Singing a Silly Song

I've moved

2007-08-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

I am starting a blog at a new address. you can find me at shannonwentz.blogspot.com

More Pictures

2007-04-20T15:19:00.000-04:00

Finally

2007-04-20T14:40:00.000-04:00

Hello!
I still don't have my blog back completely to myself, but at least I finally figured out how to access it again. Somehow, John's e-mail account hijacked my blog! I finally sat down and figured out what the new password was.

Too much has happened in the past few months so I'll just put up more pictures for now.

2007-02-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

Mikalya's 1!!!

2007-01-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

I thought these cookies were appropriate for our "Cute as a button" 1 year old!Yummy!

Daddy's Girl!

2007-01-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Can you say "Fake smiles?"

PRESENTS!

Christmas really means . . . lots of time in the van!

2007-01-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

Mikayla, SOOO BIG!

Family Christmas Picture

Grandma Wentz and Mikayla

2007-01-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

Preschool Christmas Party

2006-12-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

Last night was Luke's preschool Christmas party. Talk about an eventful evening!
The party took place in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian church, where his school is located. Because his school is a Co-op each mom has a different job, and mine is special events mom. Which basically means I get to arrive EARLY to the events. Which is quite the adventure when you attend ALONE with 3 children!

So, after giving explicit instructions on how the boys were to behave for the evening (that 1 mommy can't be in 3 places), we entered the hall of chaos and madness. Although the boys were doing the best to obey, it is very hard when all their friends are running around, jumping on the stage, and eating all the cookies and cupcakes they can find.

After the opening 20 minutes of appetizers the children were called on stage to sing their songs. Which amounts to approx. 40 3,4, and 5 year olds on stage. For their first song, they all held candles they had made out of construction paper. Unfortunately, before the second song, the little boy next to Luke, poked Luke in the eye with his "candle". Luke burst into tears and ran to his teacher. After a big hug, he bravely tried to regain composure and finish singing his last two songs. The next song was "Jingle Bells" and they all held bells in one hand as they sang. Because of his eye injury Luke sang his with one hand over his eye, fighting back tears, while shaking his bells and trying to sing along.

Before they went up to sing I told the father sitting near me that I was the "delinquent" parent who didn't even think to bring a camera, while all the other proud mothers stood around video taping their children.

After they sang, I told the same father that I now knew why I'd forgotten my camera.

The final HOORAY was Santa Clause. That part went fairly well, and I did have another mom take a picture of the boys with Santa.

I will post that picture as soon as she e-mails it.

Oh, and that leads me to the other unfortunate event . . . you'll notice in the picture that my boys are wearing batman, and Incredibles T-shirts, while EVERY other kid there was nicely dressed in their holiday finest. Christmas sweaters, dress shirts, even a few ties! And then my kid, standing out like a sore thumb, or should I say EYE.

Halloween

2006-11-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Surprise, surprise, Logan was Batman

I dressed up as John (again)

His future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades

2006-11-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin carving fun

Our new swing set thanks to the Seeker's Sunday school class

The apple is simply an excuse to eat the caramel!

At the pumpkin patch

luke's birthday

2006-11-10T14:54:00.000-05:00

quick updates

2006-11-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

Mikayla: She is continuing to take a few steps and she FINALLY broke her first tooth through! It's been a busy week for her!

Luke: He is going to the allergist in the morning (Wednesday). We have always watched what he eats really closely because we've observed food sensitivities. Then, last Tuesday (Halloween) he had an allergic reaction to something. He broke out in Hives. Poor kid, they covered his face with welts and went down his arms, legs, belly, and bum. He was broke out in Hives until Saturday :( I initially thought he was having a reaction to his Halloween mask/costume, but his Dr. said it was more likely something he injested. Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow and he won't be too traumatized.

Logan: Not much new news here. He's currently healthy and growing. He was Batman for Halloween, of course.

John: SUFFERING! His back is hurting him so bad. I hope he gets the right help he needs to get better soon.

I have tons of pictures to post of all the latest happenings. Hopefully I'll get those up soon.

STEPPING OUT

2006-10-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

and tonight at around 7:45 p.m. she took her first steps! Now the real fun begins . . .

2006-10-08T22:01:00.000-04:00

funny times

2006-09-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight, while I was getting supper finished up I asked the boys to set the table. They were wrapped up in some game of imaginary play where they were traveling to other places. I repeated my request. Again, they failed to follow through. I gave specifics, get 4 placemats, 4 plates, 4 forks, etc . . . Then Daddy joined in and told the boys to help set the table. Luke responds with this, "Dad, Logan and I are actually in Kentucky right now and it's kind of hard to do from Kentucky."

Another funny question from Luke, "Mom, why can't I see my own face? I can see your face, but I can't see my own face, unless I look in a mirror."

And now I can't remember the other funny stories I was going to blog . . . so, until next time.

2006-09-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

Luke's first day of 4 year old preschool.
Luke holding his school bag and Logan with his belly button.

Luke posing for a picture

End of summer family day at Chuck-E-Cheese

Hey, I'm crazy token cup on my head girl!

Isn't she beautiful . . .

And she's off!

2006-09-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

Mikayla finally figured out the crawling thing last night (sept. 31). She's been able to get on all fours for quite some time, but when she'd push with her arms, she would end up pushing herself backwards. Then, she would do the splits and end up in a sitting position. Last night she figured it out and took off! She was down the hallway, into our bedroom, out in the play room . . . We put up the baby gate at the top of the stairs after the kids were in bed. My life will now take a dramatic turn. I've already warned the boys that she'll be into their things.
Other updates on Mikayla:
I think she says "mom" although it comes out "Mum, mum". I'll take that.
She can wave, and I am convinced she says, "Hi".
She can also sign the word "more". It's cute because she learned to wave and sign "more" at the same time and sometimes when we ask her is she wants "more" she waves. It's hard to believe she will be 8 months old in a few days!
I hope we can post the video of her crawling soon.

tuesday morning

2006-08-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy blogging silly stories and pictures that will make others laugh. But sometimes life throws in some curve balls. As I recount what happened on Tuesday, September 26th, know that we end up with probably the best outcome for this situation.

Tuesday morning my mom called me at 6:18 a.m. (You know it might be bad news when the phone rings that early in the morning.) She said my dad had collapsed in the kitchen. She heard him fall and went in to see what the thump was. He was having difficulty breathing, then he stopped breathing altogether. She had called 911 and they talked her through what to do. He "came to" before the recue crew arrived, although he wasn't fully alert. She was getting ready to follow the ambulance to the hospital. She said she would call from the hospital and let me know what was going on after they got more information.

I called my brother and let him know what was going on. Then I started packing for Mikayla and myself. I really didn't want my mom waiting at the hospital by herself. Then the phone rang and a lady from my parents church, who was at the hospital with mom, called and said, Your mom needs you. Your dad had a heart attack and she needs you. Thankfully I had packed so we only had to jump in the van and go. John came with the boys, since we weren't sure the exact situation and we only have 1 car so we didn't want John stuck in Springfield if we needed him.

That was one LOOONNNNGGGG drive to Peoria. On the way up we talked to my brother, Grandparents, and friends. Then we got another call from a family friend to let us know that they were taking my dad into surgery to have a pace maker put in and the surgery would last about an hour. I was relieved to hear this because I had such a vague idea of how serious the situation was and knowing he was getting a pace maker meant he was alive.

After we arrived I met mom in the waiting room. I should have known better than to think she'd be there alone. Close friends from the church were there with her. Then we waited for dad to finish surgery. It was very calming to be there and have the Doctors talk to us in person, instead of hearing news 2nd and 3rd hand.

The diagnosis was that my dad has "electrical problems" with his heart. It was not a heart attack, which would be muscle damage usually caused by blocked arteries or an unhealthy heart. Instead the heart also functions off of electrical pulses. In this case his heart "blew a fuse" and stopped beating. They said it was very good that the 2nd episode happened in the ER because he was hooked up to machines and the could document exactly what happened. They showed us the print out of his heart rate. It shows it slowing down and then it actually stopped for 20-25 seconds. This is the time when they thought he was having a heart attack. They were able to get the heart to resume beating by doing chest compressions. You can see the spikes on the chart where the compressions were being administered. By putting in a pace maker this should be prevented from happening again. They set the pacemaker so that if his heart rate drops below 50 it will stimulate the heart. Thankfully he can resume a normal life, (other than showing a card at the airport to avoid setting off the security gates, and a few other cautions). He is an avid bike rider and probably in the best shape of his life so it was shocking to hear that he was having heart troubles. But after a roller coaster of emotions it is good to be on this side of the ordeal and know he is going to be ok.

When you look back on a situation like this you can see SOOOO many things that we are thankful for. The emotion hits most when you are tempted to play the "what if . . ." game. What if mom had already left for work . . . What if he had been on a bike ride . . . What if he hadn't had a 2nd episode in the ER . . . What if they wouldn't have known to put in the pace maker and he would have had this happen again . . . and on and on it goes. But that is a futile game to play. Instead we need to play the "Right now" game. Right now I am thankful for this new perspective on life and what is truely important. Right now I am thankful that we live closer to my parents. Right now I am very thankful for our awesome family who is there for us when a crisis hits. Right now I am most thankful that God gives grace and mercy.

today

2006-08-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

today was the kind of day that makes me really appreciate whoever invented this:

Today, we were given a very cool toy set called "Pipe Works". It was made by Playskool in the 80's. It is a set of PVC pipe, joints, wheels and seats. You can build really cool things with it. We now have a wagon and a see-saw. VERY cool.

Then tonight as I was putting Logan to bed (and we often have" opportunities" when it comes to Logan going to bed) he stood on his bed and declared, "I don't want to take a rest!" then he ran out of the room, into the toy room, and sat on the futon. Because Logan often tests us on bedtime we have a discipline routine for him. After he was returned to his bed and I was going to explain some things, he looks at me and says, "Mommy, you broke my heart."
Man, he's good . . .

books and pictures

2006-08-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

I Re-read a book that had a HUGE impact on me the first time I read it, and had just as much of an impact this time, if not more. I wish the characters were real. I need to KNOW them. This fiction book illustrates the narrow road we walk as we claim to know where God is blessing us and leading us. I am reminded through this story that the people who may be closest to the heart of God are often farthest from the spotlight. I am reminded to be very cautious because we are all in dangerous proximity of walking a path that looks a lot like serving God, and when you are on this path you will get noticed for what You've done for god.

On another note, I am working on a HUGE project. Putting pictures into albums. With every move we've done I've sorted through pictures and put them in groups, but I've never taken the time to actually put them in albums. The best part of this project is going through all these pictures! I love looking through them all and reliving some great memories. So many people that I love! Today I was going through college pictures. Wow! If you are reading this blog, I probably have a picture of you. I'd be surprised if I didn't. Man, I wich we had a scanner so I could post a few of the best ones. I can't believe how many pictures I have from college. Maybe I could get John to scan in a few for more. If anyone who reads this blog is a college friend and you don't happen to have pictures of someone or something from college there's a good chance I may have one. If there's someone/something you might be interested in let me know and I'll try to get a copy.

I'm Rich

2006-08-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

So, there are half a dozen boxes of books in the basement that we haven't unpacked yet. I set out to see what order I could make of them this morning and while I was unpacking them I found an old birthday card. I opened it and found $25! Cool! Then while I was doing laundry I bent over to pick up some lint and dryer sheets that had fallen between the dryer and a ultility shelf and spotted a small wad of green paper, I picked it up, and unfolded a $10 bill! $35 in one day, who says being a stay at home mom doesn't pay?

The Flanders have moved in across the street

2006-08-03T21:05:00.000-04:00

So, we're playing with our neighbors and all their kids. I overhear Luke trying to lead the kids in a game . . . "Ok, I made a cross. Who wants to die on the cross? Who wants to die on the cross next? Guys! I made a cross, who wants to die?" The kids just stood looking at him, half scared of the kid who wants them to die.

so funny

2006-07-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

John and I are always cracking up at the things the boys say, but I am terrible about writing them down or remembering them, so here are two that I can remember from this week . . .

If you read John's blog, you know Logan has been sick. Normally we are beverage minimalists around our house, milk or water. So, I went to the store and bought some Pedialite for Logan. When I got home and was unpacking the groceries Logan came over and saw the juice on the counter and said (now keep in mind he has croup and sounds alot like Donald Duck) "Oh, thank you mommy!" (pause) "Mommy, when I drink this (pause) in my heart, I will remember you."

Today we were playing outside and when the boys went in the house and shut the door, they locked the door behind them. I picked up Mikayla to go inside after them and found the door locked. After BANGING on the back door, checking the front door, then BANGING, BANGING, BANGING on the back door again, I called John to see if he could come home and let me in the house. While dialing Logan opened the back door to go back outside. The poor guys couldn't understand why I was furious with them. They didn't even realize the door had been locked and that I was outside. I then went on to explain to them what had happened and that I was outside and couldn't get in etc . . . etc . . . When my speech was over Luke walked away then Logan came back and said, "Mommy, member that story- that story, where they climbed on the roof and made a hole so they could get in, member that?" I was laughing so hard at that image, me and Mikayla climbing up the side of the house trying to get in through the roof.

2006-07-22T21:31:00.000-04:00