Snow on Justen's Birthday: 2-10-09

Justen went out to play in the snow at 2:am on his 23rd birthday! It rarely snows here so it was a real treat!


Here's another picture of him in the snow. I can't believe my baby is this old! Although he has quite a bad case of dandruff. LOL


Graffiti on my car in the snow! I wonder who did it?


The snow stuck to the ground for a little while but it was gone by noon.


Jess really wanted to go out into the snow but I'm a mean Mom and wouldn't let her. It was late and I really wanted to get her to bed... not out in the snow and cold!

My birthday and a great story!

First I want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes. It really made my day! I had a lovely birthday. The night before my birthday a friend of mine and I went to a scrapbooking crop at our local scrapbooking store. We get to go to free crops during the month of our birthdays and our birthdays are 3 days apart. :D So we went and had our fun. The next day I had many emails and messages here on my blog wishing me a happy birthday! It was so fun! My sister's birthday is the day before mine and while I was out scrapbooking my sister and mom tried to call me. I told my sister several years ago that it's not fair that every year I call her on her birthday and then she doesn't need to call me the next day for mine. So this year she and my mom decided to call me on her birthday and surprise me! How fun is that? Since I wasn't home they talked to Jessica. She enjoyed talking to them. My mom has been helping my sis for about a month since Marcus's cancer came back and she will be going home next week. She will probably spend a day or two here in town so we'll probably get to spend some time together then.

Karl took me out to dinner on my birthday and that was really nice. The day after my birthday I got to go to church. It was so good to go again! It's been awhile since I've been able to go either because I didn't have anyone to take care of Jessica or I wasn't feeling well myself. I also got some phone calls and a couple of cards in the mail wishing me a Happy Birthday. Thanks everyone for making my birthday so great!

Here is a great story for you. If this doesn't make your day, nothing will.

There is a little boy named Derek Andrews who lives in Clarence NY...right outside Buffalo.
He is presently 7 years old and will turn 8 in October. Derek has a muscle disorder and doctors told his parents that Derek would never be able to run or play sports.
Apparently, however, no one ever told Derek.
He plays hockey at the Amherst Pepsi Center , baseball and soccer in Clarence, and participates in gymnastics. Maybe the word 'plays' is a bit misleading.. Derek was on the baseball league all-star team, the ice hockey select team and was the leading scorer on his soccer team! All despite that condition that continues to weaken the muscles in his body.
To make the story even more heartwarming, after winning a local bank's essay contest (who in the world writes essays at 7 ????), Derek used his prize money to put on a magic show at Children's Hospital, help organize a book drive for a Buffalo school and buy supplies for elephants at The Buffalo Zoo.
Derek's uncle says that Derek has been nominated for 'Sports Kid of the Year' by Sports Illustrated for Kids and is now a top 10 finalist. I can't think of any more deserving kid than this boy. To help Derek achieve that honor, all you have to do is vote for him at the following web site Sports Illustrated Kids

It literally takes 15 seconds to do. You are allowed to vote as often as you wish.

Life is Busy, as usual... update on our family

We have been pretty busy since we got home from the hospital. Not only am I starting to panic that we have just over 2 months until Justen and Ravyn's wedding, but I've been working on planning Jessica's birthday party which is this Saturday, May 31, I had to take all other 3 kids to other doctors appointments several times this week, we're preparing for my dh to leave town on Sunday (for work), preparing for him and both younger boys to leave for scout camp right after dh gets back (hence some of the doctors appointments) and we just found out today that Austin needs glasses. *sigh* I was really hoping he would be able to avoid them but apparently the Jensen gene skipped a generation and hit all 4 of my kids. I believe that all 3 of my hubby's siblings wear glasses but he hasn't needed them until he's gotten older and then only to drive at night. I know that needing glasses isn't the end of the world but it's one more expense that our family has to deal with right now and of course it will take Austin awhile to get used to them. Justen's car came back from the shop at a whopping $1500+! Karl and I decided that paying for those expenses is far more important than trying to provide them with a little honeymoon so we took care of it today. The kids need a reliable car to help them get started out in married life. Justen has a job and they are looking at apartments near his work. Ravyn is looking for a job but it's hard since she lives quite far from town and has no transportation(for right now). Buses don't go out that far so hopefully she will find something close to her new home once she and Justen are married and live in town.

Life is dealing us a lot of changes this summer. Austin will be going to middle school for the first time (in August), Justen is not only getting married but it moving out of the house for the first time, Brandon will move into Justen's old room so he and Austin will have their own rooms for the first time too. One more scary thing added to the table... Brandon told me that he will be eligible for his driver's permit in 8 months!!! Thank goodness it's not this summer because I just can't deal with that change yet. LOL! And lo and behold... Jessica is going to be out of her TEENS! She told me today that this is her last week as being a teenager. WOW! I don't know what else to say but WOW! Who would have ever thought?

So here we are... thumbing our noses at the CHD defects that Jess was born with. It tried to take her many times during her infancy, her childhood and teenage years. Well too bad Mr. CHD, Miss Jess is making it into adulthood! (and yet she is still my little girl who still loves Barbies, coloring books and tracing) I love it!

ARRR... Today Be Talk Like A Pirate Day!

AHOY Matey! Today be "International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!" Enjoy yer day a'talkin like a pirate, ARRRRR!!!

Today also be my sister, Karen's birthday! Stop by her blog, I Made It Through Another Day! and give her a big birthday wish! I won't be tellin' her age but I will say it is the big 4-OH!!!

Happy Birthday SIS!

*sorry Karen, it just slipped out!* arrrrrrrr

Getting Ready For THE Party!

Miss Jess will be 19 years old on Sunday! WOW! AMAZING! We are having a "Pirates of the Caribbean" birthday party for her this Saturday. Jessica's therapist came on Tuesday and brought her an early birthday gift - a Jack Sparrow accessory kit. Jessica LOVES it! She must have put it on at least 5 times on Tuesday and almost as many times every day since then. Yesterday I took her to a dental appointment and she had to wear it there. hehe... Here are some pictures of her the day she got it. The last picture was after she had a bath and changed her clothes. She was pulling faces and I asked her to show me a mean face and that's what she gave me. hehe... (I'm sorry the photos are blurry, I hate it when I don't get good ones. I just hope I can take some non-blurry pictures during the party on Saturday.) We could have anywhere between 30 - 50 people. *gah!* We are cleaning the house and yard like mad.




I'm so scared! You don't want Pirate Jess coming after YOU!

Happy Birthday Angel

I want to take a moment to honor a dear, sweet little girl who has touched so many lives across the world.... Bethany Katrina Frances English. I got acquainted with Bethany's dad, Dan, before Bethany was even born. You see, Bethany was diagnosed in utero with complex congenital heart defects. Dan searched online for information and support to help him and his better half, Jo, deal with their daughter's serious heart defects. Dan was calling Bethany "bump" up until the time she was born. Bethany had several nicknames such as "Bethy" and "little moo". Apparently that is an endearing name in England. ;-)

After Bethany was born, not only did she have several heart defects but also other problems including malrotation of the intestines, stomach in the wrong place and neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. Bethany underwent surgeries for the cancer, reattachment of the stomach and later on more surgeries for her many heart defects.

Bethy could always make me smile. Dan would write about her antics and the trouble she would get into but she usually got away with it since she had daddy wrapped around her little finger. There were a few times that I actually got to see her on Dan's webcam. Once we even did the voice thing with the webcam on the yahoo messenger and it was so sweet to hear her voice. She reminded me so much of Jessica when she was little. Same sweet voice and feminine mannerisms. Another way that Bethy reminded me of Jessica is that she was a miracle. She beat the odds so many times! I used to always say that Jess didn't let a little thing like having heart surgery and a stroke get her down. Bethy had a stroke when she was and infant too. I am still so amazed that Bethany not only survived the cancer, stroke and several serious surgeries, but that she loved life and lived it to it's fullest.

Sadly, Bethany passed away on Feb 21, 2005 following a very complicated heart surgery. Bethany had just turned 4 years old the previous month.


In October, a national UK magazine (Best Magazine) ran an article about Bethy in the form of an open letter, written by her mother, Jo. Unfortunately the website where you can read the article is down but I will try to find a way to post it so you can read it. Don't forget to have plenty of tissue on hand.

Happy Birthday Angel Bethany.
You are greatly loved and missed.

Update: If you would like to read Dan's tribute to his daughter click here: Happy Birthday My Sweet Angel Jo also has a message and pictures of Bethy on her blog: Happy Birthday Baby The magazine article can be found here: Jodie's true story

Happy Birthday to ME! :)

I had a great birthday yesterday. Yes, I had to do a bunch of "mom" stuff but I did get to go out to dinner with my hubby. The restaurant gave me a free piece of pie, too. ;)

Karl has been asking me what he could get for me for my birthday and after investigating everything.... we went and bought a PIANO!! ;) It will be here tomorrow so I will have to post a picture of it then. I used to play the piano every day... back in the good 'ol days. I took piano lessons for many years while growing up then life kind of got in the way. My dad bought an old upright piano for me before Jessica was born and I intended to teach piano lessons to help us out financially but after Jess came along and we "lived" in the hospital and barely managed to get through one crisis after another, the idea of teaching piano lessons fell by the wayside. With Karl being a full-time student and all we were going through we kept saying that eventually we would spend the time and money to refurbish the old piano. The keys are real ivory and breaking, many keys stick, the sound is pretty bad, etc, so it didn't get played much... then not at all. I forgot to mention that the lady we bought our piano from had refinished it back in the '50s and put an "antique" finish on it. LOL... it's quite ugly.. and has been our TV stand for the last several years. lol. I'll have to post a picture of our old piano and then our new piano after the new one arrives. :)

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! I have to say that this birthday was much better than two years ago when I turned the BIG FOUR-OH! Jess had just been admitted into hospice, she was having lung bleeds almost daily and for my 40th birthday we bought me a recliner to have in Jessica's bedroom so I could be in there day and night while she was dying. And she was dying.

How amazing that Jessica is doing so much better and that she has been OUT of hospice for a year now. A miracle. Nothing less.

Today be Pirate Day! Yaaarrrr!!!!

For those o' you that don't know, today be "Talk like a pirate day!" So get your Captain hats out, swab t' decks and walk t' plank me hearties!

And in true pirate fashion, I done stole yar post from Jo.




Today also be me sister, Karen's birthday! Have a good day sis!