2009-Blizzard

The blizzard we just came out of was quite an adventure! Grandma and Grandpa Seevers had to stay at our house for 2 nights and 3 days before their lane could be plowed open. Scott says the 10-15 foot high drifts were the biggest he ever remembers on the farm. The drifts are a phenomena I've never seen in Ohio. The pictures cannot convey their enormity. They remind me of tidal waves! These ARE NOT hills in the videos below!! They are SNOW DRIFTS against trees along a shelter belt!! For more pictures of the kids and John and Karen taking care of horses during the storm, click HERE.

Merry Christmas!!!

Here's wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I miss my friends and family from Ohio very much this year. Even though I can't be in touch as much as I'd like, I want you all to know that I think of you often and hold you very close in my heart. I know the holidays do not bring joy for everyone so I pray that God would bless you with peace, love and comfort as we celebrate the Christ Child's birth.

The Many Faces of Marshall!

Gemma requested that I make this collage of Marshall to hang up in her room.

Santa On The Square!

Every year in December the city of Seward sets up this little house for Santa on the town square in front of the courthouse. Santa arrives on a fire engine early in December and then he and Mrs. Claus keep visiting hours (note they are taped on the door) for the children. The little "hut" is warmed only by a space heater so the kids keep their coats on!Gracie had an entire list written out and ready for him.Gemma tried to write her list on the way over but forgot most of it.Luke was so excited he just started asking for the same stuff the girls asked for!....And Marshall was going to have no part of the strange looking man!

Marshall's Burn

Marshall burned his fingers last night on the fireplace glass door. He burned all 4 finger tips plus all the way down on his index and middle fingers and a little of his palm. Between Tylenol and letting him play with toys in a sink full of cold water, we finally got the pain under control and he was able to get a good night's sleep. He's doing much better today. Now I'm just hoping these blisters don't break open!

Men Married to Smart Women Live Longer

This is for all my brilliant, health-nut girlfriends!!

Men Married to Smart Women Live Longer

Marshall Says "Merry Christmas To You!!

These photos was taken at an event at church today!

How Do you Spell The Letter "J"?

So Luke says to me today, "Mommy, how do you spell the letter J?" I explained to him that we don't spell letters....that we just write J. His response......"Well then how come you can spell the number FIVE??" Ever wonder why we can spell numbers but not letters? My 5 year-old does.

Gettin' Z's

Gemma, Daisy andMarshall!

Thanksgiving Day at Grandma and Grandpa's House

To see all the photos from our day, click HERE.

Luke just presented Grandma with his hand/foot turkey!

Counterclockwise starting with Luke, Phil Friedrich, Micah Friedrich, Scott, Marshall, Grandpa, Shawn, Morgan, Gracie, Ben and Grandma

The kid's table.

Gemma with Morgan.

Urban Cowboy, Ben Seevers

Scott joined us outside after his nap!

Gracie and Shadow ready to trail ride bareback.

Gemma is still in her church dress and leggins'!

Shawn and Morgan

It's a Girl!

At my 20 week ultrasound last week we were blessed to find out we have a healthy, normally developing little "GIRL" on the way! I have known it was a girl since I was 12 weeks when I awoke in the middle of the night with a clear name for this little one. A name I had never heard of or known anyone to have. I've never before had a real sense of boy vs. girl and certainly never completely settled on a name before my due date! But this little one has been very different. It's almost as if God is saying "This little one is NO accident and I have great plans for her!" So at this special time of year, we are feeling very thankful for many things but especially for the vibrant health of all our children!

I want to wish all of my friends and family, near and far, a very Happy Thanksgiving! May God bless you and yours with a peaceful holiday weekend as you celebrate the bounty of His harvest!

Reminiscing

This is one my favorite photos of Scott and I from our 2001 cruise when I was 6 months pregnant with Gemma! I just found this photo hidden under Gracie's bed in a folder!??

Happy Halloween!!!

From left to right.....Gemma, Gracie's friend Kara, Marshall, Gracie and Luke. Oh, and our dog, Daisy!

Luke the "Ghost"

Marshall the "Tigger"

Gracie the "Gypsy"

Gemma the "Cowgirl"

Vitamin D Results

We just had all our Vitamin D Levels checked and unfortunately, based on the latest research, we are all too low! We ordered the test through http://www.lef.org/ and had our blood drawn at LabCor. Since we have such high health insurance deductibles, it was cheaper for me to pay the $47 to LEF than to have the test done through our doctor's office! Although I still plan to go over these results with our Dr. and give her a copy for our medical records. Your doctor should be able to recommend how much D3 to take on a daily basis to get your blood serum levels into the optimal range. If they can't, I encourage you to research this yourself because the information is easily accessible!

The Vitamin D Council recommends maintaining a blood serum level of 50-80 ng/ml and Dr. Joe Mercola recommends maintaining levels between 50-65 ng/ml for optimal health in ALL AGES. Both of these sites give very specific dosage guidelines. These are two sources I trust but again, I encourage you to do your own research!

My level was 32.7. Down from 38 on 6/5 of this year!
Gracie 43.2
Gemma 38.1
Luke 29
Marshall 29.9
Scott is having his bloodwork done next week.

Now that we know our levels, we can increase our supplementation of Vitamin D3 for the next 2-3 months, at which time we will have levels re-checked. We had already begun supplementing with D3 about a month before having this test so I would hate to see what our levels were before!

So what's the big deal about Vitamin D anyway?? Well people think of the most common risk of Vit. D deficiency as being soft bones or rickets in children, but research is linking low blood serum levels of vitamin D to a whole lot more! Osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, depression, childhood asthma and eczema, frequent colds, flu and respiratory infections, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and more.......all now being linked to low levels of Vit. D.

With my history of asthma and allergies and poor immune function I have taken a special interest in this topic; not just for my health, but for the sake of my family's health. Scott was the only one in our family not supplementing with vitamin D when he recently came down with a terrible case of the flu. Although he didn't get checked for H1N1, it was possibly the sickest I've ever seen him. I was more than braced for the worst but after more than two weeks have passed and no one else in our family has come down with the flu, I can't help but wonder if the vitamin D has something to do with it!? I will continue to blog about this as we progress through the winter.

School Photos

Gracie-4th Grade (9 1/2)

Luke- Preschool (almost 5 when this was taken)

Gemma-2nd Grade (7 1/2)

Marshall (18 mo.) There was no gettin' this guy to smile!

Ultrasound

This was taken at 12 weeks. I will be 16 weeks on Tuesday. It still amazes me that at only 12 weeks there is a completely formed little human in there! Luke thinks this profile shot looks like a girl because he sees "long hair"!

Marshall At 19 Months

Found this shot of Marshall on his Grandma's camera!

"Berrrrrrr"!!!......

So Luke says to me, "Mommy, do all the months say "Berrrrr" now because it's getting so cold outside?" At first I didn't understand what he meant so he expalained it to me. SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER!!