Well, I haven't posted in a while on here. Things have been extremely busy here this time of year, just as I'm sure it is for many others during the holidays. We have made it two weeks now without any major sickness in our family, praise the Lord! Seriously, I have learned that I've taken mine and my family's health for granted over the past couple months of so much sickness. I really hope we are on the mend for good now. Although, I think with young children, sickness is a normal part of life, I'm learning. I will be thankful for a break in that cycle though, for as long as it will last!
My work at my job outside the home has been extremely busy lately as well, so I've missed time with my boys lately. Thankfully, my boss has allowed me to set up to be able to remote connect in from home, so that I can keep my office hours down to only 20 -25 in office and 5 - 10 out of office. I love the flexibility I am given there, after so many years of searching for a job like I have now. I definitely don't take that for granted!
Speaking of taking things for granted, my mom had to have immediate surgery today for a detached retina that she went to the eye doctor about yesterday. Thankfully she made it through the surgery fine, and is at home, trying to keep her head pointed down for 45 minutes out of every hour, in order for the healing process and the gas bubble inside her eye, to get into the correct place in her eye. For anyone who knows my mom, this is going to be a very hard feat - to stay still. She's already said she's still making everything food wise that she planned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and will enlist my Dad to help her on times she has to keep her head still. This should be interesting! Thankfully, Scott and I have some time off work, and can watch the boys, since my mom normally does that for me while I'm at work. I just am thankful that she's going to be alright.
If anyone is reading this, just be thankful for those things and people in your life that are most important to you, and don't take anything for granted!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
2007 Christmas Yearly Update
Merry Christmas 2007!
Dear Family and Friends,
It is that time once again to update you on the happenings of our year, and to look forward to updates from many of you also! We can’t believe another year has gone by, but are once again thankful for all that God has done in our lives in 2007.
Our lives continue to stay very busy with our two little guys. Ethan turned 3 years old in February, and began attending 3K Preschool at our church three mornings a week starting in August. He absolutely loves his teacher, Mrs. Blackwood, and is learning so much! He continues to be interested in letters, as he frequently asks what “letters say” when we are reading together, and has a curiosity about writing his name along with other family member’s and friend’s names. He also loves counting things and telling us how many of things there are anywhere we go! He is enjoying getting to participate in 3 year old choir and mission friends every Wednesday night at our church, which Mommy helps out with. And of course one of his favorite things is being big brother to Caleb. Although he sometimes has to shield himself from the “roughness” his brother can bring, he likes playing with his little brother most of the time.
Caleb is our little ball of endless energy! He turned a year old in August, and continues to bring excitement to our every day life. He learned to walk, or should I say run, shortly before his birthday, and has put those skills to good use! Although he is not talking much yet, he says a few words, such as “light,” which he is fascinated with turning lights on and off right now. We often hear screams right now to tell us what he wants. We are quickly trying to change this habit. If only he could get some relief from his constant teething pain as well, we would all feel a lot more comfortable! He of course looks up to his big brother in more ways than one. Constantly trying to do all the things his big brother does, play with cars, trains, balls, etc. keep the need for a referee close at hand when the two brothers are playing together. We look forward to what this next year will bring, as he continues to grow and develop into his unique and special personality!
Scott seems to barely have a moment to breathe lately with all he is doing. August 2007 marked the start of his third year working at Huttig Building Products as an Inside Salesman. He also continues to work his part time job two evenings a week delivering pizzas to help with all of the additional costs of raising children! We are hoping to be able to cut his workload down to just one full time job in the very near future. Any spare time he has, he devotes to his boys and wife. Our family is so blessed to have him as the head of our family, taking care of us all, despite his overloaded schedule of work. Of course he has to make a little time to fit in keeping up with Star Wars news. He has started an extensive collection of Star Wars Minis which he enjoys getting to use to play the game when our brother-in-law Zach comes to visit, and will play with him.
Jill has continued her work as an accounting assistant at Wolverine Coatings Corporation this year, and thoroughly enjoys the job, as well as the flexibility she is given to be a Mom first. She also has taken a second part time job this year, tutoring online in Algebra through tutor.com – she connects virtually 5 – 7 hours a week with hundreds of students all over the country to help them with their Algebra homework. This helps her to keep her teaching skills fresh and she enjoys this new form of tutoring, as our busy schedule has not allowed her to continue tutoring students in our home this year.
Our family has experienced loss this year as both Scott’s Grandpa Brisken and Jill’s Grandma Bailey passed away in the Spring. We made two trips to Ohio in March and April to attend the funerals and to celebrate and remember their lives. They will be greatly missed here in our life on earth, but we look forward to the day we will once again be reunited in heaven!
We are so thankful once again that both sets of Grandparents live nearby. Our boys are so fortunate to have Grandma and Grandpa Brisken and Grandma and Grandpa Bailey as a daily part of their lives.
It is because of our Lord and Savior’s birth, Jesus Christ, that we celebrate with you this Christmas. We pray that you and your families are enjoying a healthy and happy holiday season, and we look forward to reconnecting with those we haven’t heard from in a while, and staying connected through the New Year.
Please sign our Guest Book before you leave to let us know you stopped by!
With Love,
The Brisken Family
Scott, Jill, Ethan, and Caleb
Sunday, December 9, 2007
A Weekend of Small Triumphs and Small Setbacks
Yesterday, our family was finally able to make it to Sears to get our family Christmas picture made. After rescheduling two times because of someone in the family being sick on the other two appointment times, we finally made it there! Caleb wasn't the most agreeable for picture taking, as he has been having a really hard time with teething lately, but we managed to get one really good shot of the four of us. And the photographer was able to zoom in on one of the pictures to capture a cute shot of just Caleb and Ethan together (even though Caleb was holding a cell phone in his hand to keep him happy!) But we'll take what we can get! I actually already posted the one picture of the four of us off the Sears website and put it on our family website we are using for our Christmas letter and greetings this year. You can see it at the link to the side titled, "My Family Website." Our Christmas Update letter is not written yet, so not on there yet, but check back later, and hopefully we'll have that updated. So, the picture taking appointment was our small triumph for the weekend!
The small setback comes in the form of . . . you guessed it, sickness! We were getting ready to go to church this morning, and realized Ethan felt hot. We took his temperature, and he had a fever! Last Sunday night, Caleb had a fever that ended up lasting four days until Wednesday. I took Caleb to the doctor on Wednesday, and they prescribed an antibiotic that we could choose to give him if he still wasn't better by Friday. Everyone's been so sick so often lately, I didn't want him to have to be on another antibiotic, but since the doctor thought he may have an upper respiratory infection, and he still wasn't himself on Friday, I went ahead and got it filled and started giving it to Caleb on Friday. I was hoping that was the end of sickness again for us. Until this morning, when now Ethan has a fever! So, we stayed home from church again. I am really stressed out with all this sickness. It literally has been that one of us has been sick in some shape or form every week since the end of October. I am really frustrated and tired from dealing with it and writing about it, but I figured writing on my blog about it might be one way to deal with it for me. I just really hope that Ethan's fever will clear up without another trip to the doctor, and also that he will be better by this Friday so he can participate in his preschool Christmas program and class Christmas party. He already had to miss his Thanksgiving preschool party because he was sick. I just don't want him to miss another special event. I know it is illogical thinking to think there is something I should be doing better to keep them from getting sick, but that is how I feel right now. We have cleaned everything backwards and forwards throughout the house, have a new respect for hand washing and using antibacterial hand gel when soap and water aren't available, and I just don't know what else to do! And today my mind has been running away with me on all the "what if's" . . . what if there is something really wrong with the boys, which is why they keep getting sick over and over and over again. But wouldn't the doctor have found something all the times they've checked their blood work if there had been something more wrong medically speaking? I just have to pray that Ethan will get better and we will have a break from sickness for at least 2 weeks would be nice! I am so worn down and stressed. Any prayers for the health of our family would be appreciated. I know dealing with a fever is nothing in comparison to what many families deal with more seriously medically speaking every day. I am just so worn out and this was just NOT what I needed to awake to this morning! Please pray for patience for me as I continue to try to do the best I can to help take care of sick children.
The small setback comes in the form of . . . you guessed it, sickness! We were getting ready to go to church this morning, and realized Ethan felt hot. We took his temperature, and he had a fever! Last Sunday night, Caleb had a fever that ended up lasting four days until Wednesday. I took Caleb to the doctor on Wednesday, and they prescribed an antibiotic that we could choose to give him if he still wasn't better by Friday. Everyone's been so sick so often lately, I didn't want him to have to be on another antibiotic, but since the doctor thought he may have an upper respiratory infection, and he still wasn't himself on Friday, I went ahead and got it filled and started giving it to Caleb on Friday. I was hoping that was the end of sickness again for us. Until this morning, when now Ethan has a fever! So, we stayed home from church again. I am really stressed out with all this sickness. It literally has been that one of us has been sick in some shape or form every week since the end of October. I am really frustrated and tired from dealing with it and writing about it, but I figured writing on my blog about it might be one way to deal with it for me. I just really hope that Ethan's fever will clear up without another trip to the doctor, and also that he will be better by this Friday so he can participate in his preschool Christmas program and class Christmas party. He already had to miss his Thanksgiving preschool party because he was sick. I just don't want him to miss another special event. I know it is illogical thinking to think there is something I should be doing better to keep them from getting sick, but that is how I feel right now. We have cleaned everything backwards and forwards throughout the house, have a new respect for hand washing and using antibacterial hand gel when soap and water aren't available, and I just don't know what else to do! And today my mind has been running away with me on all the "what if's" . . . what if there is something really wrong with the boys, which is why they keep getting sick over and over and over again. But wouldn't the doctor have found something all the times they've checked their blood work if there had been something more wrong medically speaking? I just have to pray that Ethan will get better and we will have a break from sickness for at least 2 weeks would be nice! I am so worn down and stressed. Any prayers for the health of our family would be appreciated. I know dealing with a fever is nothing in comparison to what many families deal with more seriously medically speaking every day. I am just so worn out and this was just NOT what I needed to awake to this morning! Please pray for patience for me as I continue to try to do the best I can to help take care of sick children.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)