Bigger Update

I forgot some stuff that happened between December and February and then I have to update you on what has happened since February.

In December my brothers, (Nick and Matt), Maria and her fiance Joel, and I tore out the wall and floor in Cassidy's room and the bathroom. (I have taken pictures of the whole process and hope to post them soon.) It took a lot of work to get it done. We ended up having a plumber come in and fix the shower fixtures and a handyman to come in to do the finishing work. It is wonderful to have no more mold and freshly painted rooms. Cassidy is in love with her room. It is pink, very PINK! With white furniture, it is definitely all girl. :) The boys also got a freshly painted room and new floors.

The rest of January and February were fine. Until Cassidy got sick again. She started coughing on the 10th of February. On the 11th, I took her to the ER and she got three breathing treatments in 3 hours. No x-ray or meds. On the 15th I took her to her doctor and he put her on an antibiotic. He said given her history he was going to treat her like she had pneumonia again. On the 19th we were back in the ER, a different one. They did x-rays and saw she had pneumonia (again ~ for the third time this winter season.) She was admitted (AGAIN.) She saw an infectious disease doctor. Very nice woman. She had Cassidy tested for MRSA, and a bunch of other issues. Cassidy tested positive for myco-plasma pneumonia. It is the most common childhood pneumonia and very contagious. I looked it up and a person can be exposed 3 weeks before symptoms start showing. Cassidy was in the hospital for 6 days. I am a little frustrated with the fact that Cassidy keeps getting sick, but the doctors and I are trying to figure out what is causing all of this sickness.

My car is back ~ new engine and radiator. Both head-gaskets went out. When the mechanic took the motor out, they punctured the radiator. Fun right? These problems are fixed, but now I have another problem. When my friend was coming to pick me up, the heating system went out. The heating system in my car is one system with dual controls for the front and back. The hose leading to the back collapsed. I am waiting for the parts to come in. The car is drivable, but still needs work.

Man, when it rains it pours. However life could be worse and I am happy that we have doctors who have the ability to heal people and mechanics that can fix cars. Mostly I am grateful for a God who takes are of all of us.

Time to Catch You Up On Everything

I have not forgotten you all, but I have been very busy. I kind of left off with Cassidy at Riley's. She came home the night before Thanksgiving and has not really had a problem since then. Chris and Cassidy started getting acupuncture the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it seems to be helping. Chris is gaining weight (finally) and Cassidy is feeling better. I had three finals, 5 small papers and three big papers to do before the end of the semester Dec. 15th. Crazy busy, right? Life since Christmas has not slowed down at all. I have been "snowed in" for about a week. Well, not really snowed in, but car less. My car went into the shop about 2 weeks ago ~ the first time. It went back into the shop two days later ~ the second time. The third time I took it into the shop, we finally figured out what was wrong. Both head gaskets in the engine broke. So until the engine is replaced/fixed, I am with out a car. The same time my car broke down, my mother's and neighbor's cars also broke down. With what problem you may ask? Both of their cars need, you guessed it new ENGINES. A little frustrating to say the least. Northwest Indiana got about 2 feet of snow last Tuesday/Wednesday and another 7 inches today. So not fun! I am so looking forward to SPRING. Talk to you all later!

Have I Got a Story For You!

As most of you know, Cassidy had pneumonia in September. We spent 3 days in the hospital and everything was better. Well, on Thursday (Nov. 18) I got a phone call from her school saying she coughed so much that she threw up. Of course that meant that I had to pick her up from school. (Now just so you know, she wasn't even coughing on Wednesday AT ALL!) When I got to the school, she was fine, a little cough but nothing bad. However being a mom with three kids, I made a doctor's appointment for 3:15 that afternoon. I always try to get to the office early, so hopefully that means they will see us quicker. We sat in the waiting room all of five minutes, before Cassidy was really struggling to breathe. I went to the desk and told the receptionist that she really needed to be seen. (Usually I do not mind waiting, but something told me we could not wait this time.) They got a nurse, who took her straight back and gave her a breathing treatment. (With asthmatics, they always put on a O2 saturation monitor. Her pulse-ox was 88.) After the breathing treatment, her pulse-ox went up to 94/95. She was doing better. However, what kind of story would this be without more. About 30 minutes later, her pulse-ox dropped back down to 89/90. Of course no one was happy with that. The doctor put her on O2, which only brought her pulse-ox up to 92/93. A second doctor came in and both doctor's agreed that she needed to go into the hospital. Not only into the hospital, but she had to go by ambulance. She freaked out! When the ambulance got there, the paramedic had to put in an IV. (Not Cassidy's favorite thing!!) She cried. The paramedic told her that if he put the IV in she could get a new teddy bear. She let him and got a cute little pink sparkly bear. I followed the ambulance and the boys were with me. We got to St. Mary's hospital in Hobart and sat in the ER until almost ten. They were waiting for a room for her. They did an x-ray and an hour long breathing treatment. The boys were bored and decided to fight with each other to pass the time. I am sure the people in the ER were very glad to see us go. We went up to the pediatric unit, where Cassidy was very excited to see nurses she remembered from previous stays. Her pulse-ox never got above 93, so on Saturday morning the doctor decided it was time to send her to a children's' hospital. We ended up going to Riley Children's' Hospital in Indianapolis. I was told that if there had been no fog , she would have been airlifted to the hospital. As it was, I followed the ambulance to Riley's. We never went slower than 80 mph on I-65. When we got to Riley's, Cassidy was admitted to the PICU, the pediatric intensive care unit. All day Saturday, her pulse-ox stayed about 90. The doctors decided to give her moist, heated O2. She was at 100% until the middle of the night when they turned it sown to 50%. Her pulse-ox through the night was 97/98. This morning was a whole different story. Her pulse-ox dropped to 85/86. Everyone was really concerned that they would have to insert a breathing tube. We had a tense couple of hours. However, they decided to try something different. They put her back on an O2 mask with the heated, moist air. They gave her a breathing treatment and then used another treatment machine. She had to breathing in and out deeply and when she breathed in the machine gave an extra puff and forced air deep into her lungs. After she did that, they used a third machine that pounds on her back to help loosen the mucus in her lungs. Right now (7:30 CST, Nov. 21) she is down to 60% o2 and her pulse-ox is up to 95/96. Tomorrow, we will meet the pulmonary specialist and see what we can do to stop this from happening again. I am sure this story is not quite over, we will have to see what happens tonight and tomorrow. TAFN ~ That's all for now!

This Is What Happens When Life Gets In The Way!

Well, as most of you know, life usually finds a way of getting in the way of even the most well laid plans or intentions. With the chaos of summer and of school starting in the fall, I am almost surprised I still have my sanity! :) Let me try to get you caught up on what is going on with our crazy life. Christopher and Cassidy both went to camp this summer and had a blast!! Christopher went last year and had a terrific time, so he was very excited to return. This was Cassidy's first time at camp and she was a little apprehensive, but still excited. She, of course, had a blast also. She came home so excited! Because I worked at the camp for three years, the current camp director was kind enough to give me the grand tour of all the changes they have made to the camp since I was there. Can I be a camper again? The camp has made some wonderful changes and additions to challenge mountain and, well, just about everything else! (I asked them to have a women's conference so that I could come down. We will see what happens.) Anyway to keep going, we spent a lot of time at the beach. Cassidy had her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears after camp. Still waiting for the results of whether that will actually help her or not. Other than life itself, nothing much really happened this summer. School started for the kids and me (yes, me) in August. I am on my last semester and I will be done with my bachelors degree, finally. So far so good. The kids all love their teachers this year and are doing well! Barry is in second grade multi-age and loves being a buddy (a helper to a 1st grade pal.) He is in Cub Scouts which actually starts tomorrow night. Cassidy is in third grade. She is also in Girl Scouts. This is her last year as a Brownie. By the end of the school year, she will have finished the entire Try-It book. (She is very excited about that!) Christopher, who now wants to be called Chris, is in fourth grade. He is in his last year at Yost. (It only goes to 4th grade.) He is also in Cub Scouts, but he is a Webelos. Two more years in Cub Scouts and then he plans to go into Boy Scouts. Anyway, life is busy and hopefully I will keep you updated more frequently! :)

Trying to Catch You Up

Wow! It has been a really long time since I wrote anything. I cannot believe it has been so long. I do not think I will be able to remember everything that has happened, but I will try.

Cassidy and Barry played in the AWANA Sparks-O-Rama. Their team did great. We had a little girl from another team play with us because we were one girl short. She was the daughter of a friend from high school. Fun. I was one of the coaches. That was an experience.

Christopher is starting counseling on the 22nd. I am really looking forward to it. I think that Chris is a little scared about it. I really hope it will help him.

Chris went to the allergist last week and everything is going well on that front. It looks like Cassidy may be developing allergies, so she has an appointment soon.

Barry has a hole in his eardrum and we go see an ENT on the 4th of May. He cannot wait.

The kids all had projects due for school right after spring break. Cassidy and Barry each had to design something to do with space: a space creature, a rocket ship, and astronauts suit, etc. Cassidy had a pink astronauts suit and Barry made a rocket ship. Christopher had a project due on the state of Maryland. He had to draw the flag, among other things. Look at the Maryland state flag and then you try to draw it. It was not an easy thing to do, but we managed. I do not have a picture of Chris's projects. I will get one once it come back home.

We have been to the beach at least three time already this spring and the park once. The kids are so glad that the weather is getting better. They spend lots of time outside, as much as I will let them anyway. My sister's boyfriend went with us to the park, it was really nice.

We also went to the Museum of Science and Industry over spring break. It was really nice. Crazy busy! There were lots of field trips from schools not on spring break, but we managed to run into people from our church and from the kids school. It was neat to see people that we knew there. :)

Christopher and Cassidy are both going to camp this summer. Christopher cannot wait to go back and Cassidy is really excited to be going at all.

This has been the most unorganized blog I have done in a long time, but I tried to catch you all up on everything. I probably forgot a lot, but I will try to remember and catch you up on everything else next time. (Hopefully, next time will be a lot quicker.) :)

Hello again!

I suppose that once a month updates are actually pretty good. Everyone here is doing pretty well. The kids got their report cards in the middle of January. Christopher got all As and Bs! I am so proud of him. Now that we have his ADHD under control, he can more easily concentrate on school work. His behavior at school is very good, although at home we are still having some issues. Cassidy is still having some issues learning. Her school has finally agreed to get her tested for any kind of learning disorder. These include ADHD, dyslexia, etc. I go in next week and talk to everyone about what we need to do. Barry is doing well and still sweet. He has decided that he does not know how to do anything (at times.) His teacher and I are working on getting him to work to his potential.

We got our second major snow storm, but compared to the Mid-Atlantic states we got lucky. Of course my kids are out of school today, but this is only our third weather day this year. Last year we used five or six days. (The past two years we actually missed school for something other than snow. One for flooding fall 2008 and one for a tornado fall 2009.) Anyway the weather is supposed to get sunny, not warm, but sunny tomorrow. We will see how soon this snow melts. :)

Cassidy sold 150+ boxes of cookies this year, about 100 less than last year, but still very good. She was the top seller in her troop. Her troop also has a My Guy and Me dance that they are doing next week. Cassidy is going with her Uncle Nick. She is really quite excited about it. I am going as a parent sponsor. I get to check in the couples. :)

Chris and Barry had their Pine Wood Derby with Cub Scouts. Cassidy got to race a car also in the family division. They had a really good time. Christopher's car was an army tank, Barry had a police car and Cassidy had a teddy bear car. We are never one of the fastest cars, but we do well. The pack raised money for the food pantries in the area by selling hot dogs and chips for a dollar. This past Monday the pack packaged boxes to send to our troops in Afganistan and Iraq. That was controlled chaos, but fun.

In AWANA, Christopher competed in quizzing for the first time last Saturday. His team did a good job. He has already agreed to quiz again next year. They also completed in the AWANA Grand Prix. It is the same thing as the Pine Wood Derby. Again we did not have the fastest cars, but the kids all got awards for Hands-On. (Hands-On award is the award that goes to the kids who did the most work on their own car.) Again they all had a good time!

We are all finally well (at least for the moment.) I am still trying to find an ENT that is approved by our insurance. We saw one and he was, in a word, awful!! I have talked to other people about this doctor and no one has anything good to say about him. Some of the people were other doctors, some where other patients, and some where others in the medical field.

I have found out that Brad is out of jail again and yet I am not getting any child support. I have gone back to the child support office to get the ball rolling on getting him paying again. They have contacted him (back in December) but I have not heard anything since then. I will keep you posted. :)

Catching Up

Well, it has been a very long time since I did any blogging. We had a fabulous Christmas holiday. On Christmas morning we of course had chaos with my kids opening their presents almost faster than I could give them to them. Christmas afternoon we had about 25 family and friends come to my mother's house. We had a really good time playing Spoons and just talking. Before everyone left we acted out the 12 Days of Christmas. (Well, I did not act it out, I video taped it.) It was a riot! As soon as I figure out how to get the video off my camera, I will post it. It is quite funny. On the 26th, all of my brothers and sisters and their families came to my mother's. (My cousin, Mary, also came.) It was the first time in two years that we had all been together. It was wonderful! My daughter was SO excited that she got to see Alexis and Felicity. We had a really good time.

Poor Cassidy has been sick since about the 19th of December. She has bronchitis again. I am really hoping that the doctors are going to not let it turn into pneumonia again. The boys are fine. I am so greatful that Christopher's asthma is under control. I have not been sleeping through the night because Cassidy is up every night with her coughing. She uses the nebulizer. It really helps, but she does not like to get up in the middle of the night to use it. Oh well, hopefully she will be better soon.

We are in the middle of the first major snow storm of the season. They are predicting about 18 inches by the time the snow is over tomorrow. My kids are so excited. They already went sledding outside my mother's house today. The kids got out of school 1 1/2 hours early today. I would be surprised if they have school tomorrow. The kids are really happy about the snow.

Have a wonderful winter. Talk to you soon!

Everything Update :)

I know, I know I just posted that note, but this one is about the kids. :) I got the kids report cards at the beginning of the month. Everyone is doing really well! Cassidy got an A in math and that is where she really struggled last year!! Hooray! Christopher's behavior has gotten sooooooooo much better. I have noticed it at home too. Barry is, well, Barry. I got a note from his substitute on Thursday (thru facebook) saying that he rocked in math class. It made me smile and when I asked him to tell me what happened, he shyly said that he almost went around the world. (The kids challenge each other in math facts or whatever they are working on at the time. The kid that gets it right goes on to the next kid and the challenge continues. If one kid goes through the whole class he or she has gone around the world. ) Barry said that he only had two kids left when he got beat. :)

On to health issues. Cassidy was doing great when we had her follow up appointment last Tuesday (Novemeber 10). The doctor ordered an x-ray and we found that her pneumonia was still hanging on, although it had moved from one side to the other. She was put back on an antibiotic and did fine until Friday morning when she was back to having breathing problems again. We went back to the doctor and her O2 levels were back to 88-92. I was really worried they would put her back in the hospital, but the dctor just gave her an oral steroid again and she is doing better. I say that cautiously because from experience that may not be entirely true. We go back to the doctor on the 25th and we will see what happens next.

For Thanksgiving this year, we are having about forty people at my mother's house. Chaos, but it will be fun chaos. Have a wonderfull Thanksgiving everyone!!

New School Prayer

A friend of mine posted this on her facebook page and I could not help but put this in my blog. It really makes you think!

Since the Pledge of Allegiance

& The Lords Prayer

Are not allowed in Schools anymore

Because the word 'God' is mentioned....

A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached...



NEW School prayer:

Now I sit me down in school

Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God

Finds mention of Him very odd.



If Scripture now the class recites,

It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow

Becomes a Federal matter now.



Our hair can be purple, orange or green,

That's no offense; it's a freedom thing...

The law is specific, the law is precise...

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.



For praying in a public hall

Might offend someone with no faith at all

In silence alone we must meditate,

God's name is prohibited by the state.



We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,

And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks......

We can carry smut, but not the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable.



We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,

And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King

It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,

We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.



We can get our condoms and birth controls,

Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,

No word of God must reach this crowd.



Its scary here I must confess,

When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:

Should I be shot; my soul please take!

Amen

October Start

Well, we are now into October. When I wrote in September, things were normal. Well then it got a little crazy. Boy Scouts started for both boys and Girl Scouts started for Cassidy. We are in the swing of things now with AWANA and I take 3 extra kids to church with me. It completely fill my van. There are 8 more kids in my neighborhood that we have invited, but so far they have not been able to come. Cassidy got bit by a dog on the 18th. She is fine, but it was a scary experience for all of us. All three kids are doing really well in school this year! I am so excited about that. Cassidy and Barry come home with lots of information about their multiage classes. Christopher has his first field trip on the 27th. We are going to Fair Oaks Farm. My kids went there a couple of years ago with Girl Scouts, but I have never been. I am a little excited about it. I will have to take lots of pictures. Swimming lessons start again on Tuesday and my kids are really excited about them! My brother and his wife have a new baby boy, so of course all Cassidy can talk about is when she will get to see him. :) Anyway my life has increased in speed. I am going a million miles an hour and I still have lots to do at the end of the day.

Sept. Update

I guess I am doing well to update this blog once a month. The kids are all back in school, for which I am very relieved. I forget how much energy they expend while they are gone learning. Christopher is in 3rd grade. He has Mr. Bol, who he thinks is the best. He told me he did not want to go to school on the day that he knew he would have a sub because the sub was not as nice as Mr. Bol, in fact she was going to be MEAN! (Of course he did go to school and as it turned out the sub was nice.) Cassidy is in 2nd grade. She is still in multi~age (1st and 2nd combined.) Usually she would have had the same teacher as last year, but with her teacher leaving (he moved to Indy), she had a long term sub. Mrs. Schaudt is a retired teacher who is willing to sub every once in a while. She ended up staying for the year because she was actually one of the teachers who started the multi~age program at Yost, so they did not have to teach her the ropes. Now Cassidy's teacher is Miss Rolfe (as of Sept. 19 Mrs Nicks) and she loves her! Barry is also in the multi~age program, but he has Mrs. Imhof (Christopher's old teacher.) He is in 1st grade and seems to enjoy the "big" kid role with the kindergarteners under him. He is a pro at school (according to him.) Cassidy and Barry have already gone on their first field trip ~ to the BEACH! They had a sandcastle building contest and then they played some teamwork games. (I was there to help out.) They had a really good time. All three of them are doing very well. We have started this year out right. The kids come home and race to see who will get their homework done correctly first. This has made my life much easier!!
We all went to the South Bend Zoo for my neice's birthday. It was a really nice zoo and my kids have already decided that we have to go back next year. We got to see the butterfly house (a first for all of us) and the kids would have been very happy to stay in there all day. We got to see butterflies not normally found around here and watch them emerge from their chrysallis. It was really neat to watch their faces as the butterflies flew around them.
Anyway, the kids are doing really well!
As for me, well, I think I need a vacation! :)

End of a fun summer!

WOW!!! Summer has flown by! The kids start school in a week and a half. They are really excited to go back. (I know, I know, but they really are excited!) We went to Six Flags Great America last Friday and got rained on. We went with some friends and had a blast even in the rain. My kids had never been to an amusement park before and they loved it. We are planning on going again next summer, if we can. :) Cassidy is still riding the horse and still really enjoys it. She got to go with her Aunt Connie and pick out some new boots. (They are brown and green ~ very cool.) Christopher is VERY full of energy. Wouldn't it be nice if we could harness the energy of our kids and use it ourselves? Barry is still the gentle little boy, but I see some of that boundless energy in him too!! :) We went to OK for a family reunion and had a really nice time with family. We are also planning on going to the Indianapolis Children's Museum before school starts. Hopefully we will manage to do that. Swimming lessons start again in Sept. The pool was closed for repairs most of July and all of this month. I am checking into a swim team for Cassidy and Christopher. Barry is not quite ready for it. So starting soon we will have Girl Scouts, swimming, AWANA, and horseback riding for Cassidy, Boy Scouts, swimming, and AWANA for the boys. When will I sleep??? I also want to see about getting Christopher into 4-H, but that may have to wait. Talk to you all soon!!

Summer Chaos!

It has been a busy first half of summer. Chris went to camp, had a blast and cannot wait until next year. My church celebrated its 100 anniversary on July 11 and 12. We also had the Gary airshow on the 11-12. It takes place only about 2 blocks from my mother's house. My children, mother and I went to Oklahoma for a family reunion on July 17-19. It was a blast! Cassidy has also been riding the horse as much as possible. She also gets tutoring once a week. She has already gone to 2 horseshow this summer. More to come. Anyway, I hope the last half of the summer is less chaotic! I will let you know!

Camp!

Christopher got to go to camp on Monday, his very first time. He was sitting up in bed when I went to get him up at 5:45 am raring to go. He was so excited, I laugh thinking about it. He comes home on Saturday and I am sure he will have lots of stories to tell me. He is at Twin Lakes Camp (the same camp that I worked at for three years.) As his mom, I was a little apprehensive about him going with all of his numerous allergies, but I am so glad he went. The camp nurse called me on Friday before camp and asked me about his allergies and what to expect with any symptoms he may get. It made me feel very good and safe about him going. I did have to send 9 different kinds of medicines down to camp with him. I sent a shoebox. That got a laugh out of my friend. She was driving the church kids down to the camp, eleven of them. She also gets to bring them back. I almost feel sorry for her. So many kids, so hyper from camp. I am sure she will have lots of fun! I have also decided that the two kids that did not go are trying to make up for Christopher being gone this week. They are LOUD! But I will survive. I think that they miss him more than they will admit! I will let you know how he felt about camp later. Have a great summer!!

Howdy!

I guess we are having a really good month! Cassidy starts her horse show competitions this weekend. She is really excited. She is riding a different horse this year. Cassidy and the horse have been getting used to each other. I cannot wait to hear how she did. (It is in southern Indiana, so I usually cannot go.) Barry and Christopher are doing fine. All three kids are counting down the days left of school, mostly Christopher. (As of today they have 11 days left, not including weekends.) Christopher's reasons are that he is very, very ready to go to camp! I am glad that he is so excited about it.
On another front, the spring weather is finally here!!! I am so glad! Of course today is supposed to be almost 85 degrees! Almost like summer! On that note, everyone have a great day!!

Peace and quiet!

I guess when I am not writing, things must be pretty good. I decided I had better let you know that everything is fine. I should write when my kids have good days, even if they have lots of good days! Christopher had his last Cub Scout meeting this past Tuesday. He made a kite and had a blast!! He decided he did not need a "store bought" kite this year because his homemade one is just so much better than anyone he could buy! Cassidy and Barry were disappointed that they did not get to make one too, but I told then that we would figure out a way to make them kites. Christopher also is very excited about going to camp in June. He is finally old enough to attend Twin Lakes Camp (where I worked for three summers.) He is ready to start packing RIGHT now! I am really glad that he wants to go. He and Cassidy both have asked our Pastor about baptism, so the next time that the church has a baptism they will be getting baptized. It is very nice to see how excited they are about God. All three of the kids occansionally come to my room at night because they have a bad dream. I have always prayed with them and they seem to be able to go right back to sleep. Now they come to me and just ask for a little help praying and do most of it by themselves (they use their own words with no real prompting.) It is nice that they are learning to pray on their own. I love to hear them pray!! Cassidy is also done with Girl Scouts for the year. She had a blast this year. She sold lots of cookies (252 books, which will probably NEVER happen again), nuts, and magazines. Her troop had a "spa night" and lots of other exciting adventures. I think her favorite activity was visiting the local Wiseway grocery store. She cannot wait until next year. Barry gets to join Cub Scouts next year and is very excited about that. He is almost done with kindergarten, I can't believe it! I guess that is enough for now.

I really do not know WHAT to call this one

WOW!!! Meltdown city tonight! Cassidy is crying because I told her no. She is now saying it is because I do not love her. Of course, I am sitting quietly trying very hard not to laugh at her temper tantrum! Why do kids try these games? Barry cried a little earlier, but is now sound asleep on my mother's recliner. He tends to do this a lot when we make it to Friday during the school week. Christopher has decided to hide out in the car. He does not have the keys or anything, but I think that he just wants to be away from the crying.

Last Thursday, I went to the doctor and was put on an oral steroid and an inhaler. I now know exactly how Christopher feels when he has to use his inhaler. It sucks!! Still, my coughing has gotten mostly better. I am still coughing every once in a while. With this swine flu scare, everyone keeps looking at me like I am going to get them all sick. Relax folks, not sick at all, just a major allergy flare up. I did not realize my allergy to dust was so bad. Next time my mother can fix the vacuum cleaner.

Finally no more crying. Peace and quiet. I suppose that Cassidy has decided that no is not such a bad word after all. I wonder how long this will last! :)

No Complaining Today!

You know, I cannot complain (today, anyway) about life. The weather is beautiful! This has been one of the worst winters ever in NW Indiana. I am so glad that we are actually seeing glimpses of spring! My kids got their bikes out yesterday. Definitely a springtime rite of passage. It has been nice enough to open windows and just enjoy! I know that the cold is not over yet (i.e. the weather report says more cold on Wednesday), but I will enjoy the nice stuff while it is here. Also the kids are beeing nice to each other. Do not fall over in shock! It is true and oh so peaceful! You know I am glad that God gives us these kind of days every once in a while!

One of Those Feel Good Stories

As I read this news article, I could not help thinking how God must have enjoyed this rare act of kindness. The players on both teams should a remarkable ability to show kindness in a world that does not always think that men or boys should show emotion this way. I admired the players as I read this article, I will never remember the names mentioned in the story, but I will readily remember the kindness and caring they displayed. I wish the professional athletes in the world would read this and see that all the money and fame in the world are nothing, but simple acts of kindness can change the world. I just thought I'd pass the story on. It is well worth the time.


Amid the grieving, a rare act of sportsmanship

Associated Press

The coach never considered any other option.

It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before. Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said. Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states. The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players. Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws. Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing. Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up. He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim. His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on. They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands."I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."

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Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.

Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him."I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."

Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton. It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."

None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats. Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

God's Work

I am not the best blogger in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoy reading my friends blog lots! I always get a kick out of what everyone's kids did. One of my friends had two of her kids draw all over "everything" with permanent markers, another friends has some great pictures of her kids with their dad sledding in our mile high snow. I find myself laughing out loud at some of the stories people write in their blogs. I also cry when something hurts someone I care about. Mainly, though, I enjoy reading how God has worked in the lives of the people I care about. My cousin has a daughter who was very sick at this time last year with a very rare disease, this year she is almost back to her normal self again. Another friend has a son who needed surgery last year. They were afraid he may need more soon, but thankfully he does not. I am amazed that people in the world do not believe there is a God, when He so obviously answers prayer the way He does. Outside of the proof of nature, seeing God work in the lives of people makes life so much more interesting, don't you think?