Kick Start My Heart

Oh my goodness am I ever blessed and challenged to have Kinnick in our lives.  This kid is sooooo determined to be right and push the  envelope at all times. Although he can be a challenge at times he has always been my hugger and snuggler.   I love how he really thinks everything through and his random statements at what he's concluded from all of his thinking.  The other day he told me that it was pretty cool when you turn your turn signal on in a vehicle that it makes the car turn in that direction.  He is always processing something.  He absolutely adores his older brother who really doesn't appreciate this quality in Kinnick.  He mimics everything Christian does from what he says, even down to the muscle shirts they both wear under their t-shirts.  

My prayer for Kinnick today is that he will figure out how to be his very own person.  He has this extremely hilarious side of him that he very rarely lets shine.  I pray that he always feeds that very inquisitive mind of his.  I pray that he channels his curiosity towards how he can better God's kingdom.  

Kinnick is sooo much like his daddy that it's scary.  Right now it tends to be a frustration but if he turns out to be even half of the man his father is we will be soooo blessed!!!  I love you tons Kick Start!!!

Firecracker

Oh my, why is my life blessed by having Joey in it???  I don't even know where to start.  Joey is soooo full of life and squireliness!!  If you've met our family I am positive that you know which one is Joey because she is definitely the leader of our pack.  Although I butt heads with her the most she is also the one I find myself trying not to laugh while disciplining or just laughing at throughout the day.  You just can't help but be happy around Joey.  Now I'm not saying she doesn't have her sour moments because when she gets angry, although it usually is short lived, it is very big!!  I find myself looking at her and thinking holy cow she is so much like me and then feeling the need to apologize to my parents for never giving them a down moment. :)  I wouldn't change any of it though.

My prayer for Joey, today, is that she will be able to continue to confront everything in life with as much enthusiasm and determination as she does right now.  I also pray that she knows when to take it down a notch and when to be able let craziness fly.  I pray that she always has the extreme dislike towards sin as she does today.  Almost daily Joey says to me, "Mommy, I wish satan never existed."  Oh, Joey I am soooo with you on that one!  I love you sweet heart!!!!

Near Perfect

Hayd-a-babe (Hayden) is the child every parent hopes to get.  She has the biggest heart of anyone I know.  Hayden is the one who is always trying her hardest to make sure that everyone is happy and no one is left out (even if she's dealing with her siblings).  I absolutely adore how, when it is just our family, Hayden's awesome sense of humor comes alive.  She knows that I will ALWAYS laugh if she gets right in my face, crosses her eyes, pulls on her ears and sticks out her tongue.  I am so thankful that she has grown out of many of her anxieties and has allowed herself to have one of her best years in school both academically and socially. I also love how modest Hayden is.  I hope she always stays very aware of how much skin she is showing in everything she wears.  Although it makes it nearly impossible to shop for her she makes her daddy so very happy!!

My prayer for Hayden, today, is that she is always aware of people who are hurting around her but not so much that it tears her to pieces inside.  I pray that she will be able to be quick on her feet when dealing with other peoples hurts and troubles.  She told her dad and I the other day that she was going to run a homeless shelter that took care of not only people but also animals.  After she said this she looked at us with the most serious face and said, "Boy, I sure am going to be busy!"  Oh Haydie I love you to pieces!!!!

I AM BLESSED

Thankful

Okay, so I know I haven't blogged in...ohhhh.....over a year but I am determined to get back into this and to try my best to be consistent.  Why you ask?  Well my dear sweet friend, unfortunately, had to endure one of the hardest situations some are asked to go through here on earth.  Her very sweet 10 year old son passed away due to a  form of brain cancer.  No God did not make her son have this illness.  It's just one of the horrible consequences that we face daily due to the ugly sin in this world.  I have been so amazed at the faith her and her family have shown through all of this.  (Tami if you're reading this you guys truly are amazing and such an awesome witness.)  While watching her endure all of the heart wrenching grief and pain that she has endured over the past few months I became painfully aware of how much I complain about or take for granted my children.  This is what brings me here today.

I am going to try my very best to devote one day a week to each of my kids and get in writing why I am so thankful and blessed to have each and every one of them.  We have no idea how long we get to be blessed by them so I want to make sure that I am enjoying, teaching and loving them the best that I can every day!

So with that being said, I'm going to start Monday off with Christian

This sweet boy is a bundle of all kinds of emotions!!!  He loves, laughs and gets angry with all his heart.  I am so thankful that he is still such an innocent boy.  He hasn't figured out all the cruelties of the world yet and although it makes his life a little harder outside our front door it allows us to hold on to the little boy that is still inside.  Christian is packed full of imagination and loves to quote lines from any movie or t.v. show that might make him giggle. 

My prayer for Christian, today, is that he will be able to figure out how to filter the energy that he sometimes doesn't know what to do with into something very productive.   Possibly into the drawing that he has shown so much promise in.  

Here's my proud mom bragging moment....

This is something he drew this morning.  When the other kids and myself tried to draw these characters we had to use all kinds of step by step instructions.  Christian looked at the picture on the cover and just drew it. (better than all of us put together)

Christian you are such a cool kid with so many different talents!!!

I love you Buddy!!!

Chloe Werling..... Sometime 2010- Feb. 6 2011

Well Chloe wasn't long for this world but she was super sweet and very loved by Joey. Her death could have been caused by many different things.... a common cold, a play date with the cat George, rough housing with Joey's friends or a dirty cage. Whatever it was we were very glad to call her part of our family and she will missed greatly.
Remember to cherish the time you have with your rodents because you never know when it could be your last moment with them. ;)

All joking aside Joey does really miss her and this morning was a pretty tough lesson in death. I just needed to record this event because it was pretty big in the Wacky World of the Werlings.

The Pizza Guy

Well we've started scripture memorization in our house and so far it's been going really well. We start listening to a song that is made from the portion of scripture we're memorizing on Sunday morning on the way to church. After we listen to that and get that memorized we talk about what the scripture is about and how we can apply it to our lives on Wednesday nights. This weeks scripture was Phillipians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
For the object lesson we tried to mix oil (worry) and water, which was colored to see it better, (trust in God) together.

As you can see, and probably already knew, they don't mix. I thought this was such a great reminder that if we truly believe that God is control , is looking out for us and has a PERFECT plan for our lives there absolutely is no need to worry! So often in our lives we tend to worry thinking that we're improving the situation by milling over it in our minds when really we are just not trusting that God is who He says He is.
Well after our lesson we started making sure the kids had the scripture right, understood what words were in it and that they weren't messing up any of the words. Joey, of course, said she wanted to go first because she was not about to be outdone by anyone else in the family. ;) She started in on the scripture and was doing great and then she hit the middle of the verses. Instead of saying "And the peace of God", she says as loudly and as confidently as she could, "and the pizza guy". We all busted out laughing and the scripture has never been the same since. :)
Now not only is pizza one of our favorite meals but the pizza guy has inherited super hero powers.

So the next time you start to worry remember that God's got it ALL under control!!!! Oh and also remember to tip the pizza guy well because you never know when you'll need him to save your life. :)

Tough Kid!!!

Well for the first time in 4 weeks I am home alone again. I'm not gonna lie, part of me is loving it but I kind of miss Christian who has been my side kick for the last 3 weeks. I had to shove him out the door this morning crying because he told me that his tummy was killing him. I dropped all the kids off and then walked him in while he was still crying a little bit. Once he hit the classroom door, however, he puffed up his chest and walked into his room with his head held high. Part of me was very proud but my heart also broke a little at the fact that he could put on a front like that so easily. Buddy my prayer for you is that you can always be honest with your feelings at all times if at all possible but when you have to buck up I pray that you have as much courage as you did today!!! I love you little mister!!!!

A little behind

Well I got a little behind on blogging since Christmas and that would be because my least favorite season has started. No it's not winter but a special season that the Werlings are usually invited to every other year..... The sicky season. We've had puke, fevers, and croupy coughs galore!!! But before I get into that lets talk about Christmas!!!

Christmas went really well at our house. Jesus, God's very precious gift was the real emphasis of the season of course but we also had fun with Santa and his reindeer and our all time favorite character, the Grinch.
Tangled (Repunzel), Remote control vehicles, Club Penguin (a Disney game) and legos were the 4 main themes on Christmas lists and the kids very entertained a lot of different times on our trip to Arizona with these toys.
At 6:30 p.m. Christmas night we all piled in the van, Grandpa Blue House (Werling) included and headed towards Tempe Arizona.

The Hawkeyes, somehow, were lucky enough to get to a bowl game there and I had never been before so I begged Ryan to let the kids and I tag along. I thought it would be nice to be outside without coats on and maybe get to swim in a pool one last time before facing the brutal Iowa winter. :)
We got to Tempe with no troubles and were able to stay with Ryan's Godmother Conny. Luckily there was a park near their house that we could let the kids run around and burn off some energy before we let them go inside for the evening. We had a great evening with Ms. Conny and Mr. Mike and then headed to bed for a much needed full night of rest. We all slept hard and awoke to Joey puking pink medicine all over Ms. Conny's carpet. :( Let Sicky Season begin!!!) We thought that Joey's benadryl that she had been taking for a rash she had didn't agree with her but are not so sure now. Anyway she rallied and we headed to our hotel where we were able to let the kids swim in the heated outdoor pool while the adults soaked up some sun which Ron made sure to rub this fact in to Jan.
That evening we headed into Phoenix to go to the Hawkeye Huddle.
The kids weren't so sure about this until they saw a wide open place that they could run and dance in and then Herkey and the band showed up.

Ryan and Ron, of course, saw a few people they new and the kids and I had fun being out of the van. :)

The next day we drove to the Phoenix Zoo to spend some time in the beautiful weather and just walking around seeing the beautiful mountains and neat animals that God put on this earth. The zoo was really neat!!! They had an area that was enclosed that you could go into and be face to face with monkeys like this.

They were very cool but we were warned before we went in that we needed to stay 3 ft. away from them and to not touch anything because they pee on everything. Of course the kids didn't listen to that last part but luckily they had a sanitizing station before we exited the area. :) The animals were very active that day so we got a lot of cool pictures like these....

By the end of the zoo trip Joey had really started complaining that her legs hurt so we skipped the petting zoo (which I was not disappointed in at all) and headed to Baskin Robbins and then back to the motel for some more swimming for the kids. After this it was time for Ryan and Ron to venture out for the game.


The Hawkeyes WON!!!!
I have no clue what the score was but I do know that it was a close game and that the Hawks actually showed up for the 4th quarter and did their job and came home with a victory.
Why don't I know what the score was do you ask???? Well while the boys were at the game I was back at the motel where Christian was puking, Kinnick was coughing up a lung, Joey was fighting a huge fever and I had a giant migraine. Yep the game was the end of our lovely trip!!!
The next morning we decided to head back home because there was a storm moving in that was supposed to create a lot of snow in the mountains. We thought that if we left a day early we would beat it.....


ummm well we were dead wrong!!!
We sat completely still in this traffic for 2 hours and then it took us 3 more hours to drive 30 miles. After we finally got to Flagstaff they closed all of the roads in and out of town so we found the last 2 rooms at a Best Western and then went to find something to eat. The bonus to the day was that it was FREE pie night at Village in. :)
The next day Ryan and Ron went out and tested the roads and found them o.k. to drive on so we headed out again. This time we made it all the way to Albuquerque before we found a sign to say, "Road closed seek accommodations." What!!!!!???? Another snow storm had hit and we had to stay over another night. I came to the conclusion that not much good happens at 700ft. in the winter. Luckily Ron has a good friend that lives in the suburbs of Albuquerque and they were kind enough to put us up for the night!!! We settled in for the night and very early the next morning we got up and headed out again. All the while Joey had a huge fever and looked like this...

the whole way. She was quite the trooper though. We hardly ever heard her complain unless her ibuprofen or Tylenol was wearing off. After we left from Albuquerque we had a pretty uneventful trip and pulled onto our street at exactly 12:00 a.m. January 1, 2011. Oh what a way to bring in the New Year. :)
Although there was a lot to complain about on this trip God had His hand on us the entire way. There was never any problem with the car, never any accidents that we were involved in, we got to swim in an outdoor pool in the middle of December we saw amazing mountains and the Hawkeyes did win. :) Best of all we got to take a trip as a family.

Now we're home and Joey is doing a lot better. We've had some puking, more coughing a broken furnace and Christian is now on his 8th day home from school from the same thing Joey had but we're still all together and now warm in our own house (not a motel), Ryan has a stable job, the kids are able to go to school and we have 3 healthy meals a day. Well except Kinnick who really only eats the total of maybe 1 and1/2 meals a day. :) God blesses us over and over and we're excited to be starting another year together. I can't wait to see what's in store!!!

I survived!!!!

Well I know I'm probably a horrible mother for not doing this sooner but oh well. Last night I decided to make it an evening of making Christmas cookies with the children. It was definitely an adventure!!!! I am not a very good cook or baker as it is so it is hard for me to let kids help when I need help myself. Nevertheless I did it. Not only did they stir the ingredients but they also measured them, poured them and cracked the eggs. I liken the egg cracking to a stress ball in someones hand. They thought it was great fun and miraculously we only got one tiny bit of shell into the mix. They did really well and really enjoyed it. Maybe I'll be more adventurous in letting them help with meals sometimes. Then I'll have someone other than myself to blame for the way they turn out. :)

Another year older and he thinks another year wiser...

Well my baby is now six. He is such a sweet guy. He loves to give hugs and kisses. In fact he makes us give him anywhere from 3 to 7 kisses and hugs each time we leave or put him to bed. He says the extras are for God and Jesus because they live in His heart and they like hugs and kisses too. :) This little guy thinks he knows EVERYTHING!!! If you tell him he's wrong he makes sure to fight his hardest to prove he's right which usually ends up with him in his room in a time-out. :( He loves to quote things like his big brother except instead of movies or t.v. shows he quotes what the buses and trams at Disney World say. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the tram at all times. Make sure you place smaller children towards the middle. If you happen to drop something outside of the tram please notify the driver and we will be prompt in getting it back to you. Etc...." He is such a crack up. He is a little spoiled, I must admit, being the baby of the family which I am planning on working on this year. Sorry Kinnick! He makes friends very easily and absolutely despises roller coasters. We love the little man he is becoming and are always praying that he will use his stubborn headedness and desire to always be right to somehow glorify God as he grows.
We love you little mister!!!
Happy 6th Birthday!!!