Simply Sisler

New Blog - Let me know if you want an invite :)

2012-01-10T15:17:00.001-08:00

http://www.3fold-cord.blogspot.com/

My Sweet Tornado

2010-05-15T16:13:00.001-07:00

Had I have known what my sweet baby girl's personality would be, I might have decided on the name Tornado verses Elis. It would have been a lot more fitting. Bless her heart. They always say you get paid back for all the grief you put your parents through. Well, if that is true - my mama is laughing in heaven. (I don't really think that, but if that was how it worked... she would be.)

I would say that she keeps me on my toes on a daily basis, but it is more like on a seconds basis. I never know where she is going to be or what she is going to be in! She has gotten obsessed with taking her diaper off. Brandon and I put her diaper on backwards now so that she can't get to the tabs as easy. I was trying to wait until summer to potty train so that my schedule could be free, but after this incident it looks like we are going to have to speed it up a bit.

These pictures are just a glimpse into a day with Elis. ;)

Viewer discretion is advised. You may want to throw up after viewing these pictures.

She apparently didn't nap today. More like finger painted with poo. They get more graphic.

There is the wonderful invention of the diaper being robbed of it's talent of catching human waste by laying on the floor where it was so distastefully thrown. Along with the diaper... her pants, and the few droplets of poo that managed to escape their demise by the tornado's hands.

She looks so innocent. Just goes to show looks can be deceiving.

What child enjoys the smell of poo. Could you imagine painting yourself with it? Gross!

More evidence of disaster.

And more.

And more. She looks so happy to be so bad. ;)

As you can see, I called Daddy in from working in the yard to disinfect the subject while I scrubbed the room down.

Whew! It will be her one turn one day with her own tornado, and I'll have these pictures of proof of her disastrous days. Her complaining will fall on deaf ears.

All in the day of the life of Elis!

Sick of Being Sick

2010-03-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

OK! Enough already! I think I have been chronically ill for the last month. It really makes you realize how much we take our health for granted. I can't even imagine what people feel like that deal with illness their entire lives. After being plagued with the stomach virus three times, 2 colds, and now something nasty (I'm going to the Dr. today to get a diagnosis), I'm just ready to feel good again.

Thank goodness for my sweet friends from Atlanta coming down to take me to lunch. If it wasn't for them I might have stayed in the bed all day on my 30th birthday. I went to bed around 7:00 p.m. last night. Anyone who knows me, sickness is confirmed when I even entertain the idea of going to bed before 10:00 p.m.

So the real reason for the post? What do you take to scare away illness? Do you take a certain multi-vitamin every day? Do you take a certain herb? Do you use an over the counter drug? I'm up for any suggestions. The best I've ever felt is when I was taking prescription pre-natal vitamins. They were OH SO GOOD to my body, but they were a little pricey. At this point, price is worth being well. So help me my online community. Make me well.

Redneck Winter

2010-02-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

There is nothing we like better in the Sisler household than having a redneck summer. Most summer nights we like to sit in our backyard, grill, let the kids run around half naked (if not completely naked, drink a beer, and enjoy life. That is one our favorite parts of the summer. Sometimes we even just bring the shampoo outside and give the kids a bath in the hose. I know, we are verging on high society here.

Well when the temps went up this past weekend, we were in hog heaven. Who cares if it is technically winter if it feels like summer.

What defines a redneck winter? I think the following pictures may help....

Well it started off with our naked son playing peek-a-boo in the grill cover.

Then big daddy put some chicken on the grill while our diapered baby was attached to the thigh.

The only logical thing for the hubby to do while the chicken is cooking is finish is wood stack for next winter's wood. (Gotta let it season for a year so it burns REEAAALLL good.)

Then a couple of photo ops while the kids are snacking on an appetizer of goldfish.

Then we will conclude by the baby eating beside Gigi's dog. Because who would let such good goldfish go to waste. I mean if they are good enough for the dog off the ground..... why not a baby.

She is so proud of herself for saving such valuable goldfish!

Ahhhhhhhh! Now that's a good night. Can't wait for summer!

Remembering Mama 2-22-50 to 2-20-09

2010-02-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking all week about this post. What was I going to say? How profound could I make it? What personal excerpts of my mom and I's relationship could I fill you in on.

As I was going through old letters and pictures this evening to prepare for this post, I realized I can't pick out one picture. I can't pick out one memory. I can't pick out one letter. They are all so wonderful. Well that, and the fact of my complete and utter breakdown.

Everyday I miss her, but I push that grief box to a very back corner in my brain. I don't let that grief box out much, but when I do.... Katy bar the door. (as mama would say)

I'm not a big cryer, and I HATE crying in front of people. So sometimes it's good for the soul to let it all out.

This woman was a good woman, NO A GREAT WOMAN. She loved others more than herself and she lived her life that way. One day I'll understand why she was taken so early. I'm at peace with it I just don't completely understand. And I'm ok with that. All I know is mama knew where her real home was.

Mama wrote a series of devotions for her Explorer Leaders after she was diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic Cancer. I wanted to take a couple of excerpt from these devotions, but I'm just too emotional tonight. I will give you all more on a later date because they are definitely worth blogging about.

HOWEVER, I will leave you this one excerpt she wrote near the end of the book. She is talking about her bad chemo cycles. She talks about how her "bad chemo" (meaning the strong jungle juice) weeks were almost like a time clock. The first couple of days were awful with nausea, tiredness, neuropathy, feeling flu like, loss of appetite etc., Then the next few were not good either, but much better than the last. Then the next few were bearable, then the last were like you had climbed a big hill and now the fun part... you slide down. (meaning the last days of the cycle you were so happy to feel ok again that it made your good days seem GREAT)

Well she compares this bad chemo cycle to her walk of faith. These are her words below...

"It [our faith] is like the bad chemo cycle. God, in His marvelous grace, sends the refining fire to our worse than bad sin; so that we can have His best. What is God's best? Himself - being forever in His presence - in glory.

The last mile up that hill of the walk of faith toward home is the hardest - but the top-----Glory-Wheeeeeeee-Glory------forever- no more hills to climb - no more rivers to cross - Glory in the presence of our dear Lord and Savior --- forever.

Revelation 21:10"

Can I leave you with anything more comforting than that? It came from her mouth. No more hills or rivers for this beautiful woman only WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I love you mama. Can't believe it's already been a year!

Red Meal and Judy

2010-02-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am going to blog at least once a week. This week's highlight was our Valentines meal and Dad and Judy's. It was so much fun. Judy has brought a few new traditions into the family. She had a red meal for Valentines. How cute is that? Everything was red.... we had fruit punch, baked spaghetti, pink fruit salad, pink homemade applesauce, pink shortbread cookies, and strawberry pie. It was a lot of fun.

Judy's birthday was on Monday. She unselfishly offered to babysit on her birthday which was very nice of her. For those of you that don't have the pleasure of knowing Judy, let me describe her a little bit. She is wonderful! She has been such a blessing to our family. She has been more than understanding about our mother's death. She understands our hurt and is VERY sensitive to that. She sheds tears for our mother, too. She loves her, too! She never comes on too strong, but yet is ALWAYS there when we need her. She treats our children as her own grandchildren. She treats us as she would her own children. At the beginning, us kids couldn't understand why things were moving so fast. Why would God not allow us to grieve for our mother before another woman jumps into the picture? Well, it just goes to show not to question God. His plan is always perfect. Judy has been such an awesome tool to help us through this grieving process. She will never replace my mother! (She wouldn't want to or try to) But she is now family and I am developing a motherly love and friendship for this sweet lady. I appreciate her love and respect for my mother, her love and respect for my mother's things, and most importantly her love and respect for my mother's memory!

Thanks Judy! We love you!

Here are pics from our "Red Meal."
Judy reading a book to Cohen and tickling him every time he got an answer right!

Baby girl playing dress-up.

Mischief at it's finest.

Gigi and the kids. Once Elis got her Valentine candy bag there was no going back. She has candy in her mouth for the rest of the night.

Grampy and Nanny gave the kids V-day bags. As you can see, Elis won't put her bag down. It is with her until I pulled it away at bedtime. Thanks Grampy and Nanny for an awesome evening!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2010-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

I've had a revelation about my life! I am TOO busy! I have no extra time anymore. Needless to say, I enjoy being busy. It is not often that you will see me lounging around doing nothing. I'm either cleaning, doing laundry, working on one of my 4 businesses, playing with the kids, going to different activities, at church, at Bible study, and so on and so on.

As you may have noticed, I don't even update my blog anymore. I JUST can't find the time. I wake up at 7 a.m. with the kids, and by the time they go to bed at 7:30 p.m. I am just getting started on my businesses. I usually work 'til about midnight. If I watch TV, it is while I am on the computer. My husband and I both looked at each other last week, and almost said simultaneously, "Something has got to change."

I wouldn't consider myself a work-aholic because I TRULY enjoy my free time too much, BUT I have got WAY too many things on this plate of mine. I am going to start taking time to smell the roses. This is how I look at it... If someone told me today that I had a terminal illness, What would be important. The two things I can think of would be God first and foremost (that is where I'm going to spend eternity) and then a close second would be family and friends. All too often, these are the things that suffer the most when I get too busy. SOOOOO.... My resolution...

I am going to back down on The Stork Sisters and Vinyly Here. My prices are going to be raised. (Not as much as my husband would like, BUT baby steps.... baby steps.) I'm still willing to do the vinyl and the storks, but I have to make it worth my while. Also, for my paper company (most of you don't even know that I have a 'Paper Division.' That is because I'm too busy to advertise.) It is Plum Petals Paper. We do calling cards, Christmas Announcements, Invitations, etc. ----- More on that on a later post. Anyhoo, my sister is going to join the reigns of this business. She will help me with my work-load, and I'll help her get some shopping money.

SO.... hopefully you will start seeing my blog posts improve, and my life calming down a bit. Getting back to the basics. Working on eternal things such as my family, friends, and God vs. worldly things such as a new INC jacket or some hot new boots in my closet. (Not that they are bad (mama likes to shop), they just don't need to reign our lives.)

So use this post as my confession, and hold me accountable to do better!

I will be posting again later this week to prove that I'm trying!

Love to All!

My Loves

2010-01-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when your 18 month old wears her oatmeal bowl on her head when you walk out of the room. Straight in the shower she went.

Cohen playing with daddy's glasses. Don't worry... he didn't keep them on for long. ;)

My sweet friend had a cookie decorating party for her daughter. Isn't that a cute idea? The kids had a great time.

Cohen preferred the bubbles outside. Elis is my eater and Cohen is my doer. These pictures prove it!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

Our 2009 Christmas Pic
The best pic of the kids together to date.

Elis' 18 month pic.

Cohen's 3 yr. old pic.

Didn't get such a good pic today. The Christmas spirit was not filling the air at this point.

Stockings

Tree. Note that the bottom is very bare thanks to an 18 months old swipper in the house. We had to keep moving the ornaments up.

I had a feeling that Cohen would think the kitchen was for him.

But then he moved on to his drum set.

And so did Elis!

Cute pj's from Gam and Pappy. They were monogrammed on their hiney. I tried to get them to bend over together, but if you look at the above picture - they weren't in the mood to be together.

Here is Elis' hiney. Courtesy de la Gam and Pappy.

Cohen showing his domestic side.

Cohen and his cars.

The baby doll looks a little scary, but it was mine when I was a little girl. She has seen her better days.

Cooking can make a girl thirsty.

Warming up her milk on the stove.

Cohen with his pilot hat watching his new plane.

Close up of the pilot hat.

I tried to ban the paci from Christmas, but the Christmas bug bit me and I gave in.

We had a great Christmas. I hope you all did too! Merry Christmas!!!!

Lil' Man Turns 3

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

My - Oh - My does the time fly by. Baby boy turned three. Here are a couple of pics from his party!!!!

His cousins came!

Anything goes on your birthday. Even eating your ice cream cake all at once!

Get it boy!

Rocking out to his new guitar.

His birthday party at St. Marks. He is applauding himself.

<3>

Stuffing his face again.

Don't grow up and leave your mama. Ok, well maybe grow up to be self-sufficient, and then don't leave your mama. ;0)

Missing Mama

2009-11-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

When do you wake up, and the pain goes away? When do you get to think of your mother and be happy? When do you get to look at her handwriting, listen to her voice or look at her pictures without busting into tears? I still have a message from her on my answering machine. I can't imagine erasing it, yet I skip over it every time. I can't bear to hear her voice. I was going through my inbox last night. I saw an old email from her. I wouldn't dare delete it yet I couldn't even think about opening it and reading it. Her cell phone number is still logged in my phone. The number isn't even valid anymore, but the thought of deleting it out of my phone would make it too real. These things seems to happen all day every day. I keep waiting on that magic moment to move on. Not that I want to forget her, but I just want to be able to remember her without hurting. I have no doubt that God's plan is perfect, and this is what was planned before the foundation of the earth - but it doesn't feel perfect. I'm suppose to have a mama to talk to. I'm suppose to have a mama to go shopping with. I'm suppose to have a mama to rock my babies. I want my mother. It seems too long to have to wait until the other side of this life to see her again. I can't help but get jealous when I see people out with their mothers - having fun, shopping, talking, etc. etc. That use to be me. Cherish it as much as you can. I don't want to have a 'woe is me' attitude. I just truly miss her. I keep wanting to wake up and realize this was all a bad dream. I hate thinking about my children never knowing who she was. I miss that feeling of knowing I have a mama. The person that would walk through hail, sleet and snow to be by your side in a time of need. The person who loves you regardless of all your many skeletons. The person who would sacrifice anything to keep you safe. The person who would shoot it straight to you in a way that only a mama can do. I dread the holidays. I've never been a big holiday girl myself, but I can't even begin to think of what this year will be like. Who is going to make the Christmas morning casserole we've had for the past 30 years? Who is going to fill the stockings? It will be a year of new traditions, and that makes me happy and sad in one breath. The Lord has been gracious to us. We have a close family, and without them this holiday season would seem unbearable. Many people ask me why the Lord would take such a good person. At the expense of sounding like I'm preaching, the truth of the matter is that my mother was no better than anyone else (she would say the same thing) We are all sinners - she just realized that fact and tried to live in a way honoring to Him. However, I think he has given her the best gift of all. Sure she didn't want to leave her loved ones behind, but she always longed to be with the Father. He gave her that. No more tears, heartache, sadness, misery, bad days - etc. Who could ask for a better gift. (That's the peace I have to rely upon on days like today.) Thanks for listening to my rant - you are my online therapist. Thank goodness ya'll do it for free, my wallet is getting a little bare! ;0)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

For those of you that are not on facebook, I thought I would let you see the kids in their Halloween costumes. They were so much fun this year. Cohen couldn't wait to put on his little chic outfit. He wore it with pride. Elis could have cared less, but maybe she'll be more in to it next year. However, she did keep on her piggy head all night - which I thought was a huge accomplishment. Cohen was so cute. He thought that it was amazing that people would give him candy at each house. He was so polite and would say thank-you every time. (sometimes he was coached - none-the-less, too cute.) Hope you enjoy the pics!

Burt's Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with our Atlanta friends. We went to Dahlonega, GA to visit Burt's Pumpkin Patch. We cooked out up in the mountains afterward. It's so refreshing being in the mountains with good friends. I miss them.

Cohen didn't know what to do with such big pumpkins. They were almost as tall as him.

Now this is what I call a pumpkin patch. Cohen kept running from pumpkin to pumpkin.

This is the best I could do for a pic with the both of them. They were too ready to play to sit still and take a pic. Everyone kept saying that Elis looked like she was riding a bull. but Hey... she stayed on.

Heather and Davis

Elis claimed her pumpkin. She wouldn't leave this thing. Since she just started walking, the mulch was making it hard to stay steady. This little boy tried to take her pumpkin and she was ready for a good fight. She was victorious.

Cohen was so ready for the hayride that he couldn't understand why we had to wait in line. He thought if he stared at the people in front of us it would hurry them up.

Elis loves men. (I know - we need to break her of this habit before high-school) She's a daddy's girl, and every time she gets around Davis - she clings to him. We are more than happy to pass the torch for a couple of hours.

Justin and Brandon at the back of the hayride. The men weren't fond of the idea of a hayride, but us girls bought tickets for them anyways. Then I think they actually had a good time.

Yasmin, Heet and me on the Hayride.

They had cute little scenes like this on the hayride. The pumpkins talked to us. Cohen loved this part.

Cohen staring at the pumpkins of the back of the trailer.

Family pic on the hayride.

We cooked out at the top of the waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful. This pic. doesn't do it justice.

Again, Cohen loved every minute of it. It so much fun to see the world through your children's' eyes. He is getting to an age where he can really enjoy our outings now.

Yasmin and Alan walking to the bottom of the falls with Cohen. I think a baby would suit them well. (I'm ready for my friends to jump on the baby train.)

This was at the bottom of the falls. Again, the pic. doesn't do it justice. It was amazing.

Happy Fall Y'all.

The Girls

2009-10-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

I lost this pic somewhere in the shuffel. This is our last night in Nashville. Sorry Girls - better late than never! ;0)

Can Trees Be Charged With Vandalism?

2009-10-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Who needs crazy teen to smash your mailbox when you have a Bradford Pear? I've known for a while how bad Bradford Pears are at splitting when they get too big. My husband cuts off big limbs ever so often to prevent such an instance from happening. Well..... it didn't work.

It was pouring down rain a couple of weekends ago, and we got a knock on our door. It was our neighbor. They weren't able to get home because half of our tree had fallen across the road destroying everything in it's path (ie the mailbox). So much for free time on a Saturday! We spent the day cutting it up and playing clean up.

She is not as pretty as she once was, but I'll keep her around. Brandon threatened to cut her down, but I have spared her life..... for now. She better not decide to ruin our new mailbox anytime soon.

It was a good mailbox. Too bad it wasn't strong enough to withstand a tree!

This just gave me an excuse to do a new vinyl decal on our mailbox. I like this one!

So the mailman knows he's at the right house - as if they didn't see it screaming on the other side.

I couldn't abandon the last design - so I put it on the other side!

Nashvegas '09

2009-10-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

The only thing I can say as a result of our Nashville trip is.... "I'm not 20 any more." We have been doing these Nashville trips for the last 5 years. I was sick to start off, and then add late nights and early mornings, lots of laughing, dancing and loud jabber, and lots of junk food and you get an even sicker patient. If I was 20 I could have bounced back, but it took me about three days and a LOT of vitamin C to recover from this trip. We all laughed and said in ten years we would be playing checkers in the hotel room the whole time. (hahaha - hopefully not!) We had such a good time, and all the sickness was worth every minute with my girls.

These girls are my heart and soul. They know all my ins and outs, and I know all of theirs. You know when you know all the good and bad in someone, and still love them anyway... That's a true friend.

We are getting better with age. Last year we packed 12 girls in one hotel room. This year we only packed in 9. (granted it is a bigger than normal room) We threw around the idea of splitting into two rooms, but then we quickly realized it wouldn't be near as much fun. I can sleep anywhere for two nights.

We always tailgate at the Vandy game on Sat. This year it was against Ole Miss. They blew Vandy's pants off. We didn't care though - we were there for the fun!

Last year we posed with Elvis. This year it was stashey. He looked just like our cab driver. That is why I'm cracking up in the pic.

CAN'T WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!

Out of Commision

2009-09-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

The Sisler famiy has been out of commission the past two days. We missed church, fellowship meal, a business meeting, and a lunch date. I'm taking Elis to the Dr. tomorrow so hopefully we will be up and running again by this weekend. I'm suppose to be going on a girls trip. I sure hope my family and I get back in working order by this weekend. ;0( I hope everyone else is feeling well.

Sibling Love

2009-09-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

We pulled out the hose the other night, and the kids had a blast. Elis LOVES water! She didn't mind Cohen dousing her every couple of seconds. Fun times!
.

Missing Her

2009-09-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that mama passed away 7 months ago today. Some days it feels like it was just yesterday. I can still remember her sweet voice, her words of encouragement, her handwriting, her precious hands, her sincerity and love. I could go on and on. Other days it seems like she has been gone for ages. I miss her so. I long to remember her sweet voice, her words of encouragement, her handwriting, her precious hand, her sincerity and love. I don't blog about mama much anymore. Although trials in your own life seem so real and vivid, that doesn't mean that everyone else understands the feeling and emotions that are associated with your trial. I try not to bog anyone else down with the pain I feel for the loss of my mother. However, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her, there isn't a week, sometimes days, that goes by that I don't sob with grief from missing her so much. I can't even get through typing this blog post without crying. It is a pain in your heart, a literal pain, that you can't seem to make go away. Memories are the thing that keep you going, but they are also the thing that pierce your heart like a knife. I am so gracious to our Father for giving me such an awesome mom. Some people walk this earth with a mother they don't even know or care for. I had a mother who's fond memory will last a lifetime. I got to be best friends with my mother. She nurtured, loved, look out for, and took care of me for 28 years. That is a blessing that I can't deny. I don't grieve for my mother. She is perfected. She is healed. She is in a place that I can't even describe or comprehend with my earthly brain. No more worries, no more pain, no more sorrow. Instead, I grieve for myself - that I have to live the rest of my days on this earth without her presence, but I always rejoice in her memory. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2,3

Three Amigos

2009-09-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

It is so nice that my kids have a cousin their age in the same town. They play so well together. Lilly came over for lunch the other day, and I sanpped these pics. Aren't they so cute?

Growing Up

2009-09-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

My babies are growing up. Since I haven't posted pictures of them in a while, I decided to take a few pics to show how big they are getting. I love them more every day!!!!

Niedrach Genes

2009-09-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ok - so they aren't identical, but I think that could pass as brothers. They definitely have the Niedrach eyes and nose. The above is Luke and the bottom is Cohen. What do you think?

Luke Robert

Cohen Drue

Long to See LRN

2009-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of my new nephew. I long to rock him and smell that sweet new baby smell. This birth has hit me harder than any other. I use to get a play by play action from mama. She would move in and help us all for a week after our babies were born. I don't have that luxury of her daily report on how the new baby is doing, how he is nursing, how he cooing, what his personality is like, etc. So after the first week (I'll give them some time to settle down) I'll have to be a nuisance and call every day to see what my boy is doing new today.

My brother is a great father. I love this picture. Father and son looking at each other for one of the first times. Luke will be the only one in our family (Bob's line) to carry on the Niedrach name. The pressure is off - Jim got it done. ;0)

Seeing pictures like this makes me want another one so bad, but then I walk in the other room and Elis is pulling trash out of the trash can while screaming at the top of her lungs and Cohen's aim is missing the toilet and peeing on the wall. Then I remember I think I can wait another year until baby number three.

HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!

2009-08-30T13:47:00.001-07:00

Luke Robert Niedrach

August 30, 2009

3:51 p.m.

8 lbs. 6 oz.

20 1/2 inches

I must admit, tears came to my eyes when I opened this text message. He looks just like my brother. I'm heartbroken I can't be in Indiana welcoming my new nephew into the world. It has been a long road getting him here, but I know his mama and daddy think it was worth every minute. I can only believe that my mom is singing Hallelujah to the King right now for the birth of her 10th great grandchild. Then she'll be rocking the other three that didn't get meet this world, but welcomed her into eternity.

FINALLY - We're Live

2009-08-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got the website up and running. Go check it out! http://www.plumpetalsphotography.com If you ever need me - just give me a call. I will be updating it often - so visit regularly. If you want to know the reason behind the name - check out the tab.... Curious?!?! - then click on.... Why The Name? (here's a hint... it is in honor of my mother - couldn't resist) Also, Pricing and Packages are under Curious?!?! tab as well. I hope you like the site.

If you see anything that is not user friendly or something I could improve on - I love constructive criticism. HAPPY READING!!!

My First Maternity Shoot

2009-08-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Nicole and Ben were so gracious to let me take pictures of this awesome time in their lives. I don't know about you, but I wish I looked like her when I was 9 months pregnant. She is due any day - WOW she does pregnancy well. We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to get shots of baby Amelia.

There was a delay in my site going live - my logo design got pushed back. It should be up by next week. Until then, I will keep you updated on here.

My Delinquency Has Surpassed Me

2009-08-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

My delinquency has surpassed me this time folks. Tons of things have been going on, but I haven't documented any of them. So this is going to be a quick recap!

We went to the beach. Please note that you won't see any pictures of me on the beach in a bikini. Scratch that - you won't see any pictures of me on the beach at all. However, you will see pictures of me in a bikini contest by this time next year. (totally kidding, but hopefully I will be small enough to at least get a tankini shot by summer of '10. ;0)

We had lots of fun, but vacation can't last forever.

Sweet baby girl - loved the sand. She actually ate about 3 pounds worth. We took a baby pool down by the chairs, and she would just play in that all day.

Cohen wanted to be like his daddy and where a 'real man' hat. Note to all those who watch the bachelorette..... My husband does not have Ed's shorts on. Note the white thighs - meaning they get no sun. He was just sitting down. If there is one pet peeve I have... It is men in short shorts.

We had a Hannah Montana Party for my niece, and Cohen went into Superstar mode. He was in his element. Who said Hannah Montana was for girls?

Ok this isn't a beach pic, but I finally got one of her smiling with her teeth so I had to post it.

Secondly, besides the million other things I've taken on (photography and website design) I have also decided to start knitting. I know, I'm crazy, but it's actually quite relaxing. I just do it at night while I'm watching TV. My mother-n-law is a big knitter, and she taught me at the beach. Now I can make my own photography props - my wallet is running a little thin. I've made three hats and a cocoon. Here is one of my favorite hats and I'm half way through the matching cocoon.

This is the cocoon. It is hard to see what it will look like because it's not finished, but hopefully you get the idea.

Newborn hat. Can't wait to try it out.

Thirdly, my adopted sister had her baby last night. Ahhhhhh! Molly Rish Haralson was born at 7:45 p.m. and she weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. I can't wait to meet her and get my hands on her. I say adopted because I practically grew up with her. I babysat her, she told on me, etc. etc. (This is my dear friend Kelly's sister.) We are so excited for her, and can't wait to start snapping photos of her bundle of joy.

Fourthly, my website should be up by next Friday!!!! I'm just waiting on my logo design to be completed. I will have a big debut post introducing you to my new business.

Also, my baby boy started his first day of school this week. He only goes two days a week for 3 hours, but it is nice to concentrate on baby girl those days and for him to have a chance to make some good friends.

I didn't get a good first day of school pic because I was running late. I threw him in the car seat, grabbed the camera, and snapped a shot as he is guzzling down breakfast.

Lastly, and MOST importantly, please pray for my new niece. That is a bad way of putting it, she is really my step niece, but I don't like the way that sounds because regardless of the technical name - she is family now. She is 17 years old. To make a really long story short - she has several blood clots in her arm. The blood flow was practically shut off. They kept thinking it was a sports injury, but it kept getting worse. The Lord was gracious and they caught it before any of the clots through. They did a couple of procedures and none of them worked so they air-lifted her to a hospital in Detroit Michigan for emergency surgery. My dad and Judy rushed up there yesterday to help out. Please pray for safety, comfort, healing, and strength. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

That is my last two weeks in a nut shell. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and we will catch up again next week.

We Are Back

2009-08-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well we are back from the beach. We had a blast! In some ways I could have stayed for another month and in others - I was ready to get back to a schedule. I can't believe school is already back in session. Where did the summer go?

I got to have another session at the beach. Here are a few of my favs. I hope to have my website up and running in the next two weeks - I'm not very tech savvy so it takes me a while. Then I will be able to stop posting all my pictures on my personal blog. Stay tuned for more pics soon.

More Practice

2009-07-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been so delinquent on my posts lately. I have been completely consumed by the art of photography. It takes up most of my days these days so my post may be lacking, but I promise when I get the swing of things I will resume my normal posting patterns.

I have named my photography business now. I am going to keep you hanging until I can develop my website. I think it's cute and has meaning behind it - but that's a post for another day.

I got to enjoy taking pics of my beautiful niece this morning, Anna Grace. Here are some of my favs....

The coloring on my laptop does not do these pictures justice. You guys might think the same thing if you are viewing from a laptop. I found out the hard way that the calibration coloring is not right on laptops. When I sent my pics to the lab they looked great to me, but when I got them back it looked like I had orange oompaloompa people on my pictures. So I had to fork out the cash for a new photography monitor and calibration system to get true results.

Isn't she cute. These were her 8 year old pics.

Meet the Newest Member of the Niedrach Family

2009-07-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

My dad and Mrs. Judy got married this Monday. I would have done a post earlier, but I was too busy trying to learn photoshop - man is it complex. Anyhoo, Daddy and Judy let me take pictures of them right after the ceremony. Here are a couple of pics as 'newly man and wife.' They are honeymooning right now, but when they return I hope all of you get a chance to meet Mrs. Judy. She has been so kind and gracious to us, and we are exited she is a part of the Niedrach clan!

1st Practice Shoot - Thanks Kelly & Nat Nat

2009-07-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

So I took the plunge and asked a good friend if I could practice on her precious daughter. I was so nervous I could hardly sleep the night before. I'm not quite sure why because she is my best friend and it was just for fun, but I just kept running through my notes in my head. Unfortunately, my new lens hadn't come in yet so I had to do the shoot in 'auto' mode. I hope next time I'll have better tools.

It turned out pretty good. Natalie was an awesome subject. We had to cut our shoot short because she fell down and skinned her knees, but we got some fun shot anyways. After our session, I sent the photos to my photography 'mentor.' She already told be about 4 things I could have done better. (I really appreciate her critiques, and now I know for next time) Check her out at http://www.bellamiphotography.com/. She is awesome, and so so so very nice. She is actually on vacation in Santa Barbara, CA for the summer. She still takes the time to write me page after page of ideas, hint, critiques, etc., etc. every night by email. - How nice is that?

Here is my disclaimer..... I haven't been able to edit any of these photos yet because my photo shop still hasn't arrived yet, my lens isn't here yet, and it was my first shoot. So after all my excuses, take a look. Feel free to critique.

Ps - thanks to daddy for letting me use his beautiful yard!

Pss - the images might be a little blurry. I haven't learned how to format them so they are crisp on blogger yet. That is a photo shop lesson yet to be learned.

Lots to Learn

2009-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

So in my quest into the world of photography, I have learned lots and lots and lots and lots. Photography is a lot more complex than you may think. I thought you just point your camera in the direction of your subject, click a button and wahlah - objective achieved. Bow was I wrong. I have been obsessed learning about this fascinating art. Every night I study, take notes, consult professionals, study some more, take more notes, etc., etc.

I use to think that buttons such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed on the camera were a waste of space. Who would need such useless tools when you have an automatic system that will do it for you? Well, you would be amazed at how you can transform a picture by moving those dials. It's fun, challenging, and lots of work. The more I learn - the more I realize how much more I have to learn. And taking the picture is only half of the art. Then you have to learn how to crop and edit the pictures. (I have my editing tools on the way - that is a post for another day.)

So what is the best way to learn? Practice, practice, practice! Who better to practice on than your children. Out of the 100+ pictures I took last night, I only got about 5 with the perfect lighting. Lots of work to do!!!! Here are my action shots from last night - with no editing yet.

Elis 1 Year Old Pics

2009-07-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

Photography is an art. It helps when your subject is as cute as my Elis bug, ;0) but it takes skill for sure. I have gotten the photography itch. (I know, I know - yet another entrepreneurial endeavor by me.) However, I just want to have fun while capturing awesome moments in my kids lives and my friends lives as well.

All that to say...... Melissa Cotton is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She selflessly showed me some tricks of the trade today to help me with my around the house photos. She is also the one who took these photos of baby girl. Aren't they awesome?!?!?!?! You can check out more of her work at www.honeybeephotos.com

Hope you enjoy, and have a great weekend!

A New Beginning

2009-07-03T17:05:00.001-07:00

We live in a small town, and I think it is safe to say that the cat is out of the bag. My dad is getting married. I could search to find the perfect words to write, but I don't think I could do near as good of a job as my sister did on her blog. The next couple of posts (I couldn't get my blog to copy and paste right) are taken straight from her heart and mouth. [You can read her blog at www.ageorgiagirl.blogspot.com]

The only thing I have to say is that we are 110% behind my father. He has been such a blessing to this family, and we are happy that the Lord brought a help mate into his life. One of the most special parts, is that Judy, his new fiance, loved my mama, too. She understood what a special woman she was, and in the same breath my dad loved her husband like a brother. He passed away six years ago. What a special gift that they can continue to remember and cherish the memories of mama and Jim, while caring, supporting, and loving each other through the remainder of this life on earth. I have no doubt in my mind that every one will welcome Judy with open arms - just as my mother would have had it.

Like I said before, my sister does such a better job. So please read what she said and at the end pretend like I'm saying 'DITTO!'

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl: "My Mother died 4 months and 12 days ago. She's been dead 132 days and my Dad is getting married. Yes... I mean married. There was a proposal, there is a ring on a finger and a tentative date. I will introduce her in the weeks to come but for now I will just tell you briefly that my Father's fiance is lovely. A dear friend of my Mother's for 35 years, she lives 800 miles away and has been a widow for six years. I have known her my whole life... for as long as I can remember, her family has been friends with my family. God does amazing things. But, again... more of that later. Today I just want to address the FACT that my Daddy is getting married."

Continued 2.....

2009-07-03T16:46:00.001-07:00

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl: "I had a friend tell me recently 'if your Dad thinks people aren't going to talk... that they aren't going to raise an eyebrow... he's crazy!' To her I would honestly say... I hope they do talk. But what I want them to talk about is probably different that what she intended with her comment. I want people to talk about the fact that my Father was a loving, committed and faithful husband to my Mother for 38 years. I want them to talk about how hard he worked to provide for her and her children... that she loved him unconditionally and that it broke her heart to think about having to leave him behind on this Earth. I want them to talk about how he was her greatest cheerleader during her illness. He encouraged her and fought beside her and prayed for her. I want them to talk about how he made her protein shakes of every flavor and consistency to help her gain weight."

Continued 3...

2009-07-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl: "I want them to talk about how he poured over articles on the Internet about pancreatic cancer trials and studies and treatments. I want them to talk about how he took her to any restaurant she wanted on 'chemo days' because he knew her appetite was best on those days and wanted her to have as delicious a meal as she could get down. I want them to talk about how he sat in the recliner next to her couch for days & weeks & months keeping her company when she got too weak to be up much. I want them to know how he mixed Miralax into her Starbuck's Frappacino every single night before she went to bed. I want them to talk about how he knew her pills and prescriptions backwards and forwards... for them to talk about the countless pills he dispensed with precision and care so that my Mother would be comfortable. I want them to talk about how he cared for her bed sores and helped my Mother to the bathroom and changed her clothes... without passing the buck on to someone else. I want them to talk about how my Mother in her final days would perk up when he passed by her bed... the smell of his cologne rousing her to consciousness. I want them to talk about how he laid in that hospital bed with her... patting her gently and kissing her forehead softly... telling her how beautiful she was. Call ME crazy... but those are the things I hope they talk about. He fulfilled his vows to her. He loved her for better & worse as long as she lived. He never broke his covenant vow made before God."

Continued 4....

2009-07-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl: "And now this man is alone. Not lonely... but alone. When people want to 'raise an eyebrow' at my Dad's quick engagement I want them to think about how many times they have raised the phone to call and see how he was getting along? How many times did they raise a pen to write him a note of encouragement? As we all go about our busy lives do we think about those who come home to an empty house? Who's social calendar has been erased by the death of their partner? My mother would not want him to be alone. She would not have wanted him to be forgotten. She loved him and wanted him to be loved."

Continued 5....

2009-07-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Adventures of a Georgia Girl: "It is going to be different seeing another woman married to my Daddy... perhaps even painful at times. I'm not denying the fact that it is soon for him to be moving on with his life. Widower-hood is almost like a purgatory... no longer in the first life, but without 'permission' from society to move along to the next. Him being alone isn't going to bring my Mother back. No amount of tears is going to bring her back to life. She is gone and he is here. Would I change it if I could? Yes. But I can't. So we go on and pray for the grace to be gracious. We hope for the best... being thankful for God's provision for my Father... and to wanting be a friend to his new wife."

Girls Weekend at the Beach

2009-07-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

We started the trip in PCB on Friday. The Mathews girls have been such an awesome gift to the Niedrachs since mama got sick. We never hung out growing up, but after mama got sick they swooped in and made us meals, sent us flowers, encouraged us, cleaned our houses, etc. etc. After mama passed away, they offered to take us away for the weekend to get our minds off things. BOY, WAS IT FUN!

We laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. If you ever need entertainment, just go to PCB and people watch. WOW there are some crazy people in this world.

Besides the fact that my head is the size of a basketball, I thought this was a cute pic. I wish I could blame the size of my head to an allergic reaction, but the truth of the matter is I have packed on the lbs. No worries, drastic measures are in place to fix the problem. Great pic of Amy, though.

On Sunday, we headed over to Perdido Key to end this great trip with some other dear friends. They were so gracious to let me tag along. We had lots of fun.

I was glad to go, but also glad to get home to my babies. I missed their sweet sweet hugs and kisses.

3 Years and Going Strong

2009-06-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Today Brandon and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary. Three years doesn't seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, BUT let me take you on a trip of our past three years. I'm not quite sure Brandon knew what he was getting into when he said 'I Do!' However, the Lord was faithful and he has been nothing but a strong-hold and a great companion for me.

First - we had wedding bells on June 16, 2006. One of the best days of my life. I couldn't have planned a better wedding if I tried. It was just what I wanted, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. PS (we got married on my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary...that was special)

Then Brandon got to enjoy his ever-expanding wife - with pregnancy #1. I'm sure it was a tougher nine months on him than it was on me, but we made it through and got one of the best gifts ever - our baby boy.

Then he got to enjoy the lessons of being a first time parent. Lots of sleepless nights, changing diapers, new schedules, etc. etc. All worth it and ten times over!!!!

Then my dear grandpa passed away in Feb. '07. There aren't many 27 year olds in the world that could say that had all four of their grandparents alive. I was one of the lucky ones. I was EXTREMELY close to all of them so it was very emotional when I had to say goodbye for the first time to a close family member. If I had to describe Paw Paw in one word it would be 'JOLLY'. Lots of fun, always smiling, always wanting me to sit on his lap, always quick to give a hug or a kiss to his grand babies. Brandon was very supportive, and I was so glad that he got to know someone who was so dear to me and also be came very dear to him as well.

Then right after my grandfather passed, my precious mother was diagnosed with terminal, stage 4 Pancreatic cancer in Mar. '07. Talk about whirlwind. I didn't know how I was going to make it through this trial. The Lord was gracious and walked me through it day by day with the help of my awesome husband and family.

Then my sweet, sweet Paw, my mother's father, passed in April '07. Yes, we had a lot of storms during this time in our lives. It didn't seem like we would see the light at the end of the tunnel, but again, with all the love and support in our community we kept pressing on. If I could describe Paw with one word I would say 'KIND.' He would give you the shirt off his back. He was very mild-mannered and a very hard worker. I believe that he gave up on life after my mother was diagnosed. (just my opinion) I don't think he could stand to watch my mother go through the cancer battle. In saying that - I know God is the keeper of time, and he ordains everything.

Then there is pregnancy #2. This one wasn't any easier than the first. Brandon had to deal with a pregnant wife, a dying mother-n-law, a nine month old son, a c-section on its way, and a health scare with baby #2. Needless to say, it probably wasn't the easiest nine months of our lives.

Then baby girl was brought into this world - safely. Talk about blessings. Can it get any better than children?!?! (my mom says it can...... grandchildren ;0)

Then we had to watch my extraordinary mama get sicker and sicker until she lost her brave battle in Feb. '09. It was one of the most gut wrenching and precious moments of my life - being beside her every step of the way. 10 days after my mother passed, my sister and I found my grandmother, who had unexpectedly passed, a couple hours before arriving to her house. It was traumatic, but looking back I am so glad she went to be with her hubby and daughter in glory.

Then a week after Mama Ree had passed my dear dog of 13 years had a stroke and was paralyzed. She couldn't move, eat or go to the bathroom so we had to put her down. Brandon loved that dog like she was his own. He adopted her in his heart, and was just as heart broken as I was when she passed.

Are you tired yet?!?! So you see... three years doesn't seem like a long time, but when you have experienced a wedding, two pregnancies, two babies under 2 years, two grandfathers passing, one grandmother passing, your family pet passing, and your mother fighting for her life and passing .... 3 years is a pretty good amount of time. I don't recap all of these events for people to feel sorry for us. I understand that God's plan is perfect, and all these events are ordained by Him to make us who we are. However, I do the recap because I want to show the Lord graciousness for giving me such an amazing husband - to pick me up when I was down, to give me a shoulder to cry on, and to be a punching bag when I'm mad (completely kidding). I can't wait to live the rest of my life with this man. I truly believe the Lord had me in mind when He created my hubby. Sorry to go Jerry Maguire on you guys, but 'He completes me' hahaha. I love you, babe.

PS - He rarely reads my blog, but hopefully he will get this in the next month or so.

Ohhhhhhhh..... I almost forgot - He has also loved the extra 20lbs. I've put on over the past 3 years. Now that's a good man.

Our Weekend Adventure

2009-06-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

We are very busy this summer at the Sisler house. Lots and lots to do. This past weekend we left our children with Gam and Pappy (my children's adoptive grandparents - they were practically like a second set of parents when I was growing up, and my parents were the same to their daughter Kelly). My kids had so much fun. Cohen called me 'Am' (his talk for Gam) for two days after they left. I truly don't think they wanted me to come home - they had so much fun! Anyhoo, we had gone to Spartanburg, SC to celebrate my cousin's wedding. Here are a few pics from the festivities....

Now I hate to brag, but my cousins are very handsome. Must run in the genes (hahhaha - completely kidding) This is the rehearsal dinner. Charlie married his high school sweetheart, Ellice (pronounced just like baby girl's name.) She is a sweetheart, and we were glad that she took on the Niedrach name. The rehearsal dinner was a blast. My uncle gave one of the best speeches I've ever heard. It had a good mixture of sincerity, honesty, humor, and sentiment. It was a good time had by all.

This is at the sanctuary. They had a stain glass window that took up the whole entire front wall. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

This is my cousin Mitch (very handsome as well - and he is single ladies - GREAT CATCH) to the far left, two bridesmaids, and my Uncle Mike. Can you tell who he is related to?!?! You got it... looks just like my dad.
These are the beautiful mothers of the bride and groom. The lady on the left is Ellice's mom - they look JUST alike, and the lady on the right is my aunt Julie - beautiful lady (inside and out).

Now we are at the reception. Here is my brother n law Todd, my hubby B, and my dad posing for the camera. Let me tell you, at this reception they had all the bells and whistles. It was one of the most fun receptions I've ever been to. Where do I start?!? They had personalized chap sticks, personalized ice sculpture, an open bar, an Asian bar, a pasta bar, a shrimp bar, a cheeseburger bar, a fruit bar, an chiken finger bar, a caricature artist, a tree to hang ornaments with well wishes on, a live band, and many more things I am missing, then to top it all off - at the end of the night they brought around chik-fil-a nuggets and crispy cream donuts... need I go on. It was AMAZING

My sisters and I. We got our caricature done as well, but Wendy took it home to make copies. When I get mine - I will post it. It was too cute!

My dad and his mother. I love this pic!

This is a caricature of Ellice and Charlie - pointing the way to the artist on the patio.

Emily and Tate (my niece and nephew) waiting for their caricature.

Isn't it good. Looks just like Emily.

B - enjoying his beer. I have to tell a funny story. We were at this fancy country club. They were serving the beer in glasses. I don't know what is wrong with me, but beer taste so much better in can/bottle than a glass. So I went up to the bartender and pleaded to let me be a redneck and not use a glass. He agreed and then it caught on. By the end of the night, I saw several people ditching the glass for the can. I guess I'm not the only redneck in south GA.

It was such a wonderful weekend. I truly enjoy being with my family. I think it is so important to LOVE being around your family. I could have stayed another three days, but I was missing my babies. It was a great time, and we are so happy for the new Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Niedrach!!!!!

Leave it to Baby Girl

2009-06-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

I gave baby one single Oreo so I could keep her occupied while I was hanging the laundry. I come back and this is what she looked like. I don't understand. I would savor every sugar granule in my mouth, but it looks like she finger painted on her face. It was even deep inside her ears. Let's hope she does better with her table manners on her first date in 20 years ;0).

As Promised... Better Late Than Never

2009-06-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am expounding on Baby Girl's first birthday post. We were actually heading out of town on her birthday so I didn't have enough time to give her a proper 'birthday post.' So here it goes....

(Please excuse the hair. It looks like I hadn't brushed it since I got pregnant. Must have been one of those days ;0(

Had things been different, I probably wouldn't have gotten pregnant as fast as I did with baby #2. I definitely wanted another baby. Even when Cohen was just a few weeks old, I was ready for another baby. I've always wanted a big family, and I had the baby bug. However, I was still breast feeding and in order to ovulate again I had to quit breast feeding prematurely at about 8 months. Why we rushed our decision?!?!..... I wanted my mother to see one more grand baby be born. We knew her diagnosis was terminal; we prayed for a miraculous healing; however, we knew earthly time was not on our side. I would have been just as happy with a baby boy #2 - as long as the baby was healthy. BUT I sure was hoping for a girl so that I could name her after my mama. The Lord was good - I got pregnant right away with my precious Sharon Elisabeth. (Brandon says he can look at me wrong and I will get pregnant. Just call me Fertile Myrtle.)

This is not actually when I was in the hospital having baby girl. I actually went to the ER twice in one week before she was born. What was the reason? Poison Ivy!!! Sounds crazy right?!?!? Well..... it was the worse pain I have ever been in my WHOLE life. I tell every one I would rather have 3 c-sections back to back than to have a bad case of poison ivy. I was sooooo sick. I couldn't sleep, I would just cry on the shower floor, I started going crazy, I couldn't knock myself out because I was pregnant and had to worry about the baby. Next time I get poison ivy I am going to request a medically induced coma. It had gotten in my blood stream (septic) and I had to go to the hospital to get pumped full of steroids by IV twice. My face in this pic does not depict the agony I was in at this point. I think I was just delusional.

Ok... If you are grossed out by simple things you might want to skip down fast.

Please keep in mind that at this point, I am 8 months pregnant. My thighs are not Victoria Secrets worthy anyways, but when you add pregnancy swolleness, whiteness and poison ivy to the mix you get next to repulsive. Anyhoo, I am only posting two pics so you get the general idea of why I was hospitalized. I am extremely allergic to poison ivy anyways, but my obgyn told me that pregnant women are very susceptible to skin irritations as well. We had just moved in to our house, and I was being the good housewife by picking all the weeds in the front yard. Much to my dismay, I was uprooting poison ivy roots. This is where the poison ivy originated on my left inside thigh. It was so infected that it started bruising and became a big gash in my thigh. (Disgusting)
This is my other leg. What is that long scab down my shin?!?! My skin was so compromised by all the irritation and medicine that when I went to wash it with a washcloth my skin just peeled off. (I know even more disgusting) After about two weeks and two hospital visits, I finally started being myself again. I had scaring, but they have gone away by this summer. And I promise my legs don't look this dreadful anymore.(Thankfully) Now on to baby girl's birth.

I'm sure most of you have seen this pic before. Mama was so happy. I called her at 5 a.m. to tell her that my water broke about an hour before. I asked her if she thought she would still be able to come. Why did I ask that? Because mama was on a weekly chemo regimen. It would make her very weak, sick, nauseous, and she needed her rest. There was no question in her mind. If she was breathing, she was going to be there. It didn't matter how she felt. (The Lord was gracious - she actually felt pretty good that morning.)

I have one of the best baby Dr.'s around. She and her husband are so kind, and I can't wait for them to deliver my next baby - Lord willing. They gave me special permission to allow my mom into the operating room. I had to get lots of people to say yes, (anesthesiologist, nurses, charge nurse, and Dr.'s), but considering our situation they allowed mama in as well as Brandon. It was the last grand baby my mama saw born, and that was one of the most precious moments of my life.

Holding baby girl for the first time.

Her first pose for the camera!

I was diagnosed with Rh sensitization when I was pregnant with Elis. That just means that since I am a negative blood type and Brandon is a double positive blood type that our babies will always be positive. For most negative blood typed women, they give a Rhogam shot to prevent the sensitization. However, somehow either during Cohen's birth or some freak happening when Elis was in the womb their blood passed into my blood stream. Therefore my body started building up antibodies against Elis. They had to monitor me 4 times a week the last couple of months of my pregnancy. (once at the Dr.s office, once at a high risk specialist in Columbus, and two times at the hospital for non-stress test) To say the least - it was a lot of visits on top of juggling a one year old full of energy. I was pooped, but I would do it all over again. She was worth every minute of it. She was born nice and healthy. A little anemic and jaundice, but nothing a little TLC didn't cure. She's a blessing

Daddy already loving on 'his little girl'

She was tiny. She got down to about 5 lbs. 13 oz. before we left the hospital. We had to buy premie clothes for the first couple of months.

She was so little she couldn't suck right. It took us about 1 hour to get down 1.5 ounces. Talk about frustrating. I had to give up breast feeding and settled for pumping and giving it to her in a bottle.

So precious - right after she got home from the hospital.

Has it already been a year?!?! It's amazing how time flies! Blowing out candle numero uno.

Unlike her brother, she likes to make a mess. She couldn't get enough.

And again.

And there is brother - being as neat as possible.

We got her a car for her birthday. I had to post this pic because it looks like she is saying, "Why in the world did you get me something that you knew my brother and cousin would atack me over." It was the hit of the night, and eventually - sooner than later - Lilly and Cohen stole the car and Elis was stuck crawling around on the concrete.

One of my dearest friends had a baby girl right after I had Elis. We are having our '1st annual Luau' with the Atlanta crew this year to celebrate Elis and Caroline's first birthdays. This was one of the pictures I took for the invitation. Can't believe she is already a year old - it seems like yesterday she was born.

I love you baby girl. You and your brother make our lives that much more fulfilling. I'm grateful for you every minute of every day. Can't wait to watch you grow! Love - Mama

Happy Fishing

2009-06-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

Brandon took time to pose for a photo op in between his casts into the lake. No, he is not wining any contests with the 2 pound fish, but he sure enjoyed a night out on the lake with his buddies. It's fun having a lake 2 miles away!

Memorial Day '09

2009-05-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

We had an AWESOME time at the beach. The older we get the more spacious our accommodations become. I remember when we use to pack about 13 people in one hotel room. Well, now that we actually have careers we have upgraded to a 3 bedroom house. It was really nice. It rained the whole time, but hey.... vacation is vacation. A time to relax and recoup. So that is the reason all of our pictures are taken inside and not on a sandy beach. (It was like a monsoon most days, but it made for some really nice sleep time!)

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL holiday. I loved going, but it was nice to get home to my babies. One of these days my friends are going to load up on the baby wagon, then we will have family vacations - babies in tow. Until then, Brandon and I will get a baby sitter on our yearly beach vacation with the Atlanta crew!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2009-05-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's baby girl's birthday today! I will have a much longer post when I get back from the beach. Stay tuned, and I hope every one has a wonderful (SAFE) Memorial Day!

Summer Has Begun

2009-05-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

If I had to do it all over again, I would pick one of the following occupations - hair dresser, dental hygienist or a photographer. Great money, not a lot of wasted school, and you have the opportunity to pick your own hours - kind of. Anyhoo, If I had to eliminate them one by one, I would have to mark the hair dresser off first because I am a perfectionist and I would be too nervous that I would totally mess someones hair up. The second one to go would be dental hygienist. I HATE bad breath. (most people do) However, I couldn't imagine going in random people's mouths all day. So I guess I'm saying I would be a photographer. How much fun would that be?

I'm always looking for an opportunity to whip out the Nikon, and I got it this afternoon. It was hot, and the kids were ready for some fun. Last year Cohen was quite timid of the hose, but now that baby was brave enough to go in the water - he wasn't going to be left out.

We got this little frog pool last year, after season, for like $3. (That's the way to do it - buy 'off season' stuff. The only down fall is storing it all year.)

Baby stayed put in the water the whole time. Her entertainment was the water spout.

Cohen was in and out - in and out - in and out, but he would stop by for the occasional photo op hug for his mama.

Since I haven't had the chance to get bathing suits that fit this season, Elis opted for the exploded diaper (due to all the water consumption), and Cohen went buck naked. (Guess it is the redneck in me, but why waste a good time because you don't have the right attire?!?!)

I made sure I censored the picture before I posted it.

Daddy wanted to join the fun too. I'm sure it was very comfy with all that room in there.

It was so much fun watching them play in the water.

Loving the camera - which is not a common occurrence for him.

In totally amazement of all her brother's energy. She was totally entertained.

I love me some action photos. These last two are my favorite. They are so dreamy. This was the scene of the day. Cohen ran around for 2 hours. Needless to say, he didn't give us a fight at bedtime. He was pooped.

And this is my absolute favorite. I think it's a framer. Both forgetting the cups in their hands, and going straight in for the kill of a liquid refreshment.

Daddy brought me flowers

2009-05-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Daddy brought me flowers after work the other day. He actually picked and arranged them. They brighten the house. Wasn't that sweet?!

Remembering Mama

2009-05-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. My first mother's day without my mother being physically here. I say it that way because despite the fact that she is not here, I still celebrate her memory today. She will always be my mother, and although I might not physically be able to celebrate this day with her every year, I will always rejoice and celebrate her memory.

To be honest, I did not think that today would be hard on me. My dad even told me that this would be a big holiday without mom. And although it is 'mother's day', for some reason I didn't think it would get me down. I was feeling pretty strong. (note to self.... emotions can sway on a dime) I think it was Thursday night that my emotions started going south. I wasn't necessarily grieving my mom (so I thought), but I was cranky, emotional, short tempered, sensitive, stressed. I couldn't understand why I had gone from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds. Then it dawned on me I was dreading this weekend. I truly just missed her. I felt SO lonely. I have tons of dear friends, an awesome husband, a caring dad, very close siblings, etc. etc. etc. and here I was feeling so alone.

I remember after my mother was diagnosed I would just sob in her arms. My grief had begun because I had to anticipate being without her. I remember crying over and over, "Why did I allow myself to get so close to you." I thought that maybe I was TOO close to my mother - that I should have guarded my emotions. (looking back these thoughts were kind of crazy - but it was the grief talking) She was so gracious. She would just brush my hair back with her precious hands and assure me that we had a special bond. A bond that was of the Lord, and that grief was a natural process. That my feelings were completely normal. She would love on me until my tears somehow turned into laughter. She would make it o.k. - like only a mother can do.

My mom always did special things for us while we were growing up. After we graduated high school, my mother would compile a book of pictures, awards, and special things she had saved for us over the years. I found that book the other day, and I smiled and cried as I read what she saved. (Mothers - take note - the book is a good idea for our children. It reminded me that today's junk will be tomorrows treasure)

A picture I drew of mom (in red) and me (in blue). Somehow I must have grown arms later on in life because it looks like I'm just a head and legs in a baby bed. And mom looks like a snow man. Isn't it funny how we draw things when we are little.

Another hand made card I made for mom back in the day.

I must have thought that I was a great poet back in the day. I usually made poems for all occasions. Thankfully, I switched to numbers instead of English. ;0)

Another poem. My spelling was superb!

Another letter.

She saved my baby cart sticker. Awwww!

My hospital pic.

This is the letter she put at the end of the book. It's a scripture and a song. We all have a few skeletons in our closet, but my mom wanted me to know that the Lord brings everything around for his glory. It doesn't matter about our pasts, he wants us to focus on our future. Even throughout all the mistakes I've made in my life, he made them beautiful. And I just hope that I can be as encouraging, forgiving, loving and supportive, when my children make mistakes in their lives.

This is actually at my graduation party. I am holding the book in my hand that she gave me.

Me and Mama

I was a flower girl in a wedding. We were on our way to the church. Working in the yard on a Saturday.
'96 Olympics - on the MARTAVisiting Jim on one of our many trips to Purdue.

You don't see many pictures of my dad without his mustache. Their was a brief period of time, when I was a Senior, that he decided to shave it off. I was on my way to Mission Tour here.

Homecoming '98

Senior Prom

I just want to say thank you to all of our friends. We have gotten cards, calls, text, flowers, etc., etc. Just what we needed to make it through a tough day. We got a card in the mail from some of our dear friends from Michigan. They sent us these pictures. My mother must have sent them these pictures of her kids after we moved away to keep in touch. Can you believe that they still had them almost 30 years later. WOW! It was really special. Please forgive me Wendy and Amy for the hairdo - but that was the style back then! ;0)

This was one of the most special parts of the day. We came in to eat dinner with dad, and he had this set up on the counter in the kitchen. Pictures of mom and a bouquet of flowers that he had picked . It meant A LOT! I contained my tears, but my heart was crying. Thank you daddy for doing this.

I guess my biggest fear is that her memory will fade. I don't ever want anyone to forget how special she was. I know they won't, but for some reason this is what I struggle with.

As hard as today was, when I look into the eyes of these precious gifts, it makes me smile, put on my big girl panties and carry on. (How did I do with her hair? Better than last time! I think the bigger bow helps)

They just warm my heart, and I want them to love me as much as I love my mother.

Watching the world through my children's eyes is what really melts my heart.

The Lord was gracious. My mother is gone, but I still have my father. I can enjoy fellowship with him. I can see him love my children. And I can work through my feelings with someone who lost a lot too. Thank you daddy for being such a thoughtful, encouraging, and loving father.

Despite the many gifts my mother gave me over the past 29 years, the greatest one she left me with was her legacy. I have some big shoes to fill, hear me right though - they are different shoes. I am not called to be who my mother was, but I can take her memory and let it mold me into the woman that He would have me to be. (with many mistakes along the way!)

Gotta Love Him

2009-05-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie and say that looks had nothing to do with my decision on a life mate. However, looks are just an added bonus. Personality is where it counts for this girl. Luckily, I found my perfect match. Brandon is very laid back (I am not so much), he is very hands on (I dig it), very handy (great quality), loves the Lord (number one criteria), and finally has a very great sense of humor (this is one of my favorite qualities). Now as I am bragging on my husband, I don't want to seem pompous because he does have his share of 'not so great' qualities - BUT don't we all!

This is my man dressed up like an 80's rocker. Gotta love the zebra tights and the black mullet! Maybe he missed his era.

Spring Time Pics

2009-05-04T05:04:00.001-07:00

I'm not one to be in front of the camera much. I usually take a seat behind it. However, I thought that maybe one day I would like to look back on a couple of pictures of myself to see what I looked in this stage of my life. I use to be very photogenic back in the day, but it seems the older I get the less my photo appeal becomes. (makes me a little nervous about my 30's ;0)

OK - I admit - I need to practice a little with baby's hair. I've never had to do a little girls hair before - so each time is an experiment. She doesn't like me to touch her hair so between the screaming and my nerves - this is what we ended up with. I'm going out tomorrow to buy some bigger bows. I think we have outgrown the 'baby bows'. I'm thinking a bigger bow would help balance her hair sticking straight up. I still think she is a cutie though!

Brandon is smiling nicely despite the fact that he hates it when I pull the camera out right before we leave for church. We are always pushing it to get there on time, and then I want the perfect picture before our entrance to the car. He was a good sport though, and I got a descent picture. (I have given up on Cohen and the camera - so as long as he is looking forward - I consider it good.)

I love pictures in the spring time. The background is so much prettier than the winter. Lots of color - I dig it!

Since this was our backdrop in the previous picture, I thought I would show you Brandon's latest project. We cut down a Bradford Pair Tree that was in this spot of this island last year. It shaded too much area so our grass wouldn't grow (hence the spotty grace) It's roots were also tearing up our side-walk. Anyhoo, Brandon dug up all the roots and wired a light that would come on when it is dark. (which I appreciate greatly, it helps when getting in and out of the car with two babies.) He added the rock on the left side, for his dear wife, who can never seem to back out of the driveway straight. Now I have an extra two feet of room. Thanks honey!

Look Who Enjoyed Dinner

2009-04-28T04:29:00.001-07:00

Baby Girl had her first run-in with spaghetti last night ..... SHE LOVED IT! Take a look.

It was sooooo good that she had to get up close and personal She wasn't going to stop until she got every last bit.

Finger - licking - GOOD!

No wipe was going to clean this baby off. She had to go straight to the sink for a good hose down.

2009-04-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.vinylyhereproducts.blogspot.com/

Alright folks - I finally got my site up and running. Take a look, if you see anything you fancy.... give me a call. 706-333-3884

Here is Props to the SM's of the World!

2009-04-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

My hubby went on a golf trip with his buddies this weekend. I'm glad he went. He works really hard, and is a VERY hands-on dad. He deserves a break. However, I am pooped! He got home yesterday, and boy were we glad.
I went to a fish fry this weekend. It was A LOT of fun and WORK all at the same time. I started off doing really good monitoring Cohen while I held Elis constantly. However, by the end of the night, Elis and Cohen were sharing drinks - eating off the ground - their outfits were messy enough that they required bleach to get clean - Cohen had two skint knees etc. etc. I have come to the conclusion that four hands and four eyes are a lot better than two.
I'm glad he went on his trip, but I sure am glad he is home.
So to all you single moms - I give you your props. I couldn't do it 24/7.

Baby's First Tooth

2009-04-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

My kids are slow on getting teeth. That is ok with me. It just means less time I have to worry about cavities etc. However, baby girl just got her first tooth and not long after her second. We are one step closer to table food. YEAH!!!!

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T04:25:00.000-07:00

Out of the thousands of pictures that we took, this was the best one. What does that say?

The only reason I would want to rush my children to grow up is so that I can get a descent picture out of them. Huff.... This is hard.

Ok - now we are into comical. Cohen never wants to cooperate on picture day. The only reason I am posting this picture is to show their matching outfits side by side.

Cohen does better in action shots. He is not one to sit around and pose. Too much boy energy in him.

Grampy with half of his grandchildren. The rest were in Ft. Lauderdale and Indiana.

Another action photo.

Awwwwww!

They love their grampy. Now why couldn't they take a picture with me like that?

Little Miss Elis is much better with the camera. Either it is her age or her calmness. Only time will tell.

I hope you all had a great Easter too!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome Easter. I will post more later on this week. My father was amazing this weekend. He gets and A+++. He invited us all over on Saturday, cooked a wonderful meal, and hid eggs in the back for the kids to hunt. They had a BLAST. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Here are some pictures....

Here is baby girl in her first spring dress for the year. Thanks Nonna and Papa

Since baby girl was too young to hunt, daddy strapped her in to the wagon so she could go along side all the action.

Empty Basket!?!? Not for long!

First egg found. Thanks Emily for helping Cohen hunt.

Now he is getting the hang of the easter egg "hunt", and he is LOVING it. He kept saying, "More egg. More egg."

The lone purple eggs kept baby entertained the whole time. It was just as tasty as any sugar the other kids were eating.

Cohen was keeping a close eye on Emily "fixing" his easter egg.

Lilly didn't care about the eggs as much as she did the baskets. Run Cohen Run. ;) Cohen is proud of his treasures.

Elis still keeping herself entertained.

Thanks for sharing Lilly.

Cohen is stuffing his mouth full of M&M's loving on his Grampy. Thanks for a great day Grampy! We couldn't have done it better ourselves.

Couch Potato to 5K Running Plan

2009-04-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

TO

In 9 Weeks (What do you think?)

In my motivation to get fit, I signed up for a 5K breast cancer run in Atlanta. My girlfriends are running in it on May 8th, and they asked me to join. I'm a little behind the 8 ball, but I figure if worst comes to worst I can walk a lot. However, you should check out this site. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml It is shows you how to go from being a complete slob aka "couch potato" to being a 5K runner in a matter of 9 weeks. It gives great hints, and it takes it very, very slow in order not to shock your body. It says not to rush the plan, but since I only have 4 weeks to train I'm going to have to double up. I'll let you know how it works out. Be thinking about me.... YIKES - what did I get myself into!

Never Give Up - Keep Pressing On

2009-04-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

I felt a little emotionally defeated last week. However, this week my motto is 'fake it til I make it.' I don't want to wallow in self misery. That is not how mama would want me to carry on. Plus it's a vicious cycle - you don't carry on because you're sad and then you're sad because you aren't carrying on. Please hear me correctly, I will ALWAYS miss my mama. I will ALWAYS think of her daily. I will ALWAYS long to be with her again, but it is not good to sit around feeling sorry for myself. This week I am forcing myself to get out, exercise, eat right, do my daily devotions, etc. etc.
Now the real reason for my post, this morning I got home from exercising, and the kids were still sleeping. I have justified not doing my devotional for the last week because I get so emotional when I do. I was tired of crying. I was tired of grieving for mom. I always seem to cry and grieve more when I am still, quiet, and spending time with the Lord. But a wise man said to me yesterday, that is the devil's lie. He wants me to steer away from spending quality time with the Lord.
After doing my devotion and reading some Romans, I decided to sing some hymns. (I've never done this before, but I wanted to learn some of the words to the hymns I sang growing up.) I sing hymns to Cohen every night while I rock him to sleep, but I can never remember the words to the verses so I always repeat the Chorus over and over.

When mother became bed-bound, my sisters and I would sit around the bed and sing her hymns. She couldn't always verbally respond, but she would let you know she could hear you and enjoyed the singing. The day she passed away, she started raising her arms when we sang "How Great Thou Art." I have no idea what she might have been experiencing as she was preparing to leave this life and enter Glory, but I do know she heard us and she was savoring the words that came out of our mouths. I chose to sing that song first; then I went to another hymn. This is where it gets good.....
For my last hymn, I thought I would flip through the pages and randomly pick a song, and then try to apply that song to my day. I don't know the hymnal at all. (i.e. what hymns are at what part of the book) There are 670 hymns in this book. I closed my eyes and flipped. I opened them and lo and behold it was hymn #514 "When We All Get to Heaven." My mother chose this song to be the last song that the congregation sang at her funeral- as we were filing out. She wanted it to be a sign of His promise - that in Him we will be reunited.
I balled as I sang the verses. But the third verse was my favorite - I sang it three times, "Let us then be true and faithful, Trusting, serving every day; Just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay." All of mama's struggles, pain, and trials, were not even an ounce of comparison when she had the first glimpse of His Glory. Now that is motivation to carry on.

Now is that crazy or what that I flipped to that hymn. (I take that back - not crazy - just His love gift to me this morning.) Allowing me to grieve - allowing me to have the promise of seeing my mother again - allowing me to know she is in Glory - perfectly healed.

Thanks for listening yet again - my online friends. This is great - free - therapy!!! ;)

Oh yeah - I've Got It!

2009-04-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how, BUT I have gotten the dreaded pink-eye. Now in the past week, I have ONLY been out of the house once. I just HAD to go to Wal-Mart to get the essentials. (like milk and diapers) Well apparently I bought a case of double pink eye while I was there. I woke up and my eyes were glued shut. It looked like I had been crying for three day straight. Thankfully I got some drop, but unfortunately I had to cancel two lunch dates, one on Friday and one on Saturday, that I was really looking forward to. I didn't want to expose my sweet friends to the dreaded pink eye. I just hope my babies don't get it!

Have a great weekend! And be sure to take your dis-infectant next time you go to the store.

It's A Boy!

2009-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

In case some of you didn't know, my brother and sister-n-law are having a BOY!!! Yeah!!! Jim is going to have his football player after all. Little Miss Lauren, their daughter, is two weeks younger than Cohen. Baby boy will be born early September of this year. Congrats you two!!!!

5 o' clock Shadow

2009-04-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm usually one to insist on the kids having bibs on before they eat. However, in my 'blah'ness of this week - I really didn't care. I just decided to let baby have free reign with her cookie. (I did change her before she went to bed.) Brandon thought she looked like she had a 5 o' clock shadow. I think it could classify as a full on beard. :) So I had to get the camera out and snap some pics.

Now that picture is worth the mess!

Cohen was a lot neater with his cookie. You can see just a tiny bit above his lip on the right side. I was just happy to get a picture with him actually smiling and looking at the camera at the same time without an hour of trying. (I'll take it!)

I Miss Her

2009-03-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

Grief is a funny thing. You can go from one emotion to a completely different emotion in a matter of minutes. For the last couple of days, I have been in a funk. I'm not one to sleep much, but it seems like that is all I want to do. I don't feel like getting dressed, I don't feel like working, I just kind of want to mope around the house. I'm sure I'll snap out of it, but I just miss my mama. I keep longing to pick up the phone and hear her sweet voice. I miss her calm assurance. I miss the way she loved me. I miss the encouragement she gave me. I miss her interest in me. Well I could go on and on; I miss everything about her. What I wouldn't give for five minutes in her arms. I just keep relying on the truth that I will have an eternity in her arms - better than that an eternity in His arms.

I took one of mama's devotion books after she had passed. This morning, as I was doing my devotion, I found a piece of paper in the middle of the book that she had written some reminders and prayer requests to herself. It was her handwriting. I broke down. She had touched that piece of paper - she had prayed over that piece of paper - it was a piece of her. I started to grieve and praise God for the opportunity to have that reminder of my mother as I released my tears.

One thing I remember that my mom said while she was sick was... "Oh, I will be healed. It might not be on this earth, but I will be healed." I rejoice in the fact that my mother is perfectly healed right now. No more pain, no more sorrow - just rejoicing with her Savior. That will keep me going today.

I miss her so much - oh I miss her.

Thanks for listening. - my online psychiatrist

Sneak Peak

2009-03-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ok - I am going to give you a sneak peak on all the things I've been working on lately. I don't officially launch my business until April 16th, but I have had a couple of people who wanted to see what I have been up to. So here it is.... I have a lot more to do, but at least I have made a dent in it. I don't even have pricing yet, but if you ever need a great gift or something to accent your home - feel free to give me a call. I hope to get it up and running within the next two weeks. Hope you enjoy....

New Element

2009-03-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'll apologize again for my lack of posting. I have been busy, busy, busy working on a new line for my business. I spend every minute of free time getting ready for my launch party on April 16th. It is a 'vinyl line'. I will be offering personalized gifts for babies, children, and adults - along with wall art and car decals. I'm really excited, and it has been good to occupy my free time with busy work. You will get many posts in April showing you some of my new products. Alright enough of that - now for the real reason for the post.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will remember me doing a post on my 'S' necklace. As I said before, the 'S' is not for Sisler it is for Sharon. My sister has one as well. You will see now that I have added a ring around the S. Well since I didn't have any new pics or new to blog about, I thought I would tell you the meaning behind the ring.

The Christmas after my mother was diagnosed, the kids were trying to think of something special we could get for my mother. My mother never like us spending a lot of money on gifts. In fact, she probably would have preferred us not spending any money. She considered us all being home for the holidays the greatest gift she could have. However, we came up with the great idea for the perfect gift. (actually Amy had the idea, and we all thought it was perfect)

Amy ordered 4 birth stone rings from the Red Envelope. Each child got a ring that contained their birth stone. Then we asked mother to go to breakfast with us at The Cracker Barrel. After breakfast, we said that we wanted to play a game. We had gifts and we would take turns opening them, and we could keep it or give it away. My mom was perplexed on why she didn't know about the game and didn't bring her own gift to play along. She was gracious and went along with the game. Jim was first. He opened his ring, and said, "I think I'll pass this along." - and gave it to mom. Wendy was next. She opened her ring, and said, "I think I'll pass this along" - and gave it to mom. By this time, mom was getting suspicious on what was going on. I was third. I opened it up, and then passed it along to mom. Finally, the light popped on, and she realized what was happening. Her eyes filled with tears as she started to put them on her right ring finger immediately. Amy was last and that completed her set of four to remember her four children. She never took those rings off. She wore them faithfully until the very end. We even had them on her fingers at the visitation. We requested to have them back. Then we distributed each of them back to the children. So Amy and I have decided to wear them around our "S" to remind every one of the love we had for her, and the deep love she had for us.

Now you know the rest of the story behind the 'new element' on my necklace.

He is our strength

2009-03-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that our family has had a rocky start to 2009, but I'll say it again - the Lord has been gracious to us. There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss my mama. I miss her smile, her calmness, her advice, her faith, her direction, her touch, her smell, her laugh, her company, etc. etc. etc. If I know there is something that was important to her - I try to avoid it. I just haven't been able to rip the band-aid off yet. For example, Explorer's Bible study. It meant so much to mama. I use to sit by her on the front row every week and listen to her lead a big group of ladies in the way of the Lord. The thought of sitting on that front row and not having her beside me anymore is almost more than I can handle right now. (Instead, I have opted to help with the children's ministry upstairs.) Also, the book of Hebrews. I haven't been able to study it again. I remember when my mom was earnestly praying on which book the Lord would have her teach next. I remember when He led her to Hebrews. I remember her last lecture in Hebrews. When I hear a verse from Hebrews, I can see and hear her lessons. So to save my sanity, until I begin to heal a little bit, I have opted to study Romans. (I LOVE ROMANS!) I didn't realize how much I love this book. I've read it several times before, but the Lord has really shown me so much this time around. This is what I read the other day, and I just have to share it......

Romans 5:2-5 And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

As mama always said, God doesn't ask us to do anything that He didn't ask His own son to do. Jesus grieved just as we do. He ached, he suffered, her persevered, he had character, and he hoped. That encourages me today. That is keeping me going today. I ask that He orders my day today, and that I will rely on His strength not my own. (Believe me - I have relied on my own strength a lot lately, and I have failed miserably.)

Sorry for the lack of posts. I took an "in house" vacation. It was great! My kids and I stayed in our pajamas all day, I didn't dust, I didn't put on make-up, I didn't blog, I just sat around and did nothing. BUT it is a new week, and it is back to the grind. I hope you all have a happy Monday!

Ironic

2009-03-16T08:56:00.001-07:00

Can you see any resemblance? As I said in my previous post, we still keep up with our dear friends from Michigan who gave us our dear Maggie. On the top is 'Tracker'. He is Maggie's brother. They were the only two in the litter that were still alive. Mrs. Judy, Tracker's mom, kept up with the whole crew over the years. Here is the IRONIC part.....

Tracker was put down this morning at about the same time as Maggie. Is that something or what? Mrs. Judy didn't know that we were putting Maggie down, and we didn't know that she was putting Tracker down. Kind of crazy. Mrs. Judy was trying to type through the tears this morning to tell me what happened. Her son helped her make the painful decision to take Tracker this morning at 8:30 a.m. at the same time my father and brother-n-law helped me with my painful decision to take Maggie at about 8:15 a.m.

They came from a good line, and they held out til the end together. Thanks Mrs. Judy for giving us the opportunity to love Maggie all these years. We'll be thinking about you.

My Maggie Moo

2009-03-16T05:38:00.000-07:00

You would think I would be numb by now, but I'm not. It still hurts. It is just a dog so I'm not going to put it on the same calibre as the loss of my mom or my grandmother, but she was still part of the family. You wouldn't find a better dog than Maggie Moo. She was the only dog I've ever known that didn't bark. (Yes seriously - DID NOT bark.) No noise came from that dog but some heavy panting. She was about as easy going as they come. She would lay around, let the kids crawl all over her, and just be content watching the family grow. She loved food (what dog doesn't), and she loved the cold weather. (I'll tell you why.....)

We got her from some good friends up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My parents lived there before I was born, and they still keep in touch with some really good friends in Christ up there. It was my 16th birthday, and I was dying to have a puppy. I wanted one SO bad, but it was unlikely that my parents were going to throw out $500+ for my 16th birthday to get a dog. Well it must have been meant to be because my parents friends just had a litter of full bred golden retriever puppies. They told my parents if we would come visit - they would give us a puppy for free. DEAL - Maggie was born after a big snow in the Middle of January 1996. 8 weeks later - near my birthday - we made the long journey to get the best dog ever. She was good right from the beginning. She made it the whole way home (11+ hours) no accidents.

Her health has been declining over the last year, but she still was pretty chipper. Saturday afternoon around 4p.m. she started acting funny. She stood up, started shaking, her eyes twitching, falling over, throwing up, etc. etc. It scared me to death. I called the emergency line, and they told me she was having a stroke. Her front two legs were paralyzed, and the right side of her face. She couldn't move or eat, so I fed her juice from a bottle. She didn't go the bathroom for over 48 hours - I was afraid she would start to get infected soon. It was hard watching her suffer this weekend. Because of her age and her declining health, the vet said she would not improve. So we made the decision to put her to sleep peacefully. I miss her already.

What dog would let you dress her up, and just sit there and pose for a picture afterwards?

Maggie got to enjoy her last snow. She was in her element, and acted like a little puppy again.

Cohen loved Maggie, and she allowed it gracefully.

Elis loved her Maggie Moo too! Here she is exploring this furry creature.

Good ol' Maggie - letting Cohen treat her like a jungle gym.

and again.....

and again....

You saw me through a lot of years Moo Moo. Thanks for sticking with me and loving my babies. It will be hard to find another one as good as you! You'll be missed!

Night and Day

2009-03-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Since I'm such a nice friend, I am going to provide you some comic relief for the weekend. I'm not quite sure why I am about to post these pictures of me having excessive weight gain for the whole 'world wide web' to view, but I figure I did it for a good cause. I got my babies and I would gain a million pounds to have those two precious gift any day.

Now that was just a prelude to the real reason of my post. I was thinking about my babies the other day, and I realized that they are 'Night and Day'. They are both awesome kids. Cohen was such a good baby that people scared me into thinking I couldn't have another one that good. Well God was gracious because she is just as good as Cohen was - if not even better. (Should I be worried about my third ;)

Let's start with the pregnancies....

COHEN - I was SO SO swollen with Cohen. My face was about the size of a basketball. My legs felt like I was walking around like the Michelin Man. My poor feet went from a size 8.5 to an 11 (they were so swollen) I felt like a human sized blow fish. However, I was never sick with Cohen. I had a couple of off days, but for the most part I was feeling pretty good. Except for the heartburn. Oh lawsie, I went through a pack of rolaids - if not more - a day.

COHEN - There he is up close and personal. He was due on the 25th and this picture was taken on the 23rd. I was ready to pop, but he wasn't coming out until he was forced to - I expound on this later.

ELIS - Ellie Belle was different. I gained weight, but I was not swollen at all. I was pretty comfortable. HOWEVER, I was EXTREMELY sick for the first three months. It was kind of funny because we had just moved in with my parents while we were waiting for our house in Atlanta to sale. Mom had just started a harsh line of chemo, and I just found out I was pregnant. We would lay on the couch together every day. We would talk a little, moan a little, turn green together, and we would always go through a list of food trying to figure out what we could stomach. Although it was horrible feeling that way, it was nice to have a partner in crime. Mom said it made her feel more normal because she had a partner in nausea.

ELIS - I did have a couple of bouts with heartburn while pregnat with Elis, but NOTHING like I had with Cohen.

Now on to labor.

COHEN - That little man did not want to come into this world. He was completely content inside the womb. I was miserable so they finally decided to induce 5 days after his due date. I went in to the hospital on the 29th to get the cervidil because my cervix had not softened at all.

COHEN - The next morning they started the pitocin to induce labor. Well - he still didn't want to come in to the world. I would not dilate so they kept upping the pitocin dose. After about four hours of horrible contractions - note the oxygen mask and look of what in the world did I sign up for - I finally requested an epidural. Unfortunately, they had other plans for me. I still hadn't dilated past a one and Cohen had gone into distress. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, and every time I had a contraction his hear rate would drop. So while my head was still spinning from what they were telling me, I was being prepped for an emergency c-section. A COMPLETE surprise - I was not expecting that.

COHEN - My blood pressure had dropped so much during surgery - I began to get sick. I was so nauseous that I couldn't even hold him. Brandon had to hold him by my head in between me having a date with the closest bucket.

COHEN - After an hour in the recovery room, they finally allowed me to go back to my room and hold my baby. I was in horrible pain. My second c-section was A LOT easier. Was it me or the surgeon? I think my second surgeon was top notch.

ELIS - Well Miss Elis had a different plan in mind. Unlike her brother, she was ready to make her debut. I had a scheduled c-section. I thought about a VBAC, but since I had only had 18 months to recoup from my previous c-section the Dr's thought my uterus might abrupt if I put too much pressure on it. Also, I found out when I was pregnant with Elis that I was Rh negative sensitized. So I had to go to the Dr 4 times a week to make sure she was ok. I also had to see a high risk specialist in Columbus, GA once a week to make sure she did not have too much blood in her brain from anemia. Therefore, it was a good choice to go with a planned c-section.

ELIS - Even though I had a scheduled C-section, Elis was impatient. My water broke at 4.a.m. on the 21st. Three weeks before her due date of June 11th. I called the Dr. at about 5:30, and I was in surgery by 8 that morning.

ELIS - As a gift to me from my Dr., she allowed my mother to come in to the operating room. She was not allowed to with Cohen, but my Dr. was very understanding that this could be the last baby my mother saw born. (And it was! It was SOOOO special. And of course I named her Sharon Elisabeth - after my mom)

ELIS - I felt great after my 2nd c-section. I was able to get Elis right away. I didn't get sick in the operating room or anything. I did mess myself up though. I was so afraid of getting in a pain fix like I did with Cohen that I started hitting my morphine drip pretty regularly. Then I was nauseous because I had too much pain medication. I think I have it down to a science now. It will be just perfect with baby no. 3 - Lord willing!

ELIS - My tiny little munchkin.

COHEN - He was perfectly healthy. No jaundice - good feeder. That boy loved to suck. Breast feeding was his best friend. He still loves those pacis.

ELIS - Was jaundice and had to stay under the light for five days. She had to stay in the hospital even after I was released so Brandon and I rented a room at the hospital so we could stay with her. For the next nine weeks we had to go to the hospital every week to check her blood counts. We had to give her iron supplements until her body balanced out.

COHEN - Daddy kissing lil' fella.

ELIS - Daddy kissing Ellie Belle. (No she is not an alien - she is glowing because she has on her Bilirubin light!)

COHEN - This is me leaving the hospital. My face is still round as a ball.

ELIS - Feeling much better on this trip home from the hospital.

COHEN - I learned my lesson with Cohen. I thought Newborn clothes meant all newborns could fit in them. Little did I know that I would have little peanuts for babies. I think my body wanted all the fattening calories I put in my mouth helping me gain 50 lbs. Cohen only weighed 6lbs. 2 oz. His outfit about fell off of him. He ate so good that he had gained all his weight back before he left the hospital. (It still wasn't cutting it for this outfit - it swallowed him whole.)

ELIS - Elis was not much bigger. She was 6lbs. 4 oz. at birth and then dropped down to 5 lbs. 13 oz. before she left the hospital. I had my sister go buy premie outfits. It worked much better. She wore premies for the first two months of her life. Unlike her brother, she did not like to suck. We had to feed her from the bottle so that she would get nutrition. It took us about an hour to get her to drink an ounce of milk. So I would have to pump and give it to her in a bottle for 8 months - lots of work but worth every minute of it.

COHEN - Cohen's first bath. He wasn't too happy in this picture, but he really did love baths. He still does. He also loves some warm water. That boy is a beast.

ELIS - Elis was a little happier for her first bath.

COHEN - Cohen's birth announcement picture. My mom and I took about a million pictures before we got it just right. He wanted to suck on his paci so every time we took it away he would start wailing. Mama finally got him to sleep, pulled the paci out, and I clicked the photo. I hand made my first birth announcements. I was nuts.

ELIS - I either got smarter or just ran out of time because I bought Elis' birth announcements.

Other differences of my love bugs!

Cohen loves his paci - Elis could take it or leave it

Cohen is always on the go - Elis loves to just sit and snuggle

Cohen loves to sleep he can take a 3 hour nap easy - Elis does not like to nap I'm lucky to get 1.5 out of her.

Cohen loved to eat baby food and naw on cookies - Elis not so much

Cohen was fast at everything (crawling, pulling up, walking) Elis is in no hurry.

Cohen doesn't get hurt very easily - he can fall down and get back up - Elis is more of my drama queen.

Cohen is very particular - loves to be clean after meals etc. Elis doesn't like to be wiped off.

Ok - I could go on and on. The point I'm trying to make is that my children are extreme opposites. But no matter how different they are, I love them both the same. They are both WONDERFUL kids and I'm so blessed. I'll be anxious to see what baby #3 is like. (and just to let you know I'm not pregnant - and we're not trying any time soon.)

Have a great weekend!

Worth Getting Out of Bed

2009-03-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

There is no denying that my baby girl looks like her daddy. However, every now and then I will see my mother in her - clear as day! I think that is God's little love gift to me. And I see my mother's personality in her EVERY day. She is so calm and soothing. She is such a little love bug. Always happy - content to sit in your lap - and has been a true gift to us. I couldn't imagine going through this grieving process without two beautiful babies to wake up to every day. (And an awesome husband as well) God has been gracious to give me such great gifts to help me get through this rough patch in my life.

Baby girl just had her 9 month pictures. Now look at these and tell me she isn't something worth getting out of the bed for every day.

She is getting so big. I will have a one year old in a couple of months. Where does the time go? I guess I need to hurry up and get my baby weight off before she starts walking. I better work fast!
No telling how many babies had this blanket on their head. I was a freak about germs when Cohen was a baby, but when you have 2 you don't have the time to worry about it. I survived back in the day before germicide so I think my babies will too!

Brandon's mom gets a picture of all her grand babies at nine months in this pose. I think it is a cute tradition.

I can assure you these are not real pearls! ;)

Such a love bug!

I love feet picture! (Any body part on a baby for that matter.) I wish I had pretty feet. Brandon says that I have Fred Flinstone feet. I guess he is not a foot guy - they could be worse right?!?!)

I'm not in to cheesy props. They aren't bad - it just isn't my thing. However, they conned me in to doing some. I'm glad I did, but I think she is pretty darn cute in this picture!

Here we go with the whole prop thing again. Of course it wouldn't have been my choice - I would have preferred a real beach, but they did a good job!

They are so easy to get a smile out of at this age. You start going down hill around 18 months. Then it is like pulling teeth to make them stay still long enough to smile.

This is my favorite. I think it is so dreamy!

BTW - these were done at portrait innovations in Newnan, GA. If you buy enough pictures they give you the CD for free. They are pretty good. I'll go back.

Catching Up

2009-03-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, I have been tied up with more important things than blogging lately. However, now that things are settling down a bit - I thought it would be good to catch up on some old pics. Can you believe it was snowing last week, and now it feels like summer outside? Go figure! Anyhoo - here are some snow day pics from the Sisler house.

Here's our house all covered in snow.

That white snow makes our white house look kind of dirty. Just the motivation we need to get out the Jomax and a scrub brush for our spring cleaning!

I was keeping Emily and Lilly Lu while Amy and Todd were taking Carli to her state swimming meet up in Augusta GA. Those two added to the entertainment out in the snow. (Carli did great by the way - one of the top ten in GA)

Here we see baby girl playing in the snow. Well not really playing - more like sitting long enough for me to take some pics. Too cold for her blood!

Look at the background. Isn't it dreamy? I love trees covered in snow!

The bow was cute, but the hood had to go on for practical reasons.

Here Lu Lu is in the snow. I didn't have a coat for her because we didn't know we were going to get snow. I could have put one of Cohen's boy coats on her, but I thought she was cuter without it on - so I took the "beauty is pain" stance. (Just kidding) We were only out there for about five minutes - just long enough to get some cute pics.

Playing in the snow for the first time. She loves to flail her arms when she is excited! I took lots of pics since Amy had to miss it ;(

Little man thought the snow was just ok, but he wasn't sold on it.

He had enough time between running around and jumping to give baby a hug. AHHHHHHH

The snow was falling so hard they had to squint. We haven't had that in a while.

Brandon didn't like my "beauty is pain" remark so he rode up on his white horse to protect Lilly from the cold! Good ol' Uncle B.

I get an A for effort, but an F in content. I wanted a group picture, but they were all falling apart at this point. In the house for a round of naps for the babies.

After the babies were in bed, Maggie, Brandon, Emily, and I went out for adult fun!

Maggie was born in the snow. We got her from Grand Rapids, Michigan. So she was in her element. She loved it!

While me and Brandon worked on stripping our mantle in the garage, Emily built a snow man. Pretty good! (Although Brandon thought it looked like he was shooting a bird!)

We also tried to go down the driveway in a laundry basket. Too bad we all exceeded the weight limit. We went about 4 ft., and then stopped. Good try though.

Well it left as fast as it came. Goodbye until next year (maybe) snow. As Cohen said, Bye no (which means bye snow - can't say his s's yet)

The Countdown Has Begun!!

2009-03-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has wished me a Happy Birthday. It was a very happy birthday. I never thought I would say this, but it was very uneventful and I couldn't have wished for anything more. Since our lives have been nothing but hectic for the last couple of months, it was nice just to sit on the deck with my family while we watched the kids play in the back yard. I wouldn't have changed a thing!!!! Well I guess the countdown has begun. 364 more days until I enter a new era - the 30's. Until then, I will enjoy still living in my 20's. Thanks again for all the birthday wishes.

Blessings Upon Blessings

2009-03-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

When I start feeling scared, anxious, sad, or sorry for myself, I have to stop dead in my tracks and look back at all the blessings God has given me. Sure I am going through a lot of tough situations right now, but He still blesses me with blessings upon blessings everyday. You can't get so clouded in the bad that you overlook the good. Look at my love bugs. They are healthy - they are happy - they have food to eat - they have warm bath water to bathe in every night - they have a bed to lay their head in every night and a house to keep them warm. He is faithful. Thanks to all for being faithful to us as well. We love you all.

Marie W. Carlisle 11-26-20 to 3-2-09

2009-03-02T15:08:00.001-08:00

When it rains it pours!!!! I am not saying this in a woe is me attitude, but our family has had a huge whirlwind the last two weeks. Where is the exit? I'm ready to get off the ride!!! It was very traumatic seeing my grandmother on the floor this morning, but we are leaning on His promises and on each other for strength. God is faithful, and I know He is holding our family up in this time of trial. Read below for details.....

Dear Friends & Family,

I cannot believe I am sending this email, but I am writing this afternoon to tell you my Grandmother, Marie Carlisle, died today. This morning Nancy was unable to get her on the telephone. Nancy called me & I agreed to go check on her if she didn't call Nancy back within 10 minutes. I tried twice to call her and after two more attempts by Nancy I left home and drove to my Dad's to check. Mama Ree had fallen twice since Mother's funeral on Monday. On Friday, her housekeeper had found her on the floor after she had fallen and was unable to get up. The housekeeper had to get a neighbor to help her get my grandmother up. Later that night she fell again & had to ring the alarm upstairs to my dad for help. Afraid that she had fallen again & was unable to get up I drove quickly to make sure she was O.K. When I arrived and went downstairs I found her on the floor in her room, unresponsive and not breathing. I called 911. After what seemed like hours of EMTs, police, investigators & the coroner, it was determined she did not suffer and died of natural causes, perhaps by overstimulation of her Vagus nerve... a theory speculated by the EMT & Coroner.

We can never exactly understand God's plan and why things happen the way He ordains. I will quote my Dad and say it brings comfort to know that "Mother & Daughter have been reunited."

Visitation will be Friday, March 6th at Striffler~Hamby Mortuary from 6:00-8:00 p.m. with the Funeral Service on Saturday, March 7th at 11:00 a.m. at the Striffler~Hamby Chapel.

We continue to ask for prayers as our family continues to sail on rough & unfamiliar waters.

With love,
Amy

Think Purple

2009-02-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know, purple is the color to represent pancreatic cancer. I have chosen a purple tone for my blog background in honor of my mother and her heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. I decided I would post some statistic for pancreatic cancer because the number of cases increase every year, and the research to find a cure is so under-funded. It is such a terminal disease because by the time the Dr.s are able to detect and diagnosis properly, it has already metastasized to other organs and is considered stage four. The normal life expectancy after diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is three to six months. If you ever have issues with digestion, or seem to lose weight without effort - you might want to do some more research or ask a physician. A lot of times they will dismiss it as pancreatitis because no tumors can be found in the pancreas. When you have some time, you should check it out.

Pancreatic Cancer Facts for 2008

Pancreatic Cancer: the statistics

Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

In 2008, an estimated 37,680 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 34,290 will die from the disease.

Men are 20% more likely to get pancreatic cancer than women and the majority of cases occur in people over the age of 65.

The incidence rate among African-Americans is 40 to 50% higher than other ethnic groups.

Pancreatic cancer research constitutes less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute’s federal research funding—a figure far too low given the severity of the disease.From a scientific research perspective, pancreatic cancer is where breast cancer was in the 1930s. Advancing pancreatic cancer research into the 21st century is dependent upon the increase of basic scientific research.

Remembering Mama

2009-02-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

I love pictures. I could look through old pictures every day. When mama passed away, we went through all the old albums in order to find some to put up at the funeral home. It was hard narrowing them down. I wanted to put them all up, but I remembered my mom was very humble and made us promise her that we would not make the funeral "all about her" yet instead "all about God's faithfulness in her life." I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures.

She was always full of joy. It was rare to find a photograph where she wasn't beaming joy - even when she was a little tot.

She is probably about three years old in this pic. Look at that cute little dress. I wish she would have saved it because I would put Elis in it in a skinny minute!

In her Sunday's best.

She rarely got in trouble, but she still knew how to have a good time. Got caught in the act!

School picture. She looks about 7th or 8th grade here. I wish I would have had that straight of teeth naturally back in the day. It took three years of braces for this girl.

Mom was homecoming queen.

I might have gotten some of my mom's features, but I sure didn't get my body type from her. I stopped wearing bikinis after Cohen was born.

This was right after mom and dad started dating. Isn't this precious? They were still in college.

Another early dating picture. Cute Couple!

These pictures break my heart. They truly were soul mates. My mom loved daddy like no other. Even til the very end - she would light up when he walked into the room.

This was at a wedding shower right before they got married.

December 20th at First Methodist Church LaGrange, GA They were married for 38 years.

Now I DEFINITELY didn't get this gene. She looks great pregnant. I think I moo'ed when I was pregnant because I was such a cow. She is pregnant with Wendy here and Amy is in her lap.

Mama is standing in Wendy's nursery here. Look at that wallpaper. Primary colors/stripes/patterns - oh how times change!

Pregnant again. This is the whole crew - I'm just in her belly!

This is one of my favorite pics of mom and dad. They were at a wedding.

If only we knew back then that our time was limited.... but that is how we should all live. Like every day is our last... no regrets.

Such a classy lady.

This was mama waiting for John, Wendy's son, to be born. Whenever I see this outfit, I think about mama. She wore it often. I wouldn't let anyone give it away because it means to much to me.

I don't know whose baby this is. I know it isn't John because she doesn't have on that outfit above. And I know it isn't my two or Jim's. So I'm guessing it is either Carli, Emily, Tate or Anna Grace. I will have to get to the bottom of this mystery.

I hope you enjoy reminiscing with me - I'm sure there will be more to come.

Much love to all. You all have been so awesome through this trial. I hope I can be half the friend to you all.

Info. Written By My Sister

2009-02-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

***In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Building Fund (c/o Covenant Presbyterian Church 118 Church Street LaGrange, GA 30240) or Explorer’s Bible Study (c/o Joanna Flynn 3006 White Oak Ct. LaGrange, GA 30240.)

Many of you receiving this email already have heard that Mother is now with the Lord. She died Friday night, around 7:20 in her room at home with her pastor, Boyd Miller, reading her the following verses:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:1-4

When Boyd finished that final, beautiful promise of a verse, he noticed no more breathing and called my sisters into the room. Her tears that she cried for her family have been wiped away. She cried many tears over the past few months... grieving in advance for us as she prepared to leave her husband, children and grandchildren behind. She fought the good fight and with God's grace conquered the last enemy and now, for her, there will be no more death, sorrow or crying. And now, her body which had suffered so greatly over the past 2 years and especially 2 months has been healed. Praise the Lord! Great is Your faithfulness.

Arrangements are scheduled as follows:

Visitation on Sunday, February 22nd at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary (1010 Mooty Bridge Road Lagrange, GA (706) 884-8636) from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Funeral Service on Monday, February 23rd at First Baptist Church on the Square (100 Broad Street Lagrange, GA (706) 884-5631) at 2:00 p.m.

Graveside Service following the funeral at Meriwether Memory Gardens at 4:00 p.m.

Dear friends... I cannot tell you how much your prayers, love and encouragement have meant to us as we battled alongside Mother as she fought. You were God's hands that helped us, His arms that hugged us, His love that lifted us up. We are forever in your debt. With much love on behalf of all the Niedrachs!

Mourning a Huge Loss Yet Celebrating a Beautiful Life

2009-02-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

I'm at a loss for words. I am typing this blog so that I don't have to lay in silence by going to bed. I am scared to feel the emotions that are running through my veins. What will the coming months hold for me? How will I cope? I will just lean on His verse for now "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:24

Mama is rejoicing with her Savior right now. Can you only imagine what it is like? She lived her whole life longing to be Home, and now she is there. As I lay my head on my pillow tonight, she will be laying her head at the feet of Christ. I do not grieve for her because heaven is better by far. I grieve for myself. I grieve that I have got to wake up tomorrow without being able to hear her sweet voice, touch her sweet hands, listen to her wisdom. I grieve that I have to continue this life without my mama to share all the special things with. But we will be together again soon. Oh what a glorious day that will be. I will post more later when I get myself together a bit.

Sweet Mama

2009-02-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

Not much has changed with mom’s condition since Monday. She began to decline rapidly Monday morning so we moved her from the couch to a hospital bed. She began having trouble swallowing her pain medication by mouth so we got her an IV to feed the medications to her automatically four times an hour. This made things run a LOT smoother. Not having to worry about times and doses – the pump does all that for us. My parents have a big bedroom so we have put the hospital bed at the end of their king sized bed. We girls have moved in, and my dad has graciously allowed it. We have taken over his space, and he has so kindly moved to an upstairs bedroom so that we can sleep with mom at night. It has been like a four day sleep over with the girls. (We should have done this a long time ago- its lots of fun) Instead of lying with my head at the headboard – I sleep backwards with my head at the foot of the bed so me and mama’s heads are head-to-head. I can hear her breathing so it comforts me through the night. We are thinking that maybe she has gotten her nights and days mixed up because she usually sleeps all day, and is more restless at night. She can not verbally communicate with us anymore, but she knows we are here. They say that hearing is the last sense to go. (That is a gift from God that we can still communicate to her all of our love) She will lighten up when she hears our voices, and she can turn her head in the direction of where we are. The sweetest thing is the way she reacts when my dad enters the room. She loves that man like no other. Her heart melts when she hears his voice, and she usually tries to raise her hand to reach for him. Sometimes he doesn’t have to even say anything – she can just smell him and she awakens from a stupor. They told us on Monday that she had hours to possibly 2 days, however, my mom is known to always fight past what they have said. She is now on day 4, and we haven’t seen much change. (No decline – no incline) We just spend most of the day talking to her about old time, singing hymns, laughing, crying, reading scripture, and just hugging, kissing and holding her. These have been some of the hardest days of my life, but also some of the most precious days. I would not trade one minute of the time I have spent with her. I am ready to let her go to her true home now. I am ready for her to rejoice with her Savior like she has longed to do all her life. Like Jeremiah in the Bible she wanted to share Christ’s message; there is in [her] heart as it were a burning fire shut up in [her] bones, and [she is] weary with holding it in, and [she] cannot. Jeremiah 20:9 She has a fire in her bones for Christ, and that is how she has lived her life. Very soon she will be in eternal happiness. She will know no more sorrow – no more tears. She will hear the words Well done my good and faithful servant Matthew 25:21. I will grieve her passing – I will mourn the loss of my dear mother and best friend, but I rest my hope in the fact that we will only be apart for a brief time and then we will fellowship together for eternity. We will never have to say goodbye again. That is how I get through each day. That is how I put one foot in front of the other. I don’t understand God’s plan of terminal pancreatic cancer for my mother at such a young age, but I do know that it is a perfect plan. And I do know that one day I will understand it in its entirety and I will see all the ways he has impacted so many people by her life and her death. Thank you so much for all of your love and concern. I will keep you posted as soon as time permits. Love to all.

Lovin' from the Munchkins

2009-02-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

I felt like dressing my kids up for Valentine's Day this year. So here is some love from them to all of you for V-day.

Now that baby is getting older, we are getting more action shots. I kind of liked it when she would just sit there and smile without moving.

It's hard to find things that aren't so girly for boys at V-Day. (It's all pink, red, and heart.) This was the best I could do. I thought this picture was funny because it looks like he is doing one of those cheesy, guido, lean on the car poses. (when in fact he was really running from me and the camera)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Valentines 09

2009-02-13T13:07:00.001-08:00

imikimi - Customize Your World!

Daily Dose of Design

2009-02-12T15:37:00.001-08:00

So this is today's creation - still only $10. Any takers???? ;) Have a good one!

Latest Creation

2009-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Nicole for sporting my latest creation! If you know anyone who needs one let me know. Only $10. It can say whatever you want! Stay tuned for more..... (it's great therapy for me;)

Cancer = Roller Coaster

2009-02-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well folks - if I had to sum up my experience with the hideous disease of cancer it would be with three words - ROLLER COASTER RIDE Even before that grim day on March 6th 2007, when my mother was diagnosed, it has been an up and down battle. Starting in about May of '06 my mother started to loose some weight. Maybe about 10 pounds, which didn't bother her at all because my brother and I were both getting married that summer. She had some gastro intestinal problems, but the Dr.'s wrote it off as colitis. Then they thought she might have pancreatitis, and flippantly threw out the word cancer. We were in shock that they could even use such a dreadful word, but had hope that surely they were wrong. Mom lost more weight probably about 25 lbs. in all. In November of '06 they came back and gave her a clean bill of health. We were ALL so relieved. They said that her problems must have been caused by blunt force trauma to her abdomen from a wreck she had when she was pregnant with me in 1980.(It was finally coming back to haunt her) Needless to say, the problems she had didn't go away, but instead became increasingly more annoying. So she went in for more tests at Emory in Atlanta they said they needed to do a biopsy of her liver. So then that fateful day came.... I remember waking up at about 4 am to meet my sister Amy, my Dad, my brother n law, and my parents old preacher from Atlanta. We waited - nervous, but still in good spirits. SURELY it couldn't be cancer. That couldn't happen to our family - that's not the way it is suppose to happen. Every one on my mother's side of the family lives to their 90's so being diagnosed with something terminally in your 50's was out of the question. So about 4 hours later we see my mother's surgeon come into the waiting room. He goes straight to the receptionists and asks her for a conference room. We all look at each other like - this CAN'T be good. Why would we need a private conference room if it was good news. It was a cramped little room. There weren't enough chairs for everyone so I stood behind my sister in a corner. Then he said the words that pierced my heart - never allowing me to be the same again - he said, "the news isn't good. it IS cancer, and it's terminal." At that moment I started seeing black spots - I had to lean against the wall because I was about to pass out. We asked a couple of questions - I don't remember much after that. My world had been turned upside down, and I was trying to pick up the pieces. That was by far the worst day of my life, and I have been trying to cope with the news every day since then. We have gathered together like never before. And that was just the beginning of this up and down journey. I won't bore you with every single detail, but we have had four different chemos that were working at one point (very big up) and then four chemos that quit working (very big down). Mama kept her weight stable for almost two years, but then she lost another 15 lbs. from about this Nov. on (big down), and then the dreaded news that there were no further treatments available. Now we don't have up days and down days - we are more at up hours and down hours. She can be feeling really good, and then out of nowhere she is in sever pain. Through all of this her faith and grace remains phenomenal. She wants all glory to go to God. She never complains. Even when her pain seems to be unbearable she will silently cry until her medicine begins to work. I have never seen her with a 'woe is me' attitude. She has taught me how to live well, and now she is teaching me how to die well. We take it one day at a time, and savor every minute we have with mama. She is amazing (excuse me the Lord is amazing through her) She has beaten every statistic put on her life, and she is still doing that to this very moment. The Dr.s said days to weeks several weeks ago, and she is still hanging in there. She is a fighter, and the Lord is still working in and through her life. Please pray for her continued strength and comfort. And THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your continued love, support, babysitting, letters, prayers, dinners, etc., etc. etc. We love you all!

Added Track

2009-02-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks for your feed back on the train picture. I think the general consensus is that it was missing a track. I'm glad you thought so because I did too. It just wasn't complete. I'm not quite sure what a train track looks like from the side. I gues just a metal beam, but that is not interesting enough for a picture. SO this is my version of a train track. It needed a little more spunk than just a straight line. Signing off until our next vinyl adventure. hahahah