Great days ahead

Today was so beautiful!  It was warm and very sunny--which means Spring is on it's way, right???  Not in Ohio!  Tomorrow we are suppose to see a 40 degree difference then today's temp.  Go figure.  But I am holding on that we will see brighter days soon.

And for today--we enjoyed it!  I took the kids to a near-by pond and we unloaded some old bread.  We had a great time.  Carter enjoyed chasing the geese and Brandon explored around the pond looking for the geese that weren't getting any.  Abby threw bread and then would hang on to me like the ducks and geese might try her too.  The geese swarmed us like we were celebrities or something.  I mean, real red carpet treatment--wouldn't leave us alone.

After sharing bread with the ducks, we went on a nice walk and checked out the nature.  Fun stuff.  Then tonight--we grilled out.  I LOVE the smell of the grill and having the window and doors open.  I'm really looking forward to spring, I'm telling ya!  

And--the best part of the day--I finally worked out!!  I know--most of you do this and you are my heroes.  It takes all that I have to get up early so I can work out.  I actually did it today.  Isn't it funny that once you work out you feel like 10 lbs lighter.  Then once you eat your first cookie after the workout you feel 10 lbs heavier?  I hope I feel good tomorrow and can get my tail out of bed.  Sure would like to feel good again today.  

Hope everyone is doing well.  You are wonderful ladies.  Thanks for welcoming back into the blog world.

Fun on Mondays

I'm not a big fan of starting Mondays, but I love Monday nights!!!  They are my favorite night of the week.  It's the night of the week when the whole family is together-it's called Family Home Evening(FHE).  When dad gets home, the fun starts.  We let the phone go unanswered, the tv./electronics are off, and we are ready for some great times together.  We pray, sing songs, have a nice spiritual lesson (which we take turns doing) and then of course snacks and games.  I just have to say, there is NOTHING like having children teach you.  Last week my sons, Brandon and Carter, team taught about blessings.  Carter held up pictures, while Brandon taught us what was happening in the pictures.  Brandon had picked out the pictures by himself.  (We have a blue filing folder/book that has pictures and stories from the Scriptures.)  I sat and watched and thought how pleased our Heavenly Father must be when tiny families meet together and share what life is really about, especially with so much "wrong" going on in the world.  I am grateful for my family and love them so much.  

Tonight we learned about Helamen's 2000 warriors and my hubby and the children all paid a nice tribute to me as a mom.  (Maybe they felt they had to since the 2000 warriors mothers were the bomb!)  It's so awesome hearing your kids say, "I want to share my testimony, that mom is the boss".  hee hee :)  just kidding.

We just finished making banana muffins for our snack.  They smell wonderful and I'm so ready to stuff my cheeks.  There goes the timer---peace out!!

Why am I awake?

Hey friends!  I'm awake and it's almost the next day--it's midnight baby:)  I'm about to start howlin at the moon.

The fam is feeling better.  Everyone stayed home from church--except me.  I actually got to go and learn for once :)  No kids to split up, no husband to wake up.  It was very nice.

I made a dope dinner tonight-roast, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and bread.  The kids didn't eat so well, but Neal ate like a champ and that made me so happy.  It's hard to eat when your sick and the kids haven't eaten well in a few days.

I've been spending most of the afternoon uploading pics to facebook.  I'm posting a lot of old school photos when I use to work with the youth at church.  It's fun.  I really miss that calling!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love working with the youth and they have the best leaders.  Some of you are still their leaders and I am so jealous!!  You have the best callings ever :)

So now that I've gone through a lot of pics, my eyes are all blurry.  But--I have to pay tribute to the blog baby.  I'm getting back into the groove.  Tomorrow's task--change this boring background!!  (thanks for the email Andrea.--I guess I won't have to add the racey backgrounds I ran into online :)...)  Night all--I'm off to beddy booskie.

I'm back....

Today started with me working my tail off by sterilizing everything in site.  All the boys-Neal, Brandon and Carter are all sick.  They all have fevers, aces, and the boys have croup.  It's been pretty miserable around here, needless to say--lots of whining and mom getting cabin fever.  I was thrilled to go to my friends baby shower today to get away.  So after I washed everything in site and did all the Cinderella chores, I got everyone down for naps and then went to the shower.  I enjoyed talking with friends and just being out of the house--(is that wrong? :)  My friends urged me to get back into the blog world, so here's my attempt--(thanks Kelly and Amanda :0)  

Here's a recap of what I've been doing since my last post in November of 2008!--

Let's see--does anyone remember the McDonald's commercial a few years back when they had all different types of people saying at the same time, while moving there head from side to side, "Get up, Go to work, Go home, Go to bed."  They repeat it over and over in a monotone voice and then after a few times of saying that, they get excited and in the mist of saying the repeated phrase they say, "Go to McDonald's,"--"Go to bed."---Well that's about what I've been doing the past months and year.  Groundhogs day :)  

But I wouldn't have it any other way.  I absolutely LOVE my life.  I'm a stay at home mom, work part time with the handicap, homeschooling, WIFE!!!  What more could I ask for?!

I truly feel blessed to have such a wonderful hubby and three lovely kids.  I am thankful for all of you that read and comment on my blog and facebook.  It is so nice to go through life with fun people like you.  We can all vent, share, love, and be "us" together--thanks to all of you!  So I'm back into the blog world--so watch for more posts to come.  (and I will change my background as soon as Lisa or Kristin can show me how again :)

Pumpkin Fun

So--do you carve the coolest pumpkins ever without the kids because they are extremely scared of knifes since Brandon's recent ER trip.......or paint the ugliest pumpkins with the kids??  See what we chose--or the kids chose:)---(BTW--I saw some REALLY cool carved pumpkins this year!!--Kristin)  We had a lot of fun painting---Neal said mine was the worst--he said it looked like an elephant:)  He's kind of right....I have pics of the boys painting, but to see my "master piece pumpkin" of a BAT (not an elephant)-look at the Halloween pics on the post below.  

Halloween Fun

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I LOVE seeing all the costumes and enjoy the people passing out candy--it's just FUN!  Or it's supposed to be--but my little Abby thought otherwise this year.  She insisted on sitting in the stroller, threw her bag at me while yelling, and didn'twant anything to do with it.--not my child.....

We went out for about an hour and had a blast--(once Abby parked her sweet behind in the stroller)--she still wanted nothing to do with the cute cat bag--but she wanted everyone to put candy on her lap!  Every time someone would give Carter a treat he'd come running to me, Llook mom, you love this!" or "This is my favorite!"  Brandon just walked a head of us most of the time--we were pretty slow with Ms. Muffet who sat on her tuffet in the stroller.  I think the boys enjoyed passing out candy more then they did floating around the neighborhood.  

After trick or treat was over, we had our "fire" and roasted hot dogs and s'mores.  It was a gorgeous night and we saw a shooting star!!  It was awesome-it was the first time Brandon or my mom had seen one and it was so fitting because my mom had Brandon snuggled in her arms.  I'm so mad that I had put the camera away--I would have loved to have had a picture of mom and B together while he was on her lap---oh well.

  

Miracles

If you've ever heard someone say that, "miracles have ceased in our day," they are wrong.  This past week I have been witnessing a miracle.  Let me take you back to last Sat. morning at 4:30 AM.

The phone rang at 4:30 AM--anytime you hear the phone ring at that hour in the morning, I think you internally know immediately you're about to receive bad news.  This call confirmed my fear.  My mother in law was on the phone hysterical.  She wanted to talk to Neal(my hubby).  After hearing, the, "Oh no!"  "Yes, what hospital?  I'll be right there."  I knew it was bad.

My husband's brother Collin, had taken a drug that sent him into cardiac arrest-stopped his heart and breathing.  He had been with some friends the day before and took a drug.  Another friend picked him up and took him to his brother's apt.  Collin was acting very tired and went to sleep on the friends couch.  After some time, the friend noticed Collin was breathing weird and then Collin made a weird sound.  The friend, reached to feel a pulse-nothing.  He called 911 and the operator talked him through CPR over the phone for 10 minutes until the squad arrived.  His friend literally gave him the breath he needed to survive.  The squad cut open his clothing and worked on him.  They used the pads on him and restarted his heart.

They took him to St. Ann's hospital and tried to reach Neal's parents by cell phone.  The cell phones were turned down and they didn't get the messages, and this is the exact message as I have listened to it over and over--"Hi Ms. Koenig.  This is so-in-so from St. Ann's hospital.  Your son Collin was brought in by squad and is in the ER.  We are currently working on him.  Please call us back at------"  They worked on him for at least 3 hours.  Neal's folks were finally called on the home phone at 4:15 AM.  

We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 AM.  (my mom lives a mile away and came rushing over to watch the littles.--grateful for family!!)  When we entered the ICU room, we saw a motionless Collin, the hospital's Chaplin at the foot of the bed, and Neal's mom and dad in shock.  I'll save you the details, but it was one of the worst sites and feelings I've ever had.  Collin was on a breathing machine and was unresponsive.  We stayed with him until the next shift of nurses came and they asked us to wait in the waiting room until they could brief the next shift of nurses.  We waited in that waiting room for what seemed like forever.  After an hour and a half, we were permitted back in to see him.  

In the late morning-he opened his eyes to where we could see the white of the eyeball.  Little by little as the morning became afternoon, we could see his eye-pupil.  

In my church we believe in the power of blessings.  We believe that a man can be ordained to have the priesthood(which is the authority to act in the name of God) and that through the power of the priesthood, a person can be healed according to their faith.  Neal and my brother are both worthy holders of the priesthood and came to the hospital and gave Collin a blessing.

After the blessing, it was the first time I had a feeling of comfort and peace.  In the blessing, Collin was told he would start recovering in the next few hours and over the next several days would make a full recovery.  That he would be able to walk and talk again.  I know that the Lord answers prayers and keeps his promises, as Collin started improving by leaps and bounds.

Within several days, Collin was doing all the things that a "normal" individual does.  The nurses and doctors have told us repeatedly that this just doesn't happen.  That this outcome doesn't happen.  They said they have seen many cases like this and that he is very lucky to be alive.   

I KNOW that God answers prayers.  I know that he performs miracles everyday if we just take the time and look around.  NOTHING is coincidental--He knows what we need to go through and when we need to.  I certainly don't know everything, but I do know that He loves me, as He does you.  I usually don't get all "religious" on my blog or fbook, but I can not, NOT share the peace, love, and comfort that comes only through a loving Heavenly Father.  I would be so ungrateful and undeserving if I didn't share my thoughts.  I know that miracles happen, as I am currently witnessing and living this miracle.

Collin is still in St. Ann's.  He was moved from ICU a couple days ago and is in a "normal" room.  He still has a long way to go on the road to recovery, as he needs to change a life style.  I know with prayer and support all things are possible.  Again, thanks to you all--your thoughts, prayers, and love mean more than you will ever know.  Thank you and God bless!