All I wanted...............

I was excited for Saturday.    My mom and I were headed to Indiana to pick up benches I ordered for our kitchen table.  I was excited about the benches but more important I got to be with my mom ALL DAY!  You see, I grew up the only daughter.  My mom and I did everything together.  Where she went, I went.  And, I can't really speak for her, but, I think, we had some fun times.  As the years have gone by and the children kept coming, the time alone that my mom and I get is slim.  I was looking forward to this.  Unfortunately we were unable to watch the weather (because our dog chewed the cable TV wires off our house!) and the weather was less than optimal.  However we were off.  I was certain we were going to drive out of it.  Once we got to Allegan, I stopped and called Steve. (for some reason him looking at the weather on his phone is easier than me doing it).  But we proceeded on until we hit the big hill in Allegan, which was closed, due to many slide offs and semi's unable to get up the hill.  So we turn around.  Now what?  I was not ready to give my mom up, but we felt we couldn't ditch the kids all together and how far are we going in this weather?  So we hung out at our house for a little while.  Leah discovered that Peach wave was raising money for Bone marrow transplants.  What a perfect place to go on a cold, blustery day.  Downtown for Frozen Yogurt!  From there we headed to the grocery store to buy things for Devos Oncology wish list.  It ended up being a great day with my mom.  I wish it was longer, but we get to do it again.  Maybe this time we'll make it all the way to get the benches. 

The snow is out and so are the snow mobiles!!!  Whoooo hoooo!  Now Stevie just needs to get a helmet to fit his noggin.  I love him the way he is and the snowmobile goes fast!  I told him I'm a busy lady.  If he has a brain injury I'm not sure I have time to take care of him.
 Brooke did pretty well in the snow.  We are thinking Hot Hands are going to be her friend.  We had them stuck on her feet and hands.  We came inside and I asked how her hands were.  She said, "their great.  They aren't white, they are purple."  Sure enough, purple hands.  Hmmmm, As long as it doesn't damage her it's fine with me. 

Happy Thanksgiving  everyone!  What an amazing time of year to hug your loved ones and give God the thanks for all He has done for us.  Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for the 5 ladies, amazing husband, terrific parents, family and friends God has placed in my life. 

Food for thought!

 I've said before, there are certain foods I will run out, at almost any time, and buy.  This week I was told on Monday and Tuesday am, "there's no cereal!"  There actually was cereal.  2 boxes, but no one wanted those.  I guess Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Raisin Bran are poisonous, according to Ashley and Steve.  So I said, how bout bagels, toast, eggs, waffles.  You see my point?  We had LOTS of food.  But we, at the Koemans, are creatures of habit.  I tend to think someday, my children are going to be on their own and wonder, "why did my mom ALWAYS buy the same food?"  It's because we are boring.  So Wednesday I head to Walmart.  Not because I like Walmart, but because they have the cheapest cereal.  And I bought 15 boxes of cereal.  They had some roll back prices.  WHOOO HOOO!!!  My mom was like, "this is going to last you a long time."  I WISH!!!  These cereal eating monsters will have it gone in no time. 

With that being said, I added up, we spend $25 a month on smoked sausage, aka "smoky links."   Guess who eats them?  Yup Brooke.  So I bought a different brand, in a case.  AND........she stopped eating them.  Really..........1st the cereal monsters and now the sausage.  She assures me, she just decided she wanted toast this week.  We'll see.  In the big picture, smoky links are MUCH cheaper than tube feedings.  Those were $3000 a month. 

Stevie is DONE!!  Thursday we watched the combine drive into the driveway.  We were excited for him (and us).  So I felt slightly bad when I said, "I have plans.You can come with me if you want."  He declined.  He texted me this picture later at night.  I showed it to my friends who thought the twins were faking.   Oh No!  This man, still rocks his 5 year old daughters to sleep and they all LOVE it!  Daddy's home girls!!!!  :)

So, our cupboards are full and daddy's home, so our hearts are full.  I pray for the remainder of farmers that are not done yet.  The wind and rain are not a welcome sight.  God is always in control. 

 

 

Psalm 67:5-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The land yields its harvest;
    God, our God, blesses us.
⁷ May God bless us still,
    so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Thankful!

I see the posts on facebook, each day people post what they are thankful for.  I think that's a great idea.  It's fun to read.  I don't partake because, I'm not on facebook everyday and I know don't know where to start.  I have so much to be thankful for..............but today something/someone stood out.   My husband!  He won't like this post, but since I'm not sure he knows how to post, I can :) 
Last night we were talking about nearing the end of harvest.   Praise the Lord!  We miss him.  Our home is not the same without him.  He is finished with his crops and is onto helping others.  So this week, weather permitting, he'll be done.  We talked about the hours he works and how single parenting isn't all that much fun.  Each stage has it's own struggles and this age is definitely better than the infant ages, so I TRY not to complain.  
This morning we got up and it's back to the grindstone.  Steve is gone by 6am, and I start getting kids up and going.  1 child was laying on the couch already.  That's not a good sign.  Megs didn't feel well.  Hmmmmmm..........plan B (yet I did not know what that was.)  I called work and said I had a sick kid.  I told them I'd see the patients I had, but couldn't take any more.  I delivered children where they needed to go.  I came home.  I left early to get the twins from preschool to go see a patient.  My husband calls at 11am and says, "I'm rained out, what can I do to help you?"   FOR REAL!!!!  I thought, "how selfless."  He went to get the twins and head back home. (The twins were SOOOOO excited dad picked them up from school.  I heard about it all day!)  I texted Megs and told her dad was on his way home.  She said, "I know he stopped in to make sure I was ok."  What a great guy.  He had lots of work to do yet, in the office, fixing stuff and the list goes on, but he stopped, because he could :)  (please don't feel bad for me.  I didn't call anyone for help today.  I knew that we could get by without bugging anyone else.  I don't want to hurt my mom or mother in laws feelings.  They totally would've helped me, I have a problem with asking :)
It's nice to have him home.  1 more week and we should be golden.  We just run more smoothly as a team.  Meg's is feeling better and we hope the illness stops at her.  If Brooke gets sick her surgery will be postponed.  Even though it's 6 weeks away, once she gets an illness, she likes to keep it.  So, we pray, she escapes it.  
I'm not sure I updated on Brooke's last labs.  Her immune studies have stayed about the same.  Nothing to earth shattering there.  It appears what she has is working for her.  Her varivax (chicken pox) titer was negative again.  Which means once she gets the immunization her body is not remembering it and she's not immune.  Her MD wants to try again in January.  He really feels her body will catch onto this.  Steve and I agree, we'll try once more.  But not sure how many more vaccines we want to give if they aren't going to work.  We'll just wait and see :) 
Have a great Thanksgiving Season!  Love your loved ones and enjoy the time together. 



 

Isaiah 40: 29-31  (The Lord) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar and on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

I opened my devotions this am to read this. It also explained, the world we live in, weakness is often pitied.  It talked about how much money and time is spent on strengthening bodies and buying stimulants to avoid/mask weariness.  Weakness and weariness are part of life.  Part of this fallen world we live in. 

Once again it's what I needed to start my week.  This past week took it's toll on me.  The end of harvest is nearing and all parties involved are feeling it.  We get sick of being on our best behavior and we all act out (I'm not just talking about the kids.  Steve and I are to blame too :)  We feel we have to paint on the smile and say, "this is great, we are fine."  In the end, we are fine!  But, I believe, it's ok to tell these kids, mama's tired.  5 of them going 5 different directions.  1 of me.  They all seemed to get it and we re-grouped.  My question is, why do we look at other means for help?  God is the only one who can cure our weariness.  He will pick us up and carry us through.  All the coffee in the world can't do that :) 

 

Here are a couple of pics of the girls trick or treating.  So much fun with great grandpa and grandma.  We made our family rounds, and then  Saturday night we did trunk or treating with church.  Candy candy and more candy.  Our sitter asked what our rule is on candy.  How many pieces the kids can have?   That question has stuck with me.  An organized mom would have a plan.  But this is me :)  I have a child that ate a candy bar so fast she puked.  She's never done that again.  I just figure when all the good candy's gone they'll stop.  Or they'll get sick.  So far, so good.  



Pet peeve!  NO ONE listens to me!  Why do I speak?  I'm not always sure if I talk to the wrong kid.  Like maybe I told Ashley something and I thought I told Megan.  That's a possibility.  Maybe I said something in my head and the words never came out of my mouth.  Or maybe, my children tune me out.  I'm guilty of tuning out as well.  My remedy.  I stopped talking.  I wrote notes.  I read them to the twins and they are in compliance thus far.  We'll see how long this last. 

And the twins...........they showed their daddy their note about the father/daughter night.  His response was, I probably have to work but we'll see.  The twins didn't really take that for answer.  But we don't really have another answer.  If the weather is right Steve has to work.  You can't just stop farming for an hour.  It's a system, and if one part stops, the whole system is broken.  For the rest of us Koeman's, we completely understand.  The twins have been baby'd by their father for 5 years.  Daddy says "yes" a lot!  He still rocks them to sleep if he can.  So them begging him is comical to me.  Lucky for me Grandpa Blueberry came home from Florida. (or lucky for the twins uncle's I was going to start bugging :) So they talked to him.  He said, "you girls see how the weather is Thursday.  If your dad can't go, you call me and I'll take you."  They are ESTATIC! It's fun to see them so excited.  I told the girls I'd take them.  They said, "it says in the notes NO MOMS!"  Yup that was true.  So I told them I'd dress up like a man and take them.  It'd be like Halloween.  They didn't think that was funny either :)  So, we have a plan.  Please, don't think bad of my amazing husband.  This is farming life.  We are aware and it's completely ok.  He works these crazy hours a few months out the year and the rest of the year, he doesn't have to miss a thing (he even gets to stay home with them when they are sick, that's his favorite hehe).
Have a blessed day!  When you grow weary look to the One who can carry us through.  (and a nap never hurts either :)