Pocketful of Miracles

Behind...again...

2011-11-04T22:41:00.001-04:00

Since my son will be 9 months old next Tuesday, I thought it was probably time to post his 6 month pictures...you know, so they can be in chronological order. ;) I might feel silly if I posted his 9 month pictures and THEN posted his 6 month pictures...then again, I just realized that I never posted his 3 month pictures...sigh. :) Enough talk from me!!! We had family pictures taken at the same time as Ikey's 6 month pictures, so here are a few of my favorites!!

Messy Marvin

2011-10-03T23:56:00.000-04:00

Babies get messy when they eat. Period. That's just what happens. BUT, I don't know how many babies do it on purpose and then laugh hysterically about it...

Watch Out Preschool, Here Comes Hopey!

2011-09-01T00:52:00.001-04:00

This past Tuesday was a pretty exciting day at the Witzig house!!! Our very own Miss Hopey started preschool!!! :) Of course, the day wasn't complete without a few tears...shed by me...but it was a smashing success nonetheless!!! Here are a few pictures of Hopey's big day!!

I wanted to get pictures of her in the classroom with the other kids, but I was trying my hardest to refrain from being "that parent"... I somewhat succeeded... :)

A Fresh Start

2011-08-17T01:34:00.000-04:00

Since Ikey's birth, I've let all kinds of things go. Not intentionally mind you, just due to the shear lack of time. My little man just doesn't sleep, therefore, time for myself is basically nonexistent. (I apologize if this sounds like a pity party, but I'm getting to the point, I promise!) Anyway, my little butterball turned 6 months old last week, and I've decided it's time to reclaim certain aspects of my life...including my blog!!! :)

All of that said, I took a long hard look at my blog and realized that it had been created with only one of my children in mind, the Hope of my heart. While I still adore that little girl to no end, I'm pretty crazy about her little brother also!! Thus began the rebirth of the blog to incorporate both of my favorite kiddos on the planet.

The name game is always difficult for me because I know what I want to say, but typically I can only think of cheesy ways to say it. I also truly wanted to hang on to "Hope of my Heart" and just try to incorporate Ikey in with a tag line of the meaning of his name. That ended up being too cheesy even for me, so the idea was nixed. Anyway, making a super long story a bit shorter, as most of you know, both Hopey AND Ikey are miracle babies. Along those lines, I came up with several ridiculous titles and finally tried a couple of them out on Brian. Of course he was incredibly supportive (as he always is), but he was also super excited to throw his two cents worth in this time. He started rambling on and on about Smokey Robinson's album "A Pocket Full of Miracles" and how it was the most clever album cover he had ever seen. Smokey's group was called The Miracles and the album cover was a picture of The Miracles literally popping out of a pocket...Brian's easily amused, what can I say? ;) Well, I thought about that album title all night long, and by morning, I had decided that a small twist on that idea was exactly what I was looking for.

I was told I could never have children, but God had other plans. One year to the day after marrying Brian, we found out that we were indeed pregnant. After an incredibly difficult pregnancy, we were given the gift of Hope. A little over two years later, we found out that we were going to have another little miracle. This time, the pregnancy was almost unbearable, and at one point, we were told the baby had actually died. Again, the doctors were wrong, and we were given the gift of Isaac. After the severity of my two pregnancies, I was advised against having more children. But my two beautiful miracles are more then I ever could have hoped for. A pocketful is defined as the amount a pocket can hold, and from where I'm standing, my pockets appear to be overflowing.

I Have a Blog??

2011-06-24T00:14:00.002-04:00

What can I say, I've failed at blogging this year!! Since Ikey was born, I haven't found time to get dressed most days, let alone sit down and write anything coherent for other adults to read!! ;) BUT, I'm determined to at least post a few pictures here and there from now until I get this whole raising two kids thing under control!! (You put together moms of multiple children impress me to death!!) SO, without further ado, here's this mama's heart melting picture of the week!! (I'm their mom, I can say that, right??) :)

Three Years of Hopey

2011-03-11T00:52:00.000-05:00

As hard as it is to believe, my rootin' tootin' cowgirl is turning three today!! She's only been in this world for three years, but I can't remember what life was like without her in it, and I sure don't want to. My precious little Hopey Doodle, I love you so much it brings tears to my eyes. You're my favorite girl in the entire world, and I hope you never forget it!!! If you see my little girl today, please wish her the biggest happy birthday ever!! :)

Welcome to the world, Isaac!

2011-02-14T19:13:00.002-05:00

Isaac William

February 8th at 6:43pm

7 pounds 5 ounces and 19 inches long

While labor did not go very smoothly, delivery was a breeze, and Ike was here in 2 pushes (6 minutes)! We can't even begin to thank all of you enough for your prayers and incredible support throughout the last 9 months and especially over the last few days!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!

Ringing in the New Year...with bells on!!

2011-01-14T13:59:00.003-05:00

HAPPY 2011 FRIENDS!!!! :) I can honestly say that I have never been so ready to see a year end in my life!! Not that I'm not grateful for each and every day God gives me, but 2010 was a truly ROUGH year. The move was stressful and this pregnancy has been close to intolerable. But ya know what? In four weeks, Lord willing, our little guy will be here, I won't be sick anymore, and even though I know life will never be the same again, maybe it will resemble my life a bit more!

That being said, would you like to see some Christmas pictures? Hopefully, you're emphatically nodding right now because you don't really get much of a choice!! :) And then after the Christmas pictures, maybe I'll let you see how huge I am these days!

And because I'm in such a festive mood, here's my 35 week picture...please don't gasp too loudly...

I'm hoping my next post will either be my final belly picture or a post on our little man's birth!! Either way, I'm almost there friends, and I can hardly wait to introduce you to the newest member of the Witzig family!!

Catching up on Life

2010-12-19T16:22:00.003-05:00

My last post was about Halloween...I believe that officially puts me WAY behind on blogging!! :) I'll try to make this as painless as possible and just hit the main points of interest with a few pictures here and there. Sound good? Super, let's get started!!

Hopey started gymnastics in October, but I never got any pictures of her in class until Brian came to watch last month. She's already graduated from her beginner class and will be starting her "big girl" class the first week of January!

And I got bigger...

We celebrated the Witzig family 5th annual holiday of Thanksgiving-Christmas Day 2010 with presents, food, and movies!

And then of course, the next day, we got to celebrate Hopey's third Thanksgiving with my family! It was a pretty small crowd this year, but that was okay with us because my dad had just had rotator cuff surgery and I was still very pukey! :) What can I say, we were a pretty wild bunch this year!!

As if we hadn't already had enough fun, the next day we got to go cut down our Christmas tree! But, before we made it to the Christmas tree farm, we stopped in to see Brian's grandpa before he went back home. The kids just love him!

In our opinion, this year's tree is one of the best ones we've ever picked!! Good job Brian!!! :) (It looks even better decorated!)

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of Christmas parties, decorating the house, playing in the snow, Christmas baking, and wrapping presents!

And in the midst of it all, my precious friends Meghan and Kara gave me the most wonderful and unexpected baby shower!! You girls mean the world to me, and I love you both to pieces!!

The next week, we took our annual trip to visit Santa, and this year, there were NO TEARS!! :)

Wow, I've really talked your ear off, haven't I? Okay, I'll finish up with last weeks big event, our second annual Birthday Party for Jesus!

AND SUPER LASTLY, I got bigger...

WHEW!!!!!!!! I promise I won't go so long in between posts next time!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!! :)

The (Southern) Belle of the Ball

2010-11-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

Much to my extreme amazement, Hopey's THIRD Halloween has now come and gone. And for the third year in a row, I spent weeks racking my brain for the perfect costume to fit my daughter's personality. (And yes, I did look up whether or not I had "racked" or "wracked" my brain. Apparently my brain has been RACKED.) The one thing I kept coming back to was the single feature people notice and comment on the most, her hair. So, as pathetic as this might sound, I decided we would plan a costume around her hair! :) Of course, we also had to have a gorgeous dress (according to Hopey) and she had to look so fretty (her word for pretty). We also needed something that screamed "I demand attention and WISH that I got my way more often." This just left one option, she just had to be a southern belle! For your viewing pleasure, here are Hopey's costumes from the last three years!

Cowboys or Butterflies...

2010-09-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

The time has come! I've waited long enough, and after today's super doctor's appointment, I think I'm finally ready to share the news!! As most of you probably already know, I like to share fun news with pictures, and of course, this time will be no different! The only change I'll be making will be the WEARER of the shirt...I was actually supposed to wear it. BUT, my belly apparently did NOT get the memo and no longer fits UNDER the shirt. Therefore, my precious Hopey volunteered to be my little model, and I must admit, it looks better on her anyway!! :) Without further ado, IT'S A......

A Long Overdue Post

2010-08-23T01:29:00.000-04:00

Where in the world do I begin?? I guess that's the million dollar question! I suppose the best place would be to start up where my last post ended. That being said, in case you were wondering about Hopey's new shirt, yes, we are expecting another baby in February of next year!! :) And depending on if you've been following my status updates on facebook or not, you may or may not know that this has been a very very difficult pregnancy. If I may, I'm going to take the next couple of minutes to explain why I've been absent from both the real world and the blogging world.

As of Saturday, I was officially 15 weeks pregnant! We found out that we were expecting at about 3 weeks, and the craziness began then and there. I had about one week of pure joy and excitement AND no sickness before the storm started brewing. And then pregnancy as I know it BEGAN! As with most pregnancies, the nausea kicked in first. Just like with Hopey, it hit hard and fast and ALL day and night. I must say, I was not prepared to deal with the severity of it AND the antics of a two year old. After about two weeks of struggling to get out of bed each day, the much anticipated vomiting began...and decided it was going to become part of who I am. For the next nine weeks, I literally laid on the bathroom floor next to the toilet 24 hours a day. That is, if I could make it out of bed to get to the toilet.

And of course, true to form, at 6 weeks, my pregnancy ptyalism (excessive saliva) and glucose intolerance kicked in as well. What this means is that I have to carry a cup around with me to spit into because I drool so much while pregnant. The glucose intolerance means that I vomit violently for about 12 hours if I have sugar. And yes, that does include many fruits.

Anyway, I ended up losing almost 10 percent of my body weight, and ended up in the hospital many times for fluids, weight checks, medication trials, and my last threat was to have a feeding tube placed. VERY fortunately, I ended up turning a very small corner right before I had to be admitted to the hospital for the feeding tube. For the last two weeks, I've actually been able to drink fluids on my own, and even keep one or two meals down a day!!!!!! I'm still pretty nauseous, and I still get sick once or twice a day, but that is such a HUGE improvement over where I was!!!!! And for that we are praising the Lord!!!!

That brings you pretty much up to date with the craziness that's been happening up until last week. That's when we hit the biggest speed bump of the pregnancy. For the last two weeks, I've been telling Brian that I've felt like the baby's slipping out. Of course, we would both laugh, and that was that. On Tuesday evening, our little joke became, what we thought, was a reality. Something WAS coming out, and I was immediately rushed to the ER. When we got there, the doctor seemed absolutely blown away by what was happening, but couldn't seem to tell us what it was or what to expect. He told us that this very well might be a miscarriage, but he just wasn't sure. He decided an ultrasound would be the best way to check on the baby since he didn't want to mess around with whatever was actually coming out yet. He started the ultrasound, and immediately, we could see that the baby was still IN my uterus, so Brian and I thought we could breathe a sigh of relief. Not more than five seconds later, the doctor turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. I'll give you two a few minutes." And he left...for the next hour and a half.

At that moment, our world crumbled. I don't know that Brian and I have ever cried so hard in our lives. I can't describe to you everything we went through over the next hour and a half, and truly, I don't want to. I can remember our conversation all too clearly, and I remember the pain all too well. We prayed together, and we let go of our baby and dedicated him or her into God's loving arms. I will tell you, God granted us an incredible amount of peace through all of the pain.

An hour and a half later, an actual OB came rushing into our room and told us that she needed to do another ultrasound immediately. It took her all of two seconds to yell, "THERE IS A HEARTBEAT!!!" Then she turned to the other doctor and glared at him so hard it sent shivers down my spine. That's when she told us that they were pretty sure I had a grade three prolapsed bladder, and they were POSITIVE that this had not affected our baby and that he or she would be just fine. To say I sobbed uncontrollably would be a vast understatement. How many people have their child taken away, and then miraculously given back to them???? What can I say, OUR GOD WORKS AMAZING MIRACLES EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since then, I've had all kinds of trouble keeping my bladder in, and being able to actually use the bathroom. I've had many catheters put in, and even had a leave-in, take home catheter put in. That one hurt, and I DO NOT miss it!!!! Everyday is a bit of a struggle and has it's challenges, BUT God saved our baby, and in so doing, changed my heart. It is an absolute HONOR to be able to carry this child, and Lord willing, it will be an even bigger honor to be entrusted with this child in February. And while I still might not be the biggest fan of being pregnant, I hope you never hear me actually utter those words again because I am BLESSED beyond belief to have been given this opportunity to bring our baby into this world.

That being said, the outpouring of love from all of you has been absolutely overwhelming, and the amount of thank you's that I owe all of you is insurmountable. I cry every time I think about how all of you have reached out to our family during this difficult time. If I may, I need to thank a few of you specifically. My precious mother, who has literally given up her life to come help me out EVERY SINGLE DAY of this pregnancy. My incredible husband, who has so lovingly taken over every role in this family and never once complained about how much his life has been turned upside down by what's going on. My wonderful MJ (Meghan Johnson), who set up a meal care page for my family, so that even though I can't cook right now, my family has a hot meal every night. And then to every one of you who has so willingly and graciously brought us meals on a daily basis, you have literally saved our lives. And then so many of you have sent cards, flowers, stopped by, called, sent emails, prayed with me, prayed FOR me, just listened to me cry, and supported me through this. I want each of you to know that I have specifically and by name thanked God for putting you in my life and for giving me this kind of a support system. I feel so incredibly honored and humbled to have been blessed with your friendship and love. I am not dying, I'm simply having a rough pregnancy, but you have stepped up and made things as easy for me as possible, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

If you're actually still reading at this point, I commend you!!! Please forgive my incredibly long winded post. I usually try to keep my chatter to a minimum, BUT it does seem that I've failed on this one! :) I only have one more bit of news to share with you, and to be perfectly honest, I do believe I should save this one up for a post all it's own. It may or may not have to do with the sex of the baby... :) :) And don't bother trying to get it out of Hopey!!!! She's so confused as to whether it's a baby brother or sister that it would do you absolutely no good!!!!! To sum up the longest post I've ever written, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the fun we've had over the past couple of months!! And please forgive our sick sense of humor with the catheter bag picture, but Brian and I found it absolutely hilarious! :)

Hopey's new shirt...I think you might like it! :)

2010-07-02T14:44:00.001-04:00

Hopey's been absolutely dying to share her new shirt with you! So, without further ado, may I present Hopey's new shirt! :)

More Two Year Old Pictures!!

2010-06-12T21:19:00.001-04:00

Look at that!!! I said I'd post more of Hopey's pictures, and I'm actually DOING it!!!!! :) And since it's pictures you're here to see, it's pictures you're going to get!! Enough chatter from me!! :)

Sneak Peek

2010-06-02T10:43:00.002-04:00

My amazing friend, Nicole Green, has completely outdone herself again!!!!! A few weeks ago, Hopey and I met Nicole at The Flying Cupcake for Hopey's 2 year old pictures. As usual, we had a blast, and in THIS mom's opinion, these are the best pictures I've EVER seen!!! ;) (I'm her mom, I can say that right?) Anyway, if you click on Nicole's name at the beginning of this post, you can see the preview of Hopey's pictures on Nicole's blog! The picture below is just a sneak peek of the pictures to come!! :) And once I get the cd of the whole shoot, of course I'll be posting more! :)

Hopey's New Playhouse!

2010-04-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

I've missed you my dear, sweet blogging friends!! Please forgive my lengthy absence from the blogging world, but things have been just slightly chaotic since the move! (And I PROMISE, pictures of the new house are coming SOON!!) Anyway, in the meantime, I wanted to show you Hopey's new playhouse that she found in the backyard of our new house. Some people might call it a dog house, but Hopey calls it home! :) I mean, the thing's heated and air conditioned, so that dog had it pretty good to begin with!

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY HOPEY DOODLE!!!!!

2010-03-11T09:57:00.004-05:00

Two years ago today, we were blessed with our precious little girl!!! Happy Birthday to you my little Hopey LuLu!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO STINKIN' MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Back!!!

2010-03-09T10:51:00.002-05:00

We're finally home from the Sunshine State, but it sure tricked us with it's nickname this year! We had some pretty cold weather with icy winds, and we ended up in winter coats halfway through the week! BUT, we were determined to get out and enjoy the warmer weather no matter what the cost! I have many pictures of us trying to brave the frigid Florida air, but I have over 900 to go through, so I need a little bit more time. For now, I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite, and you'll just have to wait with bated breath in anticipation of more to come! :)

Simply Fantastic News!!

2010-02-15T00:59:00.000-05:00

If you've already seen this on Facebook, my apologies for the duplication! BUT, if you haven't, it's my great pleasure to present to you OUR NEW HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slightly Delayed Fall 2009 Pictures...

2010-01-25T02:17:00.002-05:00

In September of last year, the Schell/Witzig family took a trip to Wisconsin to celebrate my Gram's 80th birthday with her! There were all kinds of fun things planned for the weekend including family pictures and a BIG party!

Now let's rewind a bit. Seven days before we left for our adventure, I had taken Hopey to The Department of Health to get her 18 month shots. Many times in the past, they've run out of certain vaccines, and you have to go back at a later date to get them. On this particular day, the only vaccine that they actually had in stock was the MMR. I was a little bit nervous about that one anyway, so I was perfectly fine getting that one all by itself. After the nurse had given Hopey her vaccination, she told me that we might notice a fever, rash, etc. in the next 7 to 10 days. For some reason the words 7 to 10 days didn't register with me.

Let's fast forward to seven days later. Ahhh yes, the day we're leaving for Wisconsin! Hopey woke up that morning with a slight fever, and refused to eat anything. This is very unHopey-like. Again, for some reason this just didn't register with me. Anyway, because Hopey absolutely despises her car seat, we always travel at night in hopes that she'll sleep. As the day progressed, Hopey became more and more irritable. By the time Brian got home from work, I had become quite concerned with how the trip was going to go.

You know what? Not until 3:00am, the 10th hour in the car with a screaming child, did I remember what the nurse had told me about the MMR. I guess I hadn't realized she meant that the first time the symptoms might show up would be 7 days later...

SO, by the time we got to Wisconsin, Hopey was running a fever of 103.4, had a crazy rash from head to toe, refused to eat, and could do nothing but scream. The poor thing was a mess, and nothing we gave her seemed to bring her any comfort. We talked to her doctor back at home, and he told us what was going on. He told us to use Tylenol and Motrin for the fever, keep her drinking fluids, and it would pass in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we're supposed to be getting ready for family pictures. Neither Hopey or her parents had slept in the last 48 hours, so we were a bit concerned about how these pictures might turn out. Needless to say, we've definitely taken better family pictures...It's actually kind of hard for me to look at the pictures from that day because Hopey's poor little face brings back all of the memories of how sick she was. Don't get me wrong, we were SO THRILLED to share my Gram's 80th birthday with her and to finally have Velie/Schell/Witzig family pictures taken!!! Everyone else looks GORGEOUS, but please excuse the exhausted Witzig family. AND, a super big THANK YOU to my cousins Dani and Tairyn for getting that doll out for Hopey, you girls saved the day!!! All of that said, look at Hopey in these pictures, and I think you'll understand why they make me sad.

For My Mom

2010-01-04T01:36:00.003-05:00

My dear, sweet mother has recently brought it to my attention that I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with my blog, and for that, I'm sorry. I do most of my updating on Facebook, but then I forget that not everyone is on Facebook, so all of you aren't seeing the Witzig happenings. Anyway, Ma, this post is for you! You asked to see some of the Christmas pictures today, so here you go! I love you, and I promise I'll do better! :)

That Santa Boy Looks Like a Mean One

2009-12-17T16:22:00.001-05:00

According to my mother, that was my catch phrase during the Christmas season when I was really little! :) And very sadly, I think it might turn out to be Hopey's too!!

Last week, we thought it would be a super idea to take Hopey to meet Santa again this year. Afterall, she did really well with him last year! So, I spent the morning prepping her for the big meeting and getting her all dressed in her fancy Christmas dress. She was so excited I wasn't sure we were going to be able to get her in her carseat! My mom, grandma, and Brian all came along to show their support. ;)

Finally the big moment arrived, but there were several children ahead of Hopey, so she had to try to wait patiently. She kept trying to sneak away from me so that she could go see Santa, and when that didn't work, she just kept yelling, "Hi Santa!!" from the back of the line.

By the time our turn rolled around, she had noticeably begun to change her mind about him. She started hanging onto my leg and whispering, "No, no, no." As I was about to put her in his lap, she must have decided that she absolutely hated him, and she started screaming and crying at the top of her lungs. Fortunately, Santa had a VERY big chair, so we ended up having a family picture with Santa instead!

Am I Slow or What?

2009-11-25T01:34:00.002-05:00

My last post was about Halloween...I'm so disappointed in myself! Please forgive me for my lack of motivation to simply get on and say hello!! It's after midnight here, so technically, tomorrow is Thanksgiving!!!! Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!! Now please tell me, where did this year go??

Anyway, moving on, we actually had Hopey's 18 month pictures and family pictures done almost 2 months ago...and yes, I'm apparently that far behind. My friend Nicole Green, who is an AMAZING photographer, (and yes, I would say that even if she wasn't my friend) spent a glorious Sunday afternoon walking around Zionsville taking pictures of my family being "my family!" We had such a blast, and to anyone in the Indianapolis area or even the Midwest Region of the US, I can't tell you how highly I recommend Nicole!! I promise you'll love her and her pictures!!! Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite shots from the day!

My Little Garden Gnome

2009-11-03T19:29:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a super Halloween this year!! This was Hopey's second Halloween, but the first one that she actually enjoyed! :) She loved the idea of going from house to house to get candy, and I've gotta tell you, I love that idea too! I kind of wish I could do that everyday...Anyway, Hopey went trick or treating with a few of her best friends, and I've never seen such a cute bunch of toddlers in my life! We had a garden gnome, a cat burglar, a duck, and a frog. As usual, my camera was glued to my face, so here a few pictures from the night!

The Catwalk

2009-10-20T23:28:00.001-04:00

Last weekend at Nordstrom, Hopey got to walk down her very first runway! And believe it or not, she did REALLY well!! A few of you have been asking me how this came about, so I'll just give you a quick run down of what happened.

A few weeks ago, Hopey and I went to Nordstrom to buy her a new pair of shoes. The same sweet girl that always helps us was there again this time, and she picked out the perfect pair of shoes as always. Anyway, as we were going up to pay for the shoes, she and several of the other employees from Nordstrom approached me and asked if Hopey could be in their upcoming fashion show. I tried to explain that Hopey wasn't really that kind of girl, but they told me they thought she'd do well. I figured no matter what happened, it would probably be hilarious, and I could at least get some pictures out of it! :)

So, on Saturday, we took Hopey over to Nordstrom bright and early. We were rushed into a fitting room with several "fashion consultants" who made sure I had everything on her just right. I was then whisked away and told that Hopey would be taken down the runway by a fashion volunteer. I was extremely worried about how she might react to a stranger, so I gave her my box of Tic Tacs as a distraction.

Of course, all of my worrying was for nothing because Hopey seemed to LOVE being the center of attention! (Surprise, surprise!!) She got all of the Ooooo's and Ahhhh's she could have ever dreamed of, so she had to show off a little bit. She did this by showing everyone she passed her Tic Tac box. Anyway, we really did have a super fun time, and yes, I did break down and buy the dress that she modeled! What can I say, I'm a sucker for toddler's Christmas dresses! Okay, that was much longer than I had orginally planned, so without further ado, here are a few shots of the day!

And so it Begins...

2009-10-14T00:09:00.001-04:00

Yes, I guess you could say that potty training has officially begun in our house. And I wasn't the one who decided it was time, SHE was!!!! Also, please don't think I always let her sit on the big potty like that. She has her own little potty at home, but we were visiting grandma and grandpa, and she decided she just HAD to go in the potty rather than her diaper!

The Apple Orchard

2009-10-01T23:51:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, Brian and I got together with a few of our favorite people, and we all took our kids to the apple orchard! Needless to say, it was a SUPER eventful day!! ;) Meghan's husband, Eric, had to work, so she was there with a 17 month old and a 3 week old by herself. I had fractured my foot that day running on the treadmill, so unleashing Hopey in the orchard made for some very painful chases. It had recently rained, so there were mud puddles everywhere, and what toddler could resist a good mud puddle? Carson and Cooper ate anything that even remotely resembled an apple, so poor Kara had several mild heart attacks. And we even finished the day with a wonderful little picnic outside of the orchard! Anyway, enough talk, let's see some pictures!!

Experimenting

2009-09-25T00:07:00.002-04:00

Over the past week, I've really been trying to get to know my camera on a more personal level. I've been experimenting with different lenses and different settings, and out of 386 pictures, I have maybe six "keepers." What can I say, I'm a work in progress. Anyway, I just wanted to post a couple of the decent pictures I took of Hopey. And PLEASE, if you're a true photographer, pretend that I never mentioned these were some of the best ones that I took!

Build-A-Bear

2009-09-17T02:01:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday of three weeks ago, (And yes, I'm so embarrassed to be this far behind!) Hopey got to experience every child's dream. We went to Build-A-Bear for the first time! Hopey's Aunt Sha Sha had the day off from work, so she took my mom, Hopey, and me over to make Hopey's newest friend. I had no idea a one and a half year old could get so into the whole bear building process! And yes, of course I was that parent who was documenting the first visit photojournalistic style! Somehow, I managed to take over 50 pictures in the half hour we were in the store, but don't worry, only seven made the cut! :)

The very beginning of our big adventure!

Hopey fell in love with the pink bear skin right away.

But picking which heart to give her bear was a very tough decision!

My mom and this sweet lady were best friends by the time we left! They shared that wonderful grandma bond! Hopey knew exactly which outfit would look best.

She even got to make her new friend's birth certificate! She named her bear Sha Sha after her aunt. And this is Sha Sha all dressed up and ready to go! :)

We had such a wonderful time that day!! Thanks so much for taking us Lachelle!!

The Birthday Blessing

2009-08-26T23:05:00.005-04:00

Three years ago this coming September, my brother married the most amazing woman who has ever existed. Lachelle is single-handedly one of the best things that's ever happened to our family, and I cannot even begin to express how much we all love her. When Nate and Lachelle got married, Lachelle made it perfectly clear to everyone that she was beyond ready for a baby, and they wanted to start their family immediately. As the months went by, we all waited anxiously for the exciting news, but it never came. After almost a year, Lachelle decided to seek fertility treatment. Sadly, two years and countless treatments later, that glimmer of hope for a new addition to their family was slowly fading. This is when they decided to take a break from the fertility treatments.

Now, let's fast forward two months to Lachelle's 32nd birthday party at my parent's house. Every year, when Lachelle would blow out her candles, she made the exact same wish. And every year, we told her THIS was the year!!! However, this year was different. Because of everything that had been going on and the break from fertility, no one mentioned Lachelle's birthday wish. To tell you the truth, it really bothered me. Three days after Lachelle's party, I got a late night phone call from my brother. His only words to me were, "Hi Aunt Faith." To those of you who live in Indiana, if you felt a small earthquake that night, it was probably my family jumping up and down!! God gave Lachelle her birthday wish in His own perfect timing and in His own perfect way!! He also showed us that Hopey's not going to be the only miracle baby in this family! And I can't wait for the day that my new niece or nephew realizes that God picked out the world's greatest mommy for them too.

The Indiana State Fair

2009-08-17T00:11:00.006-04:00

Hi blogging friends!! I can't believe I haven't posted anything on here since July!!!! You can just take that to mean that it's been a SUPER crazy end of the summer, and now I must have lots of fun pictures to share with you!! :) In my defense, I've been distracted for the past week and a half with the Indiana State Fair, and it's been just as magical as always! I took hundreds of pictures, but I'll only make you look at a few of them. ;) Those of you in Indiana, you've only got one week left to go enjoy the sights and sounds of our glorious State Fair!! :)

(And for those of you who were wondering, yes, she is mooing!) :)

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2009-07-30T07:03:00.008-04:00

Me and Daddy both love you sooooooo much! We hope you have the most super funnest birthday in the world!

Love,

Hopey (with a little help from Daddy)

One Year Blogging Anniversary!

2009-07-29T17:37:00.005-04:00

I missed my one year blogging anniversary by two days!!! I joined this wonderful world of bloggers on July 27th, 2008, so I'm feeling like I finally passed my initiation period! :) So to celebrate this momentous occasion, here's a picture of Hopey hanging out at our neighborhood ice cream block party!! :)

Wonderful Wawasee

2009-07-23T23:01:00.012-04:00

So I was going through my old blog posts, and I saw that my second blog post ever was about my very first trip to Wawasee!! Almost exactly one year later, I get to write another post about that magical place! This year, Hopey was old enough to actually really enjoy herself and join in all of the fun and games. She was also old enough to throw a wicked tantrum when it was time to come home. Apparently, last year I took 441 pictures, but I outdid myself this year and took 656! :) I promise I won't make you go through all of them, but I do have to share a few. :)

This is Grandma and Grandpa Isch's adorable little cottage that we get to stay at every year.

The entire Witzig family got to spend one full day together at the lake this year! Sadly, this is the first family picture we've taken together since Brian and I got married!
I just had to get a picture of Brian's dad with all of the grand kids. Can you tell he's never loved something so much in his life? Love you Bill! :)

We actually had a somewhat normal family picture taken of us too!! Thanks for the awesome job Tyler!!

Of course the boys needed to have some battle tubing, so even though it was barely 60 degrees, Brian, Robbie, and Tyler got out there and showed us how it was done!

Brian was absolutely vicious on the tube, that's his nephew he's flipping...

And then, he and Robbie showed us some real brotherly love...

Don't worry though, Rob was fine, and he even became Hopey's new favorite person!

And I just had to throw this picture in here just because I think it's so stinkin' cute!

Hopey played a fun game called "slide down the back seat of the pontoon" for an hour or so everyday.

And she absolutely adored pontoon rides!

Almost as much as she loved being dunked by daddy!

But getting out of the water did NOT make her happy.

Brian had a blast testing out his old wake boarding skills.

And Grandpa made Hopey her very own water slide!

Apparently, the water slide tugged at her suit a bit... :)

And this is the glorious sunset we got to watch every evening. Sigh...I miss Wawasee so much!!

Kisses

2009-07-16T01:52:00.007-04:00

Hopey recently figured out how to give someone an actual kiss rather than an open mouthed lick. The only problem with this new found talent is that she wants to give everything and everyone she meets a big smooch. For example, last weekend, I was trying to get a picture of the beautiful cookie mess she had all over her face. And apparently, this must have seemed like the perfect opportunity to show the camera her appreciation.

Fourth of July Blues

2009-07-09T23:42:00.009-04:00

I don't know what the weather was like for you and your family on the Fourth of July this year, but for us, it was pretty gross! All of our plans got cancelled due to the rain, and this is the first year ever that I didn't see the fireworks. Yes, I was sort of devastated. BUT, on the sunny side of things, we had a really super 3rd and 5th of July! :) We got to spend Friday with my entire family, and we spent Sunday with Brian's family! Even though our 4th of July was a total bummer, the other two days of the three day weekend were just super! I know this may come as a shock to all of you, but I took about 700 pictures over those two days, so I thought I might share a few!

Please note: Brian got sick of buttoning the legs on Hopey's pj's, so he just tied them up like bunny tails under her hiney!

Summer Craziness!

2009-07-02T02:09:00.012-04:00

Has it already been a week since I posted last?? So much has happened in such a short amount of time! Rather than bore you with the details, I'll just post some pictures and add little comments so you know what's going on.

This was Hopey's first swim in her own little pool! And yes, she's posing! :) Katie and Jenn took Hopey and I to Hopey's first outdoor concert and then to her first splash park! Needless to say, we had a blast!

This was the day of our anniversary! Sadly, we both noticed we look a bit older this year than in the pictures from the past three years!

Meg, Kara, and I decided to go to the zoo on the hottest day of the year!! We've also decided to wait until it's cooler to try that again!

This was day one of our anniversary getaway weekend!! We thought it was hilarious that the flowers were almost as tall as me!

Grammie and Papa Schell also got Hopey her own little pool. Apparently, it's the greatest thing that has ever existed!

Chris threw Kara a surprise birthday party on Sunday, so we thought it would be the perfect time to try to get a group shot of the kids...this was the best of the bunch!

For Kara's actual birthday, we took the kids to the pool. Was I the only one that had a super time that day?

To calm Hopey down after all of the birthday fun, I gave her a large piece of Kara's cake, and this is the outcome! :)

After that crazy week, Hopey took a few minutes to just relax in the rocking chair.

And of course I just added this one because I think she looks adorable!! :)

The Third Year of Forever

2009-06-24T00:40:00.014-04:00

Before I met Brian, the thought of spending forever with someone was just downright scary. Clearly, I hadn't met the one I was supposed to spend forever with yet. But, the first time Brian and I went out, I actually knew that I was going on my very last first date. Three years ago today, I became the luckiest girl in the world by becoming Mrs. Brian Witzig. Even though I was totally committed and completely in love, forever still seemed like a pretty long time.

Last night, as Brian and I snuggled and watched yet another movie that only he and I would find entertaining, I realized that the word forever has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. I GET to spend the REST OF MY LIFE with this man! We GET to be together FOREVER! And ya know what? Forever just doesn't seem long enough anymore.

Happy 2nd Father's Day Brian!!

2009-06-21T02:42:00.004-04:00

Hopey's only a few hours old in this picture, but already you can tell that she's been blessed with such an amazing daddy! Brian, when I married you, I knew I had gotten the best husband in the world. But at the time, I had no idea what an incredible father you would turn out to be. Everyday you continue to amaze me with your patience, love, and adoration of our little Doodle Bug. You are absolutely one of a kind, and I hope you know that your girls love the socks right off of ya!!!! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!

Already??

2009-06-19T00:47:00.009-04:00

As you probably already know, I'm the picture taking addict in our family, and I'm almost always BEHIND the camera. For this reason, once a month I hand Brian the camera and ask him to take a picture of Hopey and me. If I didn't do that, I don't think we'd have a single picture of the two of us! Anyway, I just went through the last batch of pictures and had to do a double take when I saw this month's picture of us. Look at her face. This is the look I used to give my mom when I was 17, and I just knew that she was "totally uncool" and "had no clue". I thought I still had a few years before she was giving me this look!!

Pure Happiness

2009-06-11T23:41:00.006-04:00

I can't even put into words how much joy these two bring me...

My cup runneth over.

I was Inspired!

2009-06-04T23:16:00.007-04:00

Last week, my good friend Debbie posted pictures of her daughter in pigtails, and they were oh so cute! Anyway, that got me thinking that Hopey definitely has enough hair to at least try for some pigtails of her own!! For your viewing pleasure, here's my first ever attempt at pigtails on a little girl who can't stand to have her hair touched! :) And I'm sorry, I know the pictures are all extremely similar, but you only have your first pigtails once!

Oh to be One Again...

2009-05-29T00:24:00.009-04:00

After going through Hopey's pictures from this week, I've come to the conclusion that the life of a one year old is pretty sweet! :) Here are some pictures from a week in the life of Hopey!

Week of "Firsts"

2009-05-20T22:42:00.006-04:00

Last week I was suffering from blogger's block, but this week I seem to be cured!! Well, I can actually put a string of words together anyway! :) Over the past week, Hopey has experienced several "firsts". Some were super exciting, others were probably only exciting to me!! :) Let's get started!

This was Hopey's first surprise 40th Anniversary party! The Bozell's and the Schell's did such a wonderful job putting it together! Happy Anniversary Bill and Linda!!

Directly after her first surprise anniversary party, we went to Colin's 3rd birthday party where we played on Hopey's first moon bounce!! Yes, I said "we"... I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life!! :) Happy Birthday Colin and fantastic party Shawn and Melba!!

This is Hopey's first ride in her brand new wagon from Grandpa and Grandma! Thanks so much Bill and Conni! She LOVES it!!

Hopey got this super fun swing for her birthday! Well, we FINALLY found a branch that would work, so this is Hopey's first time in her new swing! Thanks for such a thoughtful gift Aunt Renae and Grandma Glovier!

Look at my baby!! Doesn't she look like such a big girl?? This was Hopey first time in a big girl swing! It went really well for about 10 minutes, but then she forgot to hold on and flipped off the back...Thanks for not calling Child Protective Services Meg...

That's right!! This was Hopey's first time driving a car!!!!! Oh my goodness, I'm kidding, please put your phones down!! This was actually Hopey's first time PRETENDING to drive a car!

And there you have it!! That concludes our list of "firsts" for this week!

Hmmmm....

2009-05-14T23:54:00.007-04:00

I'm sorry fellow bloggers, but I've got blogger's block something awful!! Because I seem to be drawing a blank this week, please enjoy a picture of my family from Mother's Day 2009!

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!!!

2009-05-10T07:59:00.005-04:00

Daddy and I love you so much and we're soooo thankful for all that you do! I know I can be a handful sometimes, but you're always so patient and loving it's amazing. I hope you have a wonderful, stress-free Mother's Day and I'll do my best to act like a little angel for as long as I can. And daddy says he will too. We love you soooooooooooo much!

A Recent Family Picture!

2009-05-06T14:53:00.004-04:00

Number one, I have nothing truly exciting to post about. BUT, Brian, Hopey, and I FINALLY had a more recent family picture taken! Not professionally mind you, but still a picture nonetheless. So, if for some reason you've been sitting around wondering what we look like these days, here you go! :)

Hopey's One Year Old Pictures

2009-04-28T14:51:00.009-04:00

I'm so incredibly behind!! I just realized that I never even posted Hopey's one year old pictures!! I also never thanked Danielle, The Design Girl for giving my blog a wonderful new makeover! Thank you Danielle, you know how much I love it!! She has generously offered to take $10 off of your deposit if any of you are looking for a blog makeover as well! She's so great to work with, and I HIGHLY recommend her! Okay, now for your viewing pleasure (a mere month and a half late) here are Hopey's pictures!

Sergeant Kiwi

2009-04-19T12:18:00.008-04:00

Six years ago, I moved back to Indy from Bloomington to finish college at IUPUI. It had been a really rough transition for me because everything I had known changed. I had left all of my friends behind, and I was basically starting over again. My wonderful parents noticed what a hard time I was having and offered to get me a puppy to help ease the stress of the move. I was thrilled and started looking for the perfect dog immediately. After a couple of weeks of searching the paper, I saw an add for a liter of Yorkshire Terrier puppies that I just couldn't pass up. My parents were sweet enough to drive me out to the owner's home an hour away from here. At the house, there were many tiny adorable puppies just begging to come home with me. But from the moment we went inside, I had noticed a scruffy, slightly older Yorkie sitting in a cage in the kitchen. I asked the owner about him, and he told me that the dog in the kitchen had a skin problem that made his hair fall out, but if I wanted him, I could have him for next to nothing. There was just something really special about that little guy, so I paid the owner and brought my new little man home with me.

After much discussion, we settled on the name Sergeant Kiwi, or Kiwi for short. Kiwi quickly became my best friend, and things seemed to instantaneously begin to improve. Not only was I doing better, but Kiwi's skin condition healed, and he ended up having the most beautiful fur. Over the next six years, Kiwi really became part of the Schell family. My parents grew so attached to him that they wouldn't let me take him with me when I finally moved out on my own. And I was happy that he got to stay on their nice big farm where I could visit him 3 to 4 times a week. Kiwi was there for all of the huge events that happened over the next few years. He was there through all of the holidays, birthdays, breakups, deaths, graduations, weddings, and births. He was so special to all of us.

Yesterday, after getting home from a good friend's bridal shower, I got a phone call from my mom and dad. Through the tears, they told me that Kiwi had been hit by a car and had died instantly. Growing up on the farm we had animals die constantly, but this was different. This was Kiwi. This was my little right hand man.

As many of you know, we spend Friday nights with my parents every week, and every week before we leave I give Kiwi a big hug and a kiss and tell him how much I love him. What's killing me is that I forgot to do that last Friday. We were in such a rush to get Hopey home and in bed, that I left without saying goodbye. I really wish I could get that moment back. You may think it's silly to be making such a fuss over a dog, and I would have to say that I really do understand. But I know many of you who's pets are part of the family, and you know where I'm coming from.

Since I didn't get a chance on Friday, I'd just like to send a big hug and a kiss to my little buddy. I love you to pieces my sweet Kiwi. You're already so missed.

Hopey's SECOND Easter!

2009-04-14T00:20:00.004-04:00

I know, I kept forgetting this wasn't her first Easter too!! I was actually at the store with a Happy 1st Easter card in my hand when I realized she was two weeks old last year at this time! And what a difference a year makes! We had such a blast with Hopey on Sunday! She didn't quite get the hang of the Easter egg hunt, but finding eggs and throwing them is pretty fun too, right? She did, however, thoroughly enjoy the large amounts of food and candy! She came home with such a sugar rush that night! And to that I can proudly say, THAT'S MY GIRL!! :)

More Marco!

2009-04-07T17:15:00.008-04:00

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post!! Things have just been crazy here with the remodeling. BUT, enough with the excuses, I'm finally posting more Florida pictures!

On our vacation, we learned all kinds of new things about Hopey. She is MOST DEFINITELY a water baby, she's obsessed with being outside, she screams violently when removed from the pool or Ocean, sand is delicious, turbulance is fun, and there's NO sleeping on vacation!! That being said, please sit back and enjoy more pictures from Marco Island!

Quick Post

2009-03-31T11:59:00.007-04:00

We just got back from Florida last night, and of course I'm NOWHERE near finished going through the pictures! Surprised? :) However, I just had to show you what Hopey thought of the Ocean. More to come later!

Really Cold Grapes...

2009-03-19T23:03:00.003-04:00

I guess I didn't realize the grapes were really THAT cold...

The Cake Pictures...

2009-03-15T23:57:00.015-04:00

I've had several people ask when I was going to update the blog with Hopey's birthday, and especially birthday CAKE pictures. Well today is the day!!!! We had Hopey's family party last Sunday, a party with my parents and gram on her actual birthday, and a small party with Aunt Renae on Friday. Needless to say, I think Hopey's just about partied out! By the way, Chuck E. Cheese is still happening, I'm just not sure when!! :) Anyway, I can't thank all of you enough for the super sweet cards, phone calls, and presents you sent to Hopey! That was so incredibly thoughtful, and all of you made her first birthday so special!

Quick disclaimer, Hopey DID NOT like her cake or cupcakes...Yes, I was devastated. Every time I tried to give her a piece, she'd put her hand out to stop me and shake her head no. Sigh...it's true, MY child doesn't like sweets. I did get a few pictures of Hopey picking at the icing, throwing it around, and squishing it in her hands. But the majority of the mess on her face came from her wiping her gross little hands all over herself. Okay, without further ado, I'd like to present Hopey's first birthday pictures!!

This was the family party last Sunday...

And this was her actual birthday...

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY HOPEY!!!!

2009-03-11T01:11:00.004-04:00

One year ago today, at 8:49 PM, our little miracle baby was handed to us for the first time. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces, 20 inches long, 4 days early, and super feisty! My little Doodle Bug was only 3 days old in this picture. I truly can't believe the time went by so quickly. My precious little Hopey Doo, I love you from the tip of my toes, and I thank God everyday for the wonderful gift He blessed me with on March 11th, 2008. Happy Birthday baby girl!!!

The Wonders of the Park

2009-03-09T23:58:00.012-04:00

Last Friday, Hopey got to play at the park for the very first time, and she had a WILD time!! My super wonderful friends, Meg and Kara, planned our whole crazy adventure so that the kids (and us) could get out in last week's gorgeous weather! I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had!! Okay, maybe I should say how much fun I had... :) I could talk and talk, but that would get boring, so I'll just post pictures of our fabulous day!

A Day at the Children's Museum

2009-03-03T00:08:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend Katie took Hopey and me to the Children's Museum last week for Hopey's first visit, and let me tell you, we had FUN!! In fact, it's quite possible that I had more fun than Hopey!! Katie's daughter, Madeline, and nephew, Brennan were old pros at knowing the happenings of the museum, so they showed Hopey where the action was!

Our first stop was the Lego Castle Adventure. Hopey was a little nervous for the first few minutes...

...which seemed to shock Madeline...

...but it didn't take too long before she joined in the fun!
All three of the kids were mesmerized by the dragon...
...while Katie got to know the knight a bit better!
After a super fun time in Lego Land, we found the highlight of our trip at the water area in Playscape. I had absolutely no idea that water could be so fascinating for so long!! Hopey was absolutely soaked by the time we left, but it was well worth it!

She also thoroughly enjoyed licking the water tub from top to bottom, but we don't need to share that with my mom. :)
Before we left, Brennan made the catch of the day with two fish and a boot! Sadly, the other fish and boot had already fallen off by the time I took this picture.

Finally, we finished up our fantastic day by going on a carousel ride. Believe it or not, Hopey absolutely loved it!
Katie, Madeline, and Brennan, we can't thank you enough for sharing such a wonderful day with us!!

Simply Hopey

2009-02-25T00:56:00.005-05:00

I have nothing truly epic to say, just wanted to show you a picture of Hopey! For some reason this was the picture that popped out at me this week, therefore, I'm sharing!! I don't know what it is...must be that Alfalfa look...

When God Says No

2009-02-19T23:46:00.008-05:00

Last October, I got one of the best phone calls of my life. My sister-friend Amy called to tell me that she was getting married to the love of her life in February! I had known before they got engaged that the wedding would be in Colorado, so from the moment she called, I knew it was time to start conquering my fear of flying. Over the last couple of months, I've worked really hard to try to overcome this fear of planes. Finally, last month I worked up to my first practice flight. Even though it wasn't perfect, I did survive the trip, and it at least quieted my fears a little. I'm sure some of you even remember my posts about it. But how many of you remember this sentence from the post I wrote after returning from Chicago?

"I won't go so far as to say that I'm looking forward to flying again, but I will say with complete confidence, Amy, unless God has other plans for me, I'll be at your wedding!!"

And for reasons I don't yet understand, God said no.

Almost three weeks ago, Hopey got sick with what seemed to be a cold. I waited a little less than a week, and then I took her to the doctor and was told that it was just a virus and would be gone in a few days. One week later, Hopey had gotten significantly worse. Besides cold symptoms, she started vomiting, running a fever of 103, she was wheezing, and she stopped eating and sleeping. Obviously, I became concerned again. I took her back to the doctor and was once again told that it was a virus and would be gone in a few days. Two days later, her symptoms had continued to worsen, but now she was breathing rapidly, struggling to breathe at all, coughing violently, and still running a fever of 103. I took her back to the doctor again, and this time she was taken much more seriously. This time they checked her oxygen levels, x-rayed her lungs, tested for RSV, and gave her a breathing treatment. We found out that her oxygen levels were low, her bronchial tubes were inflamed, and their main concern was Pneumonia. Very fortunately, she does NOT have Pneumonia but has some kind of upper respiratory infection, and she's on breathing treatments. The doctor told us to "stay close to home" as it could develop into something else. And so ended my plans of being at Amy's wedding.

Of course I was willing to do whatever it took to help Hopey heal, but at the same time, I was devestated to know that I would not be a part of Amy's wedding. I cried myself silly for a couple of days, but I finally took a look at the big picture. Despite all of my planning, practicing, and determination, God said no. When Hopey first got sick, we came up with a million different ideas of how we could still go to the wedding. In the end, God closed all of those doors and made His will perfectly clear to me. For whatever the reason, it was not part of God's plan for me to be at Amy's wedding. It may very simply be that God wanted to remind me that "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Amy and Aaron, I know your wedding is going to be absolutely amazing, and I can never apologize enough for not being there. Please remember that no matter what happens on Saturday, your wedding is just a wedding, it's the marriage that counts. God gave you to each other, and I couldn't be happier for both of you! I love you to pieces, and we'll come visit you this spring...... Lord willing! :)

A VERY Special Day Indeed!!

2009-02-16T00:51:00.004-05:00

If you happen to bump into this little cutie today, please wish him a very happy 32nd birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!

Love,
Your girls

Happy Valentine's Day Faithy!

2009-02-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, I logged into your blog. You really need a more secure password, but that's what you get for marrying a nerd. I just wanted you to know that I'm always thinking of you and that I love you so much more than I ever thought possible. Every day I thank God for bringing you into my life. I love you so much my little pearl!

Love,

Your loving husband

The Almost Valentine's Day Post!

2009-02-12T00:05:00.006-05:00

Before I get going on Valentine's Day, I just wanted to give a quick update on Taylor. First of all, thank you all so much for your prayers. She did finally get to go home from the hospital on Monday, and she even got to come off oxygen today. Debbie's parents flew in to spend the next 10 days helping them, so things are looking much better. Praise the Lord for healing!

As for the sweet and sugary holiday coming up in 3 days, do you remember exactly what you were feeling and experiencing last Valentine's Day? Will February 14th, 2008 forever be etched into your brain? Maybe some of you are saying, oh yeah, that was one of the best memories of my life! Maybe others are saying, I can't distinguish one Valentine's Day from another. And yet others of you may be saying, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day because it's a made-up holiday for the greeting card company to make more money. Fair enough. Whatever your feelings are on the subject, that's A-OK by me! But I've loved Valentine's Day for as long as I can remember. Not because it was a lovey dovey, mushy holiday, but because no matter what happened that day, my mom had bags, literally BAGS of candy waiting for me after dinner!! There's no hiding the fact that I'm a serious sugar junkie, so it was one of my favorite days of the year.

Now, you might be thinking, what in the world does all of this nonsense have to do with last February 14th? Good question! I will never forget that day as long as I live. Never. And I can sum it up for you in three simple words, I was pregnant. You all already know how rotten my pregnancy was, but just let me explain why it truly ruined Valentine's Day. Raise your hand if you remembered that I had pregnancy glucose intolerance, couldn't have ANY sugar, and was on a diabetic diet? High fives if you did! Not only was it dangerous for me to have sugar, but if I accidentally ate something that might have sugar in it, I was promptly reprimanded by having to hold my head over the toilet for the rest of the day. So, my usually candy filled day passed me by without even so much as a lick of sugar. Truly, that in and of itself is enough for me to say the day was rotten. BUT, that's not all.

In an earlier post, I had mentioned that I avoided leaving the house for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy due to the gawking. However, my sweet and wonderful husband had gotten us our yearly reservation at Eddie Merlot's, and neither one of us wanted to miss it. One day a year, we like to sit in a ridiculously expensive restaurant and giggle uncomfortably about how we don't fit in. Against my better judgement, we went. Please remember, I was a walking watermelon at this point, and because Hopey was a chubby bear and squeezing my lungs so badly, I wound up with pregnancy induced asthma. Anyway, I walked into the restaurant waddling, wheezing, gasping for air, just minutes away from viewing my lunch in the toilet, and knowing that the moment I made eye contact with someone I was going to want to go home. Also, keep in mind that I had pregnancy pytalism, so I was drooling and spitting into a cup for all to see as well. Let me tell you, the evening did not disappoint! Not only did the waiter have to get someone to physically move our table because I couldn't fit my belly into the booth, but I also left my spit cup behind and had to have someone help me find it... Of course there was the ever present pointing and staring, but there were also those wonderful people that came up to me because they thought my belly was fake. They wanted to touch it to see if it was real or "go get one of their friends to see too." Ahhh, memories...

Ya know, looking back on it now, I guess I really was just feeling sorry for myself. But do you at least see why I'll never forget last Valentine's Day? Anyway, let me tell you, I'm looking SO MUCH more forward to this Valentine's Day! Just for fun, I'll leave you with last year's picture. Please remember that I still had a month left before Hopey was born! Tune in around the middle of March to see my final picture before delivery!

Prayer for Taylor

2009-02-08T16:38:00.005-05:00

Our good friends, the Andersen's, have a beautiful little girl named Taylor who will be a year old in a little over two weeks. This precious little lady has had her fair share of sickness in the first year of her life, but they especially need your prayers right now. Taylor was taken to the Emergency Room on Friday and later admitted to the hospital for a very bad case of RSV/Bronchitis. She's breathing very rapidly, and she's been on oxygen ever since they got there. The doctor's also have to suction her nose out every two to three hours. She's running a very high fever, and possibly has an ear infection to top it all off. They don't have family in Colorado, so Marc and Debbie are doing the best they can to keep up a very rigorous schedule of caring for her. Please be praying for healing for Taylor, peace and rest for Marc and Debbie, and that they can take their sweet baby girl home from the hospital as soon as possible. Thank you all so much.

New Faces and Fun News!

2009-02-05T14:48:00.014-05:00

It's been a bit of a blah week, so there's not too much to report. Although, to me, my fun news makes the whole week just super! Anyway, Hopey started out the month of February trying out some new faces. Of course, I just had to share a few of them with you!

So annoyed...

Shocked...

Pretending you don't exist...

Duck impression...
The Godfather...

The glare...

I suppose it's perfectly obvious that Hopey's beginning to develop her own personality...or attitude... Anyway, on with my fun news!! Brian finally had his interview with the journalist from the L.A. Times last night! Clearly, the article hasn't been published yet, but I'll post a link to it as soon as it is. For the time being, you can always click on the album cover of Volume 2 below to see what Brian's been up to.

And last but certainly not least! Shock Training System has FINALLY been released!! I kid you not people, this is one of the most amazing workouts I've ever done! This 41 disc, 12 week program will have every muscle in your body screaming for rest! It was released two months late, so I've only completed a few of the discs, but even I can barely move after one of these workouts! But if you're looking for something a little less intense, I would recommend any and all of Cathe's dvd's. Just be prepared to hurt!

To Sleep Like a Baby

2009-01-29T22:55:00.005-05:00

Brian was going through my pictures and videos of the week and decided that this video had to be shared. But first, please let me give a short explanation of what I was doing. As most, if not all of you know, I like to keep my camera and camcorder within reach at all times. I always kick myself when I miss a "Kodak moment". Anyway, I went up to check on Hopey during her nap last week, and I found her sleeping in this super comfy position. So, of course, I grabbed the camera that I had ever so carefully placed next to the crib for just such an occasion. Hopey is a very light sleeper, so I was taking a big risk by standing so close to her crib. The thing is, if she starts to wake up, and you can get out of site quick enough, she'll roll over and go back to sleep. If she sees you, nap time is BEYOND over. I think Brian wanted this video posted more because of the last two seconds than because of Hopey Doodle's nap! But, my dearest Brian, just so you know, she slept another 30 minutes thanks to my cat-like reflexes!!

Weekend of Firsts

2009-01-27T00:33:00.002-05:00

Where do I even begin to thank all of you for your incredible support last week?? Thank you ALL so much for your prayers, emails, phone calls, text messages, blog posts, and comments!! Your prayers and encouragement, along with a lot of help from God, pushed me to go through with it!! I have now officially flown!! I would love to tell you that I joyfully skipped onto the plane and laughed with glee the whole way there, but then I would be lying. This was my brave face before boarding.
The truth is, I didn't take the Xanax, so I was shaking like a leaf and crying my eyes out as I was forced onto the plane. I tried to escape only once, but they had already sealed me in. I had NO IDEA the planes from Indianapolis to Chicago were so tiny!! There were two seats on either side of an aisle that you had to duck and walk sideways to get down. I'm EXTREMELY claustrophobic, so I panicked. Brian wouldn't let me leave my seat, but he did offer to dance in the aisle for me if I would stay on. By the way bud, you didn't follow through on your end of the deal!! All of the people sitting around me were so sweet and comforting. They talked me through the whole flight and gave me things that comforted them when they flew. How awesome is God to have planned that out for me? Anyway, to make an incredibly long story somewhat shorter, I stopped panicking about halfway through the flight, and I truly did enjoy the view from the sky!! I won't go so far as to say that I'm looking forward to flying again, but I will say with complete confidence, Amy, unless God has other plans for me, I'll be at your wedding!! As for the rest of the weekend, we had a super time at Medieval Times and the Conrad, but we sure missed our little Hopey Doo!!Especially because of the fun and wonderful news we have to share!! (This is not like Meghan's news!!) HOPEY GOT HER FIRST TOOTH!!!!! WOOHOO!!! At least we now know that there are teeth in there somewhere!! I took a picture of her smiling today, but as I'm looking at it, I don't think you can even see her tooth, but just know that it's there!!
Once again, thank you all SO much for the incredible kindness you've shown me over the last week! You have no idea how much I've appreciated it!!

Facing My Fear

2009-01-19T00:33:00.010-05:00

My sweet friends, family, and fellow bloggers, I could sure use your prayers and encouragement. In a few short days, I'm going to be facing my biggest fear. I will be taking my very first flight...EVER.... So, it should come as no shock to you that the plane crashing into the Hudson River last week was just rotten timing! Getting on a plane was something I vowed I would never do, and for 26 years, I've never wavered even slightly. Then, last year, we had Hopey, and all of a sudden 22 hour car trips became completely unimaginable! So when one of my closest friends of 20 years called me from her brand new home in Colorado to tell me that she was getting married in February of '09, I had a huge decision to make. We had driven to Colorado in January two years ago and had gotten stuck in one of the worst blizzards Kansas had ever seen. We tried to imagine having a screaming baby added to that equation and quickly rejected any idea of traveling like that again. I started to realize that if I wanted to see my friend, who's like a sister to me, get married, then I was going to have to fly. To make an amazingly long story shorter, my doctor suggested talking to a therapist, a prescription for Xanax, and a practice flight. My amazingly sweet husband wanted to make the practice flight as easy on me as possible. So for Christmas, he gave me tickets to Medieval Times in Schaumburg (Chicago), a reservation at the Conrad Hotel that night, and tickets (for my first flight) to get us there. I'm absolutely thrilled to be going to Medieval Times and the Conrad, but I'm just sick to my stomach about how we're getting there. I just keep looking at this picture from Brian's birthday two years ago and realize that I really do want to go back!All the while, I'm trying to AVOID all of these pictures that are taking over the internet!I really do know in my head that this is all in God's hands and His Will will be done, but the rest of my body is on an anxiety trip. I would greatly appreciate it if you would be praying that I will continue to trust God, be able to control my emotions on the plane, and not be arrested at the airport for erratic behavior. And I'm truly serious about that, I'm so afraid I might freak out so badly that an Air Marshall will take me into custody. Thank you all so much in advance, I truly appreciate it! ALSO, I need to add a large bunny trail to this post! I wanted to send a big CONGRATULATIONS to Meghan and Eric on their surprising but wonderful news that they're expecting again!! Big hugs and high fives!! We couldn't be happier for you guys!

Need a Smile?

2009-01-09T00:49:00.014-05:00

I was downloading the pictures from my camera onto the computer tonight, but I clicked on the wrong folder when I tried to view them. This is what I saw...
You might be thinking, that's not so bad, you just had a baby bump at Christmas last year. Let me explain. This picture was taken the first week of December, and I was due on March 15th...I still had 3 and a half months of the pregnancy left!! This is nowhere near as big as my belly got!! I stopped going out for the last month of my pregnancy because of the reactions I would get. Many people would come up to me and ask if it was real. Others thought they should tell me that "it looked like I had a large watermelon stuffed under my shirt." And who could forget the camera lady? A woman came up to me in the mall with her camera and asked if she could take a picture of my belly because "her friends were never going to believe this." After I saw this picture tonight, I looked at the picture we took just before we left for the hospital to deliver Hopey. I think I now realize why people were always staring at me.

My Daughter...The Toddler!!

2009-01-03T18:29:00.003-05:00

Ya know, I actually sat and thought about how I was going to share my exciting news with all of you, and I finally decided to be completely uncreative and just say it. Yes, it happened!!!!! Hopey went from an infant to a toddler overnight!!!!!! My little chubby bear has joined the world of walkers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can something be so exciting but so utterly heartbreaking at the same time? I was jumping up and down, clapping and screaming, but blubbering all over the place. I mean, she's wanted to do nothing but walk for the past 4 months, and I've always held her little hands and let her drag me all over the place. In fact, I had even told Brian last week that my back was hurting so badly that I was actually looking forward to her walking on her own. And I truly am SO elated to see my baby girl toddling around, but I can't help but feel that my heart's breaking. Anyway, enough of my emotional roller coaster! I would be ever so pleased to share last night's video with you!

Hopey's First Christmas!

2008-12-29T21:58:00.018-05:00

Hopey's first Christmas was just fantastic! She got to experience all of the old traditions, new traditions, and a few "tester" traditions. We had a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas day, (thanks for the idea Katie!) and she seemed to get a big kick out of it. I've always really loved Christmas, but to see it through Hopey's eyes was just the icing on the cake! I think she really kind of knew what was going on. Sadly, I ended up with my traditional Christmas bronchitis, so I was a bit out of it for all of the family festivities. Here are a few pictures from Hopey's first Christmas and Christmas Eve!

Hopey and Santa...The Sequel

2008-12-20T22:17:00.004-05:00

Okay, first let me explain. I wanted to do the first mall santa picture, but Wilbur Tague was offering a free sitting with santa too!!! I seriously just happened to be in the studio that day, so I thought, why not?? Anyway, she didn't cry, but she choked on her pacifier as I was putting her in his lap, so she looks a little red and shocked. And I'm serious, this is the last picture with santa for the 2008 Christmas season!

Merry Christmas to the Wonderful World of Bloggers!!

2008-12-18T22:31:00.006-05:00

9 Months Old Already!!

2008-12-11T00:29:00.014-05:00

I must have blinked, and my baby girl was suddenly nine months old!! How did this happen?? I took Hopey in for her nine month checkup yesterday, and they had me schedule her one year checkup....ONE YEAR!!!!!! She's going to be one year old in 3 months!! I'm just blown away at how quickly the time goes and how true it is that they don't stay little forever. On the bright side, the doctor eased my mind a little bit today and assured me that this........ ....is totally normal. I'm referring to her lack of teeth. Yes, I know I posted 3 or 4 months ago that she had a little tooth popping up, but whatever it was that we were seeing and feeling is completely gone. I was told today that she could remain toothless for another few months, so hopefully there truly are some teeth hiding under her gums. Anyway, just a quick update on the appointment. She is 20 lbs 4 oz, 27.75 inches tall, super healthy and tested negative for anemia, and completely vaccinated for the flu now. What excellent news!!

CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-04T23:54:00.006-05:00

I love Christmas so much it hurts!!!!!! Isn't this just the BEST time of year??? Of course my Christmas decorations were out as soon as we got home from Thanksgiving dinner, and my house is now a winter wonderland!!!! This is our tree this year!!! My favorite are the short fat trees, but last year's was MUCH fatter!!

I have 31 special Christmas movies that we watch every year, and the best part is we're getting to see one every night!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you noticed that everyone seems a little nicer this time of year? This is the one month a year you can smile at almost anyone and they will smile back at you!!! I LOVE that!!!! I love that Christmas songs are on every radio station and that we keep Christmas records on constant rotation at home!! I love waking up to a freezing cold morning with mountains of snow outside!! Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to drive in it, but I just LOVE being snowed in with my two favorite people!!!! Anyway, all of that to say, I think Hopey may possibly be following in her mother's footsteps!!!!!! She is absolutely loving the Christmas tree and the decorations all over the house!! And, for those of you that know her, she didn't cry when we met santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, she refused to smile, but she didn't cry!!!!!! That's huge!!!!!!!!! She even sat on his lap and had her picture taken!!! YES, I KNOW, MY DAUGHTER GOT HER PICTURE TAKEN BY A PROFESSIONAL WITHOUT THROWING A FIT!!!!!!!

There's the proof!! Anyway, I just wanted to share my Christmas joy with everyone else, and wish you all a very merry early Christmas!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-28T00:17:00.009-05:00

On this special holiday of giving thanks, I would just like to take a minute to praise the Lord for all of His good and perfect gifts. God has given me so much to be thankful for that I don't even know where to begin. I'm so thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a loving and supportive church, the best husband in the world, a healthy wonderful daughter, the best family and in-laws anyone could ask for, my Grams, true friends who have stuck with me through everything, health, life, Brian's job, our home, having enough food, caring neighbors, and the list could go on for days! We had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family and friends, and I hope everyone else had the best Thanksgiving yet!! I'd love to hear from you, what are you thankful for?

From my family to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

SOOO BIG!!!!

2008-11-16T21:52:00.005-05:00

My Gram was sweet enough to come visit us again this last week, and we had such a fantastic week! My mom and Gram wanted to keep Hopey for a sleepover on Wednesday night, so they tried to teach her something to show me the next day. They would ask Hopey, "How big is Hopey?" And then they would raise their hands above their heads and say, "SOOO Big!!!!" Well, of course she thought this was hilarious and caught on to the game immediately! This is a video I took of her showing off her new game at Olive Garden over the weekend!

St. Louis Weekend

2008-11-09T23:46:00.010-05:00

WHEW!!!!! What a crazy weekend!!! Hopey got to meet her great-grandma Schell for the first time on Saturday! We left for St. Louis Friday afternoon, and Hopey decided to scream for us all the way there...it was so beautiful... Anyway, once we got to the hotel, Hopey decided to let all of the guests hear how lovely her scream really is. She ended up sleeping for a couple of hours that night, but she was up bright and early to begin her chorus of screams again. We finally figured out that she was having tummy trouble again, gave her some medicine, and she was an angel for the rest of the weekend! On Saturday, we headed over to my grandma's house so that Hopey could finally meet her other great-grandma. Those two hit it off instantly, and it was such a super day!

Of course we had to have our four generations picture, so here it is! By the way, many people thought I had given up on my contacts because I've been wearing my glasses so often lately, but I didn't. I've had an eye infection for weeks now, and it just won't go away!!

Saturday evening, we got to meet up with the whole Schell "gang", and we had such a fantastic night! All of the babies got to play together, and I got to catch up with my wonderful cousins and uncles!

We got home Sunday evening, and Hopey was a mess from no sleep, so we tried to put her down for a very late nap. I heard her in her room talking and giggling up a storm, so I peaked in at her, and this is what I found! She just learned how to pull herself up tonight!! I thought it was so cute, but then I realized it might be time to move the mattress down! Anyway, we had a really wonderful weekend with our awesome family, but I really need to get myself to bed! Have a super week!!

Our Little Gingerbread Gal

2008-11-03T00:15:00.006-05:00

Hopey had a fantastic first Halloween! Well, I kind of take that back, she absolutely HATED her costume, but I loved it!! :) She wouldn't give us a smile all night!! This is our little gingerbread gal!!!

We took her trick or treating in our neighborhood, and then out to my parent's house to see a few friends.

Brian's parents stopped by to see how the costume turned out. Grandma brought Hopey a toy treat so that she wouldn't feel left out when everyone was getting lots of candy!

I think the night was very succesful! Brian and I went to bed sick from eating all of Hopey's candy, and she went to bed without her costume on! We all won!! Next year will be even better when she can walk!!

Aunt Renae and the Zoo

2008-10-29T00:07:00.005-04:00

I meant to post this in the middle of September, but that ended up being a crazy month, so I'm definitely behind! Aunt Renae took Hopey on a special tour of the zoo for her very first visit! Renae is a Vet Tech at the Indianapolis Zoo and performs all of the surgeries on the animals there, so she was able to tell us what was going on with each animal we saw! Brian said it was the most fun he'd ever had at the zoo because Renae gave us the inside scoop! Hopey was in quite a mood that day, so Renae was an angel for giving us the whole tour!

Hopey actually saw the elephants and stared at them for a few minutes, but we think they might have been the only unusual animals she acknowledged seeing!!

Aunt Renae introduced Hopey to "Fat Franny", but Hopey thought she was a dog, so she cried her head off! All in all, it was an extremely hot day with a fussy baby, but Renae saved the day by being the best tour guide ever!! Thanks Aunt Renae, you're the best!!

Tagged by Tasha

2008-10-18T20:53:00.004-04:00

I had noticed that this tagging war was raging in the blogging world, but I was convinced that no one would involve me...I was wrong!! Tasha, my cousin-in-law, decided I should most definitely be tagged, and because I love her, I decided to cooperate! :) Ok, here are seven random facts that I know you were all just dying to know about me!

I grew up on a small goat farm. We had goats and donkeys, and they were all trained and basically just my pets!

I love sugar more than any food in the entire world!!! If I could live on cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, brownies and any other dessert and still be considered "healthy", I would!!!!

Ironically, I love to exercise! I spend a couple of hours a day either at the gym or in my home gym, and Hopey has already discovered that she loves to workout too!

I don't require very much sleep, so I am both a night owl and a morning person!! I go to bed in the early AM every morning, but I'm up and ready to go with the sun!

I love to make and decorate cakes! Before I got pregnant, I actually had a small cake business out of our house! That was fun, but I just don't have the time anymore!

I absolutely love classic movies, ya know, the old thrillers, mysteries, and film noirs! Most of my favorite actors died years ago!

I've played the piano for 21 years! I stopped taking lessons in college, but I still play for fun! There is constantly music in this house!

OK, I feel like I successfully found 7 totally random facts to throw out there! Now, according to the rules, I'm supposed to tag 7 more people, but I don't even know that many people that have blogs! Sadly, almost all of you that I do know have already been tagged!! Debbie, you're gonna hate me, but you've just been tagged!!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-13T22:10:00.001-04:00

Hopey got to visit the pumpkin patch for the first time last weekend! Thanks for the suggestion Debbie!! :) My mom and dad were so excited to get to be a part of picking out Hopey's first pumpkin! We had family pictures earlier that day, and we were all worn out from trying to get Hopey to smile, which she never did, but this was the perfect way to end the day!

Mom thought Hopey needed to go on a "pumpkin ride".....I don't know!!! :)

Mom picked out this pumpkin to give to Hopey for her first jack-o-lantern! Thanks mom and dad for making the pumpkin patch so memorable and so much fun!

Norman Robert Velie

2008-09-25T01:02:00.000-04:00

On September 23rd, my grandpa went home to be with the Lord. He was loved more than he could ever know, and he's missed so much already.

Wisconsin Weekend

2008-09-17T00:44:00.001-04:00

So, I was hoping to have some of Hopey's 6 month pictures to share, but her sitting went BADLY! After attempting to get her to stop screaming for an hour and a half, the photographer asked me to please reschedule our session...I was so embarrassed. On a bright note, Hopey got to meet her great-grandparents for the first time last weekend! My grandparents live in Wisconsin, so we hadn't attempted that drive yet since Hopey hates the car and her car seat! We ended up traveling at night in hopes that she would sleep, and she did after the first three hours! :) Seriously though, she did well, and we were relieved! Anyway, we had a fantastic time in Wisconsin! Hopey even got to have a sleepover with her great-gram and gramps! Grandma cooked us three of the best meals anyone has ever made, and I surprised everyone by taking absolutely NO pictures!! HA! What a joke! I did better though, I only took 368, so of course, I've gotta share a few!

This is Hopey getting to meet her great-grandpa Norm for the first time. They had all kinds of fun hanging out together, and Hopey just loved him to pieces! She would stop whatever she was doing to watch him whenever he walked into a room. She thought he was the best thing since sliced bread!

This is great-grandma Babe. Hopey and gram sang together, rocked, took a bath, had a sleepover, played games, and just wore themselves out having so much fun! I don't think she was thrilled when we brought her home and gram wasn't there to play with her anymore! Hopey loved her so much!

This was our four generation picture, and we're super happy to have it!

Late Labor Day Pictures

2008-09-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

I meant to post an update last weekend, but as usual, things got away from me, and here we are at the end of the FOLLOWING weekend!! Sigh...well, I tried! I was really excited to do this one too because I got to see my two "sisters" on Labor Day! I was fortunate enough to get to grow up next door to my two best friends, Amy and Renae. We've been sisters for the past 19 years, but we just don't get to see each other very often anymore!!!!!!! Anyway, we all got to meet Amy's new super awesome boyfriend, and of course I took 47 pictures to celebrate the occasion!! :) These are just a few pictures of the day, including Amy's catch of a life time, Hopey on a trampoline, the three of us reunited, and Hopey spending quality time with her aunts! What an utterly successful day!! :)

Light the Night Walk

2008-08-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

This October, our family will be participating in the Light the Night Walk here in Indy. For those of you who don't know, that's a fundraising walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma. Leukemia has been a vicious killer in my family for the last 50 years. It has taken the lives of my grandpa, my Aunt Becky, and my Aunt Rachel. I never had the privilege of meeting my grandpa, but my aunts were two of the neatest women you ever could have met. We have been fundraising for these diseases ever since my Aunt Becky was diagnosed 11 years ago. To honor these two incredible women, I have set up my fundraising page in their memory, and all funds will be donated in their names. If you or anyone you know would like to donate, please visit my Light the Nights webpage at http://www.active.com/donate/ltnIndian/2456_fwitzig

Baby Dedication

2008-08-25T00:52:00.001-04:00

Every summer, we have a baby dedication and baptism at our church. It's held at one of our Elder's houses, and it's a really awesome event that we don't like to miss!! Two years ago, Brian and I were baptised in the pool, and this year, we got to dedicate Hopey! It's so cool knowing you have your church family supporting you in raising your child! Brian had to give a short speech, but as usual, it was just perfect! I just had to share a couple of pictures because it was such a special day for us!

Our Little Sitter

2008-08-16T11:02:00.000-04:00

Hopey's growing up too fast!!! I was playing with her yesterday, and when I sat her up, she actually just stayed there and played like that!! After that, she just sat up and played with her toys all day! After a full day of sitting up, she had just an awful night and was up every two hours. I was a little worried that she might be sick again, so I was checking her out this morning when I discovered the tip of a little tooth coming through!! That explains the sleeping problem we've been having all week! My little girl is growing up on me, and I've got to admit, it's making me kind of sad!

The Great Debate

2008-08-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

Hopey has become quite the little chatterbox over the past month, and she has got an attitude!! Here she is giving her daddy a piece of her mind!

Wawasee Weekend

2008-08-05T00:17:00.000-04:00

We just got back from a really awesome weekend at Lake Wawasee with Brian's family, and I was going through the 441 pictures I took, so of course I had to share! Right? :)

This is the adorable little cottage that Brian's mom's family has had since she was young. This was Hopey and my first trip here, so it was really special to see and hear about all of the Witzig, Steffen, and Isch memories over the years!

This is Grandpa taking Hopey on her first pontoon ride! She had the time of her life!

Hopey got to meet her great grandpa Isch this weekend, and they really seemed to hit it off well! She was mesmerzied by him!

Joining the world of bloggers!

2008-07-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

We've finally done it!! I never thought I'd figure out this whole blogging hoopla, but I'm starting to get it! Debbie, I took your advice and thought this would be fun! :) So after an absolutely exhausting weekend, I went through some new pictures and videos and just had to share a recent video of Hopey. After bath time, she loves to be rocked on her ottoman. I think it's like a baby roller coaster! As you can see, she's loving life and her daddy!