working and working on it.  We have tried all different kinds of approaches.  We have done phonics, memorization, different curriculums.  Nothing seems to help.  I kept thinking that one of these days it's all going to come together and finally make sense to Tyler.  That day hasn't come.

There have been some very defining moments in our struggle.  This past summer he went to a VBS and because kids in his class were reading and writing, he was to do some writing for a project they were working on.  I had no idea this was happening and when I picked him up and asked him what he did, he told me that "I kept looking for the perfect color crayon, Mommy.  I never found it so I didn't have to write anything."  My heart just broke for him.  He was desperately trying to hide his secret.  Then over the past 2 months he has started to rub and pull on a section of his hair that is now bald.  It is an anxiety thing.  He does it when he is concentrating on trying to read.  My son is struggling...

Last week my Mom calls me with a name of a women who does reading assessments and asked me to call her.  I called and talked to her for awhile.  She told me that what I was describing was dyslexia, she told me she was doing a seminar on it that night and I should come.  My Mom and I went and learned so much.

I thought dyslexia was just flipping of letters, numbers, or words... it is so much more.  It's the way a dyslexic learns and thinks.

Yesterday Tyler and I went for his reading assessment.  I was pretty sure he was dyslexic from what I had been reading but after the assessment was done, what I was told left me a little shaken.  Tyler is 'deeply dyslexic'.  I wasn't expecting the 'deeply' part.

As a mother my heart hurts because I know he is going to have to work harder at learning than most kids his age.  But guess what...

God made him this way.  He knows what He is doing and I completely trust that He has great plans for Tyler because of the way he thinks!  Dyslexia is a gift!  Dyslexics are problem solvers, they think out side of the box.  They can see problems before they happen.  They are very intelligent, smart people who often go on to do amazing things.

For a while now I have been telling Tyler that God has something very special waiting for him to do.  I don't know what it is, but he is such a special person, that I had no doubt it is going to be a-m.a.z.i.n.g!  This diagnosis just confirms it for me...

Our son IS special, he HAS a gift and it's called DYSLEXIA.  This is not a learning disability, this a very special blessing from God.  To be hand chosen to think differently than 80% all people, is a gift.

In two weeks Tyler will start receiving the tools he needs to be able to learn.  He is going to start 6 hr daily sessions with Mrs. McPhall for a week.  During this time she will be able to teach Tyler how to use clay to "see" the words he hasn't been able to see in 3.5yrs of trying to read.  In only two weeks his world is going to open up to him in a way that it never has before.

In two weeks I will also be taught how to teach my son in the very special way he needs to learn.  In two weeks my world will open up in a way it never has before, I will be able to "see" how my son needs to learn for the very first time.  I will be able to understand him in a way I never was able to before.

I have been working through my feelings this past week about all of this.  I have done some serious soul searching, but I have come to a place of peace.  First, if Tyler was in school, there would be no guarantee that this would have been caught.  As I was told by Mrs. McPhall, homeschool mom's usually catch this earlier than kids that are in school.  Because I am the one that works with Tyler day in and day out, I know what has been tried, I know exactly what he is taught because I teach it.  Kevin and I are also so thankful that our son hasn't been "labeled" and put in the resource room.  He hasn't been "dumbed down".  We have a clean slate in which to work, to encourage, to make this gift a positive learning experience for him.  Something Tyler can be proud of.  Lastly, because Tyler is at home he will get the one on one instruction that he needs.  Especially in these first few years!

Kevin and I can't even begin to express the thankfulness that we feel that Mom felt God prompting her to call the homeschool building and see if they had a reading consultant.  Someday, soon, Tyler will no longer feel the burden of his 'secret', he will be free from the chains that have bound him.  Someday, Tyler will know fully the gift he is about to receive and how it all came about.  But until that day comes... All I can say is "Thank You Mom and Dad", there truly are no words...

We need New, not More of the Same...

I have never wanted to punch my tv so much as in the last hour and a half. I don't trust the lies that pour out of the current presidents mouth. I pray we don't have four more years of him. Our country is screwed if we do.

Thank goodness I trust the only One who is in control, cuz otherwise I would be very worried. Maybe I still am... But I have prayer and I am using it.

Fact check... The military does still use bayonets, Obama was wrong.  And Romney did say he supported bringing Detroit through a controlled bankruptcy and didn't want to liquidate them.  He said they should have government help but only through bankruptcy, Obama was wrong again.

I am sorry for all those that voted Obama in last time, but I trust God needed to give us Americans a wake-up call.  Well I am wide awake and I hope you are too.  It is said that this election is as important as the election between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln and we all know who won that election.

I just pray this country does the right thing, as it did back in 1860.  We have lost so much in the last 4 years, lets not continue the self destruction of this great nation by voting Obama back in for another 4.

15 days and counting.....

good night...

Today...

There are just days.  Days that I wish I could forget that I am Mom, Teacher, House Cleaner, Bus Driver, Grocery Shopper, Laundress, Food Preparer... this list goes on.  I know all moms have them.  I know I am not alone.  But today... today feels like one of those days.  Today I wish I could curl up and forget all the hats that I wear.  Today I wish I could go outside and just walk for miles and miles, enjoying the beautiful color, and not have to worry about the fact I have 3 kids home that I am responsible for, clothes that need washing, food that needs preparing, teaching that needs to be done, schedules that need to be met.

Tomorrow will be a better day (even though it's supposed to rain).  Tomorrow I will again love the fact that I get to wear all these hats, that God has blessed me with the most amazing job.  Tomorrow...

Wrapping the Tawas Trip Up

The beach at Sturgeon Point was all rocks.  We were told that if we went out on the beach we could find Petoskey stones and that semi-precious stones could even be found there too.

We did end up finding some very small Petoskey stones, but my boys had much more fun learning the art of Rock Skipping.

I don't remember where we were but I remember my parents taking us kids out to a beach and showing us how to skip rocks.  They showed us what rocks were good skipping rocks, how to hold them, and then how to throw them.  I remember my Mom getting the record for how many times a rock skipped.  It is one of those vital lessons that must be past down through the ages.

So... here are the boys learning their new skill.

  Jilli on the other hand was much more interested in looking for pretty rocks that she could take home... she is such a little pack rat.

 Well... that's it, the last of my pictures from this trip.  This is definitely a place we would love to go back too, but probably not for a while since we need to knock off some other State Parks from our list.

Have a Great Day!

Color!

I need to finish our trip to Tawas before I start the UP trip 2012.  But here is just a little teaser.

The color was beyond describable.  The camera just can't show the works of our God the way our eyes can.  Seeing this in person was way more beautiful!  But this picture is pretty close...