A happy dance for the cleaning lady!!

I returned home from school today to find that the cleaning lady had been here!!
It was really just my mother who loves me why to much sometimes...if that is possible to love your children way to much? But...if you know my mother you know that she tends to have a full plate of her own. So the fact that she took the time to come here and help me, and bring flowers for the table and a yummy smelling candle...well it deserves some really big shiny award...or the million dollar prize, or something real special!! But, alas what she'll get is a BIG thank you, and a hug, and the mention of a big shiny award and the million dollar prize, and because she loves me so much...that will be enough!!

Aren't moms great!?! I know I'm pretty lucky to have mine!

cousins...cousins...and more cousins!!

What do you get when you get a bunch of cousins together??

Maybe...a little too much fun!!

We used the stairs as a slide...

We played tag...

We played on scooters...

We colored pictures...

We watched "Arthur and the Invisibles"...

We were just plain cute!!

We had the pleasure of spending our Saturday with the Hansen kids while their mom and dad went to the hospital to see Hannah...(who is doing very well!!) As you can see we had a lot of fun...I think God knew I needed a day filled with laughter! I just love these kids...they are awesome!

After the Hansen's left...we picked up Taylor, who is visiting from the U.P. Her and Haidyn are having a sleepover tonight!!

A very busy day...but oh so worth the exhaustion!!

WHAT?? Do I look stressed?

I've come to the end of my rope...I have officially started the
"Shann is hiring a housekeeper" fund!
It has been a long time coming!
(mind you...this is the mindless rambling of a under appreciated, entirely to busy, extremely tired, women on the edge!)
The question of the hour...will it every come to be?
Inquiring minds want to know...I want to know!!

water fowl BEWARE!

Tate went on her first hunting trip(s) on Saturday. And she shot a gun...only once...at nothing...but she liked it so much she chose to go again in the evening! Neither her or her dad shot anything...the duck in the picture below was shot by one of their fellow hunters. But...I guess it begins!! I have always said that the girls should get to hunt and fish if they want to...and they shouldn't be talked out of it because "there is nowhere for a girl to pee!"

progressing...slowly!

a quarter pound this week

two-fer...

Haidyn wost two teeph today!

One this morning before she got on the bus...
and one tonight after she got off the bus!
She is excited to have finally joined the ranks of the
toothless 6 year old's everywhere!

Tagged...

I have been tagged...which is amazingly cruel when your middle name is not short...but here goes...

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog for the rules.

Pull up a chair this could take a while...

N- I have Never lived outside of the same 10 square miles in my whole life! (Although someday I hope to "let some grass grow" under my feet in a small town in Montana.)

I- Created in the Image of God, and striving to be that image to my children and everyone around me, which is not always the easiest of tasks.

C- If it were a job...I would Cuddle newborn babies for a living...it is my favorite!!

O- Optimistic for the future. I think God has BIG plans for me and my family...and I say "BRING IT ON".

L- Losing my mind!!! I feel as though I am losing my mind at least once daily. Being a wife and mom (and all that comes with it), working, and going to school 3 days a week(and all that comes with it)...that'll do it to you every time!!!

E- Exhausted, (reference the letter L).

Well there, that wasn't all bad.

I am going to tag, Ann, and Julie!! Good luck ladies!! I know that I am supposed to tag 6 people...but I don't know that many people to tag, so if you read this, and haven't been before... consider yourself tagged!!

going down...

a half a pound!!

be the ONE, to someONE!

"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." Mother Teresa

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
Mother Teresa

Move over Yo Yo Ma...

Tatelynn had her first orchestra "concert" last night. It was more like a practice concert for the parents.

So...what to you get when you take 40+ 6th graders, all first timers, putting on their first concert, 4 weeks into their "training"...take a listen...

***Tate is in the back row near the door...you may be able to see her black head band***

*EDIT...you can't see her...don't strain yourself*




Not bad!?!

Far wiser than I...

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus."

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

What do all these quotes have in common?


They were all spoken by Mother Teresa. She inspires me. It is my goal to be such a faithful follower of Christ!!

(#1 is how I've been feeling lately!)

(insert happy dance!!)

S h r i n k i n g ...a little!!

down 1.4lbs. this week

To much time to think...

It seems a bit odd that in my life...right now...I have to much time to think. But...I have this whole day, yup all 24 hours of it, off from work (haircutting, and school work)!!! My house is clean, and I am down to only 3 more loads of laundry...and here I sit...thinking.

Things have been a little...upside down...stressful...just plain trying for me lately. If have figured out that the problem is I have had to much to wrap my brain around lately...while still being an good mom and wife (and student).

You see...in the last 2 months our greater family (my side as a whole) have lost two beautiful little girls. One didn't make it to birth...the other was with us for one day. And, because I know that God can handle it...I am alright with admitting that I am angry about it!!

Yes...I know that everything happens for a reason, and that God is in control, and that both of the girls are with Him as I type. But I don't understand how a plan where a tiny baby dies before getting a chance to make her mark on this world; a chance to experience all the love we had for her, is even a "plan". If God knew all along that it was going to end this way...why put us through it? It seems so cruel!!

What I have learned in the last few weeks is that to put your faith in the Lord...is not to say "Lord, take control of my life, as long as it goes how I planned"...Nope, it's "Lord take control of my life...even if it means I might lose everyone I love, and everything I have...I will follow you".

It's hard to accept that even if we hope and wish and pray, and even though our God is a God who could take away all the hurt and pain and evil in this world with the blink of His eye...sometimes He chooses not to.

See...it is easy for me to rationalize it all, it's a case of my brain gets it...but my heart hurts. I stand in awe of both of these families who have shown such amazing faith while going through such pain and grief.

Breaking news...x2

It is 11:45pm and I have finished my;

• research paper
• human disease workbook ch. 4
• studying for human disease test
• pharmacology workbook ch.11
• pharmacology take home test

I am having a silent party for myself...its great!!

But...on the news tonight they announced this....

Muskegon - A new roller coaster will be thrilling riders along the lake shore next spring.Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park announced today that they will soon start construction on Michigan's first suspended looping roller coaster. The "Thunderhawk" will be Michigan Adventure's seventh roller coaster, and will represent the largest single ride expenditure in the history of the park. The Thunderhawk will climb 105 feet in the air and then drop 86 feet. Riders' feet will dangle below them along a course that features five inversions and top speeds of 50 m.p.h."Thunderhawk will bring a new dimension of thrills to the park," said Camille Jourden-Mark, the vice president and general manager of Michigan's Adventure. "A suspended coaster that loops will be an instant favorite with our guests."Thunderhawk will be located near RipCord and Adventure Falls. It will have a massive steel structure with tubular steel track and will stretch 2,260 feet. The ride will last approximately 2 minutes,15 seconds. Riders will be seated in pairs in open seats that will be suspended below the track. Each rider will be secured with an over-the-shoulder harness and interlocking safety belt. A train will accommodate 20 riders. Riders must be between 52- and 80-inches tall to ride Thunderhawk. The ride was designed and manufactured by Vekoma International B.V., Vlodrop, The Netherlands.

I look forward, with child like anticipation, to next summer...we may be moving our annual trip to Michigan's Adventure to the beginning of the summer next year!!!